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I shoot hilare and he mumbles a halfhearted sorry Since when did he feel so co like that in front of me? What happened to the whiny little brother who followed me everywhere as if he worshipped me?

"And what sort of special job pays you so much money for such a short amount of ti--no, not really, I’myself

I sure feel like I am

My brain scrambles as I try to co I didn’t tell hi He just knows it’s a lot Didn’t tell my mom either, not that she cares I haven’t seen her in well over twenty-four hours, but she has a new boyfriend so I’ to be a nanny for a fa break They have three kids"

The lie falls easily froh, the jerk "You’re going to be a nanny? You hate kids!"

"I do not" I so do "The family’s really nice" I have no idea if the Callahans are nice "And I get to stay in a huge mansion"

Drew told me his family lives in Carmel I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of it I did a little Google research at the library and saw photos The place looks a Expensive

Scary

"You won’t want to leave, I guess" Owen sits up, runs his finger across the top of the duffel bag, leaving a streak in the dust "You’re going to look like a broke bitch, showing up with this shitty bag"

"Did you just call me a broke bitch?" I can’t be offended because what he says is the truth I’er wardrobe and h at h at me Then he’ll press a fifty in the palm of my hand and drop me off at the bus station because he’ll realize quick I irlfriend ever

"Maybe" Owen s is worth it"

Dread consumes me for the quickest moment, but I shove it away "It will be, I prolimpse of the old Owen The little boy who depends on me, who treats me like his mom since ours is so unreliable

"She won’t" I already talked to her and I’ll talk to her again before I leave She needs constant hounding, like I’m the mother and she’s the kid "I’ll ht"

"You better Or I’ll be calling you and begging you to coht call you a broke bitch again and you’ll get so mad, you have to co for hi into his ribs, the sound of his laughter filling hter "Get off et how crappy our life is in this one single, sillysomeone home" My dad puts his hand over the receiver but I can still hear hi"

I wince No way did I want my dad to blab to my stepmom, especially when I’m still on the phone with him She’d find out sooner or later but I hoped for later

"What’s her name?" I hear her voice She doesn’t sound pleased Thatinsidepro up, but then I hear Adele whispering in the background "Well, Andy? What’s her name?"

She sounds like a jealous shrew She probably is

"Is that a nickname or what?" my dad asks me

"It’s her real name" I have no explanation for it either Hell, I hardly know Fable Maguire She’s a townie She’s twenty years old, she has a little brother and she works at a bar

Fable also has pretty pale blonde hair, green eyes and nice tits But I’ure it out on his own

Muffled tones co Adele Fable’s nah She’s such a bitch I hate Adele My mom died when I was like two I don’t re Adele when I was eight and married her when I was eleven

Adele is really the only mom I’ve ever had, and I don’t want her She knows it too

"Well, bring your little Fable to stay with us, she’s more than welcoht ask next "You’re not one to have a steady girlfriend"

"This one’s different" More like the opposite of any girl they expect me to be with In my eyes, this makes Fable just about as perfect as can be

"Are you in love with her?" Dad lowers his voice "Adele wants to know"

Anger boils inside me Like it’s any of her business "I don’t know What’s love anyway?"

"You sound like a co from the best did that to a person My dad’s pretty standoffish I can’t re Adele He certainly doesn’t kiss or hugfor a while, but I don’t know" I shrug, remember he can’t see me and I feel like an idiot

"You’ve never ree?" I’ I haven’t talked to Fable all day and it’s Thursday night We leave Saturday afternoon We need to get together and get our stories straight, though I suppose we’ll have plenty of tiet the details ha with Fable in my truck alone for four hours What e talk about? I don’t know her and I’ to take her to ether We have to act like we’re a real couple

What the hell did I set myself up for?

"I’et here, I’ht?"

"Yeah" I s hard "Saturday night"

"We should be out at yet another country club function You still have your key?"

"I do" Dao back Bad shit happened there I’ve avoided that place like the plague for a while now We’ve gone out of town for the holidays the last couple of years, spending Thanksgiving or Christmas in Hawaii at my dad’s timeshare Or I stay at school because of football practice or whatever lie I can coer

Tough life, I know From the outside, my family looks perfect Well, as perfect as a family can be with one dead mother and one dead sister A fked up stepmother and a cold as hell father

Yeah Real perfect