My American Stepbrother (BxB)

- C H A P T E R * * E I G H T -

I'm always ready to befriend him. It's just that, Dylan won't stop bitching about the past. I never hold grudges on him. There was one time he tripped me when I was doing laps, and it pissed me off because I landed right on my face. That land earned me bruises on my face, knees, and forearms. But I didn't retaliate. Doing that would cause another major right between the two of us. In other words, I had to be the responsible and smart adult.

That happened 3 months ago, though.

I forgive, but I don't forget. Sometimes, I want to push off the stairs at school but that would be a crime. And I don't want to go to jail at an early age. Perhaps when I'm about to die due to old age. God, what am I thinking? I think like a murderer.

"Why are you so quiet, dude?" Kyle asks me, standing up. "We're done playing."

"Nah, I'm just thinking about stuff. Where do we go?"

"Your house," he simply says.

"I'm pretty sure you said you have to be home early," I raise my brow at him. "Don't you have somewhere to go? You said there was something important that you should attend. Otherwise, your parents would be pissed."

"Dude, that's a family reunion. My relatives are awful." He rolls his eyes. "Plus, my aunt is going to be there and she'd tell me how much weight I gained. Like, dude, do you see that I'm quite fit? And she's going to mock my eating habit."

"Family reunions are fun," Chad says.

"No," all three - me, Dylan, and Isaiah - of us say at the same time.

"I'm just going to assume you do family reunions terrible here," Chad continues. "In the Philippines, my titos and titas, oh, right, aunties and uncles, when there's a family reunion, they spoil me so much. And family reunions always happen there. Like every month, family reunions can happen for no reason."

We all make a face and Chad rolls his eyes. "Come on, family reunions here can't be that bad."

"Alright, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." Kyle frowns. "And you, brother, are going to save me by letting me stay in your house. At least for a night."

"Kyle, as much as I want to help you, I don't want to get caught in your family drama."

Kyle sighs, slumping his shoulders down. "Fine. But if I don't make it out alive, the blame is on you."

"Good riddance, then."

"Huh, the audacity of this bitch."

We leave Dylan's house. Kyle takes the passenger seat while Chad takes the back seat. He doesn't complain much, and he sure seems like he doesn't like being in a car at all. Throughout the whole ride, he remains quiet. He has this serious expression on his face, then a few seconds, his face would light up and a smile would grace his lips.

That must mean he's remembering something special.

For some unknown reason, my attention has been on him. There's just something intriguing about him that I can't quite pinpoint. It's not the fact that because he's Asian. No, I'm not racist. But he's intriguing in a way that you'd like to know more about him. And I think it's a positive thing. He's going to be my brother - step-brother - for as long as his mom remains romantically involved with my dad.

Looking at him through the rear-view mirror, Chad has his index finger between his lips, as if he's almost biting his nails. Right now, he has a faint blush forming on his cheeks. And I notice that it's normal for his cheeks to turn pinkish. His complexion is really not that dark, but I like how it compliments his features. His facial features are not that strong. If you glance at him, you would immediately suspect how friendly he is.