11
1725 Words
REID
I petted the kitten’s head and dropped it so it could play and made my way to the kitchen, but it seems fate was against me today. Just as I was getting a bottle of soda from the refrigerator, Ella walked in with Arlyn. They were both laughing.
The first thought in my head was to beat a hasty retreat out of the kitchen, but I shoved the thought aside and took a swing from the bottle in my hand, doing my best to ignore them as I did so.
“Wow…” I heard Ella say breathlessly, and I was curious to know what made her react that way, but I would have to turn around and address her… and Arlyn was still around.
“What is it?” Arlyn asked her, curious just as much as I was.
Ella gave a childish giggle in response, and once more I had to fight the urge to turn around and face them.
Ella walked up to stand directly in front of me, hands on her hips as she looked at me speculatively, sucking on her lower lip. I ignored her completely and drank again from my bottle.
“Arlyn… come this way. I need your thoughts on something.” She said to Arlyn.
I trashed the empty bottle and grabbed another from the fridge. Realizing I was about to move out of the kitchen, Ella stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
I glared at her, trying my best to look intimidating and annoyed.
“Move it, brat.” I growled at her, but Ella wasn’t unfazed by me. She never was whenever I tried to intimidate her.
Instead, she stuck her tongue out stubbornly at me.
“What do you think?” she asked Arlyn even though she was still looking at me. Arlyn gave her a confused look, as did I. I had no idea what she was on about, but I knew one thing for sure: whatever she was referring to, it couldn’t be anything good.
“What do I think about what?” Arlyn asked her back.
Ella jutted her chin in my direction before gesturing to all of me with one dainty hand.
“What else would I be talking about if not this? ...I mean, check out those abs and biceps.” She commented, sighing longingly at me.
Arlyn looked at me, her eyes giving me a once-over…a very slow, deliberate one. I suddenly felt exposed and naked before her scrutiny, but at the same time, I was curious to know what kind of comment she would make about my killer physique.
She gave a lopsided grin before shifting her gaze over to Ella.
“Well… it is impressive…” She remarked carefully, and I sensed a ‘but’ coming, and she didn’t disappoint. “… But it isn’t anything I haven’t seen before.”
What the f**k? Did she just diss my body?
I stood staring speechlessly at her, unaware that my jaw was hanging open as I looked at her in surprise.
She looked once at my face and looked away, dismissing me, and I felt raw anger curl up in my guts.
How dare she…?
I was beside myself in fury, unable to even utter a word or think of a retort for her.
Ella c****d an eyebrow at Arlyn, looking at her like she had lost her mind.
“You’re a kid, right? Tell me you’re kidding…”
Arlyn shrugged like she wasn’t bothered…
“I’m not. I did say his body was impressive, though… Isn’t that enough praise?” Arlyn said in defense of herself.
Ella's jaws dropped just the same way as mine.
“No… Seriously, where I’m from, you see a lot of sweaty, bare-chested males strutting around like a peacock looking to impress a potential mate, and even though his body is nice to look at, at least I admit that much…it isn’t any more impressive than theirs.” She explained, driving the nail further into the coffin.
I frowned at both of them, my brain finally functioning the way it ought to.
Hello, I’m standing right here… I thought angrily to myself, feeling pretty much insulted by her analysis.
Ella stepped back a bit so she could include me in her gaze. She looked at me like she was shocked I wasn’t silently going to stand where I was and digest the subtle insults.
“Are you like seriously going to just stand there and watch her demolish all the efforts you already wasted on your body?” She asked me incredulously, and I growled low in warning at her.
“Careful what you say, little one.” I cautioned her, my voice tight. “For the record, it’s not wasted efforts, as you so ignorantly called it… If you consider the amount of money involved in getting my body to this level, you will surely agree with me.”
She stuck her lips out stubbornly at me, and I knew she wasn’t ready to back down now.
She tsked at me, eying me from head to toe. “Well, it failed to impress the hell out of your stepsister, didn’t it? If you asked me, that’s considered a major failure.”
I smiled mischievously at my niece, sliding my eyes in a nasty way over Arlyn’s frame. “Her observation isn’t valid… Trash don’t have the right to express themselves.”
I patted myself triumphantly on my back as I saw the shocked look on her face.
Good. You are finally paying attention. That’s for disregarding my physique.
My joy was short-lived when one of Ella’s feet unexpectedly shot out, hitting me in the shin with as much force as she could muster.
I clenched my teeth against the resulting pain, bending down to rub the affected area.
“What was that for?” I demanded angrily even though I knew why she had done that.
It was her turn to glare at me. I almost burst out into laughter as I saw her innocent face, doing her best imitation of an annoyed adult. As I said before, it was really hard to remain angry at her.
“How would you feel if someone called or referred to you as ‘trash’?” She quizzed me.
“You can’t compare me with her, and you know that. She is nothing but a gold digger…just like Allison.” My remark was nasty, just as I had intended it to be, but I hadn’t expected what happened next.
Without warning, Arlyn lashed out, kicking me on the other shin. Pain shot upward through me as I hopped about on one foot.
“What was that for?” I repeated the question I asked Ella, but this time it was directed at Arlyn.
Apart from the day at the airport when she wrongfully accused me of stealing her purse, this was the second time I was seeing her truly angry. If her eyes could kill me right now, I would be dead a thousand times over.
“I can’t stand you being rude to me or making nasty remarks about me… Hell, I wouldn’t even care if they treated me like I was invisible, but not my mum… I wouldn’t sit still while you badmouth my mother. You need to apologize for what you just said about her.”
I grinned and stood upright, ignoring my throbbing legs. I faced her, matching her angry look with one of mine.
Now, we are heading somewhere…
“So you finally react? Here I thought you were playing the meek card so I could accept you.” I commented, but she said nothing. I saw the challenge in her eyes, and my blood heated up to it.
She looks like a little vixen… ready to bite my head off.
It would be easier to hate her now if she behaved this way. She was finally showing her true colors.
“Serves you right, Reid. God knows I would have done worse than that.” Ella said, her tone reproachful.
I glanced briefly at her. “I only stated the truth. Where is the offense in that?”
“She is a person like you and me… She has rights too and also breathes like every other living thing. She has a right to hit you. I’m really disappointed in you, Uncle Reid.”
My eyes lingered on her for a while as I considered her words. I shrugged indifferently at her before switching my attention over to Arlyn, looking at her through narrowed eyes.
“I’m sorry if you feel disappointed, but it’s high time everyone sees and accepts the truth about the pair of them.” I said.
I took a step closer towards Arlyn, never breaking eye contact, and then another step, but she stood her ground, defiantly raising her face up to mine as I stood toe-to-toe with her.
“So what if I make nasty comments about your mum? What can you do about it? ...” I asked her, then shook my head. “No, strike that… Is there anything you can do about it other than throw childish tantrums?”
My eyes dropped down to her clenched fists by her side, and I gave her an evil grin. I looked back up at her face, noticing her trembling lips.
Come on, say something…anything.
I needed an excuse to hold on to my anger and hatred towards her, but she kept her mouth shut.
I had an overwhelming urge to touch her. I held her chin gently and ran my thumb to and fro over her lips, smiling when I heard her faint sigh.
Then I leaned down until my mouth was on the same level with her ear so only she could hear what I said.
“This is just the beginning because I will keep on saying whatever the hell I want to about you… and your gold-digger mum… If you can’t stand it, then I suggest you pack up your pitiful bags and run along, little bunny.”
I waited patiently for her to respond, but she just spun around and moved away quietly, leaving me standing there. I couldn’t help but have the feeling I lost this round, and it was a bitter loss.
- Writer
