Dabby:
I tried texting Mason for about two days, but he had not been checking his messages. Knowing that he would still end up checking them later, I didn't want to pressure him unnecessarily about replying or anything. He was like the only friend I had, and there was no way I would lose that by being too clingy. The setting at home was still the same, and my mornings ended up with being dropped miles away from the bus stop. I guess having a rich step daddy was better than I thought, because he sent money into my bank account, which was more than I had ever received as keep-money. So, regardless of how Damien avoided me like a plague or acted, I didn't feel so bad. The trauma of being poured sauce still stuck to me for days, so I made sure to avoid being in the same space with Madison or going for lunch. We were in the same class and it really sucked, because others also wanted to take advantage of how she acted to mess up with me. Damien and his friends were not in our own class, which was really the best for my peace. No one would like to see a stuck up step brother right in their faces every single time."Why do I feel like there is some kind of crappy relationship with Damien that you are not telling me about? You guys don't get along pretty well like I expect normal teenagers do. Are you sure there is no problem?" Mum in her detective state asked the morning before school while I helped her prepare breakfast, and I just shook my head like she was totally wrong about it.'Could she not see the difference between both of us?'"We are fine mum. I am fine. Really," I stressed on my words, so that she would let go of the topic and talk about another thing, but she was really bent on it and it was really stressing me."Should I say you are kind of intimidated by him? The aura is evident," Mum pointed out again, and I just dismissed it with a mockish chuckle like she was wrong indeed."I am still just a bit awkward, Mum. Everything is fine," I assured her, and quickly sidled away to the fridge to get the bottle of milk and cut off the discussion.'Just how do I tell her that the setting they thought was working with us going to school together was messed up? Then I'll have to say I had to board the bus afterwards. Nah. I would suck even more if I said that.'"I know you are kind of conserved, Dabby, but I didn't raise you to be weak. Get your heads up, and be the boss over anyone who tries to sit on you," Mum said and I just smiled, biting my lips from saying any further. She would probably cry if she knew I was getting bullied and probably set my school on fire. Just kidding."What did the other kids say when you guys were in school together? Weren't they curious to know how you became siblings?" Mum asked excitedly and I sighed really hard. 'This woman was really too curious to know everything.'"They just assumed we were neighbors or something. They didn't think to the siblings' extent and we didn't say anything," I let out a forced chuckle, and quickly grabbed a bowl of cereal and poured my milk into it. I filled my mouth with some spoonful of cereal in no time, totally not ready to answer another question from Joanna. "Just in case I forget to tell you again. I and Spencer are taking a break from work, and we are finally going on our honeymoon this weekend. It's probably going to last for one week or so," Mum informed me nonchalantly, and I spat out the cereal that was stuffed in my mouth in an attempt to shout."What?!" I yelled in exasperation.'I would just die if I was left home alone with Damien. Someone please tell me it was a dream.' ~~~~~~ The first period of class was really sad and depressing for me, because I had to overthink the information that mum told me in the morning. It was difficult to comprehend no matter how I tried. 'Who the heck leaves grown-ups at home under the stance that they became siblings?!' The news was really hard on me and I was feeling under the weather already, because I couldn't just understand how I and Damien would coexist in the same house for days without parents. I bet he didn't know yet, else he would probably meet me after school. We do not even have each other's phone numbers again which means; Things are about to get worse and pathetic for you, Dabby. 'Just how could this even happen to me?' I needed someone to talk to and reckon with about everything that was going on with me, but Mason was not even replying to his texts, Mum was crazily in love with my night mare's father and I was all alone. There was no one to even cry out my frustrations to. As usual after school, I got home and ran upstairs to take my bath and cool down. I was not going to make lunch because I had no appetite, and I just decided to stream a nice movie with a romcom genre, to improve my mood. I was not laughing or enjoying the movie. My head was clearly absorbed into my fears and thoughts. I tried to do some exercise in my room as I bounced up and down the huge room, but I was already getting so tired and heated after a few minutes of stress. And then, a beautiful idea struck my mind when I moved to my window for a good breeze to feel better. I changed into one of the nice bikini sets that mum bought me many months ago, which had rarely served its purpose ever since I had them. Sure that there was still enough time to play