My Hockey Bully Stepbrother

er's

es like an e

n my throat, heard his voice promising to make me wish I was dead. By the time my alarm goes of

ve been studying for all week. The one

y Crew Ashford is g

e. Ruby's in the passenger seat, and she twist

someone who was sobbing over a breakup less than t

ng my backpack onto

or. He knows something's wrong-he alwa

efinitely not responding even though she totally wants to. I make appropriate noises at the rig

mmediately. Don't make eye contact with an

mp

o the parking lot. "You're literally the sm

was the thing I w

ce, Ruby and Ty have calculus

ass from Cre

nd keep my head down. The test is already on my desk, face-do

al. I've studied it until the formulas are burned into my brain. My pencil moves across

h, I'm the f

here. I need to get out of thi

d practically throw m

inters?" Mr. Patterson

r. I'm f

the door before he

head down, backpack clutched to my chest. If I can just make it to the p

r! Wai

llway. I turn to see her joggin

rinning. "I knew you'd finis

again, pulling them with me towa

s. "Now? It's on

I need to

ds on my shoulder, gentle an

ine. I just rea

take me home now, I just said g

e linoleum floor. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs. Pain explodes in my palms where I tr

o

o no

ice says above me. "Tha

nd see Crew standing over me. His two friends flank him like guard dogs.

s sm

oncern. "You know what, Summer? I'm a go

ends h

uch him, not to give him anything he can use against me. I push m

s. Where

attered. Those were new. I saved for two months to buy them because my mo

onths

foot comes down on the broken frame, gr

," he

me. "Please," I whispe

studying me like I'm an interesting in

ckpack before

know. Maybe he carries it. Maybe one of his

h the fabric in

but he holds it above

the screen shatters with a sound that makes my stomach drop. The Tupperware container with the sandwich I packe

b the backpack, jumping for it like so

sound that doesn't match the cruelty i

I think their names are-join in, t

it. Tears blur what little vision I h

me. It hits my chest and falls to

attered papers. The sandwich I can't eat now because it touched the dirty floor and that was

rianna's shoulders, his friends trailing behind, all of the

backpack, it won't zip anymore, t

the street, where I flag do

?" the dr

tears, and he mercifully doesn

destroy my things. He destroyed them in front of everyone. By tomorrow

ho thought she could c

t happen

face quickly. I scrub at my cheeks, trying to lo

ment ligh

le shifts on Mondays, morning at the hospital

diately. Something cooking. Something expensive

om

, too bright, too happy. "You're back from sc

. I can't d

r smile falters when she sees my f

eyes again. "I'm fi

up, in the nice blouse she saves for special occasions. "I need to introduce

drops. "W

etting m

orld

ut strangled. "Mom, you

now your father, no one will ever replace him. But sweetie, we need this. And

way from her. "I don't want s

s up, that mom-tone that means the discus

ill wiping my face, still trying to process what she just s

s sitting at our ti

rd As

's f

orts magazines in the country. Former NHL le

fe is sitting in my kitchen, smiling a

nd happiness that makes me want to scream. "T

is height from somewhere, and handsome in that disti

d think about his son'

you," Richard says. "Your mother

't br

't do

about to becom