Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope all of you are having a great Saturday. Here's the 8th chapter of "My American Stepbrother". I hope you love this chapter as much as I do.
I have a few requests, though. I'm currently building an audience from my Youtube and Dreame channel. If you could subscribe on my YT channel and follow me on Dreame, that'd be much help. By the way, that YT channel is where I upload my gameplays on PS4. I'm also thinking if I'm going to do streams, and if I do, would you watch? We can definitely tackle about my writing and stories planned in the future.
Youtube: TheGreatWiccanPH
Dreame: Mike S
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Despite having high hopes, I ended up losing to Chad in Tekken. While I know a few things about the game, that's not enough to get me a win from him. Mostly I did troll gaming, but Chad knows how to counter those Eddy moves. Overall, he won 3 rounds and I won nothing.
It's actually fun to watch him enjoy himself while he plays with us. Both Dylan and Chad keep talking about frames that I don't really understand, and Kyle is listening intently, nodding his head every now and then. Meanwhile, I just watch them play because, trust me, I'm never going to be that good on this game. Plus, Tekken isn't really my game. It isn't my jam.
"Can you fucking believe it? That's so unfair." Kyle says, scrunching up his nose.
"Lili punishes hard, Kyle. Just get over it." Chad laughs at Kyle's expression.
"Just stop making negative frame attacks, stupid." Dylan steps in, shaking his head but the amusement in his eyes is visible. "You don't want to get punished, don't do anything stupid."
If I'm going to be honest here, I don't really hate Dylan. And I don't really blame him for hating me. I mean, I entertained his ex-girlfriend when they were still together. He didn't really like me in the first place, but I added more fuel to his hate when I chose to flirt back on Christine, his ex-girlfriend.
Ever since he found out, Dylan has been finding ways to ruin my day. Because of our feud, many people have sided either with me or with him. Dylan is quite popular, especially since he's a team captain. He has lots of fangirls. I can say the same thing about me, though.
Christine has actually transferred to a different school. And no, it's not because almost everyone shamed her. Even when Christine and Dylan were still dating, her parents were already planning to move to a different state since they got offered new jobs that have a higher pay. Who would skip that opportunity?
When they broke up, Dylan went back to dating game. And no, he doesn't cheat. Believe it or not, he doesn't do that shit. He's actually pretty honest. While he has dated many girls after Christine, never once Dylan cheated on them. He was actually pretty serious about dating. I guess he just wanted to get rid of what he still felt for Christine at that time. In other words, he was desperate. And when he never got that satisfaction, that feeling of being in love, he actually stopped.
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.
And if you look a little longer, you would see how his eyelashes are slightly longer. You would also notice the color of his eyes. It's brown, but different. Chocolate brown. Chad has his cheeks puffed as he stares out the window. I turn my gaze back on the road, as that's something my eyes should focus on, not my step-brother.
I mean, it's a little weird that my attention has been on him always.
A few minutes later, we've arrived at home. Kyle, as if he lives in the same house with us, climbs out after I park the car in the garage then heads in without even knocking or ringing the doorbell. My dad has gotten used to it, but he can't keep doing that, especially now that we have other people living in the same house. And by other people, I mean Chad and his mother.
Once we're in, Chad immediately greets his mom a kiss on the cheek and high-fives dad. It's almost unreal they're getting along pretty well. Normally, if I were in the same situation as him where my mom met another man, I would have rebelled. But Chad, I think he has a different outlook in life. He looks like he doesn't have any complaints on his life at all; he's happier, livelier, and he doesn't seem like he has a lot of problems to deal with.
Kyle greets my dad and says hi awkwardly to Sarah. It's funny to see Kyle being awkward when he's usually a loud-mouthed son of a bitch. Sarah smiles at him and Kyle runs quickly to my room. I shake my head in amusement.
Chad stays in the living room, already speaking with someone named Max. They talk in Tagalog, so I don't really understand what they are saying. But I do get a few Spanish words, but that doesn't mean I understand what they are talking about. I also understand what puta means, and Max likes to utter that word after statements he voices out. Chad is grinning, his eyes twinkling in amusement as he watches Max through videochat.
A few moments later, Sarah joins Chad in speaking with Max. I just watch them, well aware that Kyle is in my room and probably ruining my stuff. Seeing Sarah and Chad makes me long for my mother. I wish I had a mother like Sarah who loves her son very much. No wonder my dad is really into her. Sarah is a nice woman, and dad is really lucky to have her.
I leave them be.
When the night finally arrives, I can't will myself to sleep. My mind has been aware, and the fact that Kyle is sleeping over doesn't help. He snores, by the way. Lightly. It's just 9 in the evening. I know it's too early, but what else is there to do? I don't really party much, and I'm not even active in social media. Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I open them up twice or thrice a week, but only to upload some pictures.
I don't spend a lot of time in the digital world - there's a lot of negativity, hatred, and fake news. Maybe I should just watch random funny cat or dog videos on Youtube. That would set my mood and kill time. But I really don't feel like watching random stuff on Youtube.
Nothing interesting to do, maybe the fridge would offer me good stuff. Usually, dad stocks a lot of food in the fridge. But since Sarah is here, who knows what Filipinos stock in their fridge. I get up from the bed and head straight to the kitchen. Checking the fridge, I find that there's an ice cream bucket. The flavor is Double Dutch. I wonder if Sarah stocks ice cream when they were in the Philippines, and surely dad doesn't stock or buy ice cream. I open the container and is puzzled when I see frozen fish in the container.
