The Wrong Brother

Two days to our summer break.

Almost sundown.

No calls.

No texts.

Nothing.

I paced my dorm room, exhausted — not just physically but mentally.

Two beds. Two worlds. My side was a Barbie explosion: pink pillows, pink-and-white blankets, a giant teddy bear, and a dresser crammed with clothes and romance novels instead of textbooks.

Crystal’s side? Pure goth queen. Black, grey, and red. Posters of guitars, rockstars, and chaos.

But back to the problem at hand. The reason I was mumbling as I clutched my phone like it was my lifeline.

Bruno.

My boyfriend hadn’t called or texted since last night — the night he said he was out with his C.O.D. buddies. Now he was nowhere to be found.

Not at his apartment off campus.

Not at his friends’ place.

And his phone? Switched off.

I let out a heavy exhale and dropped onto my bed so hard the pillows bounced.

“God, please, let nothing happen to my sweet boy.” I stared up at the ceiling, hands clasped. “I promise I’ll stop masturbating and stealing Susie’s notes. Just keep Bruno safe for me.”

The door clicked open.

I shot up, heart racing — half hope, half dread.

Crystal. My roommate. Two paper bags in hand. She looked like an angry white rat dipped in oil slick… no offense.

My heart sank. Deep down I knew it’d be her — but some desperate part of me still hoped it was Bruno, coming to apologize before curfew.

“Hi, Cee,” I said flatly, flopping back onto my bed.

“Hi.” She smiled and went to her corner.

I watched her change, crawl under her covers, pull out her phone. Watched her play her game.

Then her fingers froze. She turned to me with an arched brow.

“Mind telling me why you’re staring at me like a stalker?”

Her voice — bold, low, almost seductive. The kind that made me feel things I’d rather not admit.

“Didn’t mean to.” I sighed and tossed my phone aside. “It’s just… Bruno. He hasn’t called. I don’t know where he is. And…”

“Really?” Her brow lifted. “Because I saw him at The Glaciers on my way here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. He was with a girl.”

My heart plummeted.

“Oh.” It was all I managed.

“Yep.” She went back to her game.

My mind shut down. Crystal didn’t lie — not about things that mattered.

After a moment, I asked, “Do you… know who? What she looked like?”

She gave me a look.

“Maria. Maria Lorenzo.”

“Oh.” Relief washed over me.

Maria. Bruno’s distant cousin. They’d always been close. Hung out together all the time.

“You look happy,” Crystal’s dark eyes narrowed. “All of a sudden.”

A smile broke across my face. “That’s his cousin.”

“Cousin?”

“Yeah. She moved here from Maltmore a few months ago. He didn’t know much about her until recently.”

Pause. Then Crystal burst into laughter.

I blinked. “Why are you laughing?”

“Sweet mother of sorrow…” She wheezed, still grinning. “Oh my grievances.”

“Crystal…” My glare was sharp, warning.

“Nah, for real.” She smirked. “I thought you were the cousin.”

“What?”

“As far as I know… as most people know… you, Nova Wright, are Bruno’s distant cousin. And Maria Lorenzo is his girlfriend.”

My jaw dropped. Heat surged in my throat.

“You bloody bitch.” Venom laced my voice. I shot to my feet. “How dare you disrespect me and my boyfriend like that? How dare you lie about him? You…”

“You better not say another word against me.” Her voice was ice.

I froze, glaring, rage burning through me.

“Lemme show you something.”

She got up, tapped her phone, then shoved it at me.

“There. Look.”

With reluctance, I glanced down.

And my heart shattered.

An image. Bruno and Maria. In each other’s arms. Kissing.

The chemistry between them burned from the screen.

A chemistry I had mistaken for innocence — when it was only lust wrapped in a family lie.

____

It was already night. Maybe, around 8AM… I didn’t know. Not like I cared.

My chest clenched. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think — but my body moved anyway. Before I knew it, I was outside Bruno’s apartment, pounding on the door like my life depended on it.

It swung open.

There he was. My Bruno. My sweet boy.

“Bruno…” My voice cracked. “Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me..”

His gaze softened. Worried. Or so it seemed. As he closed the door behind him.

“Hey, what’s up?”

I sniffled. “Tell me Maria isn’t your girlfriend. Tell me Crystal’s lying. Just…”

His instantaneous expression said everything. No apology. No denial. Just blankness.

“Nova,” he sighed. “Go home.”

“Go home?” My blurred vision assessed him, bewildered. “You expect to just walk away after this. After everything?”

“I can’t do this with…”

“You’re doing this!” My voice went a notch too high for a moment. “And you’re doing this with me right now!”

“Nova…”

“So, Maria is the reason behind while you wanted me to keep our relationship private. So private that everyone thinks I’m just your distant cousin.”

I took a deep breath.

My heart bled further. And tears ran down my face.

“Now, you’re just gonna toss me aside… after everything I have done and risked for you.”

“Done for me?”

Anger surged in me.

“Don’t you dare deny it?! You’re the reason I am behind the school’s syllabus! The reason all my friends don’t even talk to me anymore! I pushed my actual best friend away because of you!”

“I never asked you to! I never told you to miss your tests or cut off your weird friends! I never did!”

His words drove a stake in my heart. It hurt but it was the truth… plain and harsh.

I was left dumbfounded.

“Good night.” He retreated back into his apartment. “Go enjoy the summer break.”

The door shut.

And with it, everything I thought I knew about us.