Umm, well... I've been planning and writing this for a while so I hope you like =]
First chapter only... I might add more, but tell me if you think I should =D
[SIZE=16pt]Chapter One[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]It was the day of Diana’s arrival. I didn’t understand why she had to come. We never got along when we saw each other, so what would happen if we lived together? [/SIZE]
My father had died when I was five. It had taken me and Mum three years to build our strength back up, and then he came along.
He was Diana’s dad, Justin. Justin was tall and handsome and caring, and Mum fell for him immediately, just as he fell for her. I wouldn’t have minded if I was younger, he was nicer to me and Diana wasn’t his daughter. She was everything I hated in girls: spoiled, full of herself and whiny.
“Cheryl?” It was Mum. I sighed but clambered downstairs anyway.
“Yes?” I said as I entered the kitchen. Mum put down the bowl she was drying and indicated to the kitchen table. I sat down and watched Mum seat herself opposite.
“Cheryl, hon, I know you and Diana don’t get on well, and I know that Justin moving in is a big thing for you, but we have to move on,” she paused. “When your father died, remember how sad I was? But remember that your dad told us he had the illness, and only had a couple of months left to live?”
I nodded slowly. Mum never talked about Dad, it would upset her and make her cry. I knew this was a big thing for Mum, too.
“Well, me and him had a chat, before he… before he…”
“You don’t have to say it, Mum.”
“But I should. It’s good to talk about it, so we don’t have it bottled up inside of us,” she hesitated again. “Before he died, he said he understood if I fell in love again, and that you needed a father in your life, and even a brother or sister too.” The words tumbled out her mouth in a rush.
“I made sure I talked to him about, otherwise I would feel ever so guilty if I did re-marry. I just want you to know that I will love you the most, even before Justin or Diana.”
She moved closer and hugged me. I hugged her back, clinging on, never wanting to let go.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Oh my goodness! Here already? Cheryl, is the spare room tidy? Good. Oh, honey, your hair’s gone all over the place!”
“Mum, if they’re going to live with us, then they will see my in a lot worse conditions,” I replied recklessly.
“Oh, your right,” Mum said hurriedly, and ran to the door. I got there just in time to see her flinging it open and jumping into Justin’s waiting arms. Diana flashed me a grin, that we both knew meant ‘I’m going to make your life miserable’.
“Hi, Sherry,” she said in her sweetest voice.
Justin laughed, Mum giggled anxiously, while I smiled back.
“Hey, Diana. Here, let me take your bag and show you where your room will be.”
“Oh, thank you, Sherry. That will be fab.” And she flung her bag at me, making me jump back.
“Right, listen here, you brat,” Diana barked as we got to the spare room. Mum knew I would’ve run away if I had to share a room with Diana.
“What?” I said, tiredly. I was bored of her already. And irritated. I have a good reason to be, too. If you were going to live with someone for possibly ever, wouldn’t you tell your daughter what your lover’s daughter’s name was, and how to pronounce it?
Diana was thirteen, two years older than me. She would be fourteen in May. I would be twelve, just two days after her birthday. She had long blonde hair that did whatever she wanted it to, wore make-up everyday and was considerably tall and very slim, not to mention pretty. I would be having trouble if I wanted to stay one of the more popular ones in the little village we lived in.
“I don’t want to live with you. I don’t know why my dad fell for your sad, depressed little mother, but he did, and I want him to dump her and never speak to her again.
But it looks like they will be getting married, so maybe he’ll have a divorce. I’ll be living with you until I’m old enough to live on my own. If he’s still married to your mum, then I will never forgive him and never speak to him again.
“But while we’re living with each other, I expect you to do every single thing I tell you to. You’ll let me watch what I want, listen to what I want and do what I want. Do you hear me?”
I would not put up with this. How dare she, enter my house, fling her bag at me and then tell me what to do? It doesn’t work like that. Not at all.
“I said, do you hear me, you little squirt?”
That was a bit of an understatement. I was about an inch shorter then her.
“Yeah, I hear you, Diana. Now you listen to me, because I’m nearly just about as upset with the arrangements as you are.”
Diana folded her arms, put weight on one leg and looked like a model.
“When my dad died, you have no idea how sad I was. I was cross, too. And then my mum went and fell in love with Justin.
It ruined every thing. All the stories I’d come up with in my head about me and Mum living happily ever after, just us.
