Thick: A Stepbrother Romance (2 page)

              “To hell it’s not my business. This little girl has been nothing but good to you, you ungrateful little shit.”

              I pulled away from him, looking into Henry’s eyes. “I have to go Sir. I’m no longer welcome here.” I paused as the next words caught in my throat. “Brad doesn’t want me. He made that perfectly clear.”

              His eyes softened. “Claire, I don’t know what he did. But let me just tell you something, it’s not your fault, ok.”

              “Thank you Sir.” My voice broke at the end, “I have to go now. Give Mrs. Titan my love, ok.”

              It was now Monday. Today would be the first day that I saw Brad since our dreaded break-up Friday. Over the weekend I sat by the phone, waiting for his call. You know the one where he would say how stupid he was for cheating on me, or that it had all be a horrible joke. However, that phone call never came. I was so depressed that I wouldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep because everything around me reminded me of Brad. Of all the good times that we had in the eight months we had been together.

              But all the things had been a lie. There was nothing good about Brad and I, nothing. He was just a piece of shit liar. The only reason he kept you around was to use you and when he was through, he’d toss you away. Which is exactly what he did to me. The only thing that didn’t sound right was all the time he invested in me. If he was just going to toss me away, why would be put forth the effort of a relationship, no matter how flawless ours had been.

              Gathering my books from my locker I saw something out of the corner of my eye. So like the stupid person I am, I looked. What I saw stole the breath out of my lungs. Tears began to gather at the corner of my eyes, my heart beginning to break all over again. Brad was underneath the stairs with Cherish Sharp, one hand up her shirt fondling her breast, the other holding her thigh as she draped her leg around his waist. The sight simply destroyed me, but for the life of me I couldn’t look away. I knew that the rumors were real now, but seeing it for myself hurt ten times worse. 

              A voice snapped me out of my trance. “Get a good show love,” Brad joked, wiping the corner of his mouth. I could see Cherish behind him straightening her clothes with an, in-your-face-bitch smile. I wanted to be angry, to be a scorned lover. But nothing came to me. Only hurt, sadness, heartbreak filled me. A tear ran down my face when I shook my head. Shutting my locker door, I ran to my next class. One that I knew for a fact would suck; because it was also a class that I had with Brad.

              Sitting in my seat, I laid my head down and stared out the window. I didn’t feel anything, like I was emotionless, just a hollow shell of the person that I once was. I didn’t bother with fixing my hair more than to put it into a ponytail. Brad hated ponytails, I guess if anything it was a small fuck you to him. But I knew that wasn’t it at all, I just didn’t have to energy to care. It felt like he had taken everything from me. My drive to care about anything was gone. I just wanted to disappear into a dark room somewhere.

              I knew that at any moment he would sit in the seat next to me. He was the only person to ever sit in the back left hand seat, the one farthest away from the teacher. I always took the seat right next to his, ever since the first day of this class. I couldn’t tell you the reason I sat in it now. Whether it be because it was just a repetitive action of mine or what. But I did. Closing my eyes, I let a deep breath escape me, as well as a few tears.

              Opening them, I looked right into Brads amazingly deep blues. The ones that no matter what, would always capture me. I choked on a sob, shutting my eyes once again. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit in this seat. I half hoped that he would sit somewhere else. But that was just stupid thinking he would. I tried every way in the world to shut him out. Finally I put my arms on the desk crossing them, and hid my face from him. He didn’t deserve the tears I was crying, but dammit, I couldn’t stop.

              After all the shit he did to me, I still loved the bastard, probably always would.

              I felt someone tap on my arm. I knew who it was. It was Brad. Had he not humiliated me enough that he had to dig the knife in more? I shook my head, and kept my face hidden from him. Just when I thought he would leave me alone, a note slid underneath my arm. Written on the outside was
My Claire Bear.
I cried that much more after just reading the name he called me on the outside.

              Lifting my head, I took the note and threw it back at him. I was not going to have any more contact with him. He had already torn my heart out of my chest. Now it seemed like he wanted to play baseball with it. Lowering my head, I hid my face in my arms again. Only to see a few seconds later a note slip underneath my arms. This time the writing on the outside literally crushed me.
My Love.

             
Removing my arms from around my face, looked up into his saddened blues. “What do you want?” I whispered, a lump catching in my throat at the end rendering me speechless.

              He didn’t talk but just gestured toward the note. Rolling my eyes, I knew it was a bad idea to do this, but I unfolded the note and began to read the one damn sentence on the page.

             
Why is your hair in a ponytail?

              A few tears slipped out of my eyes as I wrote him back.

             
Nobody cares what I look like!

             
I folded up the note and gave it back to him, wiping the tears from my face. I was so glad that everyone like this class; that meant that no one would be worried about why I was crying silently. I was about to open my notebook and pretend I was taking notes, when his slid back to my desk.

             
You’d be surprised.

             
Seriously, that was the only thing he could say. Scribbling on the note, I balled it up and threw it back at him. It hitting his chest before falling down to his closed notebook.

             
It doesn’t matter now.

             
Within seconds I was graced with a new piece of paper. The writing on the outside now read
My Dearest Love.

             
Why?

             
Writing the only thing that could come to my mind. I found that it was the closest thing to the truth as I could get without breaking down.

             
Because the person I love… broke me.

             
When I passed the note back to him, his eyes snapped up to meet mine after he read it. My tears started falling faster. Just looking at him was too painful. I couldn’t do it anymore. Packing up my things, I started to get up out of my chair. That was until I felt his hand on my arm, holding me in my seat. I looked at him, tears brimming his eyes. That was one thing I hadn’t seen from Brad before, tears.

