Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 84 (Thomas's POV) The common room was quieter than usual that afternoon; the low hum of conversations and occasional laughter from a distant corner did well to distractto a certain degree. Angel sat besideon the couch. Her legs were tucked beneath her, and her head rested lightly on my shoulder. I ran my fingers through her hair absentmindedly as my thoughts ran on.

"I feel like he hates me," I muttered, breaking the silence.

Angel looked up. Her eyes were soft but questioning. "Who? Hendrix?" I nodded and sighed. "He doesn't even try to hide it anymore. The way he looks at us... it's like he wants to tearapart." She sat up slightly and placed a hand on my chest. "He's... he's just going through a lot right now. It's not about you." I scoffed and shook my head. "Angel, con. We both know it is. I mean, you two were so close, and now "And now what?" she interrupted firmly. "We're not together, Thomas. We were never-" "You were something," I said softly, cutting her off. "You can't tellhe didn't feel something for you. And honestly, I don't know how much longer I can handle this... this tension." || She looked away, and her hand dropped to her lap. "I didn't ask for any of this, Thomas. I didn't ask for you to feel like this or for him to act this way. I just... I just want things to be okay." I reached out and tilted her chin back toward me. "I'm not blaming you, Angel. I just... I don't want to lose you. That's all." Her lips curved into a faint smile, and she leaned in to press a soft kiss to my cheek. "You won't. I promise." Later that night, back in the dorm, the atmosphere was anything but comforting. Eddie and Bundah were lying on the floor, a chessboard between them. Eddie was losing spectacularly. His frustration was clear in the way he groaned and slapped his forehead every tBundah made a move.

"Why do I even play this stupid game?" Eddie grumbled as he pushed a pawn aimlessly across the board. "Because you're a glutton for punishment," Bundah replied with a smirk, moving his queen into position. "Checkmate." Eddie groaned again and flopped onto his back. "I hate you." I sat on my bed, half-listening. My mind was elsewhere. Hendrix had been coming and going all evening. He seemed to have been very busy and focused on something, though none of us dared to ask him what. He barely looked at any of us; his jaw was set and his expression was unreadable.

"Dude," Bundah said suddenly, turning his attention to me. "You ever think about, I don't know, sorting things out with Hendrix? You two used to be tight." "Correction...We were never tight," I shrugged, not looking up. "Plus, it's not my fault he's choosing to be distant and bitter." Bundah raised an eyebrow. "Bitter about what, though?" I hesitated and glanced at Eddie, who was now sitting up and watching us curiously. "I think we all know what," I muttered.

Eddie snorted. "You mean the whole stepsiblings-in-love thing and you coming into the picture to steal her from him? Yeah, that was veeery weird." My head snapped up, and I glared at him. "Watch it." Eddie held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying. If you really wanted Angel to be happy, maybe you shouldn't have charmed her away from Hendrix." My fists clenched, but before I could say anything, Bundah cut in. "Eddie, shut up." Eddie blinked, looking between us. "What? Did I say something wrong?" "Yes," Bundah said firmly. "A lot of somethings." Eddie muttered a quick apology, and the tension in the room eased slightly. Bundah turned back to me, looking thoughtful. "Look, I get it. You're with Angel now, and you care about her. But maybe you're not seeing things from Hendrix's perspective." "What perspective?" I snapped. "He had no right to feel that way about her in the first place. It's " "Weird," Bundah finished for me. "Yeah, I get that. But... if two people care about each other, does it really matter? I mean, love's complicated, right?" I stared at him, my jaw tightening. "It matters when it hurts other people." Bundah didn't argue, but the look on his face toldhe wasn't convinced. I turned away. My mind was racing. Maybe he was right. Maybe love was complicated. But that didn't mean it didn't cwith consequences.

(Hendrix's POV) The walls felt like they were closing in on me. Everywhere I turned, I saw them-Angel and Thomas. Laughing, talking, touching. It was like the universe was mocking me, shoving their happiness in my face at every opportunity.

I avoided the group as much as I could. Meals, common room hangouts, even the occasional late-night walks to clear my head I skipped them all. It was easier that way. Easier to pretend like I didn't care, like it didn't bother me. But it did. It botheredmore than I wanted to admit.

Dr. Joe's treatments weren't helping, either. If anything, they were making things worse. The man seemed to take a sick pleasure in watchingsquirm, in pushingto my limits just to see how far I'd go.

"You're looking pale, Hendrix," he said during my last session with those cold and weird blue eyes of his. "Are you sure you're following the regimen?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The truth was, I'd been skipping doses. Not that it mattered. I knew the treatments were fake, just another way for him to keepunder his thumb. But I couldn't let him know that. Dr. Joe smiled faintly as he stared intently at me. "Good. We wouldn't want anything... unfortunate to happen, would we?" I left the session feeling like I was suffocating. My chest was tight and my mind was spinning. He was toying with me, I knew it. And for what? What did he want from me? I walked aimlessly through the halls with my fists clenched at my sides. I couldn't tell Angel. Not now. Not when she was so wrapped up in Thomas. She wouldn't understand. She wouldn't care.

The old Angel might have. The one who used to look atlike I was the only person who mattered. But that Angel was gone. Replaced by someone who couldn't seem to get enough of Thomas. The thought made my stomach turn.

I stopped in front of the common room, my hand hovering over the door handle. I could hear their voices inside, laughing and light. I didn't want to go in. I didn't want to see them. But I needed something from the shelf by the window, so I prepared myself and pushed the door open.

The laughter stopped the moment I stepped inside. Angel and Thomas were sitting on the couch, her head herhead resting on his shoulder and his arm draped around her. Just like yesterday. They looked at me, and the room felt like it was holding its breath. I walked to the shelf, grabbed the magazine I needed, and turned to leave without a word.

"Hendrix," Angel said softly, hesitantly.

I paused, my back to her. "What?" "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

I clenched my jaw and tightened my grip on the magazine. "I'm fine." And then I walked out, leaving the tension behind me. But it followed me, wrapping around my chest like a vice. I couldn't escape it. I couldn't escape them.

And I wasn't sure if I ever would.