Stepbrother Dearest (9 page)

“Thanks.”

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom real quick before we leave?”

I hesitated to send him upstairs in the event Elec were to come out of his room. “Sure. It’s upstairs. Just

take a left, and it’s at the end of the hall.”

I waited on a stool at the counter.

“He seems totally nice,” my mother said.

“He is,” I said, placing the flowers into a vase.

That was the problem. I’d grown to love a little mean mixed in with my nice.

After a five-minute wait, Corey had an odd look on his face when he returned.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said without making eye contact. He walked in front of me and led me to his Focus parked

out front.

He was still acting strange after we got in the car and before he started the engine, he turned to me.

“I ran into your stepbrother upstairs.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Oh?”

“He said to give you these, that you’d left them in his room.” He handed me a pair of pink lace panties,

the second to last piece of underwear that Elec had been harboring.

I took them and stared out into the street in disbelief, confused as to whether I was angry or slightly

amused.

When I composed myself, I turned to him. “He’s just trying to mess with you…and me. It’s sort of what

he does. I know this sounds silly, but he took all of my underwear as a joke and hasn’t given them all back.

Nothing else is going on.”

He sighed but still seemed a little uncomfortable. “Okay. That was just really weird.”

“I know. Believe me. I’m sorry.”

Corey was looking straight ahead at the road, so I took out my phone and discreetly sent Elec a text.

Greta: Why would you do that???

Elec: Don’t get your “panties in a bunch.” It was funny and you know it.

Greta: It wasn’t funny to him.

Elec: You don’t even like him.

Greta: How would you know that?

Elec: Because you like me.

Greta: You’re full of yourself.

Elec: You wanted to be full of me too once, remember?

My jaw dropped.

Greta: Why do you always do this?

Elec: What’s that?

Greta: Revert back to your inner asshole.

Elec: In her asshole, huh?

Greta: You suck!

Elec: I do…very well. I’d show you if I could.

Greta: Why are you doing this?

Elec: Because I can’t fucking stop.

I wasn’t going to write back. He texted again.

Elec: Come home.

Greta: What?

Elec: Come home. Hang out with me.

Greta: No!

I shut off my phone and glanced over at Corey who was still looking ahead quietly.

Elec was out of his mind. Who did he think he was, trying to prevent me from casually dating while he

continued to whore himself out?

Elec had cast a shadow over the rest of the night, and while we were able to make small talk at the

Mexican restaurant, I knew that Corey was totally turned off by what Elec did. The sick thing was, I wasn’t

even
that
mad. If I were being honest with myself, it secretly satisfied me that Elec cared enough to want to sabotage my date.

I tried to focus my attention solely on Corey and was doing a half-assed job while eating my flan

dessert. All I could think about was Elec. He’d not only gotten under my skin tonight, he’d hijacked my

entire mind.

My phone chimed just as we were getting ready to pay the bill.

I need you to come home.

Greta: No.

Elec: I’m not messing around this time. Something’s happened.

My stomach suddenly felt unsettled.

Greta: Everything ok?

Elec: No one hurt or anything. We need to talk.

Greta: Ok.

Elec: Where are you? Will it be faster if I come get you?

Greta: No, Corey will take me home.

Elec: Ok. Don’t take too long.

My heart was pounding.

What was this about?

I’d made up a story about severe stomach pains and asked Corey if he wouldn’t mind driving me

straight home. He wasn’t too thrilled, but then again, the whole night was shot after what Elec pulled.

I couldn’t get home fast enough.

Corey hadn’t even waited for me to go inside before he drove off. I headed straight up the stairs and

knocked on Elec’s door before opening it.

He was sitting on the bed waiting for me with a troubled looked on his face. Actually, I’d never seen

him look so upset. He got up from the bed and caught me off guard when he immediately pulled me into a

hug. “Thank you for coming back.”

His heart was beating through his chest as he held me firmly. My body yearned for him to hold me even

tighter.

“What’s wrong, Elec?”

He released me then led me by the hand over to the bed where we both sat down. “I have to go back to

California.”

All of the food I’d just consumed felt like it was coming up on me at once.

“What?” I put my hand on his knee because it felt like I was losing my balance. “Why?”

“My mother is back.”

“I don’t understand. She was supposed to be in England until the summer.”

He looked down at the ground and hesitated before looking up at me with melancholy in his eyes.

“What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room. You can’t tell your mother, and you absolutely cannot tell Randy. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“My mother wasn’t in England. Shortly before I came here, she checked herself into a hospital for

severe depression and substance abuse out in Arizona. It was supposed to be a six-month program, and

then she was going to stay with a friend for the remaining time until the end of my school year.”

“Why didn’t she tell Randy the truth?”

“My mother is a very talented painter. I know you know that. Anyway, she
was
offered an opportunity

to teach in London for a year and used that as the excuse she gave Randy even though she turned it down.

She’s ashamed to let him know how bad things have gotten. Before she decided to check herself into the

program, she’d overdosed on some sleeping pills, and I found her on the ground. I thought she was dead.”

“That was the nightmare you were having.”

“What?”

“The night you were yelling in your sleep, you were saying ‘Mami, wake up.’”

“Yeah. That makes sense. I dream about it a lot, actually. My mother is a weak person. Ever since Randy

left her, she’s never been the same. I was afraid I’d lost her. She’s all I have.”

