Over.
I was nearly free.
I heard Fee and Brittany walking down the hallway and down the stairs.Any second now, they'd be gone.As quietly as possible, I slid off my bed and listened at my door.I could hear them talking downstairs with my father, but I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying.My heart started racing.We were so close to the finish line.
The front door opened and shut, then I heard Aldo's voice.There was no way he wouldn't approve of how Fee looked.Anyone with a pulse at his party tonight would want to sleep with my sister.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened my door slightly so I could hear.“You did a great fuckin’ job covering up her bruises.You’re a genius, Britt,” Aldo said, praising Brittany.“Can’t even tell how bad those bruises are.”
A slight pause—and then Brittany answered back with a laugh.“What?She didn’t have any bruises on her face.”
A much longer silence followed.
I gasped quietly and felt my knees begin to shake.
Then Aldo said with an eerie calm, “Say that again?”
Brittany wasn’t laughing this time when she said, “Francesca didn’t have any bruises on her face.”
Crap.
Exactly two seconds later, Aldo screamed, “Francesca!Get your fucking ass down here.Now!”
17
Francesca
“Francesca!”Aldo's voice threatened.“Don’t make me come up there!”Aldo yelled, even angrier this time.If that were possible.
He definitely sounded serious.And he definitely sounded as though he could—and would come up here and get me.
The jig was up.
I instantly felt like crying, screaming, fainting—and jumping out my second story window.All at the same time.There was no getting out of this.We'd tried.
And failed.
This was such a perfect plan.Fee and I had switched places hundreds of times growing up.We were good at it.
If we could trick family and close friends, we should be able to trick complete strangers.
These stupid bruises gave us away.Or lack of them.
Dammit.
I gathered up as much courage as I could.Aldo seemed intent on keeping me free from any more bruises.So, at least I probably wasn't going to get hit.But it looked like I was still going to be in a load of crap for what Fee and I had pulled.
Or tried to pull.
I shuffled out of my room and down the hallway like I was walking a plank.Knowing full well I was going to my doom.I took the stairs one at a time.Slowly.Taking in the scene below.
Aldo had Fee by the arm.She looked frightened.And that pissed me off.Our father was sitting, drinking a beer.Drunk as usual.Nothing new there.
There were several opened cans on the coffee table that hadn't been there two hours ago.He'd been busy while Fee was getting ready.
“Do you think I'm fuckin' stupid?”His hand wrenched Fee's arm, jerking her body forward and back, her hair swinging from the force.“You think I don't know the difference between you two bitches?”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat and continued down the stairs.“Well,” I shrugged, “I hoped you couldn't.”My voice was amazingly cool and collected compared to how I was feeling.“What's your problem anyway?She looks exactly like me.What's the harm in her taking my place?No one will even know.”I tried my best to reason with him.
