Chapter 4

Miles POV

The rest of the evening was torture. After unpacking a few boxes and putting some of my clothes away, I stayed in my room for nearly an hour trying to calm down, but every time I started feeling slightly better, I remembered Ryan’s face when he had grabbed my collar and threatened me, and my stomach immediately twisted all over again.

A soft knock eventually came from my bedroom door. “Miles?” I recognized my mother’s voice immediately.

“Yeah?” I answered. 

The door opened and she peeked inside. “There you are.”

“Hi.” I forced a small smile. She walked into the room and sat beside me on the edge of the bed.

"How are you adjusting to the new life" she asked and I looked at her sewing all the affection in her expression. The last thing I wanted to do was to make her worried about me.

"Don't worry about me mom. I'm fine" I lied effortlessly, it had become a second part of me to hide how much I'm hurting and lie to my own mother.

She studied me for a moment before smiling. “How about a movie night?” she suggested.

“We’re a family now. We should have one to help us bond better”She looked excited by the idea. Ryan and I in the same sentence as family felt almost ridiculous.

My mother continued talking. “We can watch a movie, eat snacks, spend time together.” she said.

“I don’t know…” I hesitated. I didn't want to see Ryan, I knew he would absolutely hate this idea.

“Oh, come on.” She nudged my shoulder. “It’ll be fun.” Fun wasn’t exactly the word I would have used. But looking at how happy she seemed, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.So I nodded.“Okay.”

An hour later I was sitting in the home theater. The room was bigger than my entire living room back at our apartment. A massive screen covered one wall. The chairs were soft enough that I almost sank into them. My mother sat beside Jack and Ryan sat on the opposite side.

 I immediately regretted agreeing to this. The movie started but I couldn't focus. Every few minutes I felt Ryan looking at me. The feeling was impossible to ignore. The first time it happened, I convinced myself I was imagining it. The second time, I glanced over and it was a big mistake. Ryan was staring directly at me. His expression was hard and cold. I quickly looked back at the screen. My heart sped up. The movie continued and I had absolutely no idea what was happening anymore. Another ten minutes passed. I made the mistake of looking again. Ryan was still glaring.

I lasted another fifteen minutes before finally giving up. “I’m tired.” I said 

My mother looked over. “Tired?” she asked.

“A little.” I nodded.

“But the movie just started.” She frowned.

“I know.” I forced a smile.

"Today has been a lot, let the boy rest, honey" Jack said, coming to my rescue. My mother still looked slightly disappointed. “Okay, Goodnight, sweetheart.” She said.

“Goodnight mom.”

Jack smiled too. “Sleep well.” he said and I nodded. Then my eyes accidentally met Ryan’s. He didn’t say a word. I left the room immediately. The moment the door closed behind me, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Tomorrow couldn’t possibly get worse. At least that was what I thought.

I made my way upstairs and into my room. For a few moments, I just sat on the edge of the bed staring at the unpacked boxes in the corner. Everything about this house still felt unfamiliar.

Part of me was happy because my mother looked happier than I had seen her in years. She finally had the life she deserved. But every time I thought about Ryan, that feeling disappeared.

His glare during the movie replayed in my mind. It was obvious he didn’t want me here. With a tired sigh, I lay down and closed my eyes, hoping tomorrow would be easier.

The next morning proved me wrong. I came downstairs dressed for school. Jack was already drinking coffee and my mother sat beside him.

Ryan looked half asleep while scrolling through his phone.

"Oh, Miles is finally ready" Jack smiled, drawing all attention to me. “Ryan, You can take Miles to school.”

I almost choked on hearing Jack say that.

“That’s a great idea.” My mother smiled. "It's a good thing you go to the same school, you can both bond properly as brothers"

No.. No it wasn’t.

Ryan slowly lowered his phone. “What?” he scoffed.

“You heard me.” Jack sounded completely casual. “You can drive your brother to school.”

Brother. The word nearly made me choke. Ryan looked like he wanted to argue. Istead he forced a fake smile.

“Sure.”

My mother looked pleased. “See? You boys are already bonding.” I almost felt bad for her. She looked genuinely hopeful and completely unaware of reality.

“We should leave.” Ryan stood abruptly. His tone made it sound like a threat. I grabbed my backpack immediately, dreading every moment I was going to spend with him.

The drive started in complete silence. Ryan didn’t turn on music or even speak to me. I sat rigidly in the passenger seat. The moment we passed through the estate gates, Ryan slammed on the brakes. My body jerked forward. 

Ryan turned toward me. “Get out.” he said in a cold voice and it felt like someone poured a bucket of water on me. For a second I thought he was joking. Then I saw his expression. He wasn’t.

My stomach dropped. “Ryan—” 

“Get out.” he cut me pff

“But I still have to go to school.” I said weakly.

"You must be delusional if you think I'm driving you to school" he pointed towards the door “Get out now.”

My chest tightened. “I don’t have enough money for a ride.” I said, wishing he wouldn't do this to me.

“Not my problem.” he scoffed.

“Please.”

Ryan’s expression hardened. “I already told you.” His voice dropped. “I won't let you be a stain on my reputation by being seen with you, now get out”

For several seconds I sat there, then I slowly opened the door. The moment I stepped outside, he sped away, leaving me standing alone on the side of the road. I stared after the disappearing car and looked toward the distant city. It took me nearly thirty minutes to walk to school, thirty miserable minutes.

By the time I finally reached school, my legs hurt and sweat clung to the back of my shirt. The first bell had already rung. Great, just great, I was late. I rushed toward class.

The moment I entered the room, every head turned and the teacher frowned. “Miles.” he called in a disapproving voice and I froze.

“I'm sorry.” I quickly apologized and went to my seat.

The moment I sat down, Giselle leaned over. “What happened?” she asked.

King looked equally confused. “You’ve never been late.” he said.

I hesitated, was I going to tell them I had to walk all the way to school because Ryan kicked me out of his car? I couldn't say that.

“My money got lost and I had to walk.” I lied with a shaky smile, looking away before they could ask any more questions.

Across the room, I felt Ryan’s eyes on me. The feeling immediately made my stomach twist. I glanced up and I could see him staring intensely at me, probably wondering what I told myself friends. I swallowed and looked away, my life was about to be worse than it ever was.