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felt strange.
     
    “I just don’t understand. You can’t prefer a couch to a bed. Do you?” Her frown grew, and a cute “V” formed between her eyebrows.
     
    “I’m just used to sleeping on couches. I’ll get used to the bed eventually. Don’t worry about it.” I closed my eyes again. It was a little early for me to be going to bed, but I didn’t feel like staying awake considering the risk it meant. I did not want to be cornered for another talk with Walter, and I definitely didn’t want to talk to Jacqueline either. Whenever she saw me, she tried to pry into my life, as if a few minutes here and there would make up for the countless minutes she hadn’t been there for me before. If she had truly wanted to have a relationship with me, she should’ve come long ago, before life hardened me.
     
    “You’re a little frustrating, aren’t you?” she asked.
     
    “Not really.” I opened my eyes again and sat up. Obviously she wasn’t going to let me go to sleep anytime soon. Didn’t see why she cared.
     
    April sat down beside me on the couch, close but not close enough that we were touching. She stared at me. “Do you have everything you need?”
     
    “For what?”
     
    “For school tomorrow. The last day of winter break was today. I’m pretty sure your mom filled out all of yours forms, so you should be good to go, but do you need pens and a school bag and all of that?”
     
    I smirked. I’d bet anything she was a straight A student. “I don’t need pens.”
     
    “You already have some? Good.” She smiled wide. She looked so much like her mother. Couldn’t see a hint of Walter in her features. Which was a good thing.
     
    I snorted. “I didn’t say that.”
     
    She frowned again. “I can give you some—”
     
    “I don’t need any.” I waved her concern away.
     
    “Why not?” Her frown deepened.
     
    “Not planning on taking any notes.” I shrugged. My handwriting wasn’t legible anyhow. Even I couldn’t read it sometimes.
     
    “No wonder Dad thinks I should tutor you,” she murmured, glancing away.
     
    I winced. Of course he mentioned that to her already. “Whatever.”
     
    “Don’t you care about your grades?” She sounded scandalized.
     
    Hon, if that was enough to scandalize you, that’s a shame. And, boy, could I really open your eyes if I wanted to.
     
    But I wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Shouldn’t. Not with her. Not with April, my step-sister.
     
    “Not really. Don’t give a crap about my grades.” I yawned, hoping she would get the hint.
     
    “Why not?” She crossed her arms, side-eyeing me. For whatever reason, she was aggravated with me. Why? Because I didn’t like my bed? Because I didn’t share her love for school? Because I wasn’t opening up to her?
     
    “Let me guess,” I said. “You never get anything less than perfect grades. You’re straight-laced, and you never do anything wrong—”
     
    “You don’t have to insult me,” she said stiffly, shifting away from me slightly.
     
    “I’m not.” Interesting that she took what her father would deem positives as slights. Or maybe she was just reacting to my tone. “I’m just making an observation. Am I wrong?”
     
    She stood. “I was just trying to see if you needed help getting ready for school. You said you don’t so…” April bit her lower lip then turned and walked away.
     
    Her retreating backside was mesmerizing. She was wearing a skirt that hugged her ass, and her hips were swaying. Was she playing me? Did she always walk like that, or was she trying to be sexy? Not trying. Succeeding.
     
    In case she decided to come back and yell at me, I upped and left, made a beeline for my room, and got into the too-comfortable bed. I was still unhappy about being here, about Walter, about Jacqueline, about the whole sister wives thing, about school, the rules, chores…all of it. Living here for five months was going to be torture.
     
    But April kept invaded my thoughts. She’d