around and calm my nerves, I stepped out through the backdoor that led to the pool directly wearing a huge dress. The moment I got to the back of the house where the pool was situated, I pulled my dress, dropped it on the ground, and carefully got on one of the floaters that was inside the pool. The air around was soothing to the relaxation of my alerted nerves and mind, while I played around with the water that was around me. It was hard to stop the numerous thoughts that kept crawling on my mind, and I suddenly got the urge to cry out and release my heart. It was this kind of feeling when someone feels so frustrated about everything, in which they do not know why they are like that, and just want to cry to feel better.And before I knew it, my face was trickling down of tears and my nose was not left out in the fluid game too. I was so tired and stressed out of my mind, and yet I was bawling my eyes out. I was tired and too sad, yet I would be happy if everything was fine. The emotional switches worked perfectly well for me. After I had cried terribly for minutes and sniffed countless times, I tried to raise my body up from the floater and balance well because of the cold. My eyes were still cloudy from the tears that were trying to drain itself, and it suddenly got really hard to see properly because I wasn't wearing my glasses. Suddenly, my hand slipped away from the floater where I tried to lean on properly, and I dived straight into the pool without warning. My body plunged deeply down and floated back up, and I panicked and flapped my hands helplessly trying to use my skills. "Helpruuu!" I said some rubbish when I floated back up and tried to catch my breath, as I went back down again without any reasonable skill that I thought I had an idea about to help me. I was drowning and I knew it, and I was suddenly scared that I would just die like that and no one would find my body till I was bloated in water. 'Dear lord. So this is how I will die now. In my new father's house where there is no one to help.' And just when I thought I was sinking finally to my death, a large hand pulled me out of the water and I didn't even see the face. I thought I was dead already and that the angels had probably come to get me. "Dabby! Dabby!!" I think I heard my name faintly as someone slapped my cheek severally, the moment my back landed on a hard surface which I think was the floor. I didn't know what happened next but I felt pressure on my chest pressing me down to bring out water, and something touched my lips softly and blew hair into my lungs. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I was probably slipping into unconsciousness or waking up. 'Was I dead already?'DAMIEN I didn't see Dabby run off to the house today after school, and I was really thankful because I think things were working well as expected. No one would find out about our spiteful relationship. I was still pissed off with my friends about the canceling of plans, and it was probably because Xavier's family was better than mine. Madison came to meet me in her usual annoying way, and I had to spend the after school hours with her. I still didn't tell my friends that I got a new family or anything like that, and I have always been that way because it was the best. No one got to see my weakness, strength or vulnerable side. I never allowed anyone to see. Madison was acting all annoying and dumb that I wanted to wack her across the face, but the coming week was going to be the last one of our relationship, so she would get what she had been looking for. She knew that I really hated clinginess and possessiveness, and yet that was the most of her forte in the relationship. I to
Damien I was pissed when I noticed that I was talking to Dabby, and she got distracted by a message notification from her phone. I knew I had overreacted with how stressed I was from tending to her the previous day, but I was mostly because of the plans of vacation I heard my dad discuss with her mum. If it was in the past that I knew that Dad was traveling, I would have been happy because it was a great avenue to have my freedom to myself. But having to remain in the same house with a clumsy girl for days, where I would want to host a party and enjoy my space stuff is the worst. I could never allow anyone to know or find out that we had become step siblings. Especially from school. Without even allowing me to say any further, she opened the door to the car and alighted like she had been waiting for that. And off she ran like a flash of light without even looking back. I wondered why she was really dumb. I was used to seeing most ladies rebel whenever they didn't like some
DABBY I woke up to the cold feeling of the marbled floor, and then I realized that I was lying on the floor instead of the couch. I shook my head and stood up immediately realizing that I was supposed to be waking up from my room, and not from the living room where anyone could just see me. Remembering that mother and Damien's dad were not no longer in the house, I frowned the moment I checked my phone to see no call from Mum. Time was already fast spent. 'Was she that invested in spending more time with her new lover, that she absolutely forgot her daughter?' Nevertheless, I stood up from the couch, grabbed the remaining pieces of Mac and cheese I was eating from yesterday night, and made my way straight to the kitchen to clean it up. My mind traveled back to the previous night when Damien walked past me to the kitchen. I opened the pot to check and I knew that he had eaten from the food. I wondered if he was probably seeing me in a likable light. I felt kind of delighted th
