Fedora and Bentley

“Hey sis,” Bentley said  on morning as she entered the kitchen still in her pajamas.
Fedora glared at him and took a seat at the table, “I’m not your sister.”
“What are your plans for today.” Bentley asked, ignoring her bitterness and handing her the cereal.
“Nothing,” Fedora yawned, “I’m going to stay home and write that stupid report for history.”
“Wow,” Bentley said, sarcastically, “spending your saturday studying, how cool.”
“Shut up,” Fedora said.
“Well, I’m going out with my friends,” Bentley said. “We’re going to the mall.”
Fedora laughed, “you’re going to the mall?”
“Yeah,” Bentley said, “that’s what normal people do on saturday.”
“More like normal girls,” Fedora said, “guys do other stuff, like play football or something.”
“That is so sexist,” Bentley said. “I expected more from you.”
Fedora shrugged, “I’m sorry that you’re making it so obvious that you swing a certain way.”
Bentley rolled his eyes, “don’t start this again.”
“I just don’t get it,” Fedora said, “why keep it a secret?”
Bentley laughed, “I’m gonna go get ready, see you later.”
Fedora shrugged as he got up and dropped his bowl into the sink.
“Lates,” she said.
Bentley smiled at her, which caused her to glare back.
Bentley laughed, “okay, sis.”
---
She hated him, she hated when he acted all brother-y, like he actually cared, when she knew he didn’t like her. Nobody ever likes their step siblings
“It’s like he’s asking to be punched in the face or something, “ Fedora said to Harriette later that day, she called her right after breakfast and went over to her house instead of writing her report. Now they were sitting in Harriette’s bedroom talking about Bentley.
“Did you ever think that he actually likes you,” Harriette said, “like as a brother, of course.”
“No,” Fedora said, “no one likes their step siblings.”
“Come on Fedora,” Harriette said, “that’s just dumb.”
“But true,” Fedora said, “it’s just how the world works. If your mom got married again to a guy with a daughter or son, would you like this new sibling?”
“Matters,” Harriette said, “is the new sibling nice? Is she pretty, prettier then me? Does Collin like them, does he like them better then me? Does my mom treat them special? All of that matters, so why do you not like Bentley?”
“Because,” Fedora said, “The first thing he did was call me fat.”
“Well,” Harriette said, but there was really no way around that.
---
Fedora still remembers when she first heard about her mom’s new boyfriend, well husband since she hadn’t heard of him until they were already married and he was coming to live with them.
She was studying in the kitchen while eating some chips, relishing in the fact that her mom wasn’t there so she could eat as much junk food as she wanted.
Her mom was off on another one of her spontaneous trips to Las Vegas, where she would go and pretend she didn’t have a child back at home, at least that’s what Fedora imagined she did.
But anyway, the phone rang, it was her mom and the first words she said were:
“I’m coming home, oh and I’m married.”
Yeah, that was really what she said. Fedora was shocked, how could her mom just go off and marry some guy without telling her. Fedora was prepared to hang up and run away to her dad’s house before her mom came home with this weird guy that Fedora wanted nothing to do with.
But she didn’t, she knew her dad would just tell her to go home and she had no money, which meant no way to get all the way to NYC.
“Oh,”
“And he has a son.”
Now this was too much, Fedora was just going to have to find some way to get money and force her dad to let her live with him. After telling him what her mom did to her, he’d have to feel some sympathy.
“He’s your age, so you guys should get along. I’ll be home home tomorrow night.”
And that was that. Fedora had a new step dad and a new step brother. She had to get out of there.
---
Of course she didn’t find a way to get out of there. And the next day she met them. Harriette had begged for Fedora to let her meet them too, since she had hoped this new guy would be hot.
And she was right, Bentley was hot. Not that Fedora actually noticed, she was too busy glaring at him and even if she had noticed it’s not like she would tell anyone.
“Oh,” Harriette said, looking a little shocked, “Hi! I’m Harriette, I’m Fedora’s cousin.”
“Well aren’t you adorable,” Bentley’s dad said.
Harriette giggled, “thanks.”
“Hey,” Bentley said.
Harriette blushed and hid behind Fedora, “yeah and this is Fedora. I’m sure you really want to meet her.”
Bentley gave Fedora once over and then smiled, “well, you’re nothing like I expected.”
“What does that mean?” Fedora asked, glaring at this stranger.
“I just imagine you a little bit, smaller?” Bentley said. “Like Harriette.”
“Did you just call me fat?” Fedora said, now that was not what she was expecting.
Bentley shrugged, “I guess I expected you to look a little bit more like your mom.”
“You called me fat,” Fedora said.
“Okay,” Harriette said, “now that we’ve met, I guess I’ll go.”
“No, stay over for dinner,” Bentley said.
“Oh,” Harriette said, smiling. Fedora glared at her, which Harriette either didn’t notice her ignored.
“That’s okay right?” Bentley asked Fedora’s mom. Fedora resisted the urge to open the door and tell them to leave and never come back, who did he think he was anyway, he didn’t even ask her if that was okay.
“Of course,” she said.
“Great,” Bentley said, “I already feel so at home.”
Fedora sighed, gave him one last mean look and then then left for her room.
“See you later sis,” Bentley called after her. She ignored him and slammed her door. She was not his sister.
---
“See, it’s not completely unreasonable.” Fedora said.
Harriette shrugged, “maybe.”