Stepbrother Surrender: A Step Romance Novella by Zoe Blair

           Chapter One
     
               He was a first class jerk who
took one look at me and deemed me his target of choice.  I remember it like it
was yesterday.  The first words out of his mouth were “wow, what a nerd.”  I
remember my cheeks flaring red and my heart shaking in my chest. 
     
     
    I first met Brandon when I was thirteen
and he was seventeen.  My dad married his mom so quick, that the home we’d
shared by ourselves suddenly felt crowded and chaotic.  I tried to keep my
space like I did at school but Brandon always came looking for me.  He just
couldn’t seem to entertain himself any other way.
     
     
    “Hey dork,” he’d say while leaning in my
doorway. 
     
     
    I’d keep my nose buried in pages and
pretend like I didn’t hear him only to feel a wad of paper thrown at the back
of my head.  Or a banana peel.  Or a rubber band.  He was infuriating but I
only had one year with him before he would hopefully find his own place.  I
laughed off the idea of him ever going to college.
     
     
    I loved the way things were before
Brandon.  Well, maybe I didn’t love them, being the nerdy virgin
bookworm daughter of a single Dad, but the house was often quiet and I had my
own space.  I didn’t have any siblings and Dad would work until six, so I got
the house to myself after school and read to my heart’s content.  But that all
changed when my Dad met Brandon’s mom. 
     
     
                I
expected, like any two strangers especially at that age, that we’d be shy
toward each other at first.  I was the shy one while Brandon had no issue
opening his mouth around me.
     
               
    We hardly spoke, but when we did, it was
only because he’d been teasing me, scoffing at practically everything I
enjoyed, and usually for no other reason but to get under my skin.  You would
have thought it was his extracurricular to poke fun at me; to make me feel
terrible about myself.
     
     
    “Hey you got a lot of zits you know
that?” he’d tease.  His jabs were never original, and he often repeated the
same lines in rotation throughout the week.  It almost got to where I could
predict which one was coming.
     
     
    Brandon had perfect skin that infuriated
kids like me, especially when he’d comment on my zits.  Nothing seemed to ever
irritate him , but he made it his sole purpose to bother me.
     
     
               I
was absolutely dreading the upcoming freshman year of high school.  I had
already been nervous but now with a senior step brother who hated my guts I was
sure it’d be the worst start to high school I could ask for. 
     
              
               Brandon
came from a totally different world, though and I knew he wasn’t happy to
suddenly be thrust into mine.  Not that I let this excuse his behavior for a
minute, but I guess I could empathize with his frustration.  After all, I
wasn’t happy he was here either, but at least I didn’t have to move and
completely change lives senior year.
     
     
               However,
he was an athletic jock with football being his only concern, so he made
friends pretty easily at his new school.  In fact, he collected friends faster
than I could even get a word out to someone new.  I envied his sudden
popularity and wondered how so many people could love a total jerk.
     
     
               Even
Dad seemed to be giving him preferential treatment.  When Brandon showed up, I
was no longer dad’s sole priority.  I felt more isolated than ever.
     
     
               For
instance, when Dad drove me to school, he had always played my favorite music
in the car. But when Brandon showed up and joined our carpool, he acted as if
it was torture to listen to my favorite songs.  He’d plug his ears and complain
a lot, making Dad and I feel uncomfortable.  Dad shot me a look of apology
before taking Brandon’s side for the millionth