But I just want my mum to be happy, so I let her fall in love. I cuddled her when she felt guilty at night, or had had an argument with Justin. I told her it’d work out, she’d be fine.
I don’t want Justin to try replace my dad. What if they have a baby? They’re bound to get married then, unless you’re dad’s scum and will scat as soon as she breaks the news.”
“Pff. I see we’ll be having trouble getting along,” she sighed sarcastically. “And I’m terribly sorry you’re dad died. Maybe he committed suicide because he couldn’t stand you.”
With that she whipped her blonde curls around and bounced out of the room.
I stood still for a while, thinking about what she’d said. Could it all have been just a big set up? Dad went out for a bit, and decided why not kill himself he hated me and Mum so much? But couldn’t he have just had a divorce, instead of going too far? I would be mad, heck yeah, but I wouldn’t miss him like I do know, and wouldn’t cry like I do at night?
I decided Diana was wrong. She was just being mean.
I flounced downstairs, put a fake smile on and served everyone tea and biscuits. When it was finally late enough for me to get by with a “I’m really tired”, I went to bed.
I was still up when Diana came stumbling up to the spare bedroom. She yawned wildly. Then seeing my door wide open, closed it and my room filled up with darkness. I held my breath until her door closed, fumbled on my bedside cabinet for my torch, and opened my door again. I couldn’t stand the dark.
When I finally rolled out of bed and quickly ran a brush through my hair, Diana was downstairs, sipping tea at the table. Mum was fussing over some cooking. She didn’t usually make cooked breakfasts, but when she did I always loved them. She was a brilliant cook, Mum, she just didn’t usually cook.
Justin rumbled down the stairs. He came into the kitchen with his nose in the air, making sniffing sounds.
“Mmm, what’s that smell?” He said, before giving Mum a quick peck on the cheek. She giggled like she was a teenager. I glanced at Diana and she gave me a horrified look, before we both had to nearly stuff our fists into our mouths to stop the laughter. I had this weird feeling, like Diana and I were friends. But when I looked back, she looked as icy as before, maybe even more so. I wondered if perhaps she was actually trying to be horrible to me. It was something Diana could be very capable of.
“So, how’s my princess?” He asked, sitting next to Diana, opening the newspaper he’d collected from the post. He completely ignored me. I put the kettle on, and Mum coughed.
“Would you like any tea or coffee, Justin?” I asked coldly. He looked up at me like he’d just noticed me.
“No, thanks, Cheryl.”
He didn’t exactly sound thankful, but at least he was trying. It was hard. I still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Mum was most likely going to marry Justin, and I would be spending my life with Diana. Or at least until I was old enough to move out.
“Would you like any thing to drink, Mum?” I said, aware that my voice was much warmer and kinder to her then to Justin.
“Ah, yes please Cheryl. Cup o’ tea would be nice, thanks, hon.”
So I made her some tea, and had some fruit juice out of the fridge myself.
When Mum had dished up for everyone and poured orange juice too, I had showered and dressed. Everything was just how I liked it. Except there was two people accompanying me and Mum, and I didn’t particularly like either of them.
Mum had given me my favourite glass I only used for special occasions, because, well, it was special. It was the last gift I had received from my dad before he died, apart from his love.
And then Diana waltzed in from wherever she had been, took a look at the table and plonked herself in my seat. My seat, with my very special glass. And she knew it was my seat, too!
“Uh, Diana, dear, I was going to put you over here -”
“But I want to sit over here. It’s got the nicest glass.”
“Yes, that’s Cheryl’s glass. It’s very precious to her and it was something she received from her dad before he…”
“Before he what? What?” Diana insisted.
“Before he passed away.”
Diana didn’t budge, but when Diana wasn’t looking, Mum swapped the glasses and I was drinking from my one before Diana turned back. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. I glanced at Mum and she winked at me.
“So, what are you going to do today, sweetheart?” Mum asked.
“Well, I was planning on going out to see what the rest of this dumpy village is like, then I was going to see if Daddy could drive me into town -”
“I was talking to Cheryl, but carry on, anyway.”
Diana looked at Mum as if she was a piece of gum on her shoe.
“Diana, don’t look at people like that,” said Justin, coming to Mum’s rescue.
I didn’t say anything for the rest of breakfast, while Mum and Justin chatted away and Diana added a few of her opinions here and there. I was sick of Diana and it was still only the beginning.
