My Step Father's Son

Little Ava Summer 13 years old little girl Ava Summer entered the fancy restaurant with her mother. She looked so cute in her sweet rose printed cold shoulder dress just above her knees. Her mother brushed her curly blonde hair and put tied scarf headband side part. Her mother told her that they are going to have diner with Edward and his son. Edward was her mother fiance. Her mother decided to marry again after being a widow for 3 years. Edward was a rich businessman who just got divorce 6 months ago. He had some company in the city. Ava and her mother were about to meet with him and his son at the restaurant. " Hello Ava, how are you?" Edward greeted her with a big smile as he offered her his hand. Edward was a good looking man on his 45 years old, with his brown hair and eyes. " I'm Fine Edward, thank you" she answered her soon-to-be-her-step father and shook his hand. " Glad to hear that." he said " I want you to meet my son Rhys." Edward said as he looked to the side and patted his hand on a boy shoulder. Ava looked at the boy's dazzling brown eye. The boy wore a navy shirt and blue pants. His brown hair was brushed neatly to the side. He was about 18 years old. He just looked like Edward in his younger version. Ava's eyes shine bright looking at him. She always wanted to have a big brother like Emily, her best friend at school. Emily had a big brother 2 years older than her, his name was Mark. And Mark always protect Emily and care about her. And Ava always dreamed to have a big brother who will protect her and care about her. It was only Ava and her mother, after her father died 3 years ago. Ava smiled wide at Rhys and offered her hand to him. Rhys was just looking at her, he didn't like the idea of dining with his father fiance and her daughter. He hated Sarah, Ava's mother. He think that Sarah was a gold digger and the reason of his father and mother divorcement 6 months ago. And looking at cute Ava didn't make him like her either. Even with the sweetest smile Ava gave him. Rhys shook Ava's hand after his father patted on his shoulder and gave him look of demand. That was the first time they meet. They met again on their parent's wedding day. Ava wore a beautiful white dress. She smiled looking at her mother's smiling face. She was glad that her mother can be happy again. But not with Rhys. He can't accept that his father was married again, but he had to pretend to be nice the whole day. A week after the wedding, Ava and her mother moved to the River's house in the city. The house was really big, with a beautiful front yard with fountain and drive way. The back yard was big and beautiful with big swimming pool on the centre. Ava was so happy with her new life, new home, new family, especially with her new step brother. But Rhys never treat her like his little sister, since the first step she entered the house. He acted indifferent with Ava. He ignored her, never spoke to her. Ava's mother tried to be nice with him, but Rhys was a stubborn and still can't accept Sarah in the house. Ava tried to help her mother to persuaded and impressed Rhys with many ways. She made a limonade for Rhys and his friends when they came to play at the house, she always brought something for Rhys when her step father told him to picked her up from her school or her friend's house. She tried to make conversation when ever they had time together. But Rhys just ignored her. Once when Ava and her mother baked chocolate cookies, Ava wanted to give the cookies to Rhys. She put the cookies in a small beautiful jar, she placed them carefully not to broke the frangible cookies. She waited until Rhys came home from his college. Ava heard Rhys car entering the drive way, and she wait for him in the living room. When the door opened, Ava stood up to give him the cookies she made. But Rhys ignored his 16 years old step sister and walked pass her. " Rhys" Ava called him. She was so persistent. He kept walking, started to step on the stairs to his room on the second floor " Rhys wait.." Ava called him again as she walked fast beside him. " What?" he asked her, stopped for awhile and looked at his step little sister he never wanted. " I make cookies today. Here. You should try it" Ava said as she gave him the cookie jar. He looked at her, he wanted to snap her and her cookie but he didn't have a heart to make the little girl broken. So he took the cookie without saying anything and continued walk on the stairs to his room. And never looked back. Ava was so happy that he took the cookies, even without saying anything. She think it was a good started for their step sibling relationship. Ava went to her room happily, and decided to make more cookies for him the next day. The next day she waited for Rhys to come home again. This time she made peanut butter cookies which she already put them on the jar. He wanted to go to Emily's house, but she waited for Rhys first. " Rhys, hows the cookie? You like it?" Ava asked him as she walked fast catching her step brother foot steps on the stairs. Rhys didn't answered her and kept walking. But Ava was persistent. She offered another cookie jar in front of him, and made him stop. " I make this today. It's peanut butter. It's really taste good." she said with her bright eyes and smiled ear to ear. Rhys looked at her, trying to understand what his step sister trying to do. He think it was obvious that he did not want to be disturbed and ignored her all the time. " Here. Take it" Ava said as she took Rhys hands and put the jar in between his hands. She had to go to Emily's so she didn't had to much time to waited for a dumbfounded step brother to talk. " I have to go