My bully stepbrother!

The Wolf and the Wall

The school bell rang, signaling the end of another boring day of class. Chaos erupted in the hallway. Students flooded out of classrooms, among the sea of teenagers, Sarah's voice cut through the noise like a knife.

“Mason?” she yelled, her tone sharp with accusation. I glanced over to see Mason engaged in yet another deep conversation with a girl, his easy smile lighting up his face. Sarah's eyes narrowed in jealousy as he made his way towards her, completely oblivious to the storm brewing behind him.

I quickly ducked behind my locker, hoping to avoid getting caught in the impending drama.

"You walked Jozy to class and didn’t even bother to say hey?" Sarah asked, her arms folded and a bead of sweat forming on her forehead out of pure anger.

Mason simply shrugged and tried to play it cool. "Chill out, baby. I was late for class," he said, attempting to put his arms around Sarah in a feeble attempt to calm her down.

Did he just demand her to chill out? The nerve of this guy!

I inconspicuously peeked at them when Mason caught me in the act. Panicking, I quickly averted my gaze and pretended to be interested in my locker.

I turned my head too quickly and ended up colliding head-on with the metal locker door. The sound of the impact reverberated through the hallway, drawing the attention of everyone nearby, including Mason, who couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

I could feel my cheeks burning with humiliation as I sheepishly rubbed my forehead.

Ouch!

Mason and Sarah strolled by, Mason's eyes were fixated on me. It was as if his gaze was locked onto my very soul, while his arms were casually draped around Sarah's neck. The bad boy aura emanating from him was palpable - it practically oozed off of him like a thick, sticky syrup.

Mason's tough exterior was so obvious, that it was almost comical. The way he strutted around like he owned the place, with Sarah dutifully by his side, made me wonder if he was trying a little too hard to maintain his cool guy image.

But despite his tough guy act, there was something undeniably charming about him. Maybe it was the way his eyes softened when he looked at me or the faint hint of a smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

Urgh!

Food! I need food. I glanced at the clock and only realized that there were still two long periods of class before break time.

I trudged my way to my next class, and my stomach growled loudly.

I tried to focus on the lesson being taught, but all I could think about was the delicious snacks waiting for me in the cafeteria. My mind wandered to the possibilities: would I go for the classic PB&J sandwich, or perhaps try something new like the mysterious-looking casserole?

The clock seemed to mock me as the minutes ticked by at a painfully slow pace. I watched in envy as some of my classmates sneaked out of class to indulge in a make-out session behind the trees, while I remained trapped in my seat, counting down the minutes until freedom.

Finally, when the bell rang for break time, I practically sprinted to the cafeteria, leaving a trail of dust behind me. As I stood in line, my eyes scanned the menu board, already salivating at the thought of devouring whatever delicacy awaited me.

But as I reached the front of the line, disaster struck. The lunch lady informed me that they had run out of my favorite meal, leaving me to settle for a disappointing apple and a soggy sandwich.

Defeated but still hungry, I found a quiet corner to enjoy my less-than-satisfying meal.

"Jozy!" Mason bellowed, slamming his fist on the table with such force that my juice went flying and landed right on top of my sandwich.

Just perfect.

I let out a groan of frustration as I scrambled to salvage what was left of my now soggy and unappetizing meal.

“You're an i***t," I muttered under my breath, shooting Mason a glare that conveyed my annoyance.

Mason just grinned mischievously and plopped down on the seat next to me, completely unfazed by the mess he had caused. "Didn't your mother pack your lunch this morning?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in mock innocence.

I rolled my eyes and shot him a look of exasperation. "Did you see what she packed?"

Mason chuckled, clearly amused by my predicament. "It's a delicious, healthy turkey sandwich," he said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that he knew I hated turkey with a passion.

"Don’t you have something better to do than to annoy me, like?" I gestured towards Sarah, trying to make a point. "Maybe try to get your girl to stop staring at me with her wolf eyes."

Mason jumped up in alarm when he realized Sarah's attention had turned to us. Her wolf eyes were about to explode with fury.

It was clear that Sarah had enough of all the girls hanging like bees around Mason, probably because he had a reputation as a bit of a man-w***e in school.

“Catch you later, little sis,” Mason shouted as he ran off to Sarah.

Can he stop calling me little sis? I mean, sure, we're technically step-siblings, but it just makes me feel like a kid. And to make matters worse, I have a crush on him. Yep, I said it. A crush. It's like my heart does this weird flip-flop thing every time he smiles at me or ruffles my hair.

I finished my lunch, or what was left of it, and went off to my next class. I couldn't shake the feeling of my eyes. I turned around and saw Sarah glaring at me from across the hall. What do I do now?

I entered my math class and took my seat, trying to focus on the lesson. But Sarah's glare was burning a hole in the back of my head. It was as if she was trying to guilt me into confessing to a crime I didn't commit. I mean, sure, I may have a small crush on her mate, but no one knows about that.

I tried to concentrate on the math problems on the board, but Sarah's glare was distracting me. I couldn't help but squirm in my seat, feeling like a guilty puppy caught chewing on a shoe. My eyes started burning trying to concentrate, but Sarah was clearly not going to stop staring.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I quickly gathered my things and made a beeline for the door. I didn't want to stick around and risk getting caught in Sarah's glare any longer. I hurried down the hallway, hoping to escape her piercing gaze and the guilt that came with it. But as I turned the corner, I ran smack dab into Mason, who flashed me a knowing smile.

Great!

“Are you ready to go?” Mason asked, his eyes flickering with mischief.

“Yes, no! I mean I can walk home. Did you see Sarah staring at me, and did you forget she is a wolf who can rip my head off?” I squeaked, my voice reaching new octaves of panic.

Mason grabbed my arms and pushed me around the corner, pressing me against the wall. I could feel the cold bricks against my back. He leaned in closer, making me feel dizzy.

Now what?