Resisting my Step-Brother

Getting know Gemma

“I’ve been here two weeks and learnt a lot about his personality that’s for sure” I answered her. She gazed down at her hands that were firmly placed on the bed and sighed.

“Still f*****g anything that moves then huh?”. She seemed disappointed.

“He has a good heart really, he’s just had to deal with a lot, that’s all”

“What do you mean?” I pressed

“He’s good at putting up a front, I call it his arsehole act. He pretends to be selfish and careless, but I know that he is just misunderstood. He’s very protective when it comes to the ones he loves. He would do anything for them, even if it gets him in trouble” she confessed.

“Really? In trouble...how?”. She took in a deep breath.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t want me telling you this since you don’t already know, but since dad left, my mum jumped around from man to man and constantly got hurt by them”

“I know all about that one, trust me” I confessed. She flashed and empathetic grin and then twiddled with the bed sheet.

“Yeah, he had to watch it all happen and tried to hide it from me, he managed to get into a fight with one of them and got arrested”.

“What!” I exclaimed and she nodded.

“I know, he got away with a caution. I couldn’t understand why he kept getting so aggressive when it came to mums boyfriends. He told me later on in life that they used to hit her and cheat. It affected us pretty badly when we had to watch them come and go. He always told me that she will find the right one soon. It never happened though and I think he feels guilty for pulling the wool over my eyes because now she will never find the right one”. I could hear her sadness through her quivering voice.

“She was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to her spine. In order to get rid of it and save her life, they had to go through endless amounts of chemotherapy and ended up having to operate on her spine. This left her paralysed and she couldn’t care for herself anymore, so my dad took it upon himself to find her the right place to care for her. This made Liam angry, I think he expected dad to move back in and take care of her” 

It made sense now. Liam hated his dad making decisions for him because he still held a grudge about the decision he made with his mother. That’s why he got so angry the other week when his dad was trying to help.

“That’s awful, I’m so sorry Gemma” I empathised and she pressed her lips together in acknowledgment. 

“So now he gets protective about me and wanted to make sure that I don’t follow the same path as my mum did when it came to her choices in men. He’s not a big fan of Cameron and we tend to argue a lot if he is brought into conversation” she confessed and I felt so sorry for her. I couldn’t imagine going through the trauma that they have had to go through. 

“But enough about me I’ve been talking for too long. Tell me about you and your mum” she shook her head changing the subject. 

“Oh, well we moved here two weeks ago because my mum met Mark when they were in a business meeting. My mum left her job to be with him and has managed to bag herself another job in the same company. Different buildings but same name” I explained. 

“Oh right, she must really like him” she implied and I bit my lip. 

“Yeah, she tends to dive in head first when it comes to guys, they always ended up moving in and cheating or leaving her. It was like a merry go round until she met Mark. I think she wanted a fresh start”. Gemma narrowed her eyes at me, holding back the questions she wanted to ask.

“So... what happened with your dad?” She finally found the courage to ask. I looked down at my legs at the pain I felt when it came to speaking about him.

“He died” I finally stated and she gasped. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Elle, I shouldn’t have...”

“No, no it’s fine” I expressed and she grabbed my hand. Just as I found the guts to talk about his death, Liam came barging into my room.

“Well, well, well... what’s going on in here then?” He joked and I quickly wiped the tears that began to fall down my cheeks. He looked at me and lowered his brows. 

“What have you said to her Gem?!” He yelled and Gemma looked at him startled. 

“No Liam, nothing, she’s not said anything I’m just getting all silly that’s all” I defended her and he stared at Gemma as if to find some evidence to my claim from her expression. 

“Hmmm...” he hummed and Gemma stood from the bed.

“Is that how your going to greet your sister?” She asked and he smiled before hugging her. He looked at me over his shoulder and I was still wiping my face. 

“Where’s dad?!” She exclaimed in excitement and he told her he was upstairs. Gemma skipped out the door and up the stairs. I went to stand from the bed when Liam closed the door. He walked over to me and held me close to him.

“What did she tell you?” He asked holding me tightly and glaring into my eyes.

“Nothing” I sniffed and he raised his eye brow in disbelief.

“She just told me a bit about your past that’s all” I confessed and the look of annoyance flash across his face. I tried to defuse the situation.

“Don’t be angry with her, I asked her about it and she was just being polite. Why didn’t you tell me about your mum?” I asked him and he let go of me. 

“Because it was none of your business Elle, it was my past and I didn’t want to talk about it” he stated and I was slightly confused by his reaction. I could feel him turning into an arsehole again but I knew it was an act to shadow his pain. I cupped his face in attempt to keep ahold of his kinder side.

“Liam... I’m not judging you” I assured him.

“I just want you to understand that it doesn’t matter what has happened in the past you can always talk to me” I said. He grabbed my wrist and put it back to my side. 

“You don’t get it Elle. You don’t get what it’s like to lose a parent and for them to have to be taken care of in a home” he growled and I tensed my expression.

“My mum will never be the same again, she will never be able to find love and she is stuck in that home by herself. She doesn’t have her family around her!” He continued and I felt the anger bubble up inside of me. 

“Your right! I don’t f*****g get it! You can still see your mum and talk to her, touch her!” I yelled and he looked frustrated. He didn’t clock on and replied “glad you admit it, next time stay out of my business and don’t pester my sister with your nosy questions when it comes to something you will never understand!” He screamed and stormed out of my room. I was so angry and I didn’t want to go upstairs for dinner but I know that if I didn’t then my mum would only moan at me.