Page 4 of My Fault
Crossing the room, I walked into what supposedly was thedream of any woman, girl, or teenager: the walk-in closet. Not an empty walk-in closet, but one full of clothing waiting to be worn. I exhaled a breath I’d been holding in for a long time and began to look through all the unbelievable outfits. Everything was name-brand with the tags still on, and just a quick glance was enough to get a sense of how much they’d spent. My mother—or whoever had convinced her to blow all that money—was crazy.
I couldn’t shake that uneasy feeling that nothing was real, that soon I would wake up and I’d be back in my old room with my single bed and the same clothes as always. And worst of all, that was what I wanted with all my heart because this wasn’t my life, it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to go back home. I felt queasy, anxious. I fell to the floor, resting my head between my knees and inhaling and exhaling as many times as I needed until the urge to cry finally passed.
As if she were reading my mind, my friend Beth sent me a text just then.
You make it in OK? I already miss you.
I smiled at the screen and sent her a photo from my dressing table. Right away I got back five emojis with their mouths gaping open.
I hate you. You know that, right?
I laughed and replied:
If it was up to me, I’d give it all to you. Honestly I’d give anything to be home with everyone, at Dan’s place watching a movie or just hanging out on that gross couch in your bedroom.
Don’t be so negative. You’re rich now! Fucking enjoy it!
But I wasn’t rich. William was.
I left my phone on the floor and opened my suitcases, taking out some shorts and a T-shirt. I didn’t want to change how I was, and there was no way I was going to start wearing name-brand polos.
I got into the shower to wash off all the grime and discomfort from that long trip. I was happy not to be one of those girls who had to do much for her hair to look good. Fortunately, I’d inherited my mother’s wavy hair, and as soon as I dried it, I was good to go. I dressed in the clothes I’d picked out and decided to walk around the house and find something to eat.
It was weird, doing it by myself. I felt like an intruder. It would take me a long time to get used to living here, to the luxury, the immensity of the place. In my old apartment, you just had to speak a little louder than normal to get someone to hear you, no matter what room they were in. Here, you could forget that.
I walked toward the kitchen, praying I wouldn’t get lost. I was dying of hunger. My body desperately needed junk food.
Unfortunately, when I turned the corner, I realized I wasn’t alone.
Someone was digging through the fridge. All I could see of him was his dark hair. Just as I was about to say something, a deafening bark made me shriek like a little girl.
I turned just as the head of black hair emerged from behind the refrigerator door to see who was causing such a racket.
But he wasn’t what had frightened me. Next to the island in the kitchen was a black dog. Beautiful, but with a look in its eyes as if it wanted to eat me one morsel at a time. It was a Labrador, I thought, but I couldn’t say. My eyes went from the dog to the boy standing beside it.
I looked with curiosity but also with surprise at who could only be William’s son, Nicholas Leister. The first thing that cameinto my head when I saw him wasLook at those eyes!They were sky-blue, bright as the walls of my room, a complete contrast to his raven hair, which was unkempt and damp with sweat. He must have just worked out because he had on leggings and a baggy muscle shirt. My God, he was handsome, I had to admit that, but I didn’t let what I was thinking distract me from who was in front of me: my new brother, the person I’d have to live with for a year, a year that I sensed would be outright torture. And his dog went on growling at me as if it could guess at my thoughts.
“You’re Nicholas, right?” I asked, trying to control my fear of that vicious animal that wouldn’t stop growling. I was surprised and angry at the way he looked over at his pet and smiled.
“The one and only,” he said and then looked back at me. “You must be the daughter of my father’s new wife.” I couldn’t believe he would say it so coldly.
He rolled his eyes. “So your name was…?” I couldn’t help feeling shocked as he asked that question.
He didn’t know my name? Our parents were married, my mother and I had moved, and he didn’t even know what to call me?
2
Nick
“Noah,” she replied contemptuously. “My name’s Noah.”
It was funny how she scowled at me. My new stepsister seemed offended I didn’t give a shit what her and her mother’s names were, but I had to admit that at least I remembered her mother’s. How couldn’t I? The last three weeks, she’d spent more time in my house than I had. Raffaella Morgan was now a part of my life, and to make matters worse, she’d brought company.
“Isn’t that a dude’s name?” I asked, knowing it would bother her. “No offense, obviously,” I added when I saw her honey-colored eyes open with surprise.
“It’s a girl’s name, too,” she answered a second later. I watched her look at me and then at Thor, my dog, and I couldn’t help laughing. “Probably your limited vocabulary doesn’t include the wordunisex.” Thor kept growling and baring his teeth. It wasn’t his fault; we’d trained him not to trust strangers. With one word from me, he’d turn back into the sweet dog he always was…but it was too fun seeing the look of fear on my new stepsister’s face.
“Don’t worry about my vocabulary, it’s pretty extensive,” I replied, closing the fridge and turning to face her, for real thistime. “There’s one word I know that my dog loves. Starts with an A, then two Ts, then A-C-K.” She looked scared, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
