Hateful Step-brother

Stacey was busy admiring herself in the bathroom mirror when the sound of loud knocking disturbed her. Simply from the tone she could tell it was not her father or step mother. Darrel, knock it off, I’m busy!” she shouted.

“You’ve been in there for hours!” he shouted back.

Stacey continued to eye herself up and down instead of responding right away. She used one hand to wipe steam off the mirror while sweeping her wet dark brown hair out of her eyes with the other hand. When Daryl knocked again she finally responded. “Use the downstairs bathroom.”

“I’m not waiting to pee, I have to shower too.”

“There’s a shower downstairs,” she argued.

“And my bedroom is upstairs,” he countered.

Finally she jerked open the door, forgetting she was only wearing a towel. Daryl was waiting just outside and his eyes traveled down her cleavage immediately. “I’m telling Mom,” she announced proudly.

“Not this again,” he groaned.

“Yes this again, you’ve been peeking at me since we were young. It used to be cute when you blushed and turned away but now you just leer at me.” She brushed past him, leaving a wet hand print on his shoulder. Daryl rolled his eyes but did not pursue the argument.

After getting dressed in pajama shorts and a sweater, Stacey trotted down the stairs to the kitchen where her step mother was loading the dish washer before bed. “Daryl tried to peek at me naked again,” she complained.

“Really?” Lauren was not all that concerned, or perhaps she was not convinced.

“You don’t believe me?” Stacey crossed her arms. “What if I get Dad to kick him out?”

“Why are you doing this?” Lauren groaned. “Even if he was looking at you, he’s not going to do anything. You two hate each other. You’re the last girl he wants to get it on with.”

“Ew, language, Mom,” Stacey was surprised how open Lauren was.

“Oh please, you are old enough to know about sex. I’m sure if you’re not having it already you will be by next year. I don’t care who you date, even your step brother. It’s not like you’re related. Just don’t tell you’re father about it.”

“Ew-ew-ew.” Stacey shook violently, trying to shed the ideas Lauren had just put in her head.

“What is it about my genes you hate so much?” Lauren frowned at her.

Stacey’s eyes widened in concern. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s not you that I don’t like about Daryl, it’s him.”

“He looks just like me.” Lauren placed her hands on her hips. While it was true that Daryl had medium length stringy blonde hair just like his mother, a slender face and slightly reddish tan skin, the main difference, their gender, was all Stacey had against Daryl. She was not worried about Lauren peeking at her in the shower only boys.

“This is why I can’t leave you two alone. I’m sure the house will be destroyed when we get back,” Lauren grumbled.

“Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re thinking of canceling your anniversary trip with Dad because of us!” Stacey gasped.

“Not at the moment, but you have a month to change my mind if you really want to push it.”

Stacey was panicking. She did not want to be responsible for canceling her parents planned trip. She needed to change the subject and fast. Glancing back into the living room she saw something shiny sitting on the window sill. “Is that a new vase?” she asked.

“Oh, you actually noticed,” Lauren was surprised. “Yes, that was a gift from your father. He rendered it in a 3D computer program and then sent the specs to this company that makes it out of actual clay then turns it into a ceramic.”

“Dad is interested in vases?” Stacey was confused.

“He’s interested in 3D modeling. I am interested in vases. It’s so thoughtful of him to combine our interests like this.”

“I thought you only liked antique vases because they are expensive.”

“You think this vase was cheap? They added another ten dollars for every curve in the 3D model. Dan had the whole thing designed before he realized he could remake it to look the same without as many curves and it would be much cheaper.”

Stacey nodded to pretend to show interest. She was just glad to have successfully changed the subject. She and Daryl had never been left alone for more than a day since their parents got married. This was their chance to prove they were mature enough to handle it. Not only that, they both genuinely wanted their parents to have a good time.

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A month later, Lauren and Dan finally went on their anniversary trip, leaving Stacey and Daryl alone to prove how responsible they could possibly be. Unlike when their parents were home, the two of them did not bother eating breakfast together. In fact, on the second day they did not leave their rooms at all before noon.

Stacey was the first to come downstairs, as she had gotten hungry. After examining everything that was in the fridge she took some of the yogurt that Daryl bought with his own money and brought it to the living room with a spoon.

She sat on the sill of the window that overlooked the back yard and stared at the twisted vase her father had gifted her step mother. She did not understand Lauren’s interest in decorative things and was somewhat annoyed that her father was now trying to match that interest at the expense of his own personality.

She did not dislike Lauren as a mother or a spouse for her father, but she still missed the days when she was the most important person in his life. “If only you didn’t have a stupid pervert son of your own, you’d be the perfect woman,” she muttered as she glanced out the window.

“Do you still have a problem with me?” Daryl’s loud voice startled her. She had not heard him leave his room or descend the stairs at all. “Is that my yogurt?” he asked.

“No!” she stood up while hiding the cup behind her back. As her leg swept off the sill, it bumped the vase and sent it crashing to the floor. Daryl shook his head disappointedly, like he expected no better of his idiot sister. She stared at him in stunned shock as he walked over. He stepped over the broken shards of pottery without much effort and took back his half eaten yogurt cup while she was unable to react.

He was halfway to the kitchen when she finally managed to speak. “Help me!” she pleaded.

“Help you what; hide Dad’s vase?”

“Can it be put back together?” she suggested.

Daryl looked down at the remnants and shook his head. “You’ll have to order a new one.”

“I don’t have the money for that. You’ve got to lend me some.”

“Why?” he scoffed.

“Do you want Mom and Dad to be sad on their anniversary?”

“Technically their anniversary was last month. Also, I don’t care if they are sad as long as they know it wasn’t me.”

“What if I tell them it was you?” Stacey suggested.

“It’ll be your word against mine and when they find out it really was you, they will be even more angry at you for lying.”

“Please, can’t you help me at all?” she begged.

Daryl took a moment to eye her up and down.