Step, Step, Run

Chapter One

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"Do you want to die?"

The question came from the most threatening person in my life -- my older sister, Maeve. She was sprawled out on the green couch in the RV, texting her ex-boyfriend a million reasons why he didn't deserve her. Her chocolate-colored hair was knotted into a messy bun and her features were scrubbed clean of makeup. Even after stripping down to only a white tank and pajama shorts, a layer of sweat covered her freckled skin. 

"Do you want to die?" I mimicked, childishly. I was seated across from her in the stained, plaid recliner, a book in my hands. I couldn't remember what the last ten pages had been about.

She jerked upwards with a glare. "Don't make me come over there!"

"You two act like the boys in my class," my younger sister, Mallory, commented. She was seated at the small kitchen table, playing Animal Crossing on her pink Nintendo Switch. She shared a resemblance to Maeve, only more feminine. Her braids were tied with ribbons, her nails were painted with glitter, and her lips were coated with gloss -- it was the only makeup product our father would let her use.

"What is all that yelling about back there?" our father called from the driver's seat. He didn't take his eyes off the road, but added, "We're only seven hours into our trip! I don't want any fighting!"

Maeve settled back down, peering at her phone screen. "So annoying."

"Yes, you are," I replied, flipping the page in my book. "For someone who says she's done with Andrew, you haven't looked away from your phone once."

"You're just jealous because you got your phone taken away," she retorted. "Not that you have anybody to text..."

I scoffed, then looked at our father in the driver's seat. "Dad, when do I get my phone back?"

"When you tell me what you were doing on the other side of town after midnight," he answered, his tone unpleasant. "Was it a boy? Alcohol? Drugs?"

Mallory looked up. "You're into drugs?"

"No!" I snapped, looking between them. "I already told you, Dad. I met up with my friends and lost track of time --"

"I know your friends," he interrupted. "They're good kids. They wouldn't be out causing trouble like that." I wanted to slam my head against the wall. We just kept going in circles. My phone had been confiscated for a week now and it didn't seem like I was ever going to get it back. "Once you tell me the truth, I'll consider giving you your phone back. You let me know when you're ready to talk."

Maeve was smirking.

"At least I'm not in a toxic relationship," I said to her.

She frowned. "I'm single now, you idiot."

"For how long this time?"

"At least I've had a boyfriend," she countered, tapping away at her phone. I replayed our bickering in my head and realized we did sound ridiculous. We weren't acting like our ages at all. Maeve was eighteen, I was sixteen, and Mallory was thirteen. I sucked in a deep breath and focused on my book, not wanting to feed into her immaturity anymore. I made sure no one was paying attention as I flipped back ten pages. 

Mallory scooted out of the booth and walked over to the cabinets, grabbing a bag of jalapeño chips. "Who has been eating my chips?"

"They're for everybody," I said, guilty. "Isn't that right, Dad?"

Our father nodded. "We can always buy more."

"Besides, those will just go right to your hips," Maeve said. "The women in this family gain weight in their hips, believe me."