《My Stepbrother-Too Hot To Handle》


 Getting a brother 1

    Dabby POV


    Not that I wanted to be like my mother or anything, but I just desired to be a little simr to her. The cool aura, sexy body, riveting smile, and every charm she possessed.


    She could make anyone love her, and she always got whatever she wanted, so far she put her mind to it.


    Joanna Sanders was hot. She was like a ma. And no one would ever believe that she was my mum, because I was totally different from her. I was Dabby Sanders.


    The car that was assigned to pick me up on thest day of the first session in grade twelve drove through the gate, and all my nerdy eyes could catch was the beautiful sight of the guy that would make every girl in school swoon together with his crew.


    He was really hot, handsome, charming and every good thing one can think of, but he was not just the typical cold and gentle guy.


    Damien Anderson wasn¡¯t the usual mind-blowing guy you know that was like the ones you would imagine, but he was one of the most popr in high school and kind of the sexiest too. His friends, Xavier and Bryan, were not left out.


    He had excellent looks, was alluring and had so many girls wrapped around his fingers. He drove one of the nicest cars, led a luxurious life and had friends that matched up to his standards.


    People like that would never know the nerd girl Dabby who kept to herself, and could not still be by herself. Everyone thought that I was a freak. Probably because of the way I acted, because I was so insecure about the few dots on my face. I hated them and it made me look ugly.


    I could never allow Mum to follow me to school, because I was sure that the bullying would get worse if they saw who she was and how sophisticated she looked. Joanna was close to perfect.


    Never could I tell her that something was wrong at school, else, she would scold me angrily for being too weak and fragile. It was better to portray the slow and clumsy Dabby, who could boldly fight for herself if someone hit her.


    I always wondered if she probably had thought about it a few times, that her baby was switched in the hospital ward or something when she gave birth to me. We were the total opposite of one another, and the contrast was ring. But that didn¡¯t matter. The striking resemnce was there.


    Joanna was feisty and I loved her for it. She never gave anyone the privilege to cheat or trample on her, instead she would be the one to do the trampling. Her way with men was crazy to understand. She always had the best to herself too.


    A break from my mother and her shy lifestyle for a while? Hell yes, I would appreciate it.


    I decided to go for the holidays to Aunt Penelope¡¯s in New Orleans, and it was really cool because I got to take a break from California and its crappiness. Mum was traveling too, so it was a perfect arrangement.


    The holiday break wasn¡¯t any different from my usual life at home, because I was always indoors most of the time while my aunt was working at the office. But it was like some kind of protection against the bad air that I breathed while in school.


    The kids in school were so tough and violent that once you were a weak link, they would definitely pick on you and make your life sadder. And I was a weak link.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    The holiday, which was a few weeks until its end, was going nicely, until Joanna ruined it by calling me to inform me of her engagement. She was suddenly getting married. And worst of all was that she was pushing on with the marriage, which was like two weeks away.


    ¡®When did they meet? How did they n it out? Why did she want to get married to someone suddenly, instead of sticking to her usual dating men lifestyle?¡¯ I had so many questions to ask her.


    I pondered through the night why my mother suddenly wanted a second marriage, because it wasn¡¯t really a basic reason that I could understand. If one of her love rtionships was getting too clingy, she always backed out before it became messy. That was how she was.


    ¡°Mum. You know I do not interfere in your decisions, right? Are you sure you want this?¡± My timid voice sounded from the other side of her phone call, because I was not the kind of teenager to throw tantrums and rebel if I didn¡¯t want something.


    But I honestly wanted to shout in her face, and tell her that I didn¡¯t want to be in a suffocated space, of being together with a stepdad.


    ¡°I have thought it right darl. We should all meet before the wedding, soe home quickly,¡± she said excitedly, and I didn¡¯t want to ruin it for her.


    Whatever charms it is that the man had to capture the fierce Joanna Sanders heart into marriage, then I should certainly give him des for that and allow her to have her way.


    ¡°So, what happens after?¡± I asked again, instead of the intended question; Are you sure you are not rushing this?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it is definitely going to be the best experience. I¡¯ll tell you about the rest of the informationter,¡± she cut the phone immediately, and Izily dropped mine on the table in weakness and with the feeling of anger. I felt so weak and sick already of what was going to happen.


    A week had passed, and I was still at my aunt¡¯s, trying to act all cool about my mother¡¯s new marriage ns. Knowing mum would not have the time to take me to the hospital whenever I got back, Aunt Penelope took me to the hospital instead and got me a pair of sses.


    The meeting mum talked about was continually postponed, because she told me that her new husband was having some meetings piled up, and he needed to clear everything before the wedding.


    I was not interested in knowing about her ns anyway, because my opinion didn¡¯t matter. She did not forget to send his pictures to me though, and damn, my nerdy self would not lie that he was hot. My mother was getting married to the right catch with good looks, and he was rich ording to her, which was an icing on the cake.


    ¡°It is only a week before the wedding, Dabby and I have made all the preparations. You should travel down here and try on your new dress just in case it needs any adjustments,¡± she said sternly on the phone, when she had called the nth time after I feigned absence. I really hated that authoritative tone.


    ¡°I think I am down with the flu mother,¡± I lied. The thought of going back to school again, and attending a wedding in-between really sucked.


    ¡°I will ask Penelope for thest time to send you back here. Spencer will be arriving from Singapore in a few days and his son keeps postponing his own arrival date. Everything should go fine,¡± Mum stated, and I felt like my head was tumbling out of my mind.


    ¡®What was I hearing? His son? A stepbrother?¡¯


    ¡°He has a son?!¡± My voice came out louder than I had expected it to be, and I was sure that mum was a bit taken aback. She would probably have expected me to talk so loudly, considering my usual self.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you? Oh, I¡¯m sorry sweetheart. He does have a son, and he has a better appearance than his father. You are probably around the same age or something,¡± she replied inly and cutely, so it would sound normal, but I was not enjoying mother¡¯s wriggling her way out of her mess. And she always did that.


    ¡°I totally hate the idea of that, Mum. You did not even consider me or what I wanted, when you just decided to get me a stepbrother out of the blue. Isn¡¯t that so selfish?! You know how much I hate being in the same space with teenage boys. I am not attending your wedding!¡± I wanted to scream out loud against my mother¡¯s face and rant so endlessly like a normal teenager would do, but I just sighed out loud and said some gibberish before hanging up the phone.


    I knew that I was going to cry throughout the night, because I hated that I could not say what I wanted to anyone. I never did, and could not just do it. But one thing was for sure. I was not returning home until the day of the wedding. The thought of getting a new brother was really draining the life out of me.

 Getting a brother 2

    Dabby:


    ¡°Oh my goodness! Who got you those ugly sses? You certainly cannot wear these to my wedding,¡± Mum screamed the moment I walked into the dressing room, where she was getting gorgeously made over for the wedding. I looked around to see if her husband was somewhere around.


    Aunt Penelope was unable to apany me because of her working shifts, as she had missed so many working hours due to her sickness, and just sent her wishes and wedding gift to Mum.


    ¡°He is on his way already,¡± I heard mum say, and she was still not looking pleased with the way I was looking. My hair curls were still so thick, and perhaps it was the new sses that weren¡¯t helping matters. Whatever it was, I did not know.


    ¡°I just hope your boobs fit into the corset dress I made for you. And for your hair, it¡¯s going to take hours to straighten it, so we will leave it the way it is and just style it,¡± Mum said, as she continued to stare at the sandals that I was wearing. I wanted to at least look a bit different from my usual self, but she was not even having it at all.


    And in a few minutes, the stylists that were still busy fixing her own dress initially, were already all over me in no time.


    ¡°Please fit her to perfection,¡± Joanna instructed them, and I knew that I was probably not going to like the oue of the superfluous efforts they would put in.


    A few minutester, I walked out in the really suffocating purple and ck dress looking like a doll, as I stared at the huge mirror before me. I love the new look of my thick brown hair and how well itpliments my grayish blue eyes.


    The makeup was something I could never have on a normal day, and the heels were too high to even bnce them. But I was d it covered my spots.


    ¡®Joanne Sanders might actually be the end of me.¡¯


    ¡°Now you look like Joanne¡¯s daughter,¡± Mum said proudly, and I sighed again and again.


    ¡®How would I even see properly when she said that I could not wear my sses?¡¯


    The formalities of the wedding went on and on for hours, and I watched mum grin from ear to ear in excitement on the stage. Spencer looked even better in real life than in the pictures as he stood on stage, but I was more curious to see his so-called son. He was nowhere in sight.


    There were still so many things to do in only one wedding, that I knew that getting to talk to mum soon would not be possible till the day ended. It was just a casual wedding.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Sure that my dress would have served its great worth and value of feeding the eyes of appreciation, I struggled to stand up only after drinking a cup of juice, to go and unloosen it in any ce I could. I would prefer simple and free clothes, rather than this intestine twisting dress called a corset or whatever.


    It was evening already, and the main event had ended with just the after party to enjoy, and that was when I came out of the resort dressing room where the wedding was being hosted too.


    I had taken so much time to wash off the really sticky makeup, to get the right clothes to wear from my box. The disappointed look on her face when she sighted me afterward was ring, as she approached where I was standing with her new husband.


    ¡®Dear lord. I hope I was ready for this.¡¯


    ¡°Hi, Dabby. It is so nice to meet you. You are so beautiful like your mother,¡± Spencer stretched his hands, and I took it immediately while trying to act normal.


    ¡®He was going to be my new family. Let us be good.¡¯


    ¡°It is really nice to meet you, sir,¡± I sounded so formal as I answered him, which made Mum cringe at my awkwardness.


    ¡°And here he finallyes,¡± Mum announced, the moment her eyes diverted their attention, and it was a really tall personing from afar.


    ¡°That is your brother,¡± Mum implied with a bright smile, as my heart missed so many beats at the same time.


    ¡®My stepbrother?!¡¯ I screamed inwardly.


    The appearance of the person that wasing from afar was so intimidating, that I could never even imagine that we were in the same grade or anything.


    He was not wearing the usual suit I had envisaged him to be in, but he was wearing a white shirt and ck pants with matching leather shoes. He seemed much hotter and really handsome than his dad, and even my faulty eyes could tell.


    ¡°This should be thest one, boy. Punctuality really matters,¡± Spencer stated, with a smile on his face when his son got so close, but I could sense the sternness and displeasure in his voice. Mother was just smiling.


    ¡°Dabby, this is Damien. Damien meet your sister Dabby,¡± Spencer continued, and I retreated a bit to look at the daunting stepbrother of mine. The aura was too familiar. Too familiar.


    My eyes raised up under my sses to see who it was, and I could feel my head spin in activation to fainting. I wanted to lose my mind or have an attack, so that someone would wake me up and say that it was a dream. It should be. Please.


    ¡®Damien Anderson was my stepbrother?! How on earth?¡¯

 Just how worse it gets

    Dabby:


    ¡®Someone please hit me hard on the head, and tell me to wake up from this nightmare.¡¯


    ¡°Time for breakfast¡­¡­¡± I heard the loud voice that certainly belonged to Mum from my bedroom, and I wallowed in my sadness even more because Mum seemed so excited about our new life. Everything was going to be hard for just me.


    The fact that the day before was a Sunday, did not give anyone enough time to talkfortably with one another after moving in as a family. The Anderson¡¯s house that we were moving into, was huge and beautifully close to the mansions that I have seen in books. Damien really lived a life of luxury.


    Everything was perfect already. The rooms were arranged so beautifully to a dream room, and the house was already set like we had been living there our whole lives. I kept wondering when Mum had started nning the whole thing, that it just looked like we all went for a family vacation and came back to meet a perfect house.


    Our own house which was also in town was a really long distance from my school, but Mum wanted a standard level of education for me so she made sure I attended Ryders High.


    And that was going to be my nightmare, because I became terrified by just the thought of going to school again. I had not seen Damien the entire Sunday after packing and fitting in, and I wondered if we were going to go to the same school the next day


    ¡®Like how would it be? What was going to happen? No one could ever find out, or else I would be dead. How were we even going to act?¡¯


    When we met on the wedding night, the expression he had on his face made it evident that he recognized me too.¡¯


    Though I was not even close to being known by anyone in school at all, and was like a loser to many people so I would not expect him to recognize me. But he surprisingly did, and I spected that it was because of his girlfriend, Madison.


    Madison was the most popr girl in our ss, and she was really pretty too. Her clothes and fashionbo was to kill, and every essory she owned for herself was of luxury. It made her a pacesetter when it came to new fashion styles to other girls, and they couldn¡¯t help but grovel to her even with her disgusting personality.


    She led the best girl¡¯s squad, pep rallies, and even the cheer squad as their leader. It was totally crazy for me, but she was everywhere that I could take a peace check.


    And that same annoying freak that was loved by many, picked on me the most in the entire school and made my life sorry. So was a given if Damien remembered me, which made me choke mercilessly at the thought of it.


    ¡®Being his stepsister was probably going to be the worst time of my life.¡¯


    ¡°You all shoulde down for breakfast!¡± I heard Mum call again, and I jolted out of my thoughts as I picked a white pair of sneakers from the shoe rack and wore them quickly. It is crazy how I went from waking up at Joanne¡¯s house, to having breakfast in Anderson Spencer¡¯s house.


    Just as I came out of my room which was by the left side and walked to the intersection, I saw Damiening and I gasped out for breath. My legs wobbled and fumbled as I raced down immediately to avoid meeting him, and just greeted Mum casually to avoid seeing him for too long while he walked down the stairs.


    ¡°Wait, Dabby. Where are you going? Your food is right here,¡± Mum called out to me, as I kept on walking towards the main door that led outside the house. I was still so pissed at her that I wanted to say a lot, but I was more stressed out that she had put me into a mess.


    ¡®How could she fall in love with Damien¡¯s dad of all people? I mean where did they even meet?¡¯


    Just as I was about to ignore her and step out, Spencer called my name as he ascended the other side of the stairs that led to their room, and I turned to look at him. He was wearing a nice navy blue tuxedo that outlined his perfect body, and he looked even much better than he did the previous day.


    ¡®Just how crazy it was to stare at these beautiful people. How could both the father and son be so good-looking?¡¯Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr Anderson,¡± I greeted politely, and I knew Mum so much hated the sound of me being so cringy around him. I didn¡¯t care.


    Thest thing I wanted to do was allow my head to turn to the right, where my eyes woulde in contact with Damien¡¯s cold gaze. I could tell just by ncing at his face for the past hours that we have spent together, that he really loathed the setting probably more than I did.


    ¡°Do you not like the meal?¡± Mum¡¯s husband asked as he walked to take his seat, and I almost clenched my teeth hard against one another. I didn¡¯t want to be forced to eat, or to remain for more than a second in this house.


    ¡°I¡¯m full from the previous night. I will just take a bottle of fruit juice,¡± I responded and quickly moved to the table to pick any bottle my hand grabbed, as I smiled so convincingly at him to not include me in breakfast with them.


    ¡°Alright, dear. Damien doesn¡¯t really eat breakfast too, so he would be ready by now. You both should go to school together,¡± I heard him dere the shocking announcement of my life, and I wanted to weep so badly on the spot.


    ¡®Just how would I ride the same car with Damien as the driver? Someone, please shoot me. What would the other kids say? Oh my goodness.¡¯


    I had actually lied to Mum that despite Damien being popr, I didn¡¯t know him that much enough to talk to him. But the truth was that even if I wanted to talk to him, my desires would humiliate me fair and squarely. We were at a totally different level.


    My entire body went numb and weak at what I heard, as I walked out of the living room instantly. The only thing I could hear was Mum give me and Damien farewell, as she turned to kiss Spencer who was all over her. I couldn¡¯t even imagine them doing more than that. Gosh!


    ~~~~ ~~~~


    The drive away from Anderson¡¯s home was so cold and extremely suffocating, that I could not breathe while being in the car with Damien. He was driving, I was sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat at the back, yet I couldn¡¯t raise my eyes below myp level. He was obviously so pissed.


    I was scared. There was nothing I could utter out of my lips, even if I wanted to say so many things. I wanted to apologize for the matrimony that wasn¡¯t my fault, and the fact that he had to be entangled with a girl like me.


    I was even more sorry that we attended the same school, and that I couldn¡¯t match up to his taste and level of girls. It wouldn¡¯t have been so embarrassing if I could.


    As usual, he looked so hot in his hairstyle and outfit that could pass off as an unofficial billionaire CEO of apany. His driving skills were somewhat rough even on the smooth road, and I assumed that he was doing it intentionally; Transferring aggression to the poor car.


    ¡°What is your name again?¡± I heard the stern voice question in my ears, and I thought I was mistaken and beginning to hear things. It could never be Damien.


    ¡°Can you not talk?!¡± The voice snapped so hoarsely at me and I jumped, as my eyes trailed swiftly to the face of the person that was talking to me. His deep blue eyes were so beautiful to look at, because he still looked good even with a stern face.


    ¡®How could he look so mad and still cute at the same time? Gosh.¡¯


    ¡°I.. I.. it is¡­¡­.¡± I wondered if he was pretending not to remember my name. He had probably heard Mum call my name a million times, or he had just innocently forgotten the name of a really unimportant person.


    ¡°Do not even bother. I am dropping you by the bus stop now, so take the bus to school. I can never imagine being in the same car with you to school. And one more thing that should be clear, no one can find out about us!¡± He ordered angrily as he cast a disdainful look on me, and I just nodded my head like an uncontroble doll.


    ¡®I was never going to tell anyone before. I could never.¡¯


    ¡°I want no associations and connections. I do not know you!¡± He stated so clearly again and I nodded obediently. It was the best thing for both of us, to be able to peacefully coexist and live in the same space.


    ¡°I promise. I would not,¡± my frail voice answered quickly, not wanting for him to shout at me again.


    ¡®Do you think he was irked by my dots? Was he? Was he?¡¯ I panicked inwardly. His gaze was really suffocating.


    ¡°Now, hop out!¡± he ordered, as I picked up my bag which was tightly clutched to my chest the entire time, and opened the door of the luxurious car to step out as fast as I could. I didn¡¯t want him to get angry that I was wasting time again.


    As soon as I stepped out of the car, the car zoomed off immediately without saying any further. I knew that we were severed. Nothing could ever make us cool with one another. Dabby had no one to talk to her, so her new stepbrother who was the hottest guy in school, could never be an exception.


    I shook my head pitifully as I swallowed the swelling that was beginning to form in my throat, and the tears that were stinging on my eyeballs already. I wanted to look cool before by not wearing my sses for the day, but it was all futile and my eyes were hurting already.


    I just fixed the sses right back to my face when I removed them from the case, and made my way quickly to get the next bus to school. Things were going to get messier than it was now, and I knew it.


    ¡®Things were just starting to get worse for me.¡¯

 Getting worse by the minute

    Dabby:


    Despite my heightened awareness of the situation, no one else seemed to notice that something was amiss. I was the only one obsessing over every detail of everything around me, and no one else seemed to care or be aware of what was going on with me.


    ¡®Would they even care? Of course, not. How could they know? It was a word never toe out to anyone.¡¯


    During the first ss, I found it difficult to concentrate due to Damien¡¯s threatening words echoing in my mind. He had never spoken to me before ever since we had been in school together, and our newfound rtionship was anything but friendly.


    I struggled to take notes and keep up with the lecture, because my whole mind was in disarray. Skipping breakfast for the first time in a while only made things worse, as my stomach growled with hunger and pain. It was as though the juice I drank made everything worse.


    I usually avoided lunch most of the time to steer clear of any potential conflicts, with the various cliques of students that dominated the cafeteria during lunch. It was always a constant arrangement filled with narcissists and mean people.


    For Damien, it was he and his closest friends Bryan and Xavier, who were also very popr and wealthy guys, that matched his high-ss level. His girlfriend, Madison had her best friend Maeve and some other popr girls.


    I was always alone and had no real friends, with only a few online ones to keep mepany. This was likely due to me and Mum¡¯s frequent moves from town to town when I was younger.


    As soon as the fourth period ended and it was time for the lunch break, I rushed to the cafeteria to get my food before crowds of students would arrive.


    ¡®If I could get served within the first ten minutes of getting to the ce, then I was going to be able to finish lunch in ten minutes too,¡¯ I thought to myself.


    I needed the well-strategized ns before Madison and her friends would even think ofing to eat, because I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to ruin lunch or the end of the day for me.


    Feeling I had done justice to my hasty movement and calctions, I got to the cafeteria in a few minutes only to be disappointed with the number of students there already. It seemed like every student was starving that day.


    I waited patiently for my turn eyeing the menu hungrily, hoping in my heart too that things would go as nned. Once I had my tray of food served to me, I retreated to my corner to eat in peace.


    Within minutes, the school¡¯s most popr students arrived to indulge in Postmates, which had been banned from school grounds. It was another way to assert their superiority.


    And from nowhere in my subconsciousness, I knew that someone had entered through the door as the whiff of the cologne he used that morning, permeated my sensory nerve. The same one that almost choked me in the car.


    ¡®How could he arrive this fast? OMG, that means Madison might soon be here.¡¯


    Realizing that what I had been avoiding would take ce soon, I quickly shoved thest piece of cake as dessert in my mouth and stood up. I decided to take the longer route to the doorway by the other side of the room, hoping to avoid being seen.


    As I walked carefully with my eyes trailing ordingly on the floor tiles, someone stumbled upon me and the next thing I felt was a stter of something on my face and sses.


    I shrieked andpulsively paused on my tracks, as I raised my face to see what had happened, and who was before me. A loudughter broke into the hall as others followed suit.


    My heart shattered mercilessly when I saw who it was, with the realization that it was done on purpose. There was red sauce all over my clothes and face which came from the te she was holding, as she stared at me with a derisive smirk stretched across her lips. Her friend was standing behind her too.


    ¡°Oops. You should watch where you are going next time, or get an exchange for your blind sses,¡± Madison uttered in a mocking tone, as the people around her broke into another round ofughter. I was mortified.


    And now standing just a few miles away from the scene was the group of the most popr guys, and my eyes could only see Damien among them who was looking directly at me. Maybe it was an irritation that made him lower his eyes at me, but I certainly was not expecting any help from him. It was just so hard to move from the spot.


    ¡°Now if you would excuse me,¡± Madison shoved me aside roughly and walked past with her friends, as she went over to where Damien was standing to give him a peck on the cheeks. It wasn¡¯t anything new. Maeve, who was dating Xavier too, went to stand possessively beside him.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Trying hard to hold my tears, I picked up my tray that had dropped to the floor, as people still chuckled and mocked my appearance as I walked out. The moment I got to the nearest bathroom to take refuge in, I allowed the tears to drop endlessly from my peppered face.


    Watching the sauce off my face and sses would be easy, but the shirt that I was putting on was a mess already. There was no way to leave school that early without having a reason, and I could not stay in ss too because my clothes would be wet, and lunch break was ending minutes away.


    As I shed uncontroble tears and watched the sauce out in the basin, my mind traveled to the fact that Damien always kept extra clothes in his car. Though the one he brought to this new grade was different, it was still going to be the same routine. But there was no way that Damien would give me his shirt, ever.


    Having no choice of what to do, I pulled off the shirt anyway and was left in my sports bra, as I moved to gently wash every affected part. Lunch break was over and the bell had rang for everyone to enter their sses, but I was still in the bathroom waiting for the hand dryer to dry my clothes in the best way.


    I hated the fact that it was like this. My life would have been better if it was I and my clumsiness alone, but I had to be so conscious and cautious because of Damien now. It was so frustrating to know that I was in a really suffocating situation.


    Knowing that I had to miss the first period after the lunch break, I entered one of the bathrooms and brought out my phone from my bag. I sat on the toilet lidfortably, and went straight to my social media page to see if anything good was up. My online friend had dropped a message.


    I started chatting with Mason months ago from a random friendship group I once joined to find friends, and we have never met before because he lived in another city away from here.


    He said he was staying with his father, and that his parents were divorced. Considering how boring people said I was, Mason had never said anything like that before, which made me wonder how we had managed to keep up for months.


    We really never had much to talk about apart from school, but he was like someone I had closest to a friend who lived around. He was cool and nice, so I never had to bother about how I talked the few times we have Facetimed. At least, dumb Dabby managed to get herself a hot and handsome friend.


    Telling each other things wasn¡¯t even a problem, because I felt like we had never seen each other before, which would probably remain like that till we stopped being friends. We often told one another what was bothering our minds, and let it all go, like we actually met in reality to talk to each other.


    I didn¡¯t know if I actually liked Mason or anything personal, but I was really sofortable with telling him my worries, even if we were still close to being strangers. The night I got a stepbrother on mum¡¯s wedding night, I texted him about thetest sad thing that was going on in my life.


    I opened his message to see what he had sent, and was quite surprised by what he had texted. He and his father were having problems, and he was tired of living in his house. Another message dropped again immediately after, which indicated that he was not too busy to reply to me.


    [Are you okay? Have you resolved the issue with your dad?] I texted back.


    [Not at all. He has been too crappy nowadays because he has a new girlfriend, and I think she wants to break up. I wouldn¡¯t let him dump his frustration on me ] he replied.


    [I am sorry about that. Have you now made up your mind?] I typed again.


    [Mum has been offering that Ie over to stay with her. She says she has a stable job now, and has permanently moved to a new town] he messaged back.


    [Since your mum wants you toe over, I think you should consider it. Changing your environment might help you feel better. What town is it? Hope it isn¡¯t too close to where you were before?]


    [I have made up my mind actually, and I should contact her before the end of this week. She said somewhere in California too. Maybe Ventura, Santa Pa, or Saticoy]


    Immediately I saw that, my heart skipped a beat. It was just going to be a few miles away from where we were living.


    ¡®What kind of turn was my life taking?¡¯

 How worse it gets

    Dabby:


    I didn¡¯t wait for thest period to end or for the bell to ring, as I picked up my bag and ran out of ss immediately. I didn¡¯t want to see Damien or the same car that was still returning, back toe to our houseter in the evening.


    Even if Damien were not close enough to be friends or people who could even breathe in the same space, I kind of knew the way he lived his life in school especially.


    After he was done from school after the bell rang, he went out with either his friends or girlfriend. I had run into them a few times at the mall in the past, mostly in the evenings whenever I followed Mum to pick up groceries from the store.


    I was so d that I would have the entire afternoon to myself alone in the creepily big house, without a mum, a new stepdad, or a grumpy step brother whom I never wanted.


    Quickly, I called a cab and took it straight home, because I could not afford to get lost on the third day of getting used to a new environment.


    Honestly, I wanted to take a cab back to our old house which was like miles away, that I didn¡¯t have a chance to say goodbye to or something. I told Mum that I would still like to pick up some of the things she regarded as useless, and she willingly agreed that she would drive meter by the weekend.


    Immediately I alighted from the cab, I removed my pair of keys that led to the house and opened the door immediately. I made my way upstairs and instantly everything that I was wearing, down to my underwear, and made my way into the bathroom.


    After I was sure that I had watched off every smell of stinky sauce from me, I walked out of the bathroom without any clothes the normal way I usually did back home.


    I moved to the dresser to get the body oil I normally used on my body whenever I had an afternoon bath, and my eyes caught thepound from where I was standing.


    From that height and view, the surroundings of the house which I had not taken more time to check out were incredibly beautiful. The arrangement of nted trees around was like a nature beach, and even crystal clear water in the pool made it look so perfect.


    Not only was Mum¡¯s new husband handsome and gorgeous, but he also had very good taste. Though I didn¡¯t know how to swim well even after taking some lessons in middle school, the pool I was looking at began to kick some kind of instincts in me.


    I dried myself up and changed into a matching shorts and top, picked my sses, and ran downstairs to get something to eat. Despite eating at the cafeteria, I was still hungry because Madison ruined lunch for me. In a few minutes of moving everywhere and there in the really standard kitchen, I had made myself toast, bacon, and eggs.


    After I was done eating, I packed the tes and washed the ones that were used that morning, and also cleaned the kitchen that Mum had left messy. If our culinary skills and kitchen management were to be graded based on heredity, then I would be ranking one-third of what I could do now.


    Sure that there was still enough time to have the house to myself, I decided to explore the depths of the house I was unable to check out, because of the suffocation effect from Damien throughout the weekend. The first ce that I was really interested in, was the pool that was located at the back of the house.


    Being alone was good and I loved my space. Alone where I could be myself, was even more exhrating. I sat beside the pool with both of my feet submerged into the water, as I watched the ripple effect of the disturbance I had made to the pool.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    As I looked around to see how neat the surroundings and pool were, I wondered who did the extra job of keeping everything clean.


    The weather was hot, and the pool was tempting. I knew I couldn¡¯t swim so well, but the huge floaters encouraged me. There was no one at home and there was still enough time till evening, so I could just enjoy myself alone.


    Without wasting any more time, I stood up, dropped my sses, and pulled the shirt I was wearing. Left in my ck sports bra, I dragged the nearest floater forward and climbed onto it.


    Bncing on the floater, I rested to the back and faced the sky with my eyes closed. Though I was the boring and tactless Dabby in school, I could enjoy my ownpany at home.


    Little did I know.

 If only you knew

    Damien pov


    I hated the turn of everything, the moment dad announced his marriage to me only a week before it took ce. I didn¡¯t ever matter in his decisions, so it was just useless telling me. I felt my bones quiver in anger, and my heart twisted in pain. Living was hard and I was really trying to.


    I intentionally arrived on the day of the wedding and even sote, so that I would not have to see any shit that took ce there. In the mostplicated twists that could ever ur in my life, never could I have imagined that the nerd girl that could not even fight for herself, would be my stepsister.


    It was so annoying to even know that she didn¡¯t match up to half of her mother¡¯s charming qualities, even if I hated to admit it. The thought of living in the same house almost made me puke, even when I knew that I didn¡¯t really stay at home most times. I rebelled at every single thing and I didn¡¯t really like my dad, because we had not the normal father and son rtionship.


    From the point that dad suggested that I drop her in school, she began climbing on my nerves seriously. It was so suffocating to share the same space with a clumsy girl, who cannot even hold a simple conversation. Such a dummy.


    I couldn¡¯t stand any of them, friends or anyone finding out about my messed up family, or the scrambled patch of a new mother and sister that happened from the blues. So gross.


    The scene at the cafeteria was most irritating, especially having to watch Dabby in a stupid state of mortification. There was no way I was letting anyone find out that we now lived in the same house as families. I would never be rted to an annoying freak like that.


    After school, I was d to see her run ahead as I sat in my car, knowing that she was not in any way waiting for me to pick her up. It was never going to be possible. I had ns with Xavier and Bryan, but I didn¡¯t want to see Madison.


    I was counting the days to the day I would break up with her, and there was only a week left till I found another bitch who could do it better.  There was nothing I really enjoyed doing.


    I was tired of everything and even life, but I needed the will to live. So I did whatever made me happy, and trashed anything whenever it could not serve its purpose anymore. I hated that I was like that, but I still continued being like that.


    Last minute to meet at the spot where we all agreed to meet, Xavier cancelled because his parents came back from Maldives after a vacation. He apologized about that but I was still mad and pissed about it, and just decided to drive back home by taking a break from friends and a nasty girlfriend.


    I parked the car in front of the house instead of driving it to the parkingwn, because I knew I would still leave home before the day ended. Alighting from the car, I unlocked the front door with my own spare keys and entered the house.


    The smell of bacon and toast was still perceivable in the air, and I knew immediately that it was Dabby who had made something.


    My mouth kind of watered at the lingering smell of the food I couldn¡¯t eat, as I walked briskly upstairs into my own lounge and room, so that I would never get to see her before leaving the house again.


    I pulled my shirt and hurled it to the luxurious chair that was centered in my room, as I moved to the front of my dresser to check if my hair was still properly waxed.


    My room was usually dark because I had to pull down the curtain drapes everytime, while the fancy lights that were attached to every corner in my room just made the creepy look worse.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    My hands grabbed my airpods from the case as I inserted it into my ear, and made my way into the bathroom to shower while listening to some depressing music. I came out afterwards with a white towel tied around my waist, as I used another piece of towel in my hand to dry my hair.


    As I dried my hair dripping with water, one of my airpods dropped to the floor and I struggled to find it. Frustrated after trying to find the pods for a while without any lucent lights, I moved to the window and raised one part of it to bring light into the room. Something caught my attention.


    My eyes almost dropped when I saw a figure floating on the pool outside, and I wondered who it was that had gained entry to the pool. I squinted my eyes more to see if I was seeing well, and I quickly raised every part of the curtain drape to view the sight well.


    And shockingly, it was someone I never expected or could never imagine. It was Dabby, and she wasying in the still spot with maybe her bikini. Her body was shining so brightly and cleanly under the sun, that it was smooth like it was thered with excess oil.


    She wasn¡¯t wearing weird sses, and looked so different from her usual self. I was really surprised.


    Like she knew someone was probably watching her, she raised her head from the spot and looked around for a while. I hid immediately like she would see me, and I wondered why.


    Her body was now in full view than when she stood up, and it was so different to see her in that different look. Though I really couldn¡¯t see her face from that high elevation, staring at her body in skimpy clothes rather than the usual big shirts and trousers was totally different.


    ¡®Was that the Dabby that I knew?¡¯

 When you see death

    Dabby:


    I tried texting Mason for about two days, but he had not been checking his messages. Knowing that he would still end up checking themter, I didn¡¯t want to pressure him unnecessarily about replying or anything. He was like the only friend I had, and there was no way I would lose that by being too clingy.


    The setting at home was still the same, and my mornings ended up with being dropped miles away from the bus stop. I guess having a rich step daddy was better than I thought, because he sent money into my bank ount, which was more than I had ever received as keep-money. So, regardless of how Damien avoided me like a gue or acted, I didn¡¯t feel so bad.


    The trauma of being poured sauce still stuck to me for days, so I made sure to avoid being in the same space with Madison or going for lunch. We were in the same ss and it really sucked, because others also wanted to take advantage of how she acted to mess up with me.


    Damien and his friends were not in our own ss, which was really the best for my peace. No one would like to see a stuck up step brother right in their faces every single time.


    ¡°Why do I feel like there is some kind of crappy rtionship with Damien that you are not telling me about? You guys don¡¯t get along pretty well like I expect normal teenagers do. Are you sure there is no problem?¡± Mum in her detective state asked the morning before school while I helped her prepare breakfast, and I just shook my head like she was totally wrong about it.


    ¡®Could she not see the difference between both of us?¡¯


    ¡°We are fine mum. I am fine. Really,¡± I stressed on my words, so that she would let go of the topic and talk about another thing, but she was really bent on it and it was really stressing me.


    ¡°Should I say you are kind of intimidated by him? The aura is evident,¡± Mum pointed out again, and I just dismissed it with a mockish chuckle like she was wrong indeed.


    ¡°I am still just a bit awkward, Mum. Everything is fine,¡± I assured her, and quickly sidled away to the fridge to get the bottle of milk and cut off the discussion.


    ¡®Just how do I tell her that the setting they thought was working with us going to school together was messed up? Then I¡¯ll have to say I had to board the bus afterwards. Nah. I would suck even more if I said that.¡¯


    ¡°I know you are kind of conserved, Dabby, but I didn¡¯t raise you to be weak. Get your heads up, and be the boss over anyone who tries to sit on you,¡± Mum said and I just smiled, biting my lips from saying any further. She would probably cry if she knew I was getting bullied and probably set my school on fire. Just kidding.


    ¡°What did the other kids say when you guys were in school together? Weren¡¯t they curious to know how you became siblings?¡± Mum asked excitedly and I  sighed really hard.


    ¡®This woman was really too curious to know everything.¡¯


    ¡°They just assumed we were neighbors or something. They didn¡¯t think to the siblings¡¯ extent and we didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I let out a forced chuckle, and quickly grabbed a bowl of cereal and poured my milk into it.


    I filled my mouth with some spoonful of cereal in no time, totally not ready to answer another question from Joanna.


    ¡°Just in case I forget to tell you again. I and Maxson are taking a break from work and finally going on our honeymoon this weekend. It¡¯s probably going tost for one week or so,¡± Mum informed me nonchntly, and I spat out the cereal that was stuffed in my mouth in an attempt to shout.


    ¡°What?!¡± I yelled in exasperation.


    ¡®I would just die if I was left home alone with Damien. Someone please tell me it was a dream.¡¯


    ~~~~~~


    The first period of ss was really sad and depressing for me, because I had to overthink the information that mum told me in the morning. It was difficult toprehend no matter how I tried.


    ¡®Who the heck leaves grown-ups at home under the stance that they became siblings?!¡¯


    The news was really hard on me and I was feeling under the weather already, because I couldn¡¯t just understand how I and Damien would coexist in the same house for days without parents. I bet he didn¡¯t know yet, else he would probably meet me after school.


    We do not even have each other¡¯s phone numbers again which means; Things are about to get worse and pathetic for you, Dabby.


    ¡®Just how could this even happen to me?¡¯Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I needed someone to talk to and reckon with about everything that was going on with me, but Mason was not even replying to his texts, Mum was crazily in love with my night mare¡¯s father and I was all alone. There was no one to even cry out my frustrations to.


    As usual after school, I got home and ran upstairs to take my bath and cool down. I was not going to make lunch because I had no appetite, and I just decided to stream a nice movie with a ro genre,  to improve my mood. I was notughing or enjoying the movie. My head was clearly absorbed into my fears and thoughts.


    I tried to do some exercise in my room as I bounced up and down the huge room, but I was already getting so tired and heated after a few minutes of stress. And then, a beautiful idea struck my mind when I moved to my window for a good breeze to feel better.


    I changed into one of the nice bikini sets that mum bought me many months ago, which had rarely served its purpose ever since I had them. Sure that there was still enough time to y around and calm my nerves, I stepped out through the backdoor that led to the pool directly wearing a huge dress.


    The moment I got to the back of the house where the pool was situated, I pulled my dress, dropped it on the ground, and carefully got on one of the floaters that was inside the pool.


    The air around was soothing to the rxation of my alerted nerves and mind, while I yed around with the water that was around me.


    It was hard to stop the numerous thoughts that kept crawling on my mind, and I suddenly got the urge to cry out and release my heart. It was this kind of feeling when someone feels so frustrated about everything, in which they do not know why they are like that, and just want to cry to feel better.


    And before I knew it, my face was trickling down of tears and my nose was not left out in the fluid game too. I was so tired and stressed out of my mind, and yet I was bawling my eyes out. I was tired and too sad, yet I would be happy if everything was fine. The emotional switches worked perfectly well for me.


    After I had cried terribly for minutes and sniffed countless times, I tried to raise my body up from the floater and bnce well because of the cold. My eyes were still cloudy from the tears that were trying to drain itself, and it suddenly got really hard to see properly because I wasn¡¯t wearing my sses.


    Suddenly, my hand slipped away from the floater where I tried to lean on properly, and I dived straight into the pool without warning. My body plunged deeply down and floated back up, and I panicked and pped my hands helplessly trying to use my skills.


    ¡°Helpruuu!¡± I said some rubbish when I floated back up and tried to catch my breath, as I went back down again without any reasonable skill that I thought I had an idea about to help me.


    I was drowning and I knew it, and I was suddenly scared that I would just die like that and no one would find my body till I was bloated in water.


    ¡®Dear lord. So this is how I will die now. In my new father¡¯s house where there is no one to help.¡¯


    And just when I thought I was sinking finally to my death, arge hand pulled me out of the water and I didn¡¯t even see the face. I thought I was dead already and that the angels had probablye to get me.


    ¡°Dabby! Dabby!!¡± I think I heard my name faintly as someone pped my cheek severally, the moment my backnded on a hard surface which I think was the floor.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened next but I felt pressure on my chest pressing me down to bring out water, and something touched my lips softly and blew hair into my lungs. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but I knew I was probably slipping into unconsciousness or waking up.


    ¡®Was I dead already?¡¯

 New move

    DAMIEN


    I didn¡¯t see Dabby run off to the house today after school, and I was really thankful because I think things were working well as expected. No one would find out about our spiteful rtionship.


    I  was still pissed off with my friends about the canceling of ns, and it was probably because Xavier¡¯s family was better than mine. Madison came to meet me in her usual annoying way, and I had to spend the after school hours with her.


    I still didn¡¯t tell my friends that I got a new family or anything like that, and I have always been that way because it was the best. No one got to see my weakness, strength or vulnerable side. I never allowed anyone to see.


    Madison was acting all annoying and dumb that I wanted to wack her across the face, but theing week was going to be thest one of our rtionship, so she would get what she had been looking for. She knew that I really hated clinginess and possessiveness, and yet that was the most of her forte in the rtionship.


    I took her around to pick whatever she wanted as my goodbye gift, while sheughed happily and was all over me in excitement. I waited for her in the car and did some of my personal business, and my mind suddenly went to Dabby and her little pool show the previous day.


    Somehow, I was intrigued to see if would be the same as today, and I urged Madison to pick whatever she wanted so I could drop her off. It wasn¡¯t like I had not seen girls in bikinis or even their nudity before, but seeing Dabby which I least expected was putting some kind of curiosity in me.


    I drove home in the same way and parked outside thepound, and just strode into the house in my normal way. I didn¡¯t perceive any food stench and I wondered what was happening, as I made my way to the stairs trying not to confirm if she was really home.


    In the same manner, I moved to my window first this time around, and raised up the curtains slowly to see if she was at the pool. Seeing her on the floater in a red sexy swimsuit one-piece was totally different, that I wondered if it was the same clumsy girl that was shimmering brightly under the sunlight.


    I was weirdly immersed in what I was looking at, until I noticed the fact that she started crying when she raised up her head. She was crying really profusely that I got so confused, of what could have suddenly caused her to cry.


    It wasn¡¯t my first time seeing so many girls cry before, but watching her brawling really badly made me angry in some sort of way. But then again I started to wonder if I was the reason she was crying, or maybe she hated living in this house.


    But honestly either way or whatever happened with her, I didn¡¯t really care. Everyone had the times that they would be sad, and it was just her own turn to be.


    My mind suddenly came to its normal ce and I frowned at myself, when I realized exactly what I had been doing by looking outside. I knew I wasn¡¯t in my right senses.


    The moment I casted the drape of my window down angrily and made to enter the bathroom, I suddenly heard a loud scream from the direction of the window and I wondered what had happened.


    By the time I raised the window back to see what was going on, the floater was empty and there was a drowning Dabby.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I muttered, as I quickly ran out of my room and dashed down the stairs to the backyard. Without thinking on impulse, I dived into the pool bare-chested to bring her out of the water before she would drown.


    It was so annoying for me to know that I was in such rushed agitation because of a stupid girl, who could never take care of herself properly. Immediately, I brought her back to the floor and tried to perform CPR on her to the best of my knowledge.


    Her eyes were tightly closed and her body was still already, but staring at her up close without sses, tied hair and a  bikini was crazy. It was crazy to be in this kind of position with a girl who was never attractive, but was suddenly looking all enticing even in her death phase.


    ¡®Snap out of it, Damien. Someone¡¯s life is at stake here,¡¯ I cautioned myself.


    Without taking it seriously or anything too much to do, I quickly fixed my lips to hers and blew air into her lungs while holding her nose tight with my index finger and thumb. I exerted pressure on her chest again as she coughed out water, and I blew in more air into her lungs.


    ¡®When she totally gets out of this, her ears would bleed from scolding. She was crossing our boundaries already!¡¯


    When I saw that her breathing had be normal when she spluttered water out of her mouth, I picked up her body from the pool side and pulled her close to my body in relief.


    I hated what I was doing, and Dabby would really pay for this.


    ~~ ~~Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    DABBY¡¯S POV


    I thought I was trapped in my dreams, but everything became clear the moment I opened my eyes. I knew I was in my room, even if the ambience felt so different. I immediately remembered what had happened to me, as I jerked up to see if I was really in my room.


    My eyes caught the clock first and its huge letters had 7:45pm in it, and I wondered how much I had slept to feel so weak. That was when the next thought hit me again. Who saved me?


    I was beginning to lose rest in my heart again just after I had survived from drowning, while wondering who had pulled me out of the water. Looking at my body, I was wearing a very huge shirt, which I knew didn¡¯t belong to me. I wrecked Damien¡¯s cologne.


    My body shuddered at the thought of what had happened, as I quickly climbed down from the bed to be sure that I was not hallucinating.


    Darting my head to the right, there was a ss of water and a huge tin of glucose on the table beside the bed. I quickly rushed over to see what was in the ss, because I didn¡¯t remember putting that there.


    The pieces began toe into ce. Someone had pulled me out of the water. I was wearing Damien¡¯s clothes and there was glucose on the table. That means he was probably home in time, to save me from my death. I was really thankful¡­..


    ¡®Wait. So, Damien saw me like this?! He saw me in this crazy bikini? And about the mouth resuscitation that looked like a dream. Was that him too? OMG. My good days in this house are totally over.¡¯


    The next morning was not a good one for me because I had a sleepless night, trying to figure out what would happen after things had taken a really bad turn. Mum didn¡¯t seem to notice anything wrong because she visited my room to see me sleeping normally, after I had been fed glucose water by Damien I guess.


    I didn¡¯t wait to eat breakfast too and had stormed out of the house so that we would not leave in the same car, but Damien was already waiting with the car in front of the car to pick me up. And I had a strong conviction in my heart that things would go wrong.


    ¡°Bye Damien. Bye Dabby,¡± mum came out to say as she passed me two lunch bags, and I knew I had no choice but to enter the car.


    Damien drove normally away from the house the way he usually did like nothing mattered, as I trembled shakily in my heart that I was getting totally screwed by his usual silence. And then, he broke it.


    ¡°Why would you try to swim, when you cannot swim?!¡± I heard the voice demand imperiously, and my mortification from before erased immediately, like I wasn¡¯t just thinking about how vulnerable I was yesterday.


    ¡°I.. I.. am sorry. I just, wanted, to take¡­ I don¡¯t know. Thanks for saving me,¡± I stuttered for a while before my voice became firm, as I heard mum¡¯s words so loudly in my ears.


    ¡°Do you know the stress you put me through?! Do you?!¡± He yelled again so furiously, and I wondered if he was still so angry about the previous day, or another issue hadbined together with it.


    ¡®Had his father by chance told him anything about the honeymoon vacation or whatever?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m really, so.. sorry,¡± I apologized again with a neck hanging downwards, as I could not keep my eyes straight to meet his eyes. Damien was too intimidating and being with him was suffocating.


    ¡°I do not want to have anything to do with you, Dabby Sanders. But you keep crossing the lines! Things might not really end well between us, if you keep this clumsy and annoying nature up. Onest mistake, and I¡¯m canceling you,¡± he threatened grumpily, and I became so dumbstruck. I didn¡¯t know what to say anymore.


    ¡°I am really sorry for stressing you out,¡± I apologized over again, and my phone made a loud ding from inside my bag, which meant someone had sent a message. It could only be one person.


    Not minding that my annoying step brother was still talking to me, I quickly brought out my phone and checked out the message that he had sent. It read; I should be in Saticoy by the weekend. Mum has finally found a house there.


    I stopped breathing immediately when I read it.


    ¡®Mason wasing to our town?¡¯

 Stepbrother saga

    Damien


    I was pissed when I noticed that I was talking to Dabby, and she got distracted by a message notification from her phone. I knew I had overreacted with how stressed I was from tending to her the previous day, but I was mostly because of the ns of vacation I heard my dad discuss with her mum.


    If it was in the past that I knew that Dad was traveling, I would have been happy because it was a great avenue to have my freedom to myself. But having to remain in the same house with a clumsy girl for days, where I would want to host a party and enjoy my space stuff is the worst.


    I could never allow anyone to know or find out that we had be step siblings. Especially from school.


    Without even allowing me to say any further, she opened the door to the car and alighted like she had been waiting for that. And off she ran like a sh of light without even looking back. I wondered why she was really dumb.


    I was used to seeing mostdies rebel whenever they didn¡¯t like something, orin whenever something was going hard for them. But she was the first that I have seen that just allowed things to go naturally, even if it wasn¡¯t to her own best interest. I really hated that. It looked fake.


    I drove really fast to school and parked my car at the school park, as I sighted Xavier sauntering forward to where I was standing. He apologized again for ditching our ns, and I just let it go because it would seem like I was sulking over something insignificant.


    When it came to acting perfectly, I could do that without any w. I never allowed anyone to see my weakness, or my shorings because that was how to remain the best. I loved the influence, poprity and effect I had on both genders, and I would live the best moments of it hiding my real self.


    School ended earlier than normal because it was a Friday, and my friends had spread the word about a pool party that I would be hosting. I mistakenly told them that my father was out of town, and they reminded me immediately that it was my turn to host a party, since I had avoided my turn almost four times.


    It was a perfect time to host the party, but getting a step sister who was also a student made it worse. I really hated the idea of hosting the party, and I refused immediately. They reminded me of our bet.


    I ended up agreeing with them one way or the other.


    Only those that were worthy were invited to the party, which often increased the anxiety of everyone who wanted to be there, while trying to curry favor by doing their best.


    When it came to hosting parties, I did it best because our house was a great one with the best infrastructures, because of dad¡¯s great taste. It was always a once in a blue moon thing, but it was usually worth it and memorable for the students.


    I might as well make everyone¡¯s weekend fun, before the day that was greatly anticipated for lovers to celebrate their day.


    When it came to making the best party decorations too, I normally mapped out the theme while our housekeeper does the great job of the perfect setting.


    I was Damien Anderson, and I always did the best and most astounding.


    As expected my stuck-up dad and his new wife were out of the house for good, and probably sitting their flight on their way to wherever vacation spot they called it. Surprisingly, Dabby was not home yet.


    I called the housekeeper that normally came during weekends to clean the house, to get the job done that evening and also make the perfect arrangements too.


    They drained the pool and scrubbed it clean on instructions, while filling it with water and other buying would be done the next day. The time set for it was 3:00 pm in the afternoon.


    I was surprisingly home all evening ying video games, when I heard some kind of loud noise downstairs in the kitchen and I knew it was Dabby. She was too loud with her actions instead of her words, and was clumsy in everything too.


    Few minutester, there was a knock on my door and it was surprising to know that Dabby would want to enter my room when we are totally home alone. I told her toe inside anyway.


    ¡°I made dinner. Chicken soup, rice and rolled omelet,¡± I heard her say to me as I focused on my game, and I wondered what made her think I would want to eat her food.


    ¡°You can go have it by yourself! And get out too!¡± I told her off immediately, and focused on what I was doing so that I would not lose the game.


    She however seemed to focus on what I was doing for a while without saying anything, and then turned to leave like I had not sounded so rude to her.


    ¡®Was she really that insensitive to words or too stupid?¡¯ I wondered. ¡®Well, she wouldn¡¯t dare talk back to Damien Anderson,¡¯ I ended up concluding.


    It was the entire evening that I used to y games, and thenpleted some work that I was doing on myptop tillte in the night.


    While working silently in my room with a moderate level of music ying, I could hear someone¡¯sughter from downstairs and I wondered if our room was poorly sound-proofed, or if it was she who was loud enough to resonate that irritatingly.


    It was past 10:00pm already and I was feeling some kind of hunger attack in my intestines, as I shut down myptop and checked to see if I could still order food. And also to shut that clumsy girl up.


    My mind first went to going to the refrigerator in the kitchen to drink milk, and then checking if there were still any delivery orders possible for the location of our house.


    As I walked past my own hallway and strode down the stairs, I began to wonder what was up with all the lights of the house because everywhere was dark. I walked further and made my way to therge living room, and the only thing I noticed was huge images ying before the screen.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    They were two people of opposite sexes looking at one another so tenderly, and the next thing my eyes caught was them kissing so passionately like their lives depended on it. I wondered what they were really feeling, to act in such an amorous manner towards one another, and if a casual kiss had to show too many emotions.


    ¡®So our cute little clueless Dabby watches romantic scenes like this?¡¯ I almost chuckled at the thought, and walked past the living room to the kitchen.


    My hand grabbed the handle of the refrigerator, and was hoping that the only bottle of milk that was left there in the morning would still be there. It would be a hassle to go grocery shopping thatte.


    I was surprised to see that the refrigerator was now stocked with different varieties of convenience foods and other things had been arranged neatly to the huge racks and sub division spaces.


    ¡®It was no doubt dabby.¡¯


    To make my tummy grumbling worse, I could still perceive the scent of the chicken soup she offered me earlier. Not wanting to sumb to the temptation of what I had rejected, I went ahead to take a gulp of milk instead from the smallest bottle. Still, it was doing nothing.


    I moved back to the door of the kitchen to see that Dabby was really into the movie she was watching, as I returned back to open the pot that was seeping out the smell of the tempting dish.


    My hand grabbed the first drumstick that caught my eyes, and immediately dug on the flesh with my teeth. In a few minutes, I had finished it. The texture of the chicken was really munchy to chew on, and it was properly spiced and seasoned. To admit truthfully, the food tasted really nice.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to have the greatbo of food that she said she made together, as I grabbed a te for rice from the second pot, and another one for the warm soup. In a few minutes, I ate more than usual and wondered if it was because of the crazy hunger.


    For the rest of the night where I would not likely not sleep, I served some more soup onto a te that had a lid, and took it back to my room. Immediately I finished eating it too, I just rolled on my bed and slept off.


    The next morning felt good because I woke up in a pleasant mood around 8:07am, and stepped out of the bed to go and wash up immediately. I came out of the bathroom after spending so much time bathing, and then dressed up in a simple cotton short and ck pants.


    I walked down the huge stairs ready to drive out of the house, when I saw someone¡¯s little body crouched to the couch. It was Dabby who was still sound asleep, probably because she had stayed up all night to watch movies. She was in a red nightgown and seeing her on the couch pissed me off.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t she know that she and someone were now in the house? Did she really trust me so well to not do anything? Such a clueless fool.¡¯


    I just shook my head and walked towards the main door, making sure to m the door loud enough to wake her up, as I left through the door. By the time that I woulde back from the store, she had to be nowhere around the sight of me or the peopleing to the party.


    ¡®No one could find out that we were living together, and she was obviously not invited to the party of course.¡¯

 Plans to frustrate her

    DABBY


    I woke up to the cold feeling of the marbled floor, and then I realized that I was lying on the floor instead of the couch. I shook my head and stood up immediately realizing that I was supposed to be waking up from my room, and not from the living room where anyone could just see me.


    Remembering that mother and Damien¡¯s dad were not no longer in the house, I frowned the moment I checked my phone to see no call from Mum. Time was already fast spent.


    ¡®Was she that invested in spending more time with her new lover, that she absolutely forgot her daughter?¡¯


    Nevertheless, I stood up from the couch, grabbed the remaining pieces of Mac and cheese I was eating from yesterday night, and made my way straight to the kitchen to clean it up.


    My mind traveled back to the previous night when Damien walked past me to the kitchen. I opened the pot to check and I knew that he had eaten from the food. I wondered if he was probably seeing me in a likable light.


    I felt kind of delighted that we might be progressing to a healthy step sister and brother rtionship, if only Damien would just not be the bad suck up that he was. In a few minutes, I started to clean up everywhere in the kitchen, washed the dishes and cleaned the living room.


    My hand grabbed a mug as I grabbed one of the ready to go coffees in a brown basket on the kitchen b, as I made myself a warm cup of coffee and added a lot of sugar.


    I made my way back to the bathroom immediately so that I wouldn¡¯t have to see Damien, because of the kind of memories we have shared for the past few days which aren¡¯t really pleasant to me. Without wasting any further time, I slipped out my clothes to take my bath inside the tub.


    As I filled the tub with water, my mind wandered back to Mason. I was really curious to know if he was in town already, or if he was mistaken about the town they were moving to. Badly, I wanted to text him, but decided to restrain myself till he dropped a message that he was in town already.


    Entering into the tub of water and settling my body into it, the thoughts of drowning shed through my eyes immediately my head was halfway in. I brought out my head almost as I coughed out frantically like I was choking, and just came out of the water to have a normal bath peacefully.


    I dressed in afortable short and matching shirt when I was done bathing, and dried my hair in a fancy pink towel instead of the white one mum got me. The time was past 10:00 am already as I made my way back downstairs, thinking about what to make for breakfast and the quantity to prepare too.


    After doing a lot of thinking, I decided to prepare chicken and waffles with the leftover frozen chicken in the refrigerator. While doing that, I had an idea to bake some muffins too. d that Damien was not home yet, I yed loud sting music  and danced as I cooked happily.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    After forty minutes, I was done with everything that I was making and was preparing to serve it, when I heard the door open so loudly and someone stormed inside.


    ¡°Dabby!¡± I heard my name called in a loud but subdued manner, as I came out of the kitchen knowing well that it was Damien. He looked anxious.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered. My voice, barely a whisper.


    ¡°My friends are here, and we are hosting a pool party soon. You must remain in your room throughout till everything ends. Noing out by mistake or anything, even if they are all going to be outside. Is that clear?!¡± His harsh voice demanded from me, and I nodded immediately, ¡°Now upstairs Dabby. Right, now!¡± Hemanded.


    I quickly grabbed the te of what I had prepared and the hot pan immediately, as it burned my palm so badly which made me drop it to the ground and yelp in pain. Damien¡¯s angry eyes shed at him.


    ¡°Get the fuck out of here, Dabby!¡± He yelled, as I winced and managed to pick the hot muffins that had dropped to the floor back to a te quickly. I grabbed my phone, the tray and te as I rushed away from the scene.


    The moment I entered my room and dropped everything to the floor, I breathed in and out deeply to grasp the level of pain that I was feeling. My left palm was already red hot, and an abscess had formed on my finger that had the most impact of the heat. I quickly ran to the bathroom to run water over it.


    I tried to find a band aid in my dresser somewhere, andter found one in my box as I just used almost three to cover up any ce that really hurt.


    My eyes were stinging in hot tears that were about to release, so I swallowed it andid on my bed immediately as I had already lost my appetite.


    DAMIEN¡¯S POV


    My friends had called me that they were already at the mall, to buy most of the things that were going to be used for the party. I drove to a mall that was quite far from home to also get some drinks, which was also like an opportunity for me to feel free from being home.


    I hated being at home with Dabby so much that I wished I could get her to leave immediately, without having to do much.


    ¡®Perhaps I could make her cry, torture her, or make life in this house tough for her. She was too timid, and she would fall for it in no time.


    I spent quite a long time eating breakfast at a restaurant, while practicing what I had learnt from a course that I had taken online some time ago. Deeply engrossed in what I was doing, I lost count of time and an hour had passed by before I realized.


    After paying for the things I bought, I drove straight towards the direction of the house, and also bought more things at the grocery store. I was parking my car in front of the house because there might still be a need to go out, when I saw five familiar people from school alighting from the car that parked behind mine.


    ¡°Shit! They didn¡¯t mention that they woulde this fast,¡± I groaned so hard as my ear caught the loud sound of musicing from inside, which made me realize that there might be more problems than just having to see my friends and Madison.


    Quickly, I came down from the car like I had not seen them, and scurried into the building quickly as I heard that annoying bitch call my name. I saw Dabby dancing and getting so engrossed in her cooking, and I knew I had to chase her into her room before they came inside.


    I saw the pan burn her hand when I was urging her to leave, and I didn¡¯t put my mind into it because all I wanted was for her to disappear. I could already hear the loud talks of my friends and the girls from the door, and it was only a matter of time before they entered.


    ¡®Shit! The house smelt of freshly baked muffins and chicken.¡¯ There is no way they would not ask what was going on.¡¯

 New student

    Damien:Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Almost immediately, the doorbell rang and I pretended to not know who was there, as I opened the door nonchntly and looked at them in the usual way. They were carrying a lot of things with them for the party.


    ¡°Why were you running? We called you but you seemed to be in a rush,¡± Xavier asked with a doubtful look on his face, as they all made their way in one after the other. Madison gave me a tight hug immediately and tried to kiss me on the lips, but I evaded it instantly by just patting her hair.


    ¡°Had something really important to check,¡± I lied, and I almost snarled at myself. I didn¡¯t want to also be a snob to my friends like the figure I represented to others, but I definitely could not look like a joke either.


    ¡°This ce smells like baked cake or something. I thought you said your dad traveled already,¡± Madison pointed out, and ran to the kitchen where the smell wasing from to check immediately. I wanted to yank her by the hair real hard, and drag her back to where others were standing.


    ¡°Made that before I left,¡± I lied again, and I really hated that I had lied twice because of Dabby.


    ¡°Smells really strongly. Just like something that was just out of fire,¡± Madison insisted, and I sneered at her immediately. She had to know when to let things go.


    ¡°We brought things for the party,¡± Bryan said, which diverted everyone¡¯s attention to him, and there really was quite a lot of stuff in the nylons they brought.


    ¡°We should get started with decorations quickly,¡± Maeve suggested, as she went to take her seat on the nearest couch.


    ¡°Why is there a wet towel on the floor? Pink at that,¡± Madison¡¯s voice mored so loudly again from the kitchen again, and I almost wanted to p her when I saw the funny looking towel in her hand. It had caught the attention of others too. I became angry.


    ¡®Just why must Dabby be so dumb to drop that there?¡¯


    ¡°It is mine, Madison. Just drop it where you saw it,¡± I lied again for the third time.


    ¡°This looks like that of a girl. You possibly cannot own a pink hair towel,¡± Madison argued in her same possessive and irritating way, and someone yelled at her even before I could.


    ¡°Can you juste here and start something with us? The party is in a few hours and people will even arrive even earlier,¡± Britney cut her off immediately, and I really wanted tomend her for that. She was Bryan¡¯s girlfriend, and was still a bit more reasonable than Madison and Maeve.


    Madison grumbled and ambled over to where they were, and helped to carry out the decorations that were going to be tied outside. It was going to be a standard pool party and everything needed to be perfect.


    Few minutester, some students from school came, and they were the ones to decorate the party, in exchange for attending the party even if they were not qualified. It was another lucky spot, that people who weren¡¯t opportune often fought for too.


    Soon, the invitees began to swarm in like bees in their different looks ready to party and drink, while I just sat at an exclusive spot watching everyone. I had made sure to lock every necessary doors that didn¡¯t need attention in the house, where prying teenagers would want to get the best of their curiosity satisfied by peeping in.


    There was drinks, music, alcohol and food to eat, as they danced and did their fun thing. The pool was really huge enough to contain quite a number of people, and it was finely decorated with flower petals that gave it a nice vibe.


    While the party went on with different naughty and dirty games, I sighted Dabby when she peeped once from her window, and I really hoped no one else saw her curious head. It was when I grabbed my phone angrily and wanted to call her, that I realized that I didn¡¯t even have her number.


    Madison was wearing a tiny lingerie that barely covered her body in a raunchy way, and it angered me to see my supposed girlfriend dressed in such a manner. She came over to where I sat so often to prevent other girls who were trying toe closer, showing them clearly who got the sexy guy that they all wanted to have.


    I didn¡¯t care about anything that went on in the party, and just hoped that no one would find out that I wasn¡¯t the only one home alone. And with ring loud music and nasty teenagers everywhere, the entire day went more peaceful than I it expected it to be.


    Later that night after the mansion was back in shape and normal, I did not see Dabbye out throughout the entire day. I wondered if she was probably in another danger or something because of how dumb she really was, but I heard someone y solemn musicter that night before I slept.


    The next morning was the same with a huge but empty house, and so was the rest of the day too because I didn¡¯t go anywhere. I saw Dabby a few times only, at the kitchen and the moment she was about to enter her room.


    I was the one who warned her clearly to stay away from myne and path, and yet it felt weird to see her abide so seriously by it. I would have expected her to make so many mistakes.


    It was really good to see her be a good and obedient girl.


    Towards evening, I left home to go to the club with my friends and didn¡¯te back till the next day. I also pretended not to see my father¡¯s call that night.


    Dabby:


    The couple days ago had been really tiring and intense with trying to be fine, knowing well that I was trying so hard to please Damien and not cause problems. It would totally be a hassle and a big pain for me, if anyone were to find out about our weird rtionship.


    The painful burn I got from the hot pan had gotten better in outlook, and only my heart seemed to hurt constantly by everything. I wasn¡¯t even mad or Damien or anything, because I was too sad to get angry at whatever was going on.


    When the rm clock sounded at 7:00pm the next day, which was Monday, I quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to take my bath. As fast as I could, I dried my body and put on a huge pair of pants and sweatshirt.


