Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Feb 24, 2019 15:33:04 GMT -6
(Part 16)
As a scowling Ryan sat on the couch, arms folded and staring at nothing, Bella tentatively walked over and sat on the opposite side. The simmering tension between the teenage half-Wiccan and the soon to be adult metalhead was palpable. She glanced over nervously at her seething stepbrother, the cogs in her mind turning and beginning to formulate a plan in order to shift the blame onto Ryan.
"Now I don’t know if I have both of you all wrong, but something has to change in this house." Anna sternly spoke, laying down the law. "I am tired of all the petty squabbles, the insults, the name-calling, and not being able to leave the pair of you on your own for a few hours or less."
"Mom, you don’t understand. Ryan’s been trying to hurt me all day long." Bella whined, trying to paint herself up as the victim as she pointed an accusing finger at Ryan.
"That’s a lie, you little...." Ryan snapped, turning to glare at her.
"Is this true?" Anna asked, unaware that her daughter was using her victim mentality to appeal to her good side and easily deceive her.
"It’s true, I swear! He turned on the cold tap when I was in the shower, dumped a bag of weeds over my head and threatened to punch me. I’m scared of what he’ll do next!" Bella spoke, turning on the imaginary waterworks.
Ryan just sat there, speechless and aghast. He tried to speak and defend himself, to reveal the bruising on his body that Bella had perpetrated on him with her telekinesis, but no words were coming out of his mouth.
"Anna, you’re not seriously going to believe her, are you? She’s lying through her teeth again!" Ryan protested, angrily gesticulating to the manipulative and naive goth.
"See, Mom? He’s a bully and hasn’t learned anything." Bella sniffed, her words seemingly guilt tripping her mother into accusing Ryan of breaking his one golden rule - never hitting a girl.
"You’ll learn to keep your lying mouth shut when I’m finished with you!" Ryan raged, hands clenching into fists as he prepared to lunge at his terrified stepsister.
"Enough! BOTH OF YOU!" Anna warned, finally putting her foot down and raising her voice.
The seething 17 year old slumped back into his side of the couch. His conscience screamed at him internally, asking him if he truly wanted to violate his moral code of never harming the opposite sex.
"This ends now. Ryan, until you can learn to control your temper and learn to be more tolerant and accepting of your stepsister, you leave me no choice. You’re grounded for a week." Anna shockingly revealed.
Ryan sat up, bearing an expression on his face like he had been punched in the gut. "What?!" He asked, reacting indignantly to this punishment.
"I am so serious this time." Anna declared, arms folded.
"You’ve got to be joking!" He declared, gesturing over to a smirking Bella, who was sticking her tongue out at her stepbrother victoriously.
"Not another word from you, Ryan. You should know better than to bully your stepsister. As the oldest of my children, it is your responsibility to learn how to be a better sibling. Starting from next week, you will come home from school at 3:30 every day. And I expect you to maintain this routine." Anna lectured.
Ryan said nothing, his piercing green gaze staring daggers at his stepmother in the shape of a scowl. "Is that it?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"And if you end up in detention again, you’ll be grounded for a further week. You will also fix the damage to the plaster wall. This is for your own well-being, whether you want it or not." Anna finished.
"This is the worst day of my life......" Ryan uttered, finally admitting defeat.
"This is the best day of my life." Bella chirped, finally having some shred of a small victory over her stepbrother. She continued to poke her tongue out and smirk at him, taking every opportunity to rub it in.
"Now, until you apologise to Bella, you can sit here all night." The hardworking single mother suggested.
Ryan turned to glare at his smirking goth stepsister. She batted her eyelids sweetly, using her trademark manipulativeness to force her stepbrother into saying sorry, relishing the use of her lies. He looked the other way, refusing to make eye contact.
"Well, Ryan?" Anna asked.
"I’m sorry." Ryan grudgingly grumbled.
"Oh, what was that? I couldn’t quite make that out, Ryan." Bella smirked, pretending to hear the apology and antagonise him some more.
"I’m sorry." Ryan growled, loud enough for Bella to here his apology, his temper in danger of bubbling over.
"You're starry? I don't get what you mean by that, Ryan." Bella taunted, revelling in her victory. "You're starry because....."
