2. Disinfectants

MADISON

I leave my bicycle and hurriedly scurry across the parlor to my bedroom door, but I don’t have to open it because it’s already swinging inward. Caden is standing there in nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts, a bottle of water in his hand.

“What the hell?” I exclaim.

Appearing calm and relaxed, he even stretches. “My door is jammed or something, so I borrowed your bed.” He smirks, fully aware he’s crossed a line.

Disgusted, I stare at him. “And I gave you permission to use my bed for your personal needs?”

“I don’t ask permission from anyone. You should know that better than anyone.” His smirk doesn’t falter as he starts walking toward the fridge.

“Caden, my bed is off-limits to you. You can do whatever you want, but stay away from my bedroom,” I snap.

Curiously, he pauses and studies me. For a moment, it seems like he might be reasonable, but then he opens his mouth. “Where will you have me? You’d rather I have sex on the couch?” He points to the leather couch in the living room. “Or the carpet? Maybe here? I can imagine different positions on this worktop.” He leans on the kitchen counter, provoking me further.

“You will not engage in any inappropriate activities in the kitchen or on the couch,” I warn him.

“Then where do you want me?” Caden shakes his head and shrugs, appearing puzzled.

Fueled by intense anger, I’m just starting to formulate a comeback when the video call Dad set up yesterday on the large television screen connects.

Great. Family time.

A smirk deepens on Caden’s face as he says, not averting his challenging gaze from me, “Angela, it’s time to leave.”

“I’m putting on my lipstick. I’ll be there in three… two… one.” She appears, smiling as if she hadn’t just slept with someone on my innocent bed. Well, she slept with the master of promiscuity. She should have it written on her forehead.

How am I supposed to sleep in my bed tonight? I definitely have to change the covers and thoroughly sanitize the entire room.

As the entrance door opens, she adds something disgusting, along with something I’m used to hearing Caden say to girls after a hookup. “The condom is on the floor. And by the way, my name’s not Angela. It’s Amara.”

Cringing at the fact that I have a discarded condom on my bedroom floor and Caden appears unfazed by it, I feel the urge to punch his face until his lips can’t form that infamous smirk.

“What about refraining from sleeping with anything that walks if you don’t even know their names?” I retort.

“What’s wrong with me sleeping with your species?” he fires back.

“You’re disgusting,” I spit out.

“Why are you so bothered about my sex life, Mad?” He raises his eyebrows at me.

God, I hate him. He never calls me Maddie like our parents do, or even Madison like a normal stranger would. Instead, he chooses to insult me by using my name.

What he doesn’t understand is that I’m not bothered about his sex life. I’m utterly bothered by everything that involves him, because it always leads to frustration and hurts me. No matter how much I try to handle it, the force of his attacks is heavier on my shield.

“Go fuck yourself.” That’s all I can say as I grab the remote and accept the call.

“Hey, strangers.” Dad smiles, just as Mom does when they both wave at us.

“Let me get my shirt,” Caden announces and disappears into my room, leaving the two mature adults confused.

Just perfect.

“You okay? You look tense,” Mom asks, shaking off the frown on her face. I’m sure she’s suppressing the urge to ask why Caden is shirtless and why his shirt is in my bedroom.

“Yes, just a bit nervous about tomorrow.” I don’t know if that counts as a lie, because honestly, I am nervous about tomorrow. It’s my first day of college. But right now, what’s really bothering me is the fact that my plans have fallen apart, and now my bed is stained with some whore’s fluids.

“It’s going to be great. The first days of school are always like that. I haven’t forgotten your actual first day of school. You were so tiny then, and you were so nervous. You cried almost the whole day, and your teachers were so worried. But the next day was like a miracle. It was like you had known the school for a long time.” Mom smiles as she reminisces about my first day of kindergarten.

I hear a snicker behind me.

Of course Caden would use that against me. He uses everything against me. He always turns something innocent into something pathetic just to make me feel worthless.

“I hope she cries tomorrow. Honestly, I need something to upload on my YouTube channel, and nothing’s as catchy as an eighteen-year-old crying on her first day of college. The caption will be something like—” Caden puts his hands under his chin, pretending to think. “Déjà vu for Mad. She started her education as a crybaby and is wrapping it up with the same attitude, only it has worsened. For now, she’s turned into a pseudobulbar.” He grins.

