INTIMATE REBOUNDING

ELLIANA'S POV

Tom snorted. "Nothing about you is a big deal," he snapped, his words like knives. "You're just a useless waste of space. I can't believe my father wasted his time on you guys."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I couldn't find the words to reply to Tom.

I stormed out of there, my mind boiling from my encounter with Tom.

The next day, I decided to be friendly with Tom. "Hi, Tom," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "Thanks for letting us move in."

Tom didn't respond, merely raised an eyebrow at me before disappearing upstairs without another word. I frowned, feeling deflated, but tried to brush off his coldness. After all, it wasn't my fault his dad had decided to marry my mom.

Later that night, I lay in bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Thoughts of Tom and our new living situation swirled around in my head, making it impossible to sleep. Suddenly, I heard a faint tapping on my bedroom door.

"Who's there?" I whispered, sitting up in bed.

The door creaked op