The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson Read Free Book Online Page B

"Thanks for the invite Mr. Lowe, but I have to get home." He picked up his backpack, threw it over his shoulder and without even looking at me said, "See you tomorrow."
    After the front door shut, my dad said, "I've never known Trent to turn down food before."
    "Me either." This was turning out to be one weird day. I got up and followed Dad back into the kitchen where he handed me plates and silverware to set the table.
    "Ella!" my dad yelled. And instead of yelling back like I had, she replied, "Coming!"
    "So much for you slaving away in the kitchen," I pointed to the opened Chinese food containers as I sat down in my spot.
    "It's hot, and it's much more edible than anything I could make." To give him some credit, he was chopping up some lettuce and tomatoes. I think he was going for a salad, and I decided not to tell him that salad didn't really go with wontons.
    "Where's Trent?" Ella asked when she reached the kitchen and slid into her chair next to me. "Went home," I replied.
    She looked a little put out. "I wanted to tell him I got someone to cover my shift."
    "Why don't you quit your job?" I asked as I dumped a bunch of cashew chicken on my plate. "My dad's got plenty of money. You don't need to work."
    "Your dad's done enough for me." Ella glanced up at my father, who hummed while he chopped. "I'm grateful to him for taking me in, but I have to make my own way. I need to get in to UCLA, and I need to get a scholarship."
    "Is that why you work so hard?" I thought of all her volunteering and studying and working.
    She nodded as she offered me a pair of chopsticks, which I refused. I never, ever used chopsticks on principle. My fork worked perfectly fine, thanks.
    "Then I'll have to go to college and keep my grades up and work. It won't be easy." She sounded tired.
    "You should just ask Dad for the money," I told her again.
    She started piling lo mein on top of the rice. "So, that was Jake on the phone. And I broke up with him."
    Whoa. Way to change the subject. My mouth hung open, until I realized nobody wanted to see chewed up cashew chicken.
    "I know I probably should have done it in person, but I just wanted to get it over without having to face him." Ella hated confrontations of any kind. It's why I had to take care of Melanie Robbins at summer camp when we were twelve. Ella wouldn't. She kind of let people walk all over her.
    "How did he take it?"
    "Fine. He seemed more surprised than anything else."
    "And you're okay?"
    She smiled at me. "Totally fine."
    That dangerous spark of hope had leapt back to life in my stomach. I reminded it that 1) I was still really mad at Jake and 2) I had zero chance of ever dating him.
    It didn't listen.
    I heard my dad singing as he came over to the table and sat down. I made out the words "girl" and "poison." Both my father and I had no singing skills, but you put up a karaoke machine and we would be the first ones in line. Yeah, we were those people.
    "Wait. Why are you singing?" A new, anxious and uncomfortable feeling commandeered my stomach. My dad only sang for one reason.
    "I'm not." I noticed he didn't look me in the eye.
    "You are. You're singing one of those 1990s hip-hop songs."
    "So?" he asked defensively.
    It only meant one thing. "You're dating someone." I saw the gleam in his eye, the corners of his mouth tugging up. Then a worse possibility occurred to me. "Is it someone I know?"
    He sat silent for a few moments, like he was deciding whether or not to tell me anything. "An art teacher at your school. I met her at the open house the other evening. Delightful woman."
    "Not Mrs. Putnam." His satisfied expression indicated that it was indeed Mrs. Putnam. "Dad! She's married!"
    "Was," he corrected as he handed me his salad. I passed it on to Ella. I couldn't think about rabbit food right now. "Her divorce was finalized three months ago."
    "So you're her rebound guy?" Rebound I could handle. That meant it wouldn't last long and she might not end up hating me too much when