My Stepbrother-Too Hot To Handle

DABBY :

“Thank you, Mason,” I appreciated him, thankful that he actually stood up for me. I felt sorry again that he had a loser like me for a friend.

“It is my pleasure. Those people are terrible people. How do you cope with them?” He inquired incredulously with a crease on his eyebrow, which made him look really cute. Trying to fathom how I got a wonderful friend like him was unbelievable.

“I am really fine. Thank you,” I said again and he let out a smile instead. A very charming one.

“That guy over there. The one that has the bully as a girlfriend. Is he your step brother? The one you told me about?” Mason asked mindlessly, and my heart surged by a fear raised to the degree of hundred.

“Oh my goodness!” I exclaimed in fear that someone might hear from where we were standing, as I pulled Mason to another corner far away from where we were before.

“Please, do not say that. No one can know. Absolutely nobody,” I panicked shakily, as I tried to check again if no one was around. The one person I had told over the phone, ended up coming to my school and now someone knew.

‘I was definitely screwed. And they even seemed to hate each other already. This is really bad,’ I feared so greatly and restlessly.

“No one can know you guys are siblings? Why is that? Is he ashamed of that fact?” Mason asked cluelessly again in his carefree nature, and I urged him to be quiet immediately, concerned that someone might hear.

“Ssh. Ssh. Please no one can know okay. Do not even mention it at all. Please Mason,” I begged him with a cute face.

“Oh dear. You are looking really rough now. You should quickly get cleaned up,” Mason suddenly changed the topic with a smile, that assured me that I had his unspoken word.

“Mason,” I called again, still wanting him to say something that I could hold on to.

“I promise okay. No one can ever know,” he guaranteed to me, and I could breathe again.

That was also when I remembered that he mentioned how I was looking rough, and feeling sticky from being drenched in that disgusting smell of processed milk. Even the smell that oozed from my drenched hair was probably a bad one.

I could not imagine how long I stood in front of Mason looking like a fool, without even minding or remembering that I was covered in yogurt the entire time. That was weird.

“Go inside the bathroom and wash your face and hair. Here is water too,” Mason spoke to me in kind words the moment we returned back to the bathroom side, and handed to me the bottle of water. The one he had gone to get when I was coughing.

‘How could I get so lucky overnight to have a real friend?’ I wondered in my mind so happily.

“I’ll see you at the lobby in five minutes,” I turned from him immediately, and he held my shoulder to prevent me from walking any further. I wondered why.

“Your clothes are covered in stains. Aren’t you going to need a change?” He observed as he stared at me from head to toe, and I could almost faint from embarrassment. His hand also removed my glasses carefully too, as he put it in the pocket of his pants.

‘Why was I being so clumsy in front of a new friend right now?’

“I think I have a spare shirt in my bag,” I said slowly, and hoped he would not ask why I surprisingly carried an extra shirt around.

I started doing that since I knew something could go wrong in one day at school, even though I had promised myself that I wouldn’t go to eat during lunch anymore to avoid problems.

“I’ll get it for you. Wait here,” he told me.

“The lock code is 0421,” I whispered to him, and he gave me a surprised look. I totally got that.

He probably found it weird that I also locked my bag, which was kind of crazy for me to know, because he had found out so much about me in less than a day.

I started locking my bag weeks ago so that no one would be able to put dirt in my bag again, or punish me by taking one of my things and making me look endlessly for it, only to find it in the waste bin. It had happened too much in the past months since I got to the school.

Saving me from my shame, Mason brought me the shirt and I was able to change clothes after washing my hair. I tried to dry my hair using the hand dryer in the bathroom, but I gave up halfway when the bell to return back to classes rang.

Mason had permanently taken the space of the seat next to mine that had remained empty for so long, and it was so different for me because people kept looking at us. Madison entered into the class shortly, and the look she shot at me was really scary.

‘It would probably not just end with this,’ I heard my mind say to me, sadly.

Finally after three classes, we were done for the day, and I was relieved to know that I would soon be out of the school walls. And then I remembered again to my trepidation, that I was going home to meet another terror.

