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CHAPTER 30
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IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 31
TESSIE'S POVI walked into advanced maths class on Monday morning and stopped short at the door. My eyes met him effortlessly. This was the only class we shared but he only had a week towards his college application test. That meant just one week of being in the same room with him and struggling hard not to look at him. It hadn't been easy for me from the moment we had agreed to date other people. My fingers in both hands were not enough to count the number of times I had avoided Evan that day. He had tried talking to me and I was sure it was about Saturday and Ava's confrontation. Speaking of Ava, it was time to finally face her.Thankfully, Jace was sitting far away from my usual seat. That had to be Ava's doing. I moved forward and joined her. "Hey," I greeted without focusing much on her. Ava didn't respond. I turned and found her busy staring into space. "Come on Ava. Are you ignoring me?" "Hurts, right?" she asked without looking at me. "Guess what
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 32
AVA'S POV "You were hanging out with him on Saturday, weren't you?" I asked confused by Tessie's reaction. "Why is your face pale?" "Is it?" she asked and ran her palm over it as if that would help clear the reaction. Why was she acting so weird? Had I said something that surprising that she couldn't even look at me straight? I was confused. "Tessie, what's going on with you? You are seriously starting to scare me." "I'm sorry, what exactly are we talking about?" she asked. "Okay, you are out of your mind. Do you need to see the nurse?" "Yeah, I think I might. I'm feeling kind of feverish," she sighed heavily. "Or maybe I just need to sit down. Let's go sit."She started walking away without waiting for my response. I watched her for several more seconds before I followed. I had never seen her like that. Tessie was the kind of person who never had to struggle with her answers. This hesitation she had
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 33
JASON'S POVThe game that evening was both disastrous and fun. Disastrous in that seated in the bleachers was the whole group of the girls in my life full of indifferences and drama erupted two or more times throughout the whole game. On the other hand, our team was winning. Even Evan was nicer toward me. I couldn't tell if it was because he was the captain and needed to win so bad. Yeah , maybe it was exactly that. During the last minute, I ran across the field and reached touched down winning us the last goal that marked the end of the game. I jumped into a group celebration with the rest of the team. Evan stood a safe distance away from us but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. He was happy just like everyone else. He just couldn't get over his ego and need to be the center of attention. I didn't pay him much attention.I was running across the field heading to the locker rooms when Lexi and her cheerleader friends ran into my path. Consciously, I turned around and found Te
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 34
TESSIE'S POV For the past month or so, I hadn't dreaded a weekend like I was dreading this one. The constant thought of hanging out with Evan again after avoiding him for weeks was causing havoc to break out in my stomach. The words he had used to describe it were haunting me and I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing this for the right reasons. He had called it a 'perfect date' and my guilt was having a field day in my subconscious for agreeing and actually smiling in encouragement.I was seated in the kitchen eating my evening snack. Snacks were my go to whenever I was nervous or anxious about something. Honestly, I couldn't wait to just get the night done with. My dad walked in adjusting his shirt. I stared at him as he went ahead to groom his hair nervously. I guess I inherited more of his nervous genes because this white dude was a whole wrecking ball of them. Judging from what he said of her, my African-American mother was the confident one. "Dad," I c
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 35
TESSIE'S POVI wasn't ready for this. I knew I wasn't going to be ready for it and if only it had some kind of skip button to rush through the hours, I would have hit it without thinking. And 'the theatre was big enough'? I was now strongly disagreeing with that because as we walked in to find our seats, I located him sitting across the room with her.If I was being honest, I was actually glad they were seated where I could see them. I hated to feel the way I was feeling, unable to trust that nothing we hadn't agreed on would happen but I couldn't help it. They couldn't possibly have sex there, could they? Yeah, I was definitely spiralling. It wasn't good and if I didn't get my head back in motion, I was going to ruin everything. I shook the thoughts off and followed Evan but bumped into him. He had stopped suddenly while I was busy roaming my mental streets. It was a miracle the popcorn I was carrying didn't fall. "You are nervous," he stated gently. "Is everything oka
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 36
JASON'S POVI felt bad and guilty. I wanted so bad to defend Tessie right then but I knew it would only cause more drama. Lexi was the actual definition of mean and entitled and his half-brother wasn't spared. I could see the difference between their personalities clearly and Evan was way better.I didn't know how to feel about that. Seeing him walk out with Tessie had a thousand thoughts racing through my head. If he turned out to be good enough to change Tessie's mind... No. I wouldn't think about that. Tessie was mine, she couldn't just walk away like that. "Did you come here with me or with them?" Lexi asked forcing me to turn back to her. "That wasn't nice," I decided to give her my thoughts. "You don't have to be mean to them or even acknowledge them, you know?" "Oh my God," she exhaled deeply rolling her eyes. "Does it offend you that I don't want to be around my half-brother and your little sister when we are on a date?"
