Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
To finish what I started.
My brothers and my sister hardly ever come around anymore. And very rarely to this house. Too many bad memories, I guess. So I’m just trying to give them something to come back to.
Jupiter
You miss them, your siblings.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Of course, I miss them.
They’re my family.
Jupiter
You’re lonely.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
You got that because I’m trying to clean a room?
My eyes well up with tears and since I’m alone, I let them fall. I let them stream down my cheeks because yes, he’s alone. He’s so, so alone.
Jupiter
Sort of.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
So are you going to stay upstairs and have more epiphanies about me?
Jupiter
That’s the plan.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Because you’re trying to make things easy for me.
Jupiter
That’s what friends do.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Don’t wanna be your friend, remember?
Or at least, not the kind you have in mind.
Jupiter
That’s the only kind of friend we’re going to be.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Kinda hard to do when I can smell you from down here.
Jupiter
What?
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Your scent of honey and rose.
I frown at the screen, my mind racing alongside my heart. Then, with shaking fingers, I type out my reply.
Jupiter
That’s my new perfume.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Yeah?
Jupiter
Did you steal my new perfume?
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Well, I thought friends share things.
Jupiter
I did not share that with you.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
So I guess, yeah, I did steal it.
Jupiter
You went into my room?
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Technically it’s my room.
Jupiter
That you insisted that I stay in.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
Funny how things work out.
Jupiter
Shepard!
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
How else am I supposed to smell you then?
Jupiter
You’re not supposed to smell me.
My Not-So-Toxic Stepbrother
If you don’t want any secrets, that’s fine. But I don’t mind keeping secrets for you. I don’t mind cheating, stealing, lying or sneaking into your room when you’re not there just so I get to be close to you.
It’s like I can hear him. Right now. I can hear him saying all these things to me, whispering them in my ears. Or more like rasping, with how rough his voice is. How full of gravel. I also smell him, in this moment. In the air, through the walls. Sweet and tart strawberries. But then who am I kidding, I always smell him. Even when he’s not home. But I remind myself of my promise, my goal as I put the phone aside and go back to work.
But then a couple of days later, it becomes really hard to stay true to my good intentions because he doesn’t come home. He isn’t home by the time he usually is to play FIFA with my sister. While Snow is disappointed as she goes upstairs to bed, I’m more worried. I know him. There is no way he’d miss his time with Snow. There has to be something wrong.
And then I find out why.
I have alerts set up on my phone, about his articles and things. I know most of them are lies but I have no way of knowing how he’s doing at practice. While most of the articles are stupid gossip about the supposed love triangle and all the dire predictions about his stats in the upcoming season, some of them do say that his performance is improving in practice. He may not be where he was last season before everything went to shit but he isn’t as bad as he was when the pre-season practice started. It warms my heart, knowing he’s doing better. Of course, he doesn’t tell me anything when I ask because I’m not his ‘cheerleader’ but I don’t let that deter me. I still tell him how much I believe in him and how he’s going to prove them all wrong.
Not to mention, having these alerts also made me aware of what Snow had been afraid of. As in, the media knows about us. Or at least, about me and what I look like.
One morning we woke up to find my picture in an article, in my uniform from the coffee shop. I was at the register, and the angle was such that the photo was taken from across the street. It was seriously violating. The only consolation was they didn’t have Snow’s photo, just her name and all the information was about how Thornes had helped us with her sickness. Nothing of our parents and the sordid history.
But if they found out about the coffee shop, then there’s a chance they could also find out about the strip club. While I have no issues or shame admitting I worked there once, there are certain things I don’t want them to find. Like the fact that a certain soccer player I’m related to, the one who’s been in the news a lot lately used to visit me at the club. I mean, everyone saw him when he used to go and back then, I was just an anonymous redhead that he may have taken a shine to. But apparently, I’m not anonymous anymore. What if someone finds out and it’s all over the news? What if he loses his place on the team because of it?