The Girlfriend
It had been two days since we moved halfway across the United States, from Chicago to California. My father proposed to his girlfriend. When he went out with her the first few times I thought he was just coping with my mother's death. When he brought her home I knew that was not the case. Usually the step-mother is classified as quote on quote "Cruella de Ville." She was exactly that, if not more. Maybe that's a little rough, but hey, she stole my dad from me. At this point in time I was cleaning up their dinner.
"Are you finished?" I asked The Girlfriend.
"Does it look like I'm finished?" she replied with a snobbish tone. I rolled my eyes and walked away. Later that night, Dad came into my room while I was brushing my hair.
"Hey, Spencer. I need to talk to you about Jennifer," he said folding his hands and sitting on my bed. This can not be good.
"Okay?" I said dragging on the y.
"I need you to be nicer to her. In a few weeks she will be your closest thing to a mother fig-"
I cut him off and retorted back with an attitude, "She will NEVER be a mother figure. Ever. I don't care if you are with her until the end of your existence. She will never, ever compare to my real mother. Mothers are sweet, and caring, and compassionate. Let me tell you; She is none of those things." By the time I finished I was seething my words and pointing a finger to him. He looked me in the eyes, stood, and walked out without another word. The days nearing the wedding seemed to just make everything worse. Jennifer, of course was told everything I said about how I don't want her as a mother. I eavesdropped on their conversation about it and she CRIED. I swear that woman deserves an Oscar. My father and I were not on speaking terms. He left me to my business and I left him to The Girlfriend. She treated him like a dog. Making him go and fetch more wine, more wine, more wine. I didn't know what The Girlfriend was up to. She always looked suspicious.
Today was the day. The treacherous wedding was here. I was a bridesmaid forced by my father. Sadly, I hated the dress, it was so poofy and pink. Everyone was bustling around doing orders that The Girlfriend shouted. I, however, wasn't gonna do a thing. This isn't anything important to me so why should I care? I currently was behind a curtain about to tell Cruel- I mean The Girlfriend that the ceremony was about to start. Until...
"I just need to marry the clueless guy and then I inherit everything."
"Okay, so you get the money. What about the girl?"
"I'll send her all the way to England for a nice boarding school experience, while I stay here and bask in the ambiance of my late husband's money."
Before I can stop myself I open the curtain and tell her it's about to start and get out of there before she can say a word. The ceremony goes by. All eyes on The Girlfriend who acts like a pageant queen.
I leave the reception five minutes in and walk home with my heels in my hand. I get home and plug in music. I start drawing and pass out during the process.
My eyes open and I have to blink a few times before I can see properly. I take in the memories of last night and groan because I don't want to face the fact that my dad is married again, but not to my mom. I don't even know what he sees in The Girlfriend. She's just out to get his money. C---! They are married now. Something bad is going to happen, and I have the advantage. I walk out of my room hearing hushed voices downstairs in the kitchen. I look down the stairwell and see The Girlfriend with some strange guy. I don't get to see his face, but I do see a dragon tattoo on his neck with stars for the eyes.
I run back to my room and sketch the dragon tattoo. When I step into the hallway, two gunshots are fired. I flinch and fall backward onto the floor. I stand, using the wall for support. My ears rang as I screamed for my dad. I ran downstairs and leaped across the threshold. I get to my father's body and check for a pulse. My thoughts instantly going to my mother. I picture her chest bloody from the gunshot wound much like my father. I screamed in agony. My heart physically hurts. It's pounding so hard against my rib cage that it's causing pain. My mother was classified as a suicide and the case has been closed, but the truth dawned on me as they were both killed the same way.  I'm about to puke up a lung as my breathing shortens and I hyperventilate. My father is dead and so is my mom. The Girlfriend was no where in sight. Shocking.
Two weeks have passed and I've been put into foster care while the investigation is ongoing. They know it's a homicide and what weapon was used, but still no leads and still no Girlfriend. I walk to the police station to find out any more recent information and they say a car was speeding out around the block of my house carrying two people. My money's on The Girlfriend. I return home with the same news of last week. I unlock my door, completely numb to everything around me. I walk into the living room and throw my bag on the floor and shed off my top layer of clothing. I sit in my tank top and sweats and scroll though my feed on Facebook. I look up and see a crazy, knotted hair, skinny, Jennifer. I hold my breath as she pulls up a gun. I try to run, but the man with the dragon tattoo steps in my way. She cackles.
"Poor little Spencer has no parents." She thinks she's the funniest person in the world. I clench my fists and grind my teeth.
"What do you want from me?" My voice is shaking. She looks at me, smiles, and c***s the gun.