‘My mother had chosen to punish me in every way possible by bringing me to this stupid school, and getting married to Damien’s father,’ I lamented inwardly.

It was really heart wrenching for me to know that I would never be happy both in school and at home, which instantly brought tears to my face the moment the bell rang for everyone to go home.

“Dabby, let us go,” I heard Mason’s voice jolt me out of my thoughts, as I turned to him immediately and nodded affirmatively for us to go. I packed my books into my bag and followed behind him.

We strode out of the huge school building to see lots of students outside already and ready to go home, as I turned to bid my cute friend a goodbye so that I could run home and lock myself in immediately.

“So, how do you get home?” He asked me.

“I take the bus. What about you?”

“My mum brought me this morning, so I guess we are both going to walk to the bus stop,” he smiled modestly.

“Umh. Yeah. It is going to be fun,” I chuckled awkwardly, with the fear that I would not be able to run to the bus stop, as fast I was supposed to.

‘What if Damien gets home before me, and locks me outside?’ I panicked.

As we walked past the school field in front of the school, I sighted Damien and his crew immediately at the park where they were standing by their cars. Mason also noticed too.

“I guess the brother comes to school with a car, and the sister boards a bus,” Mason pointed out sarcastically, and let out a wry smile.

“Unhhh,” I paused for a few seconds, acting like I had a reply for his statement, “Can we run?” I suddenly turned to Mason and asked, hoping he would not reject the idea.

“Why do you want to run?” He asked innocently.

“Because…. Because, I… like ru…..” and he sped past me before I could even complete my statement which made me chuckle, as I picked up the pace too and ran after him. He was really fast, and I was trying so hard to catch up.

“Geez, you run too fast. Slow down!” I called out to him gasping for breath.

And in that manner, we got to the bus stop ten minutes earlier than I usually did. It was exhilarating and at the same time tiring. It made me forget my fears for a few minutes.

We boarded the bus together and took our seats, as I wondered where exactly he was living that would make us board the same bus. I wanted to ask immediately as he followed me inside the bus, but I remembered that I was going back home again and became sad instantly.

I decided to hold a conversation

“Where exactly do you live? How many miles is it away from here?” I asked Mason.

“Do you want to come with me to find out?” He asked, and I was shocked to hear him ask me such.

I had never been invited by anyone to their house before since we moved to this town, and I definitely have not spent my afternoon with someone from school before.

The truth was that I wanted to reject the offer because we were just getting to know one another, even if we had known each other for the past months on the phone. I didn’t want to think about it, or wonder if it was right, and I agreed to it. Being away from Anderson’s house and Damien’s sight was the best for me.

We stopped at the fourth bus stop and took another one straight to Mason’s street, which was quite a distance from our own street like parallel worlds. But it was surprisingly, along the former house where I lived with mum months ago. It was unbelievable.

Mason invited me into his house which was quite similar to the one we lived before, and it was so warm inside the living room. The interior designs were properly done, and there was a lot of aesthetic hand made designed works in the living room. It talked much about the owner of the house.

We talked, ate, laughed and played video games together, till it was evening when I had lost track of time. Mason was quite surprised to find out that I was so much better in video games than him, and it was so funny to watch him get disappointed everytime he lost.

I enjoyed the time of my life for the first time in a while, that it got so late in the evening before I got ready to leave Mason’s house. He wanted to board the first bus back with me so that I would not be alone, but I dissuaded him that I was doing fine by myself.

When I realized that he wouldn’t bulge, I ordered a cab instead and he paid for it too. My head was in circles of happiness to know that someone would really like to be my friend, and make me feel so good after a long time amidst my sadness and depression.

The cab dropped me in front of the gate and I used my keys to open the front gate, as I entered inside so silently and carefully knowing that Damien was home already. As soon as I made my way to the front door of the huge building, I opened the door and entered in the same way that I had done.

As I crept past the living room that was so still and silent, I climbed the stairs more silently without any noise. However, to my shock I heard a loud voice from behind me, “Where are you coming from?!”