"Who the hell puts fish in an ice cream bucket?" I ask, still puzzled at what I saw. Sarah. Sarah is the answer. There's actually another ice cream bucket, so I try my luck and open the other. "Frozen chicken. I should have known. I'm beginning to be disappointed at my life."
Sighing, I put all the buckets in the fridge, making sure they are placed the same way from the time I took them. I roll my eyes and decide to head back to my room since there's nothing else to do. I make my way and halt to stop when I hear something in Chad's room. He almost... sounds like he's giggling, crying, and sniffing all at the same time. I lightly knock on his door.
Seconds later, Chad opens the door. His eyes are a bit teary, and his cheeks, even though it's a bit dark, are still pinkish. He looks like he has been crying. I begin to worry.
"Are you okay? I heard crying, and sniffing." I ask him.
"Huh, that's not me."
"Do you have someone with you there, then?" I peek in his room. Everything is lit up, even the lamp placed beside his bed. I find no one.
"I'm watching a drama. It's too early to sleep. The main actor has been sniffing." Chad states as he looks back at his bed. "I can't sleep and watching drama online is only my sleeping pill. I was already at the sad scene, but then you knocked and ruined the moment."
"I'm sorry, what are you watching?"
"Drama."
"No, I mean the title."
"My girlfriend is a gumiho. It's a Korean drama, so I doubt you'd be interested in it." Chad says, turning as he goes back to his bed and watch. "Please close the door before you leave. I'd be too busy watching this asshole ruin everything."
"Can I watch, too? I don't have anything to do, and I can't sleep as well. Kyle is snoring loudly, and I don't understand why that asshole has to stay over." I ask him, entering his room without permission from him. He doesn't seem to care, though. But it doesn't mean he agrees. But he doesn't say anything. I close the door and Chad motions me to turn off the light. I flick the switch and join him on his bed. He provides me the other piece of his earphones, and I gladly oblige. "They speak weird."
"Sshh, we're getting at the most important part of this episode."
"Got it," I whisper and continue to watch with him.
Fifteen minutes later, I find myself invested in the story. There's this girl who can transform into a fox, and she's really pretty. I have a lot of questions, but Chad is so invested in the story that I can't even speak with him or else I'd get scolded.
The girl, named as Miho, is fading while the leading guy is crying his heart out. Besides the scene, I have to watch out for the subtitles. If I don't, then there's no point in watching the entire episode. But I find the story pretty interesting. In American drama, there's always a crime happening. Too cliche and nothing new for my liking.
When I look at the person beside me, Chad is already having tears in his eyes. His lips are in a purse, his eyes focused at the scene in front of him. Instead of watching the drama, I watch him closely. Chad doesn't say anything and doesn't notice that I'm staring at him. The music from the drama plays, and Chad sniffs. I stifle a laugh, finding him cute when he's being a crybaby about a Korean drama.
Chad turns to look at me, but I turn my head to the phone in front quick enough that he didn't catch me staring at him. Because, let's all admit it, it's weird and creepy as fuck.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Chad turning his head back to his phone. But I still continue to watch him. I keep looking for a reason why I find him intriguing and interesting. He's just a random kid that got caught up in my family. A random Filipino kid. And now, we're in the same room watching a Korean movie about a woman who can transform into a fox but somehow manages to get the attention of two guys, who are both fighting over her.
I wouldn't say it's a bad thing that Chad and Sarah are part of the family now, but it gets confusing and weird sometimes. It's also funny to think that when Bill and Sarah were still talking online, I refused to accept that I'd have a step-brother once they moved in. And I refused to accept that fact for a long time, not until when they arrived here and Chad started befriending Dylan.
Who knows what that asshole could be saying to Chad about me.
Fast forward, we've watched a total of two episodes. One hour each. Chad is already fast asleep, his phone in his hand. I carefully grab it from his grasp and place it on the night table. He clicks his tongue, turns around while putting his arm below his pillow, and snuggles the other pillow beside him.
Chad's lips are slightly parted, small and slow breaths come in and out of his mouth as he sleeps. He moves again, and again, and again. I notice how he thrashes around when he sleeps, as if he's looking for a perfect position and spot to be comfortable, when he looks really comfortable in his position already.
I really don't want to go back to my own room. Kyle is worse when he sleeps. Chad makes minimal movements, but Kyle's arms literally fly out of nowhere until he hits you in the face. That's one of the reasons why I hate having him sleep in my room. Usually, I prepare him a comforter to lie on the ground, throwing a few pillows. But before I managed to do that, the asshole was already fast asleep in my bed. I'm not rude enough to wake him when he's already in a comfortable position.
I'll just have to punch him in the morning once he wakes up. That should be a good breakfast for him.
Staying in someone else's room is definitely weird. I mean, I haven't slept over in someone's room ever since the party I joined five months ago. Except for Kyle's room in his house. I'm also not used to the fact that the person beside me is not Kyle. I lie down and turn to face a sleeping Chad. His lips are in a pout now, and I lightly laugh when he makes a face.
When we sleep, we usually do odd stuff.
Getting myself comfortable, I turn to face the ceiling and shut my eyes, listening to Chad's calm breathing. I take a deep breath, and finally feel the sleepiness kicking in. Chad moves closer beside me, as if he's almost snuggling me, but doesn't move further. I pretend I don't feel him. When I feel the coldness, I grab his comforter and drape it over us. This time, Chad moves closer and places his leg on top of mine, his face already buried in my arm.
I have said weird many times, but to be honest, at the moment, I don't find this weird but natural. Chad's skin is warm against mine, and I wonder if it's natural to feel not weird at all when I find myself in an unusual position with a guy.