Page 6 of My Fault

“Noah, have you met Thor?” Raffaella asked her daughter, who was still standing by the counter not trying to conceal her bad mood.

Then Noah did something I didn’t expect. She walked forward, crouched down, and started calling Thor.

“Thor, come here, boy.” She seemed gentle, friendly. And brave—you had to give her that. Just a second ago she was trembling before the same animal in fear.

I’d expected her to go rat me out to her mom.

Thor walked over wagging his tail. He turned to me and then to her and must have realized something wasn’t right. My attitude was so serious even he couldn’t overlook it.

Tail between his legs, he came back and sat down beside me. My stepsister was flustered.

“Good boy,” I congratulated him with a big smile.

Noah stood up. There was hatred in those long-lashed eyes. Then she turned back to her mother.

“I’m going to bed,” she announced.

I decided to do the opposite because there was a party on the beach that night and I was supposed to be there.

“I’m going out tonight. Don’t wait up for me,” I said, feeling strange saying this to several people instead of just Dad.

Just as I made it past the doorframe, Dad stopped me—me and mylittle sister.

“The four of us are going out to dinner tonight,” he said, focusing his attention on me.

Bullshit!

“Dad, I’m sorry, but I need to go…”

“I’m so tired from the trip…”

“This is going to be our first dinner as a family, and I wantyou both to be there,” my father said, interrupting both of us. Standing next to me, Noah blew out all the air in her lungs.

“Can’t we make it tomorrow?” she said.

“Sorry, honey, but we have a business party tomorrow,” my father responded.

It was strange how he addressed her. I mean, he didn’t even know her! I was already in college; I could do what I wanted. I was an adult, in other words. But Noah! Having to deal with a teenager would have to be any newly married couple’s nightmare.

“Noah, we’re going out to dinner together, period, no more discussion,” Raffaella said, bringing the conversation to a close.

I decided it would be best to give in this time. I’d have dinner with them, and then I’d go to my friend Anna’s… myspecial friendAnna’s. Then the two of us would go to the party.

“Give me half an hour to shower,” I said, pointing to my sweaty clothes.

My father nodded with satisfaction, his wife smiled, and I realized I was being the responsible child that night…or so I was making them believe.

3

Noah

What a damnidiot!

As I climbed the stairs, stomping as loud as I could, I couldn’t stop thinking about the ten minutes I’d spent with my new idiot stepbrother. How could he be such a dickhead, a stuck-up psycho? God, I couldn’t stand him, and there was no way I could deal with living with him. It was bad enough that he was my mother’s new husband’s son, but after what had happened, my annoyance had reached stratospheric levels.

This was supposed to be the perfect adorable little boy my mother had told me about?

I hated how he talked to me, how he looked at me. As if he were better than me just because he had money. He had looked me up and down and then laughed…laughed right in my face.