    I packed my hair even though it was not yet properly dried into a bun, and put in a localb I got from Aunt Penelope to hold it firmly. I picked up my bag and put on a matching pair of sneakers.


    I walked to the mirror to check my face and thered on a good amount of oil, for the purpose of getting rid of my facial spots. After I was sure that it looked good enough to me, I picked up a lip gloss from the table and ran it over my lips, before putting on my sses mum had promised to change for me


    ¡®How would she be able to when she was on a lovely vacation with her new dear husband?¡¯


    Sure that Damien wouldn¡¯t be out of the room already that early, I crept to the kitchen carefully and made toast in under ten minutes. I didn¡¯t want to have to face humiliation at the school cafeteria again.


    As soon as I was done, I dashed out of the kitchen and out of the house immediately. Walking from the street to the main bus stop was quite far, but I was eager to get away from the premises quickly, so I ran.


    Running was exhausting, but it all got better with time. I boarded a bus straight to the school, and settled down to eat my food peacefully. I had the urge to cry again for no reason, but I shoved it down and just breathed in and out.


    I got to school much earlier than I had ever been, and just went to sit in the theater room where I would see no one. I didn¡¯t want to be taunted again that I came too early to school, and just sat there reminiscing on random things while taking a chocte drink.


    I waited so long till the bell for the first period rang, before I finally stood up from where I sat and strode out with my bag. I located my ss quickly so that I would not run into any annoying person, and I quickly took my seat when I realized that the teacher was already inside.


    ¡°ss, meet our new student,¡± I heard, the moment I bnced on my chair and sighed. I turned to look at whom the teacher was talking about.


    I looked at the guy that was standing in front of the ss, and he was too familiar with the person I had been talking to all these days. The face, that was really so cute. A different hairstyle than the one I have always seen. This person looked even better.


    ¡®What? Were my sses malfunctioning again?¡¯ I wondered as I squeezed my eyes intensely, to get rid of any hallucinations or imaginations I could probably be having.


    ¡°I am Carr Mason. Nice to meet you all,¡± I heard the voice say, and myshespulsively parted open immediately.


    ¡®Mason? Can it really be the same Mason I know? The Mason that said he was moving to town? He now attends our school?¡¯

 My hero

    Dabby:


    When he was asked to go and sit down after the teacher introduced him, he ignored the willing eyes that urged him and came to sit in the empty locker space next to mine. He gave me a wink when I gave him a confused but timid too, and my heart almost melted.


    ¡®It was really him. Was I dreaming?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t focus for the next two sses, because my mind was filled with the fact that I had talked so much about myself, with a stranger that turned out to be real. And he was in my school.


    ¡°I.. cannot believe this is really you,¡± my voice came out so timidly, and fearfully too as I looked at the tall guy standing before me outside the ssroom.


    He looked more handsome and manly than he did in his pictures, that it was difficult to believe that I had been friends with this hot guy all along. His pretty green eyes were really charming, and even his new style of hair was stunning.


    ¡®Just how could things take this kind of turn?¡¯


    ¡°It is more nice to see you, Dabby. You are really adorable,¡± he said with a cute smile, and pulled me closer for a warm hug instead without minding my awkwardness.


    ¡®How could he smell so good? Howe he is so nice in real life? Was he not weirded by me?¡¯


    It took quite an effort to steady myself after the cool hug, but the stares I was getting from every corners was the most choking out of all. It was so overwhelming, to just ept that my online friend hade to my school, recognized me, and was d to see me.


    His appearance was totally perfect. His vibes? More better than texting him. His hair was shining and nicely waxed, which made him look too good to be real.


    I was about showing him around and where we usually had lunch, when I suddenly remembered that I would never want to go for lunch. Showing him around the school would be really cool, but never the cafeteria.


    ¡°It is time for lunch. Let¡¯s go to the school cafe and talk some more,¡± he said, and I tried not to look at him. I wondered if it was possible for Damien to ever be as cool, and soft as this new friend of mine. But I had a greater fear.


    ¡®How was I supposed to tell this cool guy that I avoided the cafeteria, because I was scared of being bullied while eating. That I was the nerd girl whom no one really liked. What if he detest me too because of that, like Damien?¡¯


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t really go to the cafe. Besides I¡¯m not hungry,¡± I replied nervously trying hard to sound so persuasive, and my stomach decided to disgrace me amidst my lie by rumbling so loudly.


    ¡°I think your stomach says otherwise,¡± he smiled, and grabbed me by the arm before I could even protest. And in a few minutes, we were in front of the ss door of the huge room, that didn¡¯t hide my mortificationst week from anyone.


    ¡°Wait. I thought this was your first¡­..¡±


    ¡°I have the school map with me, and I am quite good with directions,¡± he answered the question I had not even asked, and it made me chuckle unconsciously in amusement to this new guy, that was certainly my very own friend.


    ¡®How could all this just happen?¡¯


    Like everything would go perfectly just the way I would have wanted it, we were able to collect our own tray of food in less than five minutes. Though I was still so wary of anyone I could encounter that would cause me problems, I felt more secure being with someone and not by myself.


    ¡°Is there anything you would like to ask me? You look like you have so many unsaid questions,¡± Mason asked in a very cool manner, when we sat down with our tray of food, probably because of the way I was acting around him. I could not even hold a gaze.


    ¡°This is actually too much to take in, Mason. That we would actually meet in real life, and that you will end up being my ssmate in school. It is really¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± I answered honestly, trying so hard to hide my nervousness, shock and inability toprehend everything that was going on.


    ¡®Felt like I had probably wished for it, and my wish decided toe true out of the blue. Like some fairy tale.¡¯


    ¡°Do you think it is a good thing? I am more than happy to be here, and seeing you too. Thought I¡¯d have a hard time adjusting to a new grade and environment, but now I think everything is going to be more than okay.¡±


    ¡°It is really nice to see you Mason. This surprise you pulled, really got me. And I am d too,¡± I smiled excitedly as I turned my head, which freezed the stretched mark across my lip immediately. Madison and her friends were here right now.


    ¡°Why do you look startled and out of it?¡± Mason snapped his fingers when I cked out for a second, in fear that I would be humiliated right in front of my new friend. I really sucked.


    ¡°I¡­.. nothing. Are you full already?¡± I asked instead, because I wanted us to leave the cafeteria instantly.


    ¡°You have barely eaten your food. Do you not like it?¡±


    ¡®Gosh! If it were not for Mason, I wouldn¡¯t be here in the first ce no matter how worse the hunger got. And now we cannot leave because he thinks I¡¯m acting weird.¡¯


    Quickly, I rushed the food I was eating into my throat so fast, like it would make us leave the cafeteria sooner. And as I struggled to put too much food in my mouth, I choked on pepper in my food and started coughing frantically.


    I searched the table to see if I could get water to suppress my cough, but there were only two packs of yogurt on the table that came with our lunch menu. Eyes were on me already because of my cough.


    ¡®Shit. I would be discovered in no time.¡¯


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mason asked in deep concern, as he stood up from the table immediately and scurried over to the food counter.


    I tried to hold my mouth to stop coughing, but it seemed as if the piece of food that hooked my throat was already on its way to my nose. My eyes had be so watery that I wanted to cry.


    Still trying to get myself out of the mess I had caused, the next thing I could feel was a white and thick liquid gushing down from my face. That was when I realized that something was traveling down every part of my head, and it was yogurt by the taste and smell.


    ¡°This, is for making noise in this cafeteria. Next time, I wouldn¡¯t be this nice,¡± I heard the bitter voice in my ears, and I knew that I was fucked. She had messed me up before everyone, and poured the entire yogurt content on my face. I was so mortified and I started sobbing without a filter.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I heard the sweet but angry voice above my head after Madison spoke, and I could probably not mistake it for another¡¯s even if we just met for the first time in hours.


    Mason had grabbed Madison by the arm to stop her from pouring the remaining content, yanked the box of yogurt from her hand, and tossed it against the floor. He was pissed and I became scared.


    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?!¡± Madison demanded shakily, shocked that someone would stand up against her for me. Looking at the face from a closer view, she probably recognized him as the new guy from morning ss.


    ¡°Is it nice that you treat someone like this?¡± He asked again and I was inwardly ted amidst my tears.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®Someone was standing up for me.¡¯


    Madison, as usual, made to p Mason across the face for challenging her and he held her second hand so firmly. She struggled in vain and began to wince.


    ¡°I can also see that you are also rude,¡± Mason uttered, and I could see the sh of shock that glinted through Madison¡¯s eyes. Everyone was now watching in delight to see what would happen, and she was so embarrassed at that point.


    ¡°Damien¡­¡­.¡± She suddenly called out in a crying voice, and jerked free from Mason as she ran to meet Damien. My heart skipped a thousand beats.


    ¡®OMG. This was getting bad,¡¯ I panicked in fear.


    Damien strode closer to where we were standing and casted a wicked look on me, as I gasped silently and turned my face to the other side. Madison was standing beside him with a confident look that overshadowed her crocodile tears, and I really hated her so much for it.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± I heard Damien demand calmly with authority in his voice, like a prince who wasing to save hisdy in distress. My heart broke.


    ¡®There was no way he wouldn¡¯t have known what happened, seeing my messed up hair and body. The fact that I was somewhat rted to him, even made it more painful. How could he hate me so much?¡¯


    ¡°Perhaps, you should teach your rude girlfriend on how to be a better person,¡± Mason responded coldly, and I froze on the spot. There was a collective gasp too from people, across every direction in the room.


    My neck instinctively turned to look up immediately and at Mason, only to see Damien ring at him so much with hatred. It wasn¡¯t some kind of intense look that sprouted just because he was challenged, but some kind of scary look like it was an already brewing anger.


    Things had gotten more messy andplicated, and I was the one at the receiving end. Nevertheless, I loved the stupid look that Madison had on her face.


    ¡°Come on, Dabby. Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Mason turned to me and grabbed me by the arm, as he pulled me out of my sitting space and dragged me away from everyone¡¯s sight in the cafeteria.


    ¡®A deviant protective friend and an intimidating stepbrother? I was just about to be squashed.¡¯

 What are friends for?

    DABBY :


    ¡°Thank you, Mason,¡± I appreciated him, thankful that he actually stood up for me. I felt sorry again that he had a loser like me for a friend.


    ¡°It is my pleasure. Those people are terrible people. How do you cope with them?¡± He inquired incredulously with a crease on his eyebrow, which made him look really cute. Trying to fathom how I got a wonderful friend like him was unbelievable.


    ¡°I am really fine. Thank you,¡± I said again and he let out a smile instead. A very charming one.


    ¡°That guy over there. The one that has the bully as a girlfriend. Is he your step brother? The one you told me about?¡± Mason asked mindlessly, and my heart surged by a fear raised to the degree of hundred.


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± I eximed in fear that someone might hear from where we were standing, as I pulled Mason to another corner far away from where we were before.


    ¡°Please, do not say that. No one can know. Absolutely nobody,¡± I panicked shakily, as I tried to check again if no one was around. The one person I had told over the phone, ended uping to my school and now someone knew.


    ¡®I was definitely screwed. And they even seemed to hate each other already. This is really bad,¡¯ I feared so greatly and restlessly.


    ¡°No one can know you guys are siblings? Why is that? Is he ashamed of that fact?¡± Mason asked cluelessly again in his carefree nature, and I urged him to be quiet immediately, concerned that someone might hear.


    ¡°Ssh. Ssh. Please no one can know okay. Do not even mention it at all. Please Mason,¡± I begged him with a cute face.


    ¡°Oh dear. You are looking really rough now. You should quickly get cleaned up,¡± Mason suddenly changed the topic with a smile, that assured me that I had his unspoken word.


    ¡°Mason,¡± I called again, still wanting him to say something that I could hold on to.


    ¡°I promise okay. No one can ever know,¡± he guaranteed to me, and I could breathe again.


    That was also when I remembered that he mentioned how I was looking rough, and feeling sticky from being drenched in that disgusting smell of processed milk. Even the smell that oozed from my drenched hair was probably a bad one.


    I could not imagine how long I stood in front of Mason looking like a fool, without even minding or remembering that I was covered in yogurt the entire time. That was weird.


    ¡°Go inside the bathroom and wash your face and hair. Here is water too,¡± Mason spoke to me in kind words the moment we returned back to the bathroom side, and handed to me the bottle of water. The one he had gone to get when I was coughing.


    ¡®How could I get so lucky overnight to have a real friend?¡¯ I wondered in my mind so happily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the lobby in five minutes,¡± I turned from him immediately, and he held my shoulder to prevent me from walking any further. I wondered why.


    ¡°Your clothes are covered in stains. Aren¡¯t you going to need a change?¡± He observed as he stared at me from head to toe, and I could almost faint from embarrassment. His hand also removed my sses carefully too, as he put it in the pocket of his pants.


    ¡®Why was I being so clumsy in front of a new friend right now?¡¯


    ¡°I think I have a spare shirt in my bag,¡± I said slowly, and hoped he would not ask why I surprisingly carried an extra shirt around.


    I started doing that since I knew something could go wrong in one day at school, even though I had promised myself that I wouldn¡¯t go to eat during lunch anymore to avoid problems.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you. Wait here,¡± he told me.


    ¡°The lock code is 0421,¡± I whispered to him, and he gave me a surprised look. I totally got that.


    He probably found it weird that I also locked my bag, which was kind of crazy for me to know, because he had found out so much about me in less than a day.


    I started locking my bag weeks ago so that no one would be able to put dirt in my bag again, or punish me by taking one of my things and making me look endlessly for it, only to find it in the waste bin. It had happened too much in the past months since I got to the school.


    Saving me from my shame, Mason brought me the shirt and I was able to change clothes after washing my hair. I tried to dry my hair using the hand dryer in the bathroom, but I gave up halfway when the bell to return back to sses rang.


    Mason had permanently taken the space of the seat next to mine that had remained empty for so long, and it was so different for me because people kept looking at us. Madison entered into the ss shortly, and the look she shot at me was really scary.


    ¡®It would probably not just end with this,¡¯ I heard my mind say to me, sadly.


    Finally after three sses, we were done for the day, and I was relieved to know that I would soon be out of the school walls. And then I remembered again to my trepidation, that I was going home to meet another terror.


    ¡®My mother had chosen to punish me in every way possible by bringing me to this stupid school, and getting married to Damien¡¯s father,¡¯ Imented inwardly.


    It was really heart wrenching for me to know that I would never be happy both in school and at home, which instantly brought tears to my face the moment the bell rang for everyone to go home.


    ¡°Dabby, let us go,¡± I heard Mason¡¯s voice jolt me out of my thoughts, as I turned to him immediately and nodded affirmatively for us to go. I packed my books into my bag and followed behind him.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    We strode out of the huge school building to see lots of students outside already and ready to go home, as I turned to bid my cute friend a goodbye so that I could run home and lock myself in immediately.


    ¡°So, how do you get home?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°I take the bus. What about you?¡±


    ¡°My mum brought me this morning, so I guess we are both going to walk to the bus stop,¡± he smiled modestly.


    ¡°Umh. Yeah. It is going to be fun,¡± I chuckled awkwardly, with the fear that I would not be able to run to the bus stop, as fast I was supposed to.


    ¡®What if Damien gets home before me, and locks me outside?¡¯ I panicked.


    As we walked past the school field in front of the school, I sighted Damien and his crew immediately at the park where they were standing by their cars. Mason also noticed too.


    ¡°I guess the brotheres to school with a car, and the sister boards a bus,¡± Mason pointed out sarcastically, and let out a wry smile.


    ¡°Unhhh,¡± I paused for a few seconds, acting like I had a reply for his statement, ¡°Can we run?¡± I suddenly turned to Mason and asked, hoping he would not reject the idea.


    ¡°Why do you want to run?¡± He asked innocently.


    ¡°Because¡­. Because, I¡­ like ru¡­..¡± and he sped past me before I could evenplete my statement which made me chuckle, as I picked up the pace too and ran after him. He was really fast, and I was trying so hard to catch up.


    ¡°Geez, you run too fast. Slow down!¡± I called out to him gasping for breath.


    And in that manner, we got to the bus stop ten minutes earlier than I usually did. It was exhrating and at the same time tiring. It made me forget my fears for a few minutes.


    We boarded the bus together and took our seats, as I wondered where exactly he was living that would make us board the same bus. I wanted to ask immediately as he followed me inside the bus, but I remembered that I was going back home again and became sad instantly.


    I decided to hold a conversation


    ¡°Where exactly do you live? How many miles is it away from here?¡± I asked Mason.


    ¡°Do you want toe with me to find out?¡± He asked, and I was shocked to hear him ask me such.


    I had never been invited by anyone to their house before since we moved to this town, and I definitely have not spent my afternoon with someone from school before.


    The truth was that I wanted to reject the offer because we were just getting to know one another, even if we had known each other for the past months on the phone. I didn¡¯t want to think about it, or wonder if it was right, and I agreed to it. Being away from Anderson¡¯s house and Damien¡¯s sight was the best for me.


    We stopped at the fourth bus stop and took another one straight to Mason¡¯s street, which was quite a distance from our own street like parallel worlds. But it was surprisingly, along the former house where I lived with mum months ago. It was unbelievable.


    Mason invited me into his house which was quite simr to the one we lived before, and it was so warm inside the living room. The interior designs were properly done, and there was a lot of aesthetic hand made designed works in the living room. It talked much about the owner of the house.


    We talked, ate,ughed and yed video games together, till it was evening when I had lost track of time. Mason was quite surprised to find out that I was so much better in video games than him, and it was so funny to watch him get disappointed everytime he lost.


    I enjoyed the time of my life for the first time in a while, that it got sote in the evening before I got ready to leave Mason¡¯s house. He wanted to board the first bus back with me so that I would not be alone, but I dissuaded him that I was doing fine by myself.


    When I realized that he wouldn¡¯t bulge, I ordered a cab instead and he paid for it too. My head was in circles of happiness to know that someone would really like to be my friend, and make me feel so good after a long time amidst my sadness and depression.


    The cab dropped me in front of the gate and I used my keys to open the front gate, as I entered inside so silently and carefully knowing that Damien was home already. As soon as I made my way to the front door of the huge building, I opened the door and entered in the same way that I had done.


    As I crept past the living room that was  so still and silent, I climbed the stairs more silently without any noise. However, to my shock I heard a loud voice from behind me, ¡°Where are youing from?!¡±

 It never ends well

    DAMIEN¡¯s POV:


    It was peaceful in the house till Monday morning, and I was quite surprised that Dabby left home so early. I hated that everything had to be like this, especially the part about being home with a clumsy girl, but it was much better than seeing dad around.


    I got ready for the day quitete, and decided to work on some projects on myptop. I could peacefully do these things because dad is not at home, and I was having my freedom doing them without any shitty talks.


    He always thought I was a failure ever since mum left, and he had been trying to mold me into the man that he was. That he wanted. I only had two options: Study business administration and lead thepany, or study medicine and take over grandfather¡¯s hospital as the director.


    I hated both courses even if it was going to pave my way to sess, and dad was never going to hear of anything than what he wanted. It was ring that even if I became what he wanted me to be, I would never be enough for him because he would keep pushing me. Nothing really mattered.


    When I was done with what I was doing, I yed a test video game till it was almost time for the third period at school, and I got dressed and left for school afterwards. Dad would probably penalize me or do something rash when he finds out that I missed sses, but I didn¡¯t care.


    My phone was busy with calls from my friends and mostly from Madison, but I didn¡¯t mind any of them and drove to school after stopping at a restaurant. It was a few minutes to lunch break when I pulled into the school parking lot, and it seemed like Madison had been peeping through the ss window.


    Immediately I alighted from the car, I saw her rushing from the building outside as she hugged me tightly. It was really a hassle and I was sick and tired of her already, as she ravaged my face with kisses. She was about to kiss me on the lips, and I pushed her away.


    ¡°Why have you been avoiding my kissestely, Damien?¡± She asked me with anger in her tone, and I just ignored her and walked into the building.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± She called in a pitiful tone, and kept sniffing incessantly like she has been crying the entire time.


    ¡®She sure knew how to put on a perfect facade and fake y, thinking that her perfect skills was her forte, and could get her everything that she wanted.¡¯


    The bell for lunch rang immediately I stepped inside, and Madison ran from behind to arch her arm around mine. She was too clingy, and I really hated it.


    ¡°Follow me to the cafeteria. Maeve and the others are waiting,¡± she urged me and I frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be behind you,¡± I responded to her request and dropped her hand from my arm immediately, as I made my way to the principal¡¯s office with a big frown.


    Dad was emailed that morning that I wasn¡¯t in ss for almost three periods and inquired to know if I was okay, which caused him to call me on my way to school to rant so angrily. I didn¡¯t make any excuses for missing sses, and just switched off the phone when he was done talking.


    Few minutester, I came out after we had a talk, and she informed me that dad wanted me to engage in educational curricr activities. The clubs where the most brilliant kids in school are found, and the geniuses who represented the science and mathpetitions for the school.


    ¡®Eww. Really sucks.¡¯This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I hated that dad was trying to control my life so much, and I could only have this much peace because I rebelled much. I was never nning to give in to his unnecessary demands. After I left his office, I headed towards the cafeteria.


    The next thing I heard as I stepped my foot in was Madison crying loudly, as she walked towards me like someone had trashed her ass properly. I looked ahead to see what was going on, and there was a girl sitting on the chair with drenched hair.


    There was an unfamiliar guy standing beside her and he was looking at Madison¡¯s direction with anger, which made me realize that the brat had messed up again and probably got payback this time. Nevertheless, I walked closer to the ce to demand what had happened.


    The girl that was sitting in the chair was obviously my dumb headed step sister, and she cowered in fear immediately her eyes met mine. Instead of her, my eyes trailed to the guy that was standing before me, and the gaze we both shared was quite intense.


    ¡®Wait. Have we met somewhere before? He looked quite familiar.¡¯


    I hated his guts so much because he seemed to look down on me, and the statement he made after almost made me go bonkers. The way he responded to my question to know what had happened was what made it worse, and I really felt humiliated that someone like him would dare talk back at me.


    ¡®I should train my girlfriend? What? How dare he?¡¯


    He dragged Dabby by the arm and pulled her away from the scene, which was so annoying and obnoxious of a scene to watch. I then saw Xavier and Bryan stride to the scene from the other side of the cafeteria, with no clue of what had just taken ce during their short absence.


    ¡®Who the fuck was he? I would make him and that stupid girl pay for messing with me. And for Dabby, it was totally over between us from that point.


    Angrily, I left the scene and returned back to ss, after I warned Madison not to touch me as she ran after me. She was still faking the tears and I was really pissed off.


    After the bell rang for school to be over, my friends had texted that we should hang out at a spot. I was still too pissed to do anything, and just wanted to go home and punish that girl that made her friend shade me.


    Just as I waited at the parking lot for a little while, Madison ran forward again to where I was standing and called out to me. But I warned her to stay away from me till I was ready to forgive her nuisance behavior. She had no idea what wasing for her the next day.


    I returned back home almost an hourter with the assurance that Dabby would be home already, but there was no sign of anybody entering the house or being at home. I checked the pool area and the kitchen, which were almost her favorite ces in the house, but she was nowhere to be found.


    I barged into her room angrily after calling her name for so long, but she was not there and her bed was neatlyid too. That was when I realized that she had note home.


    To get rid of the anger in me, I went back to my room to bathe, changed my clothes and left the house afterwards. I spent my entire evening at the arcade, trying to test run a new game and also yed games too.


    I was back home before the normal time that dad had set for curfew, which I normally broke so many times. It never ended well though. It mostly ended up blocking my credit cards, breaking my stuff and sometimes I got hit too.


    ¡®Dad was a beast in beauty, especially when he got angry.¡¯


    More reasons why I picture Dabby and her mum leaving our house earlier than they would have thought, which would be much better for me peace. But before then, I would make Dabby so frustrated that she would beg her mum to want to leave.


    And it was just the same evening, with Dabby not back yet. It made me wonder if she wasn¡¯t really as innocent as she looked, and was just waiting for a push to unleash what she¡¯s got.


    Almost half an hour had passed since I came back, and I brought out the food I bought on my way to eat. I was still half way eating with my door wide open, when I heard the house main door creak open. I smiled mischievously.


    I covered what I was eating and waited for her to climb the stairs while trying to creep to her room, as I came out and demanded to know where she wasing from. I suddenly started getting pissed off again that she came homete.


    ¡®Who gave her the right?¡¯


    I could sense the fear in her through her eyes, as she contemted in her head what to tell me. I was losing patience already, and she was there acting like a fool. Getting ready to yell angrily at her, she quickly spilled it out.


    ¡°I was out. With a friend,¡± I heard her timid voice, as she swallowed hard at thest statement.


    ¡°You mean the simpleton that you were with today?¡± I asked in a very cold and rude voice, with irritationced in my eyes to talk about that guy. I started to get angry all of a sudden.


    She looked confused again, as she looked down without any words to respond to my question. It was really making me so pissed off, that I wanted to yank her across the face to spill it out. I hated someone keeping mute whenever I was talking to them.


    ¡°We.. we were ying games,¡± she said again, and I could really wack her hard now.


    ¡®She had the effrontery to y games with that bigot, after the stunt they pulled at the cafeteria?¡¯


    And slowly, I began to move closer to where she was ferociously and angrily, with fear clearly written in her face. She was terrified and held stiff to the spot, and I was really going to teach her a lesson of her life. I loved her fear.


    ¡®You are done for, Dabby.¡¯

 It always ends worse

    Dabby:


    I watched Damien get more angry and angry with me, and I started to get the urge to cry already. I was really scared of him because of the way he was looking at me, and the manner at which he started toe closer.


    My entire body started to retreat in ordance with my brain signal even without my own permission, till my back was now resting on the wall and there was no ce to move to any longer.


    Damien¡¯s huge body towered over my own body and he grabbed my jaw so harshly, as his blue eyes bored an invisible hole in me and I almost crumbled in fear. I held my breath so that he wouldn¡¯t hate me even more, but it was really hard to be so scared and not breathe at the same time.


    ¡°Hear me out, four eyes. There is curfew in this house and you have to respect it. Anything after 9:00pm is a no, and you will sleep outside in the cold if you are a minutete. Is that clear?!¡± His voice ordered authoritatively, and I felt my breathe fly again with my eyes raised up to its peak.


    I usually had panic disorder if I got too scared or nervous, and I really prayed I wouldn¡¯t be messed up in his presence now. It happened mostly in the past when I was in middle school, but it got quite better as I grew up.


    Getting bullied by Madison and other was kind of mostly physical and emotional, but it never got to my mental state because it didn¡¯t make me intensely scared. It was a shit I always expected.


    However, being with Damien was different. He was really intimidating and freakishly strong, that if he decided to hit me there in anger I would likely faint. He didn¡¯t like me either, and he showed it so well.


    ¡®I was just screwed.


    ¡°Yes¡­. Yes. Yes. I would. I would never bete. I would obey you and the house rules,¡± I rushed my words so that he would leave my jaws alone, because they were starting to hurt and my eyes were preparing to release tears.


    ¡°And for that dummy like yourself that you call a friend, I see yourself getting into a lot of trouble with him. Lots,¡± he emphasized with a threatening look.


    With hisst sentence, he let go of me in a very rough and harsh manner, and I crumbled to the ground immediately without control. My feets were trembling badly and I was struggling to breathe, while he just entered into his room and just shut the door so loudly.


    I managed to pick myself up after a few minutes and made my way into the room, before I could finally cry so much till I was tired. I tried calling mum so many times to ask when she would be back, but she wasn¡¯t even picking me up and it made me wonder if she had abandoned me.


    It was so hard to understand why mum would be able to feel sofortable else where, without talking to me for days now because of a new man. Though we didn¡¯t have the very great mum-daughter rtionship, because she was always meeting new people or traveling.


    She was an art curator and graphics designer, which earned her good money. But she also had debts to pay from the college loans she signed up for during her college days, which was a major problem, while her dream as a fashion designer and cloth brand holder had to be put on hold.


    It had been hard raising me because of so many challenges she had faced in the past, and I wouldn¡¯t want to me her for finally settling down for happiness. Maybe I was being too immature.


    Regardless of what I was thinking, I just cried myself to sleep because I was fed up with everything, and woke upter than I usually do with swollen eyes. My eyes looked quite terrible in the mirror when I checked, and I almost screamed terrifyingly at the sight of my eye bags.


    Quietly as I could, I went to the kitchen to get ice packs for my eyes, and ran back to the room as fast as I could to avoid being undetected. I spent minutes trying to make my eyes look okay from the swelling by putting ice packs on it, and tried to find something nice to wear at the same time.


    After minutes of checking through, I picked a big trouser and long sweatshirt as usual, and a pair of sneakers toplete the matchingbo. It was few minutes to school time already and I was still had home, as I tried to dry my voluminous amount of hair with hair dryer.


    I gave up atst minute in frustration and rushed out of the room with my bag and wet hair, and then I remembered that I was hungry and had to eat. Knowing that trying to make breakfast made would waste time, I just decided to walk to the nearest cafe for breakfast without minding the fact that I waste.


    It was quite the relief that Damien was no longer at home, and I just strode peacefully down the street.


    The air in school felt quite different, and the school was unnecessarily rowdy with so many students loitering around, like they didn¡¯t have any ss that morning. There was quite an intense public disy of affection from so many people everywhere, and it got me wondering if school was canceled for the day.


    I walked to ss to check if Mason was in ss already, and he was not also there same as many others. There was quite a disy of designed cut red papers, red balloons and beautiful prints which had the words ¡®I LOVE YOU¡¯ written on it.


    It made me wonder what was happening, as I left the ss almost immediately before someone would make fun of me, or do something crazy. I checked my bag to bring out my phone so I could call Mason, and I already had so many missed calls from him and mum already.


    I had my phone activated to silence yesterday in anger, and had not even checked it this morning. I wanted to call mum back to know why she was calling, but I was too angry to call her back.


    Instead, I tried calling Mason. Though I knew that Damien already hated Mason and that he hated seeing us together, I really couldn¡¯t dish the one friendship I had because of someone who didn¡¯t give a damn about me.


    ¡®I just had to be careful. Since he was not in our ss, all will be fine,¡¯ I consoled myself hopefully and proceeded to find Mason. I sighted a couple kissing by the school hallway and I hid my face in embarrassment for them.


    ¡®Were they not ashamed of doing that in public? Or was I the odd ball?¡¯


    ¡°You look confused about everything going on here,¡± I heard the voice behind me, and I turned instantly.


    ¡°Morning Mason,¡± I greeted quite nervously, as I took a nce at the guy that was standing before me.


    He was really good looking, and even his hairstyle was so good. His clothes fitted so well, and he wore a mind intoxicating cologne. It was still hard toprehend how someone like him became my friend.


    ¡°How are you doing? You were quitete this morning, everything fine?¡± He asked.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Woke upte, and came to school to see even a more unserious day¡­¡­¡± I paused,  ¡°What is happening?¡± I spoke in gentle words, hoping that he would hear my voice that never had a constant pitch. It was always in highs and lows.


    ¡°It¡¯s lovers day today, and the first period of ss is canceled. Do you not know?¡± He asked in surprise, and I was even more astounded.


    ¡®How did he get to know everything in less than 24 hours, when even I, who have been here for months now, hadn¡¯t figured it all out?¡¯


    ¡°I totally forgot,¡± I shook my head, ¡°And also, you really blend in so well,¡± Iplimented and he just chuckled.


    ¡°And surprisingly, I got gifts,¡± he informed me, and my eyes widened in surprise. It was really good to be so cool, and handsome too.


    ¡°You are really cool,¡± I managed to say, without messing up my excitement for him by saying rubbish.


    ¡°And, I got you something,¡± he smiled at me, and my eyes even widened more.


    ¡®He got me a gift? Mason got me a gift? Is he kidding?¡¯


    And from his pocket he brought out a really cute bracelet, and handed it over to me. I didn¡¯t have enough time to admire it in surprise of what to even utter, when Mason collected it from me and offered to put it around my right wrist.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Mason. You really didn¡¯t have to. I got nothing. I mean, thank you¡­. But I really cannot take it,¡± I uttered all sorts of rubbish almost at the same time, and I shook my head to me my stupidity.


    But I really felt good. He made me feel like a person that deserved something good too, and I didn¡¯t even know how to react or thank him. He was being too kind, and I wanted to cry in happiness.


    ¡°You do not have to say anything, Dabby. I know you are trying to say a thank you. This is a thank you from me too, for being my first friend here,¡± he smiled, and my heart froze.


    ¡®How could a really cool guy be aplete opposite of most of the cute guys around? How did he even be my friend?¡¯


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mason. It is really beautiful,¡± I finally found my voice.


    We both worked amongst the crowd of so many girls and boys doing their own business, and Mason passed a huge bar of chocte to me. It looked like one of the gifs he received too.


    Suddenly amongst the crowd, I heard someone call my name so angrily, and drag me by the hair. It was the same agonizing voice from my dreadful days, but she really sounded bitter this time rather than the usual taunting voice.


    ¡°You bitch! Damien broke up with me because of you. You dumb and stupid low-life fool,¡± she cussed at me, and I wondered what had gone wrong.


    ¡®Wait a second. Damien broke up with her? Why do I feel good? Why? It was really good to see her terrified face of shame.¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t say any words to her and ask about how that concerned me, as everyone just watched her rant. She had drawn quite an attention to us at the spot, and everyone was now watching to see what would happen. Even I, was scared.


    ¡®What if she beats me mercilessly?¡¯


    ¡°Say something you bloody fool! If it weren¡¯t for yesterday, then I wouldn¡¯t have to hear this shit today! Did you hypnotize him or what?!¡± She cussed angrily again, as she lunged towards me in a sh and dragged my hair.


    It was quite tangled and I had notbed it for days except doing the hand untangling, which made me almost lose my mind to pain. Mason tried to grab her by the arm and yank her away from me immediately, but a loud voice was enough to stop me from losing half of my hair.


    ¡°Do you think she is actually the reason why we broke up?¡± I heard Damien¡¯s voice, and I hated that moment immediately.


    ¡°Dam¡­ien,¡± she broke into weakness, as she tried to move closer to him, ¡°Is this a prank or you are serious?¡± She asked sadly.


    ¡°I got a new person. The trends have to change,¡± he said nonchntly, and the crowd booed. It was really humiliating for Madison, but he held her head high up and shed an angry eye at him. Yet, he didn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°And who is she?!¡± Madison raged.


    ¡°Do you want me to bring her out in the crowd now, and kiss her?¡± Damien said with a smirk, as he gazed hard at me from where he was standing.


    ¡®Wait? What was he trying to do here?¡¯

 Scandals

    DABBY


    ¡°You got a new girl already?! Are you kidding Damien? Have you been two-timing?!¡± Madison rushed so many questions at him, and he just let out a derisive smirk and turned to her.


    ¡°Do you know how disgusting it is to deal with you? Just a little breakup and you call the crowd. You really suck,¡± he said to her face, and she could not hold her tears again.


    ¡°So, who is your new girl? I am sure she cannot be any better than me! She would never be,¡± Madison didn¡¯t give up still, and continued to shout and scream in anger.


    ¡°You know what? I am sick of you, bitch. And that is why we are breaking up. I never want to see your face anywhere around me,¡± he warned icily, ¡°And also, for my new girlfriend. She doesn¡¯t have to be better than you. In fact, she might be a nerd, you know. A really innocent and clueless nerd,¡± he emphasized on thest word, and continued to give me a very disgusting look. I hated that.


    Mason noticed what was going on between me and Damien, and just helped me leave the scene immediately to the back of the school building. It was quite a good spot for rxation, which looked like it had not been in our school the whole time.


    That was when I realized that I had been too much of an indoor and closeted person, that I had not even had time to see around the school by myself. I was really d to know I had a friend.


    But there was nothing more refreshing to me at this point, than to know that Madison¡¯s influence finally got cut into half, since Damien already broke up with her. Though I really pitied her when she was sobbing so profusely, I could not afford to be nice to someone who had made my life too miserable.


    ¡°How is living with your step brother? Isn¡¯t it suffocating?¡± Mason suddenly asked, after he gave me a cupcake from the small box he was holding.


    My eyes widened immediately as I tried to prevent him from talking, and reminded him with a hand signal that he had promised not to talk about both of us in the same sentence. Damien would kill me if the word got out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dabby. There is no one around here, and it is like some kind of abandoned ce I found this morning while touring around. Besides, everyone is all busy with their darlings,¡± Mason assured me, and I chuckled.


    ¡°It is not that bad. Not totally bad,¡± I lied, and quickly bit on the cake so as not to bite my lips. He was quite observant and he could find out that I was lying. I definitely could not afford any problem between him and Damien because of me.


    ¡°Why does it sound like you are not telling the truth? I do not think that he can be any nice, considering the way he treats you in school. He is rude amidst all that,¡± Mason almost said in anger, as he passed a bottle of water to me again.


    My mind briefly wandered to how the friendship versus rtionship group would be, since Damien had broken up with the leader of the female squad. I imagined if that would mean that the others would have to break up with their friends, or that the squads would have to operate differently.


    ¡®I do not think so,¡¯ my mind countered, ¡®Friendship should not be like that.¡¯


    ¡°Can you hear me, Dabby?¡± Mason¡¯s voice jolted me out of my thoughts, and I just gave a weird chuckle like I heard any other thing he had said all along.


    ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy living with him. But I try my best to avoid him, you know. And we have different hobbies, likes,nes,¡± I told Mason to assure him, but the truth was the fact that I and Damien shared the samene even in the huge house. Just one stair led to both our rooms.


    ¡°You think talking with your mum would work? About how hostile Damien is to you?¡± Mason tried to think of the possible best solution for me, and I was really grateful to him.


    But I could never tell him that both our parents were on a vacation, and that we were the only ones left in the house by ourselves. He would probably hate the idea, and I didn¡¯t want to saddle him with my own responsibilities when we just became close friends.


    ¡°No. It is fine. I really am doing great,¡± I faked a smile to assure him over and over again, that Damien had nothing on me. But he did have a lot on me.


    ¡°Try to be happy, okay. And I would be there to make sure that all these terrible people, don¡¯t ruin your day in this school again. And with Damien, you only have a few months with him till you are out of highschool,¡± Mason reminded me of that fact, and I smiled genuinely this time around.


    ¡®That was actually true. I could just put up with all this for a few months, and I would be fine after high school. Our lives would be totally separate then. Yes, I could do it.¡¯


    ¡°So what do you like doing? Your hobbies?¡± I asked instead, and I was surprised that I could actually ask about someone without being asked first. Maybe because I didn¡¯t get to hold real life conversations that much, I didn¡¯t know what I was capable of doing.


    ¡°I like ying games and graphic designing. I like sports too. Basketball and swimming to be precise,¡± he said, and I was really surprised to know he did all that, ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°ying games. Music. Cooking. Reading too. Nothing really fantastic,¡± I responded.


    ¡°You know reading is a really good thing that not many people enjoy. I suck at academics,¡± he confessed and I chuckled.


    ¡°And I think swimming too is a really good thing not everyone can be good at,¡± I uttered, when I remembered how I almost drowned in the pool back home. I then realized something.


    Even if Damien always acted like a jerk and like someone who doesn¡¯t care about other people, he had some soft side to him even if he never showed it.


    If he was a really terrible person that hated me as much as he imed, he would have just allowed me to just die and drown while pretending like he was not at home at that particr time.


    ¡®Maybe he would have been beaten by guilt if that happened, or maybe we just both needed time to adjust to one another. Whatever it was, time would tell.¡¯Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Mason and I returned back to ss for the second period, which lots of students didn¡¯t end up attending anyway because they were still loving their moment.


    When it was time for lunch, I suggested that we both went to the library to study, and Mason insisted that we both went to eat lunch. I just tagged along and followed behind him like a scaredy-cat, because I couldn¡¯t reject my friend¡¯s idea to go and eat.


    We both settled down to eat, and the eyes that were boring at us from every corner of the rook was quite palpable. They would probably worry or think endlessly in their minds, about how Dabby managed to be friends with the new hot guy in school.


    Or they would wonder endlessly about why Mason chose to be friends with someone like me, when it was so obvious that so many others would effortlessly like to be his friend. It felt so good.


    When I and Mason walked back to our ss through the hallway after lunch, I could hear side talks that aligned perfectly with the eyes that kept looking at me. And with time, I could hear those words loudly.


    ¡°Heard Damien broke up with Madison because of that nerd bitch.¡±


    ¡°It was after the incident that happened yesterday with her friend challenging Damien, and he got angry that Madison caused him problems.¡±


    ¡°I cannot believe that someone like her would put Madison in a pickle. Maybe she deserved what she got though.¡±


    ¡°And what does the new guy see in the ugly duckling and freak anyway?¡±


    ¡°Wow, she is impressive. Made herself a subject between two hot guys. What beautiful slutty talent.¡±


    Those words I heard that flew right into my ears, really hurt more than being hit or thrown against the floor. I hated to know that they were using me of things I didn¡¯t do, and ming me for Madison¡¯s misfortune.


    Mason just grabbed my hand and walked me to ss without even minding anything they said, as we took our seat only to more ring eyes.


    ¡°The more you mind them, the more they get to you, Dabby. You are stronger than all these,¡± he whispered to me, and I let out a wry smile instead of tears. I just hated that I cried too much at any little difort.


    I wanted to be strong minded too. I wanted to be someone who didn¡¯t let people¡¯s words get to her, and just did her own thing without minding. I wished to be someone who could just live her life freely without having to sumb to trash, but I was far from that.


    And maybe I couldn¡¯t be. Because the moment I checked the student forum for the next ss in line, there was an anonymous news article that was published there already. And it killed my spirit immediately.

 Truth spills

    DABBY:


    ¡®I guess I couldn¡¯t just be the cool girl, ever. I could never be cool. Words would surely get to me and hurt me. And I couldn¡¯t even hide the hurt. I would break down too. That was who I was.¡¯


    Mason spent so many minutes trying to console me where we sat, and I just continued to stare in the space of how someone would do such to me. I wondered what exactly I had done that would make someone post such derogatory statements about me.


    The headlines read: Dabby gets guard from new hot student, in exchange for sexual favors. Is she nning such a thing with Damien too?


    Ps: He mentioned a nerd being his next girlfriend.


    Maybe she isn¡¯t as innocent as cute as we thought her to be ¨C A cute whore and bitch.


    The news I read over and over again was too much for me to handle, as I tried to remain unaffected by it throughout ss but it was hard. Mason soon realized what had happened which got so many students talking, and he was very displeased with it from the look of his face.


    I could not even understand how my life had gone from being a freak and bullied, to a whore and cyber-bullied in just a few weeks. It was too much for my little heart to handle.


    ¡°I would make sure to bring the post down, and get the person that posted it,¡± Mason assured me severally, but his words weren¡¯t even cating me in any way because everyone had seen the news already. It didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    ¡°Do you know that the more you cry, the more your face gets fatter and never goes back to shape?¡± Mason uttered suddenly, and I raised my crying face which was initially buried in my palm to face him. It was quite a shock because I had never heard that before.


    And to be honest, it kind of got to me because I couldn¡¯t afford to get a face that keeps on getting puffy. I had a tiny face and yet my sses would not fit well. It would be worse if it became that way.


    ¡°Who said that?¡± I sniffed while trying not to make a mess of my face in his presence, and he passed me a handkerchief almost immediately.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I cried a lot too, when I was young. My aunt who was a dermatologist told me that, since I loved looking so good too. And since then, I wouldn¡¯t cry any more even if things got tough. That was how I was able to keep this pretty face of mine,¡± he boasted with a cute smile, and I rolled my eyes funnily with a smile too


    ¡°I am going to check the inte. I do not believe that,¡± I sniffed as I looked at him suspiciously, ready to bring out my phone.


    ¡°Do you think the inte gives all the urate information? If it was that way, then people wouldn¡¯t have to practice some professions again because the inte knows everything. But this piece of information that I have given you, is a dermatologist secret,¡± he said to me and I smiled again and again.


    His words kind of worked its way into my heart and made it better, as I collected the bottle of water he passed to me and gulped it. My eyes were really puffy already, and it got hard to see clearly.


    However, someone with a familiar scent began to walk closer to where we were standing, that I knew who it was already.


    ¡®Why do those steps look like the person was angry? Goodness. Was it news that made him that pissed? Why was heing close?¡¯


    I quickly got my sses and put them on immediately. Damien got to where we were, and I saw the look on his face which was quite a pissed expression. Mason was ring at him too, and the meeting wasn¡¯t a friendly one again.


    ¡®Shit. What do I do?¡¯


    ¡°I want to see you briefly,¡± he turned to me in an authoritative tone, and I hurriedly stood up so that nothing would happen between the two. I didn¡¯t want to mess up everything.


    ¡°Sir down, Dabby,¡± Mason held my left arm and made me sit back, ¡°If he is not polite enough to make you stand up on your ord, then there is no need for both of you to meet,¡± Mason continued.


    ¡°Get up, Dabby. This is only pertaining to both of us,¡± Damienmanded again, and Mason was still holding my arm to prevent me from standing up. I became confused and tensed up.


    ¡°Is there anything that you want?¡± I struggled to ask Damien, and he responded with a re. He wasn¡¯t joking, and I was still sitting.


    ¡°You do not get to treat her however you like, because she is a gentle soul. And for the mess that you made, are you even going to get it cleaned up?¡± Mason asked Damien in a derisive tone, and he was forced to reply to him.


    ¡°Anything that happens and whoever I wish to speak to, is not your business. Get out of my face, arsehole!¡± Damien shot back at Mason, who just gave a disdainful smirk, as he gazed at him still.


    ¡°And the fact that she is your stepsister gives you the right to disrespect her?!¡± Mason almost pushed Damien who was reallying closer to him like he was ready for a fight, which made my heart drop and shatter into pieces.


    Mason ended up saying the angry words to Damien in the heat of the moment, the truth that I had promised him that no one would ever know. Though I had told Mason before he came to this school at all, there was no way that Damien would believe me ever. I was doomed.


    At Mason¡¯s words, Damien froze in the spot and paused, he directed a murderous look to where I was sitting. Mason too realized what he had said and just looked at me too, which became a dilemma for me instantly.


    Damien just turned to leave our sight so angrily, and I knew that I was done for. There was no way that Damien wasn¡¯t going to make my life hell in that house.


    I couldn¡¯t even hear Mason¡¯s apology properly for spilling the bean, as my mind and head became nk already from the whole saga that had happened to me in just one day.


    My hands and feets became numb and tired, my face pale as bleak, and my lips stiff. We both walked to the bus stop slowly this time, and I couldn¡¯t even respond to any conversation.


    It got Mason really bothered that I wasn¡¯t being responsive, but there was no way that I could be any better at that moment. I decided to call mum again. So many things had happened already in their absence, and they needed toe back quickly.


    ¡°Abby, darling. I miss you so much. It is so lonely without you here. But guess what? This is the second country vacation already. We are in Cuba presently. I am having the time of my life,¡± she said happily and I frowned.


    ¡°You do not miss me and you do not need to lie about it. When are youing back?¡± I tried to sound as angry as possible, even if I was truly angry but unable to show it.


    ¡°Sweetie. I am really sorry our vacay is taking this long. And I really do miss you. Are things going well between you and your brother?¡± She asked excitedly again, and it got me even more infuriated.


    There was nothing to be happy about and she just kept squeaking. I figured out that nothing could make her give me the answers I needed at that point.


    ¡°We are doing great. Have a nice day too,¡± I said to her, and she quickly stopped me.


    ¡°Wait. I¡¯ll send you more money, okay. Just have the best time of your life, and enjoy your youth,¡± she said as she groaned slowly and chuckled again, which made me hang up immediately, only to hear her moan silently before the phone went off.


    I could not believe her.


    She was having the best time of her life yet, her daughter was going home to get killed by her husband¡¯s son. It became difficult to imagine how I and Damien would live peacefully in the same house for months, without things ending up bad for me especially.


    ¡®Or maybe I could just run away and not go home for the remaining few days, till mum calls to inform me that she was ready toe back home. Maybe that would just be the best.¡¯ I had so many thoughts that couldn¡¯t help me think straight.


    The truth was too hard to swallow, because I knew it wouldn¡¯t even be easy. I had to n an undetected return to the house to grab my clothes, and then get enough money ready to go stay at an inn or somewhere cheap.


    I wouldn¡¯t also go to school again for those days too, because it would still pretty much be the same fate. Then the school authority would call my mother after I miss school for days, and she would probably be forced to return back to the city, because I would put off my phone and make it unreachable.


    Sounded like a perfect n to be free from Damien¡¯s wrath, and to get my mother and his father to return back home earlier than they nned.


    And with my perfect nning after roaming around the town for hours, I could see myself standing in front of the gate that led to thepound. I couldn¡¯t go anywhere. I did not have the bravery.


    ¡®So, I would just die by Damien¡¯s hands tonight.¡¯

 She was screwed 1

    DAMIEN:


    I had nned to break up with Madison on lover¡¯s day at school, and it worked out perfectly when she called again that morning, that she was in school already waiting for me. I left home a few minutes before school time, and got to the school park, to see her waiting there for me.


    She looked so happy to see me as she ran to hug me so tight, boasting that she knew I loved her too much not to talk to her for that long. I just smirked, and allowed her to do whatever she wanted to do.


    ¡°So what surprise do you have for me?¡± She giggled in excitement, and it made me chuckle more in maliciousness. The surprise I was about to give her was going to be too crazy to bear.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two months since we started dating, right? And you seem to be the only one I have dated the longest,¡± I pointed out facts one by one, and she was not cautious about the fact that something was about to go wrong.


    ¡°Of course, Damien. I am the realest one amongst them bitches,¡± She bragged with a signature swag, and hugged me again so happily like something grand wasing for her.


    ¡°So, on that beautiful note. I am breaking up with you, Madison,¡± I informed her casually with her body still resting against mine, and she slowly began to pull away like she experienced some kind of electric shock. Funny.


    ¡°What ¡­what, do you mean? Stop making me scared, man. I almost thought you were serious,¡± sheughed so loudly and my facial expression became stoic, because I couldn¡¯t waste anymore time standing there with her.


    ¡°Not a joke, Madison. I am breaking up with you,¡± I told her loud and clear again this time, and she gave me the bewildered look on her face first before she lost it.


    ¡°What the fuck are you saying Damien? Stop messing with my head and let us get things straight. We are meant to be having the best time of our lives, not fighting here over petty things,¡± she suppressed the anger in her as she spoke back to me. She sure had the nerves because we were once lovers.


    ¡°And before you go into another rtionship, change that disgusting character of yours that thinks only she is the best, and that you can get whatever you want. I¡¯m fucking around with you, just to teach you a lesson that you¡¯ve got nothing on me. Adios,¡± I bade her a farewell, and locked my car instantly and was about to leave.


    ¡°You are the one who needs a change! Do you know how hard it is to keep up with someone like you? You hide too much, never say even if asked, and you are also so rude and wicked. Do you know how exhausting it is to love you?¡± She tried not to cry as she came for me, still making sure to put her words in check how to talk to me.


    ¡°You got what you wanted. The fame. Influence. Poprity and even more followers by dating me. This rtionship was simply parasitic because I was getting nothing from you. Anyways, bye Maddy. Never cross my part any longer. We are done!¡± I warned her, the same way I usually told my other exes or flings after breaking up with them.


    There were quite a number of them in our school too, and they were all probably my anti-fans already. Thest rtionship before Madison was with a cute blonde girl, and she almost got beaten up by one of her best friends who was once my ex from another school.


    I had quite a few rtionships, and more flings. It wasn¡¯t like I enjoyed it all as a gold medal or something, but I went for girls who were of very high standards and gave me their full attention. Once I was tired of them, I abandoned them before they could even n to do that.


    ¡°I cannot believe you finally broke up with Madison. That is a relief man,¡± Xavier puffed a smoke and let out a stifledughter.


    ¡°She be doing too much. Her personality is totally wack. So much for those fake titties,¡± Bryan added disdainfully, finally able to express how much he hated that I was dating her.


    The craziest part was that they both hated one another, and just tried to keep it safe because her third friend was dating him. They couldn¡¯t stand each other in the same space. Reasons why she was not so close with Brittany.


    ¡°No man. Those are real. Totally real,¡± I tried to get rid of that impression of her, ¡°And also, even your babes are nasty too. They are almost the same as Madison.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°No man. Nah. Nah,¡± both of them chorused the same time in disagreement to what I said.


    ¡°Brittany is all brains, man, even if she kinda sucks too,¡± Bryan defended.


    ¡°Maeve knows when not to act up, man. She knows that the moment she is acting up like Madison, she¡¯s out. That bitch too possessive and jealous,¡± Xavier stated his own point, and I didn¡¯t even mind them.


    Anything they said or would say about Madison didn¡¯t matter to me anymore, because we were done for good. I was going to finally check my DM for chicks who wanted me, and pick the one who does it best.


    As I and my friend strode down the hallway with our favorite hangout at school in mind, we saw a crowd and soon realized what was going on when I heard Madison¡¯s loud voice. She was ming someone for our breakup and wondered who that could be.


    ¡®Maybe she figured out the chick I had a fling with at the club,¡¯ I shrugged.


    Listening to her words so clearly and watching how she dragged Dabby by the hair, I just chuckled and watched the scene of her struggling to pull herself from an angry Madison.


    ¡®Such a fool. She cannot even help herself in any way.¡¯

 She was screwed 2

    Damien¡¯s POV


    When I saw her friend try to help her from Madison¡¯s strong grip, that was when I decided to say something, ¡°Who told you she was the reason we broke up?¡± I asked, this time with a really stern voice. The attention of everyone was now on me.


    I told Madison off and warned her never toe near me again, by also informing of her characters that were really annoying. She decided to make the breakup public by getting all worked up and fighting Dabby, and I made sure to give her the right taste of public humiliation.


    When the entire saga was done and I left with my friends, they went to y basketball on the court while I just sat down to watch them.


    I was once a very good basketball yer and loved doing it when I was younger, but Dad disapproved of it and said sports would only kill his high dreams for me. The one time I didn¡¯t do well in literature, he said sports made me a failure because I was too engrossed in it.


    So I didn¡¯t even mind anything and anyone again. Both sports and academics. I just preferred living up to his wealth, and my really good looks.


    I was checking some things on my phone as I watched my friends y, when I suddenly remembered that I had to send an email to an address at a specific working hour. It was for someone all the way to the Czech republic, to help me confirm the personal details of a particr person.


    I received the request-answer mail in the box yesterday, and left the papers in my wardrobe forgetting that I needed it. Quickly, I informed Xavier that I was leaving and got my car keys immediately.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    By the time I got to the gate of the house and wanted to open it, I discovered that I couldn¡¯t find the keys to the house main door. That was when I remembered that I had forgotten it at home because I left earlier than Dabby, and didn¡¯t have to lock the door with my own keys that morning.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I muttered in anger as I entered back into the car, and drove back to school and quickly as I could. Finding Dabby was harder.


    I tried to look everywhere for her without making it look so suspicious that I was, when I found out about the fake news someone posted on the school forum. I didn¡¯t bother about it because all I had on my mind was how I would find her, and collect her own keys secretly.


    Heard some girls talking about when she left the ss in tears and the direction she went, and luckily I found her around the area after searching around for a while. She was with her stupid, dumb friend and it got me really pissed.


    Nevertheless, I walked over to where she was sitting and demanded to see her, but that pale-faced dude just had to be a jerk. He told her to sit if I didn¡¯t call her with respect, and it made me go bonkers even more that I wanted to punch him hard in the face.


    They were both wasting my time and it was really annoying. We almost engaged in an intense fight, and I promised myself that if he overstepped his boundaries, I wouldn¡¯t be the bigger person and punch him hard. I had learnt taekwondo and judo years ago when I was on a vacation to China.


    It was a really good experience and I loved it. I went on a vacation to see my mother¡¯s younger sister, and she was really good to me. Her son and I became best of friends over the weeks, but dad suddenly came back from his business trip and took me away.


    I begged so much that I wanted to be with them, but he was so adamant that I wasn¡¯t focusing on my education. It had been a really long time, and I still hated him for it. I also never heard from her again.


    The moment Daddy¡¯s friend mentioned that we were step siblings at the time I least expected, I was so disappointed that Dabby could not be trusted, just because she managed to get a new friend. I casted a wicked look on her, and left in anger immediately.


    I couldn¡¯t get the keys at the end, and her friend already knew that we lived in the same house. It sucked. I hated it. I hated Dabby even more for being a nerd bitch. She wasn¡¯t trustworthy at all.


    It made me feel so uncool and extremely furious, that I was being vulnerable to the new guy just because of Dabby. He had seen some ugly sides of me, talked rudely to me because of her, and now found out that the hottest guy in school had a nerd girl sister.


    ¡®I would make Dabby¡¯s life hell.¡¯

 Bad, bad things 1

    DABBY


    As I made my way into the house after opening the main door, my body trembled in fear so much of what would happen. There was no sign that someone could be in the house or not, as all the lights to the living room were turned off.


    My breath and hand became shaky as I put on the lights, to see that everywhere looked like no one had been inside, after I left in the morning.


    ¡®Was Damien out of the house?¡¯


    My feets struggled to move themselves from the floor towards the stairs, so that I could just climb up and run to my room immediately to lock the door behind me. However, my peace was cut short after someone entered through the main door and shut it. I was just midway up the stairs.


    He looked so angry and vexed like someone that was waiting to pounce on his prey, as he gazed so angrily at me enough to make me wet my pants. I knelt down immediately and began to apologize.


    ¡°I am sorry. Please, I didn¡¯t mean to ¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the heck up, Dabby. And get over here!¡± Hemanded, and all I saw was a long leather belt held firmly in his left hand. His clothes looked slightly disheveled too. My eyes bulged out in fear.


    ¡®Was he going to whip me with that?¡¯


    ¡°I swear, I am not like that. Mason and I became friends before he came to town, and we already chatted about you before. That was how he found out. I didn¡¯t tell him anything I swear,¡± I began to cry profusely as I pleaded with Damien, so that he wouldn¡¯t do whatever he was nning to do.


    ¡°So you go around talking shit about me to your friends?!¡± Damien¡¯s anger escted even more by my words that were meant to even make him calm down.


    ¡°No. No. I do not. I just told him that I have a stepbrother after mum remarried. Please believe me, I am telling the truth,¡± I cried even more worse than that I have ever done, because I was already too scared by Damien¡¯s fury.


    ¡°Do you know how long I had to wait outside because you obeyed that stupid friend of yours?! Do you?! Do you have any idea about the information I had to lose today because of you?!¡± He raged over and over again as he moved closer, and I began to run out of any cating words to say to him.


    No exnation could be usible enough for him to spare me, and begging seemed to even make things worse. I had really done bad against him because Mason didn¡¯t let me answer him, and I had caused more problems for myself.


    ¡°I really want to do so many things to you, right now. p, kick, throw you out of the house this night, or even lock you up in your room for days so that I would feel better. And I can do all these things I said really well. But you¡¯ll probably die of guilt before I even do anything,¡± he spat out so angrily, and I trembled.


    ¡®He sure knew so many wicked things to do to me. Was he a psycho?¡¯


    Without saying any further, he stormed towards the stairs and I stood up quickly from my kneeling position. He was so angry that I was so scared that he might change his mind, and I grabbed him by the arm to apologize again.


    ¡°I am sorry. Please forgive me,¡± I pleaded again.


    ¡°Get off me!¡± He screamed and pushed me away from holding him, and I lost my bnce immediately from being forcefully flung away. My body flew in the air.


    My head hit the stairs first and my body followed suit with a loud thud, and I ended up rolling down the stairs to hit the hard floor. I probably broke a few bones or more in the process, but I begged my breath to cease so that¡¯ll just die. Maybe it wasn¡¯t just my time yet.


    ~~~~


    ¡°The injury should heal in a week or two. Though she is fragile and small, her skin is really good. Even her bones are quite strong,¡± the certified nurse at the pharmacy said, as she dressed the wound on my head after stitching it. She said it could have been worse.


    I just cried inwardly the whole time my head was sewn, and my arm too was bandaged because I had sprained it a bit. I could still use it to do my normal stuff ording to her, but I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t even use it to pick a pen.


    Damien waited outside till I was done, and I couldn¡¯t even face him after the nurse was done. She prescribed some drugs too and packed them for me, as she exined how I would be so careful not to wet the surfaces of the wound, because I would have toe back to remove the stitch and redress the wound.


    He was so mute and had nothing to say, that I wondered why he hated me so much to not be able to offer a word offort. He just paid for the medical expenses as I waited for him outside, trying not to cry as much as I wanted to.


    ¡®How do I exin a stitch on my head or a twisted arm to anyone? Would I even be able to go to school tomorrow?¡¯


    Damien came out to see me standing outside and he paused on his tracks, as if he had something to say to me instead of proceeding to enter the car. He remained like that without saying anything for minutes.


    I suddenly remembered that we usually never went anywhere together, as I quickly turned away from where he was, and began to walk ahead towards where I would probably get a cab. He brought me as fast as he could from home, and I wouldn¡¯t expect him to take me back home.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡®He hated me after all.¡¯

 Bad, Bad things 2

    DABBY:


    ¡°Where the fuck are you going to?!¡± I heard Damien¡¯s voice yell from behind, and I flinched immediately as my legs came to a halt.


    I turned back to look at him and he was really pissed, which made me wonder what I had done again. I was too tired and stressed to even answer his question, because I needed my remaining strength to remain sane throughout the night.


    ¡°Get into the car,¡± He ordered gently, and walked over to enter through the driver¡¯s seat.


    I just watched sluggishly in the way I could towards the car, and struggled to open the door of the car because I was holding my drugs in the good arm. He just acted like he didn¡¯t realize that I was struggling. I hated everything.


    I decided to drop the packaged nylon on the car first so that I would open the door, and he pushed the door open from inside probably when he realized that I was going to take forever.


    The drive was really silent and I could even barely breathe, as I prayed desperately in my heart for peace. I was too emotionally exhausted for more drama, and I decided to make up my mind about living as a member of the Anderson family.


    I would just have to discuss it with Mum if she returned back from her love trip, that I wanted to go andplete my education at aunt¡¯s. Living with Damien longer than I have done, could end up killing me.


    In less than two weeks of living together as a family, I had suffered physically, mentally and emotionally. My life had taken an uninteresting turn, and it was too painful to handle the aftermath. I didn¡¯t want to take it anymore.


    Iid still on my bed throughout the night finding it hard to sleep, because I kept having raging headaches that kept me up. Maybe it was the pressure I had in me that made me that way, because the next morning was even harder.


    It was really hard trying to bathe myself, wash my hair and even put on my clothes, because I had to go to school regardless of what happened the previous day.


    There was no way I wanted to stay at home, even with how I was feeling.  Without Damien¡¯s help, I had nned my day.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I packed my hair in a style that covered my stered head, and wore a really big sweatshirt that would conceal my cast. Breakfast would be at the nearest cafe shop, and I would call a cab to pick me to school.


    By the time I stepped out of my room fully dressed with the assurance that Damien would still be sleeping, he was sitting on thergest in the living room which startled me. I became confused because I didn¡¯t know what to do or say, and just made to leave through the door since we had no business with one another.


    ¡°You are going to school like that?¡± I heard his voice inquire as I turned to see if he was really talking to me.


    ¡°Unhm. Yes,¡± I replied quickly, and stepped out of the house before he would get angry that I didn¡¯t do something right again.


    My body was aching so badly all over, and I wanted to cry so much. On my way to eat breakfast, I lost my appetite and just called a cab. My will to be happy was lost, and I felt like dying. Mum wasn¡¯t even calling.


    I got to school quite early only to realize that Damien¡¯s dad had called me the night before, with my phone on silent mode throughout. Without any idea of what to do, I wondered if I should call back or just ignore it.


    On my way to ss after the bell for first period rang, I was struggling to walk because I felt so weak. It seemed like the article that was posted had been deleted too, and no one was giving me that bad look again except the creeps.


    I started to regreting to school, when I should have just stayed at home regardless of whatever happened. Someone suddenly grabbed me from behind, and I screamed.


