“So you’re gonna be at Aunt Nessie’s home?” Heather asks after Julia tells her about her plans.
“She told me about a good job opportunity that could use my skills.” You grab her hand as she speaks, giving her support. Or rather, Vanessa giving her support, as you agreed to replace her as a distraction.
Mrs. Wilson was reluctant at first until you pointed out Heather would question her whereabouts. Jimmy wanted to do so, but you agreed he had to be there as well, and since Heather never saw you arrive, that made you the perfect replacement.
The plan is simple. Your clothes are on Julia’s suitcase alongside hers. Once out of the house, you’ll take Vanessa off, change into your clothes while Mrs. Wilson wears her sister, then she’ll leave you at your house.
She explained to Heather she’d remain with Vanessa until Saturday, returning earlier if necessary. In truth, Julia would live as Vanessa for those days, gauging her feelings for Bradley and whether he’d notice the difference. “If it’s too much for me,” she told you, “I’ll leave her alone and I’ll never do that to her again.”
“But if you like it?” Jimmy asked.
“Then get ready to see me as your mother.” (That was during your planning, while she still wore Vanessa.) If she agreed, she’d strive to be a better Vanessa than the real one, while diverting some funds so that Jimmy and Heather would live comfortably.
“That means you two will have to take care of yourselves,” you warn your “nephews”, playing your part in the scam. “I presume you know how to fry an egg, at least.”
“I left them my debit card in case they need to buy some food,” she says. (Which isn’t wrong; Julia even planned for a transfer from Vanessa’s account in case of emergencies)
“Try not to waste it all at once,” you respond, playing the part of the haughty aunt to the hilt.
“Heather, I need you to keep an eye on Jimmy. I’ll be calling him whenever I have time. If something happens, don’t call me – just sent me a text message and I’ll respond.”
“But you’re going to call him. Why not me?”
“Because I know you two, and because I know I should keep an eye on him, not you.” (Obviously, because she’ll be responding as Vanessa, and to avoid any suspicion, Julia won’t reply to Heather until she’s away from everyone.)
‘True.” Heather sneers, looking at her little brother. “Don’t worry, Mom. By the time you return, he’ll be a new man.”
Jimmy gulps, looking at both of you. Julia, however, doesn’t seem to mind. “Excellent! Just know that if everything works as intended, I may end up staying there longer. I’ll be back on weekends, though; I won’t leave you alone.”
“Cool.” You notice Heather, in contrast to her brother, is completely chill. “As long as you come back every now and then, it’s good.”
“I’d appreciate if you two didn’t spent all your money on pizzas and junk food,” you add, forced to jab at both. You immediately make it up for Jimmy by focusing on her. “Especially you, honey. How will you find a husband if you don’t know how to cook?”
“I’ll just find a rich guy that has a personal cook.” (Turns out, she can jab back.)
“What if you don't? It pays how to cook. Besides – will you torture that poor professional with burgers and pizza every day?”
“That’s enough,” Julia demanded. “Heather, your aunt’s right. Not in that it’ll help you find a partner, but for your own survival. And you know I don’t like you gorging on junk food – it's unhealthy.”
“Yeah, but what if you don’t have enough time to cook?”
“Take that one day you don’t need to do anything and do some preparations,” you tell her. “Make your job easier.”
“And why Jimmy can’t learn how to cook? He has less things to do than me.”
“I’d appreciate you both learned to cook – in fact, that you helped each other out.”
“You can always buy some helpers and quick meals,” Julia added. “At least learn how to heat up food! And I don’t want you skimping on your veggies because of it,” she exclaimed, pointing at them.
“Yes, Mom.”
“With that said... Heather, I’ll let you borrow my car while I’m not around. I want you to be careful with it – we don’t have money to purchase a new one, and you know what we had to do to pay that oil replacement.”
“You can always ask her to give you her old car,” Heather says while looking at you.
“Perhaps, but I agree – you should use it only for your college trips and for important things.” You look at the clock on the kitchen – it's almost dusk. “Goodness, look at the time! I told Bradley I’d be here for a couple hours at most! Are you ready, Jules?”
“Yes.” You feel the longing already in her voice. She stands up, embracing Jimmy; you do the same with Heather.
“See you later, kiddo. And hey – if I told you this, is because I care for you.”
