My Volatile Stepbrother

Why the Long Faces?

Cassie glanced at her mom for some indication of what was wrong. Audrey gave her a tiny shrug and a slight shake of her head. Brad unlocked the car and lowered himself into the driver's seat. Cassie got in the back and, after chucking his massive red equipment bag into the trunk, Chetum slid into the other seat beside her.

Cassie watched her mom cautiously enter the car. Once everyone was inside, Brad turned on the wipers and the air vents. The windows and windshield were already fogged up from Chetum's sweat. Cassie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't see his face as he was looking out the window.

The equipment wafted a combination of sweat and mustiness. She glanced down and could see he still had his cleats on. They were covered in mud and grass. Brad adjusted the rear-view mirror, staring at Chetum. Then he backed out.

The drive back was wordless and uncomfortable. Nobody dared to speak. Usually, Audrey was great at lightening up the mood with her silly jokes, but she remained silent. Cassie wondered if her mother was afraid of Brad. If so, she could certainly understand why.

Cassie barely knew Brad except for a few hellos and goodbyes when he picked Audrey up for dates. The last thing Cassie was aware of was they had been dating for a few months and now they were set to get married in a few days. The term whirlwind romance certainly applied to them.

Cassie's head was spinning, and the awkward quiet wasn't helping. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to use the meditation skills she had learned in therapy. She breathed in deeply and exhaled, counting each time. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

She'd been a part of a guided meditation group after her dad had just died. Once, they went through a three-hour session and her mind led to her father, on a beach, smiling at her. It was beautiful.

As she became more in tune with her body, she could hear Chetum's breathing. It was fast and shallow. He was afraid of something. She didn't need to be a doctor to know that.

What had happened? Even Cassie knew he had performed well on the field. She saw him score a second touchdown. Why the long faces? It made her feel on edge.

Luckily, they were almost home, and she was able to keep herself from having a full-blown attack. Once Brad was in the driveway, Cassie hastily exited the car. Her mom got out as well, but handed Cassie the keys. She mouthed, "I'm going to talk to him."

Cassie was grateful to escape the strangeness, but she wasn't completely out of the woods. Chetum said, "Hey, Cassie." She tried to ignore him as she fumbled with the keys. "You can face away from me all you like but you won't be able to for long."

Cassie remained facing toward the door, unlocking it and entering the house just as he shouted, "See you tomorrow!" Though his voice was fainter now that she was running away, it didn't haunt her any less. She felt sick as reality sunk in. He was really going to be her stepbrother.

She rushed upstairs and sat on her bed, without turning the light on. She carefully picked up Toddy and held him. It was only in emergencies that she'd done this, since he was so close to losing his leg. Tears collected on her lower lids when she looked into his shiny black button eyes.

"Cass?" her mother called.

"I'm up in my room."

Audrey went up the stairs then sat beside Cassie in the darkness. The only illumination was from the outside hallway light. She placed her hand on her daughter's back.

"I can see that you're taking this very hard, and I understand, especially after what just happened."

"What did happen?" Cassie asked, sniffing.

"He said something was going on with the coach and Chetum. He was purposely vague with me, I think."

"That's weird. I thought they'd be happy after winning. If he can't be happy, then, when will he be happy?"

"Brad is a very joyful man. You'll see."

Cassie didn't want to see how Brad was, at all and even less Chetum. Cassie's stomach suddenly growled loudly. Audrey smiled and asked, "Do you still want Angelo's?"

"Yes, of course. It's probably going to be the last night we can do it."

"You think because they're moving in with us, that we won't be ordering pizza? That's not true at all!"

Cassie managed to c***k a smile and said, "I'm going to get out of these wet clothes."

"Great idea, honey. Let's do that and then watch some silly movies."

The two women parted, and both changed into sweatpants and T-shirts. Once finished, they walked downstairs and sat on the couch together. Audrey unlocked her phone's screen with her fingerprint and went to Angelo's mobile app. She ordered two pizzas: one with jalapenos and pineapple and the other with pepperoni and green peppers.

"How long?" Cassie asked.

"Should be about thirty minutes."

"Okay."

"Now, what should we watch?"

"Let's watch Flying Sharks."

The two both giggled and Audrey turned on the TV. She used Cassie's Xbox to pull up their saved movies.

"I'll grab some Doritos!" Audrey said with excitement. Cassie was enthusiastic about the extra junk food. Once Audrey was in the large kitchen, Cassie could hear her opening different cabinets. "Where the h*ll did I put those things?" she mumbled to herself.

Cassie was looking at the funny picture of the sharks flying in the air when she noticed something outside. A man was walking up their steep driveway. Then he sneaked into the front yard. She thought she saw him go behind a hedge.

Was someone spying on them? Who would want to be out in this mess unless they were truly determined to cause harm?

"Mom!" Cassie shouted.