Her Stepbrother (Love Triangle)

Chapter - 11

Chelsea

“Why are our parents home?” I question as Kevin drives into our driveway. I swear this day cannot get any worse than it already is.

Kevin shrugs his shoulder. “I’m not sure, Chelsea. I didn’t know they were coming home tonight.”

After we left my father’s house, I stayed on Kevin’s lap crying for Lord knows how long. Kevin comforted me until my eyes dried and I quieted down.

Life appears to have fallen apart for me lately, and just when I think things cannot get worse, our parents come home early without warning us of their arrival.

While Kevin was holding me, Jason called repeatedly. The funny thing is, we were sitting right outside Jason’s house, and he didn’t even know.

Feeling my phone vibrate, I look at the screen and notice Jason’s name for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. “Answer, so he will stop calling,” Kevin states, holding his right hand in the air. “I promise I won’t talk, so he won’t overhear me.”

“Hello,” I whisper, faintly. Agreeing to accept Kevin’s advice before going inside my house and dealing with my mother.

“Are you still with him?” Jason growls.

“It doesn’t matter since you and I are no longer a couple,” I argue flatly.

“You’re mine, Chelsea.”

“Was,” I correct Jason.

“I’ll never let you go, Chelsea.” His voice is gentle, yet deep.

“You should have thought about that before deciding to lie to me for years.” Jason’s lies have cost him our relationship. Further, it ruined any chance of him and me remaining friends.

“I didn’t lie, Chelsea. I just didn’t tell you because I knew you would react the way you are now. Over the years, you harbored so much hostility toward your father for leaving you. And if I had told my mother was the lady, he had an affair with, without a doubt you would’ve flipped your anger toward me.” I’m unsure of how I would have reacted, and neither is Jason considering he lied because he assumed I would hate him for what our parents had done.

I don’t believe I would have been as upset or angry as I am now if Jason would have told me instead of lying. Jason was as innocent as me, and had no control over his mother’s actions, any more than I could control my fathers.

“You assumed I would be angry with you, Jason. You wouldn’t know what would have happened unless you were honest with me.” I declare vigorously.

“Can I come over, Chelsea?” Jason begs.

“I told you you were not together anymore. Besides, my mother is home.”

“I guess it’s your time to lie, huh?” Instead of acknowledging Jason’s accusation, I hang up on him and turn my phone off.

I refuse to deal with his jealousy or his accusing me when I have no reason to lie.

“Are you ready to go inside?” Kevin suggests, regarding me with sympathy.

“Yes,” I say, dreading the disaster that’s waiting for me inside.

I accompany Kevin inside our house. As soon as we enter, I notice my mother relaxing on the couch. “Sit down, Chelsea. We need to talk.” She says firmly.

I glance toward Kevin, wondering if he had mentioned anything to her, but he appears to be as clueless as I am.

“The school called me.” I shrug.

“Why didn’t you call me?” She questions.

“I didn’t want to spoil your honeymoon. You clarified you wouldn’t tolerate anybody ruining your chance of happiness.” I rub my temples, trying to release the tension.

“So, you called the absent parent who had wanted nothing to do with you most of your life?” She laughs, bitterly.

“No, mom. I called the parent who you claimed wanted nothing to do with me most of my life. Dad cheated on you, not me. Why didn’t you tell me you wouldn’t allow me over to his house to visit? And that’s the reason my father stopped coming around?” I question in a wavering voice.

“I wasn’t going to allow his w***e to raise you.” Mom snaps. After all this time, I realize it’s been about jealousy the entire time.

Apparently, my mother didn’t care about my feelings or how much I would miss my father. Clearly, my mother kept me from my father because she was jealous of another woman.

Instead of conversating with my mother, I attempt to walk up the stairs to my bedroom, wanting nothing more than this night to be over. Evidently, my mother has other plans.

“I’m not finished talking to you, young lady.” Mom grips the back of my shirt, and yanks me backward, causing me to stumble off the steps. “Don’t walk away from me when I’m speaking to you.”

I’m tired of my mother bossing me around like I’m a f*****g toddler, trying to control my every move.

Aggressively, I shove her, causing her to stumble backward. “I’m walking away from you because I had my fair share of lies for one day. I won’t tolerate you lying to me anymore.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, she smacks me across my face.

Rashly, without hesitating, I wave my arm out to the side, hand wide open, and b***h-slap her. Unregrettably, I allowed every ounce of animosity to spill out of me into that slap.

Forcefully, my stepfather clutches my mother, and Kevin grabs me in a protective hold, sheltering me from my mother. “Get out.” My mother wails, signaling toward the door.

“Think about what you’re doing, Dorothy,” Virgil advises. “I don’t think you should make a rash decision while you’re angry.” He sets forth, gently rubbing my mother’s shoulders.

My mom studies her husband while he strokes her cheek, attempting to soothe her. “I refuse to allow my daughter to smack me.”

“But it’s okay for you to smack me?” I shout. “It’s okay for you to uproot my whole f*****g life, and expect me to keep my mouth shut, pretend to be happy so you can be happy. Not to mention, all the lies you have told me since dad left.” I’m done taking my mother’s s**t.

Now that I don’t have to worry about attending school, I don’t need to kiss her ass or continue to let her control my life.

Virgil tosses Kevin a pair of keys, “Go with her Kevin until her mother settles down.”

Kevin and I quickly pack my belongings, and I follow Kevin with no questions asked.

I’m too tired to ask questions. As long as I have a way out of this house, I’m taking it.

