The Jerk I Blocked Is My Stepbrother
Barely a minute passed before my bedroom door was pounded on.
Asher Reed, my stepbrotherthe guy who usually acted like I was part of the furniture, or worse, a stainstood in the doorway, his face dark with a furious anxiety Id never seen.
His voice was raw, a desperate mess.
Tell me how to apologize to a girl.
My girlfriend wont answer my calls.
I blinked, taking a small step back.
I glanced down at my phone on the bed. Wait a minute.
Wasnt that my online burner account?
My brain flatlined.
The clingy, whiny, controlling guy who called me baby and sent me giftsthe one Id just deleted in a fit of ragewas Asher?
The ceiling was coming down.
1
The online lunatic Id personally blocked a minute ago was standing right in front of me, radiating pure, murderous tension.
Talk, Asher snapped, his tone laced with impatience. Are you mute?
I swallowed hard.
Is this your girlfriend?
Asher impatiently ran a hand through his perfectly styled dark hair.
Just started dating. I asked her who she was playing games with, and she blocked me. Just like that. He glared at me. Youre a girl. What does she want? What is that supposed to mean?
I edged back, trying to put more space between us.
Maybe she felt like you were being too much of a psycho? I offered gently.
Too much?
Asher let out a cold, humorless laugh. That face, the one that made every girl in our high school swoon, was twisted into a dark, menacing sneer.
Im her boyfriend. Im not allowed to ask a single question?
Are all girls this high-maintenance now?
My mouth twitched.
Who was it that sent dozens of texts morning, noon, and night?
Who was it that frantically audio-called if I didn't reply in five minutes?
Who was it that had a meltdown because I had a male teammate in one of my casual mobile games?
I didnt dare say any of that.
I had to play the idiot.
Bro, are you really into her?
Asher paused.
A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face. Even his ears turned a suspicious, faint pink.
But he quickly hardened his expression, glaring at me with malice.
None of your damn business.
Sloan, dont think that just because Im asking for your help, you suddenly get to act like my sister. He jabbed a finger in the air between us. In this house, youre still just an outsider.
Everyone knew Asher hated me.
The day my mother and I moved in, hed kicked my suitcase down the stairs.
Hed pointed a finger right at my nose and yelled, Take your trash and get out.
I have one mother, and shes dead.
You and your gold-digger mom dont deserve to set foot in a Reed house.
In the years since, hed stopped the physical assaults, but the cold war never ended.
And yet, here he was.
Begging me for help with an online girl.
Then dont ask me, I took a deep breath, reaching for the door. Im an outsider. I have no right to manage your affairs.
A hand slammed flat against the door frame, stopping me.
The veins on Ashers hand stood out, blue and bulging.
He stared at me, his teeth gritted.
Sloan, dont push your luck.
Ive asked everyone I know. Nobody understands how to handle a girl whos got a temper, a wild streak, and blocks you without a word He trailed off, searching for the right words.
I almost laughed out loud.
That was my burnout account, the one I used to vent and be as toxic as possible!
And he actually liked that version of me?
I dont know either.
I shoved the door again. Go ask someone else.
Asher didnt move.
Suddenly, he pulled a credit card from his jeans pocket.
Theres five thousand on this.
Asher looked down at me, the arrogance returning to his eyes. Get her to unblock me. The moneys yours.
I know you need cash. Didnt your pathetic biological father just track you down looking for support payments?
I snapped my head up.
He investigated me? He knew about my gambling-addict dad hitting me up for money?
Take the cash, do the job.
Asher turned to leave, tossing one last icy sentence over his shoulder.
I want her to add me back tonight. If you fail, you can pack your bags and get out of this house.
2
Five thousand dollars was a massive amount of money to me, but all I felt was a knot of sickness in my stomach.
Asher was always like this. He liked to use money to humiliate people. He loved to control everything from his high perch.
Just like he did online.
Baby, I bought you this new skin.
Baby, sending you two hundred. Go get something good to eat.
Baby, you cant talk to anyone else. It makes me jealous.
It wasnt love. It was just his unchecked control finding a safe, digital outlet.
I went back to my room and locked the door.
I pulled out my burner phone, logging into the account named WildRose.
In the block list, there was Ashers main account.
The profile picture was jet black, the username a single, cold A.
Simple. Aloof. Trying too hard.
Who would ever guess that behind that account was a frantic mess who hammered on my door because of a block?
I opened his profile.
The personal motto: Only Rose.
My hand shook, and the phone almost slipped.
When did he change that?
The disparity was sickening.
I pulled his contact out of the block list.
Almost instantly.
The message bombardment began.
Baby!
You finally answered me!
Im sorry, I was wrong.
I shouldnt have asked who you were playing with, I shouldnt have snapped at you.
Dont leave me.
Youre all I have.
Could these pathetic pleas really have been typed by Asher Reed?
I took a deep breath, typing my reply:
We arent a good fit.
Youre too extreme. I cant handle it.
Silence for a few seconds.
Then, A is typing
He typed for a long time.
Finally, one message came through:
Ill change.
Anything. Just dont break up with me. Ill change anything.
Please.