I squeezed his knee. “Do you really think our parents had an affair and that he left your mother for

mine?”

“I know he cheated on my mother, because I hacked into his computer. He met your mother online

while he was still married to mine. He’d say he was going away on business, but he was really coming to

Boston to visit Sarah. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

“I believe you.”

“In Sarah’s defense, I’m not sure what story he fed her. He may have tried to play it off like he was

separated. You know how you told me your father was your mother’s one true love?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, that’s what Randy was to my mother even though it may not have been reciprocal. He’s a horrible

father, but that didn’t seem to matter to her. She’s basically obsessed with him and has always based her

self-worth on his actions toward her. She’s obsessed with Sarah now, too. It’s a sickness. There’s so much

more to this story, but I’m just telling you what you need to know as it relates to you and me.”

“When you said I was forbidden…is it simply because I’m Sarah’s daughter?”

He smiled and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. “You look just like her. My mother thinks

that her marriage ended because of Sarah. She hates your mother probably more than anyone. Deep down,

I know he would have found a way to leave Mami anyway, but she’s in extremely bad shape. She could

never handle it if she ever found out there was something going on between me and Sarah’s daughter.”

“Why did she come home early?”

“She thinks she’s doing better. She’s not, Greta. I can hear it in her voice, but they let her check out

anyway. The friend who was supposed to watch over her flaked out and isn’t even in town. I’m scared for

her to be alone. That’s why I’m leaving tomorrow morning. My flight is already booked. Randy thinks her

job fell through and could care less that I’m going back.”

A teardrop fell from my cheek. “I just wasn’t expecting this.” I leaned against his chest as he wrapped

his arm around me. We sat in silence until I looked up at him. “I’m not ready for you to leave.”

“Swallowing my pride and coming to live with Randy so my mother could try to get better and not have

to worry about me, was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It was hell at first, but you were a little piece of heaven in the midst of it all. I never thought I’d go from dreading being here to dreading leaving, but that’s how I feel right now. I want to stay but only because of you. I want to be able to protect you and not necessarily in a brotherly way, and that’s fucked up.”

I grabbed his hand. “I get it.”

He wrapped his fingers inside mine and leaned in, lightly pressing his lips against my forehead. “I feel

like you see me in ways that most don’t. Getting you to hate me was impossible because you knew that

wasn’t really me. Thank you for being smart enough to see through me.”

I couldn’t help it. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in the smell of his skin and cologne,

wanting to burn it into memory.

He’d be gone tomorrow.

I might never see him again.

His breathing quickened then he let go of me.

I looked around at his bags and realized there was still a lot left to pack. “Do you need me to help you?”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “Okay.”

“What I need is for you to go back to your room. It’s not because I don’t want to spend time with you.

It’s because I don’t trust myself.”

“I want to stay here with you.”

“With the way I’m feeling right now, I just can’t be in the same room with you. I was a wreck when you

went out on that date with flower boy. And that was before I found out I was leaving. Then, you come in

here looking so fucking beautiful in that dress. I only have so much control.”

“I don’t care if something happens. I want it to.”

He looked down at the ground and shook his head. “We can’t let it.” Elec was quiet then looked me in

the eyes. “The other day, you knew I had a girl over. Nothing happened. She tried, but I couldn’t get it up.

It didn’t feel right, and it’s been that way for a long time—ever since that night in your room. You don’t

think I’ve fantasized about doing what you asked me to, knowing I’d be the first you would get to

experience that with? Do you have any idea what even hearing the words ‘show me how you fuck’ coming

out of your sweet little mouth did to me? It ruined me.”

“I’d rather have one night with you than nothing at all.”

“You don’t mean that. If I thought you were the type of girl who did, we wouldn’t be talking right

now.” He placed both hands on my shoulders, causing a shiver to run through me. “And for the record, I

like
that you’re not that type of girl.” He let out a deep breath that I felt on my chest. “Even if you say you could handle it…I’m not sure I could.”

We stayed silent for several seconds with our eyes locked before I got up. “Okay. I’ll leave.” My eyes

began to water because this felt like the end.

He could see I was starting to cry. “Please, don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m just gonna miss you.”

He hugged me one last time and buried his nose in my hair. He spoke into my ear. “I’m gonna miss you,

too.” Our hearts were both beating fast against each other before he stepped back. “My flight doesn’t leave

until 10. Maybe we can get breakfast.”

I walked back to my room in disbelief over how fast things could change in life. Little did I know,

things with Elec would change again in the blink of an eye or should I say, in the middle of the night.

Crushed couldn’t begin to describe what it felt like having to go back to my room, knowing he wanted

me in the same way I wanted him but that we would never stand a chance. It felt empty here already, and he

wasn’t even gone yet.

It bothered me that he’d have to return home to that situation with his mother. Not that his interactions

with Randy had been anything less than awful, but at least here, I could have been there to support him. He

really hadn’t won in the parent department no matter how you cut it.

He’d only just begun to open up to me. I knew that if he stayed, we would have grown closer. I tried to

convince myself that this was for the best because he was leaving in the summer anyway. But despite my

self-talk, the ache in my chest just wouldn’t go away.

I couldn’t help envying all of those girls at school who’d gotten the chance to experience being with

him on a physical level. Even though I connected with him in a different and better way, there was still a

deep longing for what I’d missed.

My mother came in briefly to check on me and to ask if I’d heard the news about Elec leaving.