    ¡°You bitch! Tell me exactly what you were doing with Damienst night!¡± I heard the bitter voice as soon as my hair was grabbed, and I yelled louder than I have ever done which took her and her friends aback. My body felt like it was being disassembled.


    Madison shed the phone before my eyes, and It was a picture of me and Damien from the pharmacyst night. Someone had probably seen us and taken the pictures. My head became nk. I became more tired.


    ¡°Can you not answer me?!¡± Madison demanded furiously from me, still dragging my hair, as one of her friends hit my head from behind in malice. I lost myst strength.


    And on the floor I copsed immediately, as the girls became scared and let me go. They asked what they had done to make me be like that in fear, and I could hear nothing but muffled screams and talks. I had be too empty in me. I wanted forever peace. Not my soul.

 An excuse for misery 1

    DABBY:


    I might have wanted to be unconscious for a longer time, or better still fall into aa even if it wasn¡¯t something to hope for. But I was too stressed out of my mind. Everything had be really exhausting, that I didn¡¯t want to try anymore.


    By the time I opened my eyes hourster after copsing, I was lying on one of the beds in the school infirmary. An IV was passed to my arm, and it seemed like my arm had bandaged all over again.


    The pains I was feeling before were all gone, and everything just felt like nothing had happened at all. Except for the fact that my head almost split open the previous day, and the fact that I was lying on a hospital bed instead of sitting in ss.


    There was no one around and it really felt so lonely and sad, because it was too painful to feel like no one even cared if I died. The patience my hope had was wearing thin, and I couldn¡¯t imagine living this kind of pathetic, ostracized life too in college.


    I let my thoughts get to me the more, giving me reasons to be sadder than ever. There was nothing I wanted to console myself with, and there were literally no good memories to reminisce about.


    Maybe I had one.


    ¡°Dabby. You are finally awake,¡± I heard Mason¡¯s cheerful voice say as he adjusted the bed curtains, and drew a stool closer to the bed to sit beside me.


    I became really happy. Everything that was dying in me, found a sce by Mason¡¯s kind actions. It was really touching to see that someone cared that I was not okay, and that he was happy to see me.


    ¡°I am doing great¡± I answered really slowly, while trying to blow breathe onto my flustered face using my idle left hand. I was getting the urge to cry really badly, and they were happy tears. I was not alone, and someone cared.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I brought you this-get-well-soon yogurts and sausage. There are cookies and chocte. Heard that it helps to release hormones that make people happy,¡± Mason told me, as he dropped the nylon of snacks on the nearest table, and tried to get the chocte out of its wrapper, ¡°Have a bit.¡±


    ¡°This is really delicious. Thank you, Mason. I am really thankful,¡± I seethed with a bright smile as I took a bite of the chocte, and happy tears ended up rolling down my eyes.


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± he conceded, and took a nce at my face like he was really eager to say something to me.


    ¡°How did I get here?¡± I asked in curiosity. I was kind of sure that Madison ran off with her friends.


    ¡°I heard what happened from a random girl in ss, and rushed here to see you being attended to by the nurse. What really happened? Why do you have a stered head, and an almost broken arm? Is it him?¡± Mason asked so many questions at the same time, with some kind of persuasive authority in his voice.


    Regardless of how much I wanted to tell Mason the truth and cry on his shoulders, I couldn¡¯t afford to get screwed by Damien all over. I didn¡¯t even want to talk about him.


    ¡°No, no. It is not. I fell from the stairs. Missed my steps when I ran down.¡±


    ¡°Hunh. Why does your story seem usible and imusible at the same time? Like you are leaving out some information on purpose,¡± Mason spected with doubt on his face while looking at me, and I tried so much not to shift my eyes away from his. Else, I would get caught.


    ¡°It is my clumsiness, Mason,¡± I pressed.


    ¡°So, that was what the photos in front of the pharmacy were about,¡± Mason mouthed, and my eyes widened at his words.


    ¡°How do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°I challenged Madison and she showed the pictures in anger, saying some gibberish about you and Damien together. Very dumb talks,¡± Mason blurted out irritatedly, and I just let out sigh of inward peace


    ¡°It was so relieving to see that the pictures were ones of when we stood in front of the pharmacy. What if it was when we both entered the same car? I would probably be dead now with the number of girls that would have trampled over me. How would I even have to exin it?¡± I panicked as I let out all my imaginations in words like a chatterbox, which made me even more amazed by the way I talked quite well, than I ever thought I could.


    ¡°I guess someone random must have seen you guys together, and taken the pictures to show Madison. Probably to make her react in this way. It is really a relief to see that you are doing well,¡± Mason spected what the perfect scenario would look like. He opened another pack of chocte and gave me another bar.


    ¡°It is probably hard for her to get over Damien. It ismon saying that once a girl is really into Damien and falls for him, it is usually hard to get over him even if he ends the rtionship first. He is a total yer,¡± I uttered with some kind of anger in me, emphasizing on the jast sentence.


    ¡°I do not give two fucks about him. And for, Madison, she is really immature and obnoxious. I wonder who made her leader of such school activities,¡± Mason stated, and I just chuckled. It sure was nice having him around. ¡°Wait. Was it your mum or his dad that asked him to take you to the pharmacy? Have you not told them already?¡±


    ¡°Do you not have ss?¡± I suddenly remembered, and turned to look at him with surprise pretending like I didn¡¯t hear thetter. ording to the time, it was past lunch time, and he was still with me in the infirmary.


    ¡°I do not have any ss. For now,¡± he answered, and I had my doubts about that, ¡°You have not answered me, Dabby.¡±


    ¡°They do not know anything, and they want us to bond well. I want them to enjoy their personal time as newly weds peacefully,¡± I told the partial truth to Mason. There was no way him finding out that we were home alone would do anyone any good.


    He gave me this doubtful look, and I just grinned.

 An excuse for misery 2

    DABBY:


    ¡°So about not having sses, I know that it is a lie. You said you hate studying, so it wouldn¡¯t be any surprise to see your skipping ss,¡± I diverted the direction of the talk immediately.


    ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t want to go to ss. I mean it has only been a few days, but I am sick of school already,¡± heined.


    ¡°Go on. Take notes, so that I can write from yours too. Then we can study together,ter,¡± I urged him, and he had a sneer in his face like he was about to puke.


    ¡°Nah. No studying together. Just fun,¡± he disagreed.


    ¡°Of course. No studying. But please go and take the notes first. Thank you¡­¡­¡± I urged him to stand up, and he reluctantly turned to leave.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to miss any important notes and sses, because I could never ask any other person for theirs. There was no one to even ask.


    And I also had to ace all my courses, so that I would be able to get into the university faster. To study the course of my choice; Medicine.


    ¡°Rest well, okay,¡± he called to me the moment he was almost at the door.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Of course, I will,¡± I assured him, and immediately put down the drape of the hospital bed. Mason was the only person I could rely on.


    I was able to drift into a long sleep again after Mason left, and it really rejuvenated me to life after so many restless nights. I was discharged at the end of the day after school closing hours, and Mason was already waiting with a cab outside the school building.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you shoulde to school tomorrow considering how messy you are. Just tell your parents and rest at home,¡± Mason advised.


    ¡°It is really going to be boring, and the nurse said that I can do fine by myself. I think I am good to go,¡± I argued, knowing that I never wanted to stay home alone. It was sickening even though I wanted to avoid Damien at all cost.


    Instead of going home straight, I had a change of mind and decided to visit the arcade after the cab dropped me home. I wanted to y games for a long time and forget all my worries.


    When I got there and took my seat, I decided to y a duo game that I had been ying for a while. I had my username as DAYNNE.


    I was really good at the video game which was quite a popr one, and I had yed with quite a number of people as DAYNNE, even from school. No one knew it was me, and it was better that way. They often praised gaming skills.


    ¡®You are online today. It has been quite a while.¡¯ I saw the message pop on my user message, and I smiled. It was one of my toughest opponents, SMILEY. We often yed against one another and I often won against the user so many times. Smiley usually never gave up.


    ¡®Yeah. Ready to get beaten?¡¯ I typed, and it was replied with a mischievous smiling emoji.


    ¡®I will do the beating,¡¯ SMILEY texted back.


    We started ying for minutes, and I was finding it hard to navigate properly with my second hand. I was still doing it well though, but Smiley was really putting in so much more effort than usual.


    After a thirty minute duel against one another, Smiley won. The second time against me after so many games together. I justughed so loudly when Smiley sent the mockery emoji. It was so funny.


    I logged out after we were done with the first round, and got ready to leave the arcade. I wanted to shop for groceries since the refrigerator was almost empty, and also have dinner at a nearby restaurant before going back home.


    When I was done with everything that I wanted to do, I made my way back home with so much hope. I wanted to be happy at all costs, and I was trying to do that. As soon as I entered the house using my key, Damien was sitting on one of the luxurious couches in the living room like he was waiting for me.


    It was odd for him to be downstairs and not in his room, and I really didn¡¯t know how to act in that kind of situation. He had said we do not exist in each other¡¯s worlds, so it was better to ignore him like he didn¡¯t exist. His voice halted my feet on my way to the kitchen.


    ¡°Do you think it is unfair?¡± He suddenly asked, and I looked at him cluelessly. I wanted to know what he meant.


    ¡°What?¡± I almost stuttered.


    ¡°What do you mean, what? All these. Breaking an arm, tearing a skin, bing a subject for gossip, Madison¡¯s prey, and lots more,¡± he exined further with a grouchy voice, and I almost shook my head. It was too sad. Too sad for me to bear.


    ¡°No,¡± I let out an inaudible voice, and he snickered. He knew I was lying.


    ¡°That is what you get from associating with Damien Anderson. That is what you will experience, getting involved with me. So, just get your bags, phone your mum and get the fuck out of this house, if you want a peaceful life like before. Get my dad to divorce your mum!¡± He stated bitterly, and I raised my eyes which were looking downwards initially, straight to his own eyes.


    ¡®He just had to be mean till the end of everything.¡¯

 I don鈥檛 think I can leave 1

    Damien¡¯s POV


    Seeing Dabby back home after she spilled the truth to her friend was really infuriating, and I was thinking of possible ways to deal with her so much. I wanted her to realize that she shouldn¡¯t have messed with Damien Anderson.


    I had to be out all afternoon so as not to stay outside for too long, but she didn¡¯te back home so quickly after I was back, making things even worse for both of us. Seeing her made me so mad, that I threatened her that I could do so many things to her.


    The manner at which she acted when she entered the house even made me more pissed, and totally clueless to what I would do to her at that point. She looked terrified, like someone who had seen some ghost.


    I ordered her toe over to where I was standing, but she knelt down on the stairs and was begging. Even the way she was profusely crying and apologizing made it all frustrating.


    I just decided to leave before I did anything stupid that I would end up regretting, after yelling all I could to at least make me feel better. But she decided to cross the line with her clumsiness.


    As soon as I climbed the stairs to go to my room, she held my arm to apologize again and I flung her off out of anger. Down she rolled from the stairs to the floor level, and there was soon blood everywhere.


    I feared for a second that she might have died, when I realized what happened in the blink of an eye. I was honestly terrified. I chickened out, and had numerous bad thoughts immediately.


    ¡®If she really died, then my life was probably over. My entire career would be in jeopardy, and I would spend my entire life in jail, if I miraculously didn¡¯t appear on the deathroll list.¡¯


    Moving close to her body with a big doubt, I realized that she was still alive because I began to hear soft cries, and I heaved a sigh of relief. She stood up after a while when I moved so close, and held her head so tightly, which made me realize that she had broken her arm and head.


    Quickly, I got the car keys and urged her to enter the car, as we drove straight to the nearest pharmacy. I could not utter a word, and my heart was so rigid. I couldn¡¯t think too. My head was nk.


    ¡®It is your fault. You almost killed her. You are really heartless,¡¯ my heart scolded, and I sneered at my thoughts.


    ¡®I am not. It was her own fault. She held me even when I was angry, and kept apologizing ridiculously. She caused it for herself,¡¯ my brain countered. There was no way I was taking me for what Dabby caused for herself.


    I stayed outside the whole time that she had her wound dressed, still unable to think straight after anything. I was trying not to focus on my thoughts, mind and head, so I just plugged in my ear pods and listened to music.


    When I came out of the pharmacy to see her standing outside, I wanted to say any word that sounded right to her but couldn¡¯t even say anything. My mouth held stiff when I turned to her, totally clueless of what to say. I just ignored it and turned to go to where the car was parked.


    It was really annoying to see her turn from the direction of where the car was, and walk away to the opposite direction when I was waiting for her.


    I yelled at her toe back and get into the car. When I realized that it was going to be hard for her to open the car herself, I pushed it open and she entered immediately.


    Everything just ended so silently and cold, without any words from both of us till the next morning. I couldn¡¯t sleep well and woke up so tired, which made me go to the kitchen to get milk from the refrigerator. After I had drank almost three sses of milk, I sat in the living room wondering if Dabby was still breathing because of what happened the previous day.


    ¡®For all I knew, she might have done something wrong again.¡¯


    I was thinking she would not go to school again because of what happened, but I was surprised to see her fully dressed for school. It made me wonder how one could be so relentless and persistent, even if it meant sacrificing their rest and peace.


    I didn¡¯t mean to ask her any question about school, but it just dropped out of my deep curiosity. There was no reason for her to go to school, when she almost broke more than an arm yesterday.


    She replied to my question so curtly and stepped out so quickly, not giving me any chance to even say any other thing to her. I just sneered, and stood up from where I was sitting, to get ready for school. I was sick and tired of that shitty, enclosed space called school.


    I got to school almost at the same time as Dabby, and I saw her stepping into the school building from where I parked my car. Xavier and Bryan were around already, and it was only a matter of time before they called me.


    When I entered and made my way to ss, I witnessed the scene where Dabby slumped to the floor, as Madison and her friends ran away from the scene in fear. I would have ignored such a scenario in the past, but I remembered that she almost died the day before.


    I still could not afford to get entangled in any more disgusting scandal with her, so I called a random nerd I recognized from my ss. It was such a hassle to see her worst state, everytime.


    ¡°You.. you, calling me?¡± He stuttered while struggling to make eye contact with me, and I frowned. He and Dabby were just ridiculously alike.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Someone slumped in the hallway. Carry the person to the infirmary. Quickly,¡± I  ordered him, and turned away from the scene immediately. I couldn¡¯t be found associating with her.

 I don鈥檛 think I can leave 2

    Damien¡¯s POV


    Just as I was about to get to the ss, Madison crossed my part and shed a phone across my face immediately. It had an image of me and Dabby standing in front of the pharmacy.


    ¡°Exin this!¡± She gritted her teeth and gazed at me, as I huffed disdainfully and pushed her aggressively off my part and she staggered really badly. I had a change of mind again, and decided to say something that would make her lose her mind.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°And maybe I am on my mission of getting a nerd who is so much better than you!¡± I spat at her rude face, ¡°And if you try this again, Maddy. It wouldn¡¯t end with words,¡± I threatened, and she knew I meant it.


    She retreated immediately in fear, and started to shed a few tears on the spot. Her lips quivered as she murmured some rubbish, and her friends that were hiding initially came out to console her. It was a pity that she had not gotten used to the fact that I was not usually moved by irritating tears.


    sses were boring and I struggled to listen, knowing well that dad would throw tantrums if I didn¡¯t top the ss. It was all in the past that I usually did that so easily and loved the sess. Now, I just wrote whatever came to mind for exams, and waited for ¡®whatever¡¯ grades.


    During lunch, I coincidentally met with the nurse and asked if the person brought inside would wake up again, so that I wouldn¡¯t have to stress over things that were not worth it. The beautiful blonde gave the signs as we talked, and it would be a pleasure to hang out with a sexy nurse.


    Before sses for the day ended, Xavier suggested that we went over to his father¡¯s vacation house to hangout, and we bailed out of ss and went. They both came with their girlfriends, while I was the only one that was by myself. Bryanughed so hard at me, and Xavier suggested that I could call on one of the many girls I had.


    While they made out with their girlfriends on thewn, in the kitchen and anywhere possible, I just swam around in the pool and drank wine by myself. It wasn¡¯t so bad after all, and I liked that I was on my own.


    ¡®Maybe I needed more than the feeling of  being alone.¡¯


    I left the ce earlier than they did, and told them that I had ns for some other things. When I got home and had my bath, I decided to y a game while taking a bowl of cereal. My favorite opponent was online after quite a while, and I was so delighted to know that fact.


    It was always fun ying with DAYNNE because of the skills he/she used whenever we were ying. It was somewhat pro, and the strategies were always mind-blowing. It was always a pain for me to know that I had never beat the yer more than once.


    I challenged DAYNNE for a round, and we started to y against one another. I had put my strength and time into improving my gaming skills, and I was not going to lose to my opponent again.


    We yed for long minutes, and DAYNNE¡¯s characters seemed a bit slower than their usual reflex speed from both sides. One side was relenting, but the other side was being properly navigated that I feared that I would lose again.


    In no time at the final moment, there was a chance for me and I won. I screamed out andughed so proudly, and didn¡¯t forget to send a jibe emoji to show my victory.


    After a few minutes there was a log out, and I was a bit disappointed. It was as if my game opponent went easy on me or something, but I didn¡¯t care and was really d that I won. My mood lightened up sporadically, and I felt good.


    Later in the evening when Dabby returned back home, I was sitting on the same spot I had sat in the morning. In a few days, so much had happened since she started living with us, and I felt like I needed to give her an ounce of her truth. Reasons to leave with her mother.


    ¡°Do you think it is unfair?¡± I asked her as soon as she made her way to the kitchen, and she shook her head in cluelessness. It was so annoying to see her be a slow witted person at the same time.


    Damien¡¯s POV


    I recounted everything that had happened in a few weeks to her incase she didn¡¯t understand, and she just continued to stare at me with pain in her eyes. I didn¡¯t care about anything at that moment, and I just wanted her to leave.


    ¡®It would probably make her life easier, if she wanted. It would make mine easiest.¡¯


    ¡°You want me to leave?¡± Her sudden question surprised me, when I would have expected her to just leave and probably cry again. However, I had no answer for her.


    Yes, I wanted her to leave and it was obvious. It was dumb to ask again for the second time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can leave,¡± She paused, ¡°Perhaps, we might have to spend thest days of high school together too,¡± I heard her say slowly and truthfully, and I turned my head in bewilderment to look at her.


    She looked scared, yet, she wanted to say all that she had in mind. And it was the truth I didn¡¯t want to hear.


    ¡®Had she lost her mind after she broke her head?¡¯

 Too much to handle

    DABBY:


    It was after I returned to my room and sat on the bed, that I realized what I had said to Damien. Even though I knew that it was the truth and that we could really be stuck with one another till the end, I shouldn¡¯t have said anything to Damien.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have said it, Dabby. You shouldn¡¯t!¡± I scolded myself and stood up from the bed to pace around the room, wondering if that would even make him hate me more.


    My mind shed back to the look he gave me when I said that, like I didn¡¯t even exist as someone reasonable before him. He just stood up and left the scene immediately.


    It was disheartening to know that I was trying my best to honor his wishes, and getting him to like me, but I was even doing it wrongly and getting things worse.


    ¡®But, I was so sick of hearing and knowing that he wanted us to leave. That he didn¡¯t like being family, as much as I hated it too. We really have a choice.¡¯


    ¡°You are fine, Dabby. You¡¯ve got this. You can do it. You can survive even with a rigid stepfather, a lovestruck mum and obnoxious step brother who hates you. You can,¡± I encouraged myself over and over again with words, and moved to make instant coffee for myself. I needed something sweet to calm down.


    Mum called when I hadid on my bed and was ready to sleep, while listening to some sad song that would make me even feel worse. She said she missed me and asked about school. I told her everything was fine, and didn¡¯t even bother to ask her when she woulde again.


    It was useless asking when they would be back home, because it felt like I was hanging on like a little child who was abandoned by her mother. I was just going to be cool about anything that happened, and allow her to do whatever she wanted.


    I was feeling better the next day and my stitches didn¡¯t hurt that much again, apart from crazy itches in-between the mended flesh that I couldn¡¯t even scratch. That was the most frustrating part of it, that even felt worse than the pain.


    My mouth watered for bacon, eggs and bread, and I knew I had to cook something in the kitchen no doubt. I rushed downstairs after I had dressed in my usual clothes, and set out everything that I was going to use to prepare my breakfast.


    Even with my hand still hurting, I tried to get work done fast so that I wouldn¡¯t bete for school. Mason had called me that morning and said I should stay at home and not bother, but there was no way I could spend that much time doing nothing. I couldn¡¯t miss ss too.


    I took the bus to school and felt refreshed as I entered the school. I went to my locker to drop my books, and there were so many crazy stickers all over. Offensive and insulting words were written on them, and I wondered what had happened again. The next thing I felt was a hard hit on my head.


    Before me were three fiery looking girls standing so angrily, and their eyes were shooting out beams of intense anger. They all stood like they were ready to fight over something, and I was really scared about what had happened.


    ¡°Are you really dating Damien?¡± The one who looked like their leader asked, and my head skipped a bit about what she could be talking about.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I do not know¡­.¡±


    ¡°Are you dating Damien, bitch?!¡± She screamed at me and hit me on the head again, which almost burst into tears immediately.


    ¡®Why were these girls doing this to me?¡¯


    ¡°No. I am not. I am not,¡± I spoke out hurriedly and tried not to cry even more, as one of her minions passed her a picture and she shed it before my face.


    ¡®The picture Madison showed me yesterday. Did she do this to screw me over again?¡¯ I now began to let my tears guard down.


    Apart from telling them that we were not dating, there was a worse problem, because I couldn¡¯t exin what I and Damien were doing there even if I wanted to. There was no way that I would tell everyone that we were living together, and there was a little ident so he had to drive me.


    ¡°Can you not talk?!¡± She barked again, and I shivered so much. There were piercing eyes of so many looking at us too, like they were waiting to hear an answer from me.


    ¡®Who was this girl anyway, and why was she bent on knowing? I mean, she wasn¡¯t even Damien¡¯s girlfriend. Wait, his ex? Did Madison hire her? Did they hire them to humiliate me like this?¡¯ I had so many questions storming my head and brains at that point, instead of thinking of a lie that I could tell to fit perfectly into the picture.


    ¡°Tell us, bitch! Are you dating Damien?¡± I heard a spiteful voice from above me, and there were girls too standing up the stairs.


    ¡°Are you really the nerd that he is dating?¡± Another mored.


    ¡°I mean, he cannot lower his standards for a girl like you!¡± One screamed.


    ¡°You are really a bitch. First the new hot guy and now Damien. You¡¯ve got some skills!¡±


    ¡®There was only one way to get out of this mess. Tell the truth that you and Damien are siblings, and that such could never happen between both of you.¡¯


    ¡®Then if you tell them, they would be relieved for a second, and probably burn at you again. They would ask why, how and when you guys became siblings, and persecute you for living in the same house with him.¡¯


    ¡®Either way Dabby, you are damned,¡¯ my thoughts pped reality to my face.


    ¡°If youy your hands on her again, then I will break them,¡± I heard Mason¡¯s voiceing from the right direction, and I was really relieved. I became so relieved in my heart that I started to cry. The girl who was still talking to me was forced to stop.


    ¡®If he didn¡¯te for them, then these hungry girls would suck my breath mercilessly.¡¯


    ¡°Mason. Are you really dating this thing?¡± A redhead that had ck lipstick smeared over her pucker lips asked him, as she casted an irritated look upon me.


    ¡°What I do, does not concern you, Vivian,¡± he replied so politely in a sarcastic manner, and she looked quite shocked. She was another popr and wealthy girl too, because her father was a mayor.


    I followed him immediately without even having to be dragged, because I wanted to be free from the suffocating looks from everyone. They obviously needed an exnation, and I didn¡¯t have anyone to give them. There was nothing to say.


    I also feared that Mason might already have so many anti-fans because of me, in just a few days of being in our school. It was so crazy to know that his life had been hectic ever since he moved here, because he had met a friend like me beforehand.


    ¡°I am so sorry for making your life this rough,¡± I apologized as I followed him, still crying. My mother would really puke if she saw me in that way. She would be so disappointed.


    ¡°You do not need to apologize. Just fight back, Dabby. Do not let these people trample over you,¡± he scolded, and I even broke down more. He was telling the truth.


    I followed him out of the school building immediately, and the news that had spread fast about Damien and I, which made hatred more palpable. It hurt me to know that someone had solely done this purposely to screw me over.


    ¡°I should find Madison and tell her to erase the fake news about me and Dalton. She had really gone too far,¡± I bit my lips.


    ¡°It is not actually Madison, but one of Madison¡¯s haters. She probably got her hand on the picture and decided to use it to screw her over. The headlines would probably be; Damien on a date with a new nerd girlfriend. Madison is now a low bitch. Something like that. It is to make Madison mad, but the pressure is now on you,¡± Mason exined, and I broke into more tears again.


    It was crazy to know that I had to suffer for a news that was meant to hurt Madison, so far it included Damien¡¯s name and mine.


    ¡°This is the toughest year in my life I had so much. The toughest,¡± I cried, and Mason was really sorry for me.


    Dalton was right. Ever since I became his stepsister, things had gotten much harder for me. Maybe leaving was actually the way out, because there was no way I could survive hostility from anyone any longer.


    The pressure was so much that I couldn¡¯t return to ss, and I felt bad for Mason because I was inconveniencing his life too. We sat together for so long to talk, and he said to wait for a few minutes while he went to get drinks from the vending machine. Perfect timing.


    I dropped a note for him telling him that I was sorry, but I couldn¡¯t watch him suffer because of me, and ran off from school immediately. I switched my phone off, and took the first bus at the bus stop to wherever it will take me.

 Confused

    DABBY:


    I left the school premises but did not want to go home, which left me with the decision of visiting the main town to do whatever I liked. I got an idea after I saw the huge cinema in front of me the moment I dropped from the bus, and quickly paid for a ticket so as to watch the next movie .


    It was fun to watch and I spent more than two hours at the cinema, that I had temporarily forgotten the problem I had left behind in school. After the movie ended, I walked into a random mall I saw, to pick out some nice outfits for myself since it had been a while since I went shopping.


    I approached the makeup session after realizing that I didn¡¯t have any makeup for myself, and picked out different colors of lipstick, eye shadow and nail polish. I picked some hair products too, and anything I felt like I needed.


    After I was done shopping, I went to a park and spent the rest of the day there till evening, eating and scrolling through the inte. By the time I was ready to go home, I knew that Mason would be worried sick already, but I wanted him to just be a normal student without me.


    I would feel too guilty to bother him. I didn¡¯t also forget to return back to the pharmacy, to get my wound dressed.


    After I returned back home with my shopping bags, and hung around our street for some minutes, so as to be sure that some obsessed person didn¡¯t stalk Damien to confirm the truth.


    Still not convinced that someone couldn¡¯t be lurking around to see who would enter through the gate, I settled for another solution which led me to using the back gate for the first time. It had a pair of its own key attached to my bunch of keys, but I had never had a reason to use it.


    Immediately I got into the house and went upstairs to my room, I brought out my phone immediately and switched it on. There were tons of messages on my phone which were mostly from Mason, and the rest came from the students private chat forum.


    It was exploding with students¡¯ments and questioning remarks that were all directed to me, demanding an exnation. They also didn¡¯t forget to cuss at me, when someone informed everyone that I ran away from school.


    The threats from some girls about following me wherever I went was scary, and I knew that I had to do something before the matter got worse. They also talked about being too scared to ask Damien about the truth.


    I was expecting the whole me and Damien issue to have died down by evening better or still the next day, but they were all still talking about it even till the very hour I was checking my phone. They promised to find me.


    I shook my head in pity for myself. Those scary girls, which were mostly Damien¡¯s flings, were threatening to do wicked things to me. Yet, no one was talking about the fact that Damien stood up for the truth and denied it.


    He would know already that the students forum was a mess already because of our forbidden scandal, still, he was allowing people to grind me up again mercilessly with their words. My life was too sad.


    Regardless I could not run away from school or everyone forever. I had to think of a solution.


    As soon as I was about to switch off my phone and think of a solution to the situation by myself, Mason¡¯s call came through and I knew I had to pick it up. He was literally the only person that cared.


    ¡°Dabby! You scared me, the way you ran off like that. You put off your phone too,¡± Mason¡¯s voice chided.


    The fact that he was scolding me brought some kind of relief to my heart, that I wasn¡¯t alone, and that someone trusted me. He wasn¡¯t even pissed after I acted that way.


    ¡°I am sorry, Mason. I didn¡¯t mean to run off like that, but I just wanted everything to be fine within me,¡± I tried to exin to him in the best uplicated way, and he understood every single thing I was saying.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. That was too much to handle by yourself, and your stupid ass step brother who should be handling the issue, is probably out with his friends. You can do whatever you want, Dabby,¡± He encouraged.


    ¡°You predict really well. He isn¡¯t even home,¡± I chuckled, and shrugged at the same time. I was really by myself without no one to work it out for me, or do the solution thinking for me.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So how are you now? Are you good now?¡± He asked, and I just sighed tiredly. I wasn¡¯t feeling good, because I didn¡¯t have any clue of what I could do to make the situation better.


    ¡°Yeah. Turns out that I have not had fun by myself in a long while. Visited the cinema today. Sat at the park all day. Bought makeup that I do not even use,¡±  I seethed and let out a loudughter, as I thought of everything that I had done all day.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that I was the one talking so lively, without thinking about what wasing for me the next day. It was really fun actually, bailing out of school.


    ¡°That is so nice, Dabby. Turns out you even have more fun than I do. You are doing really well,¡± Mason rubbed it in andughed. ¡°Concerning the situation now, you don¡¯t have toe to school tomorrow. Weekend is approaching already, so it would pass naturally¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, Mason. I¡¯m sorry. I will call back. My mum is calling. She has even sent a text and email in a few minutes. I will call you back,¡± I told him and hung up immediately.

 We are related!

    DABBY:


    I watched the cell phone in my hand ring after I hung up, and I wondered what was so important to say to me, that made mum send emails and text messages telling me to pick her calls.


    ¡®She was enjoying her holiday without me, and now suddenly wanted to talk desperately?¡¯


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go to school today? Your teacher sent an email to know if you were okay. What happened?¡± She rushed so many questions at me as soon as I picked her call, and I groaned inwardly when I realized the much trouble that not going to ss had caused.


    ¡®What do I tell her? What? What?¡¯


    ¡°I¡­I¡­. hmmnn,¡± I paused again and thought of the perfect lie, because I really have not had any reason to lie to her about things. I just didn¡¯t tell her much.


    ¡°I felt sick. Headache and tiredness,¡± I responded to her questions, and they were exactly the symptoms that I was experiencing days ago. So, I was just recounting them again.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, baby. Are you okay now? Anything serious?¡± She softened up and acted all sentimental, which made me sigh again and again.


    ¡°Yes mum. I am doing well.¡±


    ¡°So, you are going to be¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will go to school tomorrow,¡± I assured her, and waited for her to say a few more words before putting off the phone. I was so tired.


    My entire night was restless, because I had to think of a possible solution, if I wanted to remain in school peacefully. I had to think of a perfect puzzle to fit the picture, and it was so difficult to even think of something usible.


    ¡®Should I say that we met by chance? Or say that I was sick and that he helped me? No. Damien would not like that.¡¯ I concluded.


    Ready to leave the house the next morning, I had my mind made up that I would have to deal with the issue once and for all. With the look of things, the weekend would not allow it to pass, and it could even get worse.


    Coming out through the front door, I met Damien right at the door trying toe inside at the same time. He was in a white unbuttoned shirt, and ck shorts with wet hair and a liquid dripping body. It made me wonder where he wasing from that early, but that wasn¡¯t the main point at that particr time.


    My stepbrother¡¯s muscle tone abs were staring right at me, and his hot body felt like it had just been steamed at the right temperature. His curly hair that bounced at the drips of water were not making the sight, feelings friendly for someone like me.


    ¡®Just how could one be so hot? He was really pretty to look at, and it was so difficult not to stare. Shit. What do I do?¡¯


    However, he was giving me a very creepy look, when my eyes met his. It made me wonder why, and I feared that he probably hated that I was looking at him. It kind of  bothered me that he wasn¡¯t even saying anything.


    He already knew that I was being ndered because of him, and yet he was intentionally not doing anything to make me suffer.


    ¡®Such a heartless guy.¡¯


    I stalked past him instantly and left through the gate so quickly, ready to face my fears once and for all. I was just going to have to put both of us in a pickle. With the fear of what would happen, I made sure to go to schoolter than I had left home.


    Immediately I got to the school gate, the gazes were so terrifying and they were also probably wondering why I came. It was obvious that I was going to be emotionally lynched, but I tried to summon up my courage once and for all. Besides, I could have my teacher send mum an email again.


    It started almost immediately, the moment my leg stepped into the building and everyone realized who it was.


    ¡°Fuck that bitch! She¡¯s got guts.¡±


    ¡°What is your rtionship with Damien? Say it!¡±


    ¡°You can run, but can¡¯t hide. I even got your house address with me right now. We were going to go, if you skipped school again!¡±


    ¡®This people are so mean.¡¯ my mind screamed to me.


    ¡°Say it, bitch! What were you doing in front of a pharmacy, with Damien, at night, all alone,¡± another popr girl screamed at my face.


    ¡°OMG. I just thought of these. Was he secretly smashing her? And they went to get a P-kit or something?¡± Some girl suddenly said from the corner with maliciousness, and my heart dropped immediately.


    ¡®How could they think of something like that?¡¯


    ¡°How could I not even think of that? He has been shagging you?! You even got pregnant?!¡± The brte standing in front of me said, and pushed me to the floor immediately.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°What if they went to abort the baby? Damn! How could we not even think of that?¡±


    ¡°You slut! So much for the disguise.¡±


    The words they kept saying and the ideas they were specting was too much to bear, as more girls came down to kick at me. I was dying by their words. Their poisonous words were nailing my morality. Their toxicity was suffocating my hope. I was left alone at their mercy. I couldn¡¯t do it anymore.


    ¡°We are rted!¡± I screamed out immediately, enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. I had enough already.

 How to seduce a nerd

    DAMIEN:


    The feeling was different when I got to school after Dabby had left home, and it felt like so many curious eyes around had questions for me. Though no one was approaching me because of the fear, my friends were the first to ask me about her.


    ¡°You dating the nerd girl your girlfriend bullies? That¡¯s some crazy shading for her,¡± Bryanughed so derisively, at the fact that the news flying around would hurt Madison¡¯s ego.


    ¡°Shit is crazy. The students¡¯ chat room is blowing up. The girls said they would rather you date girls with a standard than that girl. I think Madison is doing the major stir, since she isn¡¯t the victim anymore,¡± Xavier added, as he continued to scroll through his phone andughed out loud at anything that was funny.


    ¡°No man. How would you expect me to go for that clumsy girl?¡± I finally cleared the air with both of them, as I took a sip from the wine I was taking. We were sitting in our own personal space in school and chilling.


    ¡°The girl is going to be the sacrificial shit. All Damien¡¯s fling will take out their anger on her,¡± Xavier uttered, as he readments from the controversy.


    ¡°The post was taken down yesterday, but they are still talking about it. Messed up bro. Madison is trying to call you out,¡± Bryan huffed with a sneer, and chugged down a ss of wine as he puffed a smoke. He looked tired and stressed, and I kind of think he was taking drugs already.


    Xavier asked him about it, but he denied. He was trying to keep everything fine in front of us, but it was evident in the way he acted. I knew I didn¡¯t want a junkie for a friend, because my dad could never even know I had friends like them.


    We hung out together till lunch break, and I returned to my sses afterwards. The teacher was boring and the lecture sucked, but it was difficult not to get a grasp of whatever the teacher was saying. I could always remember their words.


    I returned back home for the rest of the day and justid on my bed all evening, jaded and just checking the inte to watch video reels. I ate cereal again for dinner, and had another restless night till the next morning.


    Meeting Dabby at the front door when I wanted to enter the house from an early morning walk, made me quite surprised to see that she was going to school, considering the harsh criticism that Madison had raised against her to make me pissed.


    She was giving me a weird look and it got me wondering what was going on in her head, but soon realized that she seemed smitten by how I was looking in the morning.


    ¡®So, nerd girls could drool too,¡¯ I snickered at my thoughts, and made my way into the house, leaving her to go and suffer for whatever was going on in school. I was not going to do anything about it.


    I was dressing for school when I saw the same caller ring on my phone again, and I wondered why she had been calling me since the day before. It was Dabby¡¯s mum and she was trying to build a mother-son rtionship which wasn¡¯t going to work.


    She texted me again and asked about everything at home, and I replied on my way to school that we were doing fine. The short reply message was clear; She shouldn¡¯t call back or text again.


    I wasn¡¯t going to give anyone a chance to mess with how I¡¯ve been living my life, ever since mum left. Having a step mother and sister was no way a new eptance for me.


    ~¡°~~¡°~


    ¡°We are rted!¡± I heard the loud voice scream as I entered into the hall with Xavier whom I met outside, and my heart froze immediately.


    I had never been that taken off guard by someone¡¯s word in my life, and I was literally scared that Dabby would do me dirty. If she acknowledged the fact that we were siblings and exined what happened, then she would put a w to my poprity and affluence in school.


    Xavier would be more than pissed because he literally tells me everything going on in his life, even if I wasn¡¯t in position to do the same. It would be a secret subject for discussion, and it would really suck.


    But then again, I thought about it. Dabby wouldn¡¯t also want to ruin her stay in school by saying that. It would also make things bad for her too. Nevertheless, I was affected by her sudden owning up.


    ¡®What could she have to say by starting with a phrase like that? Was she going to screw up my personality as cool, and dropout? What was she going to say? What?¡¯


    I could see the expression on everyone¡¯s face, that even her statement shocked them. It was really weird to hear the word ¡®rte¡¯ with Damien and Dabby in the same sentence.


    ¡®What if she decided to say we were long distance cousins. Nah. That would still kind of make it uncool too.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Vivian, who was also one of my exes, screamed in anger.


    ¡°I mean. Kind of¡­..¡± Dabby almost stuttered, as she tried to give an exnation while standing up. I feared that she probably said it momentarily, and really had nothing to say.


    ¡°My mum. My mum had worked for his dad before we moved to this town, and, and, they met again at the pharmacy after all this while. So, it was like a coincidental meeting after a long time, a long time, and¡­.. we the children just had to wait outside for them. It was less than five minutes. Apart from that, I do not know Damien, and I have never met him personally. We have never even talked before,¡± my eyes widened in surprise, as I listened to Dabby recite partial truths to everyone in the hallway like it was written in her head.


    When she realized that they were buying her story gradually, she became more emboldened and emphasized on the fact that we didn¡¯t know each other. Her voice even switched to an irritated one a few minutes after, because they had really dragged her badly.


    ¡°So, why are you just saying this?!¡± Madison came out of nowhere amidst the crowd and asked her, which made Dabby kind of cower again.


    ¡°No one gave me a chance to exin, and just wanted to assume things they wished. I do not want your Damien, and will never. What does a nerd girl know anyway?¡± She almost spat, even with the fact that her voice was so timid. Madison was kind of taken aback.


    ¡°Are, are, you talking to me in that grouchy tone? Have you lost your mind?!¡± Madison tried to turn the tables against her in anger, the usual way that she used to bully Dabby.


    ¡°No, miss Madison,¡± she sassed. ¡°I am saying that I and master Damien, would never even breathe in the same space. We are in a totally different league,¡± she said to Madison again in a sarcastic tone, and then turned to the crowd, ¡°I am sorry for causing everyone concern. I hope I have rified everything.¡±


    I was really surprised that someone as clumsy and dumb as she coulde up with a story, that had been properly embellished to the truth. Even with the way she handled the situation calmly after theshing, Madison was so pained and I could see anger sh through her eyes.


    And just like that, Dabby walked out of everyone¡¯s midst with some kind of sudden confidence that possessed her. Her friend was waiting for her at the corner with a bright smile, and I frowned almost immediately when I noticed that.


    I and Xavier left even before the crowd could dispatch, and the issue was settled just like that. Though many of them would still have questions to ask or anything, there was probably no one to give an answer to then.


    Dabby now had a new obnoxious friend who was always around her, and the knowledge of it was really infuriating for me to know. We both still had some unresolved grudge against one another, and I wanted to put him in his ce.


    As I pondered about the entire scenario that yed before me over and over, Dabby¡¯sst words seemed to stick so annoyingly to my head and it bothered me.


    ¡°I can never want your Damien, and would never.¡±


    ¡®What was she trying to insinuate? Did she mean that she could never be enamored of me, or was it because we had be step-siblings, and that it shouldn¡¯t happen?¡¯


    And with those crazy thoughts, I started to have mischievous thoughts that seemed like a load of fun. Since I wanted her and her mother to leave, it would be easier if something that was not supposed to happen, urs. Her mum and my dad might have to separate too.


    ¡®If I got Dabby to fall in love with me, and then break her heart without reciprocating the feelings. I would also mess with that stupid friend of hers that seemed to like her, without being violent about it.¡¯


    It sounded brilliant, and I loved the sound of it. If they think we are madly in love, then they would have to separate if it became a huge issue.


    But that left me with a question.


    How do I seduce and tempt a nerd I didn¡¯t like?Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

 A reflection of yourself

    DABBY:


    I do not know where the idea came from as I continued to say whatever came to mind, when I knew that I could not take it any longer. I had to say something to rify the rtionship between I and Damien, before thest straw of pressure from everyone breaks the camel¡¯s back.


    I didn¡¯t know how, but everything became settled in that manner and I was proud of myself. Mason signaled to me from where he stood, and that was what finally pushed me to continue talking. I was tired of being a pitiful person to him.


    ¡°Oh Dabby, I am so proud of you,¡± hemended and smiled after I went over to meet him, and we both walked to the ssroom together. The news about the truth I told everyone, had spread so fast.


    ¡°I am finally d that I can have a normal life back. Thank you for your support, Mason,¡± I appreciated him genuinely with a smile, and he patted my head.


    If I didn¡¯t have anyone who supported me to be honest, I would have been thrown off by everything that had happened in just a few days. I was really d that I didn¡¯t push off the matter till it got worse, and then have to deal with it after a lot of damage.


    ¡°I met with the guy that built the school forum, and he has taken all the hatements down too. We even became friends,¡± Mason informed me as we took our seats, and I widened my eyes in surprise to what he was saying.


    ¡°A student built that? That is really brilliant,¡± Imended with a ponder in my heart.


    It was surprising to know that someone around our age could do something like that already, when most of us had not even had their lives nned.


    ¡°His name is Jeffery, and he is outstanding. He challenges me to try to be better at what I do,¡± Mason said honestly, and brought out a book from his bag. The only one he had.


    ¡°I just feel like, we all do not have to get our lives fully nned early in life. We can just take risks, try new things and see what¡¯s best for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, Dabby. Not only are you beautiful, you have brains too. A very goodbination,¡± Mason ttered, and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡®Others say that I was a ugly freak. How did I suddenly be beautiful overnight?¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± He asked with a puzzled look on his face, which was trying to scan through the doubtful look I had on my own face.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t. Don¡¯t lie to make me feel better okay,¡± I answered him, and he frowned. Still, he looked cute.


    ¡°You allow the words of these jealous people to get to you, and that is bad, Dabby. You are obviously brilliant, and at the top of the ss just in a few months of joining this school. They would surely pick on you. Bring a kindhearted person, even made it easier for them to mess up with you,¡± Mason pointed out the truth one after another, and it really amazed me to know that he remembered little details of what I had told him in the past.


    Though I didn¡¯t tell him about being bullied, I told him about how I became a new student and topped the ss. Soon, some girls started to pick on me because of that and I couldn¡¯t fight back. And that I didn¡¯t have any friends either.


    Mason did something unexpected, as his hand reached out to my sses and he pulled it away. He brought out a mirror from his pocket and handed it over to me. He instructed me to look at myself.


    Deep down, I knew that I was pretty. My features were as detailed as that of mum¡¯s, and I shared a resemnce with her too. But the many thoughts I have heard and hurtful words that people had said to me, made me feel ugly and useless even without pondering deeply, about the real person that I was.


    ¡°Now that is the real you, Dabby. No one should define you differently than what you really know and affirm,¡± Mason said into my ears, and I jumped because it felt ticklish. He was too nice to be my friend.


    ¡®Be nice to yourself. You deserve good things too,¡¯ his voice rang in my head.


    ¡°Yeah. I am beautiful and I am brilliant. I am going to be a medical doctor by profession, and have them all get their treatments in my hospital. I am a wonderful person too,¡± I affirmed so confidently to him, and he nodded at me with a proud look.


    ¡°Now, to the notes you told me to take. It was really crazy trying to write them, as the teacher exined, because I wanted to write a detailed note. So, here are the notes. Turns out that it wasn¡¯t as bad as I expected it to be,¡± Mason muttered hisst sentence, and I chuckled at his manner of sulking.


    ¡°So, would you like to study?¡± I tittered, and he shook his head. He totally was not buying my conviction skills.


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll pass.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    The bell rang for lunch time, and Mason dragged me to the cafeteria before I could even object. Two of his new friends, Greg and Edward, came to join us at the table, and I was really surprised that I could ever talk to other people. Mason could make people like him so quickly.


    They were both cool and in the drama club, which made it fun because of their funny nature. That was the first day in Ryder high, that I had the best lunch ever while talking with people. It was really cool.


    After lunch ended, it was time for another ss, and it was a joint ss with the other sses of my grade. I was going to be taking the same ss with Damien too.


    I took my seat beside Mason at the farther part of the ss, and it was kind of difficult not to notice Damien, who was in the same room with me. I began to wonder what exactly would be going on in his mind, if he witnessed the scene in the hallway in the morning.


    ¡®Well, it didn¡¯t matter because I was at least able to solve the problem, when he did nothing to help me.¡¯


    We were having social sciences and the topic that was being taught was about social interaction as a different individual to another. The ss went on and on for minutes with so many exnations, and it finally came to an end just twenty minutes before the real end time.


    ¡®Oh dear. I really hope it is not what I am thinking.¡±


    ¡°And with his topicing to an end, we are going to be doing a project. A practical project,¡± our teacher, Mrs. Davison said, and pushed two boxes that were already ced on the desk forward.


    There were quite some grumbling that was heard from people, who hated being paired with other people they had no idea of from another ss. I also hated projects, because I was always the odd one out. It really sucked.


    ¡°Now, girls would pick from the boxes that have the names of every guy wrapped in paper. The guys would be informed of whoever picked their names. Now,dies,¡± she instructed, and everyone soon got moving to the front to go and pick a name.


    Mrs. Davison was a really strict teacher, who never hesitated to give an F if deserved. It made students that were always suck ups hate her. As they picked, she would write the name of whoever they picked in front of their own names, so as to make the entire selection fair.


    I could hear a lot of grumbling from behind which were from girls who had probably picked a guy they hated, and I really hoped that I would pick Mason. We would be the perfect duo, because there was no way I would get an A if I got to pick the name of the wrong guy.


    I made sure to stand up with thest batch of girls, because I didn¡¯t have the nerves to go outside and choose the name of a person I had probably never talked to in my entire life, for a project. I mean, we would have to meet during the weekend to finish it together.


    As I proceeded to the front, the mean girls who also took their time toe forward pushed me backwards, and I ended up being thest person on the line.  After I picked the paper that was thest one in my hand, I unwrapped it to see the name of my project partner.


    Clearly and boldly written on the paper to my shock, was DAMIEN ANDERSON as I tried not to panic so that no one would notice. I wanted to cry so badly on the spot so pitifully, as she ticked my name as thest girl with the guy I had chosen.


    There was no need to meet because we would be in the same house. But how on earth was I supposed to meet Damien for the project?¡¯

 A girl named Dabby

    DAMIEN:


    With the weird arrangements in choosing a partner for the social project, the only person that ured to my mind never to be paired with was Madison. It was a ring fact that she would suffer fully for the consequences of her actions, and we would both get an F.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    After school hours were over, I ditched my friend¡¯s idea to hang out together and went for a long drive. After I had driven round the city so many times, I finally gathered my thoughts and stopped by at a cafe to eat something since I had not been eating well for a while.


    As I entered with the expectation to sit at my favorite spot which was always unupied, I was quite disappointed to see that ady had taken the spot which made me turn away immediately. I reluctantly took the next seat in sight, and sat down immediately to start my job.


    I ordered cake and cookies to start with, but found it hard to eat after taking a few bites. My stomach was really empty, but I was finding it hard to eat. I requested for coffee instead, and ended up drinking four cups at the spot to quench my longtime hunger.


    The sandwich someone had ordered before me was looking ptable, and I ended up ordering one for myself too. But at the end of everything, I couldn¡¯t even take many bits before I got tired of it.


    It had always been like that since I became a teenager. It was some kind of eating disorder, that even made it difficult for me to eat breakfast too. I preferred cereal if it got too worse to handle, and more liquid to sustain me.


    However, I think the only food I was able to eat to fill in for a long time was the night that Dabby cooked a meal. I couldn¡¯t believe myself, until I shoved the entire food into my belly. I was rude amidst everything, so such wouldn¡¯te anymore.


    I got busy with the editing and addition of new game features that I nned to do, and spent so much time in the cafe till it was almost closing hours. I realized that I had been sent a report email from our teacher, and returned home after packing up my things.


    The scent of a mouthwatering dish engulfed my senses as soon as I made my way into the house, and I knew that it could be nobody else but Dabby. Before she and her mother moved in, the kitchen was rarely used by anyone.


    I had walked past the kitchen obviously ignoring whatever was going on there, but returned back because the overpowering scent of a savory dish before hunger was too tempting.


    I noticed that Dabby was nning to talk about us being project partners, but I mentioned it before she could. Having no perfect reason for why I hade to the kitchen in the first ce, I told her to do project by herself rudely and left.


    Okay, I had failed.


    First, I was nning to be a bit nicer to her with time by forming a stable rtionship, that would be perfect to execute my new and exciting n. Secondly, I had also dished my chance of getting asked to dinner.


    ¡°Shit! Damien. You screwed up. Learn to control your reflexes,¡± I scolded myself, and weakly made my way up the stairs.


    I knew that I could never swallow my pride to call her back for the assignment, neither would it be easy to form a good rtionship, since I had been a jerk all these while.


    But I was Damien Anderson. And it was nothing impossible for me. I could get any girl I wanted, however I wanted, in what way I wanted. Even the most difficult girls ended up falling for my charms. Dabby wouldn¡¯t be any different.


    After having my bath and changing clothes, Iid on my bed and was unable to do anything because my brain was tired. I was exhausted, had nothing reasonable to eat the previous day and all day.


    I didn¡¯t keep track of time as Iid on the bed, and almost two hours had passed before I even knew it. When I realized that I couldn¡¯t take the forces that were fighting their way in my stomach to my throat, I gave up and stood up from my bed.


    After checking the kitchen for a while after seeing empty pots and a very clean kitchen, Iter found out that there was beef jerky, buttermilk pancakes, and baked chicken wings left to warm in the oven.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out how she cooked her own food, but it wasn¡¯t so hard for me to eat and digest. Even if I couldn¡¯t eat much of every delicacy I found in the oven, it wasn¡¯t difficult to swallow the food that I chewed, and even craved more.


    Returning back to my room and onto my bed, I felt so rejuvenated that I wanted to sleep immediately. Few minutes without moving in my bed, I slept off till the next day.

 Let the game of teasing go on

    DAMIEN:


    The housekeeper was around by the time I came downstairs, and Dabby was also working effortlessly together with the middle ageddy. I watched them talk andugh about things that were quite inaudible, and it looked like they had known one another for ages.


    I wondered how it was so easy for her to open up to strangers, and talk to them freely like they were close or something. It could never be me.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡®Even the ones around us were not to be trusted, what would talking to new people and getting close to them do? Nothing.¡¯


    I returned upstairs to take my own sheets out and change them, as I hung my clothes too and separated them from the ones I used during the week. Though I had not nned to do something like that, seeing twodies downstairs being enthusiastic about their work made me.


    I was still trying to make my room by myself, when someone knocked and I opened it with a stoned face. However, it softened when I saw who it was. It was Ms. Justine, the housekeeper. She greeted me with a smile and entered inside.


    ¡°Your room looks quite organized today. You are doing really well for a young man,¡± shemented, and walked over to where my bed was located, to raise the curtain drapes that I had not put up for days.


    The room looked quite different immediately; the light that permeated through washed away every mncholic darkness.


    She began to do her usual work in my room, by dusting therge stacks of books that I didn¡¯t read in my mini library first. Her hands worked really fast as she organized my reading table, while I arranged the numerous shoes I had on the extensively extended shoe rack at the other side of the room.


    ¡°I see that you have got a sister,¡± she said suddenly, and I turned to look if she was really talking to me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Dad did. I hate it,¡± I bemoaned, and continued to dust my collection of shoes.


    ¡®Why would she ever think I would like something like this?¡¯


    ¡°She is a really nice girl. A pure and tender soul. I think you guys will get along well,¡± Ms. Justine said again and I frowned.


    I wasn¡¯t nning to make things better between us, and would never. I would just progress with my ns as nned.


    ¡°Maybe. It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I responded in a curt manner, while Ms. Justine moved to the bathroom.


    We didn¡¯t say anything again. That was actually the longest conversation we have had on a personal note before.


    I carried my dirty clothes out to where the washing machine was located, and came back a few minutes afterwards to see her room being vacuumed already. I went to get a mop and tried to join her reluctantly, but she showed me how to do it when I wasn¡¯t getting it right.


    Minutester, the room was spotless and shining again, and Ms. Justine smiled at a job well done. I bid her a farewell because I was going to be leaving my room for a while, but she paused as soon as she opened the door to leave.


    ¡°You see, your sister. Be nice to her. She is too lonely by herself,¡± she said while looking straight into my eyes, and smiled modestly before leaving finally.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t lonely. She has a best friend who dotes on her,¡¯ I replied in my mind.


    After I was done with what I was trying to do the previous day on my MacBook, I stayed long hours bathing in the bathroom washing myself over and over again. I came out of the bathroom dripping with water, and had a white towel tied around my waist.


    I had another towel in my hand to dry my face and hair, as I stood in front of the dresser to check myself out. I was at the verge of unwrapping my towel to dress out, and the door flung open with Dabby standing in front.


    She was looking shocked, and her eyes were widened. Both hands covered her mouth, and she was staring so apologetically. She was about to run back after realizing what she had done.


    ¡°Do not move!¡± I ordered her as a smirk crossed my lips, and her feets froze immediately.


    ¡®This was going to be fun.¡¯

 Getting flushed

    DABBY:


    I had packed the remaining food from dinner into the oven after I was done eating, and cleaned up the kitchen before I returned back to the room. After changing my clothes into my pajamas, Iid in bed restlessly, thinking of the response that Damien gave concerning the project.


    It really hurt my heart to know that he wanted to mess up the project, without even considering that our performances determined two people¡¯s scores. I couldn¡¯t afford to fail, and I knew I had to convince him again.


    Quickly, I got my bag and brought out a note that I would write out lists of simple questions, that he could fill by himself without having to be so close. If he provided me with the few answers I needed, I could as well finish off the rest with my own ideas and inform himter about them.


    About the movie, I also made lists of movies that would be easy to watch and understand, which I nned on suggesting to him the next day. We could watch it separately, and I would document his own feedback too.


    ¡®He just had to give me the answers, I would do most of the project work.¡¯


    And with that conclusion, I was finally able to find peace within my heart that I wasn¡¯t left at a crossroads. After I was done making out a detailed list from the ideas I found from the inte, I watched a movie till midnight before I slept off.


    I woke up quitete the next morning since it was a Saturday, with the thought that I had a lot to do around. The house was a really big one to clean by myself, and there was no way that Damien would help me. There wereundries to do too, and I also noticed that the flowers outside needed shearing.


    Growing up with mum made me really independent, because she was always working. I had to learn how to cook for myself, do theundry, and clean the house as a routine. It wasn¡¯t easy because she wasn¡¯t really there to help, but it was something I had to learn if I wanted to breathe well.


    We lived in a really small apartment when I was younger, and the room could barely even fit our entire load. So, it was more or less like; You clean every single mess you make each time, because there isn¡¯t going to space to make another one.


    I strode down the stairs with the intention that I would start by vacuuming first, when I heard someone ring the doorbell from outside. It was weird for me to hear the doorbell ring on a Saturday morning, and I had so many thoughts about who it could be.


    ¡®Could it be Mum and Mr Anderson that was just trying to throw a surprise? Or could it be Damien¡¯s friends?!¡¯


    I calmed myself again as I moved towards the door to check who it was through the door monitor. It was ady, and she looked quite familiar.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I greeted as opened the door, and she smiled so brightly at me. I wondered who she was.


    ¡°Oh dear. You are so beautiful,¡± sheplimented as she made her way inside, and she noticed the puzzled look on my face, ¡°I am Ms. Davison, the housekeeper here,¡± she finally exined.


    Although she tried to dissuade me from helping her, I joined in the cleaning of everything since I had nothing to do. It was quite easy doing it together, and we had seeded in cleaning almost everywhere in an hour.


    I talked about how difficult it was to rte well with Dalton, and he so much hated that I was his stepsister. She assured me that he was usually cold to everyone, but was a really timid and calm guy beneath his shell. I totally doubted that.


    A gardener came around shortly afterwards to shear the garden, and even rented more flowers around the ce. He also changed the water in the pool and cleaned thepound.


    It made me realize that it was really the home of the Anderson family, and not Sanders; The work could always be done without stressing.


    Afterwards, she went upstairs to Damien¡¯s room, while I went to mine to finish up with the cleaning. When I came out, I found Damien¡¯sundry and did his so that Ms. Davison wouldn¡¯t have toe back to that, before I did mine. The scent of his cologne lingered so strongly in his clothes.


    Ms Davison came outside afterwards to join me in drying out the clothes, and left after she was sure that she had gotten the job done. She thanked me so much because I have saved her time, in doing the job she was meant to do for almost half of the day in just a few hours.


    After I was done, I returned to my room to take my bath. I had no appetite to eat that morning, except that anxiety was hitting me up to go and meet Damien with my list.


    I knew that what he said the previous day meant that we shouldn¡¯t meet concerning the project issue anymore, but there really was no way that I wouldn¡¯t have to meet him in his room again. However, I summoned a good amount of courage this time.


    I had intended to knock on the door and enter immediately before he would say I should go back, and quickly show him the ns that I had to make the project a contact-free one.


    However, my hand miscalcted and pushed on the door before I could knock, and my eyes came in contact with the half-naked body of my step brother.


    My heart froze as my eyes gazed up at the shirtless guy before me, with water trickling down his rock-hard body, and a white towel hanging around his waist.


    I swallowed at the sight of him, that even in my extremely startled state, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the ethereal beauty of a guy that was standing before me.


    ¡®Geez. Why did I have to see this? What should I do? What should I say? What would he even say?¡¯


    Nevertheless, my eyes traced shamelessly his perfectly carved face, his well-defined brows, his lips and down his beautiful body. I had never been too close to guys ever in my life, talk more of having someone that hot standing before me. It became difficult to focus.


    ¡®Oh Dabby! You are finished. Opening gawking at your stepbrother?¡¯


    I thought of what to do immediately and leaving seemed to be the best option, feeling heavily mortified that he had probably caught me in my actions. I could feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment already.


    As I turned away from his sight and wanted to run away, I heard that baritone voice that felt somewhat different from his usual rude voice. The order he gave waspletely authoritative, but entirelypelling in a sensual manner. Like we were in some kind of role y.


    ¡®Of goodness! What were these thoughts going on in my head? Have I watched too many moviestely?¡¯


    I turned back immediately as I tried not to allow my eyes to dart back to looking at him, else I might end up expanding my mortification before him. I really wanted to run away.


    ¡°You want to say something?¡± Damien turned to ask me so calmly in a way I had never heard his voice before, and I was literally shocked to hear him act so normal before me, like opening his door suddenly wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    However, his hands began to press softly against his soft skin, nice scented oil, and around his waist so skillfully that I feared that his hands might mistakenly drop his towel. I wondered how it would feel to have my own body touched in that manner.


    ¡®Holy moly. I was getting my heart dirty. Snap out of it Dabby!¡¯


    He must have noticed that I was out of it instead of replying to his question immediately, and I wondered why he wasn¡¯t teasing me or saying anything. It was better than having to remain mute, by giving me some kind of really calm look. It was really getting scary.


    ¡°I¡­ have made a list. A list of questions for our project. Something like a survey, but just about two people. That is we,¡± I paused in nervousness, that had caused some kind of vocal distortion in my correct speech. I just hope he understood what I was saying.


    ¡°Please can you answer them? I would do the rest,¡± I continued, with my hand gripping tightly on the huge door like my survival depended on it. If anything went wrong, I would run out immediately.


    He paused from what he was doing and turned to look at me, like he had not seen me standing there the whole time.


    ¡°We should do it together,¡± his mellifluous voice answered to me, and I ran out of breath immediately. I totally didn¡¯t expect that.


    ¡®What the heck was going on?¡¯

 All fun

    DAMIEN:


    The moment I talked about doing the project together with Dabby, she became so flustered and rushed out of the room almost immediately.


    ¡°I want to go get water!¡± I heard her mouthing down the stairs, as she hastened her steps. It made me snicker at her clumsiness.


    Observing how flushed she was earlier while staring at the movements of my hands on my body, made me realize even how much of a nerd she was. It wouldn¡¯t even take so much to have her wrapped in my beautiful web.


    I stood in the mirror and stared conceitedly at myself, wondering if I was still in one piece and not totally broken. I had really good looks, a hot smoking body without much workout, and I¡¯ve got a wealthy dad. It was everything to make me feel good.


    I wore a pair of free ck shorts and  matching sweatshirt, and sprayed a different cologne from my usual one over my body. As I hairdry my hair to dry off all the water, a message popped on my phone and it was Xavier.


    He wasining that he got paired with some psycho from the next ss, while Bryan luckily got paired with his girlfriend, and they were having the best time ever.


    ¡®How could I ever say that I was paired with the same girl that I got into a scandal with, and was also my step sister?¡¯


    [Who is your own partner? It¡¯ll be hell if it is Madison or Vivian.] He texted.


    I read the message over and over again wondering if I should reply, and I just replied with anything crazy that came to mind.


    [Might be more fun than expected. Random girl is doing her best] I texted back.


    I dropped the phone the moment I replied to his question back to where it was, and focused on fixing my hair perfectly. Amidst that, I noticed that someone was peeking around the door. It almost made me groan in frustration and anger.


    ¡®Just why was she hiding? Living with someone like her sucked so much.¡¯


    ¡°Are you ready or not? I¡¯ve got serious things to do!¡± I tried not to sound rude or angry, and she pushed the door open and came inside. She wasn¡¯t wearing her sses anymore.


    ¡°I am sorry. I wanted to be sure that you were done dressing,¡± she replied honestly, and I almost scoffed. She was acting like a child who just proceeded towards the adolescent stage at neen.


    ¡®Did she live in the ancient world throughout her life or what? Being a nerd doesn¡¯t mean she is naive.¡¯


    ¡°So, what does the project entail? Do we just sit here and talk all day?¡± I continued in my usual tone, and she quickly picked up the papers she had dropped on my dresser initially.


    ¡°It is a social interaction that requires two different individual, spend time together by choosing specific events to set up. Then each person writes what they were able to survey about the other person, and vice versa. Intrapersonal skills too,¡± she went on and on to exin everything the teacher said, definitely with the assumption that I wasn¡¯t listening when the teacher was teaching.


    ¡®And just like everyone else, she assumed the same. So, keeping up with my bad attributes wouldn¡¯t be bad.¡¯


    ¡°So what do you want to know first?¡± I asked so calmly like a gentleman, and the bewildered look she had on her face was palpable.


    ¡®I was loving the effect.¡¯


    ¡°The list¡­. The list is here,¡± she stuttered, ¡°So that I don¡¯t bother you,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Just get it done right now! I do not have any other time to spare,¡± I half-yelled with the thought of the other things I had to do for the day, and she flinched again like she had run out of blood. I shook my head.


    ¡®How would she not be able to handle that much pressure?¡¯


    She took her seat on the chair tucked behind the huge study desk, while I sat on the bed after I grabbed my MacBook. She would ask the questions, while I get my own work done.


