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CHAPTER 35
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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
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 39
TESSIE'S POV Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have enough to time to think about what I was doing. I wasn't thinking straight and his determination and passion was making it even harder. Before I could realize it, I was leaning against the wall with my top off and my bra half off.Maybe it was the cold on the wall or maybe it was my senses that finally decided to kick in. I slowed down before pulling away. He was about to take off his shirt when I acted. "Evan, wait!"He turned to me breathlessly. My chest was heaving rapidly and my whole body panic stricken. What was I doing? Evan stared at me in confusion. "Not here," I stated. "Right," he chuckled. "Well, maybe it's about time you gave me the house tour to your bedroom?"His enthusiasm and smiles were charming. I would say hard to resist but that would be going too far because what I was feeling was only my body reacting to his touch and actions around me. I didn't even realize
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 40
TESSIE'S POV I was woken up the following morning by a loud knock at the door. At first, I woke up in a state of disorientation not sure whether I had actually heard it or it had been just in my imagination. Jace's hand was under my neck and my head was on his chest. had no idea how that had happened. Maybe I had turned in my sleep and he had been open enough to hold me like that. It wasn't the first time falling asleep in my bed together but this was different. And I was still mad at him for not defending me against Lexi. "Tessie? I need to get your clothes to do the laundry," the doorknob turned.I sat up quickly. That was Jace's mother. Thankfully the door was locked. I shook Jace vigorously trying to wake him up. He groaned and struggled to open his eyes. "Wake up dummy!" I slapped him lightly several times and whispered, "Your mom is standing outside the door. Go back to your room!" "What?" he sat up in confusion. "G
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 41
TESSIE'S POV Helping out at Ava's mother's cafe had it's advantages. Some included getting free meals or drinks and sometimes even money. That day however, neither of those were appealing enough to keep me focused on the job. Instead of helping, I was doing much worse than just idling around gossiping.I was on my third strip of the mistakes I had done that morning that even Ava's mother was beginning to get uneasy. I placed the tray on the counter with a half spilled coffee sighing heavily. "Why don't you take a break and get some air outside, Tessie dear. Maybe some sun? I hear the morning sun can be a perfect healer."How could I tell that that I didn't need healing? I needed to kick Jace's ass and hurl every insult I knew on him, perhaps take out my anger on him and if I was lucky, somehow get to forget about Evan and the session we had shared. I closed my eyes trying to push the image of our closeness away as it fought to stand rooted in my head. "Te
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 42
JASON'S POV By the time I got out of my room and headed downstairs, Tessie was gone. I knew she was mad at me for how I had acted at the movies but there had been something else in her eyes when she confronted me. I had been looking forward to spending the day with her but now she was gone and I had no idea where to find her.I sighed heavily sitting at the kitchen island with my breakfast. It sucked not seeing her seated across from me like she always did. The cereal wasn't even appealing in the bowl. Somehow, Tessie always made everything fun and enjoyable which was why I couldn't afford to let her keep being mad at me. "What's going on with you? You seem distracted."My mother's voice alerted me. I almost dropped my spoon as I turned to her quickly. "Whoa! Is it that bad?" "I'm just tired," I shook my head. "What were you up to last night. I can swear I saw the same look on Tessie this morning. Were you guys out late on some teenag
IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER CHAPTER 43
AVA'S POV "Shit!"I crumbled my notebook unconscious and cursed myself closing my eyes the moment Jace disappeared into the back. Why did I have to be so awkward and so easily affected? Him with his perfect smile, his perfect gorgeous eyes that seem to always be flirting, his muscles... Which teenager worked out that much?It was hot. He was hot and always spreading that heat onto me whenever he was around. Why couldn't he just notice me and my mad crush on him? I sighed heavily and opened my eyes only to find my Mom watching me. I jumped back in surprise. "Geez Mom! How long have you been standing there?" "Long enough to feel your pain," she stated. "Why are you torturing yourself so much over him?" "Him?" I scoffed. "Why would I do that?" "Yeah, right." She squinted her eyes at me. "The way to a guy's heart is so easy sweetheart. And there are plenty of them if one doesn't realize what's right in front of their eye
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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?"