In my entire memory, Asher had never begged anyone for anything. Even when his father cut off his credit cards, forcing him to grovel to his stepmother, hed simply stiffened his neck and starved for three days without a word.
Now, he was pleading for an online stranger?
Footsteps suddenly approached the door.
Then, Ashers voice, cold and hard as iron, cut through the wood.
Sloan. Dinner. Dont keep Mom and Dad waiting.
I jumped, quickly shoving the burner phone deep into my pocket.
I opened the door.
Asher had changed clothes.
A crisp white button-down, black slacks, his hair perfectly combed. The aloof prince, untouchable.
He didn't even glance at me, turning and heading downstairs.
In the dining room, Mr. Reed and my mother were already seated. The atmosphere was tight.
Asher pulled out his chair and sat down with practiced elegance.
I silently sat across from him, head down, pushing rice around my plate.
Asher, hows the preparation for the regional physics competition going? Mr. Reed asked, breaking the silence.
Its fine.
Asher was curt.
Good. You have to win the gold medal this time. Dont embarrass your mother.
Ashers hand, holding his chopsticks, froze.
Got it.
His voice instantly chilled by several degrees.
My mom quickly tried to smooth things over. Asher is always excellent, Im sure hell do fine. Its Sloan, on the other hand
She glanced at me, hesitating.
Asher suddenly scoffed.
A girl who scores thirty percent on a physics exam? Whats there to even say?
Mush for brains, probably.
I clenched my chopsticks, my knuckles white.
Asher! Mr. Reed snapped. Watch your language.
Just stating a fact.
Asher nonchalantly picked up a piece of pork chop. Some people are just born failures.
No matter how hard they try, theyre just wasting resources.
My face felt hot. This was my weak point. The easy weapon he always used to humiliate me.
Just then, the burner phone in my pocket vibrated.
Asher picked up his own phone and began typing furiously. He ignored his dinner completely.
A sudden, sharp impulse took over. I slipped my hand into my pocket and blind-typed a line of text, sending it.
Youre truly annoying.
Ashers movements froze.
He stared down at his screen, his face turning an ashen white.
I watched him.
Watching that look of utter devastation, as if the whole world had just abandoned him, a surge of twisted satisfaction rushed through me.
Asher.
You finally got what was coming to you.
3
Asher gripped his phone so tightly I thought the case would crack.
Mr. Reed frowned. Whats with the phone at the table? Did you forget your manners?
Asher suddenly stood up.
Im full.
He turned, clutched the phone, and bolted up the stairs without looking back.
What the hell is wrong with that boy? Mr. Reed slammed his chopsticks on the table.
My mom offered an awkward smile. Maybe the competition is stressing him out.
I lowered my head and sipped my soup, hiding the smirk at the corner of my mouth.
Back in my room, I pulled out the burner phone.
The screen was full of messages Asher had sent.
I wont annoy you anymore.
Ill shut up.
Just dont be mad.
Anything. Just dont block me again.
Baby
The last one was a 60-second voice message.
I put on my headphones and pressed play.
After a moment of static, I heard Ashers low, ragged breathing.
Im sorry
His voice was hoarse, trembling noticeably.
I honestly dont know what to do.
Ive never liked anyone before. Youre the first.
Im scared youll think Im pathetic, scared youll think Im boring, scared youll go find someone else
I only have the guts to tell you this online.
In real life things are bad.
No one likes me. I hate everyone. Only you, Rose. Only you listen to me and play games with me.
Please, dont leave me, okay?
My scalp prickled.
Was this really Asher?
I could picture him hiding in his room, recording this voice note with red eyes.
It was ridiculous.
I took off the headphones, unable to listen anymore.
Just then, there was a knock at my door.
I walked over and opened it.
Asher stood in the hallway shadow.
He was looking down, his fringe covering his eyes, making his expression unreadable.
Most of his anger was gone, replaced by a defeated, powerless slump.
What is it? I asked coldly.
He lifted his head.
His eyes were bloodshot. He looked like hed been crying.
But the moment he saw me, he snapped back to his usual icy, deadpan mask. The speed was startling.
You took the money.
His voice was hoarse. Have you figured out a solution?
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms.
I have.
What? He urgently stepped closer.
Break up with her, I said. If its this painful, just let each other go.
Ashers face instantly darkened.
The fleeting vulnerability vanished, replaced by a terrifying rage.
He grabbed my collar and shoved me hard against the doorframe.
Sloan, are you trying to get yourself killed?
I told you to figure out how to get her back, not convince me to break up!
Break up? Never in this lifetime!
He was yelling, his voice loud.
His eyes were veined with red.
I was choking, desperately batting at his hand.
Cough Let go
Asher abruptly released me.
I clutched my neck, coughing violently.
He looked down at me, his eyes cold as ice.
Dont let me hear those two words again.
Or Ill make sure you cant stay in this house.
With that, he turned and went back into his room, slamming the door shut. The enormous sound shook the wall.
Leaning against the wall, gasping for air, I reached for my burner phone without a second thought, typing out one last message:
Were breaking up.
This time its for good.
Send.
The next second, a massive crash came from the room next door, followed by the sound of breaking glass.
Then, Ashers heart-wrenching scream.
Ah!
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