The Step Brother

Gone

next update!! plot turnnnnnnnnn! if you guys like please vote and comment! it really encourages me to finish the chapter. i really need motiviation. also, I promise that if you guys check out my story Unexpedcetly and give it 25 votes that I will update within three weks. I know its a crummy promise but otherwise you guys will spend like over a month waiting. Enjoy!

also, i dedicated this to JJsmommy29 because I always see her voting and commenting and it's just a little thank you :)) THANK YOU

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What’s funny about hangovers is that you go to sleep with your head spinning and you wake up with your head spinning even more.

Well, maybe not spinning. More like pounding.

I groaned and turned in my bed. People always say that first hangovers are the worst and as I rolled out of bed, I prayed that it was true because I seriously could not picture anything worse than this.

It took me almost a whole two minutes to just stand up straight. And when I finally was standing I got a dizzy spill ten times worse than any game of ‘Ring around the Rosie’ ever brought me.

“I need Advil,” I groaned, rubbing my eyes. Putting one put in front of the other, I began my zombie-walk to the bathroom. While the bathroom was just across the hall it felt likes it was miles away this morning. And to top it off, when I actually did reach it, Liam was in it. And he was taking a shower. He had left the door unlocked however and my slightly incapable mind decided that I had plenty of time to splash water on my face and maybe even rinse with Listerine before Liam got out.

So, I quietly opened the door just big enough for me to squeeze through. Trying my hardest to eliminate the possibility of a draft, I closed the door as soon as I was in.

The bathroom was so steamy and the mirror was completely fogged over. I tried to rub the mirror so I could see myself, but my reflection was still blurry. Groaning, I tried to find a spot where I could actually get a clear view of myself.

Obviously I had misjudged the time because as soon as I decided to actually wash my face Liam turned the water off.

For the next ten seconds I stood frozen and more alert than I thought possible for a hungover teen. I didn’t know wether to yell “I’M HERE” or maybe make a run for it.

Instead, I didn’t do anything. In horror, I watched as Liam’s hand grabbed the towel and then started slowly pushing the curtain back.

“WAIT!” I finally screamed, finding my voice.

Liam’s hand froze and two seconds later, he poked his head out of the shower. His look was a cross of annoyed, confused, and pissed off.

“Brooklyn….?”

“I-I was uhm… I was washing my face!” I explained, showing him the orange bottle of face wash.

“Okay…” he answered slowly, starting to move the curtain back again.

“Can you wait for me?!” I shouted again, in panic.

Liam’s eyes narrowed as he look me over. “Brooklyn, I have 30 minutes until I need to pick up Brenda. I’m tired because I had to babysit your party last night and clean up after once everyone left. Maybe if you weren’t so selfish you would realize that I’m in a rush and that I don’t have time for you being immature. I’m your brother, remember?”

I hated the way he said brother. It was like he was mocking me. You kissed me, remember? You loved me, remember?

I’m your brother, remember?

My stomach reeled even more as I thought about everything. For a second, I thought I was going to puke. Thankfully, the feeling passed.

Shivering, I set the face wash down on the granite countertop.

“You’re right. I’ll leave.” My voice was almost as cold as his. “Thank you, by the way.”

--

Liam had been gone for a good two hours now. In those two hours, I had puked a total of four times. My whole day had been spent in bed since I couldn’t move at all. Mckenzie, who had called me before, urged me to ‘walk it off’ but I was never the type to suck pain up.

My phone went off again, for what seemed like the billionth time in the hour. Even thought my phone was practically next to me it still seemed like too much effort to reach over and grab it.

As I peered over my pillow to look at it I saw that it was Caleb calling. Before the call could end, I answered it.

“Hello?” I tried to make my voice sound as happy as possible. Knowing my mom she would catch the next plane out, convinced that I had contracted some deadly virus or something.

“Hey, Brooklyn! What’s up?”

“Uh, nothing. Just watching a movie,” I lied. “You?”

“I’m actually in town. We had to pick up some things for the cabin. It’s been kind of messy around here lately…”

“I’m sorry,” I answered sympathetically. I could only imagine what Caleb must’ve been going through there in between clashing adults.

“Yeah… Well anyway, this may seem kind of random but, could you do me a favor?”

“Sure! Anything!”

“Go into Brenda’s room for me and pull out this bright pink dress. It should be pretty noticeable in the closet. I’ve been reminding it all week for Liam to take it out but he hasn’t been answering me.”

An unsettling feeling formed in my stomach and it didn’t have to do with my hangover.

“Yeah, sure… Hold on.”

Doing my best to get out of bed in reasonable time, I hobbled into the hallway.  

“What do you need it for?” I inquired, slightly confused about the whole dress situation.

“Well, it was like my older sister’s first pageant dress and Jeff had asked my mom if she could help him to find a dress for Brenda because she needed one for some recital. Anyway, my mom let him borrow that one. She forgot about it, but now that they whole fight rose it she really wants it back. It’s weird. My mom’s spiteful like that.”

“This whole situation is so stupid,” I agreed, finally reaching Brenda’s room. It was locked and I knew no one was in there.

“Tell me about it. But my mom’s been so annoying over it and in turn I’ve been annoying Liam for it. I sent him like seven text messages just this morning. Anyway, thanks Brooklyn.”

“Sure thing!”

Pushing the door to Brenda’s room open, I stepped in. Her room was so cheerful and full of light it almost made me feel better.

Almost.

I headed over to her closet and opened it. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw next….

There was only one article of clothing hanging in the closet. Just one. It was the pink dress.

My hand was suddenly shaking and my heart was galloping in my chest.

“C-Caleb. I’ll call you back, okay?”

I hung up before he could answer.

It took me only a few seconds to piece the puzzle together. Liam had to move out. Brenda’s clothes were gone. They were gone for three hours.

Liam had taken Brenda.

And they were gone.