Stepbrother

by Stacy McWilliams

  I was looking for a bottle of water when a clatter sounded behind me. I jumped as Cooper slammed his hand on the pantry door rattling it. I glanced around and, judging by the look on his face, he was livid. “What the fuck are you doing?” My whole body shook at his words and at the venomous way he stared at me. His brown and green eyes were fire and ice in one, and he moved closer to me, trapping me in between the pantry door and the inside of the pantry.

  I stepped back from him with my glasses slipping down my face. He reached his hand out, snatched my glasses from my face, and promptly broke them in two. “Don’t get too comfortable here; you aren’t welcome here, and if we have anything to say, you’ll go back to the hovel you used to live in before long. And stay the fuck out of my bathroom.”

  “No,” I screamed. “No! No! No!”

  I began sobbing and dropped to my knees, picking up the glasses and holding them to my chest as he spun around and left the pantry, slamming the door at his back.

  After a while, I knew I had to move, but my face was red and blotchy, my eyes were swollen, and I had a lump the size of an apple in my throat. I spotted a bottle of water and grabbed it, some pop tarts, and a few sugary snacks from the shelves. I shoved them shakily in a bag I found in the pantry before taking off out the door.

  I had my glasses in my hands and a book under my arm and when I reached a quiet spot in the woods by the house, I climbed a thick tree and sat there reading and getting lost in another world.

  I ate the snacks and drank my water, until a few hours later, my stomach rumbled, and I wandered back through the woods, heading in the direction of the house. Before I left the woods, I put my glasses into my pocket, still feeling a pang that they’d been broken.

  As I came through the clearing there were cars everywhere, some police and some I didn’t recognize. My mom spotted me through a gap and came running towards me.

  “Bailey, how could you worry us like that? Where were you? Why didn’t you have your cell on you?”

  I was taken aback in surprise when Shawn walked towards me looking severe. “Mom, I was in the woods reading. I didn’t take my cell because Zane took it from me last night and I forgot to get it back from him. What’s going on?” I asked, glancing around as a police officer walked towards us.

  “She’s okay, then?” he asked looking between my mom and Shawn, and they both nodded tight-lipped. My mom grabbed my arm and marched me into the house and upstairs to my bedroom. She threw me inside and I stumbled, cracking my arm on the side table.

  “Mom, what the hell?” I asked her as she advanced on me. Her livid face was joined a moment later by Shawn’s and I stared up at them.

  “Bailey, this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. I don’t allow my children to wander around unchecked and since you live here now, you will need to learn to obey my rules or there will be consequences.” Shawn yelled at me furiously.

  I shrank back a little as I nodded fearfully up at him, and he handed me my cell. “This was on your bedside table this morning, and I don’t appreciate you lying about my children. If it happens again, I will take my hand to you.” My eyes burned as I stared at him and my whole body shook. I hated them, I hated them all. “You are grounded for the next month and if you pull anything like that again, I’ll make it two months.”

  They left and I collapsed into bed. I was exhausted by all the drama. Stepbrothers sucked and mine were the worst ever. They hated me, and if I thought they’d be nicer when the dust settled, I was sadly mistaken.

  The next few days passed quickly, and my mom told me I was going to start school within a few days. They were just waiting on my transcripts. On the morning I was due to start, Cooper was gone, and I was glad I didn’t have to deal with him.

  I’d gone downstairs early and just gotten myself a coffee which I was sitting at this island in the kitchen sipping as the kitchen door opened at my back. I froze, nervously, but when Cooper came around from behind me, he didn’t speak or give any sign that he saw me sitting there.

  I watched as he grabbed a bottle of water from the pantry, opened it, and downed it. His top rode up, exposing some skin at his midriff and I could feel my face heat as I couldn’t stop staring at the exposed skin.

  I finally managed to drag my eyes up and met Cooper's scorching gaze as he glared at me. He turned and left a moment later and I followed after a few minutes, rushing to get ready for school. I had to put on a uniform, and I hated it, but the skirt was the worst of it. It was around my knees and it was a little tight, but I managed to get the zip up.

