My Step-Brothers

Chapter 30: Least Favorite

E V A N N A

"Are you an idiot?" Andrew yelled at me.

"I'm sorry," I said, terrified.

"What do you not understand? I told you to do the dishes!" He yelled even louder, making tears well up in my eyes.

I was on my knees, picking up the broken shards of glass of the plate he threw at me.

"You're so fucking stupid! Can you do anything right?"

I flinched when I heard the sound of glass being broken again. Andrew threw the plate right besides my head and it landed on the ground next to me. I was scared that he was going to aim it at me.

"This is why no one likes you. You always mess things up." He shouted.

"You know what happens when you don't listen to me?" He asked, and I felt a hard blow to my face. He slapped me, and it burned.

I didn't think it would get worse. But it did. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the knife in his hands. He threw it. At me. I flinched, dodging the sharp knife. I felt like crying. I was so scared. I was scared of him.

And then I realized when I had dodged it, the large piece of glass I was holding went into my palm. Pain exploded in me, and I was shaking, fighting my tears.

"Next time, I'll actually aim it at you. Stop being an idiot," he growled, walking away.

I stared at my palm. The glass was still stuck. I slowly and carefully got up, and walked over to the closet where I saw the first-aid kit. My mom taught me how to remove glass from my skin. I started crying just thinking about her. I missed her so much.

I finished wrapping the bandage around my hand, and I cleaned everything up. I used the broom to clean the rest of the glass. Today really wasn't the best day so far.

I got ready to sleep, and anxiety rose in me. Tomorrow was school. I wasn't ready. I was scared to go. What would people think of me? What if there were rumors that spread about me? What if Summer, Natalie, and Matthew leave me? What if Matthew was pretending to be nice?

What if Matthew blamed me for getting hurt? Maybe he was mad at me. What if he never talks to me anymore?

It was one of those nights. Where I would cry and cry, covering my mouth so that I wouldn't wake anyone up. I would hold my breath, trying to calm myself down while tears like acid fell down my face.

I sat there emotionless, staring at the wall. I ran out of tears. I felt empty. Lost. Broken.

Some people are going through worse, Evanna.

Stop being depressed.

Why can't you be happy for once? Everyone is having fun, but you just have to ruin it. This is why no one wants to hang out with you anymore.

The corner of my lips slightly lifted when I stared at the broken girl in the mirror. The girl with scars on her arms. The girl with tear streaked cheeks. The girl with red eyes and dark circles under them.

The girl who is tired. The girl who feels worthless.

Me.

***

"Are you okay?" Matthew asked.

I stared at him.

He's just asking that because it's polite.

He doesn't care though.

He doesn't care about you.

Am I okay?

No, of course not.

I'm depressed.

I'm tired.

I'm sad.

I'm broken.

I feel empty.

I'm stressed.

I'm trapped.

I feel worthless.

I'm not okay.

But I forced a smile, and said the biggest lie I have ever told. "I'm fine."

He smiled. "Okay. Talk to me if you need anything."

He winced as he moved his shoulders. "Jayden punches harder than I thought. But I'll get revenge."

"No!" I shouted, a blush creeping up to my face as I lowered my voice. "Don't make it worse. I know you're trying to help, but please."

He sighed. "I'm sorry. Did I make it worse?"

"No, you didn't. Everything's fine. It's not you fault."

My stepbrothers made me feel worthless and ugly, and they resented me for simply being around. I hated myself and I wished I could disappear. I wanted to tell my Dad, or maybe even Rose. It didn't work out well.

***

"Hey, can I talk to you guys?" I asked.

Dad and Rose nodded and sat down on the couch. They were both smiling widely, and I didn't want to ruin the mood, but I wanted my stepbrothers to stop. Maybe this would change things.

"It's about my stepbrothers."

Dad's expression changed in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that... they are being really mean to me and are bullying me and I wanted to ask if you can maybe-"

His expression changed again. This time, it wasn't confusion, or sympathy. He was mad. "Evanna, would you stop complaining about them? They aren't doing anything to you."

My eyes widened. "D-Dad... they hate me! They tell me to kill myself and make me feel unloved."

He got angrier. "Why don't you try being nice to them for once? Maybe they'll be nice to you. If you want them to treat you nicely, you should love your brothers first. Earn their love, and they'll treat you right."

Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, honey." She turned to me. "I'm sorry about my boys, but your dad is right. Maybe you should try treating them nicely."

I felt defeated. Pathetic, even. That's when I realized, I wasn't the favorite child. I was the least wanted child. My dad preferred my stepbrothers over me. He always wanted sons. Rose, obviously sided with her biological children. I was the unwanted, unloved child, and my family made sure to remind me every single day.

***

Hey guys! It's Grace.

Thank you for reading! You guys are the best! I love you all so much, and appreciate all the support and votes.

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