Romance Between Step-Siblings

Chapter One: New Era

Sandra yawns in fatigue and stretches her arms sideways after a restful night.

“It's morning already.” She moaned after staring at her wall clock.

“I need to get ready for school. I would rather not be late." She tossed off the bed and headed for the bathroom for a cool bath.

Being the head girl of methodist high school is enough motivation for Sandra not to arrive at the school late.

Many students look up to her as the face of that school. Arriving at the school after the normal time would most likely not set a good example for others.

Sandra knows about this. More reason she has decided to stay focused regardless of the challenges that await her.

It's the 20th anniversary of Methodist High School, and as the head girl, Sandra is mandated to address the students and other dignitaries.

This is a dream come true for her. It's her first time doing this since she became the head girl.

“I can't wait,” she sighed after stepping outside the bathroom.

She got dressed in her blue trousers and purple long sleeves as she prepared for the most important day of her life.

She styled her auburn hair and applied a bit of makeup on her face to enhance her beauty.

“I'm stunning! I'm beautiful. I'm brave. I'm strong." She stood in front of her mirror to recite her mantra.

That has been her morning routine before starting the day. It always gives her that extra courage and motivation.

She grabs her bag and heads for the living room with the hope of finding her mom making breakfast.

Rather, she got the shock of her life after seeing her mother packing up.

The living room appeared too messy. More like nobody has occupied the flat in a decade.

“Mum, is there a problem?” Sandra asked after scanning the four corners of the living room to be certain she was not in the wrong place.

She's trying to process what's happening, but it's not working.

The dots aren't just connecting, regardless of how she attempts to rack her brain.

“Oh, there you are.” Agnes raised her head to finally acknowledge Sandra's presence.

She was so engrossed in packing her stuff together that she didn't even notice Sandra had shown up.

Just when Sandra thought it couldn't get any worse, a van pulled up in the neighborhood. Then came a knock at the door.

“I'll get that,” Sandra volunteered.

She heads to the door and is met by a strange-looking man in his mid-fifties.

“Sorry, this is the wrong place.” Sandra shut the man out before he even said a word.

“Who's that? Let him in. That should be the driver,” her mother spoke from inside.

Sandra had no choice but to obey her mother. However, she was still surprised.

Everything is happening so fast. Today was supposed to be a happy day for her.

But now, the mysteries are piling up and they're messing with her thoughts.

“Mum, can you please explain to me what the heck is happening here?” Sandra lost her cool and raised her voice at her mother.

It didn't take too long for her to apologize after realizing that she was wrong for raising her voice at her mother.

“Declan, can you please take this luggage to the van for me?” Patricia pleaded with the driver, and he obliged.

He left the house, leaving Patricia alone with her daughter, Sandra.

“You seem not to remember what we discussed last night, do you?” Patricia started the conversation that Sandra had been dying to have.

Sandra rolls her gaze, “Mum? Were you actually serious about what you said last night?”

“I have never been more serious than I was in my life,” she affirmed.

She ordered Sandra to go pack up and join her outside.

She denied Sandra an opportunity to explain herself better. This left Sandra heartbroken.

It's funny how she went from a jolly fellow to having her heart shattered.

It's not the first time they have had this conversation about Patricia getting married to Benjamin Stuart, the vice chancellor of Medford high school.

Patricia hasn't remarried since her husband, the Beta of the Nightfall Pack was assassinated by a rival pack. His death took a toll on Sandra and her mother.

Since then, she has played the role of a father and mother to Sandra. Not once has Sandra felt the pain of not having a father.

Sandra was happy when her mother revealed her plans to get married again.

However, she was never in favor of her mother getting married to the vice chancellor.

As though that weren't enough, they both have to live under the same roof with the vice chancellor and his son, Danny Stuart.

She doesn’t expect her new stepbrother to be Danny Stuart, the college’s golden baseball captain and her biggest enemy.