              He scribbled something on the note, then passed it to me.

             
You loved me…

             
After reading his message, the tears started falling faster. I scribbled onto the paper before passing it back to him. I knew I didn’t have to do this. But it was better late than never. At least now I hoped that he would hurt half as much as I did. If that was even possible. When he unfolded the paper, a tear slid down his cheek before he shut his eyes.

             
Love…not loved…But I guess that wasn’t enough…

             
He opened his eyes and looked at me with sadness marring his gorgeous blues. His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but the bell chose that moment to ding signaling that class was over. Gathering my things, I didn’t look back as I made my way out of the room. I hadn’t retained any information in class. But today, I didn’t care. I was only going through the motions of the day to day activities. It wasn’t worth any effort on my part.

              Opening my locker, I put my bag in just as I felt the ponytail holder slip free from my hair. Leaning my head against the locker, I knew exactly who that was. His tortured voice spoke a second later. But I couldn’t let him get to me. He had treated me like shit. He cheated on me, for months. Which ripped whatever heart I had right out of my chest.

              “I didn’t know,” he whispered.

              I choked back a sob. “It doesn’t matter now,” I whimpered, reciting what I had said on the paper.

              “If I had known…God, I’m so sorry Claire Bear” He stepped closer to me.

              I turned, causing him to step back away from me. “It doesn’t matter now, Brad.” I had to stop from the lump growing in my throat. I shut my locker before leveling him with a stare. “The name is Claire, not Claire Bear.”

              Taking my hair bow from him, I put my hair up as I walked away from him. I heard him calling for me as I walked away. But damn, I had to stay strong. I couldn’t give in to him again. I’ve already lost a piece of myself to him that I would never get back again.

              Over the next few weeks I kept getting texts from him. Asking me to forgive him, that none of the girls meant anything to him. That I was the only one he ever wanted. The he wasn’t even seeing anyone, never would again. The one that hurt the most was when he said that he loved me. That was what split my mending heart wide the fuck open. He knew that he was still a sore spot for me. But putting himself out there, was making things so much worse.

              Everyday seeing him at school was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Seeing him smiling and laughing like he hadn’t just ruined my world. Every time we made eye contact, his smile would always falter. Maybe he was living in the same hell I was. I found that the more I was around him, the less I was crying. He still tried to get me to talk to him during third period. But every time I shot him down. I could tell that it was eating him alive. Well knowing that he had been with all those girls ate me alive every day. However, the more I tried to get him out of my mind, the more space he took up in it.

              It was two weeks before prom when it happened. He showed up on my door step carrying a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. I was in my room when my mother had answered the door. She didn’t know anything about what happened between us. So she let him in and allowed him to come up to my room. It had been a month since we had broken up. It was amazing how my mother never questioned why he was not hanging around anymore.

              I was lying in bed when I heard a timid knock sound at my door. I furrowed my brow, wondering who it could be as I went to open the door. The sight of him wearing a tuxedo made the breath leave my lungs. He looked absolutely perfect. Even though he had cheated on me, I still found that I wanted him with every fiber of my being. He was my first love, my first everything. And he was here at my door baring roses and chocolates.

              Leaving the door open, I walked back over to my bed. I sat on it Indian style, holding a pillow to my chest. Hoping that this barrier between us would help me shut him out. But I should have known that even a steel wall around my heart wouldn’t be able to stand against him.

              “What do you want?” I asked as he shut the door and walking over to my bed.

              He sat on the end of my bed, clutching my gifts to him as if they were his life line. He exhaled a shaky breath before looking at me. “I fucked up Claire…I thought by being an asshole to you at the house that it would make it all better. That you would retaliate in some way…But you never did, if anything you still loved me. Even after all of the shit I put you through. God, I’m so sorry.”

              “Brad,” I pleaded, hiding my face in my pillow.

              “Claire, I know this is an asshole move. But do you think you could ever forgive me?”

              I shrugged my shoulders then looked up at him. “I don’t know, Brad. I really don’t.”

              He looked so broken at that moment that even though he was the one that hurt me, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and comfort him. Going against my better judgement, I did just that. Taking the pillow out of my lap, I slid next to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, his head against my chest. The dreaded tears I thought I had cried out overwhelmed me.

              The roses and chocolates fell from his hands as his arms wrapped around me. We set there, silently just holding onto each other. As I was going to pull away he lifted me, pulling me into his lap. His arms tightening around me.

              “I’m so fucking stupid. I had the most beautiful, loyal, caring woman in front of me…and I fucked it up,” he whispered against my chest.

              I tried to make the situation lite by giggling as I answered him. “Yes, yes you did… You stink ass.”

              He chuckled in my chest, gripping me that much more. He was a strong guy, so if he tightened his hold on me anymore I was probably going to pass out from lack of oxygen. I tapped him on the shoulder, which caused him to pull back and look at me. What I saw in his eyes was something that I thought I would not see again. Happiness and love. The brightness of his eyes, was what drew me to him in the first place. His secret weapon.

              “Why do you love me?” His question surprised me, I laid a hand against his cheek. He turned into my touch and closed his eyes, a sigh falling from his lips.

              “Because you make me feel alive. You bring out a person in me that I never knew was there before.” I stated frankly.

              He opened his eyes, “Claire…”

              I looked deep into his eyes seeing the desire and love his still had for me swirling in his depths. It took all my willpower not to lean into him, to give him what we both wanted. But I could feel my control slipping with every second he was here in my room. While he was looking at me with those bedrooms eyes, I was fighting an inner battle inside my heart. So many things running through my mind.