Chapter Four
“Oh, shit.”
I shoot up in bed, eyes bleary as I read the text from my mom.
A last minute cruise? Who fucking does that?
It's almost November. But the picture of her and Jason somewhere in New England in front of a sleek cruise ship, trees in stunning fall colors dappling the background, is proof that I’m on my own this weekend.
No buffer between me and Chase like there usually is.
Last night hits me like a bus, and I quickly sweep the room for signs that someone’s been in here while I slept.
It sounds dramatic but if Chase is home then Danny is not far behind, and he is a thief with the sole purpose of getting under my skin.
I still can’t look at him after having my parents pull up to the house with my underwear decorating the windows and hedges.
From where I lay, my things look unbothered and the house is silent, so I scramble out of bed to get dressed and make my escape to May’s. Grabbing my robe, I decide to use my parents' much nicer shower, only to freeze when I try to unlock my door.
It’s already unlocked.
They’ve been in here, those fucking dickheads.
Fuck, fuck, FUCK.
All my drawers are closed, and I rush to the cedar box at the foot of my bed that holds all my journals.
It's still locked as well. I exhale a shaky breath, because I will die if they see the things I’ve written about them over the years.
There’s no chance they wouldn’t interpret the early drafts of my taboo step-brother novella about Chase, obviously.
Standing in the middle of my room, I turn slowly to my desk, and that’s when I see it. My laptop is missing. The charger hangs haphazardly over the edge of the desk, like it’d been unplugged and tossed aside while I slept.
Had I closed out of everything, or even locked it? Sometimes I don’t do either if I plan on writing again that day. I wrack my brain, but suddenly it’s useless and I can’t remember anything.
“Shit,” I panic-whisper to myself as my hands fly into my hair. “Shit, shit.”
I need to get it, because maybe if I am lucky they haven't unlocked it yet. To be honest I would sooner throw my laptop from the third floor window before I let them gain access to where I keep all of my fantasies tucked away in the cloud.
Resolute, I grab the handle, hyping myself up before throwing the door open and stomping down the hall. Don’t look weak, Leigh. Walk in and demand the computer. You’re not a little girl, you’re a grown-ass woman!
Their low voices grow quiet in the kitchen as I stalk down the stairs, working myself up until I feel like a bull with a red flag in sight by the time I enter the room.
My blazing eyes cause Chase’s to widen slightly from across the large marble top island. Danny, however, just grins wider when he takes in the state of me.
I see it immediately, right on the island that sits between me and them. They didn’t even bother to hide it or anything.
For a moment, I falter. But fuck it, fuck them, fuck the butterflies in my stomach because why do they both have to be so built and strut around in sweatpants to show it off?
I lower my eyes and stride forward to snatch my laptop off the counter top, but Danny snaps his hand out and grabs it, raising the computer above his head. “What? No hello, how are you? So rude, Leigh.”
And just like every other time, I feel my blood pressure spike.
If our history was anywhere close to normal, I might just laugh and hug them.
Say hi, grab my stuff and go back to my room.
If I had been lucky enough to have a normal relationship with my stepbrother and his shifty best friend, that’s how this would go. But I don’t.
They know how much I struggled in school. Picked on for being so painfully shy and awkward and weird, causing most of my social anxiety.
Boys would take my stuff, binders, books, whatever, and throw them in the trash can.
Girls would spread rumors behind my back when they realized that Chase, the boy they idolized, was about to become my step-brother.
I’m not sure how they thought that would help them get in his good graces, but maybe when everyone realized we were far from close they assumed it was alright to keep ostracizing me.
But right now, when Danny teases me, it’s like a time warp and the bullying never stopped. Like I’m not a grown woman, but a girl that’s desperate for someone to just reach out a hand and tell me it’s going to be fucking fine.
“Stop, Danny. I’m not in the mood,” I manage to bite out.
“You don’t have time for one of your oldest friends?” he says, feigning hurt. “That’s not very nice.”
“Just quit being an ass and give me back my laptop. I need it for school.”
“School, huh? Funny, it didn't strike me as a school computer when I was looking through it.” His head tilts, eyes roving up and down me as Chase leans forward over the counter, with his stupid eyes fixated on my face.
God, I hope it’s a lucky guess, but he’s right, it’s not for schoolwork. Inside is the draft for my most recent short story. The one where I’m hunted down and ravaged on Halloween night by two “mystery” men.
My eyes cut to Chase, who leans against the counter like nothing of importance is happening.
Taking in the cutoff shirt, the way his arms bulge in a way that shows he’s absolutely been hitting the gym at school.
His sandy brown hair is a little shorter, but like always, that look in his eyes makes him look dangerous instead of friendly.
“You two could try growing up sometime like the rest of us,” I spit, moving around the island to snatch my laptop from Danny’s grip.
This time it’s Chase that cracks a smile. “Couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been doing enough of that for all of us.”
I freeze, hand outstretched at his words.
What does that mean? My pause is all that’s needed and Danny shoulder checks me into the fridge.
The air leaves my body in surprise as my back bounces off of it.
While he rests one of his hands flat against the fridge above my head, he slides his other hand into his back pocket, leaning forward, removing almost all the space between us.
His long, shaggy black hair falling down into his eyes.