"I said I’m sorry, you lying little....." The enraged Englishman spat, turning to glare at Bella, but stopping himself from lunging at her again. To his stepsister, this was like a game of pulling the wings off a dead fly after having squashed it.
"Apology accepted clear as day. Now it’s time I was on my way ." Bella chirped, her blue eyes looking towards her mother. "Mom, can I go please?"
"Yes, Bella. You may leave." Anna allowed, accepting the apology.
Bella leapt up from the sofa, elated as she rushed over to hug her mother. This caused Ryan to look away in disgust, almost feeling sick to his stomach at being forced to apologise and feel like the problem child.
"No later than 5:00 tomorrow evening, sweetheart, remember?" Anna reminded her daughter.
"I promise." Bella giggled gleefully, glancing over at Ryan and sticking her tongue out at him again.
Unbeknownst to the young goth, her stepbrother saw the childish gesture of the corner of his eye, which only served to fuel his intense rage. Ryan wasn’t about to let her get away with murder. Not just yet.
"Please, no more antagonistic behaviour, Bella. Go and wait for Emily." Her mother encouraged.
Bella broke off the hug, skipping across the lounge. She couldn’t resist one final dig at her stepbrother. "I think it’s time that Ryan should learn, you play with fire and you’ll get burned." She tauntingly rhymed.
If looks could kill, Bella would be terminal. Ryan calmly rose to his feet, looking back at his stepmother. "Anna, I think you should call the police." He warned.
"Why?" Anna asked.
"Because you’re probably going to want me arrested." Ryan threatened, glaring back at Bella. Once she saw that look on his face, her cheery demeanour quickly vanished.
"Ryan, don’t you even think of...." Anna warned, suddenly cut off by her stepson.
"Do you know what I’m going to be arrested for?" Ryan coldly asked, turning back to stare daggers of hatred at his stepsister. "Animal cruelty."
Bella swallowed nervously.
"Because I’m about to beat you like a BITCH!" Ryan roared, stomping towards his cowering stepsister. All he could think about was one thing - getting his hands around Bella’s neck.
(End of Part 16)
As a scowling Ryan sat on the couch, arms folded and staring at nothing, Bella tentatively walked over and sat on the opposite side. The simmering tension between the teenage half-Wiccan and the soon to be adult metalhead was palpable. She glanced over nervously at her seething stepbrother, the cogs in her mind turning and beginning to formulate a plan in order to shift the blame onto Ryan.
"Now I don’t know if I have both of you all wrong, but something has to change in this house." Anna sternly spoke, laying down the law. "I am tired of all the petty squabbles, the insults, the name-calling, and not being able to leave the pair of you on your own for a few hours or less."
"Mom, you don’t understand. Ryan’s been trying to hurt me all day long." Bella whined, trying to paint herself up as the victim as she pointed an accusing finger at Ryan.
"That’s a lie, you little...." Ryan snapped, turning to glare at her.
"Is this true?" Anna asked, unaware that her daughter was using her victim mentality to appeal to her good side and easily deceive her.
"It’s true, I swear! He turned on the cold tap when I was in the shower, dumped a bag of weeds over my head and threatened to punch me. I’m scared of what he’ll do next!" Bella spoke, turning on the imaginary waterworks.
Ryan just sat there, speechless and aghast. He tried to speak and defend himself, to reveal the bruising on his body that Bella had perpetrated on him with her telekinesis, but no words were coming out of his mouth.
"Anna, you’re not seriously going to believe her, are you? She’s lying through her teeth again!" Ryan protested, angrily gesticulating to the manipulative and naive goth.
"See, Mom? He’s a bully and hasn’t learned anything." Bella sniffed, her words seemingly guilt tripping her mother into accusing Ryan of breaking his one golden rule - never hitting a girl.
"You’ll learn to keep your lying mouth shut when I’m finished with you!" Ryan raged, hands clenching into fists as he prepared to lunge at his terrified stepsister.
"Enough! BOTH OF YOU!" Anna warned, finally putting her foot down and raising her voice.
The seething 17 year old slumped back into his side of the couch. His conscience screamed at him internally, asking him if he truly wanted to violate his moral code of never harming the opposite sex.
