Hating, Hurting: A Stepbrother Bully Story

by Iris Taylor

  Those big eyes widened in surprise. I liked pulling the we’re-smart-jocks card – it always impressed the nerdy ones. And Ella definitely fit the mold. Her floral librarian blouse was buttoned all the way to her neck, and she had big black-rimmed glasses that made her big eyes look even wider. Her blond hair was pulled up into a severe updo. All in all, she looked exactly like the girl Marcus had described to us, except way hotter. I glanced at Cole, who was doing a piss-poor job of acting nonchalant, his curiosity getting the better of him. Touching her like that - I wonder if he found out whatever it was he was looking for. And Ella took it without much resistance, too - I sure hoped she would toughen up soon. I liked my girls feisty.

  We arrived at the house – a too-large, formidable-looking mansion made in the Regency style favored by our predecessors that we once called home. Susan, our housekeeper, stood at the entrance waiting for us, and, seeing her, I rushed to open the car door and ran to give her a bear hug. “Susannn! I missed you!” I lifted her clean off the ground and ignored her squeals. Susan’s matronly ways were a definite reason the house even seemed close to being welcoming. The scent of freshly baked cookies drifted my way and I put her down to head towards the kitchen instead. The table was laden with my favorites – Sloppy Joes with Susan’s signature hot sauce, a batch of chocolate chip cookies - and on the other side of the table were Cole’s favorites – sweet potato chips and fish with tartar sauce. Yeah, I know. Who on earth ate that stuff? But as different as Cole and I were, we were alike in many ways.

  Eyeing the new girl who hesitantly circled the table and put her hands into Cole’s chips – I was gonna let her and watch his reaction to having to share his food for the first time, ever – I knew we were going to have a fun, eventful year. I knew Cole would, for the first time in ages, have something to look forward to. And so would I. Watching the little mouse naively walk into our territory, thinking it was a safe place, I wondered how far we could make this one play before it crumbled. I hoped it wouldn’t give up too soon. Oh, little mouse. Ella had perched herself onto a stool and was happily munching away on the fish now. We’re going to have so much fun with you.

  ***

  “What. The. Fuck.”

  I lazily glanced up to see Cole’s livid expression leveled at Ella, who had by then eaten about a third of his welcome-home meal. She looked up, and as understanding dawned on her face, she shot up from her seat and clapped her hand onto her mouth which stayed open. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize...”

  Susan strolled in, carrying with her some of our bags. The moment her eyes landed on the half-eaten food and Cole’s murderous look, she placed the stuff down quickly on the floor and tried to salvage the situation.

  “I’ve got more of those chips...”

  Cole had started to stalk towards Ella, crowding her. Ella’s panicked look must have flipped a switch in his brain, because he turned on his heel when he got about a foot away from her and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Where’s the popcorn when you need it?

  As Susan fussed over Ella and started to gather ingredients to make another meal for Cole, Dad and Ella’s mom entered the kitchen, oblivious to what had just transpired. I made it my mission to rescue Ella from her nerves, and slung an arm around her petite form. “Don’t worry about him,” I whispered in her ear. “It’ll blow over. He’s just not used to sharing.”

  It was half true. It would blow over after a few...days, maybe. Cole definitely wasn’t about to learn to share. I wondered if I could use Ella’s presence to my advantage. I was going to have to ponder upon that.

  “Come, why don’t I show you around the house. Have you seen the games room in the basement?”

  She merely shook her head, almost absently, her mind obviously elsewhere. That was okay. The Little Mouse was going to have to get used to the attention we were going to show her. And I hoped she would come out okay.

