Chapter 9 : The Come back
HAYDEN’S POV
I regretted coming back the second I opened the door.
Stephen was in the living room, kissing some guy like he owned the place. Hands on his waist, his lips curved into a smile like nothing in the world had ever touched him wrong.
I felt my stomach twist.
I turned away immediately. “Fuck.”
Stephen laughed into the kiss before pulling back. “Well. Look who finally came home.”
I didn’t look at him. “I don’t want to see this.”
“Too bad,” he said. “It’s my place too.”
The guy glanced between us, uncomfortable. “I should go.”
“Yeah,” Stephen said without taking his eyes off me. “You should.”
He stood up and the door shut and silence slammed down hard.
I dropped my bag close to my room, hands shaking. “You didn’t have to do that in front of me.”
Stephen scoffed. “Oh, please. Don’t pretend you suddenly care about boundaries.”
I froze.
He leaned against the couch, arms crossed, eyes sharp. “What? Hit too close?”
I turned to face him. “What is your problem?”
He laughed again, bitter this time. “You really don’t know?”
I clenched my jaw. “Say it.”
“You slept with my Ella and told thewhole fucking school that I was gay without my consent” he said flatly. “And now two girls are fighting in public over you like you’re some kind of prize. And I’m supposed to what…..be polite?”
“I didn’t want any of this.”
“That’s your favorite line,” he snapped. “You never want anything, Hayden. You just step into shit and let other people deal with the consequences.”
I felt sick. “Ella and I…..”
“Don’t say her name like that,” he cut in. “You don’t get to sound like you care about her.”
I swallowed hard. “You broke up with her.”
“And you waited what?” he shot back. “Five minutes?”
“That’s not fair.”
Stephen stepped closer. “Neither was watching my Ella spiral because of you or was hearing people say she lost it because of you.”
“I didn’t ask her to fight with Lilian.”
“No,” he said coldly. “You just stood there and let them tear each other apart.”
My chest tightened. “You think I wanted this? I wasn't even on the fucking field”
“I think you loved it,” he said. “Being wanted, being the chosen one and being the reason why two of the hottest girls are fighting over you.”
I sighed. I was so over this “That’s not true.”
He smiled, sharp and mean. “Then why didn’t you shut it down?”
I didn’t answer.
Stephen shook his head. “You don’t deserve two beautiful girls fighting over you.”
The words landed heavy. “Don’t,” I warned.
“No,” he said. “You don’t get to play victim here. Ella was mine before she was yours and you still went there.”
“I didn’t steal her from you.”
He laughed. “You didn’t have to. She was already broken.”
That did it.
“Fuck you,” I said.
“There it is,” he replied calmly. “Finally growing a spine.”
I turned toward my room. “I’m done talking.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m done pretending I don’t hate you.”
I stopped with my hand on the door.
“You know what I heard?” Stephen continued. “Ella might get suspended. Lilian got dragged off the field and people recorded and laughed. And you?”
I didn’t turn around.
“You walked away, again.”
I shut the door hard and leaned against it, breathing like I’d just run miles. My phone buzzed immediately with lots of messages and missed calls.
I slid down to the floor, head in my hands.
Stephen’s voice carried faintly through the wall. “You ruin everything you touch.”
I closed my eyes but maybe he was right.
For the first time, I didn’t feel like the guy everyone was fighting over.
I felt like the reason everything had fallen apart.
I stayed there on the floor longer than I should have, the words echoing like a bruise you keep pressing just to see how bad it hurts.
My phone buzzed again.
Ella: please talk to me
Lilian: Don’t ignore me. Your girlfriend is fucking crazy.
Unknown: Dude your brother is an asshole.
I let the screen go dark.
A sharp knock rattled my door, well it was not a knock but Stephen’s fist pounding on my door.
“You gonna hide in there all night?” he called. “Or do you want to finish this like an adult?”
I laughed, short and ugly. “You already finished it. Didn’t you get your lines in?”
The door creaked open before I could stop him.
He leaned against the frame, eyes burning, mouth set in that cruel smirked he used when he wanted blood.
“Look at you,” he said. “Curled up like an injured dog. Is this the part where I’m supposed to feel bad?”
I pushed myself up. “Get out.”
“Make me.”
I stood, my chest tight. “You don’t get to make me a villain in school and then stand there acting righteous.”
Stephen snorted. “Righteous? No. Honest? Yeah. You’re a fucking wrecking ball, Hayden. You don’t mean to hurt people, but you do. Every. Single. Time.”
I stepped closer. “You outed yourself to punish me. You ever think about that?”
His smile twitched. “You think I didn’t know what I was doing?”
“My life shouldn't be a football you play with, dimwit!”
“And Ella was?” he shot back. “Because you sure treated her like something disposable.”
My hands shook but I stood my ground. “I don't care about that bitch.”
“You cared about how she made you feel,” he snapped. “Big difference.”
Silence stretched, thick and sharp.
“You hate me,” I said quietly.
Stephen’s eyes went cold. “Yes, I do.”
I flinched. “You think you’re so clean in all this? You broke her down for months. You made her feel small. And then when she finally crawled out, you act shocked she reached for the first person who didn’t look at her like she was replaceable.”
His jaw clenched. “You don’t get to psychoanalyze my relationship.”
“Then don’t pretend this is about morality,” I fired back. “You’re pissed because she chose me.”
“She didn’t choose you,” he said viciously. “You fucking seduced her, like everyone else. And when she fell for you, you let her.”
I laughed, bitter. “So what? I should’ve shoved her away because she used to be yours?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Because I’m your brother.”
“That’s rich,” I said. “Coming from the guy who fucked half the city to figure himself out.”
His hand slammed into the wall. “Don’t.”
“You think I don’t see it?” I pressed. “You hate me because people want me without me trying. You had to claw for every scrap of affection.”
Stephen stared at me, breathing hard. “At least I don’t pretend I’m innocent.”
“I never said I was.”
“No,” he sneered. “You just let everyone else say it for you.”
Another buzz. I ignored it.
Stephen straightened. “You want to know the worst part?”
I met his gaze.
“I still have to live with you,” he said. “Knowing you touched the one thing I loved and walked away like it was nothing.”
“I didn’t walk away,” I said hoarsely.
“You always do.”
He turned and left, the door slamming behind him. I stood there shaking, his words carved deep.
Maybe he was wrong about a lot of things.
But not about that.