Hate Me, Love Me Stepbrother

Chapter 4: Seeking Trouble

I didn't stop running until I shut the door behind me. My breath fast and raspy.

Stephanie had woken up frightened when I dashed in and I felt bad that my rather noisy entrance had startled her.

"What's …after you?" she asked in a sleepy voice, her eyes half opened.

She relaxed a bit as soon as she realized it was me.

"Sorry I startled you,” I breathed out and inhaled a lungful of air. “I was running for my life."

"Is it your brother?” Her forehead furrowed.

I nodded trying to calm my breath. “And I bumped into a strange guy called Jack. He wanted me to be his girlfriend.”

“Jack who? Didn’t you get a surname?”

“I don’t know. Does his surname matter?”

“Yes, it does. If this Jack is ‘Jack Baker’ then baby girl, your time in this campus just got pretty bad already.”

My heart skipped a bit. Honestly, I was getting really scared now. “What do you mean?”

“Jack Baker is a playboy and he dates the prettiest girls in the campus, especially the shy and gentle ones. He has multiple girlfriends.” Stephanie had her eyes wide open now and she sounded irritated talking about him.

“I hope it isn’t that Jack then,” I whispered, panic lacing my insides. “How do you know about this guy so much?”

“My brother gave me a pep talk before coming here. He had warned me about the guys and ladies I’m not to cross and Jack is at the top of the list. Interestingly, now that I recall your brother is one of them too.”

“It seems Jack and Gilbert are friends.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Jack Baker is the son to the Alpha of the Silverton Pack.”

“That’s my pack. My mother got engaged to Gilbert’s father who is from the Silverton pack.”

“Then Jack Baker is your Alpha’s son.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you know him? Haven’t you met him before?”

“Nothing about my new pack interest me. I’ve never met with the Silverton pack before.”

She scoffed. “Well, let’s hope it’s not Jack Baker. I was already wondering what had happened to you when I didn't find you here."

"Gilbert took me to the male hostel threatening to punish me there. He was mad at me that you challenged him.” I stretched my arms out and rolled my sleeves up for Stephanie to see the claw marks. “I couldn't sit down and watch him hurt me.”

Stephanie's gasped as she observed the wounds. "He did this to you?"

"I told you he hates me." I walked to my luggage which I was yet to unpack to get something to treat my wounds.

"Don't worry, I got this." Stephanie quickly caught my hand and gently led me to her bathroom. She helped me out of my blouse and got her own first aid kit to help me.

I was so grateful that I had found someone who cared about me in this new place. It would have been unbearable if I only had Gilbert to turn too. That bastard could see me dying and wouldn't hesitate to finish me off and celebrate afterwards.

I watched as she neatly placed a plaster over my wounds. "Why didn't you ever tell me the student president is your brother?"

"I had the intention not to tell anyone he’s my brother because it would sound like I’m bragging. I’ll like people to find out themselves."

“But I’m your roommate. You should have prepared me for the big shocker. No wonder you spoke with so much confidence.” I stared at her round face. A smile revealed a dimple on her left cheek, I hadn’t noticed before. A feature that made her looked cute.

I continued. “At least unlike mine, your brother is a sweetheart. I saw how he snug you out of the hall like a big brother would. He didn’t even scold you for speaking up to Gilbert.”

“Don’t get it wrong, Sandra. We fight sometimes but most times he’s got my back and he loves me despite my stubbornness.”

“I’m glad I got you as my roommate. I was worried I wasn’t going make any friends.”

“You will make friends. You’re pretty.” She winked at me. “Pretty girls win in college. Before the week runs out guys will begin asking you out. That’s right, one already did tonight.”

I couldn’t help but smile because she sounded like she was so sure about what she was saying. I was already falling in love with her energy. Also with the way she talked. “How can you be so sure guys will be asking me out?” I asked.

“When I was with my brother, I heard people talking. He also asked me about you.” she giggled. “I was beginning to think he’s interested in you too.”

“Huh. About me? What were people saying?” I asked.

Stephanie dropped into her bed still giggling, then she buried herself beneath the duvet. “Good night, Sandra. Tomorrow you’ll find out whatever it is.”

It wasn’t a good feeling going to bed with such amount of curiosity. I wanted to hear what was been said about me. No matter how bad I wanted to know, I had no choice but to be patient and wait until the next day. Slowly I lost myself to sleep...

****

“Wakie, Wakie. Get up.” Stephanie dragged my feet out of bed. “You don’t want to be late for your first class.”

“Hey...Stephanie.” I whined, snuggling deeper into my bed.

“You don’t want to be late for class. Do you?”

I reluctantly slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom angry that I hadn’t had enough sleep. “How many minutes have we got?”

“Thirty minutes,” she yelled back. “Wash up quickly. I’ll prepare coffee for us.”

As soon as I stepped out of the room all ready and set to go, Stephanie looked up at me. “Your dream is to be a model, huh.”

I was thrown aback by her words. I never told anyone my dream about becoming a model except my mother. “How did you know that?”

She waved my diary at me. “From this.”

I gasped, shocked and embarrassed that she must have read some of the nasty things I’ve written in it. “Give that back!” I jumped at her and quickly grabbed the book from her.

“Why are you embarrassed? You’re pretty and you’ve got all the features of a model.”

“That dream isn’t mine now,” I said sadly.

“My mother is engaged to a man from here and she’s adamant that I’ll finish university here.”

“Oh, poor you!”

“I’ve been called pretty all my life and back when I was in high school I actually won the title of prom queen because, thanks to my looks.” I revealed with an air of pride. “A Victoria’s secret model who happened to be one of my classmate’s aunt visited my high school one summer and I fell in love with her as a person. I knew then what I wanted to become.”

Stephanie smirked and handed me a cup of coffee. “That’s cool.”

A loud knock on the door stop us cold. We exchange glances before she walked to the door and gently opened it.

“Hi Stephanie,” a voice said. It was the voice of a male and sounded awfully familiar. “I’m here for what’s mine.”

Stephanie looked like she’s seen death. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Kindly step out of the way and you’ll find out,” his voice was deep and somehow had some coldness to it.

Stephanie quickly moved out and I gasped when the guy who I crashed into last night walked into the room with a bouquet of flower. “Beautiful. I’m here to take you out.”

I was so shocked I couldn’t move. Stephanie was trembling and I didn’t have to ask to understand why. On his sweat shirt he had his surname printed boldly ‘Baker’.

“But I have classes.” Was all I could say.

“F**k the classes. You do as I say.”