Hating, Hurting: A Stepbrother Bully Story

it burn inside me, fueling me with a reminder of why I was still here. Anger commanded my entire being, dominating my black soul, and I pushed off the wall, pushing Hunter aside as he sweet-talked Delilah. I followed Ella round the corner and up the stairs, ignoring whoever was calling my name. Where was she headed to? She walked all the way down the deserted hallway and turned to the right. Her long golden hair was up in a ponytail, and with her big blue eyes magnified by her stupid glasses, she looked every bit the virgin the guys liked to speak about. I didn’t doubt for a second that this was all a part of her act, one she had down pat.
Why was she always going to places where no one else went to, anyway? This girl’s just asking for it. I padded quietly down the hallway towards the door she had disappeared into and stopped short of entering the girls’ washroom. Weren’t there washrooms downstairs? After a couple of minutes, I pushed the door and entered.
Hans
Cole’s eyes lit up as he followed Ella up the stairs. You sicko. I knew she was going to make our lives better, somehow. I laughed and turned back around, shoving the can of Coke I got for Cole back into my backpack. He had a one-track mind at times and now was one of them. Lunch was probably the last thing on his mind. Or maybe she’s lunch. I laughed at my own sordid joke. I joined Sean and Jeremy as we headed towards the cafeteria. Lindsay linked her arm through mine the moment she saw me. As cute as she was, I was beginning to get bored of her, and decided now was as good a time as any to let her down easy. I removed my arm from her and shook my head firmly when she sat down next to me at our usual table. I watched as her eyes widened with understanding and she stood up and left in a huff, bringing a doleful Delilah with her, whose brown eyes were looking longingly at Hunter. Hunter, being the dick that he was, remained oblivious to the lovesick girl and turned to smack me on the back instead. “Man, we need new broads around here,” he whined. I guess he wasn’t that oblivious to Delilah, then. “Wanna have a party this weekend? Invite chicks from all the schools?”
Sean looked up from the book he was reading. His sporty nerd look drove the girls wild, and I couldn’t decide if it was really him or just a cover. But he could be counted on to have our backs, and had grown up with us. “Already? The school year just started.” He went back to reading and was promptly shoved by Hunter.
“Not all of us have a steady ass to tap.” Sean and Ashley were an item since junior year. Probably the only one of us capable of a monogamous relationship. Or any relationship.
I frowned at Hunter. “You could have your pick any day.” It was true. Despite the dufus that he was, girls went wild for him, even though he barely remembered their names and dumped them the next day. Helps to be a jock and have groupies. I was loathe to discuss parties. It inevitably happened at our place, because of the space we had, and I didn’t feel it was worth it to get wasted and wake up to a nightmare of a house that had to be cleaned up. I loved Susan and would not risk losing her. Where is Cole? Not that I needed his backup, but he was taking too long. Maybe he got lucky with her. This, I doubted. Something told me that despite her naiveté, Ella would be a tough one to crack. She didn’t strike me as a follower, unlike most of the girls I knew. She didn’t seem impressed by us, nor did she attempt to conform to the hierarchy we had in the school. Her friends were the nerds from the school paper, and so it surprised me to hear her trying out for the cheerleading team and making it. I hoped to see her lovely pins in the delicious black cheerleading uniform. Cole wasn’t the kind to share, but things could change.

Chapter 7
Ella
Washing my hands at the sink, I took out some lip gloss from my bag and applied it to my chapped lips. The weather was really wreaking havoc on my skin. I needed a new skincare routine. Outside, the hallway was quiet, so I startled when the door opened suddenly. I hurriedly tossed the tube back into my bag and turned.
My heart stuttered to a shuddering stop when I saw Cole standing there. It had to be Cole – the chilling look in his fathomless black eyes gave him away. It spoke of danger and evil intent, and I realized there was no way he had come in here and found me by accident. He must have followed me. Awareness spread through my numb brain and kick-started my pulse. I took stock of his broad shoulders and chest, his clenched fists. How much taller than me he was. Fear assailed me, despite my mind telling me he was family and logically wouldn’t do anything to harm me.
“Excuse me.” I moved past him, my head bowed, not wanting to make eye contact. My throat clogged in fear and I found myself taking shallow breaths, not wanting to awaken the beast.
He moved, blocking me and successfully obstructing my only chance of escaping as he stood in front of the door. I was trapped, and belatedly realized that looking for a quiet bathroom at lunch was probably not one of my best ideas. I loved the peace and quiet but look where it got me. Again.
“What do you want?” I was proud to hear how strong and unwavering my voice came out, even whilst my pulse swooshed in my ears.