  Chapter 3

  Ella

  I was a nervous wreck. Tiptoeing around the house over the weekend didn’t help. Between avoiding Cole and his dark looks after my faux pas – Susan had reassured me repeatedly that this will pass, and soon, and that she had made him a new meal of fish and chips that day – and mentally preparing myself for the first day of senior year in a new school – I had turned into a tightly wound-up bunch of nerves, waiting for the ball to drop. Hans’ words the day we picked them up from the airport rang in my ears. Once they know you’re with us, they’ll leave you alone. I wondered what he meant. I didn’t doubt that the twins were popular at school, not with those looks and being on the football team, but I did wonder why people would bother me in the first place. I wasn’t a social butterfly, but in my old school, people liked me. I wasn’t an attention seeker, but was always included in all the conversations and got invited to parties even when I wasn’t fun the way Melissa was. People knew I was down-to-earth and reliable and respected me for it. Why would it be any different at this new school?

  Fastening the gray plaid tie around my neck, I appraised my reflection in the full-length mirror in my new bedroom. The school uniform was not unlike my old cheerleading outfit – skimpy, in other words. I wondered if I could swing by the office and find out if the matching gray skirt came in a more decent length. It made my legs appear longer, so that wasn’t a bad thing. But walking around in something that didn’t leave much to the imagination wasn’t my kind of thing.

  After pulling my hair up in a simple ponytail, I put on some lip gloss and took a deep breath. The girl staring at me back in the mirror appeared unassuming, perhaps a bit studious with the big black glasses. In other words, an okay look for school. According to Marcus, I was to catch a ride with Hans today, and I worried my lower lip as I wondered if Cole would drive separately. I hadn’t seen much of him all weekend – he had been out most of the time. Our rooms were at opposite ends of the long corridor, so I could hear him come back late at night from the security of my bedroom. I had my own en suite bathroom, and I was thankful once again for what life had blessed me and my mom with – a newfound financial stability where before, there was none. The single-storey house we had lived in for the past five years had one-and-a-half bathrooms, which to me meant waking up earlier than mom to get ready for school.

  Gray Lake Academy was a private school that catered for the privileged elite in the community, so it went without saying that I was to go there now, as part of the prominent Isaac family. Marcus wouldn’t hear me out when I said I was happy to attend the public school here, saying it was his job to provide for us and that he wanted to give me the benefits of a private education. The prospect of getting into an Ivy League school and pursuing a possible career in medicine made me stop arguing. It all seemed more within reach now, and not just some pipe dream I had no right to hope for. Of course, I had never told anyone about this, not Melissa nor my mother. All they knew was that I wanted to pursue something in the human sciences when I went off to college, which I would only be able to do if I were to secure a scholarship. I was therefore feeling indebted to Marcus for giving me the chance to work towards my dream.

  I had pored over the class schedule again over the weekend and had started preparing some notes for all my classes. Hans had shared some tips about some of them and I was grateful for the information. Knowing who was hard to please and who - as Hans put it - “couldn’t tell between the stellar students and the ripoffs” gave me a heads up about what to do in the various subjects.

  I swallowed my nervousness as I descended the stairs and headed towards the kitchen for a quick breakfast. The amazing scent of pancakes and eggs assailed my senses – I was a sucker for food, which explained why, despite cheerleading, I still had some extra weight on me. Not that it bothered me – I was in no hurry to shed the pounds if it meant I had to sacrifice the luxury of good food. And what a luxury it was, being in the Isaac household. Susan was a great cook and catered to every whim – the only times she wa
sn’t around was on certain weekends and after 9 pm. Which meant we had full, multiple course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was going to have to watch my weight, but just not right now. I made a mental note to find out when the cheer tryouts were. If I didn’t make it, no big deal, I was just going to have to find some other way to burn those calories, but I was pretty sure of making the team.

  As I walked into the kitchen, I paused at the doorway when I saw one of the twins seated at the island, looking sharp and devastatingly handsome in the Gray Lake Academy uniform. A dark gray tie hung loosely around his neck, coal-black hair neatly slicked back. He gestured to the spot next to him, and I let out my breath when I saw his welcoming smile. Hans. My relief must have been evident because Hans just smiled and shook his head. His plate was almost clean, and he handed me a new one and looked at me in askance as he held up a pair of tongs. When I nodded, he piled my plate with several pancakes and sausages and drizzled them with maple syrup, just the way I liked it. “Coffee’s over there,” he nodded to the coffeemaker on the counter. I poured myself a full, steaming mug and added some milk.