    ¡°Unhh. Name, age, school, house¡­¡­..¡± she went on and on in rambles to herself, probably because she knew the answers to those already. Her mumbling made it difficult to focus. It seemed like she had made a list of so many questions.


    ¡°What do you think is the most essential thing in life?¡± She asked finally, not raising her eyes to look at me. It made me do a little thinking.


    ¡°Happiness.¡±


    She wrote it down as soon as I answered, and it kind of made me so inquisitive to know what hers would be. I just concluded that it would be some cringy answers.


    ¡°How well do you rte with the opposite s¡­¡­¡± She paused, before she could evenplete the sentence. Maybe she knew the answer to that too.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I replied concisely with a mischievous smirk pressed on my lips, and she got a little nervous as she became fidgety with the pen in her finger.


    She seemed to be sweaty too as she wiped her face with her hand several times, even with the air conditioner on. She also made sure avoid eye contact the entire time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it isn¡¯t fair that one person gets to ask all the questions?¡± I blurted out when she tried to ask another question, and she suddenly turned to look at me with widened eyes, totally not expecting that from me.


    ¡®Oh, I love that look.¡¯


    ¡°Is there anything you would like to ask?¡± She questioned in a very timid tone, like I was going to eat her if she made any mistake. So much fear.


    ¡°Hmm. Aren¡¯t there questions like, have you dated before? Do you have a lover? How far have you both gone? And stuff like that,¡± I got a little more flirty, and Dabby couldn¡¯t seem to take it anymore, from the look on her face.


    ¡°No. Those are r.. e.. ally pe.. rso.. nal questions. I do not think, that the teacher, would like to know things like that,¡± she responded in a barely audible voice.


    ¡°And would you mind answering them?¡± I taunted her more with a glint of mischief dancing through my eyes, and she was almost not breathing because I could see no movement in her neck. She was gulping hard.


    ¡°I¡­. do not have anything to say,¡± she answered.


    ¡°So we cannot ask personal questions? I thought the project was something about; Getting to know one another,¡± I pressed even more hard, because I was loving the effect it was having on her.


    She wasn¡¯t rxed at all, like we were talking about something strange. It made me want to do things. Curious on how it was for a clueless girl like her to get lovestruck. Know how she would react to feelings and touches.


    ¡°My answer is a No for every question,¡± Dabby voiced out like some kind of pressure pushed her to talk, making a direct contact with my face and deep in my eyes.


    Maybe that was when I noticed that she had green eyes that looked like they had crystals in them.


    She quickly dropped her eyes to herps, and grabbed the book on the table to pen down something. She was just too weird. And it was seriously annoying.


    I was about to say something regardless of my irritated mood, when she suddenly stood up from where she was sitting. She was looking confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had nothing to eat since morning and I¡¯m hungry. Please fill the questionnaire, and I will be back in a few minutes,¡± she informed me by dropping the paper on the bed, and turned to leave before I could even give her a reply.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Her feet that were barely visible in the fur-covered slippers were shaky, and her neck was hanging down as she opened the door of the room to leave.


    Immediately she left, I turned to continue my work that had been left undone because I got carried away. Once in a few minutes, I turned to fill in the questions she highlighted as most important. And I couldn¡¯t even fill half of it, because most of the questions were quite irrelevant to me.


    Time passed and I soon found myself waiting for Dabby toe back, because I wanted to lock my door and be by myself. The fun y would be for another day again, and I knew that I was progressing.


    Tired and stressed of waiting for so long, I packed everything that she came to the room with, and made my way towards the door. My patience was wearing thin already.


    ¡®I would just give her everything and tell her toplete the rest by herself.¡¯


    I opened the door only to meet a figure that stormed directly right in front of me, and the sudden collision got both of us startled to imbnce, as her hand pushed my chest. Never in my life had that kind of home ident happened to me, but my body darted to the back against air and obeyed gravity.


    The next thing I heard was a loud thud with my back painfully on the floor, which was not the end of my pain as a bodynded on mine too. I was still concerned about the full package of humiliation and pain that I had to experience, when I realized that something was going wrong on my lips.


    And right in front of my eyes was Dabby¡¯s huge eyes staring right at mine, also in shock of what had happened after our fall. Her heart was beating fast that I could feel the pressure against my chest cage, and her right hand was certainly not resting on the right ce either.


    ¡®But wait. Were our lips legit locked on a spot right now?¡¯

 Crazy things happening

    DABBY:Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    My eyes could not shit its lids the entire time Iid on my bed trying so hard to sleep, and I also couldn¡¯t afford to toss around so that I wouldn¡¯t make any noise. There was no way I could even close my eyes. All I would see was Damien¡¯s face.


    When I went back to meet him and he said that we could do the assignment together, I was really surprised because I didn¡¯t expect that from him. He had made it clear that he didn¡¯t want any close interaction with me, and it made me wonder what changed his mind and made him act that way.


    I kind of chickened out and went to drink water to calm my nerves. When I returned back up the stairs, I wanted to make sure he was dressed already before I entered. However, he noticed and looked pissed already when he saw me peeping.


    He asked what the project was about, and I took my time to exin with the best of my knowledge. There was a high probability that he wasn¡¯t listening in ss, or even have any idea of what the project was even about.


    He asked what I wanted to know first, and I was really still finding it hard to understand why he was being so nice and calm. I handed the questionnaire over to him instead, so that he could fill it out, while I would personally try to make the entire project detailed.


    However, Damien said that we should do the project together, which was quite shocking for me honestly. He even yelled when I wasn¡¯t yielding.


    ¡®He could probably have thought over the fact that doing the project wasn¡¯t so bad after all.¡¯


    But answering my questions so nicely? I couldn¡¯t understand why he would do that. He had always been so rude and annoying, that bing nice all of a sudden really pushed me off my bnce. It was so weird to stomach.


    It was when I sat down on his study chair that I was able to fully see, and observe the luxuriousness and beauty of his room without any pressure to leave immediately. The interior designs were somewhat close to mine, but his was more sophisticated and ssy.


    I wanted to start with the few questions that I was supposed to ask first, but I immediately stopped myself from asking because I knew the answers to them already. I had to manage time, and make him answer so many questions as possible.


    ¡®His mood could be capricious, and he could end up sending me out if I stress him out.¡¯


    ¡°What do you think is the most essential thing in life?¡± I asked him, expecting to say some kind of answer like wealth or fame. His answer was quite unexpected.


    When I asked the next question, I quickly paused before I finished with the sentence when I realized that I already knew the answer to the question. He still rubbed it in, by answering in a very emphatic manner. It ran cold shivers down my spine.


    Being in the same room with Damien really made it hard to do things the way I wanted, because I wasn¡¯t even free to act however I liked. If I was feeling inner heat because of the clothes I wore, or he was the reason, I had no idea.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it isn¡¯t fair that one person gets to ask the questions?¡± He blurted out suddenly as I wrote down, and I was really taken aback by his question that my eyes had toe in contact with his. It was quite shocking.


    I told him to proceed with his own questions, and he made a list of some questions, asking if they were not meant to be included. I was feeling restless already, because I got stuck on a reply.


    I finally told him that the teacher would not want to hear personal questions like that, and he further taunted me, if I wouldn¡¯t like to answer them. My head was spinning in nervousness already. I had nothing to say.


    ¡®Why would he want to know? Why was he suddenly curious? Was he mocking me?¡¯ I had a surfeit of questions in my head, and it was really exhausting.


    Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t give up until I said something, I replied truthfully, and acted like I had to write something down.


    ¡®I needed to leave the room immediately.¡¯


    Since I was feeling hunger bite on my stomach walls already, I stood up immediately with an excuse that I wanted to eat. I left the room as fast as possible, after dropping the question lists beside him.


    I could feel my cheeks burn red already, and it would even be more humiliating for him to see such.


    I stood in the kitchen for minutes to make spaghetti bolognese for myself, and also baked the part of chicken wings still left in the refrigerator. Knowing I didn¡¯t want to return to Damien¡¯s room so fast mostly because of my outlook, I intentionally took so much time to eat.


    After I was done with the conviction in my heart that he would be done filling the papers, I made my way back to the stairs inrge steps. My face was looking to the ground as I walked towards the direction of his room, and had not seen the imminent danger that was looming.


    My head collided with Damien¡¯s chest in the split second that he was about toe out of his room, and we both became startled as my hand pushed against him in defense.


    Seeing that I could fall to my back with the force I had used to push him backward, my hand quickly reached to grab his shirt and I realized that he was falling to the back too. Hended on his back first and I followed him, as my chest hit his immediately I fell forward.


    And to the shock of my life, we didn¡¯t fall the normal way that would have been better. My lips were directly on Damien¡¯s lips, and my eyes were staring directly into his.


    ¡®His lips felt soft.¡¯

 Secrets

    DABBY:


    And to an even further shock that was hard to recover from, I had used his pelvic bone next to his crotch to support myself. He was shocked. I was shocked. We were shocked. But we weren¡¯t separating immediately.


    Damien gathered himself and pushed me off himself quickly, and stood up so fast leaving me to my pain. He didn¡¯t look good because his back was probably hurting, but he just entered his room and mmed the door hard. The situation was crazy and awkward.


    ¡®It probably didn¡¯t mean anything to him though. That wasn¡¯t his first, and he was a yer. You are the one being weird about it,¡¯ I told myself a thousand times, as I sat in the big bowl of hot tub, after I had left the front of his room with the papers that were littered to the floor.


    It was hard to focus on anything, because I kept getting constantly bothered by the incident that ured because of a fall. That alone had caused me the cooperative spirit that Damien was having initially.


    It left me with so many disadvantages.


    I would be the only one thinking and getting worried about the bump kiss, and I would probably affect our rtionship even worse because I would act awkward.


    Definitely, I would be the only one to finish the project by embellishing his own view with my own ideas, and I would still have to write a totally different two person point of view, after watching the movie that I would choose myself.


    ¡®It was a total disaster.¡¯Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    When I came out of the bathroom after washing away my misery for so long, I realized that Mason had called my phone almost a thousand times when I checked my phone. It had been on my dresser for so long that I didn¡¯t realize that someone must have called.


    In the past, no one did.


    I was so tired and stressed out of my mind that I switched off my cellphone immediately, so that I wouldn¡¯t talk to Mason in that state. He would find out that something was wrong, and I would have to say it if he pestered. He knew how to get me to talk.


    Iid on my bed in shorts and a bra top the entire day till evening, doing a lot of overthinking in my head. I knew that I was supposed to be getting the assignment done when no one would help me, but I was totallyzy about it because of what happened.


    The sound of someone opening the main door jolted me up, and I realized that I had fallen asleep after a short while. It was Damien, and he had probably left with his car.


    It brought some kind of peace to my heart, and I  quickly rushed down the stairs to make dinner, in case he woulde back early. I wanted to avoid him at all costs.


    ¡­.   ¡­¡­.  ¡­¡­


    It was the same atmosphere the next morning, and I left the house early to board a bus to mass. We became Catholics because of one of mum¡¯s exes that she was in love with in the past, and she had not been going there after they broke up. It didn¡¯t matter to me. I wasn¡¯t her.


    After mass ended, I knew that I didn¡¯t want to go back home immediately so I took the chance to visit our old home. The ce was still unupied by anyone, and the passcode was still the same thing.


    I made my way inside the ce which wasn¡¯t quite as dusty as I expected it to be, and went up to my old room to see if there was anything that I would like to pick up. The room was quite messy, and more scanty than it usually was.


    On the floor were littered pieces of paper and my old dolls, and on my old dresser were just old things I used before. There was nothing reasonable in the wardrobe too, and I figured that mum must have taken everything I really needed.


    I entered her own room afterwards, and it was quite a messpared to mine. There were so many shredded pieces of paper on the floor, and piles of dirt. I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. I opened the wardrobe to see if there was anything, and it was entirely wiped out.


    Convinced that there was nothing to see again, I had to say my final goodbye to our old home. As I was about to step out of the room, my eyes caught the words that were written on a line of shredded paper on the floor. I was wearing my sses, so it wasn¡¯t hard to see.


    ¡®Contract between Spencer Anderson and Joanne S¡­¡­¡­.?¡¯

 To discover

    DABBY:


    I woke up with a huge headache on Monday morning, and it felt like I was probably dying. The pain was too much to handle, so I swallowed arge amount of painkillers when I woke up at dawn.


    My body was burning so hot, and my head was banging so bad. It felt like my body was ripped to pieces, and soaked with a dosage of pain. It was so bad.


    ¡®How could I not get that sick?¡¯


    The thought of what I had seen at our old home surprised me, and I wondered what the shredded piece could be about. I had gone there with the hope that I would feel better from the trouble I had left with, but came back even with a worse concern.


    I picked so many pieces of shredded papers that I could find, and packed them into my bag with a big question mark in my head. When I returned back home, I didn¡¯t even mind if I would run into Damien and just stormed to my room.


    I brought out every piece from my bag and scattered them all over the floor, to see if I could arrange them and make sentences out of it. It was quite difficult to pull off, and it was harder than they usually did in the movies I watched.


    Realizing that it would take more time than I thought, I packed every piece into the down space in my wardrobe and locked it. I had to face reality and start something reasonable with my project assignment.


    It was more tiring, exhausting and time taking than I thought, because I had to do Damien¡¯s part too. I had to check the inte for ideas so that our own view wouldn¡¯t collide, and just choose a random movie that I could remember every detail of.


    By the time I was done with everything, it was night already and everywhere was so silent at home. There was no sign of Damien, and I was all alone by myself in the huge house. I had no appetite to eat and justid on my bed after having a bath.


    ¡®What kind of contract? What was that about? What was Mr. Anderson and mum up to?¡¯ I pondered all night and was unable to sleep.


    I developed a headache too, and it became hard to breathe because my panic disorder kind of picked up pace at midnight. And by the next morning, which was meant to be school day and a new week, I was unable to move from my bed.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Hours passed and I couldn¡¯t even lift up my body, talk more of picking my phone from where I put it to call the only person who would be bothered about me. My eyes just watched the clock move its hand into minutes and hours that passed by.


    It was almost time for lunch break at school, and I knew that I couldn¡¯t just remain in bed for the rest of the day. I had to do something because no one would do it for me.


    From my bed, I rolled slowly to the edge and supported my body toe down, with my hands on the floor and head upside down. I was on the floor already and my entire body was burning in heat, as I crawled slowly from my bed to the dresser.


    I switched on my phone and immediately dropped a message to assure Mason that I was okay, and then opened the first cab attached to the dresser to take out another pack of painkillers.


    After swallowing another handful of drugs, I crawled to the bathroom to sit in a tub of cold water. We were to submit the project in thest period before school ended, and I knew that I had to be in school one way or the other. Mason was trying to call, but I had put my phone on airne mode.


    It took several minutes to dry myself and wear clothes, and certainly more minutes to get downstairs after dressing up. I had called a cab toe and pick me up in front of the gate, as I curled up shakily to the pole in front of the house so that I wouldn¡¯t take anymore time.


    The moment I got into the cab and settled tiredly on the chair, Mum called in and I couldn¡¯t even pick it up. Her husband tried to call in, but I was picking neither of their calls up. They were probably going to ask why I was absent in school, but I wasn¡¯t ready to talk to any of them.


    ¡®If they really cared that much to know why I wasn¡¯t in school, they should know that they had overstayed wherever they went.¡¯


    By the time the car dropped me in front of school, I was finding it hard to breathe well in difort. It was just a few minutes to the time sses would start, and I was just in time to get to the school building. My body was shaking real bad in weakness.


    I found out ss quickly in no time as fast I could, and stormed inside to see if Mason was still around. The looks I was getting were really suffocating, but I didn¡¯t care because the joke was on them. I was too tired already.


    I brought out my phone to call Mason quickly, because I couldn¡¯t stand being in the school premises for more than ten minutes. I had to return home.


    Quickly, I rushed to the huge ss that we normally use for social sciences, and quite a number of students were sitting with Ms. Davison in the ss already. I didn¡¯t care about how strict she was, and entered immediately.


    ¡°Yes, who are you?¡± She demanded almost immediately she saw me, and all eyes were in me. If it were before, I would have been so confused and scared of the hundreds of eyes that were looking at me. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°I havee to submit my project,¡± I barely answered audibly, and she had a bewildered look on her face. I was feeling funny already.


    ¡°Youe into my sste, disrupt the ss and you are submitting your project to my face?¡± Ms. Davison looked so pissed as she continued to rant, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I heard everything. I just wanted to leave her presence, because she usually blew things out of proportion.


    ¡°I am sorry foringte to your ss, and disrupting your teaching. Can I submit now?¡± I persisted with my already weak hands that wouldn¡¯t stretch forth the paperwork again. I could feel my breath as hot asva, and it was harder to talk.


    ¡°Who¡­ is your partner?¡± She almost stuttered, ¡°You are definitely not a good pair!¡± She spat furiously and maybe excessively, and I smiled wryly at her words. She wasn¡¯t wrong. We were a terrible pair.


    The ss had be silent, and they were probably waiting for my partner toe out, as my eyes locked with Mason¡¯s own the moment I looked into the crowd. He was having a very worried sick expression on his face, andmunicated in signnguage to ask what was wrong with me.


    ¡®I was too tired already.¡¯


    ¡°Who is this youngdy¡¯s partner here?¡± She asked the crowd of students again, but no one answered. They didn¡¯t even like her already.


    I was already sick and tired of waiting on that spot. There were murmurs from the crowd, and they were looking around like they knew exactly who my partner was.


    ¡®Was she going to take the project report or keep wasting time on irrelevant things?¡¯


    ¡°If you do note out to defend your partner¡¯s actions now, you both are getting a ¡­¡­¡­.¡±


    And loud I hit the floor, as my weak limbs failed me. I was already too tired, and it was exhausting for my body at that point. I knew I couldn¡¯t see again, but I heard Ms. Davison startled screams. I would have probably loved to see the terrified look on her face.


    ~~


    The bed was reallyfortable and really cushy, and I felt like sleeping longer than the longest hours I had slept for. It wasn¡¯t so difficult to open my eyes, but it was hard to move my arm. IV had been passed into my body, and the syringe felt like it was hurting so badly.


    The ceilings of the room I was in were white, but not the same patterns with the one at home or the one in school. It made me realize that I was in a totally different ce.


    ¡®Where was I?¡¯


    ¡°Oh my goodness. You are finally awake!¡± I heard that very simr voice, and I thought I had lost my mind finally.


    ¡®Her voice should be thest to hear when I was close to death.¡¯


    ¡°Dabby. It is me,¡± I heard the voice cry to my ears again, as two figures hovered around my body that was on the bed. It was really mum and Mr. Anderson.


    Tears slipped from both of my eyes, and rolled down the side of my face down to my ear. I was really d. I could be free from Damien¡¯s ws now.


    ¡®They were finally back?¡¯

 On every last nerve

    DAMIEN:


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal with what urred between me and Dabby, but I hated that such a mistake would happen between her and I. Worst of all, it wasn¡¯t even a proper kiss and it still really felt so weird. In some ways, I could not exin.


    I had my bath as soon as I entered the room, and scrubbed my lips clean for so long in front of the mirror. I changed my clothes too and wore a matching shoe.


    I just drove out of the house after almost an hour had passed by, and went skating by myself in a faraway ce. I came to town after a few hours had passed, and checked at the gym for an hour to work out.


    When it was almost night already, I went to one of my favorite clubs around, to meet any new girl who would match my energy. Though I was trying to hit it off with a new girl I met at the club, it was kind of difficult to flirt easily with her the way I normally did with girls.


    She made the first move to kiss me and I was feeling so irked by it, which made me push her away immediately. I told her to leave immediately, and had a few more drinks before leaving the club.


    I felt so tired and stressed when I got back home, because I had not eaten well and had drunk massively too. That left me with the choice of drinking arge amount of milk, so that I wouldn¡¯t end up ruining my health.


    The next day was Sunday, and I remained indoors doing my work. I suddenly had nowhere to go in town even if my friends were calling me to hang out, and just surfed the inte by visiting every one of my social media pages.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Hours passed by before I realized that I had been on my phone for too long, and I ended up ordering food hoping that I was going to be able to eat it. I had blocked Dad and his wife from calling, because there was no reason for them to call if they were not around.


    The day went like that till evening, and I didn¡¯t even reply to my friend¡¯s texts or meet them. And when I closed my eyes to sleep and opened it, it was Monday morning and time for school.


    I got dressed for school, and left earlier than I usually did. There was no sign of Dabby, but it wasn¡¯t my concern. If she wanted to remain hiding forever, then so be it.


    The moment I pulled into the school parking lot, I could see her stupid friend standing in front of the school building. He looked like he was waiting for someone, and it was really annoying for me to see him there.


    I was also still trying to recollect where I had seen him from before this school.


    ¡®Did we go to the same middle school?¡¯ I wondered.


    I just stalked past him like he didn¡¯t exist with my right hand tucked into my pants pocket, and I knew that he was dying so hard to ask me about Dabby. He couldn¡¯t swallow his pride to ask me, but he couldn¡¯t help but worry so much about his friend.


    ¡®I liked that he must have been feeling so shitty and pressured.¡¯


    The ambiance in school was the same, and there was nothing new to look up to. Same faces, same friends, same fun. I haven¡¯t joined the cheesy club that Dad wanted me to, and neither was I going to.


    I knew he would throw a fit if he returned, but I didn¡¯t care because I was used to his aggressiveness. I also wondered if he would begin to dictate Dabby¡¯s life, the way he was already doing to mine.


    The first period soon started, and I was just sitting in ss unfocused. I was always like that initially too without paying attention in ss, but I always heard whatever the teacher would say no matter what. But, it seemed like I couldn¡¯t even hear anything. Like my mind was in a maze.


    It went on like that for the remaining three periods, and I just remained deaf to everything that went on in ss. I didn¡¯t usually attend all sses and just did however I liked, but I was kind of disturbed by the fact that I was in ss and could not hear anything.


    ¡®You don¡¯t like school or these dumb sses. You should not be bothered.¡¯ I told myself repeatedly.


    As soon as the bell for lunch break rang, I picked up my bag, ready to leave the ss and never toe back to school till the next day. However, I remembered that the ss and project submission was just a few hours away from lunchtime.


    I didn¡¯t mind anyway and made my way to the cafeteria to cause a little trouble somewhere, and the next thing I realized was Dabby¡¯s friend, walking towards where I was with a stern look on his face.


    ¡°Do you mind talking elsewhere?¡± He said to my face, and I was really pissed.


    ¡®Like who the fuck does he think he is? Was he not supposed to be with his friend? or did Dabby tell him something stupid?¡¯


    I ignored him and just turned to leave, when he whispered something annoying in my ear. He asked if I would like to talk about me and Dabby, right on that spot where people could hear.


    ¡®Fuck! I hate this guy!¡¯

 Scrambled family

    DAMIEN:


    ¡°So what do you want to say?!¡± I demanded angrily from him, by the time we had reached the corners that led to the school garden.


    ¡°Where is Dabby? I have not seen her all day?¡± He asked immediately, and I was so puzzled.


    ¡®So Dabby wasn¡¯t in school?¡¯


    ¡°And how is that my concern? What gives you the right to ask me such dumb questions?¡± I shot back at him in anger, and he wasn¡¯t taking it lightly.


    ¡°So, it is bad if I ask you about your stepsister?¡± He emphasized so much on the word ¡®sister¡¯ and I became so irked. He was really getting on my nerves.


    ¡°Touch me, and I will punch you hard in the face. Whether or not she came to school is none of my business!¡± I spat at his face, and turned to leave immediately.


    ¡°Does your parents know that they are raising a jerk? Especially the nasty one who wouldn¡¯t care to know if his sister isn¡¯t in school!¡± He responded harshly and quite loudly too.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t know. They aren¡¯t home. Far, on a journey,¡± I said with my lips twisted into a derisive smirk, that was meant to taunt words into his ears.


    But the expression he had on his face was so momentary, the moment I finished off my sentence. I was so ted. It seemed like Dabby didn¡¯t tell her dear friend that we both had been home alone. By ourselves.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡®Maybe I could even spice things up in his head.¡¯ The thought urred to me as I went back to ss, and I could find myself grinning mischievously.


    The ns to ditch the remaining sses failed, because I heard new information that Dabby wasn¡¯t in school. It made me wonder if she had run away for real, or was just ying hooky with school because of what happened.


    We had settled in ss already for the project submission, and out of all the girls that made their way in, Dabby wasn¡¯t among them. The teacher had entered and started talking about the project, and yet she was nowhere in the ss.


    ¡®Had she given up on the project because I didn¡¯t help her? Or was angry and nning to get both of us an F?¡¯


    I got my phone and tried to call her, and realized that I still didn¡¯t have her phone number. It made me even more frustrated. And just when I thought it was over, a figure made her way into the ss and it was her.


    ¡®She hasn¡¯t bailed out on school after all,¡¯ I scoffed.


    She was looking so gaunt and sick, so I wondered where she could being from in such a messy state. She was saying some inaudible things to the teacher, while stretching the project work to her.


    ¡°Hey, see your cutie girlfriend from the tabloids,¡± Xavier whispered into my ear from behind to piss me off, and I sneered immediately. The next question I could hear was the teacher asking about who her partner was.


    I didn¡¯t expect that out of the blue, and there was no way I was standing up in front of everyone. Everyone was all murmuring and looking back and front like they knew who it was, but I didn¡¯t give a damn. Mason was ring at me from the front seat that he sat in.


    ¡°Arsehole!¡± I murmured heavily under my breath. I just hated him.


    And the next thing that happened after the teacher talked about giving both of us a low grade if we didn¡¯t stand up, was the Dabby slumping to the floor which shocked everyone.


    The ss became disorganized, and the teacher was terrified. Some students on the floor rushed to pick her up, and Mason wasn¡¯t left out. Some students were chanting that they would report abuse of power to the school management, but I was sitting in that spot still unable to grasp what happened.


    The next message I would see that popped on my phone, after so many minutes had passed was my father¡¯s text, telling me that he and his wife were back in town.


    And before I realized it, I was standing in front of a hospital, where Dabby was taken too after the school called her mum to inform her. Dad was also inside.


    ¡®Now our lives would be really messed up, as apletely scrambled family.¡¯

 One big family

    DABBY:


    I woke up a dayter after they had flushed out the excess dosage of drugs that I had taken, which helped me feel so much better. It was still so unbelievable for me to see mum back and around me, that it kind of felt like she was a stranger.


    Mr. Anderson came back to check on me too, while mum remained around to assist me and keep mypany. The only person I didn¡¯t see was Damien. That jerk.


    During my stay in the hospital, I knew I was losing my mind probably because I felt sick. All I could hear in my head was Damien¡¯s voice, and his face kept appearing before me. He didn¡¯te around, but I could even see him more than I saw mum.


    His image became stuck in my mind in some kind of addictive way, that I couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with me. It was putting some kind of fear in me, but I concluded that it was as a result of drug overdose.


    While we returned back home from the hospital in mum¡¯s car, she asked me what happened to my head. She said she noticed some kind of scar that she had not seen before, and it surprised me to know how she noticed every little detail of things. I was really thankful that I had taken my cast off.


    ¡°Nothing mum. I had a head bump in the kitchen,¡± I lied, and almost cringed at my new behavior.


    In the past, there was almost nothing to lie about because I was just the normal kid who could talk back to her mum. Getting a new family and a stepbrother that hated me, had changed a lot.


    ¡°Are you sure? It kind of looks like it got stitched or something,¡± she pressed further in her usual manner while staring at me through the car mirror, and I tried hard not to groan in frustration.


    ¡°How do you know if something is stitched. I mean you are not even a nurse,¡± I chuckled awkwardly, and immediately turned my face away from the front mirror where our eyes met.


    I picked up my phone and called Mason to tell him that I was discharged already, and that I would meet with him the next day. He wanted toe and visit me at the hospital, but I couldn¡¯t risk getting into any more problems with Mr. Anderson and mum around.


    ¡°Who is that? Your boyfriend?¡± Mum asked immediately I dropped the call, and I widened my eyes in surprise. She just liked to assume nonsense.


    ¡°No. He is just my friend. Almost the only friend I have,¡± I responded almost immediately, and it sounded like a snap.


    ¡°Rx dear. It is just that I haven¡¯t seen you call a friend, or bring a friend over since middle school days. And I have been so worried sick about that. I bothered you might not be fitting in well,¡± she fretted, and I just remained emotionless.


    ¡®What could I say when she had been right all along?¡¯


    ¡°Mason is not my boyfriend, okay. He is a really good friend that cares,¡± I finally cleared the air.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°You are one weird teenager you know? I mean you will be out of college in a few months, and I have not even heard you calling anyone secretly or seen you having the love syndrome. Is there something you are not telling me? Are you gay?¡± Mum blurted out her question so suddenly, and I was really shocked to hear her.


    ¡°No! Even if I were gay, I would at least bring my girlfriend or something. I am not just interested in anyone,¡± I retorted. It was so weird that she was usually so observant about everything.


    ¡°Just know that mama supports you in everything you do, darling. Go into the world and explore. Do not meet wrong men like I did. Choose wisely. Go for the one that loves you, no matter what,¡± she went on and on with her advice, and I just nodded to everything that she was saying.


    She had done a good job raising me in the best well she could, but I had raised myself better.


    However, these days, I have no idea if that was true anymore. The thoughts that are in my head are unspeakable.

 Together once again

    DABBY:


    I just slouched to the car seat, and allowed my mind to wander aimlessly. I was really scared. Scared about what would happen. How I and Damien would live, now that our parents were back.


    And also about the shredded pieces of paper that were locked in the wardrobe, I was slightly bothered about it too. I really wanted to ask mum about it, but I would have to arrange those pieces first and find something tangible.


    Mr. Anderson came back that evening and checked up on me where I was taking a rest, which I was really grateful for. Shortly afterwards, I saw someone¡¯s shadows around my room area and I could swear that it was Damien. He didn¡¯te inside and just waited for a while before leaving.


    Mum came upstairs with a bowl of porridge that she made, and it was too nd in taste. I managed to eat a portion of it, so that she wouldn¡¯t feel bad if I said I was not going to eat it.


    She informed me that she wanted to make a full course meal for dinner, and I was scared that she might blow it bad since she had not made one before. We usually ate simple meals.


    I insisted on joining her to cook and that I was okay so that everything would go well. She started with chopping the onions, cabbage, lettuce and all, while I started cooking already before she could even start.


    ¡°It is a relief I have a daughter like you. Even I, cannot pull off the dishes you prepare,¡± shemended, and put a chunk of chicken that she was cutting into my mouth when I wanted to smile.


    As much as I was really angry that she left me for that long and wanted to rant, I really missed her too and longed for her warmth. Even if she usually hurt my feelings in one way or another, I couldn¡¯t stay too angry because I knew that she loved me. She really did. I could always sense it.


    While I and mum set the dining table, Mr. Anderson came to sit at the table, as he and mum had a brief cheek kiss. It was such a sight to watch, and they looked so loving. There was no doubt in their rtionship.


    Three of us had taken our seat around the dining table already, and it took Damien extra minutes toe downstairs to join. I said a short prayer afterwards, and we all started eating.


    It was hard to focus on my food, because I wanted to keep looking at Damien to see the expression he had on his face. He started off as being picky with his food, and his dad scolded him that he should try to eat normally. That was when I discovered that he really couldn¡¯t eat food well.


    But as time went by with mum and Damien¡¯s dad eating and chuckling over their meal, Damien eating seemed to get better the more he ate the food. I was watching him the entire time.


    ¡®He seemed to like the food. He probably likes the food,¡¯ I inwardly rejoiced happily.


    The next moment he raised his head to carry the jug of water that was nearest, I quickly passed it to him when I noticed, and his fingers grazed mine as he collected it. It jolted me a bit, and he noticed something was wrong. We ended up looking into each other¡¯s eyes.


    I had probably lost my mind because I was getting more absorbed into the thoughts about Damien, and I knew that I probably was not okay anymore. It wasn¡¯t easy to keep my eyes from looking at what he was doing. I was getting interested in everything he did


    Dinner finally ended, and I packed all the used tes to the kitchen. I was about to start hand washing them, when mum came to meet me in the kitchen.


    ¡°There is a dishwasher you know,¡± she reminded me, and I realized that it was true. We didn¡¯t have that in our own house, so it didn¡¯t ur to me that I could use one here.


    We both had a chat while I waited to hang the tes back to their racks, and she finally apologized for being so mean even when she should have been there for me.


    She also didn¡¯t forget to ask how the rtionship was between me and Damien, and I told her that we were getting to know one another. To make it more believable, I also told her that we were paired together for a project, and that it was good.


    ¡®Lots of things have happened in their absence, and they are all crazy stuff.¡¯


    ¡°Do not forget your pills too. The right dosage,¡± Mum reminded me before I climbed the stairs.


    I returned back to my room after I was done, and changed into my pyjamas after taking my bath. I took my pills, andid on the bed to sleep for a long time. Probably because I had slept the entire afternoon, I was not feeling sleepy at all.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Damien was sticking stubbornly to my mind, and I was really jadded. I wanted to do something, and I suddenly got an idea.


    Not minding what almost happened weeks ago, I stepped out of my room and took the backdoor by the other side of the house to the backyard, where the pool was located. The lights that decorated the pool made it a beautiful sight to behold, as I walked closer to the body of water.


    I sat gently by the pool this time around and put my legs inside, instead of entering to swim in it. The cool feeling of the water gave me goosebumps, but I felt really refreshed by it.


    And suddenly, I could see a bubble eruption in the middle of the pool. The next thing was a pop from beneath the water to my face, and I wanted to scream so loudly in fear of what it could be, as a strong hand held my mouth shut. The scent was familiar.


    ¡®Why was Damien there?¡¯


    I opened my eyes a few seconds after, and those deep blue eyes were staring right at me. I couldn¡¯t breathe. Something was wrong with me. Something was.


    But he wasn¡¯t smiling, and frowning real bad. He looked badly pissed too.


    ¡®What have I done again?¡¯

 Feels and thrills

    DAMIEN:


    Dad came back home with the boxes they had taken on the trip, and we barely even talked like people who had not seen each other in days. He called Joanne to know if there was anything that she would need, and that was how I knew that Dabby had been transferred to another hospital under dad¡¯s family name.


    He asked if I would like to go and see how she was doing, but I rejected the offer saying that I wanted to do an assignment. The thought that I actually left her home without caring to know if she was okay, haunted me in some kind of ways.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡®She could have died.¡¯ My mind constantly whispered to me and I scoffed aloud.


    They came back home and it wasn¡¯t hard to hear from my room, because the house had be more rowdy with everyone back home. I knew I was going to hate it so much, because Dad was going to have so much to talk about.


    It was time for dinner already, and I knew that it would be a family dinner which we have not had in months. In the past, we usually ordered food differently and ate differently. There were also two chefs that came to the house to prepare food five times in a week, which made eating together even easier to avoid.


    Joanne called me for dinner from the stairs, and I took extra minutes in getting ready before I came. I was trying to be a good son, because I didn¡¯t want dad to throw a fit and say annoying words. Not in front of the new family. I hated that he hade back home. Problems would start again.


    And his first offense in just a few hours of returning back home, was mentioning the fact that I was really picky with food instead of trying to correct my disorder. I noticed that Dabby looked at me the moment he said that, and mortification mmed on my face real hard.


    I was the perfect guy at school, and I shouldn¡¯t be soiled with my ws in Dabby¡¯s presence. There was no way I would not be vulnerable to her being a new member of the family. I hated it so much. So, much.


    As I tried to eat more of the food, it tasted so ptable and my stomach could take it. And even my senses and taste bud could tell that it tasted like Dabby¡¯s cooking. It was really crazy how I could eat it without much difficulty.


    The entire time, I noticed that Dabby was looking at me which made it kind of difficult to eat fast. When she passed the jug of water to me, it felt so crazy that she almost jumped when she passed the jug of water. She was acting really creepy.


    I was the first to leave the table before anyone else, and I made my way into my room without saying anything. Nothing was feeling right any longer, since dad was back into the house. With his careless talking, there was no way Dabby wouldn¡¯t find out too much about me. It bothered me so much.


    The lights were off already to indicate that it was time to sleep, and it was really hard to close my eyes even if I tried. My worries about the rtionship I had with couldn¡¯t leave me any longer, especially for the fact that we no longer lived alone.


    I moved from the bed to sit by my window with my MacBook to continue my work, but it was even harder to concentrate on anything at all. Staring at the crystal clear waters of the pool, I dropped everything I was doing and picked a swim pants.


    When I entered the pool, the water was so cold that I wanted to jump out immediately. Soon, I circled in and out of the, by doing the different styles of swimming that I had learnt after adjusting to the temperature.


    And down I went into the water and squatted down the pool for minutes, to see how much I could remain in water without breathing for a long while with my eyes closed. When I couldn¡¯t hold it again, I swam towards the pool edge, and popped out of the water only to see someone before me. It couldn¡¯t be any other person.


    She wanted to scream as soon as my eyes came in contact with hers, and I held her mouth immediately from saying anything. Dad and her mum would be in their room by that time, and would be rmed if they heard any triggering noise from outside.


    If they see both of us in that position, they could get wrong ideas and I would never want to put myself in that disgusting situation. Dad knew that I flirted with so many girls, and he could say things that would even severe our rtionship the more. We weren¡¯t doing well already.


    She was staring at me so intently, and I frowned immediately. I wondered what she was doing outside and in the pool that night, just the same time I wanted to have my peace.  She was everywhere, and wouldn¡¯t learn from mistakes too. It was the same ce where she almost diedst week.


    When I saw that she hadported herself already and calmed down, I dropped my hand from her lips, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked in a grumpy voice, and she was just batting her eyshes uncontrobly like a controlled doll.


    ¡°I¡­ I was finding it hard to sleep. I really didn¡¯t know you were here. I am sorry,¡± she responded in a voice that was barely audible, and it made me angry even more to know that she was talking like that. I was just getting irked by the littlest things.


    ¡°You are everywhere, and it really sucks. Just stay in your room or leave!¡± I yelled at her face and she jumped in fear.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to inconvenience you. I am so sorry,¡± she apologized over and over again, which made me shake my head in frustration.


    ¡®Did she have to get intimidated everytime?¡¯


    I leapt out of the pool without saying anything to her again, and walked to where the pool chairs were, to pick up the towel I had brought alongside with me.  Since she hade to disrupt me already, I didn¡¯t have any reason to keep swimming.


    Dabby shrieked immediately at the sight of my half-naked body when I walked before her, and used both of her hands to cover her face instantly, which made me huff in disdain. She could never like a normal girl.


    ¡°You seriously are so annoying. You cannot even stand the sight of a man in swim pants?! What side of the world did you grow up at?¡± I moved closer to where she was standing, and asked her questions that I didn¡¯t need answers to.


    I wanted to taunt her so much by my presence, and see what she would do if I got too close. If she wasn¡¯t used to things like that, then I would make her.


    Dabby got even more startled and retreated backwards a bit when I got close, and I matched every of her steps to the back. Her green eyes didn¡¯t stop looking right into mine as I moved closer, and they showed fear, and extreme nervousness.


    I didn¡¯t realize that she wasn¡¯t minding her step as she moved back, and her left leg made it take another step backward. She was at the edge of the pool already, and the next step she would take was going to plunge her into therge body of water.


    My right hand grabbed her by the waist so quickly before she would fall, as her eyes widened in shock of danger realization. I pulled her back to myself before she would end up putting both of us in a spot, if she falls or make both of us fall.


    Her face rested on my bare chest the moment she bnced back, and it shocked me too because I didn¡¯t expect that. I was expecting her to remove her face, as soon as she realized that she wasn¡¯t going to fall.


    However, her face remained buried into my rock hard chest, like she wasn¡¯t going to pull away again. I didn¡¯t push her back either, the way I would have aggressively done in my usual way. I just allowed her to do whatever she wanted.


    She raised her face slowly from my chest after minutes had passed, and brought her face to look into mine immediately instead of separating from me finally. She was looking at me weirdly, and I wondered what was going on. She suddenly leaped on her toes.


    ¡®What the heck was Dabby doing?¡¯

 Part-time job

    DABBY:


    My actions keep disturbing my head, and all I could feel was heavy mortification the more I thought of it. It was hard to understand in my head why I did that, and what was causing me to do that. One thing I knew was for sure; I had gone crazy.


    I was on my way to meet Mason as promised the next day after school hours, because I was given a three day leave from school to recover. I was feeling better from the usage of pills and the shots I received, which was an ascertainment that I was good to go.


    Being home alone wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be, because I got to watch movies, y loud music and eat as I liked. The only downside about it, was what I had been trying to avoid ever since; Missing sses.


    But it was already inevitable because of what happened, and I just had to enjoy the moment while itsted. There was no mum, Mr. Anderson or Damien. It was just me alone.


    I tried to arrange the pieces of the paper that I found at our old home, and it was much harder than I thought. I ended up abandoning it after so many minutes had passed, and left it in a more organized state this time around. I knew it would be better the next time I would try.


    Mum bought a new set of dresses for me again the way she always did, and I would really feel bad if I didn¡¯t appreciate them by not wearing them. Since I nned to meet with Mason, I decided to wear one of the floral dresses.


    I wore a ck boot to match the dress I wore, and styled my hair after watching so many tutorial videos for hours. My sses had broken one of its arms from the previous night, and I held it using seal tape so that I would be able to see for the meantime that I would get another one.


    While I sat in the bus that I had boarded to where Mason wanted to meet, all my head could think about was Damien and the previous night.


    Staring at his body just covered in really tight swim pants was too much for my eyes to bear, and I had to cover my face so that I wouldn¡¯t get all red again. I was supposed to be disgusted that I got to see my stepbrother in that way, but I couldn¡¯t even feel any ounce of guilt that I was feeling crazy things because of him.


    ¡®I was totally done for.¡¯


    The moment he started to move closer to me with his radiating self, I couldn¡¯t help but retreat before I got tempted, and did something stupid. I guess the romantic novels and movies I have read and watched were finally getting into my head. They were making me imagine things. Making me want things. Bad and crazy things.


    My heart fell out of my chest the moment I thought I would fall into the pool of water behind me, but Damien¡¯srge arms grabbed me closer to himself to prevent that from happening. He had saved me two times already even if he hated me.


    ¡®Gosh. It was so close. I thought I was going to relive the scary moment of drowning again. I guess the pool doesn¡¯t like me at all.¡¯


    However, when my head rested on Damien¡¯s chest after I was saved because of our height difference, I kind of liked that I was listening to the sound of his heartbeat. I remained at the spot with his smooth, soft, skin pressed to my face. The feeling was so good. I was getting lost in it.


    When I could finally separate from Damien after realizing that I might have done something wrong, my head bent backwards and my eyes stared directly into his, to know what expression he had on. He didn¡¯t get angry or push me away with the fact that I was being so weird, and it kind of put my thoughts in a spot.


    The expression on his face was emotionless, which made it difficult to even figure out what he could be thinking. Looking at his face from that height and angle felt kind of different, considering the fact that I was touching him and looking at him from up close. His lips suddenly got attractive.


    ¡®Oh my goodness. My hormones were working the wrong way. The anesthesia was working the wrong way, and the aftereffects were really bad. Why was Damien bing suddenly attractive to me? Why? Why?¡¯


    Soon, it felt like I wasn¡¯t in control of my brain anymore, and my lips wanted to touch the lips it bumped on days ago. The feeling of it was still so clear in my head, that ignoring the thoughts was impossible. The scene randomly popped into my head everytime.


    I leaped in my feet before Damien to  try and match his height, while thinking of what I would do next after doing that. I certainly could not try that with Damien. He would just break me. But still, I wanted to see how he would react. He was a yer. He might take the bait, and act with me the way he did to other girls.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡®Oh Dabby. You need therapy. He is your stepbrother. You cannot have that kind of rtionship with him.¡¯ My mind whispered to me.


    ¡®We are not rted, in any way,¡¯ my brain countered my mind immediately.


    Amidst the conflict in my heart even while still leaning, Damien instantly pushed me backwards and didn¡¯t say anything. He just picked up his towel and left me standing on the spot, as he disappeared into the building.


    ¡®Now you have made the rtionship between both of you even worse. You would not be able to face him,¡¯ my mind mored to my ears, and I bit my lips so hard in regret of what I had done.


    I was going out of control, and it was unbelievable for me It was getting worse, especially if Damien was around. I had been struck by Damien¡¯s fever, and it was getting terrible by the day.


    ¡®Why would I start to notice someone who hated me? Why would I start to see someone who wanted to bully me at every chance? I needed help.¡¯


    I strode into the street that led to the cafe shop I sighted, when I got off at the nearest bus stop. Mason wanted to meet there, and I didn¡¯t understand why. It was quite far from where he lived, and it would be stressful to meet in that kind of ce.


    Anyway it looked like fun. I got to see more ces that I had not seen in months of moving to town.


    I crossed-check the name of the cafe with the one that Mason texted me, and it was exactly the same thing. The same one I had gone to a few days ago and met Damien at. Taking the bus justplicated the route.


    I made my way inside cautiously to see if I would see him the moment I entered inside, and there he was behind the counter shing me a bright smile.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Dabby. You look so gorgeous in this outfit. I have never seen you like this before,¡± Masonplimented as soon as he joined me at the table I sat, with a cup of iced coffee. He looked so surprised.


    ¡°Thank you, Mason. My mum keeps saying that I should wear more dresses. I am trying to do that,¡± I shrugged with a smile.


    ¡°It really looks perfect on you. I mean, even much better,¡± he said with a cute and endearing face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you worked a part-time job,¡± I expressed my surprise, when I remembered what exactly I was about to say before he came to the table.


    ¡°My mum runs this ce alongside her job. She got it a few weeks ago and it just opened,¡± he told me, and I was really surprised to hear that. It looked fun to me that he could help his mum run her cafe.


    ¡°Oh mine. That is incredible. Your mum is really adorable,¡± Imended honestly, because the ce seemed really cool. It had a nice view from where we both sat.


    ¡°It has been her dream to own a cafe ever since we left China, because it was mainly the job she worked there. She can finally do that, and I should support her in the best way I can even,¡± he said again, and I was really surprised.


    ¡°This is really great, Mason. Really really good. I ate here a few days ago, and the food was really great. You are a wonderful son!¡± I chuckled at my own words, and he gave me a disbelieving look.


    ¡°I am really serious. It is so super nice that your mum owns this ce. I would love it if my mum owned one. I¡¯ll be perfect for the kitchen,¡± I winked at him, and he carefully wiped off the coffee that smeared at my upper lips before I realized that.


    ¡°Do you want to work part-time? We sure need more hands,¡± he asked me suddenly and I didn¡¯t expect that.


    With that, I would be free from everyone, and most especially Damien. I would have an excuse every time I was not home, and would be able to avoid my worst nightmare too. I would earn some extra cash, and I could still run academics well since I was naturally intelligent. It was perfect.


    ¡°Can I really do that?¡±

 More and more problems

    DABBY:This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Avoiding Damien for the next few days was going to be easy, because of how things were. I wasn¡¯t going to school, and I usually went downstairs after everyone had left the house.


    I took strolls in the evening to the cafe to help Mason out, as the new part-timer at the cafe. His mum hired me immediately he told her over the phone, and he also did the paperwork that documented me as an employee.


    The entire week for school was gone already, and mum suggested that I resumed the next week instead of a day to weekend. I also talked to her about my new job, but she didn¡¯t seem too pleased.


    ¡°Darling. You said you wanted to study medicine, or nursing science. Aren¡¯t working jobs going to distract you from your studies? I mean I can give you the money you want if that is a problem,¡± she tried to cajole me with her sweet and seductive words, but I wasn¡¯t going to fall for it even if I knew that she wanted the best for me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine mum. It is just in the evenings, and I can still do very fine in academics. My records are great already,¡± I tried to make her understand, because that was the only way that I could be free from thoughts about Damien.


    ¡°Working isn¡¯t as easy as you think. You have to try and keep up because that isn¡¯t how your life has always been. You probably don¡¯t even know how to openly rte with people,¡± sheined again.


    ¡°Fine, Mum. I know that, and that is why I am trying to be a better person now. Less closeted than I have been. Rting more with people naturally without having to gulp hard over simple conversations,¡± I tried to make her understand, by putting the reality of my feelings before her.


    ¡°Argghh,¡± she sighed hard, her redundant red lipstick made her lips look like an attractive apple. She was really beautiful, and her charms were hard to resist, ¡°Promise to quit a month to final exam and prom.¡±


    ¡°Alright mum. I do that. Thank you for epting my new job,¡± I finally rxed my anxious mind, and turned to leave the dining after dropping the jar of cookies that I came to return.


    ¡°So your friend¡¯s mum runs the store, hmmn? His name is Mason, isn¡¯t it?¡± She sassed, with a coy smile to her face. I knew exactly where she was going.


    ¡°Mum! Mason is just my friend¡± I called out and corrected her again so that she would stop, and Damien entered the house immediately. It made me really awkward. He still looked so good in his outfit, regardless.


    ¡°Hi Damien. How was school today?¡± Mum turned to Damien¡¯s direction and asked him with a smile, and he gave a concise reply to her and went ahead to climb the stairs.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say hi?¡± She asked me immediately when he left, and I almost frowned. I didn¡¯t want her to force us to be close as expected.


    ¡®If only she knew the many things that had gone wrong with leaving both of us home alone.¡¯


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say hi either, and it wasn¡¯t really necessary either. I will soon leave the house for my new job, and I will be back by 8:30pm. Don¡¯t make my dinner too. And one more thing, Mason is just my friend,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Alright, if you say so,¡± she sassed again.


    ~~`|`~~


    It was Saturday, and it had been the same routine until the weekend. Mum and Mr. Anderson went to work, Damien went to school, while I remained at home. I spent my morning ying around and cleaning the house, afternoons to read, evenings for my new job, and nights to watch movies.


    Everything was going smoothly, and I was doing really fine after Mason taught me some few basic things. He took notes in ss because of me, and it was easy to read because he had really good handwriting.


    I was getting Damien out of my head and thoughts since we rarely saw each other, because I was so good at my hide and seek game. Dinners could always be avoided because I could lie that I had eaten at work. Mum was still kind of skeptical about me working, but I tried my best to show her that I was capable.


    Saturday was different because everyone was home, and it made working even harder. Ms. Davison came around to do the chores, and two other people came to clean the surroundings.


    Mum did her ownundry alongside everyone¡¯s after I reminded her, and I made breakfast. She wasn¡¯t used to that kind of life, and I knew it was going to be difficult for her to adjust to bing a home mum.


    Damien didn¡¯te down for breakfast, and mum made me hang it on his door knob instead of entering to give him as instructed. I checked the inte for ideas on how to make the perfect lunch, and I soon got cooking again before mum could even n it out.


    I think Mr. Anderson forced Damien toe down for lunch, because I could sense the cold air between both of them when he came downstairs. I was trying hard not to make eye contact with him, but I ended up looking at him twice the normal times I usually looked at him. It was crazy.


    We all settled down to eat, and I was d that everyone seemed to be enjoying the meal. I just wanted everything to be cool at home, while trying my best to  cover up for mum¡¯s shorings. Never did I know things would be more ruined because of a simple lunch.


    ¡°Your mum told me that you are aspiring to be a doctor,¡± Mr. Anderson said out of the blue, and it took me extra two minutes to know he was talking to me until mum nudged me. It was kind of weird, because we have never had a new daughter-new dad talk before.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I replied so sharply, and it sounded rude to my ears probably because the reply was too short, ¡°I want to be in the medical field generally,¡± I continued.


    ¡°That is a good profession. Keep it up, and you are going to be proud of the woman you be,¡± he talked so sweetly, and nodded his head in affirmation of his words to me. I didn¡¯t know if I was mistaken, but he had a proud look in his eyes. Like I was his real daughter.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I smiled modestly and bowed my head, as I picked up a ss of water to wash down the food I had eaten.


    ¡°You should always choose the right part in life. No some squished up dreams, that is going to end you in a messter in life! Handicapped and regretful,¡± he said so sternly this time, like he was suddenly angry over something. My eyes trailed to see what was going on, and he was looking at Damien with so much anger.


    ¡°You see your sister? She is trending on the right part, and a road to sess. Have you seen her results? Even if she has changed schools a number of times, she still manages to ace her courses. She knows what she does! You should get a grip of yourself too before it is toote!¡± He deplored strongly over the table at Damien, venting out his pent-up anger and frustration. It made me choke on my food immediately.


    ¡°Calm down, Spencer,¡± Mum tried to cate him by rubbing on his back gently, and Damien suddenly stood up from where he was sitting.


    He turned to leave the dining room immediately, with so much anger in his facial expression. He was literally boiling.


    ¡°See that rude attitude of yours! I want the best for you, and nothing more! It is just a few months to get ready for college. Few months!¡± Mr. Anderson raged further, and mum quickly passed him a ss of water, so that he wouldn¡¯t choke on the food we were eating.


    I just sat there, confused and scared. I had seen Damien in his worst, and it was something that he really hated if I had noticed him right. His father had seeded in turning everything over, byparing I to him in the most harsh manner.


    ¡®He could never like me again. He would even hate me more. Lunch had gone wrong. Everything was now a catastrophe. I was probably at the mercy of Damien all over again.¡¯

 Back to old ways

    DAMIEN:


    Dabby¡¯s actions continued to remain puzzling to me, even after I returned to my room for the night. For a second, I thought that she was going to do exactly what I had pictured her doing, but she remained stuck on a spot after she leapt on her toes.


    She was just staring at me and it was really annoying that I pushed her off myne, and entered the house immediately. It honestly took me aback for a few seconds.


    Maybe because I had envisaged what I thought she wanted to do, and that she didn¡¯t end up doing made me feel kind of disappointed. It was a feeling I just felt, and I hated.


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal to kiss a girl, but I had never imagined it with someone like Dabby. And when she got into a position that made me assume, thoughts that just came from nowhere considering the incident we had a few days ago. Everything just became really annoying.


    Considering that I was really pissed off about the entire issue, it made even living together as a family of four harder. I wanted to just move out of the house, and stay away from everyone if it was possible.


    The next day at school felt kind of tiring, because there was nothing new to do. Teasing the scary-cat nerds at school wasn¡¯t even fun anymore, and I felt really lost. Talking to my friends with their girlfriends around mad it really annoying.


    Madison came to meet me at my hangout during lunch break, and threatened that I would regret not taking her back. She crossed the line by saying some words that were really rude, and I dragged her hair so harshly and closer to me.


    ¡°If you ever mess with me again, Madison. I would make sure you never set your foot into this school, and relocate from this town. All your dirty hidden secrets will be washed out for all to see!¡± I threatened as I squeezed her hair even tighter, making her yelp in pain. I sure knew many ways to her weakness.


    She ended up being the receiving end for my anger and frustration, and she had started to cry even before I released roughly to the floor.


    ¡°Behave darling. ept the breakup and move on. That is the best thing you can do to hold on to the little you have,¡± I said in a disparaging voice, stalked past her immediately and out of the school building.


    I entered my car and drove out of the school so angrily, and crashed at some ce till evening while ignoring my friends call.


    And like that the days went on and on without failing, and it got much harder living in my home. The onlyfort I had was my bed, making games and ying games with my favorite online opponent.


    I was probably going to have to swallow my pride, and ask for an audience with the DAYNNE because he was really a good yer. Even more than I have ever thought myself to be.


    ¡®It would definitely be a guy.¡¯


    It was the weekend already after days of Dabby not being in school, and we just had to still see each other because we are living in the same house. Regardless of what dad would say how he would throw fits, I decided to remain in my room for breakfast that morning.


    I was almost done with the new features I was designing for my game, and I decided to round off everything before I would start preparing for my pitch.


    Someone knocked on my door while I was working, and when I finally got ready to open the door after minutes had passed, a well packaged food was hanging on my door.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Even if I was still pissed off about everything, I hoped it would be Dabby¡¯s cooking because it now seemed like the only food I could eat without feeling nauseous. And it was. It really pleased my heart to know that I could finally eat without bothering too much.


    Towards afternoon, thinking it would be a peace check finally because dad always left the house, he phoned me toe down for lunch and that he would break my door if I didn¡¯t. I could not afford to allow Dabby know that my family was a hot mess, so I did as I was told.


    Sitting at the dining table with Dabby right across my direction was so weird, because there was some kind of wrong definition that was going on between us. To me, we could never never be siblings, friends or worst of all, lovers. Yet, there was something.


    I just hoped it would be a silent dinner where we could eat peacefully to fulfill all righteousness, but dad suddenly asked Dabby about the course she was nning to major in, and it was perfectly what he had been wanting for me.


    He started tomend her brilliancy and choice of a future career, and I already knew where it was going to lead to. He didn¡¯t disappoint either, but he took it too far.


    His words didn¡¯t usually matter to me anymore regardless of what he would say, but I was pained because he chose to bring it up as a subject before his new wife and Dabby.


    It made me furious and mad that I wanted to flip the dining table over with everything on it, and ruin everyone¡¯s day the same way Mr. Anderson had ruined mine.


    I just turned to leave immediately, and walked into my room to change my clothes. I was leaving the house for the weekend, and would be back by Sunday night when I would have had my peace.


    In a few minutes, I picked a piece of cloth, MacBook, some necessities, and stormed out of the house after I was done.


    The next thing I noticed was someone running behind me as I wanted to enter my car, and the scent was surprisingly familiar to my senses.


    It even angered me so much to know that she went after me, because it made me more embarrassed of myself and my father. It was as though we had made a fool of ourselves.


    ¡°Damien, please wait,¡± she called hurriedly but I ignored her and entered the car, ¡± I am sorry for what happened inside,¡± she apologized and that was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s which made mee out angrily.


    ¡®She was sorry? Sorry? Why was she sorry? Was that pity that I sensed?


    ¡°You are sorry?! Why are you sorry? Why?!¡± I yelled at her so angrily, and she was just standing on that spot with a startled expression.


    ¡°For everything. Everything that has been has been happening till now,¡± she said again, and it made me more pissed. It bruised my ego to know she saw me at my worst. That she knew too much about me already. How messy everything was.


    ¡°You! I hate you so much, even more than I ever do now. Ever since you came into my life, it has been more miserable than you think. If you are really sorry and you want to make amends, leave with your mum, and disappear from my life! Leave, so that I don¡¯t ever have to see you again!¡± I yelled at her face to vent, but she had this sorry look on her face, as she looked at me which drove me bonkers. I wasn¡¯t feeling any better.


    ¡°No, that is not want I mean. I just want you to know that I see what you do, and you are really good at it. You don¡¯t have to pleas¡­¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up. What do you know?! What do you know? First you apologize, give me pitiful looks, and then you give me motivational talks by acting like you know it all?!¡± I suddenly got so aggressive, and grabbed her by the sensitive part of her corbone which made her wince in pain.


    ¡°Damien¡­. I am sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you or give you pitiful looks,¡± she apologized again with pain in her eyes, as she struggled not to release the tears in her eyes.


    She was looking straight into my eyes as she pleaded, and the color of those eyes seemed to linger somewhere in my head. I let her go almost immediately, still in rage, and she darted to the back because of the force by a few meters.


    ¡°Get out of my face, Dabby. I never want to see you. And even in school if we cross parts, then it is over for you. I would make you so tired and miserable that you would want to drop out. Just stay out of my sight forever, and do what you do best; Hiding!¡± I threatened menacingly with a stoic expression on my face, and turned to leave instantly.


    ¡®Now I would be back to the old Damien.¡¯

 Just when things are getting better

    DABBY:


    Mum and Mr. Anderson left the table shortly after Damien did, while I was left to do the packing tes that were still filled with leftovers of healthy meals to the kitchen.


    While I was busy clearing the dishes, I saw Damien angrily storm past through the kitchen¡¯s door with some things in his hand. That was when I knew that he was really mad, and there was no way that he wasn¡¯t nning to drive away in that state.


    I ran after him because he really seemed so pissed, and I think I caused a 90% if it. If his father hadn¡¯t talked about me in the conversation, then it would have probably gone better than it did.


    Damien please wait,¡± I called after him because he was walking too fast, and I knew that the moment he entered the car it would be over, ¡°I am sorry for what happened,¡± I continued, when I realized that he wasn¡¯t going to answer me.


    However, he turned to look at me with an appalled look on his face and came out of the car, asking me why I was sorry. He even looked more angry than he was before, and it really put fear in me. I could see nothing but pain in his eyes.


    It was like I always got it wrong, and did everything wrong whenever I was around him.


    ¡°For everything,¡± I replied immediately, because I didn¡¯t even have anything in particr to be sorry about. I just wanted him to know that I was sorry, if I was one of the reasons he was really angry.


    And then he turned on me to tell how much he hated me, and the same thing he had been telling me all this while; Pack your things, and leave with your mum. Out of his life. Out of Anderson¡¯s home.


    I was finally used to those words and immune to them, because no matter what I did, he would always want me to leave.


    To me, they didn¡¯t matter anymore because I thought in my heart that I could bear it. Just a few more months, and we were done. Finally independent in my way to bing a brand new woman. But I was wrong.


    The way he suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders really hurt so badly, and my eyes were forced topulsively meet with his own. He was causing me pain alongside his pain. It made me even sadder than I was.


    ¡®Just how could our lives and parts be so messed up?¡¯


    But the one that made it worse of everything he said, was he telling me to stay away from his part and clear off. He said he didn¡¯t want to have to see me ever again, and that meant that I should just be invisible both in school and at home.


    Damien had given his stern warning, and I knew that he would hurt me if I didn¡¯t abide by them. Before I was the one doing the hiding, but now I was forced to hide.


    ¡®Was it even possible to do that?¡¯


    After I entered back into the house, mum came down from the stairs already dressed up in a nice red dress. She looked like she was going somewhere, and I looked behind her to check where exactly her husband was standing. I hoped she had not seen what happened between me and Damien earlier.


    ¡°Mum, you going somewhere?¡± I asked her, after I breathed in and out to be sure I was not going to let out shaky words because of my terrified self.


    ¡°Yes, and we are, for you. Go and get dressed quickly. You talked about your broken sses yesterday, and I figured out we could just go to the doctors today. Take a ride alone, you know. Mother and daughter¡¯s day. Let go of all the suffocating tension that was let out many minutes ago,¡± she forced a chuckle at herst sentence, after saying so much in reply to my simple question. She probably had never seen Mr. Anderson like that before. I could tell wherever she was a little nervous.


    ¡°This was faster than I expected,¡± I mumbled and turned to leave, d that I could at least use a break from what happened between me and Damien.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mum asked immediately.


    ¡°I meant that, this is the first time I said something needs attention, and we are getting a solution for it early. That is all,¡± I mouthed, and climbed the stairs hurriedly before she would ask me another question.


    ¡°That is not true, Abby. I am trying my best as a mum!¡± Mum almost screamed her lungs out from my stairs, and I just acted like I did not hear what she said. If I did, we would have to argue about it.


    ¡°We have to be back before evening, Mum. I have a job to get back to,¡± I reminded her as I came back downstairs, wearing a shirt and matching trousers with a pair of sneakers. The look mum had on her face for me was crazy.


    ¡°Argh. What about those dresses I bought? You look hot in them. And if you cannot adjust so quickly, then it is better to wear shirts your size,¡± mum rolled her eyes as I walked downstairs, and I certainly had nothing to say in reply.


    Her husband¡¯s son was going to get me killed if I ever crossed his path again, so thest thing I wanted to think about was getting the perfect cloth for a doctor¡¯s consultation. I needed to think of ways to survive.


    I got my eyes tested at the hospital, and the ophthalmologist said that I coulde for my rmended lens in three working days. Mum insisted that I wasn¡¯t going to get ugly sses like the formal one, and that was going to be a new change in my life.


    Working till night at the cafe was really fun, but I couldn¡¯t even focus because I kept hearing Damien¡¯s words in my head. Mason tried to know what really kept me unstable, but there was no way I was going to start talking about it.


    I thought I would see Damien visit the cafe and do his business, but there were no traces of him at all. And I really had to be thankful for that. He didn¡¯t want us to see at all. Anymore.


