To Hate My Stepbrother

Ava’s POV

Getting up as early as I could, I’d decided I was going to make a really delicious breakfast for the both of us and that way I’d be able to apologise to Mason.

After spending hours trying to get the varieties of food ready, I had the table set and the smile that escaped my lips when Mason got down from the stairs was noticeable.

“Good Morning,” I said with a smile that faded when he walked past me like he didn’t see me. I stood frozen for the first few seconds before finally shaking myself out of the daze I got caught in.

“I made breakfast.” I announced but he pointedly ignored me, looking around the cupboards and picking out a pan, along with the required ingredients to prepare pancakes.

I felt my cheeks burn and my blood boiled and I clenched my fist in anger and humiliation. I was fuming and I made sure that he noticed it.

“What is wrong with you?” I finally brought myself to demand but he only raised an eyebrow and shrugged, “I decided to be nice enough to make breakfast for the both of us but like the jerk that you are, you chose to ignore me!” I added in a yell as I stomped my feet on the ground.

Mason pulled out an AirPod from his ear which I didn’t notice until right now and then he tilted his head. I watched as he wrapped his arms against his chest before leaning into the counter, and then she shrugged, making me feel even angrier..

“Now you know how I felt that day I made breakfast for two but you chose to disregard my effort before you had proceeded to make your own breakfast.” He shot back at me and I got taken aback before averting my gaze in embarrassment.

Now that he mentioned it, perhaps I shouldn’t have acted the way I did that day.

I couldn’t imagine how he must’ve felt that day and now that I’m currently experiencing the same thing, I couldn’t help but feel bad.

“I hope you enjoy feeling that same way.” He added with a snort as he put his AirPod back in and returned to his breakfast preparation, making me feel dismissed.

Angrily, my feet padded to my room as I picked up my phone to dial Nicole, she was the one who asked me to apologise to him and now my apology has come back to bite me in my ass.

“Gosh, I hate him!” I yelled into the phone and Nicole chuckled.

“Calm down now and stop being bitchy, you started it first, remember? Karma’s a bitch.” She drawled and I rolled my eyes.

Just when I thought she was going to have my back and agree with me that Mason was being unreasonable, she chose to pick Mason’s back once again.

I sunk into the bed as I thought of multiple ways to kill Mason without being suspected.

Why would he want to get back at me? Why on earth would a grown man like him think of getting his revenge? I’d thought that was done and in the past. Heck, I had completely forgotten about that.

Mason is only being unreasonable and petty. On top of that, he’s just being ridiculously, fucking annoying.

~~~

The footsteps of Mason climbing down the stairs jolted me out of my thoughts and I rolled my eyes and glared at him before turning back to the television I hadn’t even been concentrating on.

“I’m going out…” He breathed out into the silence after clearing his throat and I scoffed.

“No one asked, I didn’t ask, did I?” I snapped and he sighed before walking out of the house, shutting the door behind him. I watched him leave and then I turned back to continue the show I was barely watching.

I wouldn’t stop staring at the wall clock and my phone, it’s been six hours and Mason still isn’t back from wherever he’d gone to. I picked up my phone to go outside, strolling around a little in order to search for him but I had no idea where he might be, so it was pretty pointless.

I worriedly returned to the house and began to pace around the sitting room. I knew this was the perfect time to pray and desperately wish that he never comes back home but I couldn’t.

I hated him and wished he’d die countless times but I also didn’t want him dead. A part of me wanted him back home just so we could continue arguing like two stupid kids.

The sound of the lightning that struck moments later, made me jump and I dived unto one of the couches in the sitting room, feeling nervousness start to build up in my system. Minutes later, It began to rain and it seemed as though it was going to be a really big storm.

I desperately dialled Mason for the hundredth time tonight in the hopes of reaching him, just so I’d confirm that he’s safe and alright, but all efforts to get through to him proved futile.

The rain got impossibly heavier and I curled into myself on the couch with my heart in my throat while feeling like I’d faint from too many tremors.

Moments later, my vision began to get blurry.

My chest tightened and I suddenly started finding it hard to breathe. Clutching my shirt and holding on the couch like my life depended on it for support, I tried to prevent the attack from overtaking me, but as a sob spilled past my mouth, it became like a lost claus.

When the lightning struck again, it felt like that completely cracked the dam of tears in me..

Where is he? What if something bad had happened to him on the road?

I couldn’t help the questions that ran through my mind as I started perspiring, everything in the room seemed to be disorganised and closing in on me at once, and the pain in my chest only intensified as I slowly slid off the couch to the ground.

It felt like ages later before I heard it.

“Ava! Ava!” Mason’s voice was impossibly loud as he called out my name, a note of desperation in his voice. With every night in me, I used in blinking my eyes open.

Everything was hazy at first, and then I felt something moving through my hair, brushing over my cheeks and shaking me lightly when my eyes fluttered close.

“Where am I?” I muttered as I blinked my eyes open once again, taking in Mason’s disheveled appearance, flinching a little when a drop of water hit my cheek when he combed his fingers through his hair, making me whisper out an apology as he pulled away from me a little.

“You were– fuck, you’re okay. Oh my god.” He breathed out, looking rattled and then he pulled me in a hug.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I felt numb as I pulled away from the hug. A lump is currently lodged in my throat and I closed my eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to set themselves free in that moment.

“Where were you?!” I finally whispered, watching as something akin to shock cross Mason’s face.

“I called multiple times but you weren’t picking up and then, and then the rain started, and….” I trailed off when a wayward sob bubbled in my throat. I was still attempting to speak when Mason suddenly cupped my face in his palm and urged me to hush.

“I tried to tell you where I was going to but you were too mad at me to even listen to me and now I get back home to see you having a breakdown, a panic attack.” He exclaimed softly, and this time, the fear was evident in his voice.

He was right, I’d pretended not to care about him when he was about to leave the house.

But, that didn’t mean I wanted him to die.

He could have texted me when it began to rain.

I sniffed back the rest of my tears, and then without saying another word, I pushed off the spot on the ground and made my way to my bedroom.

I stumbled at first, and Mason caught me, refusing to let go of me, but because I was very determined and was hellbent on not speaking to him, he ended up giving in.

As I closed my bedroom’s door, I wondered what would have been of me if he hadn’t arrived on time.

As I heaved out a long sigh, I couldn’t help but ask myself why I cared this much about someone I claimed to hate.

Walking to the bed, I wrapped myself up with the blanket to prevent me from catching a cold since I didn’t want to go back down there.

Minutes later, knocks echoed through the door, which I pointedly ignored.

“Ava, c’mon.” Mason called out, knocking after a few more minutes.

He came by one more time, and I knew it was to check on me because he had been clearly worried, but I pointedly ignored him.

His face is the last thing I want to see right now.