The Stepsister Read Free Page B

idea of dressing up for a date is to turn his sweatshirt around so the dirty part is in back!”
    â€œHey, that’s not fair!” Emily cried.
    Jessie and Nancy laughed.
    Why is she going into all this now? Emily wondered. Josh doesn’t mean anything to Nancy. She’s told me a million times that she doesn’t care that I’m dating him now.
    â€œI’m hungry. I’m going downstairs,” Nancy said, heading for the door. “You coming?”
    â€œBe down in a second,” Emily said, setting the two parts of the teddy bear down on the desk.
    â€œI like your sister,” Jessie said as soon as Nancy had gone downstairs. “She’s so pretty. Are you really dating her old boyfriend?”
    â€œThey didn’t go together that long,” Emily said brusquely. She really wanted to drop the subject.
    â€œSo, are we agreed?” Jessie asked. “I get the bed by the wall?”
    â€œWell . . .” It isn’t settled at all, Emily thought crossly. That’s my bed!
    â€œAnd can we move that night-table over to my side?” Jessie asked. Without waiting for a reply, she began tugging the night-table across the room.
    â€œI’ll have to empty it out for you,” Emily said quietly. Is Jessie trying to bully me? she wondered. Is she always going to have to get her way? Is she going to boss me around in my own house?
    It’s her house too, Emily reminded herself. It’s her house too—from now on. . . .
    â™¦ ♦ ♦
    â€œWell, this is a real party!” Mrs. Wallner said, beaming happily from the head of the dining-room table. Mr. Wallner muttered agreement, a pleased smile on his usually dour face.
    Emily and Nancy had decorated the dining room, stringing crepe-paper streamers over the doorway and over the dark green wallpaper above the buffet, and hanging big cut-out letters spelling WELCOME over the double windows. Their mom had put a white linen tablecloth on the table, a special departure from the straw place mats they usually used. Two dozen pink and red roses in a big cut-glass vase served as a beautiful centerpiece. Emily couldn’t remember the old house ever looking this festive.
    â€œHow about a toast?” she said, pouring some Coke into her glass, trying to forget about the unpleasantness upstairs and get into a party mood. She passed the big Coke bottle to Jessie.
    â€œDo you have any diet soda?” Jessie asked Mrs. Wallner. “This is just too fattening.”
    Mrs. Wallner gave Jessie a look of surprise. “Don’t tell me you worry about your weight, Jessie. If you got any skinnier, we wouldn’t be able to see you!”
    Mr. Wallner laughed loudly. “Jessie worries abouteverything,” he said, shaking his head. He turned to Rich at the end of the table. Rich hadn’t said a word. “How ya doin’, pal?” Mr. Wallner called down to him.
    â€œOkay,” Rich said with a shrug.
    â€œWhy don’t you put that book down and have some cake,” Mr. Wallner suggested.
    â€œOkay,” Rich said, closing his book.
    â€œDo you want ice cream with your cake?” Emily’s mom asked.
    Rich muttered something.
    â€œSpeak up, Rich. Your words are falling right into your lap,” Mr. Wallner said.
    â€œYes. Ice cream, please,” Rich replied, louder. His voice cracked on the word please.
    Mr. Wallner laughed at him. “You sound like a boy soprano!” he said.
    Rich turned bright red and lowered his eyes.
    â€œStop picking on him, Daddy,” Jessie said sharply.
    â€œI’m not picking on him. I just made a joke,” Mr. Wallner said, stuffing a big forkful of the vanilla cake into his mouth and washing it down with a long swallow of coffee from his cup.
    â€œSome joke,” Rich muttered, still not raising his eyes.
    â€œWhat did you say? Are you muttering again?”
    â€œGive him a break, Daddy,” Jessie insisted