    Damien didn¡¯te home that night, and I was really terrified in my heart for what would happen between and his father again. The next day, mum and her husband went out together, while I went my own separate way.


    I came back quite early and had breakfast by myself, while arranging the pieces of thousands of shredded paper I got from our old home. I was able to do just three lines perfectly already, and it still needed about five more to make aplete paper.


    I guess I was just good at academics and games, but not perfectly with words. Or, maybe I was intentionally hesitating because I wasn¡¯t ready to find out what was in the paper yet.


    Mum and her new husband didn¡¯te home till night, after I was done with my job and was home already Damien had note home still, and it scared me a little bit.


    ¡®What if he had gotten into an ident on the way, because he was too blinded by rage?¡¯ I imagined, and quickly waded off my thoughts. They would have called from the hospital if something really did happen.


    The next morning was just normal like someone had note home the previous night, and I just made toast before leaving for school. Mum reminded me to be careful with the way I walked around because I didn¡¯t have my sses again, and I had to wait for the next two days to get an even better one.


    She said taking the bus was going to be a hassle considering the fact I had been going with Damien before, and told me that I could take her car to school instead. I just snickered at the crazy assumption.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    If only she knew.


    It got me so nervous that I was going to be driving a car again after months of not trying, and it got me really scared. Maybe that wasn¡¯t it. I was terrified of crossing Damien¡¯s part if he came to school by chance.


    I reminded her that my eyes weren¡¯t doing good anyways, and she had to hasten up while I waited for her to take me to school by herself. It was much better and preferable.


    Everything at school was normal, and I walked into the building after mum dropped me off miles away ording to what I told her. I didn¡¯t want anyoneughing at me if they saw my mum.


    As I made my way through the hallway to ss, I wasn¡¯t seeing really clearly but was managing to walk. And approaching my opposite direction of walking, were familiar people that I couldn¡¯t see their faces clearly. My mind told me it was Damien and his friends, but my sight was blurry from afar to see clearly.


    Before I could turn to hide, a huge shoulder brushed roughly past my arm due to difference in height and I fell so hard immediately to my mortification in the hallway. I knew it was Damien. He came to school, and he was keeping his promise; Stay away from myne.


    ¡°Are you blind?!¡± Was the next question that I heard.

 Suffocating rules

    DABBY:


    The mere mention of the word humiliated me, causing me to stand up abruptly without even ncing at the person who had uttered it. The sound of their tauntingughter echoed in my mind, driving me almost insane.


    ¡®I refuse to be the subject of ridicule again. I refuse.¡¯I repeated inwardly in my mind, as I struggled to focus my blurry eyes.


    I stumbled and fell again because I stumbled on someone¡¯s leg, and I was back to the same spot that I had left minutes ago. I was demeaned over again, and it really hurt my heart so much. All I could ask myself was why Damien was doing that to me.


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± I whimpered painfully, without looking up to see who exactly I was talking to.


    ¡°It would multiply, everytime you cross my part,¡± I heard the derisive voice, and I couldn¡¯t hold myself again.


    ¡®Was that the guy that I had dinner with days ago together?¡¯


    I struggled to stand up again the second time, and picked to my heels before another misery would meet me.


    I caught sight of Masonughing with a girl from our ss, and I avoided interrupting them with my problems. Instead, I turned to go to thedies bathroom, where I washed my face and tried topose myself before returning to ss.


    I didn¡¯t want to look like a mess during our uing test. Damien had already made me feel worthless enough.


    He was making it hard for me, coupled with what I was feeling.


    I returned back to ss and gave Mason a brief smile, so that he wouldn¡¯t look too deep into my eyes that I had cried a lot. He asked about my sses, and I told him I didn¡¯t have it with me, because it got broken already. We just went on with the day¡¯s sses, and I made sure to avoid Damien so sternly.


    When it was almost time for lunch, I lied to Mason that I wanted to go to the bathroom, and spent the rest of the lunch hour there. I couldn¡¯t tell him what Damien was making me do, so that both of them would not end up exchanging words, worst of all, blows.


    I yed online video games with SMILE the entire night, and beat him in every game that we yed. I was too tired and stressed to fight back on my own, so I used my frustration and stress to fuel mypetitive spirit.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    We had a brief chat together, but I really wasn¡¯t into it because I could not afford to form friendships that would end up breaking me. Mason was the only true online friend that was meant to be with me in reality.


    The next day became harder with Damien¡¯s suffocating rules, and I couldn¡¯t do things that I liked doing around the house. I made sure to leave an hour earlier than I ever did, before mum and her husband would even know that I had left already.


    She kept asking me why I did that, but I lied that I had a project to finish at school. It was just the moment when Damien wasing down from the stairs, and I couldn¡¯t even wait to tell her bye before dashing out in fear. I saw what happened the previous night.


    Mum came home earlier than her husband, and had gone to sleep before he returned. He went to Damien¡¯s room immediately, and I heard them argue as I climbed the stairs after spending minutes in the kitchen.


    I think Mr. Anderson ended up hitting Damien, and it made him push his dad out to lock the door. I hid immediately I saw Mr. Anderson rush down the stairs in anger, and climbed the stairs a few minutester when I was sure that everything was okay. But I think Damien saw me when I was about to enter.


    I was unlike my usual self, and would have wished to bail out on school, if we didn¡¯t have our remaining testsing up. I rushed to school and settled in ss for long minutes watching some college preparatory video, before any other person got to ss again. I wondered how long I could do it for, before it gets most certainly unbearable.

 Guess it never ends

    DABBY:


    ¡°This coffee tastes like trash!¡± I heard him say immediately I served the coffee, and I knew that there was nothing I served that would make sense to him.


    The moment I saw the person sitting before the table I was about to ce his orders on, I knew that I was done for. It was Damien at the spot I sat weeks ago, and he was quite surprised to see me as the server. He didn¡¯t know I was working part-time jobs already.


    That was the same thing others from school usually tried to do, but they ended up acting like humans whenever Mason came to ask what happened if they tried to throw unnecessary tantrums.


    For the first time, I really hoped that Mason would not be around to help me at that moment. I didn¡¯t want both of them to even breathe in the same space, because they obviously hated one another, and it was mostly because of me.


    ¡°I am sorry sir. Would you like another one?¡± I asked professionally and politely, like it wasn¡¯t my stepbrother who promised to make my life hell if I crossed his part makingints.


    ¡®Well, he crossed mine this time around.¡¯


    ¡°Piss off, and take this garbage you call coffee aw¡­¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you would like to order again aside from the coffee? Because it is literally one of the best we have here,¡± the voice said behind me immediately, and my heart skipped a thousand beats. It was Mason.


    Damien raised his eyes to see who was speaking in a sassy tone to him, and he looked quite surprised to see my dear friend standing behind me. His eyes traced from him to me, and soon realized that we were both working in the same ce. Together.


    He let out a snicker immediately he realized that, and frowned immediately when he realized that his frustration on me wouldn¡¯t be that easy. He tossed the coffee immediately.


    However, he ordered so much food that took hours to prepare, and had everything served before him. As soon as the table was set up by Martha, the otherdy that worked us, he stood up and paid for the untouched food in a very rude manner. I couldn¡¯t believe his actions.


    ¡°That jerk!¡± Mason cussed when he realized that he did, and ordered that the food be packed, ¡°I am sending it to that fool¡¯s house!¡± He spat angrily.


    ¡®Oh dear. It had never happened for both of them not to piss each other off, after spending minutes together.¡¯ I sighed tiredly.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Mason sent the food as promised, and mum was the one that got the package. I think she read the note Mason attached too, and was really curious to know if Damien fought with someone. I just acted like I didn¡¯t know what happened. She ended up putting it in the microwave.


    The next day wasn¡¯t so lucky for me, because mum woke up quite early saying that she felt really restless. I joked with her asking if she was pregnant already, and she shrieked saying she was never nning to have a baby.


    I reminded her of the doctor¡¯s appointment to collect my lens, and Mr. Anderson was just in time toe down from the stairs too. Damien was dressed already too, and I felt like it was to intentionally punish me. Both of them watched Damien drive us away in the car.


    ¡®I was done for. Totally.¡¯


    My back was stered to the back in the back seat as Damien drove, and I was sweating profusely inside the clothes I was wearing. Thankfully, I was wearing a ck face cap and mask that I had put in my bag, and used as soon as I entered the car. I couldn¡¯t put my head up.


    Damien drove a few miles away from our street to the junction, and parked the car immediately which made me jump out of the car too. He came out and walked over to where I was standing, as his hand yanked off the mask and cap that I was wearing.


    ¡°Damien, I am sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to cross your parts. It just happened!¡± I yelled in frustration, and he was quite surprised. He probably didn¡¯t expect a sudden outburst and speak out from me.


    ¡°You! What did you tell your friend?!¡± He demanded arrogantly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him anything. Nothing at all,¡± I replied immediately, scared that Damien would hurt me.


    He was bing really scary, and my emotions had be conflicted with like and hate. However, my eyes kept looking to the both sides of his face to see if it was okay. There were faint prints on his left face.


    As soon as he saw me looking at his face without saying anything, he would have probably realized that I knew what happened two nights ago because I was making it obvious.


    Immediately, I turned away from his sight, picked my cap and ran off as fast as I could. So that our parts wouldn¡¯t meet if he drove after me, I think a shortcut for pedestrians which was quite a walk. I took the bus afterwards, and arrived at school even earlier than him because I didn¡¯t see his car, which I was d for.


    As soon as I was about to enter the building, my phone began to ring and the caller ID was Mason. He sent an image as a message immediately after I picked up the call, and he told me to go through the back of the school building if I was in school already.


    The image he sent was of me and Damien, with the exact clothes I was wearing and with the background of where he parked to yell at me. The caption read; Turns out Dabby and Damien live in the same street.


    ¡®Why was this happening again?¡¯ I cried.

 Indignation

    DAMIEN:


    I drove long hours to the suburbs of town, and ended up renting an inn there to stay the night. I had nned to go to a five star hotel initially, but I changed my mind and remained at the nature peaceful inn.


    When my phone popped an email  notification, I hurriedly checked it to see what it was about, but was quickly disappointed when I realized that it wasn¡¯t what I wanted. I was looking for my mum, and I heard she moved to the Czech republic. It had been fifteen years since she left, and it was hard for me to act like I didn¡¯t care.


    Though I still resented her strongly for leaving in that manner, I wanted to know that she was doing well at least. Ever since she married dad, he was usually verbally abusive, and sometimes physically to her. She couldn¡¯t handle it after four years and left alone, after he said that she could never take me with her.


    We moved almost immediately after she left, which would have made it harder for her to trace us even if she wanted to. Dad had quite a number of girlfriendster on, but they all ended up leaving which he didn¡¯t care about.


    Sometimes, it usually bothered me that I was going to be like him anytime I looked into the mirror. I was already a mess at a young age, because even most of the girls that wanted to date me loved me for my money. And his words did more damage to me.


    He had never supported anything I ever wanted, and demeaned me at every chance he got. Being a top student in middle school couldn¡¯t cut it no matter how I tried to please him, and I ended up giving up on everything when we moved again.


    Ryder¡¯s high made me fast popr, and I was loved by many people. I had the money ess, good looks and was good at sports. It was everything I needed for the attention to be at full pace.


    I became friends with Xavier and Bryan afterwards because they were almost like me, and we made the best clique in school. I was rude and bossy too, which put fear in people and intimidated them wherever I was around.


    Bryan was the craziest of us, and he usually beat up people who messed with him. It no longer mattered who did the bullying anymore, because we all moved as a group and it would be tagged with all of us.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Dad got more disappointed beyond anything he could exin when he saw my results, and he almost lost his mind that he hit me regarding my failure. I didn¡¯t mind anymore or give a damn about school or reading. I wasn¡¯t going to let him make me think the worst of my life again. I was a jerk already.


    However, when he told me that he was getting married when I was on holiday with his own mother, I was so shocked because I never expected such to happen in his life anymore. But he actually did, and it got me anxious for whoever she was that got married to him.


    The marriage was barely a month, and I was honestly waiting for it to crash because dad had no good charisma to manage a woman, or child, talkless of a family.


    Seeing that it was the mother to a girl in my school, made me really mad and insecure too. I couldn¡¯t afford to even let my friends know my behind the scenes reality, but there was no way she wouldn¡¯t know.


    The brief honeymoon vacation trip was like a peace check to not seeing the ugly truth of our family, but I had to instill fear in Dabby before they woulde back.


    I knew making them leave wasn¡¯t going to be easy, so the least I could do was make sure she wouldn¡¯t run her mouth. I couldn¡¯t afford to be humiliated with just a few months left to leave highschool with the top-notch respect I received.


    But what dad did at the dining during lunch, made me realize that nothing was going as nned. It put me in a spot, and made me pick full pace of suffocation against Dabby, knowing that she had a stupid friend that she told everything to.


    I drove long miles from the inn to school on Monday morning, and everything was normal because no one knew. Only Dabby knew, and I was going to put her in a tight spot that would make her fear me so much.


    Immediately I saw her approaching, it was weird to see her without her sses which made it almost difficult to recognize her instantly. I shoved her off the way so brutally and she fell.


    My actions would make her fear my existence so much that she wouldn¡¯t be able to utter anything, that went on in our family to anyone. No even to her dumb friend.

 Stalked

    DAMIEN:


    It continued that way with fury burning in my heart, and I returned home quitete. I was about to start getting ready to finish my game pitch, when dad just stormed into my room.


    ¡°Where the heck did you go withouting home yesterday night, and the previous one?!¡± He demanded from me so angrily, but I just continued to look at him without any answers. That was what I usually did.


    ¡°Are you deaf? Do you want Joanne and her daughter to think that I am raising an uncultured and insensible son? A disgrace?!¡± He continued ranting, and I just looked at him without saying anything. It made me really mad and he was even more angry.


    When he kept venting out his anger and I didn¡¯t utter a word, he hit me across the face instantly which riled me up. I told him to leave my room if he was done talking, and locked the door immediately. I just remained numb.


    I wanted to go down after he left to get a bottle of milk, and I saw Dabby quietly making her way into her room. She looked like she saw and heard something, and it even made me more mad.


    ¡®Just how could things get so messed up everytime?¡¯


    Throughout the night in my wallowing sadness, I yed video games with DAYNNE and I lost every game I yed with him. It was crazy that he yed more aggressively than he had ever done, and instead of my failure making me sad, it made me more enthusiastic.


    I initiated a chat andmended his good game, and he was really humble in replying which made me wonder who he could be. I didn¡¯t want to be so direct that we should meet without forming a good chat bond, and it was quite difficult for me to do because I never did something first.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Most of the people that texted me usually did first, and I had my DM filled with so many unreplied messages. So, initiating a chat became quite hard to do, but it didn¡¯t feel bad when I did. It was cool to me.


    The next day, Dabby had left home even before I woke up and it made me anxious. Though I knew she did that because she was scared of me, she already found out that my dad usually hit me which was unsettling.


    I knew I was the one who instructed that we must not cross parts, but I wanted to see her face at least once to know how she would look at me. I would lose it, if she looked at me pitifully. I didn¡¯t see her though.


    I decided to visit my usual cafe in the afternoon instead of hanging out with my friends, and was so surprised to find Dabby and her friend working there. I wanted to screw her up by a bad employee remark, and that jerk turned out to be the one that came to her aid.


    He looked at me so angrily, and I was really d that I was having that effect on him. I ordered so much food to make them frustrated while cooking, and went to the counter to pay after they set the table.


    I also told them that I would drop a bad cafe remark, if I found out that they sold my food to another person without trashing it. But deep down, I really hoped that Dabby wouldn¡¯t have told her friend anything. To confirm that, I woke up very early the next day.


    My ns worked perfectly to be just at the right time to pick her up for school, and she couldn¡¯t object because of our parents. She wore her mask and face cap immediately she entered the car, and it was really crazy to watch her do that. She looked terrified too, and I was d to know that she still remembered everything I warned her about.


    Sure that our parents would never see the car again, I impatiently parked the car at a corner and she already got the message. She hopped out immediately, and I challenged her in a very menacing manner by yanking her disguise off. She said she didn¡¯t tell anyone, and it felt like she was telling the truth.


    ¡®Everything seemed to be working fine.¡¯


    Seeing Dabby¡¯s eyes suddenly tracing from right to left of my face made me realize that she must have been looking at my cheeks, to see if what she heard was true. I was right. She knew what happened.


    Before I could even gather my strength to pressure her again, she picked to get heels and ran as fast as she could. It was crazy to see her act like that, and just entered back into the car.


    As I drove carefully to school, a message popped on my phone and it was Xavier. I groaned wondering what he wanted that early, and checked to see that he sent a picture with a caption ¡®Is this true?¡¯


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I cussed out loud.


    ¡®Someone was following me around while taking pictures and it couldn¡¯t be any different from Madison. I have had enough.¡¯

 Getting her a man 1

    DABBY:


    I changed the direction of my step instantly, and decided to run through the field in front of the school. Mason told me that I should meet him in front of the drama club room at the other side of the building.


    As I was about to run out, I saw two hefty guys standing before me and I recognized them as Damien¡¯s friends. I became scared.


    ¡°Hey there, kitty. How is it that you keep getting roped with Damien everytime?!¡± The first one whom I knew as Bryan asked, and my tongue became tied immediately. I was terrified to my death, because of the overbearing tension his eyes carried.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    It made me realize that Damien didn¡¯t tell friends anything about himself or family, and it could never be in my ce to tell them. But not answering their questions meant trouble too, and I started to think of reasonable answers in my head.


    ¡°I do¡­ not know why. It just hap.. pens like that,¡± I stuttered in a pitiful voice, with no usible answer to tell the two angry, protective friends of Damien, ¡°Probably because of what happened with Madison,¡± I continued immediately after I finished my sentence, and another word ured to me as I quickly added it.


    ¡°No. No. Why was he even standing with you this morning? Like why was he meeting with you this morning around where he lives?¡± Xavier asked again with a very stern face, and I began to think of what to say fast. Bryan was looking like he was ready to punch me at any moment, and I knew that he could do it. I couldn¡¯t risk that happening to me.


    ¡°My family just moved to the neighborhoodst weekend, and Damien saw me coincidentally this morning. He just warned me never to be seen around him, because he wants no scandals about us ever again,¡± the lies came out my lips so easily, as I painted a beautiful tale for them.


    ¡°You keep causing him problems! Don¡¯t you know that is a problem for our group?! It is so bothersome that you are everywhere around him like a stalker!¡± Bryan continued so angrily, and instantly dragged my shirt to push me close to him. He was locking tightly around my neck with my clothes, and I knew I would soon be suffocated.


    ¡°I am really sorry,¡± I began to plead in tears, as Xavier told Bryan to leave me alone and that it wasn¡¯t my fault. However, Bryan looked like someone that was out of his mind already.


    ¡°Stay away from him! The next time there is a you and Damien in the same sentence. You are dead. Got that?!¡± He squeezed even more tightly, and I began gasping for breath because he wasn¡¯t listening to Xavier, by even tightening the cloth around my neck the more.


    ¡®Was that how I was going to die?¡¯


    The attention of people were already on us, and the anxiousness in the air was palpable. Bryan looked so out of it, and they were not even helping. Suddenly, a strong force swung Bryan¡¯s hard free from my neck. I fell to the floor immediately, and struggled to breath.


    ¡°Stop it. Bryan!¡± Damien yelled at him, and Bryan regained his senses immediately. He looked at me to see what he had done, and the attention of people that were in him already.


    I was coughing frantically while trying not to cry, and two guys suddenly came before them to pick me up. They were Mason¡¯s friends from the cafeteria, and they quickly helped me away from the trio¡¯s sight. It was a scary feeling, and I felt life leaving me.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°I cannot believe that the bastard¡¯s friend tried to do this to you!¡± Mason gritted his teeth, as he applied ointment that he had gone to get from the nurse around my neck. I begged him that I didn¡¯t want to go to the infirmary again, so that they wouldn¡¯t ask what had happened.


    ¡°I think he was out of it for a moment. It is nothing,¡± I tried to defend them for myself, so that they would not end uping to revenge against me if I reported their friend.


    The only thing I could not stop thinking about was the way Damien angrily freed me from his friend¡¯s grip, and the look he gave me when our eyes met briefly was a sentimental one. His actions really surprised me.


    ¡®He had been trying to make me miserable and sad everytime we met, so why was he trying to help me? I would have probably expected him to join his friends in the bashing.¡¯


    ¡°Someone like that should be ostracized from the students, and given apulsory stay home. We are reporting this to the principal!¡± Mason said silently as he continued to apply the ointment, which made me flinch fearfully as I turned to look at his face.


    ¡°Please, Mason. I cannot risk anything further than I had done. It was quite hard to give them a usible story that nothing was between I and Dalton. I do not want to drag it any further.¡±


    ¡°This is the problem, Dabby. Trying to cover up for people who do not even give a damn about you. So much for a guy that cannot even tell his closest friends that you are his sister,¡± Mason hissed angrily, and I sighed. He was really pissed off about everything, and I wasn¡¯t helping matters by trying to use sick words to persuade him.


    ¡°He probably cannot. It would bruise his ego and make people talk even more. He cannot afford to lose his poprity because of me.¡±


    ¡°You and defending him all the time. Was that why you didn¡¯t tell me that you guys have been home alone?¡± Mason sounded hurt as finished hisst sentence, and I gasped in surprise because I wondered how he knew that, ¡°I thought we were friends.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are. I like you so much as a friend, and I do not want to ever lose our friendship, Mason. I didn¡¯t want you to react about me and Damien being home alone. I am really sorry,¡± I pleaded with him because I didn¡¯t want his feelings hurt. He was my best friend, if I could say.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem, Dabby. I just want you to be fine. Damien is a jerk, and he might try to vent his frustration against you. I just want you to be free from pressure,¡± he responded genuinely, and I smiled as he held my right hand gently in his.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mason.¡±


    ¡°About you and Damien being a subject for scandal, we need to do something about that because those girls are brutal. And it might only stop if Damien gets a new girlfriend,¡± Mason said to me, and I widened my eyes in shock.


    ¡®Who knew when that would be?¡¯


    ¡°I am so stressed out about being the major healinestely. Should I perhaps convince him to start dating again?¡± I suggested momentarily, and I realized that my suggestion even sounded dumb.


    ¡°No. Can you even do that? Face Damien and ask him to start dating a girl so that you can finally rest from getting in scandals with him?¡± Mason teased, and I sighed terribly. Everything that looked like a solution was just so hard.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± I mouthed sadly, ¡°What do I do then?¡± I asked Mason. He always knew what to do at tough times.


    ¡°You just take the lead. Be the one to break that trend,¡± he told me, and I sure was not slow witted enough to not understand what he meant.


    ¡°How do I even do that? I do not have anything like that,¡± I informed him apologetically, and he gave me a puzzled look because I was feeling down.


    ¡°Oh dear Dabby. You do not have to feel bad that you have not dated before. It is not even a big deal,¡± Mason tried to encourage but I shook my head. People would probablyugh at me and mock me, if they heard that.


    ¡°It probably is,¡± I mumbled and sighed again with my head hanging downwards, which made Mason chuckle. He suddenly put his hands on my cheeks and turned my face to meet his.


    ¡°Do you wanna pretend with me?


    Pretend to be in a fake rtionship, and let everyone know that we are dating,¡± he suddenly asked.

 Getting her a man 2

    DAMIEN:


    ¡°Bryan! Are you out of your mind?! Were you going to kill her?!¡± I demanded from Bryan the moment I dragged him away from the scene into an emptyboratory. Xavier too followed, and kicked the door behind us.


    ¡°Are you defending that bitch?! You defending that little kitty because I was trying to defend you? Are you fucking her?¡± Bryan tried to y the victim, and demanded answers to the questions that he was asking me in a very rude manner.


    ¡°And what if I was? Defending me or not, you were going to kill her if I had arrived minutester. Did you see the way those students were gathered round to look at you?¡± I fretted, and Xavier was just telling me to calm down. He was the most gentle of us all, and I was closer to him.


    ¡°So you want to mess your guy because of your fuck buddy? Is that how is it now?!¡± Bryan yelled aggressively again, and tried toe at me in anger.


    We never had any reason to argue in the past till the point of physical fighting, so he didn¡¯t know what I could do and what I couldn¡¯t. He was the fighter in our group, and most violent too.


    He came at me immediately, and I dodged his every hit thinking it was still a simple brawl. When I realized that he wanted to hit me hard on the face, I dodged it immediately and drove a punch into his stomach. He looked like he was going crazy already.


    Shocked at how I had defended myself against his aggressive behavior, I took the avenue to turn him over my head and m him hard to the ground. The manner at which his back hit the floor almost broke his spine, and he screamed out loud.


    ¡°Do not mess with me, Bryan. You definitely do not know what I am capable of,¡± I warned icily.


    ¡°You guys should calm down!¡± Xavier yelled fearfully when he saw how things had quickly escted, but was still certainly shocked to see me face Bryan in one goal.


    ¡°The fact is that you are mentally unstable, because of the drugs you are taking and are acting aggressively. You need help!¡± I yelled at Bryan¡¯s face, and he tried to get up painfully. He had calmed down a bit, and seemed to be in his right senses.


    ¡°I told you that I am not!¡± He denied instantly, which made Xavier¡¯s eyebrow furrow in surprise.


    ¡°You wanna lie after I saw this in your coat?¡± Xavier chimed in and raised the white powdered substance, that was neatly wrapped in a small packages transparent nylon.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Bryan muttered, after he realized that he had led his guards down and had been caught. He tried to take it away from Xavier, who threw it to the floor immediately.


    ¡°If you do not quit and start getting clean. Then we are not going to be friends with you anymore,¡± I portended, and turned to leave immediately after casting an angry look at him. I was terribly disappointed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could fight. Holy moly, that is a new discovery,¡± Xavier expressed his surprise immediately we got to the door, and I grinned.


    ¡°I learned martial arts in the past,¡± I responded, and pushed the door open.


    ¡°There is so much to know about you,¡± Xavier mouthed.


    As I and Xavier walked out of theboratory together, he brought out his phone to check something andughed out loud. He passed the phone to me, and it wasments about I and Dabby.


    ¡®I cannot believe he helped her in front of everyone.¡¯


    ¡®There is certainly something going on between them.¡¯


    ¡®They evene to school together and pretend to part ways when the¡­¡­.,.¡¯


    ¡°What happened to thements?¡± I asked Xavier immediately I was about to read the next one, and everything wiped off at once.


    ¡°Oh. Someone keeps blocking everyments made every ten minutes. Anyone that posts any hatement is restricted immediately,¡± Xavier exined to me, and I huffed after passing his phone back to him.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®Dabby sure had many people looking out for her.¡¯


    We were about to enter our ss again, when Xavier halted in his steps and taller me immediately. He showed me what was before the screen, and I read it almost three times to be sure that I had not seen wrongly.


    ¡®Dabby was dating her friend?¡¯


    ¡°Congrattions, dear Dabby¡¯s ex. Your fake girlfriend has been dating all these while,¡± Xavier sassed so irritatingly to taunt me.


    ~~¡°~~


    It became the news in school, that that Dabby and her friend whom I just found out his name were dating. The next day in school was even worse, and it was what most people were talking about.


    I knew that it was none of my concern if Dabby was dating and that I was in no position to doubt its validity. I was suddenly feeling some kind of looking out for her entitlement, like I had to confirm if she was lying or not.


    I was suddenly angry to know that she was dating her friend. And it scared me again that they could be telling each other secrets.


    ss periods were boring, and it was the second time that I was finding it hard to concentrate that badly in ss. I couldn¡¯t hear anything from what the teacher was saying, and it felt like my head was in a space.


    All I could hear around was statements about how Dabby had crazy skills even as a nerd. Something in me couldn¡¯t take it again, and I dialed her phone number which I got from our report paper immediately.


    When she picked up, she was shocked to know that it was I calling, and it seemed like she had my phone number already. I asked to met her during lunch break at the school garden, and she stuttered fearly, ¡°You said never to cross your parts again.¡±


    ¡°Well I am telling you to cross it now, dummy!¡± I yelled through the phone, and the people around me flinched as they wondered what was going on.


    Immediately it was lunch break, I left the ss immediately to where I told her to meet, and i didn¡¯t have to wait for so long before she walked to where I was standing. She was twisting her fingers in and out of each other in nervousness.


    ¡°Are you dating that blockhead friend of yours for real?¡± I asked her immediately she stood in front of me, and she raised her eyes to meet my immediately because she was not expecting the question.


    Looking at her without sses looked so different, and she looked so surreal with just lens on.


    ¡°¡­.. Yes,¡± she stuttered, and a grin tugged my lips immediately.


    ¡°You are lying. It is just a show!¡± I concluded immediately, while trying to use words to push her to say what I wanted to hear. She looked like she was not trying not to breathe out loudly.


    ¡°No, it is not!¡± I heard that annoying vouce answer for her from behind, and I groaned in anger immediately.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him. I swear,¡± she articted.


    He appeared before both of us, and they were wearing matching shirt and trouser. That was when I realized that the matching clothbination they were both wearing, was the reason why they are the talk of the school. He walked to where she was and locked hands with her instantly.


    ¡°We are dating, and why does that bother you?!¡± He demanded very rudely, and he was driving me bonkers already.


    ¡°I know that you are not dating, and that is a fact!¡± I almost yelled at his face.


    ¡°We are dating, and that is it. Stay off my girlfriend¡¯s face or else we would have it really tough. If I see you or your friends bullying her again, then it is really over for you,¡± he threatened fiercely, but I didn¡¯t even care about the threat. All I cared about was Dabby not dating him.


    ¡°Prove that you are dating, and I would back off. From everything I have said! And I would keep my friends away from her too,¡± I suddenly got desperate, wondering what they could even use to prove to me that they were not dating. I just wanted them to be wrong.


    And suddenly Mason turned to Dabby and gave her some kind of look, as he looked a bit nervous. Next thing I saw was Mason¡¯s head bending slowly, as he kissed Dabby slightly on the lips. It nearly drove me crazy.


    ¡°Now, I have your word. One more disturbance from you to her, and it is over. I¡¯m breaking your fucking head, I swear,¡± Mason threatened, and grabbed Dabby by the hand away from my sight. And I couldn¡¯t exin it, but my heart writhed at what I had just witnessed. I didn¡¯t like it at all.


    ¡®It couldn¡¯t be.¡¯

 Not ready for this

    DABBY:


    The moment Damien made a promise if we could prove our rtionship to him, made me wonder why he was going to such lengths to care if our rtionship was real. It made me relieved honestly that he was doing that, because I could finally cancel the evil deed that he made me go through.


    Mason gave me the look that questioned if I was willing, as we had nned before when I agreed to be in a fake rtionship. I knew he was my friend and wouldn¡¯t want to hurt me, and I had agreed without freaking out, that we could go cool lengths of skinship.


    Mason¡¯s lips touched on mine gently, and it wasn¡¯t as suffocating as I thought it would be, even if I intentionally held my breath. It was just a normal lip kiss, and it wasn¡¯t so weird. It however felt different from the one I had with Damien. I didn¡¯t get the spark.


    After we left Damien¡¯s sight, Mason apologized for doing that, and I said it was okay. I hugged him instead and thanked him for helping me get rid of Damien, long enough for people to see and get rid of their suspicions.


    I felt better and better than I had done before, because I was peaceful at heart that I didn¡¯t have to avoid Damien anymore. I didn¡¯t have to y hide and seek at home or in the restaurant either, because he already gave his word.


    Unless he was a real jerk, he should go through with it.


    After school ended, Mason said we were going somewhere together, which was a ce where students normally frequented with their lovers. We went together with him holding my hands, and it felt too good to be true.


    ¡®If I couldn¡¯t get a real boyfriend, I could at least get a fake.¡¯


    We went to a mall that was in town, and he said that we needed to make it look more usible. We needed to get simple matching things that people wouldn¡¯t help but notice. And like that, we got matching couple bracelets, rings, locker keys, socks and sneakers too.


    I had never shopped with someone else except mum, since there was never enough time to make new friends in a new ce. I had so much fun with Mason, and we took so many pictures too.


    As we made our way outside the mall after we were done, Mason said I had to make more changes even to make it look more shocking.


    First, I had to make amitment that I would try on dresses more often, wear earrings and all. We also stopped at a hair salon to get my hair styled, and Mason chose a style he thought was the best in trend, when I asked him.


    In just two days, I got a new boyfriend, dumped my sses for lens, got Damien to cancel his threat, got matching couple things, and got a new hairstyle. My life was taking a change.


    We got back on the bus quiteter than normal for the cafe opening, and he said that I take the day off because of everything exciting that had happened.


    I suggested that we went to my house instead, and I dropped everything I bought off while he waited outside. Mum was surprisingly back from work already, and was sitting outside at the front balcony doing graphics work.


    ¡°Hmmn hmn. That is your friend isn¡¯t he?¡± She asked when I came outside of the house so quickly, and raised her neck to see him standing outside, ¡°He is a fine, handsome young man. Hot and smoky,¡± she made a slurping noise with her mouth, and I shook my head.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Mum!¡±


    ¡°What? You look hot in that dress though. Your curves are damn sexy. I¡¯m d I conceived you,¡± mum said so proudly, and I just smiled. I just really loved her. ¡°You changed your hair!¡± She eximed, the moment she noticed that something looked different about me.


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± I looked at her wryly in fear that she would say something negative, that would make me want to go change them.


    ¡°No, darling. You look so good with it. Now go get yourself that fine, young man standing outside. You will be a great match,¡± she affirmed so positively, and I just turned away from her like I didn¡¯t hear what she was saying.


    ¡°Bye mum.¡±


    I dashed outside with a smiley face to meet Mason, and it wasn¡¯t the peaceful atmosphere I expected it to be. Damien had just arrived with his car outside the building, and he alighted after he parked the car. He and Mason were gazing at one another, and the extreme tension in the air was palpable.


    ¡°Mason, let¡¯s go,¡± I called hurriedly from where I was standing like I had seen nothing, so that I would note in direct close contact with Damien.


    His eyes however darted to where I was standing, and he seemed to stare at me for quite a long time, before I turned to the other side as soon as Mason walked over to my side.


    My heart was unsettling in a way, because of the manner at which he was looking at me. I didn¡¯t know if it was pity, or longing that made me feel that way.


    I and Mason had even better fun during our cafe service, because we were wearing our matching bracelets already, for as many students that came from our school to see. I noticed that they kept staring at me too, and mumbling things among themselves. I was giving.


    It was doing the perfect job of detaching me from Damien¡¯s perfect self, that Dabby Sanders wasn¡¯t good enough for. But for a moment, it kind of hurt my pride.


    ¡®I knew Damien was now my stepbrother and also a very hot guy in school, but I wasn¡¯t so terrible of a girl to make me so unqualified for someone not good enough for him.¡¯

 Messed

    DABBY:


    The thoughts eventually passed, when it felt like I was beginning to want too much. I just started a new path, and I should trend on it slowly.


    The murmurs and mumbles flying around my ear the next day were loud enough to hear, and they were not the hateful remarks I usually heard. They were ones thatmended how different I looked, and how they couldn¡¯t believe it was me.


    I couldn¡¯t get used to the stares and passingments, but I could cope with it because it wasn¡¯t debasing me. My stepfather had the resources, and I was going to make the best use of it.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be the new homie you can¡¯t have.¡¯


    ¡°Oh my goodness! How did I do? It was extremely suffocating to walk here alone from the hallway,¡± I asked Mason immediately I sat down, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek tomend my good makeover job.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You did perfectly.¡±


    I still found it weird and I had to hold my breath to get a kiss on the cheeks, but I certainly was doing better with confidence.


    It was almost like no one could even approach me contemptibly the way they would have done in the past, probably because I was assumed to be dating my overprotective friend.


    We went to the cafe during lunch hours to eat normally, and I could finally have a normal school life without having frustrated kids vent on me. I could see Madison almost everywhere that I was, and she looked so depressed. Her poprity had quartered ever since her break up with Damien.


    And for the social sciences project that we did, I and Damien surprisingly got an A on our own. I was d because I knew that I was going to have less than that in any subsequent sses or courses.


    The days went by smoothly, and it was me trying to be all over my new boyfriend to act like everything was really perfect. Mason didn¡¯t even have to try, he could just do it perfectly.


    Things were okay at home, and I and Damien usually had normal bump meets without talking to one another. He was always looking gloomy, and it bothered me to know if everything was fine. I wanted to be the good sister that he could talk to if he had any problem, but he didn¡¯t even like me already so it was futile.


    Whenever I was in the same car with him on the way to school, I was usually with my phoneughing a lot while typing some gibberish to nobody. I wanted him to know that I was really happy now, and that I didn¡¯t care about every hate he had for me. It was as though I wanted him to be jealous for some reason.


    Before the end of week in school, news started circting that Damien was dating a new girl from our ss. Her name was Debby, and she was really beautiful as well as hot.


    The news about I and Mason dating became forgotten real quick, as Damien and his girlfriend became the new talk of the school. They were all vibes with their matching outfits, and it seemed like he usually picked her up after dropping me off at the bus stop.


    They came to school together in his car, and they were the new talk for town. It just felt really weird that we were both carrying on with their lives, like nothing had happened between us.


    ¡®Did something really happen? Or I was just overthinking it?¡¯


    I and SMILE had been ying games every night till weekend, and it was fun because I switched to other games he wanted to try out too. He also told me that he was ying a new game for demo, and that we should both try it out


    The game seemed somewhat familiar, but wasn¡¯t a standard one yet. I pointed out some errors in the game, and suggested what I felt would be the perfect idea for it. We ended up bonding better than I thought we would, and it wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    It was Saturday night and we were just chatting casually using our gaming ID, and I told him that I also lived in saticoy. He asked about my school, and I said I was just a gamer. I dreaded that he might be someone from around, and I didn¡¯t want us to go personal.


    He asked for a favor which I told him to go ahead with, until he typed the formidable request on my screen.


    ¡®Let us meet, and talk more. I want to learn more from you.¡¯


    ¡®No. I was certainly not ready for this.¡¯

 Gaming partners

    DAMIEN:


    As for Madison, I sent her slutty videos and pictures from the club, with a screenshot that threatened that I was going to send it to her father. And also to the school forum.


    It wasn¡¯t usual for me to give someone another chance the second time, and it made me wonder if I was getting really calmer than before. If it were in the past, posters and fliers of her nude would be circting the school hallways already.


    Bryan apologized to I and Xavier for being a jerk, and promised that he had told his mum who took him to a therapist. He and his girlfriend that were initially on a rtionship break, finally came back together and things looked like they were going fine again.


    Things were the same at home, and it was still the same awkwardness between I and dad. Joanne was trying to be a good mum to me too, but I wasn¡¯t giving her any chance to do that.


    I stayed off Dabby¡¯s business as I promised, and it was getting really harder tomunicate with her. We were not talking to one another, and just stayed in each other¡¯s space when it was necessary.


    The way she usually typed on her phone andughed in the morning every morning really made me angry everytime, but I didn¡¯t say anything because I had promised to not interfere in anything that concerned her anymore.


    The new appearance she stepped out in after she and Mason were officially dating almost made my mouth drop, the moment she came down from her room and walked down the stairs. She was wearing a short, red, body fitted gown, and ck sneakers that matched the look.


    Her hair was now different from before, and she was not wearing her creepy sses anyone. She was really hot if I would admit truthfully, because I had never seen her in anything different from trousers and big shirts. It was crazy to wrap my head around what had changed her in a few days.


    It became even more hard to see her around the house, and I ended up going to the cafe just to see she and her boyfriend acting all lovey-dovey. They said they were in love, but it was somehow hard for me to believe it.


    It probably didn¡¯t matter anymore, because no one was talking about us anymore. They had be the new hot issue.


    I was ying games with my usual buddy at night, and we normally chatted briefly too because he always wanted to go offline after a long and tough duel. I even introduced a few other video games that I thought I was really good in, and he beat me hands down without mercy. That was what had been keeping me busy.


    I felt really jaded for days, probably because no one was minding me again. It suddenly felt like I was so invisible to everyone, and it made me really lonely.


    For once, being alone didn¡¯t feel good to me as I had always liked it.


    It felt like I was already used to seeing Dabby around, and I was kind of used to that setting already. And it bothered me because no matter how long I spent it someone, it was usually hard to attach to them and get so close. It seemed like she had managed to see through, and grow on me.


    Feeling it was all in my head and that I was crazy already, I drove out of the house on Thursday evening, and I texted the hottest girl in my DM that we should hang out. I invited her over to the club, and that was it. We started dating.


    I drove her early the next morning to pick out couple outfits, and we changed into it before making our way back to school. Soon we became the subject for talk that same day, and I loved the attention I was getting.


    When I looked to see if Dabby was around when we visited the cafe during lunch hours, she was cuddling up with her supposed boyfriend and I hated that. She didn¡¯t even care to know who it was. I and Debby ended up stealing the show.


    I asked DAYNNE to meet during our next game after a lot of thinking and extreme anxious, because I was really scared of the word ¡®NO¡¯


    However, he replied that he was scared of rejection because he had been an introvert his whole life, and I typed that it didn¡¯t matter however he looked. And that I promised with my entire heart, that I wouldn¡¯t judge if we met.


    He said he would think about it and inform me during our next game, and I took that with a good faith of expectation. The changes that he advised that I make to my game were really good ideas that had not urred to me, ever since I had been designing my own game.


    Regardless of my ego and whoever he was, I knew I had to learn from this person to make a better game. He was a genius.


    The next week at school was just the same, and I reluctantly picked up Debby at the bus stop not far from school. I was tired and stressed out of the whole rtionship thing, and I was struggling to keep up with it at all cost.


    Dabby and I only talked only in our parent¡¯s presence, so that there wouldn¡¯t be a need forpulsory family conversation. She was still looking outstanding in her new style, that it almost looked like she wasn¡¯t the same person I had known all along. I could only eat, if she was the one who prepared the meal.


    We often had moments of short stares whenever we met at the stairs, like there was so much to say to one another. I felt like I had even more to say to her, because I had really treated her badly because of my own assumptions.


    I realized that she wasn¡¯t going to say anything to her friend, even if I wasn¡¯t so harsh. And even if I had been a jerk, she still helped and showed care by doing little things that only I could notice. Guilt began eating me up wherever I saw her stitched up head. She could have also told my dad when he csme back, if he wanted to make things really bad for me.


    My state of messiness became even worse with a heavy feeling of angst, when DAYNNE wasn¡¯ting online to y games with me throughout the week. It meant that the answer to my question was left hanging. It made me even sadder.


    Everything was really tiring for me. Everything.


    And like a miracle that I had been waiting for, my online gaming friend agreed to meet on Sunday evening. It worked perfectly for me, because school was going to be on a one week midterm break. I didn¡¯t show my excitement while I replied with great! But I jumped up in excitement when he wanted to meet.


    He also agreed to help with whatever gaming tips I wanted, and it was even an icing on the cake for me. My friends and girlfriend said they wanted to meet, but I ditched them saying I had another important thing to attend to.


    I chose a perfect meeting ce which was a nice cafe in town, where I was sure that no one from school would easily run into me. I dressed up earlier than the time we agreed to meet, and was already sitting at the spot I described.


    The first thing my eyes caught with my bent head was the boots that appeared first, and the voice spoke gently even before I could raise my eyes up ¡°Are you by any chance SMILE?¡±


    ¡®It was ady? Ady? DAYNNE was ady? I had been wanting to meet ady that desperately? But how could ady be that good? Howe I never even asked? Come on, I promised not to be judgmental.¡¯N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Yes, it is¡­¡­¡­¡± my tongue froze up when I raised my eyes and saw who it was, and she looked equally surprised to see me.


    We were both shocked beyond our bones, and she couldn¡¯t even take her seat at all. It was definitely the shock of our lives. From bing the boyfriend to her bully and ssmate at school, to her stepbrother, to her online gaming buddy.


    ¡®How on earth could DAYNNE be Dabby? How? How? Just how?!¡¯

 As it did

    DABBY:


    ¡°I cannot believe that we are going on an unnecessary vacation trip nned by you. The midterms are for rxation, mum,¡± I murmured continually as I carried a barbeque pan with me, while she carried the box that she had packed to the living room.


    ¡°You will love it, dear. Your father¡¯s friend owns the vacation house, and we are allowed to use it as much as we like,¡± she said with a brilliant smile, and I knew that her mind was made up. Anything I would have said would not matter any longer.


    ¡°Is everyone going? Like everyone?¡± I asked again like I didn¡¯t know the answer to my question, and mum looked at me incredulously.


    ¡°What do you mean everyone? We all are going. You, me, Spencer and Damien. It is called family bonding, and it is what we need now. The midterms sped up the process,¡± she gave me another coy smile again, and her confirmation ruined my mood even more, ¡°Hurry up and bring your bags down. We leave in the next twenty minutes.¡±


    I certainly couldn¡¯t imagine how it was possible for things to go fine, when a shit just ured two days ago without anyone¡¯s knowledge. It was crazy, and my head was screaming badly because it was hard to believe it.


    ¡®How could I?¡¯


    I had been chatting with the same person and ying crazy games with him for so long, yet I didn¡¯t know it was the same hot guy in school who became my step brother. The same person that I had spent many nights ying games with, and was so nice over the inte like it wasn¡¯t him anymore.


    No matter how hard I tried to stomach the reality of that fact, it was really hard. Because the moment I saw who he was at the cafe, made me regret my decision of agreeing to meet.


    If I had lied that I lived in maybe a city miles away, then it would have been difficult to ask for such a request. Him remaining my online friend and best gaming buddy would have been the best.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Immediately, I saw who it was that I hade to meet, I turned back instantly and stormed out of the cafe. There was definitely nothing to sit and talk about any longer, because I had met the one person that our ways shouldn¡¯t meet except, it was during a friendly family peaceful living.


    I took a bus at the bus stop, and went straight to meet Mason at the cafe. He looked surprised when he saw me enter and pick an apron, because I had told him I was meeting a friend I yed games with. He asked me about it, and I definitely had nothing to say.


    ¡°What happened? You didn¡¯t see him?¡± Mason asked in concern as I took the order of the next person in line, and went to check what was left to be done in the kitchen.


    ¡°He said he couldn¡¯t meet anymore at thest moment. Something with his family or something,¡± I lied with a heavy heart, not wanting to give Mason reasons to bother about me. He didn¡¯t even like hearing anything about Damien in his ears.


    Even I myself didn¡¯t know what would happen or what I would do about it, so involving him would bother him unnecessarily.


    I prepared some dishes and served till it was past closing hours for the cafe, even if Mason had convinced me to leave so many times. I met his mum for the first time when she came to pick him up, and she was a really sweet woman.


    Mason told me that she worked two jobs even with owning the cafe, because she had to pay the college debt of hers and that of her sister. It was really crazy to know that life had to be so hard for many people, while trying to live their perfect lives even with how rough their past had been.


    She dropped me off in front of the house, before turning to head for their own home. And I stood in front of the gates for so long, dreading to step my foot into thepound and talk more of going inside.


    When I found the courage to enter the house and my room, the first thing I did was to get my PC with the intention to delete my gaming ount instantly. As I was about to do that, a message from SMILE popped immediately like it was waiting for me toe online.


    I read the message over and over again, until he sent another one knowing that I was hesitating. It was hard to say no to Damien, and I didn¡¯t know why it was like that for me. In a few minutes, I could see myself walking to the back of the house.


    He was sitting there calmly like we had ever been in that kind of friendly atmosphere ever, and I was really wondering why he was calling me to see even after what happened.


    I was expecting him to ignore me and avoid me properly, because we had spoken to quite a great length as gaming buddies. Sometimes about his vulnerabilities. Sometimes about his weaknesses. The stories weren¡¯t always detailed, so it was even hard to rte it to the same Damien that I knew.


    ¡°I thought you were going to hate me all over again,¡± I said, as soon as he urged me to take a seat beside him, summoning my courage to talk freely however I liked. We owed each other nothing.


    ¡°It is funny for me to know, but I do not hate you. I have been trying to convince myself that I did and do, and have been doing so many things so that you can hate me,¡± he started to recount slowly like it was some sort of confession time, and I nodded my head affirmatively.


    ¡°Of course you did. So many things. Unforgivable,¡± I articted in a stern voice, and he chuckled wryly. ¡°Is it funny? That you made someone really sad and made them think worse of themselves?¡± I was getting suddenly angry when I heard a chuckle.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t, and I am just realizing that now. It feels like shit, the same way it would, if it were my dad. And I apologize for everything I did. I shouldn¡¯t be like my father,¡± he said in low tones and he seemed to reek of alcohol as he spoke to me. He seemed drunk too.


    However, I almost thought I heard wrong because my heart dropped when I heard him say that he was sorry. It was hard toprehend.


    ¡®Wait a minute. Was he apologizing because I was his online friend DAYNNE, or was he really sorry for the way he had behaved towards me?¡¯


    And slowly he stood up like he was done talking, and turned to leave. He looked quite embarrassed, and just hung his head to the floor.


    I knew I was crazy, and should have allowed him to reek in guilt if he was really thinking his old ways. I knew that I should have, but I grabbed him by the arm regardless. My heart was beating fast.


    He turned to look at me when I did that, as his really sad blue eyes rested on mine. He looked stressed and tired too, but his eyes held more than those emotions I thought I saw.


    We remained in that position for a few minutes while looking at one another, without saying anything or moving out bodies. The touch against his arm was maic, and his eyes were burning with some passion even if they weren¡¯t so bright. I was feeling something unexinable, and it was suffocating.


    ¡®Please I need help now. Get a hold of yourself Dabby!¡¯ my mind was screaming to me, but my mind was honestly gone from my body. So my body had taken over.


    And like mas that attracted one another, our lips met in the heat of the moment and damn, my body was on fire. My heart was beating erratically as his lips gently slipped into my own parted lips. I didn¡¯t know how to kiss properly at that moment, but I just allowed my emotions to take control.


    The feeling was sporadic, and I thought my heart would explode if we were doing that longer than that. I had never kissed in that manner before, and the butterfly feelings in my tummy were fluttering endlessly. I was still holding his hand in mine, and it was slowly beginning to creep up to my stomach side as I let go of it.


    My body was reacting vicariously to his intense touch, the more his hands kept moving to my bosom. I was screwed.


    ¡®You are screwed Dabby. You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡¯

 Vacay 1

    DABBY:


    The journey even got worse for me when mum insisted that we traveled by road, when Mr. Anderson wanted to get flight tickets for everyone. She said the best part of road trips was when we were traveling by road, since the journey was just five hours to our destination.


    I could see the anger in his face when she established her own opinion, but she didn¡¯t even care about his expression. She got whatever she wanted most of the time, and it didn¡¯t matter what was going to happen after.


    ssic music yed in the car all through as we traveled, with Mr. Anderson driving steadily on the road without any problems. Mum was enjoying the flow as she ate so much junk food in a few hours, while I was stuck at the back with Damien. He had earpods in his ears that probably yed music, and wasn¡¯t minding anyone at all.


    You got that right, we were not talking. I was sitting close to the stepbrother that I kissed nights away, and he seemed to be so unaffected by it. He didn¡¯t even seem to remember anything the next day probably because he had drank so much. I remember the moments vividly.


    Suddenly he had pulled his lips away from mine when his hands rested on my chest, as he turned away from me immediately. He ambled away from the sight so quickly, before I realized that I was the only one left outside in the cold night.


    When I returned back to my room, I sat in front of my dresser for so long reminiscing about what happened. I checked my lips over and over again to see if they were still intact, and bit on them slowly while looking at my face. I couldn¡¯t sleep the entire night.


    I was the only one suffocating by the thoughts and imaginations of it, that was haunting my feelings and body in merciless ways. My feelings seemed to be growing stronger too, and I was so scared.


    ¡®You are such a fool Dabby. Why did you hold him back?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to act like we were being awkward, so I spent the first half of the journey watching short videos on the inte and reels. Soon I started feeling sleepy halfway through the journey.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! This is beautiful!¡± was the loud exmation that I heard right across my ear, that made me jolt up immediately to realize that the car had finally stopped.


    I also realized that I had been leaning and sleepy peacefully on Damien¡¯s shoulder the entire time, and he just remained that way till I quickly separated myself from him. I alighted immediately because we were the only ones left in the car, and followed mum¡¯s direction to see where we had arrived.


    The vacation house was so beautiful and luxurious, like the ones I have seen in movies and magazines. It had well constructed still water as the foundation, and the building structures were raised so high with mostly ss as its walls.


    It had a huge standard swimming pool, firece, terrace, outdoor hot tub and other things that my eyes couldn¡¯t picture at that point. It was the moment that I was lost in the mesmerizing environment, that I realized that mum had entered the house immediately.


    ¡°This ce is so beautiful! Come up,¡± She screamed from the open rooftop, and dashed inside almost immediately like a child who was over excited about getting choctes.


    I quickly dragged my box and tried to go inside immediately, ignoring the person that was strolling so gloomy behind me. We were certainly being cold to one another once again, and it was crazy to even think about.


    It was going to be so impossible to be free from thoughts of him, if he was going to be around me all the time.


    We settled down minutester, and I was really d to know that it had three rooms. It would have been worse, if we had split into just two rooms. Damien would never want to stay with his father.


    The evening started beautifully when mum served the packaged dishes we brought, and we sat around the firece to eat after a long drive. Wines and different drinks were ced on the table for drinking, and our first night out as a family was going great.


    Mum and Mr. Anderson seemed to have quite a few things to talk about, while I and Damien just remained quiet throughout the meal. I thought the day was just going to be so silent as it had been, until mum decided to make everything even more ufortable.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Damien,¡± she called in a very sweet voice, ¡°How good have you been enjoying this new setting. Isn¡¯t it great?¡± Mum asked, like it was really something exciting to talk about.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he replied concisely, and I closed my eyes immediately in cringe. I just wished she would allow us to eat peacefully. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t in the mood.


    ¡®What if he decided to ruin things?¡¯

 Vacay 2

    DABBY:


    ¡°What about you Dabby?¡± She asked again purposely, just to get everyone talking. I had never told her my true feelings towards her marriage with Mr. Anderson though.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is bad. I mean, what you want solely matters,¡± I responded with a modest smile, so that Damien¡¯s manner of answering wouldn¡¯t make it more awkward, ¡°The vacation is a brilliant idea though. I love it here.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is.¡±


    We continued dining till the sky had turned dark, and mum looked so filled already. She seemed a little tipsy since she had been drinking, same as Mr. Anderson who looked tired already. He seemed to have a lot on his mind too.


    I didn¡¯t look at Damien as much as I wanted to throughout, but I knew he had been drinking a lot instead of eating. I stood up and started packing the table clean carefully, knowing well that I will be left to do it after everyone departed inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take my second shower. I think I¡¯m seeing things already,¡± mum announced loudly on the table, and stood up immediately. She turned to leave after blowing a kiss in the air, and staggered away from our sight, so I feared that she would fall.


    Mr. Anderson stood up after her, and held her in the arm so that she would not fall for real. He looked like he was still in a better state than she.


    As I continued to clear the table, I was careful enough not to touch anywhere around Damien. I snuck a look at his face once, and rather than getting drunk or even tipsy like others, he was sober with clear eyes. He was still drinking, while I was cleaning.


    I made sure to hasten up in a few minutes, and was done with packing everything that we had used to eat. After I was done, I took them all into the car and ced them in the booth. When I came back, Damien wasn¡¯t there again.


    I wanted to go inside the house since it seemed like everyone was probably ready to go to sleep, but I changed my mind and decided to tour around the vacation home and explore its depth. The construction of the ce looked so beautiful and surreal, and every depth of it was mesmerizing.


    For a moment, I bothered about Damien and wondered where he could be. He had not talked to anyone since, or even smiled. A few minutes ago, he was drinking.


    I decided to swallow my pride to find him, and act like nothing happened since that seemed to be the situation already. And with that thought, I stood up from where I was sitting before and turned, only to see a figure sprawled upon something at a distance, right from where I stood.


    I made my way to where he was lying down, and he seemed to be asleep with his eyes closely shut. Gazing at him from that angle made him look even mesmerizing, even with the fact that he was sleeping.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡®Gosh, how could one be this good looking?¡¯


    I bent my head lower than before to look at his face at a closer pace, and his lips looked so tempting to press mine on. For a second, I considered doing it as I brought my lips close to him with the conviction that he would not know. But then again, I froze when our lips were just two inches apart.


    ¡®You will be crazy to do this again. He does not even acknowledge the first one and acts like nothing happened.¡¯ My head jacked up immediately at the thought, but the unthinkable happened.


    Damien¡¯s eyes shed open, and his right hand pulled my head closer to him as our lips crashed. His lips were warm and soft as they met mine, and I parted my lips slightly, allowing his tongue to slip inside.


    He sucked on my lips so smoothly, as I tried my best to keep up with it. I just went with his flow and tried to kiss back, in the way that I had seen them do in the movies I watched. His hands slipped down the smooth curve of my sidr to rest on my hips, as he drew me closer while I was still standing.


    Suddenly, he sat up without breaking from the kiss, and swerved me over from my standing position over hisps. My heart was beating so wildly as that happened, that I could only take little sips of breath.


    Both of his hands wrapped warmly around my waist this time, and pulled me closer to him even more as our bodies pressed together heatedly. I was breathing heavily as our lips exploded together, and could taste our shared breath alongside the thud of ourbined heartbeat.


    I didn¡¯t believe myself when I let out a moan the moment he bit on my lips, and worked something crazy from my earlobe down to my neck. Everything he was doing to me, made me grind my hips slowly against him and want him more. I knew something had changed in me, and it was really bad.


    His hand slowly yanked off my top as she broke from the kiss, and I was left in the designer bra top that I was wearing. It made me nervous, that I lost my breath, because I had never been in front of a guy in that manner. Yet, I was allowing my stepbrother to see me that way.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± he muttered slowly, and kissed my neck immediately. His hand was rubbing slowly against my back as we continued kissing again, and slowly slipped under the thin line of my bra stopper.


    His hands were about to move to the side of my body, and he stopped abruptly by withdrawing his hands. He looked at me with those crazy eyes, and I was a little disappointed, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do this, should we?¡±

 Misunderstanding

    DAMIEN:


    The shadow of her pretty face was close to mine, when Iid on the swim chair. I could smell the sweet fragrance of the berry juice she drank, and it seemed to intoxicate my senses.


    I pulled her head back immediately I realized that she withdrew, and those pretty heart lips caught my eyes. They looked so irresistible at that point.


    Her tongue and lips were in my mouth, and I kissed them passionately like I had longed for them. And it was true. I had. Probably since the day that we had a bump kiss, or even earlier than that.


    The one that happened a few days ago in the backyard of our house, was the alcohol that I drank controlling what I wanted. When I realized what I had done, I was too taken aback to talk about it immediately we broke from the kiss.


    I took advantage of my drunken state to leave her there without saying any words, and to also pretend like I didn¡¯t remember anything the next day. I felt so much guilt.


    I felt so bad for everything that I had done, that it couldn¡¯t bring me to talk about what my heart wanted. Talking about it, or acknowledging it was a no for me. There was no way that it could, or should happen.


    ¡®How would I say that my feelings for my stepsister were growing by the day? That it was the same girl that I wanted to leave our house so badly. The same girl I didn¡¯t treat so nicely.¡¯


    Schools were on a midterm break, and the guilt intensified anytime I saw her around the house. She was also not talking to me about anything, and it bothered me to know if she was pissed off.


    I didn¡¯t have the right to like someone like her. If I were, to be honest about everything and as a person, she was too good for me. Living with her even made me realize more. When I would sit alone by my bedside thinking about everything fun I usually did, my thoughts would point to her.


    I switched off my phone for so long that I couldn¡¯t reply to Debby, or my friend¡¯s calls even if they tried to. For days, I was trapped in my room writing my gaming pitches over and over again like the ones I¡¯ve written were not enough.


    I spent my nights improving my game with Dabby¡¯s innovative ideas, wishing that she would see it onest time as her real self, and not DAYNNE. On the day Dabby¡¯s mum announced a vacation, I submitted my gaming entry for apetition that I had been waiting for.


    As Dad drove through the trip to the vacation house, the earpods I put in my ears were ying no music all through. I could hear everything that was still going on around, even the videos that Dabby kept watching andughing at. Herughter made me chuckle inwardly.


    While we ate after unpacking, the only thing I could take was alcohol because it helped to clear my thoughts. I was too sad and confused about everything, and I didn¡¯t like how things had taken turns between us. Not until she came to where I wasying down and we kissed.


    Taking a closer look at Dabby as she sat across myp, made me realize that she was so beautiful. It made me wonder why I had not affirmed it all along even if I knew. She obviously had no kissing experience, but she wasn¡¯t that bad either because she caught in quickly.


    Her pure innocence made my heart skip a beat as she gazed at me, and it made me realize that she was different from the other girls that I had seen, and made out with. The whole of me was hippity-hopping, and it got really hard to control myself.


    My hands worked their way into her top and pulled it over her head, and her body was so beautiful. It looked perfect. Her


    hands slipped from my back to my neck, as her fingers gripped on my hair. Her hands felt like warm embers, raising a fire from within me.


    My hands rubbed slowly on her back through her underwear, as my fingers trailed slowly along the nape of her neck down her spine. I was lost in the insistent pleasure of what I was doing as my hand moved to the side of her body, when I suddenly broke from the kiss realizing what we were doing.


    ¡®She is now my stepsister, and our parents are inside the vacation house. What the heck were we doing?¡¯


    Her eyes held disappointment when I stopped what I was doing, and I suddenly became shut out of words. We were doing the same thing we did days ago, and I had nothing to say to her again, as she gazed at my eyes while trying to catch her breath.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do this, should we?¡± My mouth suddenly found words out, and they were the exact reflection of what I had been thinking along, ¡°This can never be you and me,¡± I continued.


    She was dumbfounded for a while as she looked at me, and my heart feared what she would say. It suddenly felt like anything she would say, would affect whatever would happen between us again. And of course, it would.


    ¡°Of course, we shouldn¡¯t,¡± her lips barely uttered audible words, as she came off myp immediately.


    Her hand grabbed her top that was sprawled on the floor beside me, and she put it on immediately, ¡°Goodnight,¡± she added before leaving, like we just finished eating dinner and were bidding one another farewell. I felt worse.


    The next day was bright with our vacation picking its full pace. When I came out in the morning, Joanne was setting the table with drinks and other things, while Dabby was making barbeque.


    Seeing her standing there like nothing happened while tossing the meat that made sizzling sounds, shed the memories of the previous night in my head. I was about to turn away from them to go spend my day alone, when I heard a loud voice call to me, which made me think that I must be hallucinating.


    ¡°Can you get extra beef from the refrigerator? I think we need more,¡± I held Dabby¡¯s voice to me, which almost made me freeze in shock at what could be going on.


    ¡®Why was she calling me? No, why was she calling me like nothing happened? Why was she talking to me? I expected her to ghost me for days.¡¯


    In a few minutes, I was back with what she said she wanted, and she collected it casually after murmuring a thank you. She continued what she was doing like nothing mattered, and happily served the barbeque on the table after she was done. Nothing happened.


    Joanne went in to change to her swimsuit, and jumped into the pool after setting out in a nice lingerie. With their physique and everything, it was so that Dabby was a replica of her mother. I walked back into the house, and went to sit on the rooftop.


    Dabby stepped out a few minutester, and I didn¡¯t notice that it was her standing by the pool, by the time my gaze shifted to what was happening down. She looked damn sexy even more than the first time I had seen her like that, and it was driving me crazy to know how she affected me.


    She didn¡¯t look like she was going to swim, and justid on the pool bench. I didn¡¯t know why she felt that it was perfect to sunbathe at the time, but her body sprawled so straight on the bench and it 100% caught my attention. I couldn¡¯t help but stare endlessly. It wasn¡¯t easy to stop looking at her.


    It was the same thing the next day while they yed games and toured the meadows, but Dabby was acting normally and talking to me till we left vacation house for our home back in town. It suffocated me.


    I wanted to ask her what was going on in her mind, because she was totally different from the Dabby that I knew. I was sure that our parents would have noticed some kind of closeness between us, that was simply orchestrated by Dabby which felt forced as much as I thought of it. Regardless, it was killing me.


