The confrontation
RYAN
“Ugh!!” I groaned as I landed another punch on the bag. Each punch I threw at the bag was an attempt to rid myself of the image of Violet with that Luke.
It wasn’t just anger fueling me; it was something deeper, something more unsettling. She didn’t even hesitate when she hugged her, rather leaned on him like he was the..
"Come on, man, It's enough" Jack groaned, leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring. His face was flushed, and a thin line of blood trailed from the corner of his lip where I’d landed a particularly hard punch.
I barely acknowledged him, throwing another powerful jab at the punching bag instead. My knuckles were sore, the skin starting to split, but it wasn’t enough to numb the frustration that kept gnawing at me.
"Ryan, you’ve been going at it for an hour straight. What’s going on?" Jack asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he caught his breath. “I'm sure it's not just the video anymore”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t even know how to put it into words. How do you explain feeling like you’ve lost control of something that shouldn’t have mattered in the first place? Violet shouldn’t get to me like this. She’s my stepsister, for fuck’s sake.
And yet…
I landed one final punch against the bag, sending it swinging wildly.
Jack sighed. "Let me guess. This have something to do with Violet?"
I glared at him, my chest still heaving with effort. Of course it did. She was the reason for this fire in my veins.
"She’s messing with your head, man" Jack continued, as if he knew what was going through my mind. "You’re driving yourself crazy over her.”
No response. I clenched my fists, taking one final, hard swing at the bag,
“Let me take a quick guess. Are there any chances you like her?”
“Do I like her?” I scoffed, letting out a humorless laugh. “You really think I’d fall for that? She’s just… she’s Violet.” My voice was sharper than I intended, and I could feel the anger bubbling up.
Jack raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk on his face. “Right. Just Violet. That’s why you’re in here throwing punches like a madman because of ‘just Violet.’”
“Shut up, Jack,” I snapped, glaring at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He folded his arms, leaning back against the ropes, giving me that infuriatingly calm, knowing look.
“Sure, man, whatever you say. But all this punching and denying doesn’t change what’s staring you in the face. Maybe if you stopped pretending you didn’t care, it’d be easier.”
I felt the tension coil tighter in my chest, like a spring about to snap. He wasn’t going to let this go, and the more he poked at it, the more I felt my control slipping. “You don’t get it. She’s… complicated, okay? We’re supposed to be family now, and that’s it.”
Jack shook his head, sighing. “Fine. If that’s what you want to believe. Just don’t let whatever this is mess you up.”
Without another word, I ripped off my gloves and tossed them to the floor, the frustration and heat simmering under my skin. I pushed past Jack, ignoring the look on his face as I stormed out of the gym.
Once outside, the cool air hit me, but it did little to clear my head. I took a few breaths, trying to shake the thoughts racing through my mind. This was ridiculous. She was–
My phone buzzed with a text interrupting my train of thought. It was from Violet.
“ Don't wait for me; I'll go home myself.”
I stared at the words, jaw clenching tighter.
Without another thought, I tossed my bag into the back seat of the car and started the engine. I reversed out of the gym’s parking lot with only one thought in mind. Home.
Ten minutes later, I was home, sitting on the couch, waiting for her. The gnawing thought persisted… Was I really worried about the video, or was it something else? Why did I get so riled up after seeing her with Luke? Either way, I wasn’t ready to delve into the answers; ignorance was bliss.
The faint creak of the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up just in time to see Violet slip inside, her face pale, eyes downcast.
“Violet,” I called, straightening up from the couch.
She didn’t look at me, just kept walking toward the stairs like I wasn’t even there. Without thinking, I reached out, grabbing her wrist, pulling her to a halt.
"Are you okay?" I asked, searching her face.
“I’m fine, Ryan,” she murmured, her tone lacking conviction as she attempted to pull her wrist free, but I didn’t let go.
Bullshit
“Violet, don’t do that. Talk to me” My voice came out softer that I doubt it was from me.
She hesitated, her jaw tightening, as if trying to contain a storm of emotions. “I said I’m fine,” she repeated, her voice colder this time,
I pressed on, not willing to let her retreat this time. “You are not okay. I'm sorry…”
She cut me off before I could finish “Why do you care so much? Just because you feel guilty?”
“What?” I said, taken aback.
Her eyes flared with indignation, and she yanked her wrist from my grasp, finally turning to face me. “What do you want me to say, Ryan? That I’m upset because of the whole school thinking I’m desperate? That I’m trying too hard to be okay with all of this?”
My chest tightened as I saw the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, her breath hitching as she struggled to hold them back, and for a brief moment, all I could think about was how much it hurted her– how much I hurted her
“Violet…” I started, but the words stuck in my throat.
She took a step back “Well, maybe I’m tired of being the punchline in your jokes. Maybe I don’t want to be the butt of everyone’s ridicule just because of you.”
Her words struck me hard,she was making reference to the time the news about us being stepsiblings spread out.
"I'm sorry." The words fell from my lips.
Violet’s eyes softened for just a moment before hardening again, the flicker of vulnerability quickly extinguished. “Sorry doesn’t fix this, Ryan,” she whispered, her voice cracking
Without another word, she turned and walked out, leaving me standing
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