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6: The Dark Knight
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Dear Stepbrother 7: The Dream Catcher
[ K A R A ]On our way back home, Ryder and I didn't say one word to each other. But he gave me the occasional glance, as if to check if I was okay. I sat silently in the car, still trying to process everything. Every time I remembered what just happened, I felt like throwing up. But I reminded myself that it was done and I was okay now. I was sitting in Ryder’s truck with him, and I felt warm and snug under his jacket. Being able to inhale his scent over and over again felt amazing because it really told me that I was truly safe.When Ryder and I finally got to the house, he parked the car and took a deep breath before killing the engine. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure."Thank you for... coming for me," I said lowly, deciding to break the silence for us.Ryder sighed in exasperation. "I told you not to get in the car with him, why didn't you listen to me?" he said rather sternly."I was feeling sick, he offered to take me home. And you ditched me, I cou
Dear Stepbrother 8: The Morning Glory
[ K A R A ]A couple of days had passed since the whole bonfire fiasco and I was feeling much better. A few days ago, I got to see Ryder's surfing match for the first time with mom and Peter. I didn’t quite know the rules of surfing matches, but I knew that Ryder did very well. I was told that he scored enough points to compete in the next round.Though I didn’t understand the rules, I now understood why girls would want to date surfer guys. I mean, just look at how cool and passionate Ryder was when he was competing. There was something about all that passion that just drew you in. And don’t get me started on that moment when he returned to the shore after his surf. Shaking his wet hair from side to side, he would get up from the waters below with his board shorts hanging low, his toned body all wet and tan and that gorgeous smile on his face...Holy cabbage! Stop thinking about that— you're not helping yourself, woman!Anyway, things were great for us. Mom and Peter seemed really ha
Dear Stepbrother 9: The Crashing Tide
[ K A R A ]I had never had an interest in extreme sports before, but I must admit, watching Ryder surf was really sexy. Ryder had another surf match today, so Peter, my mom, and I went down to the beach to support him. He did great out there, something about him making the finals, and everyone was really excited for him, including me.Wait. Did I just become a Ryder groupie? Oh God, no.When Ryder returned ashore and he found us, all three of us jumped and waved excitedly at him. He came over and I ran towards him in excitement, wanting to give him a hug."Congratulations..." I said with open arms, but he just dodged me, as if he didn't want to be touched. And so, I moved my hand around into a high five and gave him an awkward high five instead.What was that all about?“Ryder, you were amazing out there!” my mom beamed."Let's go celebrate, the four of us, as a family. How 'bout we go take the boat out and have a nice meal together?" Peter added, smiling from ear to ear.Peter was o
Dear Stepbrother 10: The Grand Gesture
[ R Y D E R ]I never thought I'd say this, but meaningless sex isn't as fun as it used to be anymore. Yeah, but that didn't mean I was gonna stop doing it. I still did it whenever I could. It was just that they used to be fun, and now it just felt like work. They got too predictable almost. It became boring.That being said, every night there would still be girls coming in and out of my room. This wasn’t anything new. This had been going on for years. Dad knew and he didn’t care. But for Kara and her mom, this was something else. I could see it from the way they looked at me. I saw that look on Kara’s face when she noticed a girl coming out of my room with her clothes all messed up.Oh yeah, she was so grossed out by me.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *[ K A R A ]Ever since that night at the yacht, Ryder and I stopped talking. I saw him around the house a lot though, parading around his latest conquests. Sometimes I wondered if he did
Dear Stepbrother 11: The Hidden Treasure
[ K A R A ]I was hoping I wouldn't run into Ryder this morning, spare me the awkwardness, please and thank you. I still didn't know how to deal with him, so I was super glad to see that he wasn't in the kitchen when I walked in, it was just Peter and my mom."Morning honey, we missed you at dinner last night," mom said."Yeah, sorry, I went out with a friend,""You've been spending a lot of time with this friend of yours. When are we gonna meet him?" she gave a teasing look."Mom. It's not like that,” I rolled my eyes at her. “We're just friends,""Sure, they all started that way," she said again with a wink."Lacey!" I hissed."Fine, fine. So what's your plan for the day? If you're free, you should come with us and watch Ryder compete,""Oh I can't," I quickly said. "I have plans," I lied, I didn't have any plans. I just didn’t want to see Ryder right now."Oh, plans. With that friend?" my mom smirked naughtily."Mom!""Just kidding,” she giggled away. “Don't be home too late, honey
Dear Stepbrother 12: The Silent Words
[ K A R A ]Hiding in the comfort of my room, I made sure the door was closed and I opened the notebook. Pretty soon, I realized that the book was filled with all sorts of scribbling and poems. They were all handwritten, most likely by none other than Ryder himself. Several of them caught my interest, notably the poems titled ‘Dear K’. It went something like this:* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dear K,Should I call you a stranger?Or maybe a friend, or an acquaintance.A housemate. A playmate. A play date.I find it hard to act and behave.When I don’t know the meaning of what I see.You are you, and I am me.And these are the only things that we'll ever get to be.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dear K,It was just a day. Maybe a Thursday. Maybe a Friday.It was just a girl. Brunette, sweet, and small.It was just talking. She said she wants to believe in love.It was just a kiss. Except
Dear Stepbrother 13: The Fire Works
[ K A R A ]I spent the entire night reading and rereading Ryder's notes over and over again. His poems were honest and raw. He wrote so beautifully. I never would have imagined the same mouth that said all those dirty jokes could write such romantic things.And okay, I don't mean to sound narcissistic, but are these poems written about me? Am I… ‘K’?Not trying to get a big head or whatever, but my name started with a K. Also, a lot of the things he mentioned in his poems were like they were taken from our daily lives. I wanted to believe that theory, but I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Ryder had said it from day one, he didn’t believe in love and all that crap. This book and his personality was a total contradiction.Maybe he didn’t write this book? Or maybe he did? What is happening?* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *For the next few days, I hadn't seen Ryder at all around the house. Things ended somewhat awkwardly at our last
Dear Stepbrother 14: The Ground Rule
[ K A R A ]By midnight that night, our Fourth of July party had come to a close. Peter and mom were downstairs somewhere, and I think Ryder went out to send Vanessa home. I told Gabe that I wasn't feeling well and I sent him home as well. But I lied. I just wanted to be alone right now so I could think. I needed to figure this thing out with Ryder.My mind was in a complete mess. When I went to confront Ryder, I thought I was doing it so we could set the record straight. But no, that plan went down the drain when I ended up kissing him instead.How could I let that happen? And where do we go from here?I had never felt this way about anyone before. I knew this was wrong, but I also couldn’t deny the fact that I want to see this through. No, I didn’t mean that I want to be in a relationship with Ryder. That would be too much and people would get hurt. I didn’t want a relationship or anything like that, I just wanted to see where this feeling was taking me.So, now I’m wondering, is th
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