My New Stepbrother

om where I'd touched his forehead at the game. Mom and Richard were talking to doctors somewhere down the hall. Sophia had arrived twenty minutes ago in a whirlwind of tears and designer pe

he fits into his world perfectly, but because she makes him happy. Happier than I've ever seen him." "Adrian..." "I'm not asking you to figure it all out right now. I'm just asking you to stop running away from me. To stop pretending you don't feel this too." The door burst open before I could respond. "Finally!" Sophia swept into the room like an avenging angel in designer jeans. "They wouldn't let me see you because of some ridiculous family-only rule." She shot me a venomous look. "Thanks for keeping my seat warm, Maya, but I can take it from here." I started to stand, but Adrian's grip on my hand tightened. "Actually, Sophia, Maya and I were in the middle of something important." Sophia's perfectly glossed mouth fell open. "More important than your girlfriend making sure you're okay after a serious injury?" "It's a mild concussion, not brain surgery. And yes." The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees. Sophia's eyes narrowed, flicking between our joined hands and Adrian's defiant expression. "I see." Her voice was ice-cold. "How long has this been going on?" "Nothing's going on," I said quickly. "Adrian hit his head-" "How long, Maya?" Sophia stepped closer, and I could smell her expensive perfume mixed with something sharper-anger, maybe, or desperation. "How long have you been trying to steal my boyfriend?" "She's not stealing anything," Adrian said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Because there's nothing to steal." "What's that supposed to mean?" Adrian looked directly at Sophia, and I saw something shift in his expression-a decision being made in real time. "It means we're done, Sophia. We've been done for a while, we just never admitted it." The silence that followed was deafening. Sophia stared at Adrian like he'd grown a second head, then turned that furious gaze on me. "This is your fault," she hissed. "You manipulative little-" "That's enough." Adrian's voice cut across hers like a blade. "Don't blame Maya for something that was inevitable. You and I both know we've been going through the motions for months." "Going through the motions?" Sophia's voice cracked. "I love you!" "No, you don't. You love the idea of me. You love what dating me does for your social status, how we look together in photos, the way everyone expects us to be together. But you don't love me." "And she does?" Sophia's laugh was bitter. "Your little charity case stepsister? She's been here five minutes, Adrian. I've been in your life for two years." "Length of time doesn't equal depth of feeling." "Oh, please. You think this is love? This is rebellion, Adrian. You're acting out because Daddy got remarried and you feel displaced. Don't confuse a psychological reaction with romance." For a moment, doubt flickered across Adrian's face, and my heart sank. Maybe Sophia was right. Maybe this was all just some twisted family drama playing out in the worst possible way. Then Adrian looked at me-really looked at m