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 37
TESSIE'S POVI sat silently in Evan's car looking outside the window trying to ignore him but I could still feel his gaze on me. I convinced myself that ignoring him would work as long as I didn't turn to him. He would read my face right away. Or maybe that was just what I was afraid of. "Don't take whatever Lexi says to heart. Being mean is the only thing she knows how to do best," he broke the silence but I didn't look at him. "Honestly I don't know if she can change or it's just in her nature." "People do change. Look at you, you used to be a bully. The meanest and worst person in school," I stated without thinking. Evan went silent. It was then that I realized the intensity of my words and suddenly, I felt bad. Upon turning, he had a firm grip on the steering wheel and through his side profile, I noticed a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." "Nah, it's okay. I deserve that or even worse," he
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 38
TESSIE'S POV As soon as Evan stopped his car in our driveway, I grabbed my pouch and made my way outside. My evening had turned bittersweet all because of him. At least now my mind wasn't overrun by thoughts and all I could do was smile.I bid him goodnight but before I could walk two steps away from the car, he got out and ran after me. "Let me walk you to the door," he stated. "You said that no one is home so, I want to make sure that you get in safe," he added the moment I hesitated. "Okay," I smiled. The house was deserted as expected and the lights were out. Even the porch light. I had to use my phone's flashlight to look for the keys. I didn't like darkness. The intensity of it always gave me the creeps so having Evan there was an advantage. I finally breathed the moment I got inside and switched them on.Evan stood outside the door indecisively. I could see it in his eyes. What could I do though, invite him inside? No, that would be a bad idea. It
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IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 58
TESSIE'S POV "There you are!" Evan exclaimed as he joined me in the gym. I had completely forgotten about him until I saw him. My mind was elsewhere, sweeping through the crowd for Ava who had decided to abandon me. "May I have this dance?" "Yes," I took his offered hand with a sigh and followed him into the crowd. "Hey, did you see Ava while coming in?" "Yeah, she was right by the door with some guy. I don't think he goes to our school. I've never seen him before." "He must be his mystery man/blind date," I chuckled. "Well, wherever they are now, they must be having fun," Evan offered. "I don't see why we shouldn't as well. You want to see me break some moves?" he asked breaking into a pop and rock dance with both feet and hands.I laughed, immediately taken back to the day he danced for free ice cream on our first date. Evan was sweet, contrasting every thought I ever had of him. It would have been so easy to love him especially since
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 57
JASON'S POV "Bro, I think I found a solution for your girl problem and I might just have found you a date to homecoming!" my cousin announced and jumped into my bed, disrupting my sleep. "I told you, I'm not going to homecoming, Jude," I groaned and turned, pulling a pillow over my head to block his voice.I wasn't sleeping, but I was in no mood to talk to anyone. Not after the day I'd had. Months of trying to get over Tessie, all the effort I had put in was not making it any easier. I had finally decided to get over it, get over my ego and talk to her and I just had to stumble over her agreeing on a date with Evan.Evan! Again! Yeah, that was it. I wasn't going to try again and I wasn't going to subject myself to that torture— watching them together for a whole night. "Dude, you are in the football team. You can't miss the game!" he shook me awake. "Besides, do you really want to miss your last homecoming dance just because a chick broke your heart? Look
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 56
TESSIE'S POVMonths sped by quickly and before I knew it, junior year was already halfway done. Everyone was counting days to the homecoming dance, which was all the talk in the school hallways, washrooms, cafeteria, everywhere. It was beginning to get on my nerves especially when — "Have you found a date to the homecoming dance yet?"When that topic came up. I looked up, my sandwich halfway to my mouth, and met Ava's eyes dancing with curiosity. Way to ruin a girl's lunch! "No," I put the sandwich down. "And I'm not interested in finding one or going." "Tess, this is the second last homecoming dance you are ever going to get a chance to attend! You can't just throw that chance away." "I can, Ava. And I am." "No, you are not. You have to be there because I'm running for homecoming queen and you are not going to let me face Lexi 'you know who' on my own."My mouth dropped, "You are not serious, are you?" "About what part?"