Edit: If there are bits you think that should be italicated, they probably are, it's just I copied and pasted it so it didn't italicate them =P
First chapter only... I might add more, but tell me if you think I should =D
[SIZE=16pt]Chapter One[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]It was the day of Diana’s arrival. I didn’t understand why she had to come. We never got along when we saw each other, so what would happen if we lived together? [/SIZE]
My father had died when I was five. It had taken me and Mum three years to build our strength back up, and then he came along.
He was Diana’s dad, Justin. Justin was tall and handsome and caring, and Mum fell for him immediately, just as he fell for her. I wouldn’t have minded if I was younger, he was nicer to me and Diana wasn’t his daughter. She was everything I hated in girls: spoiled, full of herself and whiny.
“Cheryl?” It was Mum. I sighed but clambered downstairs anyway.
“Yes?” I said as I entered the kitchen. Mum put down the bowl she was drying and indicated to the kitchen table. I sat down and watched Mum seat herself opposite.
“Cheryl, hon, I know you and Diana don’t get on well, and I know that Justin moving in is a big thing for you, but we have to move on,” she paused. “When your father died, remember how sad I was? But remember that your dad told us he had the illness, and only had a couple of months left to live?”
I nodded slowly. Mum never talked about Dad, it would upset her and make her cry. I knew this was a big thing for Mum, too.
“Well, me and him had a chat, before he… before he…”
“You don’t have to say it, Mum.”
“But I should. It’s good to talk about it, so we don’t have it bottled up inside of us,” she hesitated again. “Before he died, he said he understood if I fell in love again, and that you needed a father in your life, and even a brother or sister too.” The words tumbled out her mouth in a rush.
“I made sure I talked to him about, otherwise I would feel ever so guilty if I did re-marry. I just want you to know that I will love you the most, even before Justin or Diana.”
She moved closer and hugged me. I hugged her back, clinging on, never wanting to let go.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Oh my goodness! Here already? Cheryl, is the spare room tidy? Good. Oh, honey, your hair’s gone all over the place!”
“Mum, if they’re going to live with us, then they will see my in a lot worse conditions,” I replied recklessly.
“Oh, your right,” Mum said hurriedly, and ran to the door. I got there just in time to see her flinging it open and jumping into Justin’s waiting arms. Diana flashed me a grin, that we both knew meant ‘I’m going to make your life miserable’.
“Hi, Sherry,” she said in her sweetest voice.
Justin laughed, Mum giggled anxiously, while I smiled back.
“Hey, Diana. Here, let me take your bag and show you where your room will be.”
“Oh, thank you, Sherry. That will be fab.” And she flung her bag at me, making me jump back.
“Right, listen here, you brat,” Diana barked as we got to the spare room. Mum knew I would’ve run away if I had to share a room with Diana.
“What?” I said, tiredly. I was bored of her already. And irritated. I have a good reason to be, too. If you were going to live with someone for possibly ever, wouldn’t you tell your daughter what your lover’s daughter’s name was, and how to pronounce it?
Diana was thirteen, two years older than me. She would be fourteen in May. I would be twelve, just two days after her birthday. She had long blonde hair that did whatever she wanted it to, wore make-up everyday and was considerably tall and very slim, not to mention pretty. I would be having trouble if I wanted to stay one of the more popular ones in the little village we lived in.
“I don’t want to live with you. I don’t know why my dad fell for your sad, depressed little mother, but he did, and I want him to dump her and never speak to her again.
But it looks like they will be getting married, so maybe he’ll have a divorce. I’ll be living with you until I’m old enough to live on my own. If he’s still married to your mum, then I will never forgive him and never speak to him again.
“But while we’re living with each other, I expect you to do every single thing I tell you to. You’ll let me watch what I want, listen to what I want and do what I want. Do you hear me?”
I would not put up with this. How dare she, enter my house, fling her bag at me and then tell me what to do? It doesn’t work like that. Not at all.
“I said, do you hear me, you little squirt?”
That was a bit of an understatement. I was about an inch shorter then her.
“Yeah, I hear you, Diana. Now you listen to me, because I’m nearly just about as upset with the arrangements as you are.”
Diana folded her arms, put weight on one leg and looked like a model.
“When my dad died, you have no idea how sad I was. I was cross, too. And then my mum went and fell in love with Justin.
It ruined every thing. All the stories I’d come up with in my head about me and Mum living happily ever after, just us.
But I just want my mum to be happy, so I let her fall in love. I cuddled her when she felt guilty at night, or had had an argument with Justin. I told her it’d work out, she’d be fine.
