Free Score - A Stepbrother Romance by Caitlin Daire, Alyssa Alpha Page B

by the second. “That’s my stepsister you’re bullying.”
    There was a long moment of hesitation, followed by a shrill laugh.
    “Sorry, pumpkin,” Jessie purred, evidently changing her tune to appeal to Chase. Typical. “It was just a lame joke…your shoes are totally cute. You know I was kidding, right?”
    I could just imagine her mouth set in a thin line. She’d probably make my life even more hellish now, knowing that I had Chase on my side. I was just a girl, and she obviously saw herself as the queen of the college hallways. She’d never step down for someone like me, and she’d make sure I regretted Chase coming to my rescue.
    I couldn’t take it anymore. I burst out of the room, leaving all of them behind me. The ugly words, the mean girls, and the prick with a secret golden heart, whom I could never have. I just needed to get away.
    “Lina! Wait, Lina—please!”
    He caught up to me just before I reached the door, and for once, I was thankful for the loud music thumping through the house. It meant no one could hear my sobs.
    Chase’s fingers wrapped around my forearm, and he made me turn around, but I wasn’t having it. I wouldn’t let him feel sorry for me, because there was nothing wrong with me, nothing at all. Those girls were stupid for thinking I was worth less than anyone else, and it spoke volumes about them, not me.
    Even though I knew all that, it was still too hard to stop the tears. I needed to be alone for a while so I could try to calm down.
    “Just let me go!” I snarled at Chase.
    “Calm down! Jesus,” he said. “They’re just fucking bitches, Lina. Just mean, vapid girls. You know none of that is true!”
    “They seem to think it is,” I said. “And you probably agree. Everyone here probably thinks so too. I don’t belong. I don’t know why I thought I ever would.”
    Chase stared at me incredulously, ready to protest, but I gathered the last of my strength to rip my arm out of his grip. Then I ran outside, slamming the door behind me.
    My phone had died in my bag, so I couldn’t call a cab, and it was raining outside.
    Of course it was.
    I ran through the thick curtain of water falling on top of me, the drops heavy as they mixed with my salty tears. Soon, I couldn’t tell them apart, but it didn’t even matter. I just needed to find a way to get home, find a bus stop or something.
    I knew I was being a bitch to Chase. He didn’t deserve any of it; he was just trying to protect me. Maybe I was as bad as those mean girls, because I’d put them in the same box, labeled them with the same words. Rich, snarky, mean.
    Chase wasn’t like that, though.
    As I hiccupped and cried, I thought of how he’d come to my defense. He was so sweet…and also totally off-limits, as I was so often painfully reminded of.
    I made myself think about something else, even though he kept popping into my head, and I swallowed a sob, promising myself it would be the last one of the day.
    The bus stop was nowhere in sight. Instead, I found refuge in an alley; a dirty and stinky place just off the main road. At least it was empty, and I hovered under a rooftop, deciding to wait for the rain to stop.
    It was falling hard, noisy and aggressive, the thick drops hitting me like bullets. I could hear a strange sound as well…something other than rain hitting the pavement.
    My eyes widened, and I looked around. The last thing I needed was some frat boys assaulting me in an alley.
    But the sound was softer, sadder. It sounded like someone calling out for help.
    Despite knowing I’d probably get sick, I stepped out into the rain again, trying to follow the noise. It was coming from a trashcan, louder and louder as I neared it. Maybe someone had dropped a cellphone in there? If that was the case, I was stupid for following the sound.
    As I neared the cans, I heard footsteps echoing behind me, and a voice cut through my thoughts only seconds later.
    “Lina, for fuck’s sake! You’ll get sick out