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 55
TESSIE'S POVThe level of scrutinizing I was getting at home ever since Jace moved out was too high. There had been numerous questions about what had happened, all to which I had responded the best way I could — feigned oblivion. I hated that my Dad blamed himself for going off on him for getting home late but what could I do?He would have to bear that lie and deal with it. As for me, sleeping in on weekends until they left and leaving so early in the morning during school days to avoid them was how I coped. That morning however, I wasn't so lucky because it was Diane's off day.I was seated in the kitchen taking my breakfast when she joined me. "I saw Jace."I looked up sharply and forced down the sudden panic that name brought to me especially in that house, "Yeah?" "Yeah, he told me why he had to move out." "He did?" I swallowed hard. Why was she being so vague? The tension was killing me inside. "Yes, it wasn't anything to do with your father.
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 54
AVA'S POV "So... tomorrow, just you and me hanging out without any boy drama?" I asked Tessie excitedly and wrapped my hand around her shoulder as we walked out of class on Friday evening. It was a week since officially breaking up with Evan and she was a mess. She let out an exhausted sigh and her face still remained with the same unrest it had the whole week. I hated seeing my best friend sad because of some guy. This being her first breakup, even though she had been the one who called it off, I could tell it was hard on her. I had never seen her being as mentally absent as she had been over the last two weeks. This was depressing and I had to do something to cheer her up. "My Mom agreed to let me have this weekend to myself. We can go shopping, get our nails done, have as much fro-yo as we can possibly handle—" "Ava, I hate all those things!" "And do at least one stupid thing to blow off some steam and let out our frustration about our messe
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 53
TESSIE'S POV The day passed without any drama. I guess I should have been thankful especially since Lexi hadn't even spared me a glance in the hallways, let alone talking to me. She hadn't said anything clearly because it was like any other day, another one of being invisible to the whole school.My mind however couldn't settle. I was restless with thoughts about Jace, about Evan, about Lexi... She couldn't have kept the information to herself out of the goodness of her heart. That bitch had no heart. That left the possibility that maybe she and Jace had become official. The thought churned my insides. How would I cope if that was the case?When evening came without any sign of Jace even around Lexi, I began to panic. Where was he? Had he left town and decided to go back upstate to his former home? No, that couldn't be. He couldn't just up and go without a word. If not to me, to our parents. They would want to know why he was leaving and that was a topic I was sure he couldn't hold
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 52
TESSIE'S POV After hours spent up late through the night, I slept in and woke almost too late for school the following morning. I'm not sure how long I spent staring at the adjoining bathroom door, beating myself up and hoping desperately that he would sneak into my room like always.I don't know what I was expecting because no miracle would change what had happened. With only a few minutes to get ready, I rushed into the shower and then got dressed. By the time I ran downstairs, it was already past seven. "Tessie! You are still here?" Diane asked in surprise. "I thought you were already gone with Jace because he wasn't here when I woke up. What happened? You always wake each other up." "I guess he forgot," I shrugged and grabbed my keys. I didn't want to be there a second longer because I wasn't sure I could keep lying about what was really going on. "See you later," I added quickly and left.It wasn't until I was pulling up in the school's parking lot that
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 51
JASON'S POVI hurried out of the diner and made my way across the street. My senses were dead, I couldn't see clearly but I didn't care where I was going. All I knew is that I wanted to be far away from there— far away from her.The first time I had decided to be the good guy, the first time I had decided to be loyal only to be betrayed like this. I had never believed in love until her. Now she had wrecked me and the mere sight of her made me want to disappear forever. The loud honking of a car alerted me. I was caught in a moment of panic in the middle of the road and just when I thought I was about to get crashed, someone yanked me into the sidewalk. I fell on top of her before I recovered. "What the hell are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?" Lexi reprimanded. I was too shocked to respond. I stared at her blankly. My heart was racing wildly. "Jace!" she shook me vigorously. "You are not okay, let me take you home." "Don't touch me!" I
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 50
TESSIE'S POV My heart was drumming loudly as I drove down the road, my mind so preoccupied with thoughts that I almost forgot about Lexi. There was no way out of this. Jace had enough evidence of my betrayal to never want to talk to me or see me again.Knowing that we lived in the same house gave me some comfort, that maybe I would manage to get him to forgive me but that was feeling next to impossible. I was dying slowly from the inside, regret and guilt combined built up. I could only blame myself for this.My phone rang breaking the silence in the car and rousing me from my thoughts. I looked at the screen quickly and sighed. It was Evan. I picked up right away knowing if I didn't he would keep calling. "Not now Evan! We will talk later," I shouted and ended the call before he could say anything. "You are such a slut you know?" Lexi commented. "You had the guy every girl wants and still had to go after your brother? God! How messed up are you?"
