CHAPTER 002: BIRTHDAY BETRAYAL

MICHELA;

Jessika!

The same girl Nathan had told me about last night was throwing herself at him. The same one he swore he wasn’t interested in and only kept around for study help.

Yet there she stood, opening the door of his apartment, wearing nothing but his white button-up shirt. The shirt hung loose on her, the top buttons undone so her breasts swayed freely underneath.

The moment her eyes landed on me, an ugly smirk curled her lips. She crossed one smooth leg in front of the other, holding the door half-closed like she owned the place. My gaze dropped to her long bare legs.

I could tell she wasn’t wearing anything underneath, my heart thumped almost loudly in my chest.

“Babe, who’s at the door?” Nathan’s voice called from inside, casual and lazy.

My stomach dropped like a stone. He called her babe? He actually called Jessika babe. The word echoed in my head while my throat tightened.

“Nothing important, sweet,” Jessika answered, her smirk growing wider. She leaned against the doorframe. “Just some sack of potatoes of a human.”

My fists clenched hard at my sides, nails digging into my palms. She had mumbled the last part of her sentence, just loud enough for my ears only.

I had dealt with Jessika and her friends mocking me at school for months, but this… standing here in Nathan’s shirt, fresh from his bed, throwing those words at me… felt like a slap across the face, that was an ugly pill to swallow.

Footsteps padded closer. Nathan appeared behind her, wearing only tight black boxers that clung to his body. The front bulged obviously, still half-hard like he had just been interrupted. His hair was messy, skin flushed. His easy smile froze the second he saw me standing there with the birthday package in my hands. His eyebrows shot up.

“Hey, Fat-suh. You’re here?” he asked, not even trying to sound sorry.

“Don’t call me that!” I snapped, my voice cracking as I fought back the hot sting of tears.

Jessika laughed sharply.

“Why not, beanbag? You hate hearing what you really are?” She turned her head toward Nathan, still smirking.

“Leave her, Jess. I’ll handle this.” Nathan’s hand slid around her waist, fingers resting possessively on her hip.

Jessika flipped her messy blonde hair over her shoulder in that sarcastic way and sauntered back inside, her bare ass cheeks moving under the shirt as she walked.

I stood frozen, clutching the package so tightly the ribbon dug into my fingers.

“Jess? Really?” My voice came out small. “You’re calling her Jess now? And I’m the one who…”

Nathan stepped out onto the front porch and pulled the door mostly shut behind him. He reached out and grabbed my shoulders in that fake-playful way he always did, like I was a kid he needed to calm down.

“Don’t make a big fuss out of this, Fat-suh,” he said, grinning like the whole thing was some joke.

“I said don’t call me that!” I blurted louder, tears burning at the corners of my eyes.

“Okay, okay,” he raised both hands, still smiling like none of this hurt. “What’s this in your hand?” He nodded toward the package.

I looked down at the bright blue wrapping and silver ribbon. My chest ached. I had saved up to get him what he really wanted, and had picked the perfect jersey, writing that long note, pouring my feelings onto the paper. Now it felt stupid and heavy in my arms. I lifted my eyes back to his face, my vision blurring by the tears I was fighting.

“What’s she doing here?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Why is she wearing your shirt? And… you just called her babe?”

Nathan sighed like I was being difficult.

“Because she fits into them, Michela!” His smile vanished completely. “Jessika and I have a thing going, alright? It’s not serious. I promise. You’ll always be my best friend, Chela. Come on, don’t cry about it.”

He reached for my hand again. I jerked away fast.

“Don’t touch me,” I whispered, turning my back to him. My shoulders trembled. Jemy’s words from the library rang in my head, she had been right all along.

I had known it somewhere deep down, but seeing Jessika in his apartment, hearing him call her babe while he stood there half-naked and still hard from her… it made everything real and ugly.

“You don’t have to go,” Nathan called after me, his voice light like he was doing me a favor. “Jess made food. It's a lot… I know you eat for two… You could join us, y’know.”

His words landed like punches. I kept walking, legs feeling heavier with every step. The package bounced against my side. I could still hear him chuckling behind me before the door clicked shut.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I reached the sidewalk. The cab I had taken earlier was long gone. I started walking anyway, the afternoon sun beating down on me

My jeans felt too tight, my tied-up shirt suddenly embarrassing instead of cute. Every mean nickname he had ever called me played on repeat… Fat-suh, beanbag, sack of potatoes, marshmallow. He said them with that grin like they were funny pet names, but they cut deeper each time, especially coming from him.

I thought about the four years I had waited for him to see me as more than the chubby girl next door. All the secret kisses, all the times I laughed at his jokes even when they hurt, all the nights I lay in bed imagining him choosing me over the skinny girls who threw themselves at him.

And today, on his birthday, I showed up with a gift and a love note while he was busy with Jessika.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it, probably Jemy checking in and I wasn’t ready to tell her how embarrassed I was.

They were all jerks! Nathan was a mean boy who never deserved the attention I gave him… Jemy’s words echoed in my ears.

“You deserve men, not boys.” Was she right? I had seen how my stepdad looked at me. I hated to admit that I felt his stares much more than I should.

And yesterday evening when he handed me the bookshop keys after locking the doors, the subtle ways his hairy hand brushed mine, my breath had hitched at that point, and I saw his eyes dull, like he felt the spark too, but they had disappeared almost immediately.

No! No way, Chela! Don't let whatever Jemy thought rub off on you. But could I deny the truth?

The truth that chasing after Nathan hadn't been the same since I started noticing my stepfather a year ago. I had believed maybe dating a hot boy like Nathan would wipe the filthy thoughts off my straying mind.

If it were two years ago, I would have stupidly joined Nathan and Jessika while I watched and allowed them to taunt me with their mean words. But today was different, I had chosen to walk away from Nathan, to stop giving him the attention he threw away.

I had no idea how long I had walked, but by the time I looked up, I was before the white building I called home. Skye, our golden retriever, booed and burst through the front door, wagging her tail, like she could sense my heavy heart.

I crouched before her as she barked small, leaping all over me. Then I looked up, the sound of sawing against wood reached me.

My stepfather stood there, his hard muscles flexing as he moved the saw up and down, his thick body covered in nothing but a light apron across his chest, and hanging on his neck. Sweat trickling down the hard ridges of his chest.

He spun once, his lips parting in that soft smile. Oh, gosh! The temptation I had to fight daily. The one I was hoping dating Nathan would erase.

“Hi, daddy’s girl. You're back early.” He paused to look at me.