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“Wake up, Chelsea.” I slowly open my tired eyes and glance around to take in my surroundings.

“Where are we at?” I ask.

“My Dad’s beach house,” Kevin speaks.

“You have a beach house, and never told me?” Speedily, I jump out of the car and race through the doors.

Every room has spacious glass windows, giving us the perfect view of the beach. “It’s beautiful, Kevin, and just what I needed.” I search through the house, slowly learning my way around until I discover a bar stocked with almost every liquor there is.

Without thinking, I snatch a glass, filling it to the brim with ‘Jack Daniels.’ I drink it straight as Kevin mimics what I do.

Together, Kevin and I sit quietly, drinking, as we listen to the waves crash.

Feeling intoxicated, I stagger to the window, curiosity getting the best of me, and turn my phone on. Instead of reading Jason’s text messages, I send him one.

Kevin and I kissed outside the school the day I fought Jessica. I wish it weren’t eating at me, but it is. I figured I would spill my secrets to you to make our break up easier. Unlike you, I felt guilty for keeping a secret, so instead of hiding it for years, I thought I would text you while encouraged by the liquor.

I hit send, immediately feeling the relief of letting it all out. The f*****g guilt was tearing me to pieces.

Remorsefully, I wish I didn’t deceive Jason by kissing Kevin, and wish I didn’t advise him through a text message out of rage and heartache.

Honestly, I feel relieved knowing I don’t have to hide it from Jason anymore. I don’t understand how it seemed so simple for him to lie to me for as long as he did when I struggled with my inner-self keeping what I did from him.

Honestly, I cannot judge my father or Jason’s mother because I’m no better than they are. Even though I didn’t sleep with Kevin, I still kissed him, and in my books, that’s cheating.

Kevin brushes the tears from my face at the same moment my phone rings.

Ignoring my phone, I take hold of Kevin’s wrist and blabber, drunkenly. “Don’t,” I advise him, scared of his tender touches. I’m afraid of what I’ll do.

I’m too fragile at the moment, terrified I’ll break. The last thing I need is for his hands to be on me, and I have another moment of weakness before I realize what I’m going to do.

Kevin immediately drops his hand. “I’m incapable of staying here with you, Chelsea.” I frown at him. “Being around you is playing with my heart, and I cannot continue to torture myself. I’m going to go home and give you space. If you need me, you can call me.”

I shouldn’t want Kevin to stay, but I do. Plus, I hate being alone. “Stop looking at me like you want me to stay.” Kevin attempts to joke, but his voice sounds depressing. “If I stay, Chelsea, I won’t keep my hands off you.” He warns.

I just left Jason, and am unclear about what decisions I’ll decide when I’m sober.

Not only that, Jason and I still have unsettled problems we need to discuss. “Maybe it’s best if you leave,” I say regrettably. I cannot make any reckless decisions until I have spoken to Jason.

Clearly, hiding is temporary considering running doesn’t solve anything. I can escape my problems for a much-needed breather since I’m not mentally capable of handling them right now.

Eventually, I’ll have to accept the obstacles life has thrown my way and deal with them. But only when I’m ready, and not a second before.

Importantly, I cannot jump into bed with Kevin as soon as I climbed out of Jason’s. Unfortunately, that would make me no better than the girls Kevin has already f****d.

Plus, sleeping with Kevin will complicate things further, considering I’m already emotionally f****d.

If I run back to Jason, I’m going to hurt Kevin.

If I run into Kevin’s arms, I’m going to hurt Jason.

Right now, I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. Yet, I continue to hurt Kevin constantly each day, by sending him mixed signals. As of now, Kevin is the only friend I have. It might be selfish of me, but I need his friendship more than anything.

Kevin leans forward, pulling me from my thoughts, placing his warm lips against my cheek, cradling my face. “I’m going to leave you the car, and have a friend of mine drive me home.”

I nod my head, and watch as he leaves, focusing on the sound of waves, mentally fighting myself not to ask Kevin to stay.

Presently, with Kevin out of eyesight, I wobble to the bar, downing another drink, welcoming the burn of the liquor while wallowing in self-pity.

Realizing, I’m no better than everybody around me. I’m angry with Jason when I had a secret. Resentful with my mother for lying, when I held a secret from Jason. Harboring hatred for my father because he cheated, and I emotionally cheated on Jason.

Therefore, how do I have a right to resent any of my family when I have done the same things they have? Instead of learning, I repeated the cycle.

I thought sending Jason the text message would have made me feel better, and at the time, it did. But, now. Arguably, I feel so much guilt.

Truthfully, I have made a tremendous amount of regretful choices I cannot take back. Although I had reasons or motives, it doesn’t make what I did right. Likewise, I understand two wrongs don’t make it right.

I should have communicated with Jason face-to-face, instead of through a text message.

Jason might have been jealous, and some moments overbearing, but now I understand why.

His worst fears have come true.

I kissed Kevin, and I left him.

Everything he feared has come true.

Hypothetically, I assumed Jason was insecure, but he wasn’t. His secret was consuming him, and he had to know it would someday come to light. And, when it did, he was afraid of losing me.

Before turning my cell phone off, I send Jason one more text message.

I’m sorry.

I should have pushed Kevin away, instead of allowing lust and happiness to overwhelm me.

I will always love Kevin, but Jason has always been my number one.

My brain is telling me to leave, Jason. My heart is summoning me to run back into his arms.

My brain and heart are at war right now. And I’m powerless to control my feelings. I wish I could flip my emotions on and off like a light switch and pretend life was perfect.

Unfortunately, my life is far from perfect.