That playfulness barely hides the hungry expression on his face.
“Tell me how nice it is to see us again, Leigh. The girls at school have been alright, but there’s just something I always miss about these moments here with you,” he teases, fingers toying with the hem of my shirt.
I’m a split second away from stomping on his foot and grabbing my laptop when my phone goes off from where I slapped it down on the island.
Chase’s head snaps to it like a predator and I try to shoulder check Danny in an effort to get to it before he does.
He seems to expect the move and decides his hips are the better way to keep me pinned.
“Have you heard of personal space?” I sputter as he grins down at me, the rumble of laughter in his chest vibrating through me where our bodies are pressed together.
“I quite like invading your space, Leigh. Your face flushing because of me is one of my favorite things to watch.”
“Who’s this?” Chase asks, eyes narrowing as he surely reads the message that’s scrolling at the top of my lock screen. “Is this your boyfriend?”
“How the hell would I know? You’re the one holding it.”
His narrowed eyes land on me, and he prowls forward, holding the phone up so that it scans my face and unlocks. Turning it back around, he ignores my pleas and scrolls through my texts like that’s not the most infuriating thing he could do.
Frustration at the helplessness of dealing with them has my eyes burning. It’s always like this with them. Always forcing my hand, taking from me. Laughing at me. I brace myself for whatever teasing will come from seeing that my first real relationship ended in me getting cheated on.
Danny watches over his shoulder for a moment as Chase’s fingers tighten around my phone. His jaw clenches as his dark eyes find their way back to mine. “What’s this about, Leigh?”
My mouth goes dry. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please can you just give me my stuff back? I’ll go to May’s and stay out of your way, okay?”
But he’s shaking his head. “No, not oh-fucking-kay. What did he do? It says he broke your trust. You wrote that to him. What did he do to you?”
My heart pounds against my ribs rapidly, every single moment of this morning is about to careen me straight into a heart attack. “Why would you give a shit? Just give me my ph-”
He slams his hand down on the counter, making me jump and Danny snaps his fingers in his direction, making him pause. I watch transfixed as Chase immediately pulls out of the anger I was just watching him spiral into.
“No. Chill,” Danny says, and like magic Chase fists his hands on the counter, takes a shaky breath and then refocuses on me. The usual blank look back in his eyes.
Danny turns back to me, lifting my face with the crook of his finger under my chin. I get stuck staring at the tiny tattoo of a spade under his eye.
“I’m sure Leigh’s handling it, right?” he asks me, and I nod. “Great. But just for fun, why don’t you tell us what happened?”
These games they play are pissing me off. It’s not as if they care, so what is the third degree for? “It’s my business, okay? Now give me back my phone, I have plans tonight and I need to call May.”
Chase rounds the island, heading toward me and smiling in a way that has my blood running cold. He cocks his head, almost like he wants to look playful, but the closer he gets the clearer that violent look in his eyes gets. The smile feels like falling into a trap.
“Cause I’m your brother, right? So how about you just tell me what happened and I’ll handle it.”
The words disarm me. My brother? As if. But it feels like he’s going to push this until I give in, and really all I need is to get out of this house. They’ve only been here for maybe twelve hours? Already invading my space—my entire brain—until I can’t even think straight.
“He cheated. I found a lot of messages with him and other girls, so…yeah.” Embarrassment heats my face. I know it’s not my fault, but still. It’s embarrassing for others to know I wasn’t enough, that he had to go looking for satisfaction inside however many other women he stuck his dick in.
A dick not even worth writing home about, might I add.
I see it though, the flash of rage on Chase’s face. There for just a moment before he can erase it.
Danny seems to see it too, because he chews on his lip for a moment before looking back at me. “See? How easy was that? And you broke up, right?” I nod, and he smiles at Chase. “She’s got it handled. He’s gone.”
Chase stares me down until I nod. “Yeah. It’s done.”
Maybe he realizes the way he’s acting is fucking weird, because he cracks his neck and attempts to soften his face, though it just looks wolfish. “Does his texting bother you? I can make it stop.”
Who the fuck is this suddenly protective person? “No? I’m good.” I tentatively reach out and snatch my phone from the counter between them and they suspiciously let me. I start edging my way toward the staircase when I bite my lip, remembering what I’d originally come for.
Peeking behind me, I see Chase picking up my laptop and holding it out for me to take.
“Did you..?” I hate even finishing the sentence.
Danny grins as he opens a cupboard to forage for food like he lives here. But it’s Chase who pins me down with his gaze. “Did I what? Go through your laptop?”
I hesitate, then nod, stepping forward slightly and feeling sick from the speed my heart pounds.
He looks at me like a hunter would look at a rabbit. Like I’m just outside his reach, but he knows I’ll be caught soon.
“Maybe,” he says as I take it from his grip. He’s just messing with me. I probably remembered to lock it. “Anyways, it’s nice to be home, Leigh. I’ve missed the nervous little way you move around the house.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just hold my computer and phone tightly to my chest and try to leave the room without attracting any more attention.
I reach the stairs when he continues, calling out from the other room. “Don’t worry, by the way, I won’t tell Mom and Dad about your Patreon.”
Danny snickers as my heart falls to the floor. I almost trip up the stairs and before I can hear another word I slam my bedroom door behind me.
My secret is out.