Chapter 2 Bullied

My bedroom was right next door to my stepbrother's. Unfortunately, that boy despised me with every fiber of his being.

He would cause a ruckus in my room all the time and throw my stuff everywhere. He even threw the painting my uncle gave me into the trash.

My uncle was a traveling artist. He had drawn a portrait of me, my dad, my mom, and my sister. It was a family portrait of us during happier times.

That was the only memorabilia I had left about my family. My mother had locked everything else away. I didn't want my memories of my father and my sister to fade.

So, I picked up all the torn pieces from the bin and quietly pieced them back together, taping them together. Alas, it just wasn't the same. It was already destroyed.

I wanted to raise hell and seek justice, but I suddenly remembered what my uncle told me before I left. "No mother would hate their own son. It's just hard for her to process her grief. She'll get over it in time."

My uncle wanted to mend my strained relationship with my mother, especially when she showed me no hatred when she came to me. She'd even introduced my stepbrother to me and hoped we could get along.

That thought stopped me cold in the living room. So, I swallowed my anger and walked back to my room. However, that boy said, "Hey, kick that ugly toy over to me. I'll show you how you're supposed to kick things."

I looked down at the 'ugly toy.' It was a gift my father bought for my fourth birthday, an action figure. Yet, it was now disfigured and dismantled by scissors.

I bent over and picked it up before carefully cradling it in my arms.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf, Jonah? Kick it over!"

I glared at him. He got scared and sidled up to my mother like a coward.

My mother noticed what I was angry about. She said nonchalantly, "It's just a toy. You can get a new one. Don't glare at your brother."

She had no idea this was the last thing my father left me. All I wanted was an apology from Yves Riverson.

Sadly, Yves had my mother backing him, and he knew it. So, he started mocking me, saying, "Apology? Over trash?"

I shoved him to the ground hard. He didn't see that coming, and a nosebleed happened. My mother shoved me away, and I started to shiver in horror over what I'd done in a fit of anger.

Then, my mother slapped me so hard, my ears began to ring, and I tasted metal in my mouth. At that moment, it was as if that ringing sound was the only thing I could hear.

When I looked up, I once again saw fury and hatred in my mother's eyes. That wasn't all, as I saw her gently wipe the blood off Yves' face with tissues. I could see her mouth moving, so I knew she was saying something to him.

When she turned her eyes to me, I had a feeling she really wanted to kill me right then and there.