She is My Sister by Joannie Kay

“Brooke, come
down here, please.”
    David knew that Brooke was going to have a fit and he hoped
her Dad could handle her.   She was
lacking in discipline, and instead of walking away from her last year, David
felt he should have hauled her over his knee and spanked her soundly.   It was exactly what she needed, and
unless she showed him some cooperation on this assignment, Miss Brooke was
going to get the spanking of her life.   David was through with her childish behavior.
    Brooke cut short her conversation with her sister Jenna, and
hurried to see what her Dad wanted.   It wasn’t like him to disturb her when he thought she should be studying
and preparing for the next day’s classes.   It was probably nothing important, but she lived under his roof and
Brooke did love him… even though he could be impossible at times.   “What is it, Dad?” she asked softly, a
smile on her lips… until she saw David.   “I have nothing to say to you, David Worth.   Get out of my home and don’t come back.”
    “Daughter, I invited David inside this house and he is
welcome here until I say otherwise,” John Hart said sternly.   “He tells me that Professor Zorn gave an
assignment pairing the two of you…?   Is this correct?”
    “Yes, but I am not going to work with him!” She gave her
long hair a toss over her shoulder, and her pretty blue eyes snapped with
temper.
    “This project is worth half of your grade, daughter;
correct?”
    “Yes, but Dad…”
    “You will work with David, and you will do your best to do a
good job and get a decent grade; is that clear?”   John Hart could be intimidating, and
David had to smile when Brooke looked toward him and gave him a mean look
before turning back to her parent.
    “He threatened me, Daddy!” she announced.   “I am afraid of him.”
    To David’s surprise, John Hart laughed.   “Brooke, you have never been afraid of
anyone in your entire life.   Stop
acting like a child and get this project done.   I expect no less than a B, and if I
don’t see some proof that you did your very best, I refuse to spend one more
cent on classes for you.   I’ll
expect you to get a job and start supporting yourself, and paying some sort of
living allowance to your mother to cover living in this house.   You are going to put some effort into
school for a change, and if that means actually staying home and studying, then
so be it.”   John Hart looked at
David.   “Did you threaten Brooke?”
    “Yes, sir,” David freely admitted.   “I warned her that she was going to work
with me on this project, and if she tested me she was going to regret it.   I meant the words,” he added.
    “Sounds to me like you don’t have much of a choice,
daughter.   David has my support, and
if you behave like a brat, you’ll suffer the consequences.”   John Hart left the room to go back to
his study and his crossword puzzle.
    “I cannot believe you came here and involved my father in
this!” she hissed at David.
    “I need this credit, Brooke.   End of discussion.   Let’s get started on this project.”
    “I’m busy right now.”
    “Busy doing what?” he asked, striving for patience.
    “Preparing for tomorrow’s classes.”   Her expression said he couldn’t argue
with that.
    “Fine.   We’ll
spend a few minutes, come up with an idea, and then I can go to the library and
start researching the subject while you get back to your other classes.”
    “David, I am not not not going to
work with you!   This is a completely
impossible situation and you know it.   You have no respect for me, and I can’t stand being in the same room
with you.   If I’d known you were
taking this class, I never would have signed up for it!”
    “First of all, Brooke, I do respect you; it is your work
ethic I have no respect for.   It
doesn’t matter what either of us think about working together on this project;
we have to do it and Professor Zorn will know if one of us does