Danny has everything: talent, fame, and a powerful girlfriend in Stacy, the daughter of a billionaire.

“Dear lord, how do I live with this?” Sandra wept as she dragged her boxes and luggage to the van.

She wished there was something she could have done differently to change her mother's mind.

Unfortunately, Patricia is a hard nut to crack. It takes more than just words to influence her decision, and Sandra is more than aware of this.

“Are we set now?” Declan asked Patricia a few minutes after Sandra had entered the van.

He wants to be sure that they're forgetting more things.

“You can proceed with the ride. You haven't got anything to be worried about,” she notified Declan.

She has no regret whatsoever. Getting married to the vice chancellor seemed like her best decision ever.

If the opportunity presents itself again, she will make the choice a thousand times.

The same thing can't be said about Sandra. She is leaving everything behind to satisfy her mother's selfish interest.

She's upset that her mother never once considered her emotions before arriving at a conclusion.

She blamed herself for this. She regretted the day she advised her mother to find a new companion.

Had she known her mother would move in with the new husband, she would have kept the advice to herself.

____

“Good morning, Dad,” Danny greets his father as he walks into the living room all dressed up and ready for school.

Just like Danny, his father, his father is also dressed up and ready to drop him off at school.

As the vice chancellor of Medford high school, Danny doesn't have to worry about boarding a cab to school.

To Danny's surprise, his father ignored his greetings as though he didn't exist.

He focused more on his phone and avoided looking at Danny's direction.

“Dad, are you there?” Danny leans forward to wave at his father.

He needed to be sure if his father heard him the first time.

“You failed again.” Benjamin lifts his head to speak.

He dropped his phone and stood up to face Danny.

Danny was stunned. He wished the ground would just engulf him. That would be better than the punishment that awaits him.

Danny didn't bother asking how his father found out about his grades, knowing how dumb that would sound.

As the vice chancellor of his school, Benjamin has access to every student's grades, and Danny isn't an exception.

“I'm sorry, Dad.” Danny faces the ground to speak. “I was going to tell you,”

He couldn't dare gaze at his father. His father wasn't in possession of any weapons, yet he managed to infuse fear in Danny.

He could feel Danny's legs trembling on the ground already.

It's just a matter of time before Danny wets his pants in panic.

“Where did I go wrong with you, son?” Benjamin fumed.

“Please forgive me, Dad. I promise to do better next time.” Danny goes on his knees to apologize.

He made a promise that is difficult to keep. Deep down, he knows it's challenging to focus on studies and baseball at the same time.

His first love has always been baseball before anything else. If he had the opportunity to make a choice, he would rather substitute his studies for Baseball.

“There's only one way out of this mess,” Benjamin returns to Danny after strolling around for a couple of minutes.

“This is your last chance. If I don't see an improvement, you will be dropped from the first team for good.” Benjamin passes his verdict and walks out on Danny, leaving him confused.

“I'll serve as his tutor.” Sandra arrived out of the blue to volunteer herself.

She has been eavesdropping on their conversation from outside the door.

Her entrance shocked Danny and his father as they both shared a telling look.

That's the only time they both harbored the same thought.

"What the f**k are you doing here?" Danny yelled at Sandra. As his sworn enemy, she's the last person he expects to see. To make it worse, she volunteered to be his tutor. He never saw that coming considering that they've always been at loggerheads.

“Oops, I apologize for invading your home,” Sandra apologized.

“I am Sandra, Patricia's…” She was about to introduce herself to Danny's father when her mother walked inside.

“Trisha!” Benjamin exclaimed as he rushed to embrace her.

Seeing Patricia has erased the bewilderment that Benjamin caused him some moments ago.

“When did you arrive? I thought you were moving in tonight?” Benjamin asked Patricia after exchanging pleasantries.

After hearing about this, Sandra was unhappy.

She can't believe her mother deprived her of the opportunity of saying goodbye to her friends in school.