Damien:Almost immediately, the doorbell rang and I pretended to not know who was there, as I opened the door nonchalantly and looked at them in the usual way. They were carrying a lot of things with them for the party. "Why were you running? We called you but you seemed to be in a rush," Xavier said with a doubtful look on his face, as they all made their way in one after the other. Madison gave me a tight hug immediately and tried to kiss me on the lips, but I evaded it instantly by just patting her hair. "Had something really important to check," I lied, and I almost snarled at myself. I didn't want to also be a snob to my friends like the figure I represented to others, but I definitely could not look like a joke either. "This place smells like baked cake or something. I thought you said your dad traveled already," Madison pointed out, and ran to the kitchen where the smell was coming from to check immediately. I wanted to yank her by the hair real hard, and drag her back to w
Dabby:When he was asked to go and sit down after the teacher introduced him, he ignored the willing eyes that urged him and came to sit in the empty locker space next to mine. He gave me a wink when I gave him a confused but timid too, and my heart almost melted. 'It was really him. Was I dreaming?' I couldn't focus for the next two classes, because my mind was filled with the fact that I had talked so much about myself, with a stranger that turned out to be real. And he was in my school. "I.. cannot believe this is really you," my voice came out so timidly, and fearfully too as I looked at the tall guy standing before me outside the classroom. He looked more handsome and manly than he did in his pictures, that it was difficult to believe that I had been friends with this hot guy all along. His pretty green eyes were really charming, and even his new style of hair was stunning. 'Just how could things take this kind of turn?' "It is more nice to see you, Dabby. You are rea
"Thank you, Mason," I appreciated him, thankful that he actually stood up for me. I felt sorry again that he had a loser like me for a friend. "It is my pleasure. Those people are terrible people. How do you cope with them?" He inquired incredulously with a crease on his eyebrow, which made him look really cute. Trying to fathom how I got a wonderful friend like him was unbelievable. "I am really fine. Thank you," I said again and he let out a smile instead. A very charming one. "That guy over there. The one that has the bully as a girlfriend. Is he your step brother? The one you told me about?" Mason asked mindlessly, and my heart surged by a fear raised to the degree of hundred. "Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed in fear that someone might hear from where we were standing, as I pulled Mason to another corner far away from where we were before."Please, do not say that. No one can know. Absolutely nobody," I panicked shakily, as I tried to check again if no one was around. The one
Damien POV:It was peaceful in the house till Monday morning, and I was quite surprised that Dabby left home so early. I hated that everything had to be like this, especially the part about being home with a clumsy girl, but it was much better than seeing dad around. I got ready for the day quite late, and decided to work on some projects on my laptop. I could peacefully do these things because dad is not at home, and I was having my freedom doing them without any shitty talks. He always thought I was a failure ever since mum left, and he had been trying to mold me into the man that he was. That he wanted. I only had two options: Study business administration and lead the company, or study medicine and take over grandfather's hospital as the director. I hated both courses even if it was going to pave my way to success, and dad was never going to hear of anything than what he wanted. It was glaring that even if I became what he wanted me to be, I would never be enough for h
Dabby: I watched Damien get more angry and angry with me, and I started to get the urge to cry already. I was really scared of him because of the way he was looking at me, and the manner at which he started to come closer. My entire body started to retreat in accordance with my brain signal even without my own permission, till my back was now resting on the wall and there was no place to move to any longer. Damien's huge body towered over my own body and he grabbed my jaw so harshly, as his blue eyes bored an invisible hole in me and I almost crumbled in fear. I held my breath so that he wouldn't hate me even more, but it was really hard to be so scared and not breathe at the same time. "Hear me out, four eyes. There is curfew in this house and you have to respect it. Anything after 9:00pm is a no, and you will sleep outside in the cold if you are a minute late. Is that clear?!" His voice ordered authoritatively, and I felt my breathe fly again with my eyes raised up to its