Page 10 of The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

Why had I left my door opened? I turned over on my side, so that she faced my back. I held my breath, telling myself I absolutely could not cry in front of Ella.

I opened my mouth to tell her to go away, but another sob threatened to erupt, so I stayed silent, willing myself to be calm.

"I got this new eye shadow today that would go so well with your…"

"No." I cut her off. I could manage one syllable.

"Come on Tilly, let me just…"

"No."

Ella had had so much fun with her own makeover that it became her goal in life to make me over too. I kept telling her no, but she kept trying.

I hoped she would just go away, but she must have heard something in my voice because she came in my room, something she rarely ever did.

"Tilly? Are you okay?" Her voice sounded timid, and she tentatively sat on the bed. She probably expected me to snap at her.

She put a hand on my upper arm and tried to turn me over. I resisted.

"Are you crying?" She sounded shocked as she peered over my shoulder. "I've never seen you cry."

I didn't respond, squeezing my eyelids together. I was finished crying. I decided there would be no more tears for Jake Kingston.

"Do you want me to get your dad?"

For a second I actually wanted to laugh. "No." I started wiping old tears away with the back of my hands. He would be totally useless. He'd say there were plenty of other fish in the sea or time heals all wounds or any of those other meaningless things parents say when they have no idea how to help you.

"Then tell me. What happened?"

A short bark of laughter came out. "I can't tell you. You're like the one person I can't tell."

"I'm your sister. You can tell me anything."

Stepsister, I mentally corrected. "Not this."

"Tilly." Ella sounded determined. "Look at me." This time her hand wasn't gentle and she forced me to turn over. "Tell me."

Suddenly I wanted to tell her. It probably wasn't fair to unburden it on her, to let her know how I'd betrayed her, but I so wanted to tell someone what I felt, all the things I'd been dealing with on my own. I'd never told a single soul and I thought maybe if I told Ella, it might not be so hard to cope with.

I explained how I had had detention, and gave her all the gory details of how Jake came in and what he said and what I'd said.

"Wow." Ella sat thoughtfully for a moment. "He was out of line, but I don't understand why it would make you this upset. It sounds like you held your own."

The moment had come. The one I'd been avoiding for so very long. I never thought I would have to tell Ella how I felt about Jake. I quickly sat straight up and looked down at my hands.

This was it.

I was going to just say it.

It couldn't be that hard, right?

Finally, I let out a long breath. "I was so upset because… because…I'minlovewithJakeKingston." The words came out as fast as I could force them out.

Ella blinked several times. Then she said, "What?" Only she managed to take that one word and stretch it out to like six syllables.

I nodded to let her know she'd heard me right. It had been easier than I thought. And it helped that her hands weren't wrapped around my neck choking the life out of me, which is most likely what I would have done had our situations been reversed.

"You're in love with Jake?" she clarified. I nodded again. "For how long?"

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