  My mom came in and smiled at me, before informing me that she would be taking me to school. She drove me there and we sat in silence all the way there. She didn’t come into the school and I didn’t want her to, but it would have been nice if she’d offered.

  I was so nervous as I made my way inside, but it was worse than I ever imagined. I was so alone and the whole day was a disaster because everyone seemed to hate me.

  I hated the school with a passion and I no longer had my glasses to hide behind which upset me more than anything. I’d bought another pair after school a few days later, but I’d found them on Tuesday broken on my bedside table.

  The first week at my new school dragged and everyone called me the Christie charity case, and no one spoke to me. I spent my time avoiding Cooper and his friends. Anytime I had a class with his friends, they’d hit me with books, bags, and I was hit full in the face with a basketball.

  The ball had come flying out straight at me and I didn’t have time to move or duck as it smacked me full on the cheek, snapping my head back and knocking me to my ass on the ground. I sat there dazed for a few minutes and Cooper’s girlfriend and her friends all stood smirking and fighting a laugh nearby as the gym teacher advanced on them. My cheek was swollen and bruised, and even the teacher who’d witnessed it believed Cooper’s girlfriend, Abbi, when she’d said it was an accident.

  It was finally Friday, and I was desperate to go home, my face had been throbbing painfully since being hit with the ball that morning and finally, home time arrived. Cooper was supposed to be giving me a lift, but he took off as soon as I walked out of the school.

  I didn’t know what to do. I had no one to call that stayed in the area and although part of me wanted to call Wendy, I didn’t know what to say to her or how to explain my current situation. Plus, my head hurt. I stood there for a few minutes in the icy rain when a girl I recognized from my Spanish class approached me. Her name began with an E- Elisha, that was it. I was proud I remembered.

  “Hi. Are you okay, honey? I saw what happened to you in gym class this morning.” I nodded at her staring out at the parking lot. She shrugged and went to walk away and something in me snapped.

  “Thank you for checking on me.” She turned back towards me with a genuine smile on her face.

  “Sure thing, honey, it looks like you could use a friend right now.” I nodded at her, and she smiled, before waving and walking away to her car.

  Just then, Cooper pulled back into the parking lot and I sighed in relief at the sight of his silver car. He sat for a moment and as I started to walk towards him. I realized that he wasn’t waiting for me. Abbi was walking from cheer practice with a scowl on her face. As soon as she was in the car, he revved the engine for a moment, sending a wave of ice-cold water over my boots and into my socks.

  He laughed as he drove away, and I started walking in the direction of their house. My whole body shivered and about halfway home, I’d wanted to give up. I’d been walking for an hour when Zane pulled up beside me. “Get in,” he commanded. I glanced at him as he nodded and opened the door for me. I jumped gratefully into the warmth of the car.

  My teeth chattered and my body shivered as he turned the heat up. “Where’s Coop? I thought he was to give you a lift.” His voice broke the silence, and he sounded tense, but I didn’t know him well enough to judge.

  “He got a b-b-b-bet-ter of-f-f-f-fer…” I chattered out and he nodded.
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  He didn’t say another word for the rest of the way back and as soon as the engine cut off, he was out of the car and racing for the house through the rain. I squelched slowly after him, my body shaking in terror at what might await me when I walked through the door. I didn’t need to wait long to find out. Shawn came out and met me in the garage, his face livid which surprised me.

  “Why did you walk away from Cooper when he was waiting to give you a lift? Are you trying to kill yourself?” His voice shook with rage, and he pulled me by the arm into the living room. Cooper was there with Abbi. His evil smirk as his dad walked in with me made me want to tear his hair out. “OUT!” Shawn barked and Cooper and Abbi scuttled for the door.