now. Bye Rhys" she said as she half run downstairs. Rhys was just looking at her in disbelieved and continued walking to his room with the cookie jar in his hand. He put the cookie jar on his desk, just beside the chocolate cookie jar Ava gave him yesterday. He hadn't tried any of them and  He didn't intend to eat them anyway. The next day Ava made another cookie for him. This time she made cheese cookies, she found the recipe from the internet. And as usual she put the cookies in the jar. She waited for Rhys to come. But Rhys came home late at night when Ava was asleep in the living room couch waiting for him. Rhys saw her, but didn't do anything about it. And then he saw the cookie jar in the table in front of her. He knew Ava waited for him to give him the cookie. But he tried to ignore her. He walked to the stairs and stopped for feeling guilty and pitied her. He called Maria, the maid in the house to woke Ava and told her to sleep in her room. And then he walked inside his room and locked the door. Ava woken by Maria who told her to go to sleep in her room. " Rhys home?" Ava asked Maria. " Yes, Rhys is in his room" Maria said. Ava felt disappointed can't meet him. She walked slowly upstairs, but she stopped in front of her room. And then she walked to Rhys room as she decided to give the cookie to Rhys. His room was just next to her room. " Rhys.." She called him as she knocked on his door, but no answered. She tried again but still no answered. She gave up and went back to her room to sleep. She decided to give him tomorrow. But Rhys went early the next morning and Ava can't met him again. Ava decided to put the cookie in his room and gave a note on it. She walked inside his room, which it was the first time she went inside Rhys room. Rhys room was as big as her room, but with more masculine interior design. She looked around and found her cookie jars she gave him few days ago on his study desk, still full and not opened yet. She felt sad and disappointed. Rhys didn't try her cookies. She put the cheese cookie jar on the desk and then left Rhys room. She decided not to make another cookies for him or made any effort to impress him anymore. In the afternoon, when Rhys went home with his friends from college, he saw the new cookie jar with a note on top of it. He knew it was Ava who put the cookies there. He picked up the note and read it. Try this Rhys, I'm really good at making cookies (smile emoji) Ava " Wow, cookies!" Mike, Rhys's friend took the chocolate cookie jar and opened it. " It's really good. Where did you buy this?" Mike asked as he kept chewing the cookie and took another one. Rhys other friend came and tried the cookies. They opened the other jar and tried them all. " I like this one" Ronald, Rhys other friend said as he bit the cheese cookies. " Ava made it" Rhys said. He took a piece of chocolate cookie and took a bite on it. It actually tasted good. Ava really can bake cookies. " Your step sister really nice Rhys. He made you cookies, and soon she will make us lemonade" Mike said laughing. " I don't mind if she is my sister, she is kind of cute too" Ronald said as he winked, and then they laughed. " I know you are here to see her" Patrick said to Ronald. " What? No!" Ronald said, but his face was blushed. " Come on Ronald.. I saw you tried to talked to her last week at the pool," Patrick said. " No I'm not. I just helped her. She needed help with the lemonade" Ronald said. " Yeah right" Mike said, and everyone laughed. Rhys uncomfortable with his friend talked about Ava. " Let's go to the swimming pool! " He said as he took his swimming pants and towel and walked outside his room. His friends followed him while keeping the cookies jar in their hands. Ava didn't showed up that afternoon to made them lemonade or the other afternoon to gave Rhys another cookie jar. Rhys went home expecting to see Ava in the living room waiting for him to give him a cookie jar, but she wasn't there. Or when Rhys had to picked her up at Emily's, Ava was just silent. Not talking anything like she used to be. She just stepped inside the car, sat down silently and played with her phone. Ava stepped out without saying anything when they got home. Even at diner, Ava who used to sit beside Rhys, chose to sit beside her mother. She never talked to him or looked at him with admiration like she always did. He wanted to asked her why, but he was too egoistic to asked and made conversation first, although he missed Ava's cheerful voice. He decided to let it go and tried not think about Ava. Even when his friend came and they asked about her, she never showed up to treat them with anything she made for them. Rhys barely at home. He always looked any reason not to be at home, or not having breakfast or diner together. He only had diner together when his father forced him to. His relationship with his father was getting worst, no matter how much Sarah tried to be nice and be fair. And this made Sarah cried sometimes. Ava started to hate him for his ignorant and made her mother sad. But there was nothing she can do. Until when she was in her senior year at high school. Her step father told Rhys to picked up Ava from school. Rhys waited in front of her school to picked her up. But after waiting for half hour Ava was no where to found. He started to worry. He turned off the engine and stepped out of the car to look for Ava. He went inside the school building, and searched for her. He asked the student he met if they saw Ava. " I think she is in the basketball court with her boyfriend." a girl told him. Boyfriend? Ava had a boyfriend? He asked him self. He didn't know that Ava had a boyfriend. He went straight