  “You’re early,” I commented.

  “We sometimes have practice even before school, so kinda used to waking up before dawn,” he said, shrugging.

  I eyed the sharp jaw and those full lips then looked down quickly at my food before he caught me staring. I remembered a sulky Cole asking, done gawking? I didn’t need to hear that again, even if they were used to saying it. Which I was sure they were. I started to dig into the delicious food in front of me. I could almost feel the coffee rush through my veins and as was always the case after a good dose of caffeine, it made me look forward to the day ahead. Excitement mingled with apprehension at the thought of my first day of senior year in a new school, but it was the good kind. You got this.

  Before I could have more than a few spoonfuls of my breakfast, Cole entered the kitchen, hair still wet and tousled, the top buttons of his white shirt undone. I couldn’t believe how hot he looked, despite being so unkempt. For the first time in ever, my mouth hung half open. He walked past me as if I wasn’t there and dropped his backpack and blazer onto the island right in front of my plate, effectively blocking his view of me. It was unbelievably rude, to say the least. Thankfully my brain returned and I closed my mouth promptly.

  "Did you pack everything?”

  Hans nodded. "It’s all in the car. We're likely to finish late though - heard Coach's pretty pissed still.”

  "Damn that Todd. Couldn’t keep his mouth shut."

  Hans smirked then turned to look at me. ”You okay to find a ride home? We have some errands after school. Otherwise, you can wait till practice is over. We can drop you off here on our way.”

  “She's a big girl, Hans. She can take care of herself,” Cole said without sparing me a glance, his expression scornful. The biting tone in Cole’s voice made me wonder how he had decided that I deserved his displeasure. Was it just a step-sibling thing? Did he hate my invasion of his home? Did he treat my mom the same way? I hadn’t seen them interact at all other than at the airport parking lot when he had ignored all of us.

  And what was I supposed to say to finding a ride home from school myself? I didn't know a single soul there apart from them. I guess I had to either ask my mom to fetch me or maybe catch a bus home. I nodded stiffly in their general direction and continued to eat.

  After a few minutes of listening to Cole speak to his brother as if I wasn't in the room, my irritation began to overtake my need to remain quiet and neutral and I hurried to put my plate away, walking out without a word. I hadn’t expected us to hit it off right away but I wasn’t expecting the cold shoulder, either. My mother had always taught me to be the bigger person but it was hard when you didn’t know the reason for someone’s animosity towards you. I could feel the tension in my shoulders build up again. Attempting to shrug the twins off my mind, I took a deep breath and waited outside the house for Hans.

  One of the twins came out of the front door, gray tie neatly in place, and I almost smiled until I saw his vicious frown leveled at me the moment he spotted me standing by the car. “Why don’t you beg Daddy dearest for your own ride?” The sneer was unmistakably Cole’s.

  He walked towards the Range Rover and carelessly swung the passenger door wide open, hitting me in the stomach. A whoop of air rushed out of me as pain made my eyes water. The side of the door had hit me hard, but nothing I wasn’t going to survive. I glared at the callous jerk, hands fisted by my sides. My mind spewed several curse words that had never seen the light of day, not from my mouth, but right now were threatening to spill out. I clenched my fists tighter, trying to remain calm.

  “Cole!”

  Hans rushed to my side, worry etched in his sharp features.

  Cole rolled his eyes. “She’ll get over it. If she’s going to complain about her stomach, she might as well get an eye checkup, too.” He shoved me aside with his shoulder and sat in the passenger seat, slamming the car door as he did so.

  Hans looked at me apologetically, appeared to reach out a hand but then pulled it away and said nothing.

  I counted backward from five before releasing a shuddering breath and opening the car door. The ride to the school was painful, to me at least. The conversation carried on between the twins, ignoring me as they had at breakfast, and I found myself longing to be back home. Checking the messages on my phone, I saw that Melissa had sent me one early this morning.

