All Chapters of MY STEP BROTHER, MY RUIN: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

JUNE;Romy came closer to the bed. Her steps were short and uneven, like she wasn’t sure if she should show me whatever it was on her phone. Panic sat deep in her eyes… wide, shiny, the kind that made you look away for a second because it felt too hurtful. Her face looked more frightening than anything she could have said. Her mouth was tight, corners pulled down, and her hands kept opening and closing at her sides like they didn’t know what to do with themselves.Ronan moved in right after her. He was rubbing one hand hard against the leg of his jeans, up and down, over and over.I could see how badly he was panicking, and I hated it. His shoulders shot up near his ears, breathing too quickly through his nose. He grabbed the phone from Romy before it even got close to me. His eyes went wide the second he looked at the screen.“They are already spreading the news?” He said it like the air had been punched out of him. His chest kept rising and falling too fast. A little sweat was sta

JUNE; I never thought it would be this way until our SUV got to the entrance gate. The school premises were filled with people. Parents moved around in suits and dresses that looked like they were pulled out of fashion magazines, students in flashy outfits and high-heeled shoes that clicked like it was some sort of fashion show. I honestly would have looked odd if Ronan hadn't given me a heads-up about what the event was usually like. Teachers stood in little groups near the entrance, their faces half-smiling like they had practiced it in the mirror. Sounds blazed from the loudspeakers in the arena… soft music mixed with a voice announcing something I couldn’t quite catch over the noise of engines and chatter. The parking lot was almost filled except for the marked spaces with their bright yellow paint and little signs that said “Reserved.” I was already getting worried about whether we would eventually get a spot when the security personnel in his dark uniform directed our

JUNE;I looked around the arena, searching. My eyes moved slowly across the rows of chairs, past the groups of parents still clapping, past the students standing near the stage. I hated to admit it, even to myself, but I was searching for my stepfather, Mr. Victor Grayson. Somehow, deep in my chest, I felt he was the only one who could do something about what was happening. The names had been called. The twenty students were already on their feet on the stage, smiling and waving their hands. My name had stayed locked inside the moderator’s mouth. I had no problem accepting the truth. If my grades had fallen short, I could live with that, but I just couldn’t accept a lie either. I knew my grades. I had checked them more times than I could count. And with everything that had happened… the fire, the gossip, the way the police had looked at me… I could feel it in my guts that I was replaced with some other student, one of those standing on the stage.Nina, Selene’s friend, was on tha

JUNE; Mr. Grayson, Mom, and I followed into the Dean’s office; the door closed behind us with a soft thud. Outside, I could still hear the moderator’s voice trying to settle the crowd, but the thick wood of the door swallowed it the moment it glided shut. The Dean’s office was a smaller room than it looked from the hallway. A wide desk sat in the middle, papers stacked neatly on one side, a computer screen dark in the center. The Dean walked past us toward the seat behind the desk. Mrs. Ryan was fidgeting. She tried to keep her shaking hands still by pressing them against her stomach as she sat in her chair, but the shaking still showed in her fingers. “Please sit, ma’am… please sit, Sir.” She looked up and offered the two chairs in front of the desk with a small wave of her hand. Mom took one of the seats. She sat straight, hands folded in her lap, eyes moving between Mr. Grayson and the woman behind the desk. Mr. Grayson stayed on his feet. One of his hands stayed insid

JUNE;The event had come to an end. The scholarship award sat heavy and cool in my hands, the golden monument catching the light every time I shifted. Somehow Nina Patel, Selene’s friend, was no longer listed amongst the first twenty. When I stood on the podium between Daniel Hewatch and Amary Greenfield, I scanned the crowd one last time. I caught sight of Selene’s back as she walked out of the arena. Her mother was nowhere to be seen either.That was the least of my worries now. For the first time, I realized how much I had needed a father figure, and I was grateful Mr. Grayson had stood there for me today. I saw him smiling easily when the microphone was passed to me. My voice stayed steady as I spoke. I thanked him. I thanked my mom. I thanked Romy. And I thanked Ronan… as a friend, not a brother. I saw how his eyes glistened from afar, quiet pride in them.The crowd clapped and cheered when I raised the golden plaque above my head. The sound filled the arena and settled somethi