My Stepbrother-Too Hot To Handle

DABBY:

I might have wanted to be unconscious for a longer time, or better still fall into a coma even if it wasn’t something to hope for. But I was too stressed out of my mind. Everything had become really exhausting, that I didn’t want to try anymore.

By the time I opened my eyes hours later after collapsing, I was lying on one of the beds in the school infirmary. An IV was passed to my arm, and it seemed like my arm had bandaged all over again.

The pains I was feeling before were all gone, and everything just felt like nothing had happened at all. Except for the fact that my head almost split open the previous day, and the fact that I was lying on a hospital bed instead of sitting in class.

There was no one around and it really felt so lonely and sad, because it was too painful to feel like no one even cared if I died. The patience my hope had was wearing thin, and I couldn’t imagine living this kind of pathetic, ostracized life too in college.

I let my thoughts get to me the more, giving me reasons to be sadder than ever. There was nothing I wanted to console myself with, and there were literally no good memories to reminisce about.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Maybe I had one.

“Dabby. You are finally awake,” I heard Mason’s cheerful voice say as he adjusted the bed curtains, and drew a stool closer to the bed to sit beside me.

I became really happy. Everything that was dying in me, found a solace by Mason’s kind actions. It was really touching to see that someone cared that I was not okay, and that he was happy to see me.

“I am doing great” I answered really slowly, while trying to blow breathe onto my flustered face using my idle left hand. I was getting the urge to cry really badly, and they were happy tears. I was not alone, and someone cared.

“I brought you this-get-well-soon yogurts and sausage. There are cookies and chocolate. Heard that it helps to release hormones that make people happy,” Mason told me, as he dropped the nylon of snacks on the nearest table, and tried to get the chocolate out of its wrapper, “Have a bit.”

“This is really delicious. Thank you, Mason. I am really thankful,” I seethed with a bright smile as I took a bite of the chocolate, and happy tears ended up rolling down my eyes.

“It is nothing,” he conceded, and took a glance at my face like he was really eager to say something to me.

“How did I get here?” I asked in curiosity. I was kind of sure that Madison ran off with her friends.

“I heard what happened from a random girl in class, and rushed here to see you being attended to by the nurse. What really happened? Why do you have a plastered head, and an almost broken arm? Is it him?” Mason asked so many questions at the same time, with some kind of persuasive authority in his voice.

Regardless of how much I wanted to tell Mason the truth and cry on his shoulders, I couldn’t afford to get screwed by Damien all over. I didn’t even want to talk about him.

“No, no. It is not. I fell from the stairs. Missed my steps when I ran down.”

“Hunh. Why does your story seem plausible and implausible at the same time? Like you are leaving out some information on purpose,” Mason speculated with doubt on his face while looking at me, and I tried so much not to shift my eyes away from his. Else, I would get caught.

“It is my clumsiness, Mason,” I pressed.

“So, that was what the photos in front of the pharmacy were about,” Mason mouthed, and my eyes widened at his words.

“How do you know about that?”

“I challenged Madison and she showed the pictures in anger, saying some gibberish about you and Damien together. Very dumb talks,” Mason blurted out irritatedly, and I just let out sigh of inward peace

“It was so relieving to see that the pictures were ones of when we stood in front of the pharmacy. What if it was when we both entered the same car? I would probably be dead now with the number of girls that would have trampled over me. How would I even have to explain it?” I panicked as I let out all my imaginations in words like a chatterbox, which made me even more amazed by the way I talked quite well, than I ever thought I could.

“I guess someone random must have seen you guys together, and taken the pictures to show Madison. Probably to make her react in this way. It is really a relief to see that you are doing well,” Mason speculated what the perfect scenario would look like. He opened another pack of chocolate and gave me another bar.

“It is probably hard for her to get over Damien. It is common saying that once a girl is really into Damien and falls for him, it is usually hard to get over him even if he ends the relationship first. He is a total player,” I uttered with some kind of anger in me, emphasizing on the jast sentence.

“I do not give two fucks about him. And for, Madison, she is really immature and obnoxious. I wonder who made her leader of such school activities,” Mason stated, and I just chuckled. It sure was nice having him around. “Wait. Was it your mum or his dad that asked him to take you to the pharmacy? Have you not told them already?”

“Do you not have class?” I suddenly remembered, and turned to look at him with surprise pretending like I didn’t hear the latter. According to the time, it was past lunch time, and he was still with me in the infirmary.

“I do not have any class. For now,” he answered, and I had my doubts about that, “You have not answered me, Dabby.”

“They do not know anything, and they want us to bond well. I want them to enjoy their personal time as newly weds peacefully,” I told the partial truth to Mason. There was no way him finding out that we were home alone would do anyone any good.

He gave me this doubtful look, and I just grinned.