“Caden.” Mom and Dad warn simultaneously.

“What? Oh, sorry, I should explain. Pseudobulbar refers to inappropriate involuntary laughing and crying caused by a nervous system disorder. I’m not implying anything here, but I’m curious. Are you sure Mad doesn’t have any psychological issues? Because honestly, pseudobulbar affect typically occurs in people with certain neurological conditions or injuries that affect the way the brain controls emotions. Her mood swings aren’t just natural, don’t you think?” Caden pretends to have a worried face while our parents stare at him in disgust.

I try to appear hurt and innocent as Mom and Dad reprimand Caden for his mean and intolerable behavior, which they won’t accept.

“Caden, why can’t you be reasonable for once? Instead of taking care of your younger stepsister, you’re bullying her?” Dad shoots at Caden, irritation clear in his voice.

Sighing, Caden lies back on the couch. “She’s a big girl. She can handle herself, believe me.” He smirks at the two elders on the large screen.

Shaking their heads, they ignore Caden’s attitude. “So, did you manage to get everything today? The textbooks?” Mom asks.

Before I can respond, Caden interrupts. “Yes, we did. The bookstores were all out of psychology textbooks, so we only got single copies. But we’ll manage until then.” He smiles and pulls out the exact textbooks I need, along with new notebooks, from the backpack beside him.

Seriously? Did he get those for himself and leave me with nothing? He wrecked my bike, and instead of getting me some copies, he only thinks about himself, as if he even cares about this major.

“Good to know you’re doing this together. Not everyone is lucky enough to have their siblings at the same university and in the same class,” Dad reminds us, highlighting my biggest regret.

The day I found out that Caden not only got accepted to the school of my dreams but also chose the same major as me, I realized how much he hates me and how far he would go to ruin my life, since he could go to the length of giving up on his dream of aviation.

Who would sacrifice their future just to torment their stepsister? A psycho, that’s who.

“You don’t have to worry. We look out for each other. And Dad, siblings share things. We’ve got each other’s backs, don’t we, Mad?” Caden looks at me with scorn.

Despite being infuriated by his attitude, I manage to say, “Yes, of course. That’s what we do,” as I smile at the screen.

I can’t let him know how much his behavior disturbs me.

We continue talking for a while until we all decide to end the call for today, after Mom reminds us to brush our teeth and find time to cook for ourselves instead of ordering all the time.

“I’m going to take a shower, so you’ll probably have to wait until I’m done,” Caden tells me.

“Excuse me? Did I even protest?” I hiss and walk into my bedroom.

Shaking off all thoughts related to Caden, I take out my outfit for tomorrow and set everything I’ll need in place. Then I change into my nightwear and redecorate my mattress with new bedsheets. I wipe down my nightstand and the bed headboard with a cloth, and of course, mop the floor with disinfectant and other necessary supplies from the laundry room.

By the time I get under the covers, I try to relax. I close my eyes and release the tension and anxiety, only to feel a body joining me under my comforter.

“What the fuck, Caden?” I sit up abruptly.

“What? I can’t get into my own bedroom,” he complains, as if he has every right to be in my bed.

“Then go crash on the couch,” I snap.

His eyes narrow, and he shakes his head. “No way. I’m taller than that thing. I don’t want to wake up with joint aches on the first day of college,” he says, closing his eyes and exhaling.

Stunned, my gaze darts to his midsection, where I notice the covers lifting. No. He can’t be—he doesn’t have an erection next to me. “What the fuck, Caden?” I strike him with a pillow.

“What’s your problem? Why the fuck are you always bothering me?” He irritably props his head on his palm.

“You’re not even wearing pants,” I call him out, horrified.

“I sleep naked, Mad,” he growls, lying back with a sneer on his lips.

“Oh no. We need to reach a compromise,” I snap, venting my anger as I grab a pillow and a blanket and head out of my own bedroom. There’s no way I’m sharing a bed with him while he’s naked, and certainly no way I’m physically dragging him out in this state just to indulge him.

Why did I have to lock his bedroom again?