to the basketball court, when he heard Ava's voice. " No, I said No! Let me go Eric! " Ava's voice was in anger and desperate as well. " I know you want it Ava! No one will see us. Come on! " a boy voice talked to her. " Stop it Eric! NO!" Ava tried to stop him for doing something. Rhys heard it and walked rush to open the court door. He looked around for Ava, and found her on the floor under a boy capture. Rhys blood was boiling to see that. He grabbed the boy collarbone shirt and punch him, made the boy felt to the ground. " She said No!" Rhys yelled at the boy. He was about to punch him again, when he heard Ava called him. " Rhys!" Ava called him in surprised. " Ava, are you alright?" Rhys asked her with worry. Ava nodded and Rhys helped her to stand up. Rhys turned to the boy again, after made sure Ava was okay. Eric who able to stand up again, run fast when he saw Rhys came for him with clenched hand. " Don't you dare to touch her again!" Rhys shout at him as he run outside the basketball court. " Are you sure you are okay?" Rhys asked her as he looked at Ava from top to toe. He found a bruise marks on Ava's wrist and he rubbed it gently. Ava was shocked that Rhys was so care about her and wondered what changed him. She just stood there looking at Rhys worries expression.  " You know him? We should report him to the principal." Rhys said as he still checked Ava's other wrist. " No, it's okay." Ava said. " What? He tried to force you Ava! It could happen again. And I won't be here to protect you next time!" Rhys said angrily " It's okay Rhys, he won't do it again. Thank you for your help. " Ava said as she grabbed her bag on the floor and walked to the door. " Is he your boyfriend? " Rhys asked her, catching her step. " Yes" Ava said after awhile. She wasn't sure if that a good choice to let her brother know she had a boy friend, since her mother restricted her. " You shouldn't" Rhys said as he passed Ava and walked fast to the car. He turned the car engine on and waited Ava to get inside. " Why?" Ava asked him once she sat in the car. " Why what?" Rhys asked her. " Why I shouldn't have a boyfriend? Like you even care?" Ava said and smiled synically. " I'm not. I just don't like to punch every boy every time I pick you up" He said as he started to drive his car. " It just Eric. Other than he never did that." Ava mumbled to her self. Other than Eric? How many boyfriend did she have?  Rhys thinked. But he didn't asked. He never paid attention physically on Ava before, but now he took a glance at her few times from the interior mirror and from the edge of his eyes. Of course she had a boyfriend. She is 18 and attractive. Even his friend told him how attractive she was. Not only one of his friend asked about her when they came to the house, Especially Ronald. He thinked. " Rhys, can we stop by at the book store? I have to buy some books for my literature class." Ava suddenly said, woken him from his zoned out. " I have to go to my college in 1 hour. Can you make it fast?" Rhys asked her. He supposed to be at home right now if not because he had to punch on her boyfriend. " Yes, I'll make it fast." Ava answered him. Rhys sport car halt in front of a big book store and Ava jumped out of the car right away, running to the entrance door and disappeared inside the book store. Rhys turned off his car engine and walked inside the book store, tried to find Ava in between the book shelf. " Let me carry that" Rhys said once he found Ava bring few books in her hand. He took the books in Ava's hand and waited for her to finished and paid the books. Ava didn't expected that Rhys would accompanied her to shop and carried her shopping books. She was so happy to know how it felt to have a big brother who took care of her and protected her. She smiled all the way home. At diner time Ava chose to sit beside Rhys, like she used to. Of course it surprised everyone in the dining table, but they didn't said anything, just smiled at her. Since that day their relationship was getting better day by day. Rhys was not ignoring Ava anymore and Ava back to her usual, she talked cheerfully when Rhys picked up or dropped her to school or to Emily's. She also made lemonade when Rhys friends were coming. And Rhys promise her that he will be coming to Ava's graduation next month. It was late at night when Ava woke up from her sleep. She heard a loud voice from downstairs. 2 people were yelling at each other. She recognized the voice. It was Edward and Rhys. They were arguing toughfully. And then a door was slammed hard, making Ava gasped and held her breath. " Go away and don't ever come back!" She heard Edward voice yelled out loud. Ava run out off her room to downstairs with only wore her short Pajamas and bare foot. She afraid that Rhys was going to go away as Edward said. She saw her mother tried to calm Edward in front of his office, while Rhys walked angrily outside the house. Ava knew Rhys was about to leave the house. She run to catch for Rhys outside. " Ava! " her mother called her. She ignored her and kept running to Rhys which already reach for his car about to drive away. "Rhys!" Ava called him as she run to the drive way. But she was too late. Rhys already pushed his gas into the maximum, making a roar sound in the middle of the night and disappeared in few second from their drive way. " Ava!" her mother called. But Ava just looked at the road where Rhys car disappeared. She looked at her mother, and her mother told her to get inside. She never saw or heard from Rhys anymore since that night. Rhys didn't come on her graduation or to any family holiday. It seemed that his relationship with the family was broken.