Married to the Bad Boy (Published, Sample Only)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 As the weeks went by, Brandon and I kept our distance from one another while at home, but at school, he acted like this caring and cheerful husband, which shocked most of the student body. Only I, and Jasmine, it seemed, knew it was all fake. Even when Brandon would wrap his arm around me as we walked to class, she’d try to pull him away from me, but he never left my side. He’d simply lift his arm up and away from her hold and tell her to leave him alone now that he’s with me. When I heard him tell her that, it warmed my heart, knowing he was trying to keep his word about being faithful, but he didn’t know I knew he had already slipped up.

When we were at home though, Brandon changed from a loving husband to a compliant stranger. He would lock himself down in the game room and play video games all afternoon or sit in the living room and watch movies. After dinner, he’d go to his room and watch TV till he went to sleep, leaving me bored.

If I wasn’t doing my homework, I would be helping his mother with dinner and cleaning up. When I went to the room at night, he would never say anything to me. I would just go to the bathroom to change into the clothes his mother had picked up for me the day after I had married him. When I would walk back in the room, he wouldn’t speak to me, even as I got under the covers. I would feel him pull the covers to me, but would not say anything.

When Saturday came for us to get the paperwork, Brandon seemed more ecstatic that the marriage would be final and he could truly say I was his wife. After picking up all the paperwork, he said we needed to go out on a date to keep the image of being a couple. It wasn’t anything special, he just took me out for pizza where a lot of our classmates liked to hang out on Saturday afternoon. Then we went home and watched a movie and became strangers to one another again.

When the following Monday morning came and they still haven’t figured out that Jasmine was the person in the bathroom with me, I thought they just gave up on it. But Brandon didn’t forget and wanted to know each day and would ask me every now and then if it was this girl or that one when we walked down the hall. He never pointed to Jasmine, which I was thankful for because I was sure that if I stuttered for a second, he would know the truth.

Another Saturday came and the distance between us grew even further, and his mood swings were starting to really get to me.

“Brandon, wake up.” 

“Kami, it’s Saturday. There’s no need for me to wake up at the crack of dawn,” he said in his sleep and turned his back to me. “Go back to sleep or go help mom with breakfast, I don’t care. Just let me sleep.”

 “No. I need to talk to you,” I replied as I shook him awake. “Please, I need to talk to you. This is important.”

He turned back to face me with an annoyed look on his face. “What could be so important that it couldn’t wait till later when I’m more awake?”

“You and your mood swings,” I answered, sitting up and looking down at him. “It’s throwing me in a loop and it’s starting to depress me a little. I feel like you’re second guessing this marriage thing when we’re alone.”

He sat up and rubbed his eyes before yawning. “This is the reason you woke me up? To talk about the effect I’m having on you? Did you stop and think about the way you act around me and how I’m just doing what I think you want?”

“What effect am I having on you?” I asked him, feeling baffled about what it could be that I’ve done to make him act hot one moment and cold the next.

“Kami, every time I try to touch you, you flinch. People can tell you’re not used to being around me with how stiff you are when we walk down the hall. You don’t act like the loving wife or that you have any affection for me. You asked me to give you space and I have since that afternoon I told you about my past, but now it seems that’s not good enough. Please tell me what it is you want from me now,” he responded, sounding annoyed with me.