    I was the one who suggested being normal, yet I was feeling really ufortable with it. When it got to a point, I didn¡¯t answer whatever she said to me again like the greetings and all. She didn¡¯t mind and just went on with her own business.


    When my friends called in again, they said that they were going toe to my house, if I didn¡¯t meet with them at our usual spot. I had no choice but to go and see them, because I could never allow them toe whenever Dad was around.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    I told them that my dad and I had a family ceremony we had to attend, because I could not tell them that it was a family vacation. They also had an idea that I didn¡¯t seem to have a very close rtionship with my father. I met with Debby too, and told her the same thing even if I was tired of the rtionship we had.


    It was Monday morning, and things were still the same at home. Dabby was so weird after what happened, and I tried to ignore every feeling she was bringing out of me. I wasing down from the stairs after a long sleepless night, only to hear Dabby¡¯s voice fret in exasperation.


    ¡°You areing for me and Damien¡¯s parents¡¯ meeting day?!¡±

 Demeanor

    DABBY:


    After Damien said that and I left to my room, I sat in front of the dresser mirror in the room and stared at it for a long time. Tears seemed to be lurking around my eyes, but they weren¡¯ting out for reasons I could not exin. My heart was just hurting.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because he said we shouldn¡¯t do something like that, or that it could never be us. Regardless of what he was pointing to or talking about, I felt so stupid and dumb. I felt bad for myself, and sad that I had let my guards down.


    ¡®Just how could I be so screwed? Why would I be attracted to my stepbrother of all guys? Why would things choose to go wrongly for me? Why?¡¯ I pondered so much in my heart, and was unable to sleep the entire night.


    I couldn¡¯t cry as I liked to let out my burden, and I couldn¡¯t feel any better too even if I tried. The feeling I had in my heart was so heavy, and it was really hard to sleep. I had done bad.


    It was a ring fact that mum and Damien¡¯s father were now married, and that Damien and I had indirectly be siblings. Even though we were not rted by blood, we were at least under that category of being siblings.


    So how could I fall for him like that? I knew that I would feel guilty towards mum the next day.


    And when I came up with an idea the next day, the best I could do was try to be proper siblings with Damien.


    The surprise in my eyes was palpable when I called out to him, but the least I could care about was trying to know what he could be thinking.


    I just wanted to enjoy the rest of the vacation, without having my mistake punched into my face. And with that, I had to do everything mum wanted to do. That way, I would be away from Damien¡¯s sight.


    When we returned back home, I was being so normal to Damien and I knew he was cringing at that fact. Sometimes he gave me an incredulous look when I spoke to him, and other times he looked sad. He said we could never be together, so I had better braced myself for whatever wasing.


    One thing I knew. Our parents could never find out about what was going on between us.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I was scared of meeting Mason the next day at school. He had called me throughout our three day vacation, and he was the sweetest guy ever.


    I felt guilty because of what happened between me and Damien, even if we were both in a fake rtionship. And I felt sorry towards Debby because it felt like Damien cheated on her because of me.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Irrespective of what I felt, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. The milk was spilt already.


    ~~~


    It was another week for school again, and the situation was screaming awkwardness. I dressed up for school as fast as I could, so that I was going to be able to make breakfast quickly.


    As I made omelet and toast, mum strode down the stairs that led to her own room, and took a bite of what I was making. She looked so tired like she had not slept the entire night.


    She asked me about our parents¡¯ meeting day because they sent an email to her, and said that Mr. Anderson said that she shoulde for both of us.


    ¡°You areing for me and Damien¡¯s parents¡¯ meeting day?!¡± I yelled out, even before I realized that I had screamed that loud. I couldn¡¯t believe and understand why that had to happen.


    ¡°Is there any problem with that?¡± Mum asked me with a surprised expression on her face, because I was not the type to have such an outburst.


    ¡°Hmmm. Yes, mum. We¡¯ve told nobody in school that we are siblings. So, it is going to be a hassle if they find out,¡± I tried to keep my voice slow, as I responded to her question so seriously.


    ¡°Why? Are you ashamed of that fact? The purpose is to know that your new dad and I got married. That is the main point,¡± she argued.


    ¡°I¡¯m thankful you said, your marriage is the main point. Your own marriage, not this scrambled family setting. So, nobody has to know. What matters is that you are married because you wanted it, even if I didn¡¯t want or support it,¡± I spoke in a bitter way, and mum certainly didn¡¯t expect me to talk back to her like that.


    I never wanted her marriage, but she rushed everything and assumed it was the best thing to do. It was so suffocating for me to ept and I was really sad about it, but I went along with the idea without telling her how I truly felt.


    Expressing my true feelings about it at ater hour seemed to have more effect on her, because she was dumb founded by my words. She must have been wondering what hade over me, and why I was suddenly voicing out things I never minded before.


    ¡®And those dumb shredded pieces of paper. I needed to finish arranging them at all costs.¡¯


    I packed my food immediately, as mum turned away from where she was standing, astounded at what had just yed before her. I walked out of the house and entered into the car, as I ate my breakfast peacefully without anyone to disrupt.


    I had sniffed so many times to prevent my tears from falling, before Damien came out and entered into the car. I was so tired and felt the need to vent.


    Damien didn¡¯t say a word as he ignited the car, while I gently sipped on the box of yogurt as we drove. He drove really fast and I wondered why he was being grumpy on a good day, as he drove really fast past the bus stop he was meant to drop me at. It made me wonder what was going on, and where we were going.


    He drove fast towards the direction of school, and it got me confused about what was going on in his head.


    ¡®Why was he doing that?¡¯


    ¡°Damien. You have passed the bus stop you were meant to drop me at, and you seem to be driving towards school. What is happening?¡± I voiced out reluctantly, because I wanted our ride to be quiet. My own personal space of meditating.


    When I realized that he wasn¡¯t going to answer my question, I frowned and screamed at him again to drop me down.


    ¡°Do you want everyone to ask why we areing to school in the same car?¡± I yelled at his face, when he seemed to be speeding up even more.


    ¡°If you want that, well I don¡¯t! If you don¡¯t drop me off, I am opening the car to the door,¡± I threatened suddenly, and gulped when I realized what I had said.


    ¡®Was that really me? Was that? Did I say that? Was something going wrong with me?¡¯


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t anyone know? We can as well announce our status as siblings, since your mum is going toe to school on our behalf,¡± he sassed.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know why you are being so annoying now. But your girlfriend must be waiting for you to go pick her up. Mine is waiting too,¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Oh well, the one you do not love?¡± He was being sarcastic again, and I scoffed.


    ¡°And who says that I do not love him. I love Mason so much, and I¡¯m d to have him. It is a pity that a girlfriend like me, does not even deserve a good and loyal boyfriend like him. But I am going to be putting my best interest in our rtionship. No more distraction and meaningless bonding!¡± I yelled again from behind the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Meaningless bonding? Really? We gave something meaningless?¡± Damien asked incredulously with a scoff.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t talk about anyone, Mr. Anderson. So, please do me a favor by dropping me down,¡± I yelled again, suddenly getting so angry at nothing in particr.


    ¡°Well, I am not stopping this car,¡± he threatened, and I pushed the door of the back seat open immediately.


    ¡°Shit! Dabby. Are you out of your mind already?¡± Damien screamed at me, and quickly swerved to the left side of the road to park the car. Immediately he did that, I opened the door and hopped off.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I replied in a mocking tone, and turned to the side of the road.


    And the luck that decided to shine on me after getting two people angry in one morning, brought a handsome guy riding a power bike to my front.


    ¡°Hey baby. Sorry I amte,¡± Mason seethed a smile, and winked at me which caused me to smile too. He passed a helmet to me and I put it on my head, as I hopped in the bike behind his back and wrapped my hands around his waist.


    ¡°Thank you, brother Damien. You can go pick your girlfriend now,¡± I jibbed in a derisive tone as I turned to Damien, who was looking so shocked by everything that yed before him.


    I stuck out my tongue at thest minute, before the bike rode away from his sight.


    ¡®The pressure was now mine to take and give.¡¯

 Jealousy

    DABBY:


    Ryder high.


    ¡°You came at the perfect time. I couldn¡¯t have asked for more,¡± I said to Mason, when we made our way into the ss.


    ¡°Did anything happen between you too? The tension was quite intense when I came,¡± Mason stated his observation, and I didn¡¯t say anything. There was too much tension between me and Damien, and they were about things that we could never tell anyone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was trying to be a jerk for some reason, but everything is fine now. How is the cafe running? I feel so guilty for having to take days off for my family vacation,¡± I said truthfully, diverting the topic of our talk from Damien and me.


    ¡°Everything is fine, except that we missed you. You wanna hang outter? At an arcade? y games together?¡± He asked me, and I nodded with a smile.


    As usual, I was announced as the person who was first in every test we did in ss, and the sneers that people passed to me weren¡¯t as ring as I expected. Everyone had probably learnt how to ept fate, and mind their business.


    ¡°I cannot believe that this is my result. I didn¡¯t even read for these tests,¡± Mason eximed when he checked his test results on the school portal.


    ¡°I think taking notes for me sure had an impact. Imagine being able to do well by just taking notes. You will do even better by just reading. Let us give it a shot,¡± I tried to encourage him with a grin stretched on my lips, and he groaned.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready. I¡¯ve been doing sports all my life. Trying to study is toote,¡± he groaned.


    ¡°Your mum wants you to study¡­¡­¡± I stressed on thest word, ¡°We can give it a trial. You can be anything you want with time. A sports director, couch, anything,¡± I said again, trying my best to convince him to join me. He had the potential.


    ¡°I probably should. It is just weeks away from high school. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have my first best result,¡± he shrugged childishly, and I patted his hair roughly.


    I didn¡¯t see Damien in school throughout, and even when we went for social sciences ss. He didn¡¯te around to the cafe during lunch too, and I tried not to think of him as much as I wanted to.


    My mind often darted to mum before the end of sses, and I wondered if she was angry about what happened between us in the morning. She was not used to having a rebellious daughter, so it was probably going to be hard for her toprehend why I was being  like that.


    I didn¡¯t know what was wrong with me either. I was just angry at everyone and everything, and I didn¡¯t know his to feel better.


    After school ended, Mason dropped me off in front of our house, and drove off to his afterwards. I changed my clothes after having my bath, and went into the kitchen afterwards to eat lunch. I didn¡¯t understand why either, but I was having the appetite to eat more often than before. I had a nap after, before setting out to go to the cafe by evening.


    The orders for food had increased even more, because a new branch of a broadcastingpany opened nearby. Mason¡¯s mum hired more people for delivery services, and a manager to oversee everything instead of Mason being the one to do all the job.


    I and Martha went grocery shopping, and we exhausted everything we bought in hours before night time. It was a massive sale for that day alone, and I was really delighted that everything was going fine.


    We closed minutester than we used to, and Mason offered to take me home on his bike. I told him to drop me off miles away from our house, because I didn¡¯t want my mum specting things and teasing me unnecessarily.


    I got off and he rode away after bidding me a farewell, and I walked slowly from where I alighted towards the house. The street was so silent with an eerie feeling, except that the streetlights were doing their jobs perfectly.


    Miles away from our house, I saw Damien¡¯s car parked with its front view facing the direction I wasing from. I wondered if he was still inside the car, as I moved closer without making it too obvious that I was looking in that direction.


    I thought that I was starting to hallucinate, with the scene that yed before me.


    He was sitting in the car, and there was another person too by his side. I could see their faces almost colliding from the angle that I was standing at, and the other person locked lips into his, like they owned it.


    My heart dropped immediately when I saw that, and it hurt my heart even if I had imagined a scene like that a hundred times in my head.


    I wasn¡¯t supposed to be sad because Damien wasn¡¯t my boyfriend or anything, but just my step brother whom I should show my support to. Even if he was kissing another girl, it shouldn¡¯t concern or disturb me because we were nothing but siblings to one another.


    Yet, I felt pain in my heart. My throat became so dry and parched, that I felt the need to cry immediately. My lips were trembling so badly, as I tried to stop the water that had pooled behind my eye lid. There was nothing between us, and yet I felt so betrayed.


    When they both separated their lips from wrestling with one another, it soon dawned on me that it was his girlfriend, Debby.


    Quickly, I turned away and hid into the shadows, so that she wouldn¡¯t see and recognize that it was me. I squatted at the corner that I siddled to, and cried terribly like something had beaten me.


    Minutes passed with me still standing at that spot, and I think a cab arrived to pick her away from where Damien¡¯s car parked. Immediately I peeped and saw that there was no one outside any longer, I dried my face clean and made my way towards the house quickly.


    I stormed into thepound so angrily, and someone grabbed my hand as soon as I was halfway into thepound. My senses could recognize him anywhere.


    ¡°Dabby, wait!¡± He called probably because he saw me before I hid, but I was too angry to stop, until he grabbed me so tightly which made me turn so furiously.


    ¡°Let go of me, Damien,¡± I warned icily, with intense anger shing through my eyes for him. He had done nothing wrong if he kissed his girlfriend, but I was still so angry that I had to witness something like that.


    ¡°What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this and getting so angry?!¡± He half-yelled with a stern face, and his blue eyes were really shiny even in the poorly litpound.


    ¡®Just how could I be noticing all of this, amidst my anger and trying to forget him?¡¯


    ¡°Nothing is wrong, except for the fact that you are holding me. Why are you holding me?¡± I almost spat at his face, frowning really seriously like a sulking child.


    ¡°You said we should be normal. You were already doing that even if things were still awkward between us. You made it so crazy to handle, and I felt that you were really over ever. And I am trying to move on too, so why are you so mad?¡± He asked frustratedly, finally voicing out to know why I had been acting weirdlytely. Finally saying everything he wanted to say.


    ¡°And who says I am angry?¡± I scoffed at him with a re, because that sentence was even making me angrier knowing that it was true, ¡°And do I look angry? It would be better if you do not say things that you do not know,¡± I denied tantly.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know you are angry, Dabby. You saw Debby and I in the car, and that was probably what triggered all of this,¡± he persisted.


    ¡°I said that I am not pissed. Why are you trying to put words in my mouth?¡± I got angry again and again, because he knew exactly the truth of what was going on with me.


    ¡®Was I so predictable? I hated that.¡¯


    ¡°And it would be nice, if you can date another girl whose name doesn¡¯t rhyme with mine. It is sick to hear,¡± I sneered.


    ¡°Why are you trying to frus¡­¡­¡± He stopped abruptly, like he saw or heard something. And I heard too. It was mum, and she was running from the direction of the main door.


    ¡°I have been waiting for you guys for so long. I¡¯ve called your phones too,¡± she said while trying to catch her breath, when she got over to our side.


    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± I asked immediately.


    ¡°Yes. Spencer¡¯s father is here for the first time after our marriage. And he said that the old man is really meticulous about everything. Please be a good family. Rte well. Better and normal than you have ever done. This is a chance for your father!¡± She begged.


    ¡®Just how was I going to act normally to the guy that I was so madly pissed with?¡¯

 When chaos break in

    DAMIEN:


    Being at the dining table with a new family had been suffocating, but it was more heart wrenching with a grandfather, being added to the table setting. Mr. Anderson Stephen hade into the house unannounced after a long time had passed, ever since he had a big fight with his father which separated them temporarily.


    The awkwardness in the air was palpable, and there was some sort of anger too. Dad¡¯s facial expression was so stern and cold, because he was probably angry that his father came without informing him. However, the elderly man appeared calm and observant.


    When dad got married to mum, ady rmended by him, grandfather was proud that his son could finally settle down after so many years of waywardness withdies. He promised him so many things concerning his corporation, which made dad try hard to keep with the marriage.


    Soon days to months, months to years, she could never do anything to please him. He was not used to having ady around that was being tied to him, so he was venting all his frustration on her. She wasn¡¯t good enough in his own perception.


    He doubted she would depart despite being broken, due to her good character. He used my mother¡¯s intense love for me as leverage to keep her from leaving, because he threatened that she couldn¡¯t take me with her.


    Despite remaining in the marriage to see if things would improve, he resorted to physical violence when he realized she stayed for my sake.


    He didn¡¯t give her freedom of her life, let her see her family, or even allowed her to step out of the house as she liked. He couldn¡¯t let her leave, and he couldn¡¯t treat her nicely.


    And one day after a massive fight between them, she dropped a letter for me saying that she could lose her life if she stayed any longer, and left in the middle of the night before everyone woke up.


    His father resented him so much for that, and withdrew every benefit that he promised. It had been like that since, but maybe his marriage changed grandfather¡¯s mind.


    ¡°So, Mrs. Sanders who has now be Anderson¡¯s wife. How did you guys meet? Enough to get married to one another,¡± Grandfather asked Dabby¡¯s mum, who let out a modest smile before dropping the fork that she was using to eat on her te.


    ¡°I and Spencer met in Seattle when he came for a business meeting, and our first meeting was not a really good one. He was kind of rude to me, and I called him out without hesitation. I think he was challenged, and went miles to get my phone number. From there, we started talking and vo, it was all done. He has a good charm,¡± she narrated.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hmn. That is a very beautiful love story you two have got there,¡± grandfathermended, before putting a steak in his mouth, ¡°And the marriage option. Was it the best?¡± He continued.


    I had been watching dad¡¯s expression the entire time, and it looked like he could ruin dinner for everyone by getting angry at his father. He was barely eating well, with ears open to hear what his wife had to say in response to his father¡¯s questions.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an option. It was a choice. And we have been living together as a good family. The children rte well, and even go to the same school. It is perfect,¡± she rounded off her sentence, with a word that wouldn¡¯t give room for more questions.


    ¡°Do you children love it in the town, and in school?¡± Grandfather turned to Dabby and me.


    ¡°Yes sir. It is good,¡± Dabby was the first to answer, and it was obvious that she was trying so hard to keep a smiling face.


    ¡°Everything is just the same,¡± I answered concisely.


    ¡°I am d you both love it, and that you think it is good. And with a new family that had no problems, then I think it is great. Joanne seems like a capable woman who has got everything under control,¡± grandfather went on and on in short talks that had a cryptic message hidden within for dad. He was indirectly referring to the past.


    It probably got him by surprise that dad was married again, and just had to see how things are going even with an additional child to call his own. With Joanne¡¯s feisty demeanor, he already figured out that dad wouldn¡¯t be able to control her however he liked.


    ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t invite me to the wedding, you did a great job Spencer. Marrying a woman like Joanne. The higher the energy, the better,¡± he taunted dad again, and it made him frown the more. His lips were trembling badly with a gritted force, wanting to talk back to his dad.


    The rest of dinner went on peacefully, and I tried my best this time to reach out to Dabby. I knew it was going to be hard for her to keep up with her initial behavior, of rting well with me in everyone¡¯s presence after what happened outside. I did the reaching out instead.


    Grandfather didn¡¯t wait to sleep over even if it waste already, and a chauffeur was waiting for him outside already after dinner. He left in the car after dropping a vivid message for dad, a package for mum, and a small parcel for I and Dabby too.


    I think before I slept, I heard an intense argument from the other side of the house. I didn¡¯t care though. I just hoped everything would solve itself.


    When I woke upte the next morning, Dabby had already gone to school, and the parents were also nowhere to be found. After I dressed up for school, I left minutes before school time and didn¡¯t see Debby message to pick her up. I assumed that she had found her way already.


    It was still unsettling to me that I and Dabby had not finished talking about the previous night, and I nned to meet her during lunch at a secluded area. She was angry, and I didn¡¯t like it at all.     Xavier was the first to see me when I got to school after I parked my car, and he wanted to tell me about the expensive wine that he brought to school. He said that his uncle bought thest three pieces at an exorbitant price from an auction house, and that he reced the contents in one of the bottles.


    We went to ss afterwards, and waited till it was time for lunch before we picked off with our fun. I hoped that I would run into Dabby anywhere in school, and see the expression she would have for me if we met. I was constantly disturbed by what she could be thinking.


    When the bell for lunch rang, I and Xavier went to our own personal space in school to enjoy the liquor. Bryan had called to tell us that he wouldn¡¯t be in school for the day.


    The taste of the wine was so divine and good, that I felt like it was serving its worth even if the price was ridiculously pricey. I tried calling Dabby too, but she wasn¡¯t picking up.


    I was checking out the progress of thepetition that I had registered for on my cell phone, while Xavier wasughing because of what he was reading from his phone.


    He stopped abruptly after a few minutes and was staring at something, which sort of caught my attention because of the way he was acting.


    He turned to me with a shocked expression on his face that also portrayed disappointment, and stretched out the phone that he was holding for me to see something. It made me wonder why he was acting that way.


    A video shed before the screen to my face, and the scene seemed a little bit dark. Still, I could recognize that the ce I was looking at in the video was our house. The caption wrote; Any reasonable exnation for this?


    Dabby appeared from the other angle of the video and entered the house, while a tall figure that looked like me ran after, and shut the door behind both of us. The video stopped after minutes of recording a closed gate. I remembered the scene instantly. It was fromst night.


    I was so shocked at what I had watched, My fingers trembled badly, and I was unable to lift my head up. I quickly did some thinking.


    The one person that could have been around our house at that particr moment was Debby. The only person who had left in a cab but could havee back to take these pictures was Debby. The girl that I was dating.


    ¡®Shit. Fuck her. Fuck that bitch, because I would mess her up for messing with me. But first, I was damned too. Everyone in school would know already. What should I do? What?¡¯


    ¡°You live with that girl? In the same house?¡± I heard Xavier¡¯s pained voice ask me finally, and I knew that he felt really bad. But honestly, that wasn¡¯t even the main point. Everything had gone haywire.

 The marriage truth

    DABBY:


    After witnessing something upsetting almost an hour ago, I found it difficult to enjoy my dinner or the ambiance. It was particrly challenging to remainposed while dining with my stepfather¡¯s father, especially after crying my eyes out just moments before.


    During the meal, I became increasingly distracted as Damien¡¯s grandfather bombarded my mother with questions. I only snapped back to reality when he inquired about our town and school.


    Despite feeling uneasy, I tried to engage in conversation with Mr. Anderson, who appeared to be in a foul mood all evening. As my mother recounted how she met Damien¡¯s grandfather, I couldn¡¯t help but think about the shredded pieces of paper I had stashed away in my closet.


    As soon as Damien¡¯s grandfather left us a package and departed, I hurried back to my room to retrieve the papers, including the one I had glued together. I locked the door, turned on some music, and got to work.


    ¡®I was going to make a meaning out of these papers tonight,¡¯ I promised myself.


    I got bored midway as I tried harder, and ate a lot of night snacks to keep me going. I was determined to finish it in a few hours, and it was something I knew that I could do.


    2:00am had passed in the night, and the paper was beginning to make sense after numerous sorting, discarding, and rearrangements. Two full pages were almost done forming, at different time phases of shuffling. Around 4:23am, I was done with two finely glued pieces of shredded paper to be full pages.


    And as I read through what had been shredded into pieces of paper, my heart felt like it would drop as it beat really fast. I didn¡¯t really understand the details of the paper context because there was unnecessary use of grammar, but I did understand one thing.


    Mum and Mr. Anderson were married and  living together, after they had signed a contract about something.


    It was hard to believe it no matter how many times, that it was exactly what I was seeing in the paper. I knew that mum was the type to never indulge in something that would waste her time.


    She hated being tied down to something for too long, and that was probably why she dreaded being too emotionally invested in her rtionships.


    ¡®But getting married because it had something to do with a contract?¡¯ That was too much.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    I was unable to sleep again and just spent my time getting dressed for school, and using ice packs to relieve the stress bags that could form around my eyes. I spent long hours getting ready, because I was overthinking so many things that I needed an answer for immediately if I could.


    I could not even ask mum straight up about it, because I didn¡¯t want to make things more weird and bad between us. I couldn¡¯t even nurse the idea of showing Damien, so that we could work together to find out what was going on, because we were definitely not on good terms.


    Leaving the house in the early morning, I noticed the lingering dew in the air and opted for a leisurely stroll to the street junction. With my earpods in, I listened to mncholy music, exacerbating my already aching heart. My heart kept hurting about nothing in particr.


    Mason phoned to inquire if I had left home, and I paused for a while, iming I had already hopped on the bus whilst passing the bus stop during my walk. I didn¡¯t want him to witness my emotional turmoil, so I trekked to school alone.


    By the time I got to school, I was tired and sweating already, which kind of rejuvenated me into letting go of my pain. I just went to the bathroom to adjust my makeup, and got ready for first ss. Mason came byter.


    More than anything at that particr moment, focusing on ss and what the teacher was saying was so hard. It had never really happened for me to be out of it when the teacher was teaching, but I was experiencing it, and getting back on the listening track was hard.


    I struggled to understand everything that was being taught from the first period to the one before lunch hours, as I finally heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the bell for lunch rang. Mason and I went to eat lunch, together with his other friends from other sses.


    We were talking andughing over some silly online joke that a celebrity made, and I noticed that the mood in the cafeteria suddenly turned cold against me.


    I wondered what the extreme stares from everyone in corners suddenly became about, as one of the guys sitting in front of me showed me that video that was posted on the school forum. My heart dropped in even more pain, and tears dropped from my eyes immediately.


    ¡°No. I never bargained for this all over again. I didn¡¯t. No, I didn¡¯t,¡± I murmured over and over again like someone who had lost her mind, and stood up from their midst immediately as more tears dropped from my eyes.


    ¡°Calm down, Dabby. Calm down,¡± I heard Mason say to me why trying to pat my back, but there was no way that could even sink into my senses.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that what we had been trying so hard to hide and keep, had finally be the truth that was backed up with a live video this time around. There was nothing to lie about again, unless we said we were somewhat rted. Because that was the only usible exnation, to entering Damien¡¯s house at ate hour.


    As I turned away from the table and ran away from the cafe, I heard Mason call my name as I stumbled to the floor. I stood up again after dusting my clothes, ran to the ss to pick my bag, and dashed out of the school building immediately.


    I could see pointing fingers directed to me, from people who recognized the girl  that was running out as the one in the video. And all I wanted to do was run back home, more than any other ce at that particr time. I took the bus, and went straight to the house immediately.


    The door to the gate was kind of opened, and I wondered if Damien didn¡¯t leave the house or probably had not seen the news. I quickly entered into the house and made to push the door to the main building open when I heard a loud yell.


    ¡°So, you are leaving on a fake trip because of your father?! Really? Isn¡¯t that what cowards do?¡± I heard mum¡¯s loud voice say in anger, and I wondered who she was talking to.


    ¡°Do not, test me Joanne. Why on earth would you follow me back into the house? You have been crossing our boundaries and I want you to remember sternly. This, is just a setting made by me and you,¡± he seethed under his breath.


    ¡°Oh. So you know that now. You know better to do the right thing, than being such a jerk. You have not sent theplete money of this, that I am doing. My business? You¡¯ve gotta fund it all, like it was in the contract!¡±


    ¡°And I said that I will, after I got everything I wanted from my father. Now that he believes we are married, he is making preparations. And I have the right to act however I like in my own house, woman. Do not make me hit you!¡± Damien¡¯s dad warned angrily, and my heart froze further at what I was listening to.


    ¡°You wanna hit me like you do to the rest of your girls. Hell, no, don¡¯t try that. I¡¯mma bitch, and I¡¯ll show you what a crazy woman can do. So get your damn clothes back into the room, get your ass down, and act like a good family!¡± she yelled again.


    The next thing I heard immediately was a p that reverberated round the entire house, which made me lose bnce in fear.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    A louder one followed after, and I almost fell, in reaction to how fierce the p would have been.


    ¡®Oh dear! What the heck is happening? What? What was happening between mum and Damien¡¯s dad, and what did I just hear them say and do.¡¯


    ¡°Now, you do not mess with Joanna Sanders. Get your bags up, and return to work. We will meet in the evening, darling,¡± I heard mum¡¯s voice again, and a loud kiss followed next in the background, as I quickly ran to the back of the house to hide.


    ¡®Everything was fucked up. Everything.¡¯

 More truths

    DAMIEN:


    Ryder high school


    ¡°What is going on Damien? What is this video really about?¡± Xavier asked again with a disappointed look, and I was trying to think hard of how I would reply to his question in a convincing manner.


    I wasn¡¯t thinking about what he had to say or how angry he was, but my mind darted to how Dabby would be feeling if she saw something like that. She would have seen the video already, and it would be a matter of time before those frustrated girlse for her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to not say anything about it, Xavier. But I and Dabby are rted in some kind of way. It was going to blow of our proportion if we had to admit. I¡¯ll tell you the detailster,¡± I exined in the best way I could to him even if he still look so lost, and stop up immediately with the intention of going to fine Dabby.


    ¡°Damien! Damien!!¡± Xavier yelled my name as I left through the door, acting like I didn¡¯t hear that he was calling. I knew that he would probably be pissed because I didn¡¯t tell him, but that was the best I could do.


    As soon as I stepped out of the room, some group of girls were standing outside already like they were ready to challenge me. And Vivian, who seemed the most feisty enough to ask me about it, came forward.


    ¡°Is that new true Damien? Why was the girl really in your housete at night?¡± She asked the question more calmly, than the way her face insinuated the manner at which she would have wanted to ask.


    I didn¡¯t answer her question with a stern expression on my face, and she quickly moved before I shoved her out of my way immediately. They knew better to question themselves about what they saw, thane to me for answers.


    I knew I had to find that bitch first, that I called my girlfriend for a short period of time. She should have known better than to try to screw me over, when she had no idea that I had a few pieces of evidence against her that would make her a subject of mockery. Even before we started dating.


    But more than anything, I was more bothered about Dabby because I knew she would be after by it. I was so bothered in my heart but I didn¡¯t want to go check in her in her ss, so as not to subject the rumours we had not answered to even more.


    I got my phone and dialed her number, but she was not picking up. I knew that there was no way that she would be in school anymore, because she would not have been able to stand the pressure that would be put on her.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I entered into my car and drove out of the parking lot immediately, with the intention to go and find Dabby in wherever she could be. I was not going to act nonchnt like before, and allow her to be the receiving end for everything that was happening.


    I thought of the first ce that she could go to, and I went to check our house immediately. When I got there, dad and her mum seemed to just be leaving home together in the same car, and I wondered why they were not yet in their workce already.


    Unperturbed by the reasons, I went upstairs to check her up in the room, and banged heavily on the door when I got there. After I had knocked for so many minutes without reply, I pushed the door open to see that it was empty.


    I checked everywhere around the house including the pool area, and left when I realized that she wasn¡¯t anywhere close to be being at home.


    The next ce that urred to me was an arcade, and it had to be the nearest one to our street. I checked everywhere around the ce too, but she was not there. I tried calling her again.


    After I had searched those two ces, it made me realize thst I had no idea about where she could be again. The only person who would know was her supposed boyfriend, but pride couldn¡¯t allow me to go and meet him for help.


    I hated that they were dating so much, that I didn¡¯t even want to see me around me. Asking him about Dabby¡¯s whereabouts would kill my pride, and I really think I could do that even if I was so desperate.


    And onest ce I thought of was the cafe, but I knew that there was probably no way that she would be there. Some students from our school usually sneaked to the ce during lunch, and she would definitely not want to do herself any harm by being there.


    I was really stressed out about checking everywhere I could without finding her, which made me scream so loud and scratch my hair in anger. I had a few weeks to leave highschool, and yet everything seemed to be falling apart.


    I hung around our home for a few hours to see if Dabby woulde around, and it was just some girls who came around to probably confirm if what they saw was true. Immediately they saw my car parked around, they fled instantly, and I yelled that they were going to prison if I saw them around again.


    Towards evening when I saw that the entire day was being unproductive, with so many people trying to call me, I decided to go to the cafe and check out if Mason knew where Dabby could be. I didn¡¯t mind what would happen again.


    When I parked my car outside in the street and alighted, the closed sign hung on the ss door, and it made me wonder what exactly could be going on. I walked closer to the building to check it out, and tried to push the door open to see if it was truly locked.


    The door opened when I pushed it, and I entered immediately, not minding if the ce was empty without anyone inside or what the sign read.


    ¡®If there could be anyone there, it would be Dabby or Mason with no doubt.¡¯ I concluded, and ambled through rows of the chairs and table that were still properly tucked into one another.


    ¡°Dabby?¡± I called with a little doubt in my voice, wondering if she could really be the one that was there.


    I heard the ruffling sound of nylonsing from behind the counter, and it increased my hope a bit with the ascertainment that someone was there. And suddenly a head popped out from behind the counter, which scared me a bit.


    ¡°Oops! Sorry about that. We are not open yet for the day. Would you minding back in the next thirty minutes? You can ce an order too?¡± I heard the voice say immediately she raised her head, and her deep blue eyes met mine immediately.


    She was ady who seemed to be in her mid-thirties or so, but she was vibrantly beautiful like a really youngdy. Her blonde hair was cut short to her chin level, and she looked really gorgeous in it. It made me wonder who she was, because she looked so familiar immediately.


    ¡°Have you lived in China before?¡± I blurted out immediately, without reacting to what she had said before or her questions.


    ¡°Mrs. Carr. I think we do have enough ingredients to prepare today¡¯s signature dish,¡± I heard the voice call from the room opposite the counter, and I could recognize it anywhere.


    ¡°Yes. I have lived in China before,¡± she replied looking at me confusingly like she recognized me from somewhere too, ¡°Please just a moment,¡± she turned, ¡°Mason is on the way and has bought it,¡± she replied and turned to me.


    ¡°Carr?¡± I mouthed again and again, and my mind was going to only one ce.


    ¡°Are you Damien? Anderson?¡± She enquired with a doubtful voice, and I nodded slowly trying to imagine how such could be happening right now.


    ¡®Could it really be her?¡¯


    Tears dropped from her eyes as she moved from behind the counter, and walked closer to where I was standing.


    Our height difference was quite a distance, and she raised her head to look at my face. She pulled me to a hug immediately, and cried even more. She was my aunt; Mum¡¯s elder sister.


    I could not imagine that we would ever meet again, because Dad wouldn¡¯t let me even speak to her on the phone again. And it turned out that she was shockingly living in the same town.


    ¡®How often does that kind of shocking coincidence ur?¡¯


    ¡°Mum, I¡¯m back,¡± I heard the voice say from behind as the door pushed open, and it was no doubt Mason¡¯s voice.


    ¡®Mason? Mum? She was his mum? Biological mum? He was my cousin? Mason?¡¯ Floods of questions rushed to my head immediately.

 Realizations

    DABBY:


    I came out of the storeroom to a sight of the most shocking scene, my eyes couldn¡¯t have expected to witness. Mrs. Carr was hugging a tall figure that surely wasn¡¯t Mason, and the face that I was looking at, made me wonder what could be going on between them.


    ¡®Damien?¡¯


    My eyes darted to the right immediately when I figured out that someone wasing from the opposite direction, and it was no one other than Mason who also looked bewildered about the scene before him. He probably wouldn¡¯t have seen who his mum was hugging anyways.


    ¡°Mum, I¡¯m back,¡± he announced, dropping the nylons of things he bought on the floor, and I siddled over to his side to collect them from him, ¡°Mum. Who is he?¡± He could finally ask.


    His mother separated from Damien slowly at the question from her son, and Mason¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment of what he was seeing.


    He suddenly became dumbstruck about what could be going on between his mum and Damien, and she answered at the shock of the moment, ¡°It is your cousin. Ake¡¯s son. My younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Wha.. What?¡± Mason stuttered at his mother¡¯s response, and my own heart also dropped at what I heard.


    ¡®Damien and Mason were cousins? Real cousins? Oh goodness. How did they jump from enemies to this? I certainly didn¡¯te here to see something like this.¡¯


    ~¡±~


    Hours ago¡­¡­¡­


    When I hid away in fear that the couples might discover me where I stood, my heart thumped so hard and fast. The shock was too much for me to handle, when I heard what mum and Damien¡¯s dad were saying. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears, and It was so hard to digest.


    Even the p that I was sure that I heard from Damien¡¯s father to mum, and the one she returned almost immediately with a powerful force, made me realize that the marriage was shaking. Everything was already going bad, yet they were trying hard to keep up because of the benefits.


    That was when I realized what the supposed contract was all about. It was all a waste of time assembling it, because I heard the real thing from both of them, who didn¡¯t know someone would be home at that time. But I knew that it would serve as evidence some day.


    It made me so confused, because I and Damien were the ones that were roped in their y and make-believe. If I had to tell anyone else about it, it had to be Damien. But I definitely couldn¡¯t. He hated his father already. Telling him that would worsen everything.


    When I figured out that they moved the rest of their brawl to the bedroom, I picked my heels and ran out of the gate immediately. I totally had nowhere in mind to go at that particr time, and I just ran through the opposite route of the second street, to wherever it would lead to. I had switched off my phone too.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    I boarded a bus, and took it straight into town. I got my nails and hair done while wallowing in sadness of so many thoughts, and went to an amusement park after to ride the ferris wheel.


    While I was alone, I carefully removed my lens before it started and cried so much till my eyes hurt. By the time the wheel had gone like three times, I was feeling better already.


    I bought ice cream after I came down at a food truck, walked to the nearest bus stop to board a bus and went straight to the cafe. I had the extra keys with me, and it was not yet time for the ce to open until two hourster.


    When I walked to the ce, I saw that Mrs. Carr was there already, and I was surprised to know that she was around the cafe at that time. I helped her carry the groceries she bought from the store, and asked if she had closed from work already.


    She told me that she had quit her second job, and was going to run her cafe fully in three shifts. We talked andughed about Mason and his grumpiness, and I was delighted that I could forget my worries temporarily.


    Mason came to the shop almost an hourter, and he frowned hard when he saw meughing with his mum. He had tried calling me so many times, and my phone was already switched off making it so bothersome to reach me. I apologized for stressing him out, and we had snacks over some work.


    He offered to go and get groceries again, after we estimated that what she bought would not be enough. And himing back to the cafe, made him realize the craziest turn of his life.

 Freeze!

    DABBY:


    ¡°What do you think they are talking about?¡± Mason asked me as we stood outside, watching both Damien and Mrs. Carr through the ss walls sitting across one another to talk.


    ¡°Maybe the time they had missed together. How things have been. And maybe his mum?¡± I spected several things their discussion could be about, and shrugged finally while still staring at them, ¡°How do you feel about this sudden meeting and realization?¡± I turned to Mason and asked him.


    ¡°To be honest, it is still shocking and overwhelming for me to know that Damien is my cousin. Like, never in my life would I have thought that, because I hate his guts. It is so crazy!¡± He groaned in frustration, and I chuckled at his childish attitude.


    It was shocking for me too, and it was still hard to process it in my head. That the two hot guys who hated one another, that I got roped with in my final days at highschool, just found out that they were cousins.


    ¡°That exins the beautiful genes you guys have,¡± A grin stretched in my lips at the thought and he smiled too, ¡°Do you think you guys will get along now? You know? That you now know that you are something close to siblings?¡± I asked Mason again.


    ¡°Have I told you this, now that I remember? In the past, he came to stay with us for a few weeks when his dad had some major issue in China when he came down for business. His pride couldn¡¯t let him call mum probably because of aunt; Damien¡¯s mum, but he could not move around the streets of china homeless, with a child.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    So, mum offered to take Damien in for the meantime, with so much persistence after she found out how hard things had been. He still made her sign an agreement that she would not abscond with the child, even with what he had done to his own mother. Very cunning man!¡± Mason groaned angrily.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get along at first and fought a lot, but we started learning martial arts together and we got along so well. We basically turned siblings, and told people that whenever they asked. It was really fun. And he always told me that he didn¡¯t want to go back to his father.


    I was thinking everything would go really well, but his father came back abruptly and took him by force. I hated him so much for doing that, but mum tried to console me that he woulde back. I would cry so much for days, and she did sometimes too whenever she thought of her sister.


    We never heard from them again. Even after we moved away from China, mum tried looking for him. Meeting in this small town now after years after so much has happened, makes it really crazy to handle. Really crazy.¡±


    ¡°You both have grown into fine young men, and the process is really worth it. Your mum is a really great woman, Mason. You are so lucky to have her,¡± I smiled, while struggling from the choice of the right words because I had so much to say.


    Their reunion is a really beautiful one, and even their story regardless of what had happened in the past. It also made me realize how much of an annoying narcissist Damien¡¯s dad must have been. And also how Damien must have felt, when his dad married anotherdy after making his own mum go through hell.


    I wondered in my heart again, how mum was coping with that pain of being married to him. She looked so happy and vibrant everytime, so it was difficult to tell if she was in pain. The echoes of the p I heard hours ago, couldn¡¯t stop ringing in my head. Things were really bad.


    ¡°Maybe. Now that we have a new family added. She would want to invite Damien over every single day. Oh goodness! What if she ns a cringy sleepover,¡± Mason shrieked at his words with a wry look on his face, and Iughed so much.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Damien is not a bad person if you get to know him well. He might just appear cold and heartless, but he has a very warm side to him, you know,¡± I went on and on talking about how good Damien was, and why Mason shouldn¡¯t always think the worst of him.


    ¡°You like him don¡¯t you?¡± I heard the question to my ear suddenly, and I paused on my chattering. I didn¡¯t expect him to ask me such a sudden question.


    ¡°No. Of cou.. rse not,¡± I almost stuttered nervously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to deny it. It is just me and you here. And remember, good friends don¡¯t judge,¡± he assured, and I groaned in frustration. I closed my eyes tightly, and gritted my teeth before answering.


    ¡°So much that it is killing me, Mason,¡± I finally dered.


    ~..     ~       ..~


    The drive to the house was silent after the evening was done, with I sitting on the seat beside the driver¡¯s seat. Damien was driving slowly with his eyes kind of unfocused at what he was doing, while sneaking nces at my face once in a while till we got home.


    He looked like he had a lot to say, but seemed to be holding back. I had quite a lot to say too, but I was not in any way ready to say anything.


    We both alighted when he parked the car into the garage this time, and I made my way in before he came inside. It was dark inside after I opened the door to the house, and it seemed like there was no one around yet.


    I climbed up the stairs that led to our room when the door opened, and Damien who entered rushed unto the stairs to where I was standing.


    His left hand grabbed mine before I could take another step, and I turned to look at him the moment he did that. His face looked so gloomy, but brighter than it has been for the past days.


    ¡°Dabby,¡± he called slowly, as his right fingers crept sensationally on my arm, and I was still looking at his face.


    Everything was too attractive to ignore, and my breathing became irrational. I didn¡¯t know what he was doing to me, but I wanted our forehead to meet mine, and our lips too.


    And slowly, we both brought our heads close to meet one another, and our lips were only an inch far from one another. We were about to lock our lips into each other¡¯s, when I heard the word thatmanded loudly and brought us to halt immediately, ¡°Freeze!¡±


    ¡®Oh dear. We have been caught. What would we say?¡¯

 Twisted

    DAMIEN:


    It was really hard to believe it when I found out that the dear cousin that I had loved my past with was Mason, and the aunt that I lost contact with was his mum.


    It made me finally realize why I had always thought that he was very familiar in some ways, even if I had not been able to pinpoint how, until we all met in the most unexpected manner.


    ¡°How have you been? How has everything been going with you?¡± Aunt asked me again and again while grasping my hands tightly in hers, as she was still struggling with the tears that rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°It has been the same with dad. We have the worst rtionship till now. It is exhausting,¡± I told her truthfully like I always did as a vulnerable little boy, and she kept nodding because she understood exactly what I was saying.


    ¡°I am sorry you had to go through all this, darling. I searched everywhere for you. I tried calling your dad several times, but he wouldn¡¯t let me speak to you. He blocked my number subsequently, and it became even harder,¡± she narrated her ordeal to me, still finding it hard to stop tearing up as I passed her wipes to clean her face.


    ¡°He has been the same till now. Trying to control my life, and telling me what to do. He doesn¡¯t ask for my opinion about anything. It is sick!¡± I spat again, relieved that I could tell someone how I was feeling.


    ¡°This has to do more with him getting married to Dabby¡¯s mum right?¡± She asked with a brighter face this time, and I looked at her incredulously trying to figure out how she knew, ¡°Mason told me something rted with description, and I figured it out by everyone¡¯s gestures,¡± she chuckled.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Kind of. He is even worse now. I honestly cannot wait to finish high school, and pop out of his life,¡± I bemoaned, and took a sip from the iced Americano she got for both of us.


    ¡°I know you are a very strong boy, and very intelligent too. I was always proud of you and I still am. You have grown into a beautiful young man, and I can barely recognize you,¡± she grinned brightly.


    ¡°A new family makes everything hard though. Been a bad guy and a jerk,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let your father define you, because you are a better person. You are wonderful, Damien. And for Dabby. She is a very good and lovely kid. Your parent¡¯s mistakes and inconsiderate actions towards both of you, should be your strength to form better bonds.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Aunt. I know and have realized that now. I really want to apologize over and over again for everything I have done. She has done her role of making me a better person,¡± I admitted truthfully, and I looked to the other side of the cafe to see she and Mason talking outside in a corner.


    ¡°Time will solve everything, Damien. I¡¯m sure she knows you do not mean everything you have done, and would be ready to ept you with open arms,¡± aunt affirmed with a bright smile, and I smiled too.


    ¡°Have you heard from mum? Ever since she left?¡± I asked her suddenly, remembering that I have been wanting to ask about my mum.


    ¡°Akeh kind of broke ties with me after she broke off her marriage. I have tried reaching her everywhere, but she dropped a letter saying she feels guilty about everything. Probably because I warned her so much about Spencer,¡± Aunt Adele exined everything to me, and started crying again.


    It was hard to watch her do that, because I knew it would be only a matter of time before I started mine too, ¡°Heard she moved to Czech recently. I have been trying to make calls, and even hired a private investigator. Hopefully we find her,¡± she continued.


    ¡°I miss her so much,¡± I said instead, after drawing in a deep breath, that would prevent me from bawling my eyes out before my aunt.


    ¡°Same here, darling. Same here,¡± she dried her tears again, and smiled hard after sniffing so deep. She has been handling too much by herself, and I didn¡¯t want to continue to talk about mum again.


    ¡°I remember Mason not being called Mason then. Something like Chu,¡± I chuckled at the memories of us that I had, and the particr fact that confused me not to knowing that he was my cousin all along.


    ¡°That was like a nickname given to him from birth. And we called him that. He hated it though,¡± sheughed so heartily at the thought of it, and it was nice to see her lighten up again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start calling him Chu from now on again,¡± I chuckled, and she smiled.


    ¡°Come to our house often now, Damien. Anytime. Everytime. I want to keep seeing you around.¡±


    We talked about so many other things, and helped her while she stored everything she bought. Dabby and Mason came into jointer, and we finished working until eight in the night.


    Aunt Adele cooked and served varieties of  food after we were done with beer, and we toasted to paying off her debts and quitting her nerve wrecking job. After we were done with everything, we cleared the table and departed home after aunt gave me a really tight hug.


    I drove Dabby and me back home, and I kept thinking of how I could start my apology or exnation. There were so many things to talk about and sort out between us, and it left me clueless about where to even start.


    I ended up driving home without saying anything, and she entered the house before me. That was when I realized that she was probably pissed, and that I couldn¡¯t leave our reconciliation to procrastination.


    I rushed after her before she could enter her room, and grabbed her right arm to stop her from moving any further. She turned to me and I could see that tender look in her beautiful eyes, which almost drove me crazy by the way my heart was thumping


    Her breath were already inches from one another, and we where about about to kiss without any word. We heard a loud voice from the door which made my heart skip beats as we separated immediately.


    ¡®We have been caught. What are we going to say? What? what?¡¯ I tried to think of the usible lie we could tell.


    The lights came on, and the figure that appeared before us was Joanna. But she wasn¡¯t looking at our direction. She was looking at the door that was wide open, and dad seemed to follow after her.


    ¡°And who are you to tell me to freeze after the stupid act you put on today? What I want to hear is your pledge that you are going to be sensible from now on. That you are going to be loyal to your good father figure,¡± she said sternly and rolled her eyes, which made me wonder what was going on in shock.


    ¡®Did hear well?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think any woman had ever talked to dad like that in his entire life, and he was just standing there while frowning badly at her. She didn¡¯t even mind that he could do anything to her, if she had known him properly before they married. Her red short gown was on fire.


    Before he could even utter any word out in reply, I heard Dabby cough so loudly from down the stairs, which made me realize that she had left my side already.


    It caught their attention from where they were still standing in oblivion, and they turnedpulsively realizing that we were in, which made Joanna chuckle wryly almost immediately.


    ¡°I can see that work ended so fast today. Damien, you are already back. Wee kids. Are you hungry? Should I fix dinner?¡± She went in and in asking questions that was out of context, while I was still trying to grasp everything that had yed before me.


    ¡°No mum. I and Damien had dinner already,¡± Dabby answered.


    ¡°Oh. Okay. Your father and I too. Goodnight darlings,¡± she rushed her words again like a guilty person, as Dabby made her way up the stairs and past me immediately. I heard the door to her room shut after.


    ¡®That was definitely the end of our talk.¡¯ Both of them left my sight to their room too.


    The next day, I woke up very early so that Dabby wouldn¡¯t leave again, and I was in time enough to be fully dressed for school. I apologized throughout our journey while driving slowly intentionally, and hoped that she would forgive me for everything.


    I exined over and over again the reasons why I did every single thing after making a list before I slept, and apologized for everything that I had done to hurt her feelings. I drove us to school and parked to her utmost surprise, considering the fact that we had not settled the uproar in school.


    Immediately we stepped out, Mason¡¯s bike halted too at the park, and three of us walked into the hallway together with Dabby in our middle. I didn¡¯t have an idea about what we were doing, neither did I have anything to say regarding the video everyone saw.


    As soon as we got to the hallway, Mason halted which made me wonder what he was doing. The events that took ce the day before, had made me forget what we had to deal with in school.


    ¡°In case you are wondering what that video was about, you shoulde and ask me directly. Damien here is my cousin, and we grew up together. Find the pieces to the puzzles yourself.


    And, I have broken up with my girlfriend, because you guys would never seize to not mind your business.


    And one more thing, any more defamation of character by any student of this school to another, will get them expelled without mercy: From the principal¡¯s office.¡± He dered.

 Denial

    DABBY:


    It was a great relief to my heart when I realized that the word ¡®freeze¡¯ was for Mr. Anderson, and not for us. But when I realized that Damien could suspect that something was wrong with the way mum was talking to Mr. Anderson, I quickly coughed out loud as I walked down the stairs to avoid more problems for us.


    I answered mum¡¯s question and left the scene immediately, to relieve her of her unnecessary anxiety and tension. I strode past Damien who was still standing on the stairs and made my way into my room to sleep immediately. I didn¡¯t want to think of the situation that almost happened minutes ago.


    I woke up the next morning and was hot dressed, only to see Damien waiting for me after I finished eating. He offered that I sit in the front seat beside him, and I am sure mum would have been so surprised to know that something had improved between us.


    Throughout the short drive to school, Damien started his words slowly in rambles, and I could not understand what he was saying. He finally got bolder when he saw that I was not interested, and apologized loudly for everything that he had done.


    From belittling me, not keeping his stupid ex in check, to hurting me physically, mistakenly, and with words, ignoring things that he should have addressed that affected me, ming me for our bad rtionship, telling me to leave with my mum, getting into a fight with my friend unnecessarily and so many things, that I have even forgotten that he did.


    He continued to mention them one after the other, and I was pretty impressed that he took his time to do that. That wasn¡¯t what bothered my mind even though I was still worried about what would happen in school with the secret we didn¡¯t want anyone to find out. Damien¡¯s mind seemed to be far from it.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    I checked my phone when the notification beeped, and it was Mason texting. He asked if we were in school already, and that we should wait at the school parking lot if we had arrived already. I didn¡¯t know if the bad blood between Damien and Mason was finally gone, but I just did the distraction myself and told him that we should wait.


    When we made our way into ss together with Mason who had arrived, I was nervous about what would happen. I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to stand the pressure if anyone asked me about the video, or how I was rted to Damien enough to be able to enter his housete at night. They would call me names again. Degrading ones at that.


    And just when I was expecting them to hurl insults at me, Mason spoke out words that I didn¡¯t expect. He dered that he and Damien were cousins, and said that he had broken up with me too. It made me feel bad immediately. I wondered if it was because of what I said the previous day.


    ¡°And how did Damien even be your cousin? I thought you guys hated each other,¡± one of the most popr girls in our school asked him. The best ones on the basketball team.


    ¡°I cannot believe she worked her way between these two. So annoying.¡±


    ¡°And why was she at Damien¡¯s house at night? I thought you guys were dating. Or is she fucking two cousins? Something like a threesome?¡± A rude girl, Suzanne who was Vivian¡¯s best friend yelled irritatedly as she walked closer to where I was standing. I wanted to hit her across the face for being a bitch.


    ¡°Can a girl not keep being friends with her ex¡¯s cousin and visiting their family home? Do you all have disgusting rtionships like yourself?!¡± Confidence suddenly surged from somewhere in my body, and I yelled at her face which was redundantly covered in ugly makeup.


    Everyone that was there seemed shocked that I replied to her angrily this time, that I could see the proud smirk across Mason¡¯s lips when he looked at me. He sneaked a thumbs up too.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! You, this nerdy baff, are friends with Damien?¡± Vivian, who always felt like she could do better, asked me to my face after passing a word of insult.


    ¡°And is it bad? I mean you have no skill of such whatsoever of your own, except trolling, hoeing, and spewing trash. I am aplete person with Intellectual skills, beauty, money, fashion, and even the guys you want to have. You stand no chance!¡± I screamed at her face and she flinched so fearfully immediately.


    ¡°If you guys have so much energy to follow people around and video them, expecting people to live up to your expectations, and always demanding answers to your nuisance, you should invest more time in your results. College is a few months away, calling to the ones that have something to offer,¡± I sneered at all of them with ring eyes, and scoffed so loudly enough for them to hear. They all became dumbfounded. They had nothing more to say again.


    Just in the heat of the moment, a girl ran in from the opposite direction of the hallway and screamed out, ¡°Someone left Debby¡¯s nudes at the photocopying machine, and the pictures have been circting. It is crazy!¡±


    And just like that, there was a hubbub everywhere in the room, as I turned to Mason and Damien with a smile. The bell for the first period in ss rang loudly, and there was a final dispatch of the ones who were still waiting to hear something from us.


    ¡°Hey, Chu. Thanks for bringing an end to this,¡± Damien said as he turned to Mason, and I wondered why he was calling him that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Mason turned to him with a serious face, and Damien¡¯s lips let out a mischievous smirk.


    ¡°Of course, I would!¡± Damien dared and turned to leave immediately. Mason, who was not willing to let go, chased after him, and Damien ran so fast for his dear life.


    I didn¡¯t understand what their short discussion was all about, but it was fun and exhrating to see them y together.


    ¡®Maybe they were finally willing to let go of their past grudges, and start a new chapter of their beautiful past.¡¯


    And after I left for ss with Mason, I knew that I was still left with so many problems and worries. The ones that only I knew. The first one was the abusive rtionship between mum and Damien¡¯s father, and the second was my feelings for Damien.


    Weighing how things had be, my life would be harder to execute inly and freely. I just felt like the best that I could do was keep my feelings hidden till the very end, with the hope that I would be able to get over them by finding a new person.


    ¡®I mean, college was a few months away. I could find other better guys with time.¡¯


    Before sses ended for the day, more than five people came around and wanted to be friends with me. It was so unbelievable for me because it was something I never expected to happen till I finished my entire course of study.


    It made me realize that the weak and vulnerable ones always suffered from trampling by others, who feel so insecure about their lives. And it was also what gave bullies leverage against people who were posed as weak.


    Cafe MADELES picked full pace with an even better sales record, and it had I and Mason workingte in the night. After we were closed for the day, Mason offered to drop me home and we had a little chat outside the gate.


    ¡°Did you tell Damien about it?¡± He asked as soon as I removed the helmet from my head and gave it to him.


    ¡°About my feelings?¡± I asked rhetorically knowing what he was talking about, and sighed hard before replying, ¡°He knows.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do anything about it?¡± He inquired again.


    ¡°We are siblings, and it is going to be so sad if my mum knows about this. It is just a crush. It would pass,¡± I responded to his question in the best way I could, knowing well that I didn¡¯t have a sure answer to that.


    ¡°Just know that in whatever you do and make your final choice, Dabby, I will support you,¡± Mason offered calm words to my ears, and pulled me closer for a warm embrace that made me feel safe.


    When we separated, he nted a gentle kiss on my forehead before he turned away, and my eyes didn¡¯t miss the look on his face. He looked sad.


    I walked back into the house after he left with his bike, and continued to ponder on what seemed to be going wrong.


    Sitting on one of the seats inside the beautiful garden that was lit brightly, was Damien who seemed to be waiting for someone. He stood up immediately after he saw me, and came to where I was standing.


    ¡°You are back from work,¡± Damien said when he came near, and I nodded in answer to his question.


    I became cautious of mum and his dad being around as I looked around, because I couldn¡¯t afford us getting caught in apromising action. Being near him meant things could go wrong with my emotions, which were trying their best to find peace and stillness.


    ¡°And¡­¡­. Goodnight,¡± I said to him immediately and turned to leave because I couldn¡¯t risk getting too attracted to him again in just the space of a few minutes.


    ¡°Do you think things can still work out between us, Dabby?¡± I heard Damien¡¯s voice suddenly ask in desperation when he saw me leaving, and I turned to look at him instantly. His eyes were pleading, and it almost made me weak.


    I wanted to say yes. I wanted us to date because I liked him too much to withhold my feelings. It was the first time I had gone too close to someone, and developed strong feelings for the person.


    Even if I were to consider our status as siblings, I wanted to affirm the fact that we could try something. I now knew that our parents¡¯ rtionship wasn¡¯t exactly what we thought it was, and that would have made the entire situation messed up. I knew all of this, but ¡­¡­.


    ¡°No, Damien. I do not think, that things can work out between us. We are siblings,¡± I dismissed with a huge pain in my heart.

 Loom

    DAMIEN:


    I had my sleepless night restless, with Dabby¡¯s abrupt answer the previous night. I had never been rejected in my entire life by ady, and the first time was by a girl whom I could never have thought I would like so much more than I could tell with just words.


    My heart had be so attached to everything about her, that it hurt to hear someone say the word ¡®NO¡¯ to me. In my time of experience with girls and rtionships, I had never had deep and intense feelings for any girl before, except one.


    But I remained with cluelessness about how to handle rejection, even before the entire romance started. Yet it was so sad that even though I wanted something real now, it was impossible because I had fallen in love, in the wrong situation. She was my stepsister.


    ¡®Just how can you decide to make things hard for me again with your decisions, dad?¡¯ I med him in my head the entire night over and over again, while I tossed and tossed on my bed without sleep.


    The next morning was suffocating and sad for me, and I knew that I was going to stay up in my bed the entire morning. Everything was really hard to deal with by myself, and the feeling of rejection really sucked.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    I checked my phone to see Bryan¡¯s numerous messages buzzing up my phone, and not a single one from Xavier, because he got even extra pissed about having to find out that I and Mason were cousins by a casual hallway announcement. I tried telling him that I too just found out about it, but he wasn¡¯t ready to even listen.


    There were also a lot of messages from Debby whom I have not seen and was unable to reach for days, and I blocked her number immediately without checking the content of the message. There was too much stress going on in my life already.


    When I finally came out of my room and went down the stairs to the kitchen, I desperately hoped in my heart that I wouldn¡¯t have to meet Dabby by coincidence. My heart was hurting, and I would hate for her to see me in a state of mess.


    The house looked empty with no one in sight, except that the outlook of every way gave away information that the housekeepers had done their jobs. The kitchen looked as clean and clear as ever, giving the eerie feeling of his I felt usually alone in the past.


    I checked outside in the garage, and every car was gone except mine. It made mee to a quick conclusion that it seemed like everyone had left the house.


    I was bored, hungry, and tired, but I just went to the living room to watch one of the usual series that Dabby liked watching. There was no one in sight, so I could scream, cry,ugh, and act crazy I liked, without anyone seeing me do all that.


    The series that was ying, was rted to a painful breakup between two lovers, which was caused by the guy¡¯s unsteadiness and disloyalty. Watching how the scenes of the movie yed made me even sadder, and I ended up quitting halfway because it felt like it was mine and Dabby¡¯s story.


    I returned to my room to get my phone, in an attempt to call Dabby and ask about her whereabouts. But I lost the nerve to do it when I was on the verge of dialing her phone number, because I didn¡¯t even have anything usible to tell her.


    I was feeling all alone again and lonely by myself in a huge house, and returned to the room to sleep again. My phone beeped a notification when I wasying on the bed, but I didn¡¯t check it, thinking it was one of my random texts.


    Hours had passed before I finally saw the message, and it made me so guilty the moment I read the details. I got into the bathroom to scrub myself clean, got dressed in simple clothes, and drove out of the house when I was done.


    The direction to Aunt Adele¡¯s house was quite simple to follow, and I just ordered a cab to the ce instead of driving. I phoned to inform her that I was waiting outside already, and she came out of her house almost immediately looking all youthful and beautiful.


    She gave me a tight hug the moment she got to where I was standing, and smiled so brightly as she urged me toe inside. Her house was more artistic and beautiful than the ones she had done at her former house, and it was so ddening to my heart that I still had someone to call family.


    Aunt showed me everywhere around her beautiful house, and told me that she was just making chicken and waffles, muffins, pasta, and other things I didn¡¯t even know. It reminded me of Dabby when I saw the variety of food that she was nning to make.


    She wanted me to sit down in the living room, and offered me wine and whatever I wanted to eat, but I wanted to eat from what she was making regardless of how hungry I was. I offered to take the seat before her worktable, while I watched how she prepared everything. I needed a distraction.


    ¡°Your cousin went out to the mall hours ago. He should be back soon,¡± she told me as she watched the shrimps she wanted to use underwater, and I nodded wondering if I and Mason would have something to say to each other like in the past.


    ¡°I think you would cook so well, Aunt,¡± Imended her job as I watched her chop the food so fast and neatly like a chef, and how she tossed the food up and down in the pan.


    ¡± I think I am. I once ran a YouTube channel in the past, and I usually gave cooking tips asides from that. Peoplemended my tutorial videos, but I became too busy and impatient to run it even after quite a number of subscribers,¡± Aunt smiled as she narrated everything to me.


    ¡®She was so admirable as I watched her worm, and I loved her for that.¡¯


    ¡°Mum! I am home,¡± I heard Mason¡¯s voice from the door as soon as he entered, and he seemed to walk closer to the kitchen.


    ¡°Hi, Mrs. Carr,¡± I heard the voice say as a figure followed after Mason, and it was the person that I had been hoping not to run into the entire day.


    ¡°Oh, Dabby. You are here too,¡± Aunt smiled at Dabby, whose gaze shifted away the moment she saw me sitting on the tall stool in front of Aunt.


    ¡°Hi, Damien,¡± Mason called out to me and I smiled after waving at him, and he turned to his mum, ¡°I and Dabby have got a lot of things to do, so we will be in the room doing our turf.¡±


    That was like a major distraction for me, because I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Dabby by just seeing her face. I was struggling to keep up with what Aunt was saying and asking me, while she prepared food.


    I asked her about her cafe, and she said she was taking the evening off to be with me because there was now a duty routine at the cafe with more workers.


    When she served me the first round of food, it tasted so good and chewy just like that of Dabby¡¯s. I finished every meal that was served to me in one go, probably because I had been too hungry. Aunt just chuckled, and fed me more food.


    She served lunch after she was done cooking, and I knew that I was too full to join the dining table which was better. Dabby couldn¡¯t even look at me or straight into my eye, which made the worst guilt gnaw at me. It felt like she still hated me for everything.


    I yed chess with Aunt Adele after they were done eating, while Mason yed video games with Dabby in the living room. I lost focus of even the game I was ying with Aunt, and watched how Dabby okayed so skillfully against Mason. She had beaten him in every single game they yed.


    It was evening already, and Aunt suggested that we yed Monopoly for thest time, while she served even more snacks to everyone. Throughout the entire time, I and Dabby didn¡¯t hold eye contact, and it was suffocating to y in that kind of awkward situation.


    Mason lost the first round, and then followed by Aunt. I yed one on one with Dabby for so long, and I won at the end after a lengthy duel.


