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62 || Wednesday
Monday is gone. Tuesday is gone.
Wednesday sneaks upon us like a thief. I’m the first one up in the house. I tiptoe to the door but the sound from Calum’s room stops me. He is playing his guitar. I listen for a few minutes, rocking myself back and forth. He’s strumming the chords to the song we will be singing later today. I want to think he’s doing it for me since I’m a tight ball of nerves. That we are fine. But I know better.
The hour drags by. 5 am turns to 6 am. Time to prepare.
I read through the chats in our WattsApp group. Rose is freaking out. Taylor and Amelia are trying to calm her down. That’s what happens when the first team you have to face is the one that knocked you off in the last competition.
After a quick bath, I stand in front of the mirror and practise my breathing exercise. Today, we will find out who’s taking the solo. I run a comb through my pink hair. Icy, blue eyes star
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To Tempt My Stepbrother 63 || Why?
I’m stunned.Everyone but Calum and I leave to watch the first group singing. I drum my fingers against my hip. My nerves are on fire, my insides are quivering with intense fury. I am a time bomb waiting to explode. Calum folds his arms on his chest, cold and unbothered by my reaction.We were over this. The solo belongs to me.“Why?” I whisper.Unshed tears burn my eyes but I don’t give them an escape. I’ll not appear weak in front of him. He scoffs. “You are asking me why?” Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he taps on it for a few seconds, then thrusts in my face. I gulp. “Did you or did you not make this video to spite me, Cathy?”It’s the TicToc video I made and it’s playing on mute. I wipe the tears rolling down my cheeks.“I’m sorry.”“I’m sorry too.” Brows furrowed in annoyance, Calum shoves the ph
To Tempt My Stepbrother 64 || Leave me alone
We are through to the next stage. And the next two stages after. The final is today and I’m more than nervous. I’m freaking out. My head falls back on the window, back to the door of Jackson’s car.The school bus isn’t here yet.“Are you okay?” Jackson asks. He mimics my stance so we are facing each other.“Nope. I’m so frigging nervous.”He laughs. I run a hand through his hair and he captures my wrists. I’ve been trying to break up with him for the last two weeks but it’s futile. Staring into his eyes makes me uncomfortable, I pull back and look out the window. There are students from other schools lining the front.Jackson reaches for my hands but I shove them into my bag, pretending to look for something. He drives me to school daily. Dani is convinced he’s a good boyfriend. Dad doesn’t approve but is only quiet because of his wife. Amelia is w
To Tempt My Stepbrother 65 || Hand in my pocket
We did it.We won.I’m trying not to freak out. I have been keeping calm since the announcer mentioned Carlton High as the winner. Since Jackson dropped me off but once I’m alone in the corridor, I swing my hips and stretch my arms in a happy dance. The gold medal dangles on my neck, I lift it to my lips and kiss it.Yes.“This one’s for you, mum,” I mutter to the sky, holding it up so she can see it. Every step of the way, I felt her presence. It wouldn’t have been possible without her. And him. His annoying self.“She would have been proud of you,” comes from behind me. I jump. Calum rocks forward on his heels. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”I refuse to smile, only nod. Tucking the medal into my gown, I resume the walk to my room.“Cathy.”Faster. I walk faster. I don’t want to ever talk to him. Hi
To Tempt My Stepbrother 66 || Two weeks
My fingers drum on my knee in an aggravated rhythm. I steal a look at my dad and he shrugs.“Now’s the best time for us,” he says. Dani steps behind him with a patronising smile directed at me. Her son flips the remote in his grip. He knew about this. I lean on the armrest and shake my head. “Cathy. We will be back before you know it.”They are leaving me in this house with Calum. For two weeks. Two weeks. I can’t do this. But looking at Dad’s expectant face, I find myself nodding. It’s their honeymoon, kind of. They never got a chance to have one after their spontaneous wedding. Dad told me they would be travelling but he never mentioned how long. I can’t take this from them.“Okay.” Walking around the couch to give them a hug, my smile remains intact. I will move in with Amelia until they return. “Have fun, okay?”“Sure.”They t
To Tempt My Stepbrother 67 || I’m done
The girl in the mirror looks like me.Blue eyes. Freckles. Pouted lips. But her hair. Her hair is black, its natural colour. The door to Amelia’s bathroom swings opens while I’m doing my inspection and I drag the beanie over my head.No one has seen the makeover yet.It happened after Jackson left the house. A post breakup makeover. New me and all that shit.Jumping into the bed, Amelia drags the bowl of popcorn from me. I sit straighter and adjust the pillows, hitting play on the movie we were watching before she left to use the toilet.“So you two broke up?” she asks, picking up from where we left off.She stops chewing for a moment to stare at me. I pause the movie and flip position so I’m flat on my back and the popcorn bowl is on my stomach.“I think so. Yeah. He didn’t say anything. But I’m done.”The scene with Jackson replays
To Tempt My Stepbrother 68 || Strictly Forbidden
CALUMBy 5 am, I’m wide awake, waiting for Cathy to show up. The only reason I didn’t storm the streets in search of her was because Pete reassured me she was fine. I weave a hand into my hair, yank it from the root. Talk about frustrating and she will be the first one on my list. Cathy doesn’t want to talk to me yet she goes about acting offended.Fine. Part of it is my fault. I am doing it wrong but I have no clue on how to do it right. I could get in trouble. News travels faster in smaller towns.A relationship between student and teacher is strictly forbidden. Jail term for me. I already spent a year in rehab, I don’t want another time in forced solitude.Sitting up, my head hangs between my shoulders. I can’t give her what she wants. I can’t be to her what Ben is to Tessa, the definition of true love.Cathy can’t have me.My alarm rings at 6 am. I do some press ups in my room, be
To Tempt My Stepbrother 69 || Operation forget Calum
I shove a spoonful of ice-cream into my mouth, leaving stains on the corners of my lips. Amelia makes a funny face. She hands me the tissues to wipe off the stain and my mind torments me with a picture of Calum and me in this same position.I kick those thoughts out of my mind. Today is the beginning of Operation Forget Calum. It has been going okay so far. I haven’t checked his social media. My phone is on silent mode. I am doing okay. Slowly but surely, I will get there.A yawn escapes me and Amelia laughs. We spent all day playing around her house. “You’re sure you don’t want to spend the night?” she asks.“No.” Her sister is back. I wouldn’t want to ruin the sisters’ bonding experience for them. Voices rise and fall around us but they sound distant. I chose our booth for this purpose. Privacy. “I’m fine. Need to go home to face him.” Her smile dims. “Not looking forward
To Tempt My Stepbrother 70 || No hospitals
Calum is heavy. I’ll never know how I manage to get him into the car but I do. Breathing heavily, I dial Amelia on my way to her house. She picks on the first ring, her voice a bit slow, words slurred.She can’t be asleep because I need her help.“Hey,” Amelia says through a voice inflected by sleep. I’m in worse shape. My hands and legs are shaking and every time the car swerves because I’m unfocused, I shudder. “What’s up? Is he okay?”I choke on a sob, shaking my head like my best friend is here to see me. Without glancing at Calum, I know the poor state he’s in. “He’s not okay.”“What happened? Hey, are you okay?” The sleep in her voice clears. “Hey! Cathy. Where are you?”Clenching the steering wheel, the words tumble out of my lips. I am on auto mode, spitting out the little I know. Amelia gasps when I mention blood. T
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