A Stranger In My Home

Chapter 5

(I hope you'll like this chapter and I hope you'll like the coming chapters if you'll continue reading this story. I want to know everyone's opinion so I could know what you like and don't like so far. Ilysm♥)

My alarm goes off at 7:00 in the morning. I take my morning shower and put on a mustard blouse, blue black pants, brown sneakers and my big brown shoulder bag. I pull half of my hair into a ponytail and the other half I leave it spreading all over my shoulders. The only makeup I have for today is eyeliner.

Duke is still sleeping and I don't bother to wake him up I eat my breakfast and head to the bus stop. I wonder on my way where the hell Duke has been all night and why he wasn't awake. Probably he was in a party in a frat house or something doing what god knows but the answer of why he wasn't awake I really don't know it, maybe he will skip it today. I don't know if I should have woken him up or not but I know better that I would never do that because first he isn't my friend nor a good person who isn't rude to me to wake him up, second I don't want a rude and harsh remarks from him which will ruin my early morning.

I enter the university and head to the hallway to find Duke's mates.

"Heeeyyy" a familiar voice says. I turn around to see Char.

"Oh. Finally someone I know" I grin.

We sit on a table and talk for some more time until she brings up Duke's name.

"Oh where is Duke" she asks but mostly she asks herself.

I turn around to where her eyes directed to to see his mates but he's not between them.

"I don't know. Do you like him?" I ask.

"NO! what? Hell no" she laughs. "How could I? He's my stepbrother plus I have a boyfriend" my lips parted after hearing those words

What?

"What?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Is this 'what' about that I have a boyfriend or that he's my stepbrother?" She giggles

"Stepbrother?" It came out more as a question.

"Yes, his mother got married to my father after Duke's parents got divorced four years ago and since then he didn't come to my father's house except twice one of them he was invited on dinner but he ruined it and the other one he came to fight with his mother, but whenever Stella our sister wants to see him or he wants to see her, he takes her alone and hang out. He doesn't even enter the front yard p.s 'I think he hates me'" she explains and quotes he hates me.

Sure, Duke seems to hate everyone.

"So he was living with his father and his sister" I say.

"No his father died after the divorce by six months. He was living with him during those months but Hazel his sister traveled abroad to her aunt in Amsterdam, where they belong as she could continue her studies. She came back here on her father's funeral and lived for a month with Duke and then she traveled again. Duke went on drugs and after two years I think, my father let him go to rehab and now he's completely normal" she whispers and takes a long breath
"But how did you know that he has a sister?" She asks raising an eyebrow

Oops I forget that I must pretend that I don't know anything about him except his name only. But who am I kidding? I actually really don't know anything about him. I just know his family's faces through the pictures.

"No I was just guessing... never mind. So he's alone now?" I ask again although I know the answer.

"Yes, he lives alone" she nods

"When did he start going on drugs?" I have endless questions.

"When he was fifteen, all these things happened when he was fifteen, so it was hard for him to handle all what has happened in this short time alone. I mean all these drama shit has happened in only one year" her eyes soften

"Where was his mother?" I raise my voice.

I don't know why I got so nervous but I think I should because Char said he couldn't handle it alone so where was his mother?

"He didn't want to speak with her for some reasons which I don't have any hint about it and he still doesn't want to, but she really makes her best to make up everything but he pushes her away. She thinks he hates her"

"No one hates his mother" I argue

"For Duke everything is possible. She thinks that he hates her but I still don't think so. But I'm sure he hates me, no one of our friends knows that I'm his stepsister and I didn't tell anyone but you, my boyfriend Rusty and two other girls who are my best friends since we were in high school"

"Do you...hate him?" I tilt my head to the right side.

"I don't hate him nor his sister. Me and his sister talk from time to time and she also keeps in touch with her mother and doesn't have any problem with this marriage but I don't know why Duke is like that. But I do love Duke and Hazel" she smiles and I smile at her as well.

So his past affected him this much and made him the person he is? The rude, jerk and cruel guy who doesn't have any words to say except the rude things? I wished that Char knows the reason why he pushes his mother away and doesn't want to speak with her so I could know more about his past which let him go on drugs. After hearing what Char just said, I do pitty him. He was a child when all these happened. Okay, not a child he was fifteen but comparing to our age now he was. Fifteen years old boy always wants a home with a family shares love between them not a divorced parents then dead dad and no sister and mother beside him.

A terrible past brings out the bad in people.

_____

Now I'm in my third class. Literature. And because I'm in love with books, so this is my favorite class. I take my seat beside Char and some other guy. We talked before the class began and I got to know that his name is Ian and he's a friend of Char and her boyfriend who I didn't meet until now.

The professor discuss with us Romeo and Julliet and since I've read this book not less than three times so I was sharing most of the period. I see Duke sitting at the back with some boys and a girl who is nearly sitting on his lap. I don't date. Not because I bring a girl to my apartment and make up with her and spend a beautiful night with her, so it means that she's my girlfriend. His words play again in my mind. So what should I name their relationship?

I finish my class then me, Char and Ian walk together then Rusty comes and greets me and takes Char, so me and Ian are left alone for nearly half an hour talking about natural stuff like movies, books, songs then he leaves me for his class.

I make my way to my class to find Duke and his friends are standing at a corner.

I find this is a good time to tell Duke to not wait for me as I won't go home after my classes as Char isn't with me at the moment so I walk to him and his friends.

Yes it's awkward, but it's now or never.

"Duke" I say and he turns around with a frown and this same girl he was with in the Literature class turns around too.

"I guess I should tell you that I'm... you don't need to wait for me after college because I...I won't go home after classes" I'm really uncomfortable, I feel all the eyes on me and that makes me don't know what exactly to say.

"Who's this?" The girl and a tall guy ask.

"I'm..." I start to say but Duke cut me off.

"I don't know who's she" he shrugs and looks to me, my eyes go wide. What?