“I know,” she claims dismissively.
You wait until Julia finishes with Jimmy before meeting him. As you’d expect, he immediately breaks the mood. “Dude, you could’ve been a bit nicer with me.”
“You know I love you both,” you say, in-character.
“That was uncanny,” he whispers at you while you hug. “You’re so lucky, man.”
“It’s only going to last for a while,” you remind him. Then, you plant a kiss on his forehead, grinning. “See you later, troublemaker.”
“Yeah, yeah...” You accompany Julia outside, but as you move towards the driver’s seat with keys on hand, she stops you.
“You know how to drive?”
“Since I was 17,” you tell her. “Plus, she can always tell me what I need to know about this car.”
After storing her luggage at the trunk, she sits at front, slamming the door. “That was a bit too callous, David.”
“I had to stay in character,” you say as you drive away from the Wilson household.
“I’d say you were enjoying it.” She looks at you warily. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Can’t say it’s every day that I can fool Heather into thinking I’m her aunt. She can be bothersome sometimes.”
“I wish she had a little ambition,” she confesses. “Jimmy might have his head on the clouds, but at least he’s active. I swear she took those Management courses just to end up in a McDonald’s the rest of her life.”
“Hey, if that’s what makes her happy...”
You feel her judging gaze once more. “Was that you, David, or Nessie’s thoughts?”
“If it was... well, your sister, she’d be complaining.”
“Yeah. It’s just that... you mimic her so well.”
“Yeah...” You grip the steering wheel, feeling self-conscious. All this time you’ve been talking, even you realize you’ve sounded snobbier than usual – savoring every insult. Certainly you’ve felt bolder when insulting Heather, since she’d smack you otherwise on your own skin. “I suppose it’s the brown pen.”
“Something I should know?”
“Uh... like we told you. Don’t take the skin off no matter what. Maybe the face, but not the rest.”
“That will be unsettling. I won’t be able to be myself for as long as I’m there.”
“Just focus on figuring your feelings with Bradley. And don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong. You’ve been the better sister all this time.”
“It’s so hard to realize it’s not her who’s telling me this.”
“She wouldn’t tell you this no matter what. You know she doesn’t feel like the bad sister in all of this.”
“I know... I just wish she was genuinely happy with Brad instead of being jealous of me. She has the better life.”
“Then you should enjoy it while you can.” That mellows her out, though you can see she’s still distressed. “Take this as a vacation from being you.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s right...”
“I’m more worried what Heather’ll do once she realizes she’ll have the house for herself. She must be furious for what we did to her.”
“You should’ve thought of that before planning this,” she reprimands you. She takes a deep breath, rubbing her forehead. “Keep an eye on her, but stay hands-off.”
“Uh... sure.”
“And if she’s too abusive with Jimmy, give her a time-out.”
“I don’t think I could give her a time...” You take advantage of a red light to stare at her. “You mean, you don’t mind--”
“I know it must’ve ran on your mind at least once, David. What I ask of you is to exercise your judgment. Heather is my eldest, but she can be a bit vindictive. If she abuses of my Jimmy, I give you permission to knock her off.” She pats your arm, smirking. “Just don’t do anything stupid with her.”
That silences you for the rest of your trip. Is missus Wilson letting me wear her daughter?
--
That offer is put to the test two days later, as you go in to check on Jimmy. (Which is already causing you issues, as Tina and Jessica have questioned why you’re so focused on him. Even when you tell them that you’re keeping an eye because “Mrs. Wilson asked” you to, your girlfriend’s sore and your big sister claims you’re skimping on your duties.)
As you arrive, you notice Jimmy in soggy clothes, looking condemned. He grabs your shoulders, staring at you with wide eyes. “She’s gone mad.”
“Whaddya mean?”
“You know how she brought a study group from her college yesterday? Well, they made a mess, and she’s expecting me to clean it on my own!”
You notice Jimmy’s not lying. There are bottles of cheap beer on the floor, the kitchen’s a mess, and you know he hasn’t dealt with the paper towels stained gray-green with what you can only assume is vomit. You’d expect this from him, not from her, but you were there yesterday, and you saw everyone in her group.
This seems like the perfect opportunity to teach Heather a lesson. You’ve got her permission. But what if you could use a different kind of leverage?
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