  He pushed me towards the couch and as I reached it, he shoved me over, holding me down with one arm as he smacked my backside hard with his other hand, pain flooding through me. I screamed as he hit me again and again, the pain I was feeling increasing with every contact Shawn’s hand made with my body. When it was finally over, he pushed me away from him and I landed on the floor where I sat sobbing. No one had ever hit me like that before in my life, not even my mom, and I was beyond upset; I was mortified. As I cried from the pain and shame of being spanked, my mom entered the room and spoke soothing words to Shawn.

  She ignored me completely as I sat, wondering how much she hated me to take me from my life to this hell. They eventually left the room and I stayed where I was, just sitting on the floor as a wave of numbness washed over me. After a few hours, my mom came back in and finally spoke to me. “Bailey, go to bed. No one wants to see your face right now.”

  I nodded at her and stood up painfully from the spanking I’d endured and sitting in the same place for so long. I moved towards the stairs and saw Cooper walking out the door with Abbi. As he saw me, he came towards me and smacked me on the ass. I winced and his smirk widened. “Poor little girl has no idea how to belong.”

  He turned and ran out of the door, both he and Abbi laughing, as I made my way upstairs. I didn’t leave my room all weekend and Elisha gave me a lift home every day from school. I didn’t dare call Wendy; I had no idea how to tell her how awful my life had become.

  I sat and typed a text out to her, but I couldn’t think of how to phrase how much I loathed this new life, so I didn’t. Every day I tried to text her, but I couldn’t phrase it and for the next few weeks, I spent more and more time in the house alone. Zane was pleasant when I saw him, but Cooper spent his time avoiding me.

  It was the night before my mom and Shawn’s wedding and my mom moved the two of us to a suite in a hotel in the center of town with my aunt Cate and Kimberly. I didn’t speak to anyone the whole night. I’d also lost weight and it didn’t suit me. My hair hung limply around my face and as the makeup artist worked on me on the morning of the wedding, Cate approached me while Kim was fawning over my mom, worry all over her face.

  “Are you okay, Bailey?” she asked me, her voice full of concern I wanted to unload to her, but she’d just told my mom she was expecting a baby and I knew I couldn't put it on her. I hugged her, telling her I was fine, holding her a little too tight and some of the pain I was holding in erupted as I started to cry. Pain over no one believing me, over everyone hating me at school, and over my mom’s hiding Louis, plus pain at missing my friends and missing Leah and my old life.

  “No crying!” the makeup artist admonished me as I pulled away from Cate and tried to shake my mood away, but as soon as my grandma and grandpa walked in, I flew at them and cried proper tears. I sobbed until I had nothing left and my grandma looked at my mom in horror at seeing me so upset. “Bailey girl, what’s happened to you?” Her voice was soft as she looked deep into my eyes.

  I couldn’t speak and my mom spoke up, “She’s hurt because I refuse to let her bring Louis into the house. I don’t want the ghosts of the past haunting her future.” Her tone was ice cold and full of reproach and I glared at her for a moment.

  My grandpa interrupted my glare and took me outside for some air and to calm down. My grandma stayed in the suite and then followed us outside, giving me a much-needed hug. She asked if I was okay, but I didn’t want to tell her how upset I was, so I nodded, and she held me tightly.

  “You know you can tell me anything honey. I’m always here for you.”

  I nodded and she led me back inside. The makeup artist huffed and set about to repair my face after my tears had ruined all the work she’d done.

  I was ready last, and my mom looked surprised as I stood in front of her wearing a strapless gold dress with black lace-up sandals. My hair was hanging down in loose curls down my back. She looked gorgeous in her simple, fishtail dress, with a garland of flowers in her hair which was styled in the same way as mine.

  She smiled as I stared at her and walked over to me giving me a hug and hissing in my ear, “I hope you’ve got all the drama out of your system now.” She kissed my cheek and stepped back as her daddy came into the room.

  He looked between us, a look of pride on his face, and pulled us both in for a hug. He kissed us both and a few moments later we were in the cars heading to the house for the ceremony. We arrived and the house looked gorgeous with simple rose bushes and lights, lighting the way to the back yard. The aisle was on the green lawn and there was a flower arch at the end of it. On either side of the aisle there were rows of chairs and at the end of each row was a rose bush.