  Melissa: So?? Where’s my update?

  Me: What update?

  Melissa: *rolls eyes* You haven’t changed one bit. C’mon, spill! What’s it like to live with two identical hotties? How do you sleep at night knowing they’re there under the same roof as you??

  Not as well as I should, sadly.

  Me: Who said they were hot?

  Melissa: Google did. You should try it. Tons of pics of them! And that Cole has a swoon-worthy Instagram! Those ripped abs! I wanna lick them up and down!

  I quickly closed the window, worried they could sense we were chatting about them. A headache was quickly forming behind my eyes. I glanced at Cole, who was frowning as he looked out the window. Maybe he hated the surprisingly good weather. Was there nothing that made him smile?

  I could hear my phone vibrate, and started to read my messages again.

  Melissa: Well, did you Google them?

  Me: I’m not gonna stalk my own soon-to-be stepbrothers. That’s just weird. Besides, they’re really...normal when you meet them face-to-face.

  I was going to say average, but that would be an obvious lie, one Melissa would see right through. There was no way I was going to swoon over that jerk Cole. And I wasn’t going to encourage Melissa to, either.

  Melissa: Ooh la la, the guys over there must be hawt for identical six-foot twins to be your new normal! Why didn’t I move with you again? You must have a spare bedroom or two in that humongous mansion, right?

  I now wished I hadn’t FaceTimed with her the first day I had arrived in Gray Lake. But the beautiful three-story place Marcus called home, with its limestone façade, wraparound balconies, and marble spiral staircases, spread luxuriously over ten gorgeous acres, was a wonderland in my mind, and I hadn’t been able to contain my excitement and amazement. Thus the video call to both Melissa and Tony. Whilst Melissa had joined me in my squealing, unable to keep her mouth from hanging open, Tony had simply smiled and wished me luck in my new life and went back to his studying. I found out later that Melissa had planned a movie date that night with Roy Garth, her ex, and Tony’s nemesis.

  I wondered how Melissa would fare if she were in my shoes. She would probably hit it off right away with the twins. She would probably date them both at once, too. Melissa Torres, with her gorgeous chestnut-brown corkscrew curls and sexy curves, her bright smile and I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude towards life and what others thought of her, who on her first day of school in seventh grade sat at my lunch table and offered me some Skittles. After I had shyly
picked out the green and yellow ones, she smiled, patted me on the arm, and told me we were going to be great friends, because she only ate the red, purple, and orange Skittles. This turned out to be a fair representation of our friendship – we complemented each other. Where she made hasty judgments, I was the voice of reason; and when I was umming and ahhing about something, she helped me weigh its pros and cons – although, with her, it was basically whatever felt good at the time. I extrapolated this to mean whatever felt right to do, and I had learned to trust my gut feeling ever since.

  Tony joined our duo a year later, having moved from Vancouver to our small town with his mom, and we became a harmonious trio. Tony was the quiet, reliable one of us three, our rock, and we worked well together. Until Melissa started to notice the opposite sex and began to go out with them. I could swear he turned green after that first date with some jerk who only wanted to grope her. He never said it, but it was obvious, at least to me, how pained his expressions would become whenever Melissa went on dates. She would update us the next day – or the same night, depending on how the date went.

  The Range Rover swerved around a corner, jolting me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a colossal gray building ahead of us, the same shade of gray as the uniforms we had on. As Hans deftly parked the car in the nearly full lot, I could see several girls walking towards us, smiles on their faces. One of them, a tall, slim girl with sleek, brown hair, saw me and glared. I couldn’t even blame the sunshine for that nasty look she was giving me – it simply wasn’t bright enough out. Her expression immediately brightened when Cole stepped out of the car and headed for her. My breakfast threatened to make an appearance as I watched them suck each other’s faces for a good, long while in front of everyone.

  “I missed you so much!” she gushed, flipping her dark brown hair over her shoulder. Cole replied something inaudible and she laughed as she linked arms with him. Right before they walked away she threw a triumphant look at me over her shoulder. Insecure, much?