Page 18 of For the Fans

While I’ve been passing up advances from other girls this whole time—from some of her best friends even—she’s just out here… kissing Brandon Bruce fucking Lee.

Bullshit.

Pulling into our driveway, I slam on the brakes and growl out loud. There’s a Jeep in my spot.Motherfucking stoner fuckhead…

I dive out of the car and storm into the house, fuming. The moment I’m through the door, I’m shouting, “Avi! You’re in my fucking spot again!”

I don’t see anyone, but I hear laughter coming from the back deck. So that’s the direction I’m stomping next while my frustrations bubble over. At the sliding door, I pay no attention to what’s happening out there. I just bark, “Avi. My fuckingspot, you assface! You parked in it again. I thought I told you—”

“Ky.” My dad cuts off my tirade with a scolding tone. “Watch your mouth. And stop yelling at your brother. It’s his birthday.”

My teeth crumble to bits as I mumble, “He’snotmy brother…”

Avi grins at me from where they’re all sitting around the outside table. “Thanks for the birthday wishes, bro. You’re the best.”

Looking around, I take in the decorations, smell the food grilling… The giant birthday cake on the marble island in the kitchen.

Naturally, I forgot that today is my stepbrother’s eighteenth birthday. Because I don’t fucking care. But now that I’m being presented with the information again, I slightly recall my father telling me we were having afamily barbecueto celebrate.

Awesome. Could this day get any worse??

“Kyran, come sit.” Hannah pats the seat next to her. “There’s salad and some snacks. The rest of the food will be ready soon.”

She smiles kindly at me, and I exhale, allowing myself to relax just a tad. My stepmother is actually really nice, which makes holding on to all this hostility toward the newfamily dynamicjust the tiniest bit difficult. I know it would make things easier if I just got over it and tried making a little more effort to get along with them… After all, it’s been a while.

My dad married Hannah last September. It was a small ceremony in Narraganset. No church—duh. Just us and a couple of my father’s friends. I guess the few members of the Vega family that Hannah and Avi still communicate with couldn’t make it. But then again, my sister didn’t show up either.

I’m glad it was small and casual. I really didn’t have it in me to do the wholeweddingthing. It was bad enough standing up there with Avi… Him next to his mom, and me next to my dad. He would wink at me, and I would scowl in return. It’s been like this since they moved in, and the wedding changed nothing.

Avi and I don’t get along. We’re too different, and he annoys the ever-loving shit out of me. All he does is smoke weed and draw crazy pictures. He eats everything in the house, parks in my spot, and when he isn’t popping off sarcastic comments my way, he’s rambling about all of these half-cocked conspiracy theories he apparently believes to be fact.

The dude is weird as fuck, but more than all of that, just looking at his stupid face reminds me of how much more pleasant my father is when he and his mother are around. The amount of furious resentment I harbor feels unhealthy, but I can’t help it. My dad hasn’t laughed or joked with me since I was ten years old. He only speaks to me about superficial shit; football, school, and the bare necessities of a strictly business father-son relationship.

It’s been this way ever since… since thelasttime I tried to talk to him about something, and it tore our entire family apart. And I know he blames me for all of it. SoInever get the Thomas Harbor that Hannah and Avi get.

He jokes around with Avi, gives him advice, offers to help him with things. All stuff he would never even consider doing for me, and for that reason more than all the other bullshit, I fuckinghateAvi Vega.

Mystepbrother…God, it still pisses me off, even eight months later.

I can’t wait to leave. I’m chomping at the bit to get out of this house and go live on the BC campus. It’s my escape from this fake family, and most importantly, from Avi and his knowing smiles. Something about him flashing those little grins all the time just makes me feel murderous. Another reason why it’s a good thing I’m moving out soon.

I don’t think I could make it to Christmas without smothering him to death.

Reluctantly, and not hiding it, I take a seat next to Hannah at the table while she fixes me a plate of salad. My dad smiles, but of course not at me. At hiswife.

He lifts a bottle of beer to his lips and takes a sip.

Avi nudges his arm. “You think I could get one of those?” He aims a pleading smirk at my father. “You know… since I’m an adult now and everything.”

“Avi.” Hannah rolls her eyes, grinning.

My dad squints at Avi, but then he sighs and shrugs. “Sure, why not. Just one.”

“Thanks, Tom.” Avi scoots out his chair, winking at me.

Why the fuck he always does that is beyond me, but it’s enraging.That’s probably why does it.

Avi goes over to the mini fridge, pulling out a bottle.