I don’t want Justin to try replace my dad. What if they have a baby? They’re bound to get married then, unless you’re dad’s scum and will scat as soon as she breaks the news.”
“Pff. I see we’ll be having trouble getting along,” she sighed sarcastically. “And I’m terribly sorry you’re dad died. Maybe he committed suicide because he couldn’t stand you.”
With that she whipped her blonde curls around and bounced out of the room.
I stood still for a while, thinking about what she’d said. Could it all have been just a big set up? Dad went out for a bit, and decided why not kill himself he hated me and Mum so much? But couldn’t he have just had a divorce, instead of going too far? I would be mad, heck yeah, but I wouldn’t miss him like I do know, and wouldn’t cry like I do at night?
I decided Diana was wrong. She was just being mean.
I flounced downstairs, put a fake smile on and served everyone tea and biscuits. When it was finally late enough for me to get by with a “I’m really tired”, I went to bed.
I was still up when Diana came stumbling up to the spare bedroom. She yawned wildly. Then seeing my door wide open, closed it and my room filled up with darkness. I held my breath until her door closed, fumbled on my bedside cabinet for my torch, and opened my door again. I couldn’t stand the dark.
When I finally rolled out of bed and quickly ran a brush through my hair, Diana was downstairs, sipping tea at the table. Mum was fussing over some cooking. She didn’t usually make cooked breakfasts, but when she did I always loved them. She was a brilliant cook, Mum, she just didn’t usually cook.
Justin rumbled down the stairs. He came into the kitchen with his nose in the air, making sniffing sounds.
“Mmm, what’s that smell?” He said, before giving Mum a quick peck on the cheek. She giggled like she was a teenager. I glanced at Diana and she gave me a horrified look, before we both had to nearly stuff our fists into our mouths to stop the laughter. I had this weird feeling, like Diana and I were friends. But when I looked back, she looked as icy as before, maybe even more so. I wondered if perhaps she was actually trying to be horrible to me. It was something Diana could be very capable of.
“So, how’s my princess?” He asked, sitting next to Diana, opening the newspaper he’d collected from the post. He completely ignored me. I put the kettle on, and Mum coughed.
“Would you like any tea or coffee, Justin?” I asked coldly. He looked up at me like he’d just noticed me.
“No, thanks, Cheryl.”
He didn’t exactly sound thankful, but at least he was trying. It was hard. I still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Mum was most likely going to marry Justin, and I would be spending my life with Diana. Or at least until I was old enough to move out.
“Would you like any thing to drink, Mum?” I said, aware that my voice was much warmer and kinder to her then to Justin.
“Ah, yes please Cheryl. Cup o’ tea would be nice, thanks, hon.”
So I made her some tea, and had some fruit juice out of the fridge myself.
When Mum had dished up for everyone and poured orange juice too, I had showered and dressed. Everything was just how I liked it. Except there was two people accompanying me and Mum, and I didn’t particularly like either of them.
Mum had given me my favourite glass I only used for special occasions, because, well, it was special. It was the last gift I had received from my dad before he died, apart from his love.
And then Diana waltzed in from wherever she had been, took a look at the table and plonked herself in my seat. My seat, with my very special glass. And she knew it was my seat, too!
“Uh, Diana, dear, I was going to put you over here -”
“But I want to sit over here. It’s got the nicest glass.”
“Yes, that’s Cheryl’s glass. It’s very precious to her and it was something she received from her dad before he…”
“Before he what? What?” Diana insisted.
“Before he passed away.”
Diana didn’t budge, but when Diana wasn’t looking, Mum swapped the glasses and I was drinking from my one before Diana turned back. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. I glanced at Mum and she winked at me.
“So, what are you going to do today, sweetheart?” Mum asked.
“Well, I was planning on going out to see what the rest of this dumpy village is like, then I was going to see if Daddy could drive me into town -”
“I was talking to Cheryl, but carry on, anyway.”
Diana looked at Mum as if she was a piece of gum on her shoe.
“Diana, don’t look at people like that,” said Justin, coming to Mum’s rescue.
I didn’t say anything for the rest of breakfast, while Mum and Justin chatted away and Diana added a few of her opinions here and there. I was sick of Diana and it was still only the beginning.
Edit: If there are bits you think that should be italicated, they probably are, it's just I copied and pasted it so it didn't italicate them =P
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