Oh Brother

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

continues..

I exited the car, tired of hearing my mom and Christian talking. To my disappointment, I heard Christian’s footsteps behind me. They were nearing me I could tell, so I picked up my pace.

For some reason this city had grade thirteen. An extra grade that gave students an extra year to decide the rest of their lives. I had always thought it was a good idea, but then Christian appeared in my life. He was in grade thirteen, which meant I would have to see him at school too. I felt like God was punishing me at this point in my life.

Thankfully, I couldn’t hear Christian’s footsteps as I entered the school. The hallways were already packed with teenagers. Teenagers who were screaming, flirting, texting, and goofing around. I found myself smiling at the sight, glad that I was back at the only place I felt like I mattered.

As I walked through the hallways to my locker, I spotted it at the end of a crowded hallway. Dodging past people, I eventually made it to my locker. I smiled and opened it immediately, wanting to put my bag away.

Before I could put my bag away, I was suddenly embraced from behind. I rolled my eyes and smiled, knowing who it was.

“Autumn!” Dee, my best friend exclaimed. “Oh my god! I’ve missed you!”

I pried her arms off of me and turned around, grinning. Her green eyes were bright, alive as they shined with excitement. Only then did I realize how much I missed her.

“I missed you too,” I admitted, still smiling.

She hugged me again, her curly blond hair flying everywhere as she hugged me tightly. This time I hugged her back, happy to see her. She had been my best friend since I was ten and I loved her.

Eventually letting go of me, she said frowning, “What have you been doing this summer? You were always too busy to hang out.”

“Sorry.” I sighed. “My mom was forcing me to bond with my new step-dad and step-brother.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. How are they?”

“Horrible.” I scowled. “I hate them. Especially Christian, my step-brother.”

Dee frowned. “Why? Did he do something to you?”

“No.” I sighed tiredly. “Let’s not talk about it.”

Shrugging, Dee agreed. We then caught up and I found myself smiling my first real smile in a while. I realized I really needed school. Just because it gave me a vacation from my ruined family.

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Dee and I were standing in line, waiting to buy some fries. By now we had caught up on each other’s lives and I was satisfied with my day. My classes were awesome and my friends were all their awesome selves. Although, the best part of today was that I didn’t see Christian. Not yet, at least.

“Who is that?” Dee suddenly asked, sounding amazed. “He’s hot.”

“Who?” I asked curiously, looking around.

“That guy.” She pointed to the corner of the cafeteria. “The one dressed in black.”

My eyes flew to where she pointed and I gasped. I gasped as I saw the very boy I detested – Christian, standing alone in the corner looking like a lost puppy. I rolled my eyes, seeing how innocent he looked.

“That guy is my step-brother,” I snapped. “The guy I hate.”

“What?” Dee’s eyes widened. “He’s hot. Like, really hot. How could you hate such a beautiful creature?”

I scoffed, suddenly feeling annoyed. “He’s not hot.”

“Oh yes he is hun. That boy is fine.”

If this were any other case, I would have laughed. Gave in even. But this was Christian we were talking about. The guy I blew up to a day ago. The guy who snapped back at me. We seemed destined to hate each other from the start, and there was no way I’d let Dee get at him.

“Well he’s off limits, okay,” I said with finality. “Pretend he doesn’t exist.”

Dee frowned. “You really do hate him, don’t you?”

“I do,” I said, tiredly. “Let’s end the conversation at that.”

Dee didn’t seem happy, but she agreed. We – thankfully – changed the topic to lighter things. Things that didn’t involve him. I found myself relaxing at that.

After buying our food, we walked to our table. The exact table we had been sitting at for the past two years. My other best friend, Cheryl, was already sitting there.

“Autumn! Dee!” Cheryl exclaimed once we reached the table. “I’ve missed you guys.”

I smiled and Dee squealed. Before I knew it we were all embracing each other thanks to Dee. I couldn’t help but hug them back. After not seeing them for two months, I was able to s–k up my hate for touchiness.

After letting go of each other and sitting down, Cheryl asked, “How are you Autumn? It’s been a while.”

“Good, I guess,” I replied, smiling.

“How’s your new family?”

“Cheryl!” Dee exclaimed. “Don’t ask her about her new family. It’s a sensitive topic.”

My eyes narrowed at Dee. Even though I knew she was trying to be a good friend, I still felt annoyed.

Deciding to ignore what Dee said, I said to Cheryl, “They’re whatever. I prefer them gone.”

Cheryl’s eyes widened, surprised by my brutal honesty. It wasn’t that I was innocent around my friends, but I was never an a—–e. That was, until my mom married Stephen.

“Are they that bad?” Cheryl asked, still shocked.

I nodded my head. “The son of my step-dad is the worst.”

“Am I now?”

I tried not to show my surprise as I whipped my head around. To my utter disgust, Christian was standing in front of me, raising an eyebrow. I scoffed.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded. “We’re supposed to act like we don’t know each other. Remember?”

Christian sighed. He looked exhausted as he shook his head. As usual, I couldn’t care less.

“Autumn, I’m not looking for a fight,” he said tiredly. “Your mom called me. She’s wants us to take the bus home.”

“What?” My jaw dropped.

Christian shrugged. “She and my dad are going somewhere.”

“They always have to go somewhere!” I snapped. “Wait… Why did she call you? I have a phone too.”

Christian shrugged again. This time, he looked uneasy as he looked away from me.

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, now leave. I was having a good day.”

Without another word, he obeyed and walked off. I watched him leave the cafeteria, feeling uneasy. She was my mom, yet she called Christian. Christian, the boy who didn’t have a single drop of her DNA in him. I didn’t understand.

“Autumn, are you okay?” I heard Dee ask.

I quickly turned back around to face Dee and Cheryl. Both of them were staring at me with wide eyes, causing me to blush. I had forgotten about them.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, picking up a french fry to plop into my mouth.

“You really do hate hiim, don’t you?” Cheryl asked.

I nodded. “I do. I really do.”

“Why? He’s hotter up close,” Dee said jokingly.

I glared at her, not wanting to talk about Christian. Especially about his looks in a positive way.

“Oh Autumn.” Was all Cheryl said after I looked away from Dee. “I’m sorry.”

I ignored her and focused on my food, wanting to disappear. My mom loved Christian more than me and now I had acted like a b—h in front of my friends. Life seemed to be getting harder to deal with everyday.