Hating, Hurting: A Stepbrother Bully Story

found an empty seat next to a curly-haired girl with a small, sympathetic smile. “Bad day?” she asked in a whisper. The white-haired, thin lady standing at the front with a permanent frown didn’t appear to be someone who would appreciate chit-chat in her class.
“Is it that obvious?” I didn’t need her answer - I could hear how sulky I sounded. I couldn’t help it. It seemed that Cole was hell-bent on being rude to me, and I didn’t know why. It bothered me, that my own soon-to-be-family hated me that way, when all my life I hadn’t made a single enemy, not one.
“Judging from the long face, you could use a smoke,” she replied. I tried not to wince. I had a feeling that being too straight-laced wasn’t going to work in my favor at this school.
The girl laughed quietly. “A cup of coffee then, maybe?” She had read me correctly. I smiled awkwardly. “I’m Sarah. You’re the twins’ new sister, right?”
I guess good news traveled fast. “Ella,” I confirmed with a nod.
“You’re gonna need a strong coffee then. My treat. The twins aren’t easy to deal with, especially if you’re on their shit list.”
My head snapped towards her so quickly my neck hurt. How did she know what I was going through? But she remained focused on the lesson – integers, something my brain didn’t want to process at the moment – and kept me in suspense for the entire class. Afterwards, she linked her arm through mine and walked me towards my locker to help me drop off my books.
I rubbed my shoulder, which was aching from both the heavy bag and after the fight earlier. I hoped I wouldn’t find any bruises on myself tomorrow. The cafeteria was over in another building, and I was glad to have Sarah walk me there so there wouldn’t be an encore of what had happened earlier. I didn’t feel like being cornered every time I found myself in the wrong part of school. We crossed an expansive courtyard and entered a large, airy building from where the delicious aroma of food called to me invitingly. My stomach rumbled in reply. I guess the pancakes and sausages weren’t enough to tide me over until lunch. I made a mental note to pack some snacks from home.
“Let’s sit over there.” Sarah pointed to a table where a guy with mousy brown hair and a girl wearing a rose pink bandana were sitting. I walked behind her, hoping these were a decent bunch. “Cameron, Jules, this is Ella. Ella, the gang behind the success of the school paper.”
Cameron beamed at me and held out a warm hand. Jules smiled and scooted over so we could sit. My stomach rumbled again when I saw the food on their trays – fries and a hearty burger on Cameron’s and some pasta on Jules’. Cameron must have heard my stomach because he laughed and moved his tray closer to me.
“Ella...?”
“Hamilton,” I filled in. “The school paper?”
“The Gray Lake Reporter,” Cameron answered. “I’m the chief editor and Jules here looks for all the juicy news.”
Jules smiled at me knowingly. “I think juicy news is unfolding as we speak.” We all turned to see what she was looking at.
Cole and the brunette he had made out with earlier in the morning seemed to be having a face-off. She appeared to be challenging him about something, as she stood on tiptoe to speak right into his face, her hands gesturing emphatically. Cole stood, unmoving, his face a carefully carved mask, devoid of emotion. It was only his clenched fists at his sides that gave him away.The blank look in his dark eyes - they sent chills down my spine and I turned away, unable to continue looking.
“Who is she?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. A strong, feisty woman was sexy and worth idolizing in my eyes.
Jules replied, “Cole’s on-and-off girlfriend, Monica.”
Everyone in the cafeteria was watching them. Everyone except Hans, who caught my eye and held my gaze for a few seconds before turning to look at his brother warily, perhaps waiting to see if he should step in. I turned to look at Cole again – I couldn’t help it. Monica was now stabbing her index finger repeatedly into his chest, and Cole stood there, his jaw now clenched, and he looked ready to snap. Finally, he grabbed her wrist, although not enough to hurt her it seemed, and flung her hand away as he spoke to her inaudibly. Whatever he said was enough to stop her from continuing to harass him, and she turned around in a huff and left the cafeteria.
“Wow,” Cameron said, his eyes wide. “That girl’s got some guts.”
I waited for him to explain. He shrugged. “Cole’s on the football team and just beat up Hank a few weeks ago.”
Hank. The name sounded familiar. After a while, it clicked and I had to sit down. The guy who had attacked me in the hallway earlier with his sidekicks. The bull. A wave of nausea rose inside me and I fought to keep the contents of my stomach down. Funny, now that I was away from the situation, I was finally feeling queasy. Aftershocks, I guess. The adrenaline rush was now officially gone.
“You alright?” Sarah asked. “You look a bit pale.”
“Uh, is Hank the big guy with dark hair and a scar right here?” I asked, pointing to my upper lip.
“Yeah,” Sarah replied, an uneasy look on her face. “You’ve met him already?”
“In the hallway earlier today,” I whispered. “Cole and his friend saved me.” I wasn’t sure how much I should be telling them, worried it would make the school paper instead. I had no desire for fame, whether good or bad.
Luckily, it didn’t seem they needed any explanation. “Hank’s gonna get it one day, and soon,” Jules said grimly. “He’s gotten away mostly because no one wants to report him, but he’s becoming bolder and bolder every day.”
I looked back at Cole,