    Aunt and Dabby served dinner, while Mason suggested that we watch a good Tv series. I was almost the only one who didn¡¯t see it as a good idea, and I had no choice but to join them in the living room while they ate, talked loudly, andughed at funny movie scenes. It made me want to stay with Aunt forever.


    I had never sat to watch movies, eat andugh so loudly with my dad before, nor had we yed a one-on-one game before. It was surprising to watch a new system and family y before me, and I loved it.


    Almost an hourter, we heard the doorbell ring from outside and wondered who it was. Aunt Adele said she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, but went to get the door anyway. She called to me and Dabby from where she was standing at the main door, that our mum came to pick us up.


    ¡®Mum? What mum?¡¯


    Dabby walked before me to the door, and she asked her mother where she wasing from. She asked what made her schedule time so free, enough to pick us up from a friend¡¯s house. She sounded kind of angry, and I couldn¡¯t tell whom it was aimed at. I found the situation a really weird one, but there was nothing to do.


    ¡°You ever lived in Kansas city before? Pa?¡± Aunt suddenly asked Dabby¡¯s mum so suddenly, and she was looking confused while looking at the woman¡¯s face that asked her a question. She nodded, after thinking it through.


    ¡°Yes, I have. For a short while,¡± she responded, still trying to figure out where she could have known aunt from.


    ¡°It is me, remember. From the orphanage home downtown. Adele,¡± Aunt exined further.

 The ones you never expect 1

    DABBY:


    Calling Mason the next day to hang out was the best of my resort, because I couldn¡¯t even embrace my response to Damien the previous night. My answer made me so restless even after I had entered my room to sleep, with the endless bothers that I might have sounded too harsh to him.


    When I finally got to sleep and woke up the next morning, I discovered that mum and Damien¡¯s dad weren¡¯t home. The housekeepers had increased in number and hade around to clean, while I just directed them to do everything necessary around.


    After everything was done and the house was in order, I returned to my room to bathe and got ready since Mason said he was going to pick me up. When I was about to leave the house, I was bothered because I had not seen Damiene out of his room.


    I tiptoed to the door of his room and ced my ear near the door, to know if I would hear any movements in his room. For almost ten minutes, I stood there pondering if I should enter and check, but became relieved the moment I heard a sneeze. I ran down the stairs immediately, and out of the house to meet Mason waiting for me already.


    We both went ice gliding ording to Mason¡¯s choice of fun activity in another town that was miles away, because Mason said that snow had been falling there for a few days even though it had not fallen back in our town.


    I had fun regardless of how scared and cautious I was about getting wounded, and he helped me master the basics as we both glided together hand in hand. With time, I had forgotten all of my worries temporarily and just went with the flow of the enjoyable day.


    When we returned to town on his bike in the afternoon, we stopped at a nearby restaurant to eat a light meal because we were exhausted already. Afterward, I suggested swimming because I really wanted to learn from him. We have been taking some lessons together before, but I wanted to improve more on my skills.


    The trainingsted for more than two hours, and I could pick a good swimming pace by myself without anyone assisting me this time. I felt so good that I could do it better than I did before.


    After we changed clothes, Mason suggested that we go to his house to study since I have been wanting to do that at least once a week together with him. And it was both our day off too. When we arrived at his house, I was really surprised to see Damien in the kitchen together with Mrs. Carr.


    My gaze shifted away from him immediately our eyes met, and I was thankful that Mason mentioned that we had things to do in his room. While we studied for an hour and a half, I had to struggle with my thoughts to retain everything I had read, and to be wellmunicative with Mason.


    Even after we ate lunch together and yed games, I couldn¡¯t look at Damien or pass any leading body signs to him. It was so ufortable to act normally. I loved the part where I had to y with Mason so freely.


    But while we watched a movie with everyone in the living room, our eyes made contact almost three times because my eyespulsively darted to wherever he was sitting. It made it crazy awkward.


    My phone suddenly beeped a message notification, and it was mum, texting to see if we were home already. I told her that we were at Mason¡¯s ce, and she asked where the ce was which made me wonder what she was doing.


    I had called her so many times in the afternoon already, and she didn¡¯t call back. It made me really pissed off.


    The doorbell rang minutester and Mrs. Carr went to get it, only for me to realize that it was mum standing by Carr¡¯s doorstep toe and pick us up.


    I asked angrily if she had enough free time in her schedule toe and pick us up, because I was just so furious about everything. Damien hade close to the door to see what was going on, and Mason followed behind too.


    What was going on between her and Damien¡¯s father? The mess that she had put me in with Damien, and the fact that I didn¡¯t know what was happening in her life anymore. The fact that no one was telling us the truth.


    Mrs. Carr seemed to remember mum from somewhere, and I was surprised to hear that she could know mum from the orphanage.


    ¡°It is me, remember. From the orphanage home downtown. Adele,¡± Mrs. Carr tried to make mum recollect faster in case she wouldn¡¯t remember, but mum smiled awkwardly and said she had no memories of her. Mrs. Carr apologized if she had mistaken her for another person.


    I wondered what could have happened then to make mum begin to hasten us up, as she thanked Mason¡¯s mum and walked so hastily to the car immediately. I followed after her and entered the car after bidding Mason farewell, in which Damien still took extra minutes talking to his Aunt.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Who is that woman and why were you and Damien in her house?¡± Mum asked immediately I entered the car, and I wanted to sneer really hard. She wasn¡¯t exining why she hade around to pick us, so she didn¡¯t deserve any right to get answers to her questions.


    ¡°Did you and Mr. Anderson note homest night? And I called several times, but you didn¡¯t pick up. Where were you?¡± I asked her instead, and she frowned immediately.


    ¡°I asked you a question first, Dabby,¡±


    ¡°She is Mason¡¯s mum okay, and also Damien¡¯s aunt who is his mother¡¯s elder sister. They are cousins,¡± I tried hard not to roll my eyes as I answered her question, ¡°And do not tell his dad, if you do not want things to get ugly,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°That bastard!¡± She almost groaned under her breath as I finished off myst sentence.


    ¡°Is something wrong between both of you?¡± I asked, pretending I didn¡¯t know or hadn¡¯t heard anything. I wanted her to say something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will set out any differences. We are couples after all,¡± she chuckled stiffly, and I sneered with a fake grin. There was too much going wrong already.


    We returned home, and I fixed dinner for mum who seemed so tired even if she insisted that she wasn¡¯t hungry. I asked why she came to pick us up, and she said she wanted to just make sure that we were doing fine. I didn¡¯t believe that though.


    After everything, I returned to my room still bothered about mum¡¯s meeting with Mason¡¯s mum. I was really curious to know if something had happened between them in the past, and the curiosity couldn¡¯t make me rx peacefully.


    My thoughts had be even more of a mess with extreme anxiety, ever since I started finding out about too much; My feelings for Damien, my mum¡¯s marriage, and a rtionship that might between her and Mrs. Carr.


    The next morning was a Sunday, and I left home early for mass without minding what would happen. I came back hourster, and realized that Mr. Anderson was home already.


    I made breakfast regardless of whoever would eat it, and sat at the dining table alone to enjoy the food by myself. After I was done, I returned to my room to continue the college admissions that I was trying to process at different universities.


    I thought that it would be something mum and I would be able to do together, but she seemed caught up in so many things that she could say yet. I didn¡¯t want to increase the anxiety that she already had in her.


    I had a long nap after taking pills in the afternoon, and set an rm for the evening so that I could resume work very early. I wanted to ask Mrs. Carr about what she was trying to say the previous day in any way that I could, before the evening shift would take over and start work fully.


    When I woke upter, I dressed up in simple clothes and walked out to the front of the house while packing my hair. I was still trying to adjust my dress like I wasn¡¯t given enough time to do that inside my room, when I realized that a shadow was approaching where I was standing.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I heard the soft and sweet voice, which made me raise my head immediately to see who was speaking to me.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I returned the smile to the prettydy that was standing in front of me, with a cute round face, thin pretty lips, high bridge nose, and nicely cut hair. I knew that I had not seen her in school before, or run across her anywhere around the street.


    ¡°Are you living here?¡± She asked, and I paused answering that in cautiousness of what information she wanted to know. I  think the expression on my face gave it all, and she readjusted her sentence immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to know if Damien Anderson still lives here,¡± her face looked so apologetic, that I melted at the sight of her look. I was more worried about her question though.


    ¡®Who was she? And where did she know Damien from?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah.. yeah,¡± I almost stuttered, and she heaved a sigh of relief immediately with a smile.


    Immediately, I understood what she meant by asking about him, and I reluctantly dropped a text that someone was waiting for him outside with gritted teeth.


    ¡®This sudden pretty girl is making me do something I really didn¡¯t want to do.¡¯


    And as soon as Damien came out of the house with a clueless face, the girl who had sighted him scampered away from where she was standing before.


    She opened her arms so widely as she ran towards him, and sped them around him,  immediately their bodies came in contact. And she sneaked a kiss on his cheeks as soon as she raised her face.


    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± I heard her say.


    My heart almost dropped immediately.


    ¡®Who the heck was she?¡¯

 The ones you never expect 2

    DAMIEN:


    The mood inside till Joanna drove us home was so stiff, that it was too thick to cut through it so easily. I wondered why she hade to pick us up out of the blues, and I found it weird even if I didn¡¯t rebel.


    What was most unsettling to me was the fact that I and Dabby had not spoken a word to one another, for almost two days after ourst discussion. I was thinking it would be possible if we went home together after leaving Aunt¡¯s house, but her mum decided to ruin everything by offering unnecessary help.


    It was the same thing the next day, and the nervousness was killing me. I had also begun working on the second game that I had been nning for a long time, and was monitoring the progress of thepetition that I had entered.


    Towards afternoon when I was thinking of what to eat or drink, a message popped into my phone and I could not ignore it. I had changed the message notification tone if it ever came from Dabby, and it jolted me up immediately the moment I heard the sound.


    I wondered if I was just hallucinating about the fact that she messaged me, but was kind of dispirited when I saw the message that she had sent. It made me wonder who it was that could be wanting to see me outside the gate, making my mood which had lightened up initially, gloomy again.


    When I got to the front of the gate, my eyes caught Dabby, who was standing in the opposite direction of where I was. She looked so gorgeous even in the shirt and trousers that she was putting on the same way she usually did, without realizing what wasing for me.


    The next thing I noticed was someone running closer to where I was standing, and the person¡¯s face which I had not seen properly, pulled me into a tight hug. A kiss on the cheeks followed immediately, and I flinched in irritation. My eyes were still on Dabby. She looked puzzled and hurt by what was happening.


    ¡°I missed you, Damien,¡± she said so endearingly.


    The moment I separated the girl that had done such away from my body, my eyes came in contact with her to see who she was. I froze on the spot when my eyes came in contact with those hazel eyes, and the face was not hard to miss at all.


    ¡®What the heck was she doing here?¡¯


    The shock that was stilldened in my heart, couldn¡¯t allow me to take my eyes off her while trying to process what was going on exactly.


    ¡®Had rejection made me hallucinogenic to the wrong things?¡¯


    ¡°It is Gina, remember,¡± the girl before me said with a sweet smile again, and I quickly looked over in Dabby¡¯s direction to see her leaving already.


    I broke free from Gina¡¯s grip which was still holding me tightly by the arm, and ran over to Dabby to grab her by the arm so quickly. I couldn¡¯t allow her to understand the entire situation, because the look on her face showed intense displeasure.


    ¡°It is not what you think, Dabby. Gina is just an old friend,¡± I tried to exin, and she smiled.


    ¡°I am okay, Damien. I have a job to get to quickly. See you and your friend around,¡± she rushed her words and gave me a nd smile, before running off without waiting for me to say anything.


    My right hand hit my temple immediately in some kind of disappointment, as I turned to the face that was looking at me with so much passion.


    ¡®What is she even doing here after so long?¡¯ I wondered angrily.


    ¡°Who is that, Damien?¡± Your girlfriend? Do you live with her or she is visiting?¡± Gina asked me so many questions hurriedly, and I frowned so deeply the moment I turned to her. I was not a joke.


    ¡°What do you want, Gina? Why exactly are you here? What have youe to do?¡± I asked angrily as I gritted my teeth, but the feelings I had in me were too down already to even shout.


    ¡°You do not look happy to see me, Damien,¡± Gina sulked in that same annoying and irritating childish tone.


    ¡°And what gave you the nerves toe back here? Why are you here, Gina?!¡± I yelled at her face this time, and she retreated by a few steps in fear. She looked shocked too, because she would have never expected me to treat her like that.


    ¡°I want us to talk, but I am a little hungry. Can we get food across the street?¡± Her voice was a little shaky, when she realized that I wasn¡¯t the same old, vulnerable  Damien.


    I was so angry. I wanted to chase her away and tell her I didn¡¯t want to see her face ever again, but I also wanted to understand what she had to say. I wanted to hear reasons. I wanted her to rify herself in the best way that she could.


    I couldn¡¯t believe she would evere back. It has been almost four years.


    Gina was the girl that I started dating after I moved to town, and I was still the good guy who invested time, money, and emotions into the rtionship. I was having frequent fallouts with dad too, which made me so vulnerable because we were in love.


    She was my everything, and it was nice to always be with her. She lived a few streets from ours but attended another school, which was a saving grace for me when we broke up. Breaking up with her put me in one of my life¡¯s hardest spots.


    Gina was dating me, and one other popr guy in our school. She made a bet with her friends and him, to get to me since I was deemed the most imprable new hot guy in school.


    It broke my heart so much when I found out, and the breakup was a really crazy one for me. I cut all ties with her too even after she continued begging that she was in love with me already.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I tried hard to remain cool in school whenever her boyfriend saw me andughed at my face, because it was ring that he hated me ever since I came to Ryder high. I became friends with Xavier and Bryan afterward, and we were about to build our poprity even more than his pre-existing affluence.


    He was Jasper, the son of the principal. Apart from the parties that I, Xavier and Bryan hosted, he also nned borate and big-themed parties and pool parties in school.


    The one time he tried messing up with us, Bryan beat him to a stupor outside the school premises. When he used us, the principal called to ask and interrogate us thoroughly. We ended up being the ones that were apologized to.


    We both hated one another, but never crossed each other¡¯s parts ever again. Gina made it worse because she agreed to do something like that to me. Before the end of the year, she and her family moved away to another city, and she had to change schools.


    But I couldn¡¯t imagine how I was still keeping my cool without doing anything for her.


    I took Gina to a restaurant in town, and it was far from our home. I couldn¡¯t risk getting caught up in any more problems, and I definitely didn¡¯t want to annoy Dabby in any way. I had been trying to text her too, but the messages weren¡¯t going through.


    The waiter served the desired food on the menu that Gina chose for herself, while I just waited for her to settle down and get ready to talk. The way she ate and separated the condiments in food was still the same thing. She had not changed anything about her at all.


    ¡°So, what do you want to say?¡± I asked her again, in an effort to try to keep my cool.


    ¡°Do you know what? I loved you so much Damien, and I still do. Leaving you was harder than you could ever think,¡± she started with a really boring and annoying speech, and it was so dumb to watch her say such cringe lines.


    ¡°So what?¡± I remained calm.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what came over me, and I just agreed to hurt you like that even if I didn¡¯t mean to. After my family moved, it was really hard for me because I couldn¡¯t even get ess to speak with you. But you have always been in my heart. When I came back to town, you were the first person that I came to look for,¡± she went on and on, and I realized that she was still the same annoying and selfish brat.


    I stood up immediately and turned to leave with the intention of leaving her there, and she grabbed the hem of my shirt immediately.


    ¡°I want us toe back together, Damien. I still love you,¡± she rushed her words and spoke out like a sensible human this time.


    ¡®But what?¡¯


    ¡°And I am ready to follow you everywhere and anywhere till you say ¡®Yes¡¯,¡± she dered.

 The past you think is gone

    DABBY:


    I knew that Damien had already tried to exin what was going on between him and the cute girl that appeared before the gate, but I kind of found it hard to believe. Given his past rtionships and history with girls, he probably wasn¡¯t the type to keep a girl that pretty as just his friend.


    The way she was looking at him and the manner in which she hugged him tightly, had me so disturbed till I made my way to the cafe. I knew that I said that I didn¡¯t want anything to do with Damien any longer, but it hurt to see him with another.


    ¡®Why was I soplicated? Why couldn¡¯t I  just stick to one decision?¡¯


    I was having an even worse day already because of Damien and his pretty friend.


    When I got to the cafe, there were few people sitting to eat, and the third shift for the evening was just starting. Mrs. Carr was behind the counter supervising every necessary activity herself, and I just greeted her with a casual smile because I was a little disappointed. I wanted to talk to her about Mum, but she seemed busy already.


    Mason didn¡¯te the entire evening, and he already told me that he had swimming lessons to join that evening with professionals. He wanted to see how well he was doing, and his coach from his other school was encouraging him to do even better.


    We had several customersing and going, and being busy kept my mind away from every unnecessary worry and bother. The evening turned to night in hours, and there were still orders for fooding from different locations. By the time we were done, it was minutes past nine.


    The other employees left after we closed for work, but I stayed behind to help Mrs. Carr finish up. We sat together to eat a special meal that she prepared for us afterward. I was really curious about the previous day, and I couldn¡¯t wait to not ask her about anything.


    ¡°Mrs. Carr?¡± I called slowly in a timid voice, hoping that she was still in


    the mood to talk after a long and tiring day.


    ¡°Hmnnn,¡± She answered as she gulped the ss of cold beer in her hand in one goal, and heaved a sigh of relief with a smile the moment she dropped the empty ss cup on the table, ¡°Yes, darling,¡± she said properly this time with a smile.


    ¡°The beer seemed to have done some rejuvenation in you,¡± I said softly as I shoved a forkful of fries into my mouth, thinking of the best way to start a conversation. It wouldn¡¯t seem ethical to me, if I just started asking her random questions.


    ¡°Yes. I felt good drinking that. Mason¡¯s absence in this cafe today was palpable. I can now realize how good he has really been by helping me all the time. Not all sons do that,¡± she praised so happily, that I could see the pride in her eyes for Mason. That was the perfect time to ask.


    I waited for a while and watched her take another ss of cold beer, before I asked my question like I was being casual about it, ¡°About yesterday, Mrs. Carr. Who did you mistake my mum for?¡±


    Mrs. Carr first smiled at my question, which made my heart skip beats that she might not be ready to answer me, but the reverse was the case.


    ¡°It was two years or three after I came back from China, and moved to a town that was willing to take me with my low-budget n. I had also been trying to get across to Spencer, hoping to see Damien again even if I couldn¡¯t contact my sister.


    From one of my sources and informants, I heard that Spencer had dropped Damien at an orphanage temporarily, because his newpany was going through a rough patch at that time. And that the child was really sick too. I was enraged when I heard that, and tried to get more information concerning where the ce was.


    ¡°And that was Pa?¡± I butted in.


    ¡°Yes. I moved there for a few weeks to stay around and find out if the information was true, in which the experience wasn¡¯t as terrible as I thought. The town was amodating, and I even got a job around really quickly at an orphanage. That way, I thought that I would be able to get as much information about other orphanages as I liked. But I had spent almost a month there, and there was no good and progressive news as I expected.


    One evening, when I was cleaning the surroundings and Mason was with the other children, ady came in a really nice dress with a child. The skies were almost dark already, and we were preparing to get the children into their rooms.


    When I asked who she was, she didn¡¯t say anything. I asked if she saw the child that she was holding somewhere, but she didn¡¯t even answer. I introduced myself to her as Adele and told her that I worked around as a helper in case she wanted something.


    She just stood on a spot with the child, and looked at the surroundings for a very long time without uttering a word. When I saw that it was not easy convincing her, I went inside to see if I could get someone to convince her to talk better than I could.


    When I came outside again, she was sitting on one of the pavements around and crying really badly. I thought of offering some words offort to her because she seemed distressed, but she stood up immediately I got to where she was sitting and left with the child. I never saw them again. I really wanted tofort her,¡± she ended her sentence with a sigh again, ¡°I movedter on when I got a job without any meaningful information to confirm Damien¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°And you think thatdy was my mother, right?¡± I asked slowly, because that seemed to be the only role for my mother to fit in, to make the story a perfect picture.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°I think I must have been mistaken about that. And it was evening too that day. Stress would have been a major cause for hallucinations,¡± she said with a smile and gulped from the bottle of water that was beside us.


    ¡°And the child? Was it a girl or boy?¡± I inquired again, wanting to be sure if it was a chapter that I could close. Mum¡¯s change of countenance that day could not allow me to give up yet.


    ¡°I could not tell. The hair was cut to the chin level, and it had curls at the hair tip too, if I have not seen it wrong. Why did you ask?¡± I chuckled awkwardly when she asked me that, and I quickly packed the tes that we were using to eat for washing. My mind was unsettled. I was thinking badly already.


    Mrs. Carr dropped me off at home after we closed the cafe, and I made my way into the house immediately up to my room. I dropped my bag to the floor immediately and opened my wardrobe to bring out an old box that I have had with me, which had everything from my childhood since we moved a lot.


    Most of my old pictures that held memories were there, and so many that I really couldn¡¯t remember again. I just put so many things in there over the years, and had never taken so much time to check everything I had stored there.


    I overturned the contents to the floor and began to search for my old pictures, hoping that I would see anything that would remind me of what I think I was trying to recollect. I checked so many pictures I had, but none seemed like the old memory that shed before my face minutes ago.


    I had checked everything over and over again to be sure that I wasn¡¯t missing something, and soon gave up when I realized that I might have been overreacting. When I pulled my clothes off and sat in the tub of water to rx, I tried to think of nothing except myself.


    After I was done bathing, I walked out of the bathroom without tying a towel to my body, and only my head as I stood in front of my wardrobe thinking of the right cloth to wear. Then, something caught my attention from under the dresser from where I stood.


    It was a very old metallic box from my childhood, and it seemed rusty already as I picked it up. I insinuated that it must have rolled off when I poured down the contents in my box, as I opened it to see what was inside.


    There were some old pencils, hairpins, a hairband, and a scrunched-up small photograph. When I opened it to see who was in it, it took time to realize that it was a picture of me from the past standing together with a boy to take pictures. We both posed and smiled happily in the picture.


    ¡®The picture looked familiar.¡¯


    My hair was short, and wavy in the picture, and we could both pass as boys if another person had seen it. I tried to remember if I had really cut my hair that low before, and Mrs. Carr¡¯s words suddenly rang in my ears like a recall. I pulled a cloth over my body immediately and rushed downstairs.


    ¡°It is only a month before exams, Dabby. You should quit that job of yours, and focus more on getting into college,¡± Mum said as soon as she saw me rush down the stairs, and she looked like she had been sleeping the entire evening.


    ¡°Did you ever try to drop me off at an orphanage, Mum?¡± I asked her suddenly the moment I got to where she was standing with a serious look on my face.


    ¡®I could remember now. There was a particr time Mum left me at some kind of ce, and left for quite a long time. It seemed to have faded somewhere in my memories. Probably as a coping mechanism.¡¯


    ¡°What¡­. at?¡± Mum looked so shocked and startled, and I was frowning really hard.


    ¡°You once abandoned me in the orphanage, right?¡± I asked again.

 Resolution

    DAMIEN:


    When I heard Gina say those words, I was pissed because she clearly was messing up with me. It was ring that she still had thoughts of the past thinking that she coulde back after three years and a half, with an attempt to walk back into my life like the way she usually did, even before I eventually found out about Jasper. I loved her too much.


    ¡°Do I look like a joke to you?¡± I turned to ask the moment she uttered bizarre words from her mouth, and she was looking at me with a pouting face. The same one she usually did if I got angry at her in the past.


    ¡°Now I see that you still seem to be stuck in the past, with a clear situation of mental and intelligence degradation,¡± I scoffed disgustingly, ¡°Know this, and know it for good. I have a girlfriend, whom I very much love now. Secondly, I must not see you anywhere near my house, or else I¡¯m calling the cops. And if you would like to know the new version of Damien, ask around or even from your boyfriend,¡± I warned her strongly, and turned to leave immediately.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t believe her actions. Or even her words. They sounded so annoying and disgusting the more I thought of it.¡¯


    I stormed out of the cafe immediately, entered my car, and zoomed off. It was so appalling for me to know that I had dated such a selfish person. I began to me myself for being such a fool and going with Gina to hear what she had to say, when I could have used that avenue to settle things more with Dabby.


    I drove to MADELES and parked somewhere on the street, where I could watch Dabby from where I was through the translucent walls. She was working tirelessly from table to table, taking orders, and moving every corner in the cafe. It made me marvel at her personality.


    She had a mother who was ready to take care of her, a wealthy step father, and shecked nothing good at her age. She was so intelligent in her studies, a beautiful youngdy, with a killer smile and body. She literally had everything she needed for a perfect flex, unt, and even for a perfect social media influx.


    ¡®How could she be so modest and humble with everything?¡¯ I continued to wonder. I wondered why I had not realized and seen her charms even faster than I did.


    I nned to wait until nighttime when she would be done, but Xavier suddenly called and said he was ready to listen to everything I had to say. Even If I had always been a jerk to him most times, he was still willing to settle things first.


    He seemed to be the only true friend that I had.


    The meeting went as nned and I was able to reconcile with my friend again, which brought some kind of partial peace into me that I was progressing positively. I told him about Gina¡¯s sudden visit too, and we bothughed about it.


    He also told me about Bryan¡¯s weird behaviortely, and the fact that he had seen him hanging with Jasper twice already, in town. He told me that he had not quit the drugs he imed that he stopped taking, and that Jasper seemed to be giving him for free to draw him closer.


    Okay. That was another situation that left me in deep thoughts again, as soon as I left the resort where we hung out. Though Bryan was a messed up guy and a very annoying person, I still didn¡¯t want him to ruin himself with the wrong person.


    When I got back to the cafe, it was already closed and I was disappointed that they had left. I knew that Dabby would be home already, and I navigated my car back to the direction of our house. I wanted to talk to her as soon as possible.


    The moment I was about to enter the house after parking my car, I heard a voice that was obviously Dabby¡¯s from the door. It sounded really angry, and I wondered who she was talking to.


    ¡°You once abandoned me in an orphanage, right?¡± I heard her ask her mother, and I was really surprised to hear such a question.


    ¡°Dabby. What are you saying? Have you finally lost your mind after meeting Mason¡¯s mum?¡± Her mum asked her incredulously with a scoff, and I tried to push the door open a bit to see if they would get distracted.


    ¡°Yeah. Because that brought back old memories that seemed to have been wiped off my brain for some reason. And maybe some old photograph,¡± She said sarcastically again and I wondered what was going on with both of them.


    I had observed their rtionship as a mother and daughter ever since they moved in, and it wasn¡¯t the normal kind that I knew, where the daughter would rebel against the mother and rant angrily at every little thing. There was either little or no problem between them.


    However, seeing Dabby ask about something that trivial from her mother, made me realize that something was going wrong. Especially with recent moods, I had been noticing between both of them, after we all returned from the family vacation.


    ¡°You saw a photograph? Where?¡± Dabby¡¯s mum asked this time, with a sullen look that held doubt in her tone. She sounded shocked.


    ¡°Why did you leave me, Mother? Why did you leave a child you imed to love at an orphanage and left, even when she cried that you shoulde back every night? Why mum?¡± Dabby asked with a shaky voice this time, and it soon dawned on me that she had started crying.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to Dabby. I really didn¡¯t mean to. Things were so tough that time, and we were struggling really badly. I couldn¡¯t even afford food for only you to eat, and I figured out that that ce would be the best option for a while, so far you were okay. When I met Mason¡¯s mother as a worker in the first orphanage that I went to, I felt too guilty and took you back with me because I couldn¡¯t drop you. But things got even worse in a few weeks, and I considered taking you to one that was far away instead. You had fallen sick too and it was so hard. But I swear, I came back. I came back to take you because it was really hard for me too,¡± Joanna started crying as she tried to exin herself to her daughter, who seemed to have misunderstood her mother. I entered inside already, and they were too busy to notice me.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Was leaving kids and running off when things got worse the trend those times?¡± Dabby asked again, still sobbing, and there seemed to be something that was tightly held in her fingers.


    ¡°No, baby. I swear I love you so much, and would do anything to protect you. I did what I had to do, because that was the only way. When I came back to get you, you looked so different and healthier than when I left you there. I wouldn¡¯t leave my only child and run away like that. I am so sorry,¡± Joanna apologized over and over again as she cried, walking over to where Dabby was standing to pull her into a hug, ¡°I am so sorry, Abby,¡± she cried again.


    It was quite an emotional sight for me to watch, and it made me miss my mother too. It made me wonder that dropping me at an orphanage far away would have been better, if she had run off with me the night that she left. I would have preferred that, if it meant that we would see each other again whenever she came back for me.


    Joanna patted Dabby on the back so softly as they hugged, and I walked past them so silently so that I wouldn¡¯t distract their beautiful reconciliation and closure. It wasn¡¯t the perfect night for me and Dabby to settle our differences.


    As I walked past them, Dabby was facing the direction of our stairs with a closed eye as she hugged her mother. Her hands too were around her mother¡¯s neck, which made it easy to see the picture that she held in her hand. It looked so familiar.


    ¡°What is this picture?¡± I asked suddenly out of deep curiosity, which instantly separated the mother and daughter that I was trying to avoid. I just couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Wee Damien,¡± Joanna said with a smile when she saw me, and I returned the greeting with a modest smile too. Dabby just looked at me so weirdly, probably trying to understand my question, as she just turned to make eye contact with her mother.


    They probably didn¡¯t want things to be too awkward for everyone.


    ¡°It was a picture that I took with a dear friend. Years back,¡± she answered and raised the picture for me to see. It was a boy and a girl with very short hair. They were standing side to side, and they were smiling brightly. They were both cute too.


    ¡®Why was the young boy in the picture looking like a replica of me?¡¯

 Hints

    DABBY:


    I didn¡¯t know if that was the right approach to meet Mum and ask her about it, but I think that was the best way that I could have handled it. What I asked Mrs. Carr about, seemed to have jogged up everything in my memory. I remembered almost everything that happened.


    Mum dropped me off one night at a huge building far from where we lived, and she said that she wasing back with food and drugs for us. I had been sick for days, and we had nothing good to eat for almost three days. I knew we had no money at all and had even been chased out of our house for rent, but I still believed her anyway.


    Hours passed and she didn¡¯te back, I began to cry while still sitting at the spot where she told me to sit, and never stand up till she woulde back. I think it was at the window of the room for the caregivers there, but they came out to check out what was going on with a wailing child at the back of their window. That was the end of it.


    I became one of the children in the orphanage, and Mum didn¡¯te back as promised. I didn¡¯t talk to anyone whenever they asked who I was, and they made me feel bad byughing at my hair whenever they found out that I was a girl.


    It got worse because a rumor spread amongst the kids that my parents abandoned me after I had grown up, probably because I was a nasty child, or they didn¡¯t want me again. I cried so much whenever they said that, and would sit alone in my room to avoid their jibes.


    After days of being alone, crying, and brooding badly by myself while feeling stuffy inside the room, I decided toe outside in the evening to watch other children y in the field.


    That was when I saw a young boy who was by himself outside, staring into space for a long time. I had not seen him before since I joined them, and I felt like he wasn¡¯t like the others whoughed at me. I went to meet him.


    He was really mean when I tried to talk to him, and we ended up yelling at one another, when I insulted him for being so rude. We had more encounters, and we would pick on one another.


    We somehow became closest friends among everyone, and it was the only thing thatforted me when I was at the orphanage. I had gotten cured of my recalcitrant sickness too.


    Sometimes, I usually caught someone that looked like Mum always looking at me from corners, but I never saw if I was hallucinating or if it was true. Anytime it happened, I could cry so much saying I saw my Mum, and the kids there wouldugh again and mock me.


    Dee would be the one tofort me every time, regardless of his cold nature and personality. Yes, I remembered the name I usually called him. Dee.


    I was there for weeks longer than I could remember, and someone came to inform me that some person hade to take Dee home. My heart broke so much in pain, that it was hard to see him leave. He cried uncontrobly too. To me, he was my first love.


    I was brokenhearted for days without anyone to share my worries with, and I ended up falling sick so terribly that it was so bad. So bad that I think everyone feared that I might not make it. And that was thest thing that I could remember.


    The memories came flooding like a sh of light when I saw the picture, and most of it was clear even if it was not all.


    When I confronted Mum about it, there was no way she would be able to convince me that it didn¡¯t happen. And regardless of how long it had been, it still really hurt. I felt abandoned.


    Even when she exined why she had to do that, I had no reason not to believe her because I knew that she loved me. Though she always said it whenever we were talking about something funny, her little actions could speak volumes of how much she did.


    I had always told myself that she didn¡¯t understand how to be efficient in every way, because she didn¡¯t know how to not because she didn¡¯t want to. It was not easy for her to raise me, and also raise herself since she started as a teen mum, so I just tried to understand every one of her actions. We were both kids when she had me.


    She hugged me so tightly to show how sorry she was for doing that, and I probably could feel her genuineness because she still raised me. If she wanted to, she would have left me and be far gone, and I would not even remember her anymore if many years had passed.


    However, the sudden question I heard took me by surprise, and it caused Mum and me to separate from one another when we heard that.


    It was Damien, and I didn¡¯t even realize that he had entered the house. However, I was still wondering what his question was about, as he and Mum exchanged pleasantries.


    ¡°It was a picture that I took with a dear friend. Years back,¡± I answered him in a saucy tone after raising the picture for him to see, still mulling over why he was asking it, when he should be talking about what happened earlier in the afternoon.


    He looked so shocked as he continued to look at the picture so intensely, and Mum told me that she would make something light for midnight snacks. I was not sure I wanted that, but it was probably best that she left both of us alone at that time.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You look like you have seen a ghost,¡± I rolled my eyes as I uttered my words, and he just climbed up the stairs instantly without saying anything. It got me pissed.


    ¡°That jerk! He is always in and out of the right things to do,¡± I hissed angrily, and put the picture into the extra pocket in my shorts.


    I went to join Mum to do whatever she wanted to, and it was personal time for both of us to reconnect with things we had missed about how my life had been. I told her about the schools that I was applying to, and she said she would do everything in her power to make sure I had the best college life.


    We talked about me quitting my job at a cafe and I promised to do that soon, since that was what I said before she agreed to allow me. I also reminded her that I didn¡¯t want her toe to our parent¡¯s teacher¡¯s meeting which was going to be in a few days.


    ¡°Why is that? I can be efficient for both of you as a mother,¡± she tried to smile her way out of it the usual way she would do, if she had her mind made up about something.


    ¡°It is not about being efficient, Mum. It is about us. About me and Damien. We do not want it!¡± I half-yelled when I realized that she wasn¡¯t going to ept that easily.


    ¡®I mean, we just settled one problem minutes ago. She should try to not cause another.¡¯


    ¡°What is wrong, baby? Tell me. Is anything wrong between both of you?¡±N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°No. No. Not at all. Damien is popr and intelligent, Mum, and I have only my brains. I rarely mingle, and I am as reserved as a nerd. It would hurt me more, if people knew we were siblings,¡± I tried to exin in the best way that I could, without going too much into detail about it.


    ¡°Who would do that to you? Why would you be hurt? Who would hurt you?!¡± She demanded to know with intense seriousness on her face, and I just sighed when I realized that she wasn¡¯t getting it.


    ¡°Calm down, Mum. This is why I don¡¯t tell you things. I do not have lots of friends, and not many people like me too. They would hate on me more, to know that I live in the same house with a really popr guy. The pressure¡­¡­..¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mum responded incredulously when she heard what I was trying to say, and she seemed to be getting furious already, ¡°I didn¡¯t raise you to not be able to stand up for yo¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°It is not about raising me. You don¡¯t just understand these things. I am not like you, and I can never be. People love you wherever you go, and I am just me. Being the center of attraction has never been mine to start with. I know I should be better and more confident in front of these people. But I am okay. Just don¡¯te. We are almost done with high school, and I really need my peace till thatst moment. Please,¡± I cut her off in frustration.


    ¡°Then you can be a better version of yourself, Dabby. Are you ashamed that your Mum remarried and you are the sister of a very popr guy in your school?!¡± She demanded angrily this time.


    ¡°No, I am not! But I would rather be Damien¡¯s girlfriend than his sister at school!¡± I said it out loud, before I realized that I could not suck in what I had said already.


    ¡°What?! What did you just say now?¡± Mum questioned the moment she heard what I said, and I immediately went nk of what to say to her. My mother would never let go of what she had bitten, and I really didn¡¯t know how to think of lies.¡¯


    ¡®I mean. Why would I think of being his girlfriend of all other things in the first ce?¡¯

 Unable to take it

    DAMIEN:


    I was really confused after I saw the picture that I saw with Dabby, because the young guy in the picture looked like me. But I could not remember being in that kind of space going up. The next thing that crossed my mind was going to check, if I still had some other pictures I could check to confirm.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    The bad part of everything after I searched my entire room, was the fact that I didn¡¯t have anything rted to my childhood or mum. I knew I used to have them hidden somewhere, because Dad never wanted to see anything that belonged to Mum after she left.


    He burnt everything that belonged to her from pictures, frames, clothes, shoes, and everything that she owned. I had struggled to save some pictures for myself before he was able to clear the rest, but it was not easy to move around with them because he always made us go on unannounced trips.


    I got some from Aunt Adele when I stayed with her in China for a while, and it was so hard trying to hide the fact that I was still attached to Mum.


    Years had passed, and thinking about it made me realize that I didn¡¯t remember many parts of my past.


    I knew that I grew up hating Dad, wishing I could run away and not get caught, wishing that I would die and be free from him. But that was what most details of my memories entailed.


    The rest were too fuzzy to remember, and it had never really bothered me. The clear memories I had again of my life were probably half of middle school, and everything about high school. Everything suddenly began to bother me.


    And the discussion they had about Joanna dropping Dabby at an orphanage when she was young, continued to disturb my mind because the photo seemed like something for a reference to the past.


    And there had never been a time that I had any memory rted to being in an orphanage. Dad was never the type to even visit somewhere like that for volunteer work.


    I was unable to sleep the entire night, and it was the same crappy feeling the next morning. I didn¡¯t have any desire to go to school at all, but it wouldn¡¯t do anything good because I didn¡¯t like being at home much. Dad would never be there to answer my questions, and there certainly would be no clues in our house too. Mr. Anderson was so good at hiding things.


    When I got to the dining room, Dabby, and her mum seemed to have had another misunderstanding again. I wondered if it had to do with the argument that I heard the previous night, and I wondered what could have caused problems between the two in less than twelve hours.


    ¡®It sure did feel like a typical family now.¡¯


    ¡°What was yesterday about, Damien?¡± Dabby asked me the moment I ignited the car, and she sounded really angry. The look she had on her face was so cute that I wanted tough, but I was too stressed to engage in anything that would bring me out of my gloomy state. I knew that I was forgetting something and I needed to recollect.


    ¡°Nothing, Dabby. I was just fascinated by the picture and wanted to check it out,¡± I replied tiredly because I was not in the mood to talk about anything. It was of all days that I wasn¡¯t ready to talk to anyone, that she wanted to talk and even argue.


    ¡°Did you hear what me and Mum talked about? Do, not, lie,¡± Dabby cautioned so sternly with a menacing look. It was crazy for me to see her that way.


    ¡°I might have heard a part of it,¡± I confessed inly because there was no need to lie. She probably knew that I was around the previous night, and still continued talking with her Mum.


    ¡°My mum is not a bad person. It just happened that way,¡± she retorted immediately like I was arguing with that fact, and I just nodded so that it would not feel like I was snubbing her.


    ¡°I know,¡± I ended up answering


    ¡°Then why have you been acting like a jerk? I mean she has been trying her best to be a good Mum.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything, Dabby. I am really not in the mood to talk and answer your questions,¡± I finally told her because of how stressed I was, and she frowned really deeply long enough for me to see through the front mirror.


    ¡°So that is all you have to say?¡± She got even bolder and demanded to know in a very angry voice, which made me sigh really hard. I was feeling really sad and sick, and yet she was intentionally stressing the daylights out of me.


    I knew that she was talking about what happened the previous day with Gina, but I had no idea where to start from. If I exined in a way that I would think is best, she could take it the wrong way which would end up ruining the definite rtionship that we were yet to build.


    When she realized that I was not going to answer her again, she told me to pull off at the bus stop where I usually dropped her off.


    I refused because I knew that it would make things worse between us, and she threatened to open the door the way she had done before. And when I quickly parked on the left side of the road, she came down from the car and took a cab immediately.


    In the past, I would not have cared if it was one of my girlfriends that acted in that way, because I knew that they would stille around after throwing unnecessary tantrums. And it never took long for them toe back to their normal selves. I just drove to school.


    sses were more boring than usual, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel so tired. Nothing filled my head more than the bother that I had forgotten some important memories from the past, and the fact that Dabby had gotten so angry at me in the morning.


    To clear my head from overthinking, I followed Xavier to watch a school y. As funny as it was that everyoneughed, It didn¡¯t get to me. When Xavier asked me what happened, I had to lie about something usible that I had an argument with my dad earlier that morning.


    The day went like that, and nothing changed for the better because I didn¡¯t see Dabby throughout. I went home immediately to see if we were cool, but she didn¡¯t even bother toe home at all. I was really bothered by it, as much as I wanted to ignore it.


    When I got tired of pretending that I didn¡¯t care, I picked up my phone to call her but she hung up immediately. I felt so uneasy when she did that repeatedly, and it got to me because no girl has had the guts to do that to me before. Because they knew that if they did, the rtionship was over.


    I changed my clothes immediately, and drove down to MADELES. I entered the building and sat down to order food, so that I would see her reaction if she saw me.


    The moment she came to the table to take orders and saw that it was me, she avoided making eye contact and left after taking my order. A different person came to serve the food. She didn¡¯te around anymore, and she wasn¡¯t at the counter either. It was then that I remembered that my Aunt owned the cafe.


    When I went to ask for Aunt Adele at the counter, the otherdy that I met there said that she wasn¡¯t around at the moment. I was about to ask about Dabby when I saw Masoning in through the other exit door, and just smiled at him as we exchanged pleasantries.


    ¡®A wrong time,¡¯ I groaned inwardly.


    Dabby remained in the kitchen intentionally for a long time, and I didn¡¯t get to see her again till I left.


    I waited till night in my car for Dabby to finish at work, and I was feeling really impatient because I didn¡¯t get to talk to her throughout the day. By the time I thought she would be done with work, she and Mason hopped on the bike before I realized and rode off. It made me really jealous.


    I drove my car behind Mason¡¯s bike, and waited for him to leave after he dropped Dabby off. I alighted from the car immediately, and called her name before she could enter.


    ¡°Dabby, wait,¡± I called out immediately, when I saw that she was unwilling to stop even after she heard that I called her. I ran so fast to catch up with her, and grabbed her by the arm.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t ready to talk!¡± She yelled angrily to my face, and I really wasn¡¯t ready to even argue with her. I was the cause of everything and had been so insignificant about it, because I have never had to care about things like that before.


    ¡°You really drive me crazy,¡± I murmured under my breath as I looked at her face. She was ring hard at me, and the angle at which she raised her face to mine made her so pretty.


    I pulled her close to me and kissed her tempting lips, before she would even say anything further. And she kissed back without fighting back.


    It was so hard to act like I didn¡¯t want anything more out of our rtionship. It was so hard because we were step-siblings now and our rtionship was forbidden. It was so hard that I knew exactly what was wrong with me, whenever she got too close or was not around.


    ¡®I had fallen too deep in love.¡¯

 It is what it is

    DABBY:


    ¡°What if I were already falling in love with your husband¡¯s son, Mum?¡± I asked her after she demanded to know what I meant by my answers, and she gasped silently the moment she turned to look at me on hearing what my reply was.


    ¡°What.. what did you say, Dabby?¡± She asked me with a shaky voice, and my face was so impassive in its expression.


    ¡°I might love Damien,¡± I repeated what I had said before in a different manner, and she shakes her head in disbelief before turning to p me hard on the face.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    And the imaginative p from Mum, jolted me to my senses and reality instantly.


    ¡°Am I not talking to someone? You seem to have spaced out,¡± Mum¡¯s voice was louder this time, and I was taken aback as I turned to look at her confusedly with my right hand still on face.


    ¡®Thank goodness it was just an imagination.¡¯


    ¡°I seriously have no idea about what I am saying. I am just frustrated about everything that is all,¡± my mouth went dry in anxiousness, as I turned away from her sight immediately. I wondered how she would take the news if I were to tell her that I made out with Damien.


    I went upstairs after taking a handful of the midnight snacks Mum made, definitely not ready to talk about the other things that we had just finished resolving. And about the issue from the afternoon with Damien, I was still so pissed about it.


    ¡®How could he ask about something that wasn¡¯t of his concern, when there were still issues to be settled?¡¯


    I ended up sleeping angry because of everything that had happened, and I didn¡¯t feel any better even when I woke up the next morning. As much as I wanted to keep my pride and wait for Damien to talk about it, I was so ufortable by whatever seemed to be going on with me in the picture.


    ¡®But you drew the line already. Whatever he does shouldn¡¯t be your concern,¡¯ my subconsciousness spoke, and I rolled my eyes like it wasn¡¯t a mind of my own.


    I entered the car and sat in the back seat earlier than Damien came out, and waited for him to start the car so that I could ask him. Instead of going straight about the pressing issue in my mind, I decided to ask why he asked me about the picture.


    The replies he gave to me were unsatisfactory and forced, and it frustrated me by the minute with the way he was acting. I knew that I had rambled a lot about unnecessary things before talking about the main point, and it hurt me to hear him say that he was not in the mood to talk.


    ¡®I was so agitated about something, and yet he said that he wasn¡¯t ready to talk about it?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to be in the same space with him anymore, and I told him to stop the car immediately before I opened the car door in motion. Right before his eyes, I hopped into the iing cab which dropped me at school. Since he said that he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk, I would give him the break he wanted.


    I hung out with Mason throughout school, and suggested that we go to the library to study when we were supposed to go for lunch. I sat at the front with Mason during the y at school, and left immediately the y was over to avoid bumping into Damien.


    When school was over, I left with Mason, who said that he wanted to go for his swimming lessons. He dropped me off at home for a quick change, and I spent my afternoon taking swimming lessons.


    After we were done, I resumed my job at the cafe with Mason even if I had not told him about me quitting soon. When I saw Damien¡¯s calls, I intentionally put them off because I felt he wasn¡¯t ready to talk.


    When I saw Damien as the customer whom I meant to take his food orders, I was so angry that I had another person serve his food and just helped with whatever they needed in the kitchen. I made sure to remain there till I was sure that Damien was gone already, and continued with my work till it was time to close.


    Mason offered to drop me home, and we had really funny conversations before we got to the front of my house. Immediately he left on his bike and I was about to enter the house, I heard Damien call from behind me which made me realize that he probably had been following us from the cafe.


    I was still so mad that I didn¡¯t want to wait, which really had me surprised by my actions that I could act that way. Dabby was the kind of girl to choke on her feelings and whatever was going on with her, so far it would make the other personfortable. But I wasn¡¯t even ready to switch to my understanding mode.


    It was until Damien grabbed me by the arm that I stopped, and turned to look at him. The sight of his eyes almost melted every anger that I had in me, and I looked away so as not to be carried away by whatever I was feeling.


    I knew that I didn¡¯t have the right to feel anything for my stepbrother, but my heart would beat fast at the sight of him. My mind had whispered to me several times that it was forbidden, and yet I craved his touch even more. It was crazy to know that I was probably not myself anymore.

 Confusion

    DABBY:


    I didn¡¯t expect Damien to do that, but he kissed me even before I expected him to do that. And even if I didn¡¯t want to get caught at that particr time, I didn¡¯t break off from the kiss and just went with the flow.


    The kiss did things to my body and made butterflies flutter in my tummy. I knew that I was deeply attracted to Damien, and it was going to be so hard to get over whatever it was.


    ¡°I think I must have lost my mind, Dabby,¡± Damien said after we broke off from the kiss, and stared at me with those charming eyes that looked so innocent. There was confusion on his face, ¡°I love you, Dabby. I don¡¯t know how, and why. But, I think I really do,¡± he said slowly, and my heart skipped a countless number of beats.


    Never could I have expected to hear such someone say that to me in that kind of situation, or would have expected for me to hear such from Damien, whom I had always thought everything would go wrong between us till the very end.


    ¡°I love you, Damien. More than I can say with words,¡± I kissed his lips immediately after I said that, and we had another passionate moment yet again.


    I was over the moon.


    ~¡°~.    ~¡°~.


    Damien exined who Gina was, and told me about the details of everything that happened between them. He also told me that she said that she wanted him back, which put me in some kind of fear that he might sway.


    I knew that I shouldn¡¯t be bothered about things like that, but I couldn¡¯t help but worry that his ex-girlfriend came back after three years to get him back. It made me want to smack her head if I ever saw her, for doing something like that to hurt Damien.


    ¡®It sure was hard for any girl who gets gobsmacked by Damien to get over him easily,¡¯ I continued to think.


    ¡°I am scared that we might never work out. And thinking of it scares me so much,¡± I said to Damien as I sat on the kitchen stool to cut fruits, while Damien looked for tes that I would put them in.


    I wanted to talk about something else, after an awkward moment with me after he told me who Gina was.


    We had gone to our rooms after our little love-show in front of the house that didn¡¯t get us caught, and agreed to meet downstairs after changing intofortable clothes. Our parents were not back in the house, and we could have our moment before they would.


    ¡°I think it might be bothering me even more. Thinking about it puts pressure on me too. I think we should just take it easy, and go with the flow of things. Over-thinking would make our mind a mess before we can even have proper fun,¡± Damien said in slow words like he was reciting from somewhere, and I raised my eyes in surprise to hear him talk that way.


    If I had not gotten close enough to rte with him in the same house, I would have thought he would be some kind of nuisance who would never make sense with words.


    ¡°You are so intelligent, you know?¡± I smiled as I served him his portion of fruits that I had cut, and walked to the fridge to get water for both of us.


    ¡°More than you know,¡± he grinned so cutely with a mischievous smile stretched on his lips, and I smiled, ¡°I have always been top of my ss in middle school. Now, I barely read,¡± he uttered, and I opened my eyes wide in surprise.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡®Then why was he not topping his ss?¡¯


    ¡°If you are going to ask me why I am like this, then I do not know. I don¡¯t want to give my dad what he wants,¡± he cut me off even before I could ask him anything, and it was the same question I would have wanted to ask him too.


    ¡°I cannot understand that, but what I know is that Damien is the best, regardless. You are really good at what you do. I wish more people could see that,¡± I smiled at him from where I sat in a way that the kitchen table separated so that I would not lose myself and jump over him again.


    He was about to say something with a bright smile that shed on his face, when he checked a notification that popped up on his phone. His demeanor changed the moment his eyes fixed on the phone screen for a while, and he stood up immediately to leave the dining room.


    ¡°Damien, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him when I noticed that, and he didn¡¯t give me a reply which bothered me so badly. I stood up from where I was sitting immediately, and went after him before he could leave through the door.


    ¡°Talk to me, Damien. What is wrong with you? Why the sudden change?¡± I asked him more aggressively this time, as I stood in front of him so that it would be difficult to leave.


    ¡°Can you just let me be, Dabby?!¡± He yelled at my face, and I flinched so badly because I didn¡¯t expect it. He walked past me when I went soft like spaghetti and let him go, and he climbed the stairs immediately.


    ¡®What exactly did he see?¡¯

 Just love

    DABBY:


    I felt hurt by the way Damien acted, especially with the fact that we just settled a misunderstanding minutes ago. But there was no way that I was going to give another chance for a fight.


    I returned to the kitchen to pack every te that we used, and put off the lights in the living room before going to Damien¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t lock his room when I tried to open it, and he was sitting on his bed looking so sad.


    ¡°Damien. You don¡¯t want to talk about what is wrong with you? I am here to listen to what you have to say,¡± I took my seat on the chair that faced his bed, while trying to get him to talk to me. He appeared sad and suddenly distressed, which made me feel bad too.


    He wasn¡¯t answering, and just remained in the position where he sat. He looked like he was thinking badly too, and wasn¡¯t ready to reply to my questions. I wasn¡¯t going to give up either.


    ¡°Damien. Aren¡¯t you going to talk to me? Come on. Say something¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°Can you please go, Dabby? We¡¯ll talk tomorrow,¡± he repeated the same thing that he did downstairs, and I frowned immediately at the hearing of that. I hated that he was pushing me away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push everyone away every time you face a problem. You can share it and stop being closeted. I can help you!¡± I was getting worked up already that he wasn¡¯t ready to talk to me, even if I had no idea that I was getting information for him the right way.


    ¡°It is my problem! It is my, problem and my worries. You shouldn¡¯t try to barge in, and expect me to just tell you,¡± he retorted in aported manner with a hurt tone, which even got me more angry.


    ¡°Fine. I have be the stranger in your life, right? I am trying to pry too much, when I should just sit down and watch you hurt? Is that what you want me to do, Damien?¡± I asked him the moment I stood on my feet, and faced him squarely like I was ready to throw a few punches.


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe, Dabby!¡± He looked up at my face this time with watery eyes, and I struggled not to let tears fall from my eyes the moment I heard that from him.


    ¡®Why was everything hard?¡¯


    I turned to leave his room immediately before my tears would drop before him, and returned to my room where I could get angry by myself. I knew that he had probably never been around someone that he could share his troubles with, but he could have at least tried not to shout at me.


    My body sank into the middle of my bed the moment Iy on it, and I began to stare at the ceiling with so many things on my mind. It was hard to understand why he was acting like that, when I was genuine about my concern for him.


    The opening of my door took me aback for a few seconds, as I raised my head to see who it was thinking it was Mum. It was Damien who had entered, and I was surprised to see hime closer to my bed as I sat up quickly.


    ¡°Were you startled?¡± He asked in a low tone as he took his seat beside me on the bed, and I just continued to look at his face without replying to that particr question.


    ¡®Of course, I was startled and felt bad.¡¯


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡± I asked him instead, because he seemed to be in better shape than when I left him.


    He did the unthinkable and pulled me closer for a warm hug, rather than answering the question I asked him. I allowed myself to sink into his embrace, and closed my eyes tightly to inhale his good scent.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I shouted in that manner. I have rarely shared how I feel with someone, and never had someone to do that with, so I was suffocated when you asked me to say something,¡± he exined as we separated slowly from one another.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I overreacted too. I didn¡¯t give you your own space to think, and just demanded to know what was wrong. That was my bad,¡± I said also to rify the wrong I did and he smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush it though. I¡¯ll be ready to listen, whenever you are ready,¡± I smiled at him.


    ¡°I entered a gamingpetition some weeks ago, and got disqualified in the semi-finals. So, when you said I was good at whatever I did, I felt really bad that I wasn¡¯t. My dad¡¯s words reyed in my head. It made me feel worthless,¡± Damien exined himself slowly to me, and I was really surprised to find out more about him.


    He was trying to make an effort even if everyone, like myself in the past, would have thought that he was just a nonentity who had nothing to do. It was also cool to see him trust me enough to open up about his worries, and I was nearly moved by tears because his actions touched my heart.


    ¡°You are better than you know, Damien. So much stronger than you know. And I assure you that you can do better than you have ever done before,¡± I told him with a smile, and pulled him closer to me for a cuddle.


    We both got under my bed cover, and he wrapped his hand around my body for a snuggle. We were both facing one another, and he slightly kissed on my forehead. I loved the position that we were in and didn¡¯t want it to end, so I decided to tease him a bit.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you could be such a romanticist. It is so cute,¡± I chuckled close to his chest, and he hummed some song keywords.


    ¡°I can be more endearing than you know, Miss Dabby,¡± he said with an amusing smile, and Iughed.


    ¡°Hmnnn. I am quite curious about how well you can do that,¡± I teased again like I was clueless, and the next thing I realized was that Damien had swerved from my side over my head in one action.


    ¡°I can even be more than you think, darling,¡± Damien got even naughtier with a flirty voice as he had both of his hands on mine to the bed, and I got lost for a second in his eyes that were staring into mine.


    I raised my head and brought my lips to meet his hurriedly, as we kissed so intensely like we both had been hungry for it. My hands went into his hair and pulled his head closer to myself, unable to have enough of him in one go which made me crave him more.


    ¡°Dabby, are you in your room?¡± I heard the voice from quite a distance to my room, and I felt like it was just in my head and continued kissing Damien.


    We were both lost in what we were doing, as his hands traveled to the back of my tiny top. My breath hitched, and I struggled to remain calm with the way my body reacted to his touch.


    ¡®What exactly was this guy doing to me?¡¯


    ¡°Dabby. I aming up¡­¡­¡­..¡± I heard the voice again and I froze because it was no doubt Mum¡¯s voice that I was hearing, and she seemed to being up to my room.


    ¡°OMG. That is my Mum. She ising to my room,¡± I whispered to Damien, and we broke away from one another immediately.


    I jumped off the bed immediately and ran to the door before Mum woulde in abruptly, as I opened the door slowly while trying toe back to my normal self. My legs were kind of weak, and I could still feel the lingering touch of Damien on my body.


    ¡°Wee, Mum. What took you so long?¡± I asked nervously and waited for a while, before pushing the door open so that she would make her way inside. She gave me a look of suspicion when I followed after her, as her eyes trailed across every corner of my room like she was looking for something.


    ¡°Why do you look restless?¡± Mum asked as she finally walked into my room, and my eyes wandered to my bed which looked so rough like I had been jumping on it. I closed my eyes in hope that she would not ask any weird questions.


    ¡°I was just feeling down and was unable to sleep, so I decided to exercise in the room. But it is no problem,¡± I said to her immediately with a smile.


    ¡°We had an argument yesterday, and I feel bad for not understanding you as a mother. We are going to start again slowly, and I want to make it up to you,¡± Mum stated her intentions, and I continued to keep a smiley face so that she would understand that I was fine. My main concern was where Damien had hidden in a short period of time.


    ¡°I understand that it is not your fault, Mum. You are trying your best for me, And I appreciate it. We can, of course, build a better mother-daughter rtionship,¡± I assured her positively, hoping that she would talk about the rest tomorrow.


    ¡°I will give you some time to rest now, and we can talk tomorrow. Just you and me, on a trip,¡± she said so excitedly, and I hugged her with a grin across my lips.


    ¡°Thank you, Mum,¡± I said, and she stood up to leave my room, ¡°Goodnight Mum. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, darling. I¡¯ll check up on your brother to see if he is doing fine too,¡± she said on her way out.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°What?! No no, Mum. He has been feeling really weak since this evening, and took painkillers. He is probably still weak and asleep already,¡± I ran after her immediately, and she was quite shocked to see me as a spokesman for Damien.


    ¡°And here hees, up the stairs,¡± Mum said, and I looked down to see Damiening down from the stairs looking all innocent.


    ¡°Hey everyone,¡± he said with a smug face, and I was in total disbelief. He was in my room a few minutes ago or wasn¡¯t he? Mum was looking at me weirdly, with her detective¡¯s eye.


    ¡®I was ying a crazy game with him. I just hope we do not get caught.¡¯

 Learning to learn each other

    DAMIEN:


    Talking with Dabby was fun after we went to our room to change our clothes, and talking about Gina to her wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be. She just continued to smile to hide her jealousy, but I could see right through her cute face and just chuckled.


    I froze when I read that I had been dropped out of games at the semi-finals, before shock finally coursed through my entire body and settled in my heart. I didn¡¯t feel good about it at all, because it was the first time that I was trying something in a while and got disappointed.


    I wanted to go to my room and be by myself till I felt better the way I usually did, but Dabby seemed to have noticed what was going on with me and demanded to know. It had never been my ce to tell anyone about how I was feeling before, so I just dismissed her idea to share and went upstairs.


    It was unexpected for me to see her enter my room again to cate me, and I did see it as a disturbance even if she was trying to help. My fear of abandonment and


    I ended up yelling at her that I didn¡¯t need her help, and it ended up quite emotional because I think she cried when I did that. I felt bad that I acted like that to someone who cared about me after she left, and began to think of ways to fix it quickly because I didn¡¯t want to be on bad terms with her.


    ¡®Only one day was hard enough.¡¯Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Making up my mind to make up with her regardless of how shitty I was feeling, I stood up from my bed and made my way to her room. She was quite surprised when she saw me enter her room, and sat up after I took my seat on her bed.


    The reconciliation was faster than I expected it to be, and it touched my heart to know that she still cared to know if I was fine, even after I had yelled at her. If it were the other girls I have dated in the past, they would have thrown tantrums and made the situation even worse than it was.


    I hugged Dabby so tightly instead of answering her, because I needed that reassurance that she was there to listen to my problems. Talking to her about it made me feel more at ease, because her words of encouragement stuck in my heart even if I didn¡¯t used to like them.


    We ended up cuddling after she hugged me again, and I loved every bit of it. It made me feel more enamored by her, and everything with her was so ufortable and effortless, without feeling like I was letting myself out to vulnerability.


    She teased me in her cute way about being a romanticist, and I climbed over her in a switch telling her that I could do this even way more than a cuddle. I thought she would cower and shy away or scream that I should leave, but she took the lead and kissed me which did funny things to my body.


    ¡®She had be so unpredictable.¡¯


    When she flinched that her mother wasing up to her room, she ran to the door to stop her mother from entering immediately and I jumped out of the window immediately.


    Our windows were quite a distance from the ground level, but it was built in such a way that they had afortablending terrace. I took the back door from the poolside through the kitchen, and walked out just in time to catch Dabby and her Mum standing outside.


    She was so shocked to see mee out of the kitchen when she probably thought that I was still in her room, and I sneaked a wink at her as I walked up the stairs, after I and Joanna had a brief chat about my supposed state of health. I chuckled at the thought of it till the very moment I entered my room.


    I and Dabby couldn¡¯t see one another till the end of the day, and we ended up chatting the entire night on our phones about random stuff. It was surprising, but I didn¡¯t know I could chat with someone for so long, without getting tired or ghosting the person¡¯s chat for eternity.


    The next day felt so exhrating to wake up to, and I was so energetic towards dressing up and getting prepared for the day. Dabby texted to tell me that she was in the kitchen making breakfast, and I  joined her a few minutester already dressed for school.


    ¡°Oh my goodness. Damien. You look delicious to the sight,¡± Dabby said the moment I was about to drink water from a ss cup, and I choked on the water I was drinking in an attempt tough. My eyes widened in surprise to hear Dabby say something like that.


    ¡®That wasn¡¯t the innocent girl I knew months ago.¡¯

 Flirty

    DAMIEN:


    ¡°I am sorry for the water spill on your shirt, darling. Do you want me toe lick your chest dry for you?¡± She said another again out of the blue, and I used one of my hands to cover her mouth.


    ¡°Oh, dear. You must have lost an ounce of morality since yesterday night,¡± I scolded as I tapped her forehead, and she whimpered with a cute frown which made me chuckle.


    ¡°You want just milk? Don¡¯t you think sugar would work better too?¡± Dabby suddenly switched the talk, and I raised my eyes to see her Muming down the stairs and looking so drowsy.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll just wait for breakfast. I have taken too much cereal these days,¡± I went with the flow of things and walked to the fridge to bring out chilled strawberries.


    ¡°Morning everyone. How are you feeling now, Damien?¡± Joanna asked as soon as she got to the kitchen, and I chuckled again.


    ¡°Morning. I feel the best now. Thank you,¡± I replied to her with a modest smile and turned away, while Dabby told her Mum to go back to her room and get dressed for work before breakfast would be ready.


    Joanna shortly after Dabby had to repeat her sentence three times, and Dabby turned to me with a smile after she was gone. She leaped on her toes and sneaked a kiss on my lips which caught me off guard before she continued what she was doing like nothing happened between us.


    ¡°My Mum is supposed to be a detective. She catches on to things very fast and is freaking inquisitive,¡± Dabby uttered as she told me to get tes, ¡°She was questioning me in a very frustrating way, and I said I¡¯d rather be your girlfriend than your sister.¡±


    ¡°What? What did she say after that?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°I just acted like I spewed some gibberish and random thoughts and left immediately. I am sure that she isn¡¯t convinced,¡± Dabby spected as she served the food on tes, while I helped her to carry the food to the dining table.


