Better Than Revenge (Sweet Secrets #1) by Taylor Henderson Page A

again. I could barely stand being in the same school as her and living next door to her, but being in the same room with Brianna Bitch-ardson was my own personal hell.
    A wave of realization swept over me and I couldn't help but to cringe at the thought. If Brianna was going to be living in my house, we would be spending a lot more alone time together. Almost immediately anger overtook me, causing me to step a little harder than I had intentionally meant to as I started to walk toward the living room. From behind me I could hear Brianna's feet padding in the opposite direction as she went to get Lilly.
    In a few long strides I was nearing the living room where the sounds of voices were steadily growing louder as I approached the room. As soon as I stepped through the doorway the eyes of my father and Mr. Richardson—although he prefers to go by Uncle Steve—snapped to me. My dad stood from his chair and embraced me in a bone crushing hug. The smell of his infamous cologne mixed with the lavender scent wafting from his freshly washed clothes filled my nostrils as my face pressed against his shirt.
    “There's my little girl!” he chirped, while ruffling my hair as he released me from his vice-like grip.
    Before I even had time to collect myself, I was pulled into another bear hug. “Little Violet! You look more, and more like your mother every day. I swear it was just yesterday that you and Brianna were crawling around in diapers!” He leaned away from me, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking from me to my dad for a moment before saying, “It really is a blessing that she got her looks from Rosie isn't it, Tim?” His tone was playful and to my joy, he released me.
    “Dad,” I began, letting my hair loose before pulling it back up into a tighter ponytail as I said, “dinner’s ready.”
    Uncle Steve rubbed his hands together as if he was trying to start a small fire in his palms. “I wonder what Rosie has cooked up for us tonight!”
    I shrugged and turned toward the kitchen while mumbling, “Probably something that will cleanse our colons.”
    Uncle Steve chuckled and slapped a heavy hand to my back and for a moment I thought that maybe he had heard me until he chuckled and said, “I still can't believe how big you've gotten! It really has been too long since we've had a family meal together!”
    I nodded although I didn't agree with what he had said. I saw him every once in a while, and I hadn’t grown much since our last family night. Ever since we had first met the Richardson family, Friday's would be the day that we all came together for dinner, games, and movies. Of course it had been fun at times, but after a while I could no longer put up with Brianna's subtle but effective pranks. About two years ago was when I had officially put a stop to our family game nights. I made a huge scene and threw a temper tantrum about how much I hated spending my Friday nights hanging out with family when I could have been out with friends. To my surprise no one had pointed out that I didn’t really have any friends, and instead we just put a stop to the family nights all together. At times I felt bad about ruining it for everyone, but I couldn't deal with Brianna any more.
    I shook myself out of my thoughts and listened idly to Dad and Uncle Steve's conversation as we walked back to the dining room. Lilly was already sitting in her favorite spot with a big smile on her chubby face. When she noticed me, she patted the seat next to her, beckoning me toward her with one tiny hand.
    “Lizzie!” she screeched excitedly. “Sit next to me!”
    A warm smile formed on my face as I took the seat next to her. “Are you hungry, Lilly?”
    She shook her head furiously, rocking back and forth in her booster seat that was strapped onto the dining room chair. “I'm going to eat all of my vegetables just like a big girl! Mommy said that after I eat all my food, I can get a frozened yogurt!” Her brown eyes widened and the