Love me like you loathe me

Chapter4

"Really?" I gave Alicia my best innocent look that wasn't to her liking; come to think about it, nothing about me was. Standing in her lovely dress and apron that matched my despair, looking nothing like me in the multicolored shirt and shorts in a bright swirl of orange, blue, and green with my hair down and a sun cap.

"Yeah, really… what? You think he wouldn't make something of himself just because he didn't attend college like you?" Alicia gave me a side eye and snorted from my red face about her accusation, like it wasn't true. I did think that her brother was stupid and dumb, and not at all, crashing down, burning like I had imagined being away for so long.

Mike was rumbling with his kids in the yard, not paying any attention to me, and he was suffering from having to talk to his wife, who looked like she didn't want to spend any more time with me either. They decided to barbecue to my misery, not wanting to stay another minute, pretending to talk to anyone at the party.

"Oh no! "That's not what I meant…" I inhaled, wanting to start over after seeing her face go into a pout and her eyes having the same mean glint she had all her life; she was just as bad as her brother, maybe worse, come to think of it, since she stole my mine away when he was sixteen. I had never gotten him back since that day she showed up laughing at his stupid jokes that weren't even funny if you asked me.

"Then what did you ask? "Because you should know that he is dating someone, and it's serious." Alicia said the last part snappily, picking up her side dishes and making me carry one. She stayed silent, walking out into the small crowd that had gathered. I knew some of them, and others were strangers like me, but they seemed to have fun at least and not be jumped by a pregnant sister-in-law with a bad attitude.

I frowned with my head down at the slightest, hearing her tell me he was dating. So what? Maybe I was dating someone, and she assumed everyone was madly in love with her brother! He wasn't attractive since I saw him hanging around our home almost daily, dressed like a bum, growing up!

"Look… I'm sorry for what happened to you, Stephanie, but… just stay away from my brother, alright?" I frowned more, hearing her warning me to back off from Lewis. I wished I could say the same to her about marrying mine and having another baby with him; I didn't like her since she was too damn flawless or at least pretended to be these days. You wouldn't believe she was dirt poor growing up having all her meals from my parents' kitchen.

"Allie!" someone called her. To my relief, I saw her put on a pleasant smile again and not frown at me for even asking about her sibling, guarding him like I wanted him??

She did know that he made my life hell growing up, right?? I stared at her some more, leaving me and talking to someone else and laughing pleasingly. Everyone here seemed so happy in the hot backyard, except for me.