Stepbrother

Chapter 7

"Lendzie." Someone shook my shoulder. Who the fuck is this, it doesn't sound like my mom.. The voice was unfamiliar. I opened my eyes slowly, in hopes that it was just my imagination and that it was my mom.

I opened my eyes and rolled over to see Jeremy standing next to my bed. My eyes widened as I sat up. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"My dad got off work today.. we're moving in today," he sighed. I groaned and fell back into my pillow.

"Whyyy?" I sighed.

"I don't know. Just get up and help us," Jeremy said. I sighed and rolled out of the bed.

"Nice sweatpants."

"Like you don't sleep in sweatpants!" I said, following him down the hall.

"No, actually, I don't," he said over his shoulder. "But I guess since we split a room that'll have to change."

"You sleep in your underwear?"

"Everyone does," he responded. I followed him outside where there was a truck with a trailer behind it. There was a bed frame and mattress on the trailer.

Jeremy went over and helped his dad move the bed in. I went over to my mom, she handed me a bag. "Put that in your room," she said. I nodded and lifted the bag, which was heavier than I thought.

I walked in my room to see that Jeremy's bed was now in my room. I sighed and sat the bag down. "I think that's my clothes," Jeremy said, picking it up.

"How many clothes do you have?" I said, looking at my hands that were red from the heavy bag.

"Two more bags," he said. I sighed and closed my eyes. I heard him jog back down the stairs. I sighed and followed.

We spent the next hour taking bags and suitcases inside.

-

I flopped down on a chair at the kitchen table. Jeff sat down and smiled. I tried to avoid snarling.

Mom walked in and offered to make cheese toast. I'm all for cheese toast, just not today. Or any day that Jeff is in the same house as me.

I walked up the stairs. Jeremy was making his bed. "Hi, roomie," he said. I sighed and rolled my eyes, flopping down on my bed.

Jeremy looked around my room. Well.. our room, I guess. He nodded slightly. "I like your posters."

"Thanks," I said, looking around my walls at the many band posters.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to a poster.

"Dude, you've never seen Supernatural?" I asked.

"No."

"I will force you to like it," I said, looking over at my phone.

Gabe- What the hell were you doing last night?

Me- Oh, I was just hanging with someone.

Gabe- No offense, but you have no friends who the hell were you talking to?

Me- Jeff's son Jeremy.

Gabe- Oh..

"What's it about?" Jeremy asked.

"Two brothers travel the U.S. and hunt supernatural things like ghost and shapeshifters and stuff," I said, standing up and going to the bathroom. I pulled my toothbrush and toothpaste out of the drawer.

Jeremy walked in just as I started brushing my teeth. "Where can I put this?" he asked, holding up a bag with his toothbrush in it. I pointed to the drawer next to mine as I spit in the sink. "Thanks," Jeremy said, putting his toothbrush and toothpaste in the drawer.

"So, any ground rules I need to know about?" Jeremy asked as we walked back into the bedroom.

"Um.. We aren't allowed in Mom's bathroom. Like, you can pee yourself before you go in there," I said.

"Why?" he asked raising an eyebrow as he sat on his bed.

"I dunno," I shrugged. "And um... You're not allowed to sneak out, but I do anyway.." I said, thoughtfully. "But I mean, most of the rules here are up to your dad really."

"My dad stopped giving a crap what I do," Jeremy said. I shrugged.

"My mom doesn't really care that much," I said. I heard my mom yell from downstairs.

Jeremy and I took off down the stairs. I heard him mumble, "If he's drunk, I swear.."

We turned the corner into the kitchen to see Jeff digging around in the freezer and my mom sitting in a chair holding her hand. "What in the world happened?" Jeremy asked.

"I burned my hand," Mom said.

"At day," Jeremy said under his breath. I busted out laughing. Mom gave me an angry look.

"Oh, that's funny huh? Would you like me to burn you?!" she yelled as she took an ice pack from Jeff.

"No ma'am," I responded. "I'm laughing at-"

"I don't care! Don't laugh at my pain, I will burn you!!"

"Easy there," Jeremy said. Mom jumped up, obviously forgetting the pain in her hand. Jeremy shouldered me backward.

The next thing I remember is taking off down the street next to Jeremy with my mom chasing us.