"This ends now. Ryan, until you can learn to control your temper and learn to be more tolerant and accepting of your stepsister, you leave me no choice. You’re grounded for a week." Anna shockingly revealed.
Ryan sat up, bearing an expression on his face like he had been punched in the gut. "What?!" He asked, reacting indignantly to this punishment.
"I am so serious this time." Anna declared, arms folded.
"You’ve got to be joking!" He declared, gesturing over to a smirking Bella, who was sticking her tongue out at her stepbrother victoriously.
"Not another word from you, Ryan. You should know better than to bully your stepsister. As the oldest of my children, it is your responsibility to learn how to be a better sibling. Starting from next week, you will come home from school at 3:30 every day. And I expect you to maintain this routine." Anna lectured.
Ryan said nothing, his piercing green gaze staring daggers at his stepmother in the shape of a scowl. "Is that it?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"And if you end up in detention again, you’ll be grounded for a further week. You will also fix the damage to the plaster wall. This is for your own well-being, whether you want it or not." Anna finished.
"This is the worst day of my life......" Ryan uttered, finally admitting defeat.
"This is the best day of my life." Bella chirped, finally having some shred of a small victory over her stepbrother. She continued to poke her tongue out and smirk at him, taking every opportunity to rub it in.
"Now, until you apologise to Bella, you can sit here all night." The hardworking single mother suggested.
Ryan turned to glare at his smirking goth stepsister. She batted her eyelids sweetly, using her trademark manipulativeness to force her stepbrother into saying sorry, relishing the use of her lies. He looked the other way, refusing to make eye contact.
"Well, Ryan?" Anna asked.
"I’m sorry." Ryan grudgingly grumbled.
"Oh, what was that? I couldn’t quite make that out, Ryan." Bella smirked, pretending to hear the apology and antagonise him some more.
"I’m sorry." Ryan growled, loud enough for Bella to here his apology, his temper in danger of bubbling over.
"You're starry? I don't get what you mean by that, Ryan." Bella taunted, revelling in her victory. "You're starry because....."
"I said I’m sorry, you lying little....." The enraged Englishman spat, turning to glare at Bella, but stopping himself from lunging at her again. To his stepsister, this was like a game of pulling the wings off a dead fly after having squashed it.
"Apology accepted clear as day. Now it’s time I was on my way ." Bella chirped, her blue eyes looking towards her mother. "Mom, can I go please?"
"Yes, Bella. You may leave." Anna allowed, accepting the apology.
Bella leapt up from the sofa, elated as she rushed over to hug her mother. This caused Ryan to look away in disgust, almost feeling sick to his stomach at being forced to apologise and feel like the problem child.
"No later than 5:00 tomorrow evening, sweetheart, remember?" Anna reminded her daughter.
"I promise." Bella giggled gleefully, glancing over at Ryan and sticking her tongue out at him again.
Unbeknownst to the young goth, her stepbrother saw the childish gesture of the corner of his eye, which only served to fuel his intense rage. Ryan wasn’t about to let her get away with murder. Not just yet.
"Please, no more antagonistic behaviour, Bella. Go and wait for Emily." Her mother encouraged.
Bella broke off the hug, skipping across the lounge. She couldn’t resist one final dig at her stepbrother. "I think it’s time that Ryan should learn, you play with fire and you’ll get burned." She tauntingly rhymed.
If looks could kill, Bella would be terminal. Ryan calmly rose to his feet, looking back at his stepmother. "Anna, I think you should call the police." He warned.
"Why?" Anna asked.
"Because you’re probably going to want me arrested." Ryan threatened, glaring back at Bella. Once she saw that look on his face, her cheery demeanour quickly vanished.
"Ryan, don’t you even think of...." Anna warned, suddenly cut off by her stepson.
"Do you know what I’m going to be arrested for?" Ryan coldly asked, turning back to stare daggers of hatred at his stepsister. "Animal cruelty."
Bella swallowed nervously.
"Because I’m about to beat you like a BITCH!" Ryan roared, stomping towards his cowering stepsister. All he could think about was one thing - getting his hands around Bella’s neck.
(End of Part 16)