    ¡°So would you be my girlfriend?¡± I blurted out suddenly, and Dabby¡¯s eyes widened in surprise because she was probably not expecting me to say something like that. As much as I wanted to take things slow, my heart couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What? You are crazy,¡± Dabby shrilled with a wide grin, and Iughed.


    ¡°Maybe I am. And it¡¯s because of you,¡± I smirked.


    We had breakfast together with our parents, and it was the best I have had in a long time. Dabby and I didn¡¯t say anything while eating, but wemunicated telepathically while she just smiled uncontrobly. After breakfast, we left for school together.


    Dabby yed her song list in the car as I drove slowly to school, and it was intriguing to find out that we both listened to almost the same type of music.


    She danced and sang loudly to the song as it yed, and it was so cute to watch her unleash her craziness before me. Suddenly, I remembered that picture I had seen with Dabby again.


    ¡°Dabby. About that friend that you said was from your past or something. Would you still like to meet him?¡± I paused and allowed her to process what I was saying in her head, because she was still singing loudly to the sting music from the car.


    ¡°What friend?¡± She asked by the time she finally realized that I was talking to her.


    ¡°The one from the picture.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are jealous,¡± she let out a taunting grin on her lips.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Of course, no. I¡¯m just curious,¡± I responded frustratedly, and she chuckled again and again.


    ¡°Of course, I would. He was my best friend in the orphanage. If I cried, he wouldfort me. Even with his very cold personality. I cried so much when he left,¡± Dabby said while reminiscing on her past, and I just smiled.


    It was crazy to know that the same guy she was talking about was me, when I couldn¡¯t remember how and when I stayed at an orphanage. And I was still going to find out what connection I had to that past that I had forgotten.


    We went to school together, and it was just normal stares and no talk. She went to her ss afterward to probably be with Mason, and it was pretty much me and Xavier hanging out together. Bryan was openly friends with Jasper already, and that was the new talk in school.


    I and Xavier hung out after school to make up for lost time, but my mind was filled with the thoughts of Dabby. I liked hanging out with her more than anybody, and I missed not talking to her the entire day at school.


    Barely one hour, I told Xavier that I had many things to do at home and we bade farewell. I chatted with Dabby that I was home already, and she came around a few minutester too.


    We talked andughed about so many things, and she told me that her Mum wanted her to quit her job at the cafe. We went to my room to y video games too, and she beat me thoroughly after we made a bet that the loser does what the winner wants.


    She asked me what my ns for gaming were, and I said that I was going to take a long break because I was still heartbroken.


    ¡°You cannot quit, Damien. I will help you the best that I can. I am a gaming pro, remember,¡± she tried to persuade me, and I didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    ¡°I can still do it some other time. Maybe after school or something,¡± I dissuaded immediately.


    ¡°That is what I want for the reward of our bet, Damien,¡± she said as she turned to me with a deadpan serious face.


    ¡®Holy shit. Just how can I deal with this without getting angry and ruining this moment?¡¯

 C-AUght

    DABBY:


    The new good rtionship between me and Damien had been making me so happy, and it felt like we have been friends all this while. Chatting all night was so good that I didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all, and even the next morning was so great to wake up without feeling tired.


    The yful talks we had in the kitchen made cooking even more fun, and It felt like Damien was the only reason why I now found the Anderson¡¯s home nice.


    Going to school was even nicer because I got to scream all I like while singing, while Damien just vibed to the song andughed incessantly. It was so crazy to know that we could ever get that close, and be in the same space fighting or hating one another.


    I hung out with Mason throughout school while talking andughing like before, but it wasn¡¯t the same way that I went along with it without thinking about another thing. While we ate lunch together, I couldn¡¯t focus on everything because Damien was in my head.


    When he texted to meet up after school, I was training together with Mason at the school pool. I told Mason that I had to do something at home, and rushed to take a cab home faster than I ever thought that I could.


    We ate lunch together, talked about so many things we didn¡¯t know we could talk about,ughed about random things, and yed video games after making a bet that the loser would do whatever the winner wanted.


    I already knew what I would ask Damien if I won, because we already talked about it and he said he wasn¡¯t pushing forward. And when I got my chance to persuade him, he looked fed up and tired of it already.


    ¡°You are not a failure, Damien. And your dropping from the games does not define you. You can do better,¡± I continued to pressure him, while he just remained mute. I was expecting him to get angry with me, but he was trying hard to remain organized without ring up.


    ¡°The thought of starting another game and getting it wrong scares me, okay? I don¡¯t want to make something I feel is perfect, that someone would call bullshit,¡± Damien finally opened up his mind and shared his fears instead of getting angry the normal way he would have done.


    ¡°You know pizza right? Not everyone likes it and it is still a food or snack eaten by a wide range of people. There are people that would still curse at Mcdonald¡¯s and drop bad reviews even if they are serving millions of people food every day. Same with Microsoft and the rest. You are going to do well, Damien. I have fate in you,¡± I went on and on talking about instances that I could use to convince him, because I didn¡¯t want him to give up.


    ¡°I mean, a game that can get to the stage of semi-finals is not a joke, Damien. You are a high school student, and are doing great already. Just imagine how big you¡¯ll be if you put in a little effort,¡± I said again while sitting on hisp, so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to pretend that he was listening and hear me out for real.


    ¡°I love gaming. I love making games, Dabby. Even quitting scares the shit out of me. It is something like I am nothing without gaming,¡± he continued honestly, and I snickered a bit to lighten up the intense mood.


    ¡°You are still you without gaming, Damien. It doesn¡¯t matter what you do or don¡¯t do, you are still going to be the great you even if you don¡¯t y games. You are much better than you know, Damien.¡±


    ¡°Coming from someone who always hides herself every time. How did you change so suddenly to this, Dabby? It is almost like I didn¡¯t know you before now,¡± Damien stated his surprise as he narrowed his eyes with a look that indicated suspicion.


    ¡°No. No,¡± Iughed, ¡°Trust me. It was hard. Building confidence wasn¡¯t something I had to do in a day or weeks. But I am a better version of myself now,¡± I smiled brightly with a prideful look, and it made Damien chuckle as he kissed my cheek so endearingly.


    .


    ¡°So teacher. What do you think we are getting done first? Or would you like to join mypany, and be a doctor to sick games with bugs?¡± Damien asked in a funny voice, and I tittered.


    ¡°Damn! You can even joke too? There are so many sides to know about you Mr. Anderson,¡± I chuckled and stood up from Damien¡¯sp to go and get water from the kitchen, but Damien picked me up weightlessly over his shoulders before I could even do anything. Iughed so loudly as he turned me upside down, like he wasn¡¯t even carrying anything.


    We worked together and talked till evening, and Damien drove me to the cafe for work. He was going to see his Aunt and discuss with her, while I was going to announce my resignation. I felt bad that I was going to leave at such a time, but I had no choice because exams were starting soon.


    The week went well and things were good between me and Damien, while Mum and Mr. Anderson were more distant than ever. They came home veryte at different hours, probably when me and Damien were still working on his games till midnight.


    We were also strictly on the rule; Less romance, more work by me and it was frustrating for both of us. So it made everything we were working on faster.


    It was a different weekend because it was only me and Damien that were home alone except when the housekeepers came by, which made everything fun. After all, we were by ourselves.


    I was still so bothered about what was going on between the couples at loggerheads, and I have been wading off whenever Damien wanted to talk about them like I wasn¡¯t noticing too.


    I also wanted to talk to him about their heated conversation that I had eavesdropped on, but it felt harder to do whenever I reminded myself that Damien hated his father already. I didn¡¯t want to make things between them any longer.


    We had more hours to work on Damien¡¯s new game, and I took a break to read in the afternoon while Damien continued what he was doing. He ordered a variety of food for us to eatter which was so satisfying, and we finally took a check in the night for our personal time.


    We were in the living room watching a series that I thought would match Damien¡¯s preference, with a big bowl of popcorn, ice creams, and cookies to eat while we watched together. Damien was lyingfortably with his back on the huge couch, while I was spooned in between him and did most of the eating too.


    He kissed my face and eyes while I watched the movie to stop me from concentrating, which made me jump on him and bite his ear yfully when he wasn¡¯t going to stop. He faked a yelp and whimpers, while I acted like I didn¡¯t even hear him doing that.


    He put his biceps around my throat like he was going to choke me when I didn¡¯t answer him, and I tapped his arms several times that I gave up already, when I knew he wasn¡¯t going to let me be so easily. I scooped strawberry ice cream into my mouth instead, and turned to kiss Damien as we shared the ice cream in our mouths.


    We became calm after a few minutes and continued to watch the movie, when the main door to the house suddenly swung open. I jumped and separated from Damien immediately, while he remained so unperturbed like we were not about to get caught.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    It was Mum that walked into the house with her heels nking loudly against the marble floor, as she put on the lights which shed before my eyes in an instant. The ck dress she was putting on entuated her curves, and she looked like she wasing from a club party.


    ¡°Dabby,¡± she called sharply like someone that was hypnotized already, ¡°To your room. Right, now!¡± Shemanded, and my eyes widened because the order seemed a bit intense.


    ¡®Did we get caught already?¡¯ I wondered.


    ¡°Mum. What is wrong? Where are youing from?¡± I tried to engage her with another talk to be sure that she wasn¡¯t just saying incoherent words.


    ¡°To your room now, Dabby. I¡¯ll see you in a minute,¡± her eyes hardened this time, and I knew that she meant her words.


    ¡®Shit. She probably knew already.¡¯

 Hubbub

    DABBY:


    ¡°What is that between you and Damien?¡± Mum asked the moment we both made our way into my room, and I feigned ignorance immediately like I didn¡¯t understand what she was talking about.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I asked with a calm demeanor, and she frowned when she saw my expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about because I see everything so clearly! Have you been sleeping with my husband¡¯s son?!¡± She demanded in a raging voice, and I turned to look at her with a shocked expression.


    ¡®How could she just use me like that?¡¯


    ¡®And are you even sure that he is still your husband? You are having a fallout already, and it is hard not to notice,¡± I asked calmly while trying not to be offended by her words, intentionally excluding the part that I had heard of their conversation weeks ago. She looked so shocked after I mentioned their marital fights, probably because she didn¡¯t expect me to just be straight with her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about our marriage. It is ours to settle. Now tell me, are you having sex with Damien?¡± She asked again with a stern expression on her face, and I became so pissed by her choice of words.


    ¡°And why would you think that I am sleeping with Damien?¡± My voice sounded so angry as I talked to her.


    ¡°I can see the look in your eyes. Yours and his. And I caught you jumping off one another. It is enough evidence. This morning, he was in the kitchen with you which would never be his ce to do before. I see those signs clearly,¡± she pointed up the facts and I could apud her for that. She caught us real good.


    ¡°And you think I will just open my legs for random guys because we both have the feels and thrills? Is that what you think of me?¡± I inquired from her with a disappointed tone, and she frowned, ¡°It is so satisfying to know that you don¡¯t know anything about me. At least I will not try to understand you any longer.¡±


    ¡°And how would I know when you don¡¯t tell me things? How would I know things about my daughter who isn¡¯t telling me if she¡¯s got a crush somewhere, has a lover, or needs BC pills? How do you expect me to know what you¡¯d do and not?¡± She defended herself.


    ¡°Things like what? How insanely boring my life has been? How I get picked on for being too weak? How I get bullied in every school that I¡¯ve gone to? How I broke too many parts of me because I was too timid? How irritated would you be if you knew that I could not stand up for myself?¡±


    ¡°What?! What are you trying to say, Abby? What the fuck are you trying to tell me now? Bullied?¡± Mum was starting to get sentimental, and I didn¡¯t want that. I just needed her to leave me alone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to pity me, Mum. I am like that and I always have been, but I have gotten over that phase,¡± I tried to cut her off at the pity party she was trying to throw for me, when I wanted us to talk about something that needed the attention she had given it.


    ¡°This is always the problem. You never try to see the effort that I am trying to pu¡­¡­¡­..¡±


    ¡°I am in love with Damien,¡± I cut her off with my announcement, and she had a shocked expression on her face.


    ¡°No, you cannot, love Damien. You cannot love him,¡± she argued.


    ¡°I know. I have tried but it is extremely hard. So hard to the extent, that I might be wishing for your divorce with his dad so that I can be with him,¡± I confessed honestly, what had sincerely been in my mind every night while thinking of our romance.


    ¡°What?! Oh my. What hase over you Dabby? Are you serious?¡± Mum asked incredulously while taking breaks to swallow her breath at the truth I just told her, ¡°You are not allowed to be around Damien from now henceforth. Break every rtionship you have with him. He is your brother!¡± She yelled.


    I sat on the bed and broke down to tears without having any reply to give, knowing that I was conflicted about everything.


    As much as I felt like things might probably end between Mum and Damien¡¯s dad, I wanted her to tell me herself that their marriage was close to a sham from the beginning. But she was totally against it like she was in love with Damien¡¯s dad, or like they would remain married for a long time.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Mum walked closer to where I was sitting and sat beside me, as she patted slowly on my back to probablyfort me. I didn¡¯t know if she really had to, because getting over Damien while living in the same house was going to be extremely hard.


    ¡°You, cannot, date Damien even if he weren¡¯t your step brother. He is kind of broken, like his father,¡± Mum said in a low tone, and I jumped away from her side immediately in shock.


    ¡°What are you saying?! What do you mean by that? He is not. He is the best person ever, if you get to know him,¡± I shrieked in horror as I stared at Mum, not believing that she could say something like that, ¡°I thought you were his acting Mum?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. But it is true. I am sure you know it, only if you are pretending!¡±


    ¡°I do not care what you think, Mum. But I am never leaving him. My stepbrother or not. I am never!¡± I yelled.

 Complicated

    DABBY:


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to tell Spencer and get him to separate you too. Or talk with his Aunt to talk to him. I guess that might be the best resort,¡± Mum switched to an indifferent tone, and I gasped in surprise.


    ¡®I thought I told her that Mr. Anderson could not know that Damien met his aunt?¡¯


    ¡°I certainly do not know you anymore, Mum. I would like to take a break,¡± I told her to avoid more arguments between us, and turned to enter the bathroom before things would escte. I couldn¡¯t imagine that she would say something like that.


    I spent the entire night sad and angry, and the next day was so tiring for me. Mum had left home before I woke up, and I met Damien in the kitchen when I walked downstairs. He was making toast. I would have expected him to burn it when I checked it out, but they were all perfectly crispy on both sides.


    We both had a calm breakfast without talking about what happened the previous night, and just talked about the progress Damien had made with his game. After we were done eating, we returned to our rooms to dress up and I made him apany me to mass.


    On our way back, we went to a cafe instead of going home, and spent most of our afternoon there doing our own business. I was reading because our exams were starting the next day, while Damien was working on his game. He said that most of what the teachers said during ss was stuck somewhere in his head.


    I could not get what Mum said out of my head, and I had some kind of fear in me for what would stille. It made me wonder if I should have confronted Mum about the ¡®contract¡¯ and to see if u would be able to use that to convince her that I and Damien could still be together.


    ¡®She even said it already that even if we were not siblings, she would not still want it.¡¯


    Towards evening, Damien drove to Mrs. Carr¡¯s house because she wanted to see Damien, and that would be my final goodbye to working as her employee.


    While she and Damien were talking in the kitchen, I and Mason sat together to cut the cookies with a shaped cutter out of the dough. We were talking about things we had missed telling one another during the week, because we now felt more distant from one another. After all, I had been hanging out with Damien.


    ¡°There seemed to be quite the thrills between you two,¡± Mason pointed out with a smirk while giving me a taunting look, that felt like I should spill out something.


    ¡°Hmnnn. Yeah. I don¡¯t know, cause my Mum found out and she¡¯s crazy mad. We are not even dating and just ying around. But I really love him, and it scares the shit out of me,¡± I confessed truthfully to Mason because he was the closest person I had to a best friend. More like the only person who would not condemn me.


    ¡°You are totally unrted by blood, but literally you are now siblings. It is going to make her angry to find out that you have feelings for one another. It is crazy I tell you,¡± Mason stated the hard truth which made my throat go dry, because I wanted to tell him that our parent¡¯s rtionship was not what he was thinking it was.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Actually, I heard my Mum and ¡­¡­¡­..¡±


    Ding!


    ¡°Mason, someone¡¯s at the door!¡± Mrs. Carr called from the kitchen the moment she heard, and Mason excused himself for a moment to check who it was.


    The door swung open in an instant, and the person that stormed in was the person I had least expected. His presence made my heart skip so many beats. Mason came after him to ask who he was, which called for his mum¡¯s attention as she came out of the kitchen together with Damien.


    ¡°Spencer?¡± Mrs. Carr was astounded as she stared at Damien¡¯s dad who was standing before her, and the look on Mason¡¯s face immediately held surprise to know that his uncle was before him.


    ¡°What the fuck you doing in town?¡± Mr. Anderson asked immediately, and he looked really angry.


    ¡®Oh damn. I never knew he could cuss aloud.¡¯

 Boundaries 1

    DABBY:


    I was startled when I watched Damien¡¯s dad make his way into the house, because there was no way that I could ever have expected to see him there. My mind darted to Mum immediately, and disappointment filled my heart that she must have gone through her threat.


    Watching him and Mason¡¯s Mum talk back at one another, made me realize that Mrs. Carr had been keeping too much for the past years. It made me understand why Damien had always been wary of his dad, and why he always thought he wasn¡¯t a good man.


    ¡®Why was he desperately trying to hide him from the only family he had from his mother¡¯s family?¡¯


    He threatened to have Mrs. Carr locked up if we didn¡¯t follow him back home, and we had no choice but to do that because Damien didn¡¯t want any problem for his Aunt. We were both mute throughout the journey back home, while I pondered endlessly on whom it could be that exposed us.


    Damien¡¯s dad seized the car keys the moment we got home, and told us that we should drop out phones too after grounding us. I dropped mine quickly to avoid any more problems with him, but Damien refused to drop his own which caused us even more trouble.


    He also went as far as threatening his father that he would make sure he got arrested if he hit any of us, which caused Mr. Anderson to break everything he had in sight with anger. It terrified me to see him like that, and I was so scared because I have never seen my stepfather¡¯s true colors. I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    He stormed out of the house angrily and I heaved a sigh of fearful relief, which made me slump onto the chair and take a peaceful break. Damien sat beside me tofort me from whatever I was feeling, and Mum entered the house shortly after the entire drama had taken ce.


    She asked to know why everywhere was messy, and there was no answer which she didn¡¯t push further. She probably realized what probably happened in the room, but I was furious that she went ahead to tell Damien¡¯s father what I said she shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Mum. I would like to see you. Personally,¡± I said to her in a very stern voice, and she didn¡¯t even get angry and followed me. I could not imagine why she would do that to Damien because of our little fling.


    ¡°Mum, how could you do that? After I already said that Damien¡¯s dad shouldn¡¯t find out about his Aunt. Why would you do that?!¡± I didn¡¯t wait for her to even close the door, before I faced her with an instant question. I couldn¡¯t imagine why she would do that.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to tell, honey. I came back home after I left this morning, and found out that you both had gone out together again. I was really pissed. I got the phone and called the numbers I had saved from the food delivery I ordered. Damien¡¯s father was behind me when I called to ask if that was Damien¡¯s aunt, Adele on the line¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°And you just showed him to her house? You couldn¡¯t have thought of a lie or something the way you would usually do if it involved me?¡± I asked her in a very mean voice, and she looked hurt by my words even though it was entirely true. I just couldn¡¯t understand why we have been having so many differencestely.


    ¡®I guess my days of being a gentle daughter were over.¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Why are you talking to your Mum because of an ordinary guy? What if his Dad found out about his Aunt? Is it bad?¡± Mum tried to defend herself when I think she intentionally did what I asked her not to, because I was not listening to her. I mean I have been an obedient daughter all my life.


    ¡°Well, you got what you wanted even if you don¡¯t know how the past had been. Fine. Damien¡¯s car key is seized and my phone is too. He said we are grounded till the end of exams,¡± I recounted everything Mr. Anderson said to us with a frown, because I really didn¡¯t know how to take my anger to the extreme, ¡°Apparently, he forced Damien¡¯s mum to forgo her parental rights over her son. I am just telling you so that you know the kind of man you are married to, before telling him more things, thinking that it would help.¡±


    When I was done saying my mind, I figured out that Mum didn¡¯t have anything to say and left her sight minutester. I went to the kitchen to cook something because it was a way that I could wade off my anger, and also cate our hungry stomachs since we were not able to eat at Mrs. Carr¡¯s house.


    I wanted to call Mason to ask if everything was fine with them, but soon realized that my phone had been taken away from me. I figured out that Damien might need his space away from me due to what he heard his Aunt say, but he called me toe and have dinner together with him.


    We talked about many things apart from what had happened within thest few hours of our lives, and worked together till it was midnight before I returned to my room. It was Monday morning already, and the first day of our final examinations.


    I was thinking we would have to take the bus because Damien didn¡¯t have his car anymore, but someone was waiting for us in front of the house already with a car that would take us to school.


    Turns out that he was designated to arrive early to take us to school, and also to be at the park waiting at closing hours to take us back home instantly.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Damien wasn¡¯t having it and left for school in a cab purposely to rebel against his dad, and Mr. Anderson had his card frozen before the end of the day. I talked to Mason in school during lunch hours, and he told me that his mother was doing fine.


    We talked about how scary Damien¡¯s father was, and he told me more things that his mother said he had done in the past. It made me feel so sorry for Damien to have had quite a rough childhood with a violent father and a weak mother.


    Exams weren¡¯t in the same mood in our grade, because most people in our grade didn¡¯t have their minds invested in them. All they had their minds on was prom, and it was the major talk of the school. Some parties were being thrown by our ssmates, to celebrate that we were going to be done with high school soon.


    The second day was the same at home, and it felt like I and Damien were the only ones left by ourselves. Mum got my phone back from her husband and dropped it on the table for me, because we were probably not still in the right state to talk to one another.


    I spent my afternoon reading and monitoring my college applications, and spent my nights helping Damien to check out his game. He bought some more things that he felt we needed through delivery services since we couldn¡¯t go out, and he told me he had a spare credit card even if his Dad froze the ones with him.


    Mum and I reconciled after she apologized for whatever she had done on the fourth day, and she tried hard not to talk about me and Damien because she knew it would cause problems. When she asked if we were doing fine, I told her that we were not doing what she thought we were doing.


    The days went like that with Damien trying every best to avoid his father, and I sure was doing the same because I couldn¡¯t cope with a one-on-one meeting with him. I also didn¡¯t trust Mum too.


    She could drop the news to him at any time, that Damien and I had something going on between us.


    And he probably found out. Himself.

 Boundaries 2

    DABBY:


    It was Sunday night, and the first week of exams had ended. I texted Damien after we had dinner that I was tired of staying indoors, and he told me toe to his room when I was sure Mum had gone up to her room.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, Damien. I didn¡¯t know a ce like this was in your house,¡± I eximed while I moved around the workshop that we snuck into.


    After I had sneaked to his room to meet him, he helped me jump down through his window so silently. If we used the main door or the other kitchen door, we were going to be found out because it would make a sound. And we wouldn¡¯t want to exin too much.


    The ce wasn¡¯t as dusty as I expected it to be, and the inside room was well organized even if it smelled a little musty. It was located at the backdoor of thepound that was rarely used, and it was like an underground extension to the tiny storage room located there.


    ¡°I came here in the past whenever I needed my peace from Dad. Nowadays, Ie once in a while, especially when I feel so down. I like the smell of musty wood,¡± Damien told me as he dusted therge table and everywhere in the ce so that we could take a seat.


    There was only one chair so Damien took it, while I sat on the table in front of him.  We talked for a couple of minutes about random stuff at school, and I switched to showing him the list of schools that I had applied to on my phone.


    Soon he switched to checking the pictures of me on my phone, and I shrieked when I realized that he was going to see some pictures that would make me embarrassed if he saw them. I struggled for the phone from him before he would check it, and his hand pressed on my breast in the process which stopped us immediately.


    We were looking at one another for a while after that happened, and the next minute we were kissing one another so passionately.


    Damien stood up from his sitting position and moved closer in between my legs, as he kissed me softly, and then increased the intensity with a swift gradation that made me cling to him.


    Like we had never kissed before, it sent wild tremors along my nerves.


    My tongue plunged between his lips, tasted him, and found my tongue twined around his. His hands drove into my lush ck hair, grabbed handfuls of it, and crushed my mouth to his even more. A slight moan escaped my lips when he bit slowly on my lips, and my hand struggled to grasp the table that I struggled to remain on.


    He tightened his hands around my waist and pulled me closer as my mouth moved beneath his, nibbled on it, and sucked. It was a delicious torment for me, and I was beginning to feel a strong desire for more than the kiss. The need to touch, and be touched.


    Tugging at my t-shirt, he drew it up just enough to slide his hands beneath it and on my pale skin which made my breath hitch. His lips touched my cold skin and trailed down my corbone at the same time, setting pressure under my skin as his fingers slid through the middle of my breast and ran down. I froze. Maybe in pleasure.


    His hand brushed lightly across my stiff nipples that were bare underneath my shirt, and then crept slowly down my tummy to the band of my shorts as we maintained eye contact. His fingers slid through my shorts, and glided to and fro my lower belly that churned desperately for his touch.


    I jumped and twitched with irrational breaths that I was trying hard to control, with my hips liftingpulsively to his touch, as his fingers went down even a bit further to tease my golden curls. I let out a loud moan which made Damien stop, as he kissed my lips instantly which prevented me from moaning even loud.


    He withdrew his fingers and ran them between my thighs instead, and began circling my clit through my panties. His fingers peeked through mycy panties at the end of my thigh, and I gasped heavily with shock waves that hit me, waiting for his fingers to plunge deep into me but he stopped at that point.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± I asked him immediately, and my voice betrayed me which made me sound desperate. And yes, maybe I was. I was probably dripping wet from his actions, with my walls clenching tightly in desire. How could he leave me hanging?


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today,¡± his mellifluous voicepelled its melody into my ears, and it sounded seductive at that time.


    We left minutester and smiled out as if nothing had happened, and he helped me return to my room through the window this time around, while he took the second exit door through the kitchen into the house. Thinking I was going to be able to wait for him toe to my room, I slept off in the process and woke up the next morning feeling so good.


    I checked my phone to see if there was any message from Damien after taking my bath, and there was, which shocked me beyond my bones;


    ¡®Let us break off whatever is it that we have, Dabby.¡¯Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 So hard

    DABBY:


    I rushed out of my room barefooted and ran across the hallway we shared to Damien¡¯s room, only to realize that the door had been locked and he was out of the house already. As much as I was trying to remain organized, my heart was failing me and I could feel tears burn my eyes.


    My feet ran as fast as they could down the stairs to the kitchen to confirm if he was really gone, and there was no sign of Damien either in or out of the house. I was trying to call his number too, and it was unreachable.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, dear. I hope this is a prank. I really do,¡± my breath shuddered as I said the words, and ran back into my room trying to rx my nerves. I wanted to believe that I had seen wrong or it was probably a mistake.


    ¡®Maybe for an ex-girlfriend,¡¯ Iforted myself as I sat in front of the mirror, trying to wear thetest brand of lipstick I just got for myself.


    As I ran it slowly over my lips, my breath could not keep calm and my hands were shaking too. I ended up smudging it over my lips, and it was like a trigger to the emotions I was feeling. I lowered my head in frustration and cried over my dresser so loudly because I was really scared.


    ¡®What if it had been a game?¡¯


    ¡°No. No, Dabby. Damien cannot do that to you,¡± I said aloud in a shaky voice again, and stood up from where I was seated.


    I wiped my face, adjusted my hair, put on little makeup, and checked my dress once more before I walked out. The driver who was meant to pick us up was already waiting, and I told him that Damien was probably in school already so we had to leave very fast. I had to see him as fast as possible.


    Immediately I alighted from the car, I ran like someone in hot pursuit until the building and straight to Damien¡¯s ss. There were quite some students in his ss, but there was no sight of Damien anywhere. I was trying hard to remain calm, as I called his phone again but it was still the same thing.


    ¡°Dabby,¡± I heard Mason call my name from the other side of the building, and I scurried over to his side without trying to hide my fear as usual.


    ¡°Hi, Mason. How was the weekend¡­¡­..¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my weekend is important right now. What is wrong with you, Dabby? You don¡¯t look settled,¡± Mason observed as he watched my face carefully in concern, while I just tried to keep my tears from falling.


    ¡°Have you seen Damien today?¡± I asked him immediately, and he shook his head.


    ¡°What is wrong with him? I thought you guys live in the same house,¡± Mason lowered his voice as we spoke.


    ¡°Yes, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. And he isn¡¯t in school either. He is not picking up his calls too,¡± Iined in agitation, and he was probably weirded by the fact that I was being dramatic.


    ¡°Nothing is probably wrong with him. You know how Damien is. He¡¯ll be fine. He is probably with one of his friends.¡±


    ¡®Just how do I tell my friend that I was being that way because of the sudden message that Damien sent to me? Just a few hours away from being cool with one another. That I could go crazy if no one would tell me about his whereabouts.¡¯


    ¡°Let us go to ss, and you can revise your books before the exam starts in a few minutes,¡± Mason suggested and dragged me by the arm toe along with him, but I wasn¡¯t convinced yet. I had to see Damien before the exam, otherwise, how do I focus?


    The minutes passed by without me seeing Damien till our exams began, and it was the same thing when it was time for lunch. He wasn¡¯t anywhere in his ss, and he wasn¡¯t in the cafe or at the school parking lot. I was so restless throughout the day, and I didn¡¯t know how I managed to finish my exam before I came out of the ss.


    It was the same thing when I returned home but Damien wasn¡¯t there, and I wondered what Mum was even doing home early by that time. She was making lunch in the kitchen and when I asked her what was going on, she said that she was preparing the food because her husband wasing home soon. I was so surprised.


    ¡®When did she and Damien¡¯s father make up and be lovers once again?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even mind whatever it was all about and just made my way up the stairs, and went straight to Damien¡¯s room to see if he was there. The door was still the same as I left it, and it made me go crazy with intense disappointment.


    ¡®What exactly was going on? What? What? Where was he?¡¯


    By the time I was waiting till evening, there was no sign of him and they were having lunch downstairs. No one was asking about him when it was a fact that we were both grounded. I was so moody and sad till night, and didn¡¯t have dinner before I fell asleep. I woke up in a mess.


    It was the same. Damien¡¯s phone number was unreachable, his door was locked, I was going to school alone, and no one was saying anything. Mum made toast for everyone while I was up in the room, and she was thest person that I would ask about him.


    I just dressed casually and left home even before the driver meant to pick us up came, and sat at the school field that I rarely sat at, to see everyone that would pass through.


    And the moment I saw the tall figuree down from a cab, I rushed from where I was sitting to meet him without minding who could be watching us. It took me extra effort not to wrap my hands around and hug him, even if I was still conflicted about everything that was going on between us.


    ¡°Damien. What is going on?¡± I asked in fear while trying hard not to cry, because it was hard for me to understand why he was being like that.


    ¡°Can we talkter?¡± His cold response came instantly as he stalked past me without waiting, and my hands were too weak to drag him back before I started crying. I was too hurt to even say anything.


    ¡®Why was he being so mean to me?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t see Damien throughout the day at school because of exams, and it was the same as the previous day, like he had be invisible. I knew that he wasn¡¯t going to be home, and didn¡¯t bother going whether we were grounded or not.


    I went with Mason to the cafe to see if I could speak to his Mum, but she was not there which made it even more teary. Mason was trying to calm me down, but I was not having it at all. He also helped me call Damien¡¯s phone and he picked up, but hung up the moment he heard Mason¡¯s voice.


    Something was wrong. Damien was avoiding me so badly, and he was not giving a reason why he was doing that after a weird message. Regardless of what his dear cousin was saying to make me calm down, I just returned home sad and dejected.


    ¡®How did seeing one person be so difficult?¡¯


    _-__-__-_


    ¡°What is wrong with you Dabby? I thought you were going to be asking me about your prom dress now, or talking about the end of exams. You have been so down,¡± Mum asked me when she sat on my bed, probably because she realized that I didn¡¯te down for lunch or dinner again.


    ¡°Where is Damien, mother? Why are you acting like you don¡¯t know something is wrong in this house? Damien hasn¡¯t been home the normal way for two days, Mum. He is avoiding me!¡± I couldn¡¯t hold myst sentence and burst into tears again, because it was so hard for me to believe something like that would happen between us.


    I had been nning our future together if I knew that I shouldn¡¯t. I had seen us doing so many things together before we would ever separate because of school, which was something I had been trying not to think about at all.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he love me anymore the way he imed he did?¡¯ I wondered endlessly.


    ¡°If this is about Damien, darling. Forget about him. You and I know that you both cannot be together. You will meet other people and fall in love, Dabby. You shouldn¡¯t spend yourst days like this. It is distracting you,¡± Mum tried to talk to me, but I was not ready to even hear her say that. I had to resolve my issues first, and it all had to do with Damien.


    ¡°What have you done to him? What have you guys said to him?!¡± I yelled out in much pain, because I couldn¡¯t understand why Mum was saying that to me like she knew why Damien was being that way.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, darling. I want the best for you, and loving your step brother isn¡¯t the best. I don¡¯t know what is wrong with him either, but it is probably for the best¡­¡­..¡±


    ¡°I know your marriage with Damien¡¯s dad is for both your sakes not ours! It is a contract marriage. I know it all. I heard you both arguing about it, so I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t mention me and Damien¡¯s rtions with one another!¡± I was forced to say it out loud finally.


    ¡°Da¡­. What¡­¡± Mum stuttered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to deny it or pretend, Mum. I know it all, and I am so terrified that you two can do something like that. But that is a matter for another day,¡± I paused like I was choking on my words and took a few seconds to breathe, ¡°I cannot let go of Damien, Mum. It is so deep-rooted in my head than you think. I¡­. I just can¡¯t,¡± I started to cry again, because it was really hard for me to exin how hurt I was. How I wouldn¡¯t even get angry and just embrace Damien if he came back to me. I was missing him so badly.


    ¡°I am divorcing Damien¡¯s dad, Dabby,¡± Mum dropped the bombshell.

 Hard to believe

    DAMIEN:


    I never knew we could ever be this good, or even be so close to the extent that your absence would affect me. I mean, when I knew that we were going to be siblings, it almost drove me crazy. I was sick, and I was sad. Who would I tell? I wondered.


    Then I remembered that I didn¡¯t have anyone to tell which made me think it would get better. But you hated me so much which made things so hard for me, and I swore to avoid you at every cost even if it was hard. I have thought of running away so many times. Maybe to where no one would see me again.


    It was so hard to understand you, and the kind of person you were in school, made it a lot harder for me. But the day we had our first bump kiss, I began to struggle with my emotions.


    And maybe it had even started before that. I could now see you everywhere in my head, and craved to see you more often than I have ever done. I was scared too. What if Mum found out that I was crushing on my brother?


    But then things picked up pace, and we kissed again which affirmed everything that I was feeling. Finding out that you had been my gaming buddy, really spun me off my head because it was hard to believe.


    And just like that, we met each other at the closest point a rtionship can get to three different times. I knew that there was no going back, the moment I admitted that I love you. I told myself: It is going to be so hard to get over this first love of yours.


    I love the memories we shared, and gaming with you was the best part. Late night with youughing and smiling, made me know that Damien wasn¡¯t the guy I knew months ago. Talking about ourselves and things we never tell others, made me see that there was more to this guy that I knew I was going to love even more.


    It has been hard without you by myself. Knowing you are avoiding me for some reason, is killing me so much that I don¡¯t know how to reconcile with my heart. It has been hurting so much too. There are so many of my clothes that smell of you, that I have had to pack them into a bag to reduce this craziness in me.


    The second text message you sent again, is making it so hard to hold on to myself. If I end up seeing you and we don¡¯t makeup, I¡¯m going to lose my mind.


    I want you to be the best Damien. I want you to shine. You are so much better than you know. I wish you the best in everything that you do, and I hope you be the best gamer and game owner very soon.


    Guess what? I¡¯ve ordered my prom dress and it ising soon. I hope your tuxedo is ready.


    Thank you for everything, Damien. I can say you have made me see myself in a better light than I have ever done. It is nice having you as a lover.


    Wishing you the best and sending you loads of kisses.


    Courtesy, Dabby.


    ~~~~.    ~~~~.


    I read Dabby¡¯s letter again and again for the fifth time, and every word hurt my heart like she was actually saying them to me. It made me realize how hard it is to love someone when you cannot be with them.


    It might look too in a story or far-fetched, but Dabby changed my life in ways only I could tell. She made me feel secure about many things I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to know, even more than an adult or my best friend had ever done.


    I had always flirted with any girl who was willing and had nothing serious to do with any of them except for show, but Dabby made me know that I could love and enjoy my time with another person in my space. Hanging out with my best friends had always been about the clique, but spending it with Dabby was the best fun without getting tired.


    I had fallen too deeply in love with her, and the couple of days that we had not seen each other was bad for me. Leaving home early,ing inte, finishing exams fast, and doing every possible thing to avoid her. But nothing was working to cure my fever which was rising day by day, because I was missing her badly.


    Going to the cafe every evening with the excuse that I wanted to see Aunt, made me realize that she could never be in the same position behind the counter taking orders. Mason was rarely around the cafe again, and it was a true realization that had set in with everyone¡¯s different lives.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Gaming was hard, and trying not to drink was harder. Trying to utilize my time for meaningful things wasn¡¯t so easy, because I felt the hours were not passing by the way they normally did. It made me even opt for school books and maybe rekindle the old passion I had once had for books.


    We were done with exams already and it was the end of high school already. Xavier suggested that we throw a party at my house, but we ended up throwing it at his which was the most popr party.


    I don¡¯t know how he did it, but a lot of people ditched Jasper and Bryan¡¯s party to be at ours. I didn¡¯t do anything there or have any fun and just drank till I slept off in Xavier¡¯s room.


    Dabby and her Mum were out of the house for two straight after the party, and it was just preparations for prom that were left. I feared that they might have left for good and chickened out, but I was rest assured when I discovered that every arrangement with everyone¡¯s room remained the same.


    It was Thursday morning and the first message I saw was from Mason, and he said that we should meet at a sports university where he trained with other swimmers. When I arrived at the huge standard pool where they trained, he waved to me with a bright smile like that was how we had been our entire lives.


    He challenged me to a swimming duel, and he was like ten seconds faster than me when we came out and checked the time duration.


    ¡°You are a really good swimmer. I like the third best here now, and thest person is in the same spot as you. I was even worse when I started,¡± Mason told me with a chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at so many things you know,¡± I boasted with a smirk across my lips, and Mason huffed.


    ¡°Pride!¡± He emphasized as he rolled his eyes, and we bothughed again as I went to sit beside him to take a break.


    Turns out that he had ordered pizza and a lot of things that we could eat after swimming, and it felt really good having to talk about the past we had shared with my cousin. I had been wondering if we could ever go back to the same way we were in the past, and it felt like we might even be better than that.


    ¡°You wanna talk about what is going on with you and Dabby?¡± He finally asked after hours of talking about ourselves, and I sighed hard. I had been trying hard to ghost both of them, and Mason finally had me good.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been fine. It is really hard for her, and it hurts me too,¡± he continued, and I could see the genuity of how much he cared for her too. He was a good man till the very end without confessing his feelings to her.


    ¡°Do you know where she has been going these past few days? Last week too,¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Her interview and all. Her Mum is having a custom-made prom dress for her, and they are getting the perfect designs for it too. She is making so many preparations for Dabby and has been taking her everywhere for college preparations,¡± Mason chuckled at his words, and I smiled too because I could rte. Having Joanna as a Mum was already enough work, because she was so dramatic.


    ¡°I really love Dabby, and I still do. Shit is really hard, and I don¡¯t even know where to start,¡± I finally let out my pain in frustration, and sighed hard because it had been killing me to keep alone.


    Back to the day, we made out at the workshop¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    After I raised Dabby from the ground into her room through the window, I entered through the kitchen exit door to meet Dad waiting for me at the kitchen entrance. I was going to ignore him like I usually did, but his question held me back from moving another inch.


    ¡°You fucking Joanna¡¯s daughter, ain¡¯t you?¡± He asked in a gruff voice like someone drunk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should talk now,¡± I waded him off.


    I don¡¯t care whatever you do with any other girl, but just know that this marriage is contract based. And why? Mypany is going through a crisis and needs funding, which I need that grumpy grandfather of yours to do for me once I get remarried. And for Joanna, the settlement is going to be for Dabby¡¯s eye surgery, schooling, and clearance of her debts. I¡¯d advise you to end everything now, else I¡¯m cutting everything off,¡± he summarized everything that had been going on to me, and I was in shock because I didn¡¯t expect to hear something like that.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know you do not believe me, so here is the proof of our marriage contract,¡± he threw the file at me, and I opened it hurriedly to read what was written in it.


    ¡®What the actual fuck?¡¯

 Was this the end?

    DABBY:


    ¡°Oh, dear. You look so beautiful in this dress. So gorgeous,¡± Mumplimented as she adjusted the design on the red dress I was wearing, and I smiled brightly in delight as I looked through the mirror.


    I looked so astounding more than I could have ever thought that I would look, which made Mum¡¯s job for everything somendable. She had taken more than an hour to style my hair to perfection, and another hour to make my face up.


    Looking at myself over and over again in my newplete look, made me realize that I was looking more like my mother. The facial features were outlined to look like hers, and I was beginning to have the same entuated body as hers.


    ¡°Who is your date?¡± She inquired to know.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve got quite a lot of asks to prom,¡± I told her truthfully. And I didn¡¯t expect the numbers that increased before and after we finished our valedictory. More than I ever thought I¡¯d ever get.


    ¡°You are like a mini-me. How can you be so pretty?¡± Mummented with a pout as she adjusted my hair over and over again like something was wrong with it.


    ¡°I think I am really going to stand out,¡± I let out my words the exact way I felt in my heart, and it made Mum nod proudly with a smile.


    ¡°I am d you are finally listening to me once again. Everything is going perfectly now that my daughter is back,¡± Mum stated as she walked back to my bed to unbox the heels we ordered from the box, which made me shake my head.


    I swallowed saliva to lubricate my parched throat, and tried hard to calm down my heart which was hurting really badly. As much as I was trying to put my heart into prom, it was so hard to forget the fact that my heart was missing someone terribly.


    ¡®How could I?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m doing what I want, Mother,¡± I reminded her and forced a smile as I looked at myself in the mirror, and tried to distract myself by trying to put on the silver ne that was on my dresser.


    ¡°Let me,¡± Mum came to my rescue before I could even pick it up, and I just collected the heels from her to allow her to do whatever she wanted to do.


    ¡°I know that you are married to Damien¡¯s dad because you agreed on something for the marriage,¡± I said to Mum slowly, feeling like that was the perfect time to let go of my grudge and talk things out.


    ¡°Dabby¡­¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel pressured to talk to me about it. I just wanted you to know that this marriage arrangement was a really hard thing for me. It was really hard. Harder than you know and can ever know,¡± I spoke to her truthfully without making an issue out of it, while trying to not be emotional about it too.


    Thinking about everything had really been so hard for me, that I wanted to cry so hard and ruin my makeup on the spot. Their decision to get married because of whatever reasons were the reasons why I became so miserable, and also the time that I got my happiest moment in high school with an unexpected person.


    Then everything just had toe to an end abruptly because of their decision too, which was hurting me in the hardest way that I have been sad. It was leaving a hike in my heart that I had not filled, and would be hard to do by the time we were done with everyone. Divorce meant ending everything.


    ¡°I am sorry for hurting you, Dabby. I really am¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, Mum, because it really is not going to do anything. I am so sad and pained to the extent that it is hard for me to breathe every time I think of it. I¡¯m struggling so much, and I am trying hard not to cry right now,¡± I forced a smile as I looked into the mirror with my heavy heart that arched so badly.


    A tear rolled down from my right eye at that moment, which I stopped immediately with my hand. I didn¡¯t want her to say anything at all and just listen to me, which she understood.


    ¡°So do we leave after these? Or do the remaining funds have to be gotten first?¡± I diverted the topic to an entirely different one from what I was saying before, because I didn¡¯t want to talk deeply about what I was feeling even if I just wanted her to know. It hurt me to know that my feelings had never been an option even if she was not doing it intentionally.


    ¡°Do you know his grumpy old father is a nice man? He even sent me bills as bride price for marrying his son through courier. He put a note in and said: For showing Spencer that not every woman is weak,¡± Mum narrated to me, and I turned back in surprise.


    ¡°Really? Damien¡¯s grandma must have enjoyed a really good life with him,¡± I spected with a smile, and turned away from the mirror to put my heels on ignoring the fact that she didn¡¯t answer my question immediately. She probably had no idea either.


    Bending my waist to wear my heels on the spot, made me remember the encounter that I had with Damien two days before, and how hard I struggled to ept the truth that was pping hard on my face. It was so hard.


    We met at the front of the house in the night and he seemed drunk when he entered, which made me wonder what had gone wrong with him when he entered through the gate in a staggering manner.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Where are youing from?¡± I asked him as I held him quickly as he walked close to where I was standing, with a really gloomy expression on his face like something crazy was wrong.


    It took me extra effort to hold him still before he fell, and even more to take him into the house as well as up the stairs. Pushing the door to his room open, I managed to get him to his bed before I copsed with him too.


    After I heaved a sigh of relief and tried to stand up, a hand pulled me back to the bed and wrapped around me immediately as it hugged me close too.


    The good memories we had shared came flooding my heart instantly, and my legs were trapped by its feelings that made me unable to stand up. I just remained there inhaling the smell of him.


    I turned to face him with his eyes which were tightly shut, and it made my belly weak because I had not been so close to him like that in so long.


    It made me want to do things to his body and have him touch mine, even if he had made it clear that he didn¡¯t want us together again.


    ¡°Why is this so hard, Damien?¡± I asked in a very low whisper as I faced him, and I froze when I heard a reply that I didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°It really is. I can¡¯t do this,¡± Damien responded to my question with his eyes still shut.


    I stood up from his side minutester when I realized that he was fast asleep already, and kissed him on the cheek before turning to leave the room finally.


    He apologized through text the next day for acting irrationally when he already drew the line, and when I tried calling back his number it became unreachable the same way it had always been. The same pain too.


    ¡®Was that how we were going to be till the very end?¡¯

 Last moments

    DABBY:


    It was past evening already, and Mum could finally affirm that I looked perfect enough to go for prom. Mason came around to pick me up at home in a car, and he was looking so stunned by his expression when he saw me. Yeah, I knew I was killing it.


    It was more stares, jaws dropping, astounding looks, and more expressions that I couldn¡¯t decipher, the moment I made my way into the prom hall with Mason holding my hand. There were so many things to look forward to, that I made sure to leave my pains down at the door of the hall.


    The party mood kicked in almost immediately with nice music, and there were sses of champagne rolling in everywhere and there. I wasughing and talking with my Mason and his friends, when Amelia, the girl who won the valedictorian of our set came to drag me with her.


    ¡°And shall I and the most outstanding of the set take a dance together,¡± she shed a smile at me, and I took her hand in pleasure as we both started to dance together.


    She was always second after me in ss, and was the nerd you couldn¡¯t bully or look down on because she was feisty. We had talked a few times before when I first came to school and beat her in the exams, and I think there had been this air ofpetitiveness between us ever since. She had never beaten me since, and probably didn¡¯t like me either. But she finally got to be valedictorian thanks to Mum.


    We danced together a popr dance so wlessly, and we soon became the attraction in the hall. After we were done dancing, Amelia was called to take over from the event host temporarily, and she smiled really brightly on the stage as she made a few jokes.


    ¡°Now we are going to call upon thedy with the most astounding dress, and also the year¡¯s most outstanding student to give her speech,¡± I heard Amelia say, and the spotlight shed on me immediately from where I stood.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Walking to the front before everyone in the room put so much tension in me, but Mason helped me get halfway to the front before I climbed the stage.


    ¡°Good day everyone. It¡¯s just Dabby. Nerdy girl who got involved in so many school scandals in thest months. I am here again before everyone, and I am feeling really good.


    What I would like to say is that regardless of what you feel and what anyone makes you feel, you are loved regardless. It doesn¡¯t have to be from the people you expected it from, it can be from the person or people you least expect.


    Stand up for yourself, because people would pick on and use you if you decide to be prey. Be nicer to yourself and love yourself more, because you can do it better than you have ever imagined. Embrace your mistakes, and try to be a better person so that they don¡¯t define you.


    You don¡¯t know what you can do or how far you can go, until you have given it a try.


    Don¡¯t let anyone¡¯s words define you. You are the author of your own life. Don¡¯t let anyone decide how you are going to write, and just make sure you are scripting the right things.


    Thank you all for the love I¡¯ve received, everyone and I am so grateful for this opportunity,¡± I ended my speech after so many minutes of my emotions being put forward, and I was proud of myself as I was given a round of apuse by so many hands of people that were looking at me in the hall.


    I came down from the stage to meet Mason when I walked down, and he kissed my cheek as he spun my hand over my head, ¡°You did great, Dabby. I am proud of you.¡±


    It was another shocker for me when I was announced as prom queen, and Damien¡¯s friend, Xavier was announced as prom king. We danced again and had so much fun after we were crowned, but my heart couldn¡¯t help but worry for Damien because I had not seen him since the party started.


    The fun went on for so long tillte in the night, and I finally took a break to sit and rest from my heels. I had a lot to drink too when we yed a lot of games, and I just decided to watch everyone from where I sat. Mum seemed to be messaging me that she was waiting for me at the school park too.


    ¡®She would have to wait,¡¯ I groaned.


    A approached me a few minutester when I bent to unbuckle my heels, the scent was so familiar that I couldn¡¯t mistake him for another person. I raised my eyes to meet his eyes from the height that I was seating, and it was hard to break from his gaze.


    ¡°You came,¡± I found my voice finally after seconds passed, still staring at him in his tuxedo and hot look. He looked even more good-looking.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± his mellifluous voice answered, which made the butterflies in my belly flutter, ¡°Can we go somece apart from this ce?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°I waited for you,¡± my voice was barely a whisper when I told Damien, the moment we had walked away from the party to the school field.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much, Dabby. I ran here as soon as I heard that you might be leaving tonight,¡± Damien said with a shaky tone as he held my hands into his.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked anxiously when he said that, trying to decipher what he meant by his words.


    ¡°Your Mum is probably waiting for you at the park or something. You are leaving tonight,¡± he repeated himself, and I gasped in shock at his revtion.


    ¡®How can Mum just be so spontaneous about everything?¡¯


    ¡°What am I going to do, Damien? I¡¯m leaving and I cannot get the chance to¡­. To say so many things that I want to. How hard it has been for me,¡± I stuttered in my breaths that I was trying hard to catch, as tears streamed down my eyes in intense pain.


    ¡°It has been so hard avoiding you too, Dabby. I just had to do it because my father told me about his contract marriage with your Mum, and the things he was going to do if I didn¡¯t say away from you,¡± Damien rushed his words while he was still holding my trembling hand, and I was crying badly because I had nothing to say. I could only think of how much pain he had been in because of his father.


    ¡°What do I do? My heart is breaking, Damien. What would I do without seeing you?¡± Were the only words my lips could utter, asides from the thousand words I had told myself that I would tell him if we get to talk again.


    ¡°Calm down, Dabby. I can fly to meet you wherever you go, and we can be together aga¡­¡­¡­¡±


    I crashed my lips into his and kissed him so passionately as if my entire life depended on it, because it was hard to believe that I would not be seeing him hours away from the end of prom till whenever.


    We kissed so desperately again and again more intensely than we had ever done, and I was trying hard to control my tears which would not stop falling. It was so hard to ept the cold hands of reality that were embracing me.


    ¡°Dabby,¡± I heard the voice from behind me, and it turned out to be Mum. Turns out that she had been looking for me.


    ¡°Mum, how could you do this? I asked you when we were leaving and you did not answer!¡± I yelled at her in anger as I walked to meet her from the direction that she was approaching.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, darling. There was a change of ns, and I cannot sleep another night in this town. Our flight leaves in forty minutes,¡± she almost stammered as she exined to me, and I was fuming really badly because I couldn¡¯t understand her.


    ¡®How could I?¡¯


    The night ended as a sad one for me with saying goodbye to Mason, and other friends whom I had made through him was so hard. I couldn¡¯t even get a chance to say goodbye to the house that I¡¯d lived in for months because of Mum. She didn¡¯t want to return there because of Damien¡¯s dad.


    Saying goodbye to Damien was the worst of all, because I had bawled my eyes out as we hugged for so long under the moonlight.


    ¡°Goodbye, Dabby,¡± was thest word I heard before the car zoomed off.

 Strings

    Writer¡¯s POV


    The drive to the airport was a messy one with Dabby not talking to her mother throughout, even till the point that they were to enter into the ne and leave for the city. It was a rough patch.


    While Dabby went to the bathroom to go and organize herself after her profuse tears, Joanna did onest thing by intentionally dropping Dabby¡¯s purse where her phone was at the airport.  To her, it was the best way to sever ties between her daughter and her ex-husband¡¯s son.


    When Dabby realized that her phone was gone for good and not in her box, it was when they arrived at their destination and she wanted to text Damien.


    She asked her mother about her missing phone, and Joanna vehemently denied that she didn¡¯t see her phone. It caused her so much pain to know that she had lost contact with Damien, and even caused both the mother and daughter a good rtionship. The tension between them was hard to wade off.


    It was tough for Damien to finish the night without Dabby, and the heavy feeling remained with him so much that it was hard to get rid of. Things turned sour at home the next day after Dabby and Joanna left, that it became so hard for Damien to remain till evening before he dropped everything of his father¡¯s and left.


    He stayed at Aunt Adele¡¯s overnight till the next day, while he and Mason had so many things to talk about. The brilliant swimmer had topped his record in a few days, and he had been enlisted to join the national team which meant he would be away from home.


    So that Spencer could not cause any more problems for Adele, Damien left the next day after a farewell to staying with Xavier at their family vacation home. He had blocked his father from every ess of calling him, and dropped a text for his father the day he would leave for his grandfather¡¯s house.


    [Leaving with you has been hell, I¡¯m d I can tell you thest time. As if making Mum¡¯s life miserable as your wife wasn¡¯t enough, you made her relinquish her parental rights over me, and kept moving us around to make her give up. Leaving me to live my best life at Aunt Adele¡¯s would have been the best option, but you felt like an orphanage was the best resort which you imposed, because of your bruised ego. Like something went wrong with memories, it is still so hard to recollect the right thing like my memory has been messed up with.


    And for the years of physical and mental abuse from you, I felt the worst in my entire life even while trying not to give up life. I gave up being a straight-A student, and so many things because you didn¡¯t like it. I guess you made the best decision for the first time, and getting a new sister that changed my view has been the best thing.


    I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t be you, and I¡¯m d that I¡¯ve finally walked out of your life for good, to be a person for myself. Now I can breathe out Akeh¡¯s name and im her as my mother outside your territory. Till we meet again.


    Mr Anderson.]


    Coupled with the stress that he had to face for days and trying Dabby¡¯s unreasonable number a hundred times, he almost lost his mind and called to ask Mason who gave the same reply. None of them had Joanna¡¯s number, and the only option was not even considerable; Asking Spencer for help.


    Dabby threatened to move away from her Aunt¡¯s house where both of them were staying, and it took Penelope efforts to calm the ever-cool teenager down, and more efforts to convince her to exin what was wrong. Penelope was the only best friend, and the closest person that Joanna had as a family.


    After days of lovesickness, sadness, and pining for one another, Dabby was offered an admission at Yale to study medicine which wasn¡¯t as much of a joy to her as she had imagined it her entire life.


    Her mother and Aunt celebrated it in a grand style as much as they could, but the celebrant was not in the mood. The only thing they could do to make her happy, was probably get her back to where Damien was.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Dabby tried her best and had tried to locate Damien¡¯s username because she had deleted it, but it was harder than she thought because it seemed a million users used that same username but with different spelling and punctuation marks.


    Begging her Mum to call Spencer and ask for his son¡¯s phone number was not even an option, because Joanna had confirmed that she deleted everyone¡¯s number off her phone, because she never wanted ties with anyone from the town.

 Shattered

    Writer¡¯s POV


    Three weeks into preparation for college, with deep sadness, and futile efforts, Dabby flew away from New Orleans for hours to her new school without her mother¡¯s knowledge, who had nned that they would go the day after. Medical school, which had been her long-time dream, was probably the only thing that would make her happy.


    Joanna threw tantrums and called out Dabby so sadly for letting her out of the most important phase of her life, but she soon realized that her daughter wasn¡¯t the same person who would always sumb to emotional maniptions and entertain pity parties. She was now different.


    The first week after arriving at college and getting a new roommate, she wrote a letter through her school mail and sent it to the Anderson family house.


    It was more hard on Damien who had not been able to reach Dabby ever since she left, and it was so hard for him to keep up with the start-uppetition that he had joined a few days to Prom.


    Staying with his grandfather for a few days meant freedom, but he had been too sucked up in his gloom to focus well. Worst of all, Dabby had no social media ount that he could trace her to!


    Things had gotten well at the cafe with Aunt Adele and even the threats from Spencer didn¡¯t work on her, when he found out that his son was gone.


    He told her to spill Damien¡¯s whereabouts or he would get her jailed as an ally and a stalker, but having no idea of where Damien actually went to gave her an upper hand. When the worst came to the worst, she filed a restraining order.


    Dabby spent months writing letters all the way back to her old town, while trying her best to settle into school and being the best version of herself to everyone she met.


    With her first semester gone, she ranked the second best in her department which gained her more poprity. She gained as much love and hate from those that were apetition to her.


    Damien left his grandfather¡¯s ce to leave alone even if the old man objected to leaving him on his own, to start a new life in New York and a start-uppany by himself. His grandfather insisted on helping him with whatever he wanted to do, and he formed his first team within a few months of leaving.


    Dabby got her cornea transnt surgery done which was sponsored by an optometric center partnership program with her school medical team, while Joanna decided to pursue her dreams of owning a fashion brand in New Orleans, to get over the feeling of guilt towards her daughter after realizing the havoc she always wrecked.


    The thriving medical student didn¡¯t stop missing her lover even after a year had passed, and a surprise came to her door on thest day of her second-year exams.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    She went to aunching event that she was invited to by a friend and went as his date, only to see someone who looked at her the same man that she had been yearning for all her life.


    His face that always stood out was not hard to miss, and even his posture could never be a problem for her to identify among multitudes. His three-piece suit fitted so well on his perfectly carved body, and he looked the better version of the guy that she spent her teenage years loving.


    Bliss filled her heart so much that happiness swept her off her feet, because she had always thought that thest day of prom was how their love story would end, because there had seemed to be no hope for so long. Happiness was an understatement of what she felt at that particr moment.


    However, he was standing with another beautiful female and the rtionship between them seemed so close. He even kissed her on the cheeks, and they seemed to share a very lovely moment where they stood.


    It made her entire system disorientate instantly, that she could not hear anything from the host into the beginning of the event. She was numb and her sight failed her as she excused her way out of the hall. Finding her way back home was the hardest.


    ¡®Why did she have to trust that things had not changed between them?¡¯


    The next day after a long night of endless tears, regrets, raging, headaches, and processing into eptance, Dabby got ready to leave the school for a vacation break to her Mum¡¯s, who had invited her for her first-year brand anniversary party.


    A call from a friend that someone wanted to see her outside, brought her before the sight of the man she had seen the previous day. She was so shocked to see him standing in front of her, but the scenes of the previous day wouldn¡¯t let her move her feet from where she stood with tears in her eyes.


    Damien didn¡¯t wait, and went to hold her in a tight embrace. He had no idea while she began sobbing as he hugged her so tightly, with the crazy anxiety that his heart had held him since the previous day when he found out, that she was in the same town that he was in.


    Dabby¡¯s face buried his cheeks for so long as she continued to cry, and finally raised her face after a while when he touched her cheek softly. She raised her face next to look at his face with her eyes looking into hers, and her tongue found no words to say to him or where she would even start. She had so much to say.


    ¡°Is this Dabby?¡± The voice came so softly from behind Damien, and it made Dabby turn her eyes to look at the person who was talking. Her heart dropped and she let out the only word that came to mind.


    ¡°You brought her here again?¡± Dabby swallowed hard with a heart that was aching heavily with burden, as her eyes came in contact with the person who had a bright smile on her face and was standing beside Damien.


    Her mind called her back to recall. ¡®The samedy that she had seen him with the previous day.¡¯

 Happiness

    Writer¡¯s POV


    ¡®Would it end that way?¡¯


    ¡°Why are you crying, Dabby? What is wrong?¡± Damien who was so startled to see Dabby in that manner asked her, as he was still trying to process her word and what it meant.


    He probably understood and recollected very fast, the fact that he thought he had seen someone who looked like her at the event the previous day. The person she seemed to be referring to, was the only person he had been with the entire time.


    ¡°Hi, Dabby. I¡¯m Akeh, Damien¡¯s Mum,¡± the woman who was luxuriously dressed in a nice blue dress introduced herself.


    ¡°Damien¡¯s Mum?¡± Dabby¡¯s shaky voice asked when she heard what Akeh said. It cleared the whole misunderstanding about the beautiful mysterious woman that has been his mother all along.


    ..~¡°~..  ..~¡°~..


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that she was your Mum,¡± Dabby uttered slowly in her words, as she walked side by side with Damien towards the field of her huge school. She was thankful in her heart that she had not thrown unreasonable tantrums yet.


    ¡°Reunited with her months ago after searching for so long. It has been us ever since,¡± Damien exined to her with happiness in her heart and paused. He suddenly remembered her outburst minutes ago and chuckled.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Dabby asked, still feeling mortified by her crazy mix-up and indirect usation of him.


    ¡°You thought I was with anotherdy already?¡± His deep mellifluous voice taunted, as he paused on his steps and stood in front of her immediately. He had the deepest wishes to hold her so tightly to his body and tell her how much he had missed her.


    ¡°No.. n. yes. Maybe,¡± Dabby stuttered as he stood in front of her, as she held in her breath so tightly because it was too much to handle for her that he was really standing before her.


    ¡°What I saw yesterday was a reason to doubt. It has been years you know, and you are in a very high demand¡­..¡± she continued this time, dragging on herst words.


    ¡°You came to yesterday¡¯s event?¡± Damien asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. I was invited by a friend. I had to leave before the main event even started, because it was too hard to focus after misinterpreting the situation,¡± Dabby told him honestly as her cheeks colored in embarrassment.


    ¡°That was an event for theunching of my second game,¡± Damien told her with all smiles.


    ¡°Omfg, Damien!¡± Dabby screamed so loudly and turned to hug him so tightly immediately, ¡°You did it! I cannot believe you are a CEO now. Your mama is gonna be proud,¡± she added with a very wide grin on her face.


    He held her close to his body in her extreme happiness, and they shared a lovely moment at that particr time to reminisce on their past. The limited time was not enough to make up for everything.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much. I thought I would lose my mind,¡± Damien said into her ears slowly, still hugging her.


    ¡°I actually lost my mind when I found out that I lost my phone and we couldn¡¯t talk again. It was so tough,¡± Dabby conceded.


    ¡°I had no idea you were in Yale. I had no one to call and ask for your whereabouts. I was finally able to get through to Mason after breaking off contact, through some friend¡¯s connection yesterday. He told me you were at Yale. I just had to be here this morning.¡±


    ¡°It has been so hard to keep up with him, after I attended one of hispetitions recently and we connected again. He is now a star,¡± Dabby chuckled with pride in her tone because she was so proud of her friend. They had so much to catch up with.


    ¡°I cannot believe so much has changed in these years. So much,¡± Damien emphasized with a smile on his face, ¡°We¡¯ve got to celebrate our wins,¡± he announced and Dabby


    There was a surfeit amount of thoughts in their minds to say and catch up with, but they just wanted to love each other at the moment. They took a walk more into the field, while Akeh sat from a distance watching both of them with a smile on her face.


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