  The lake water sparkled in the background and everything looked completely gorgeous. Zane was my escort, and soon walked over to me and took my hand. I smiled at him but he gazed at me with glassy eyes without saying anything. He walked me towards his father and brother who were waiting under the arch. Cooper’s eyes widened in surprise as he took in my appearance as Zane and I walked towards him. It didn’t take long for a sneer to cross his face which told me that he still hated me.

  As I took my place, I glanced around and didn’t see many familiar faces. My mom told me she’d invited Leah and Alice and Wendy’s family, but I couldn’t see them, so they’d obviously not come or hadn’t been invited. My mom’s cousins were missing too, but I guessed that was because they’d be able to tell the truth about Louis and my mom wouldn’t want that. Not after she’d lied about him to her new family.

  The wedding passed slowly, and my attentiveness wandered. I stared out at the water and hoped it would be over soon as they exchanged rings. When it was finally over, I was made to stand beside Cooper for a photo and my heart raced because I knew he would do something to upset me, but surprisingly he did nothing. He put his hand on my waist and the place he’d touched burned when he took his hand away.

  I moved away after the photo, sitting down and Cate came over and sat beside me. “Sweetie, what is wrong with you?” I shrugged at her, but as Cooper walked by with Abbi my entire body tense.

  “Has he done something to you? Bailey, talk to me, please.” I glanced at her, and she was watching Cooper and Abbi standing under a tree while the caterers created an open-plan dining area.

  I watched the caterers and saw the heaters hidden all around because even though it was now April and the snow had melted, it was still chilly. They’d already erected a marquee covering the tables and chairs with the heaters at each exit.

  Eventually, we were called forwards and I moved towards the tent, when a hand closed over my arm, squeezing tightly, and I glanced around seeing Zane’s creepy friend who had openly groped me at the mall. He tugged on my arm, but before he could pull me away Cate materialized at my side making me breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Problem?” she asked him with ice in her tone and he released me. “No, ma’am” was his polite answer, but his eyes lingered on me in a way that made me uncomfortable. As she stood glaring at him, he shrugged and walked away.

  Cate opened her mouth to speak to me when the maître d’ announced that the cocktail hour was starting. Cate guided me inside and led me to her table as everyone around us had some food and drinks enjoying the atmosphere, but I couldn’t rel
ax. My shoulders were tense, and I barely ate the food Cate kept appearing with.

  My mom and Shawn returned and when they were announced for their first dance, everyone stood and applauded. I wanted to stay seated, but I knew I’d be crucified if I did. I moved towards the dance floor and a hand grabbed my ass hard. I yelped and jerked forwards, knocking into one of Cooper’s friends. He shoved me away from him hard and I fell back into the arms of Zane’s creepy friend.

  He circled his hands on my waist and I began to panic. I couldn’t make a scene, not here, but as he leaned down and hissed in my ear, “Go on and squirm, it’ll only make me enjoy it that much more.” I struggled trying to get free when I was suddenly ripped away from him. Cooper had him by the throat.

  “Stay away from her, you hear me. You go near her again I’ll chop your dick off and make you eat it.”

  Cooper grabbed my hand and dragged me away and onto the dance floor. I couldn’t look at him because I didn’t know what to say, but he put his hand on my waist and his finger gently lifted my chin. He gave me a questioning look, but the touch of him had robbed me of all coherent thought. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his tie was a little loose. He was in gray and was wearing a black shirt with a light gray tie; it fitted him like a dream.

  He began dancing with me and hissed in my ear, “A thank you would be nice.”

  I nodded at him and swallowed. “Sorry. Thanks.” It was all I could manage as his hand tightened on my waist. I knew he’d heard me, but as soon as our dance was over, he took off with Abbi and I didn’t see him for the rest of the night.

  I managed to have some fun with Cate. She made me dance with her, and we giggled as we danced around the floor. My mom even joined us for a song, and I was so glad it was Cate who’d be staying while my mom and Shawn went on their honeymoon.