Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: 84-Teen Crush Or A Crushed Teen!

Helanie:

“No! I’m roommates with girls—one of them is—” Lamar had already dialed a number to complain about us. Our moods soured the moment we discovered he was our roommate.

“At least give us a third girl in the room with us,” Lucy whispered under her breath and he grumbled, still avoiding looking in our direction. Without another word, he walked straight to the balcony door, heading to his side of the bed. The minute he saw it was us, especially me, his face turned pale. I wasn’t very happy either.

Sharing the space was going to be difficult—both the bathroom and the balcony doors were on his side of the wall.

We awkwardly stayed silent as he opened the balcony door and stepped out in a rush.

“Gosh! This is so frustrating. Why him?” Lucy slapped her forehead, her disappointment written all over her face.

“Did Gavin—?” I started, worried about whether he had been able to settle in. We should have talked about him already.

“He did, but he’s not my roommate. I thought we’d get someone nice,” she said, looking utterly dejected. I understood why. Having Gavin as a roommate would have been amazing compared to Lamar—the infuriating troublemaker.

I hated him so much, and now I’d be forced to see his face every single day.

“And you know—I can guide and scold Gavin, but Lamar? I just hope he doesn’t leave the bathroom a complete mess all the time,” she added, sitting on the edge of her bed, stomping her feet anxiously as if her thoughts were spiraling out of control.

“Which room is he in?” I asked, happy for Gavin that he’d gotten a spot but sad for Lucy that they wouldn’t be sharing one.

“He’s on the fifth floor,” she said, checking her phone and frowning at the screen. “With some girl named Jenny and her brother Penn.”

I wasn’t sure how to console her. Before I could think of anything, Lamar came back in, stretching his shoulders and arms. Then, he cleared his throat, clearly about to address us.

“It’s no secret that we don’t like each other,” he began, his tone flat and disinterested. He wasn’t even looking directly at us.

“Yeah, because you were always arrogant to everyone—and then you tried to kill me,” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest.

“Right. I did that too. So let’s just not talk to each other and stay out of each other’s business,” Lamar shrugged. I couldn’t argue with him—I didn’t want to communicate with him either.

“But we wanted to befriend you so badly—” Lucy, who usually struck me as a gentle and caring soul, rose dramatically from the bed, placing her hands over her heart in mock sincerity.

Even Lamar seemed taken aback by the sudden shift in her demeanor.

“Annoying!” he hissed before swiftly escaping the room.

“Well, I guess it won’t be too bad. Boys don’t tend to hang around their rooms for too long,” Lucy commented casually, as if her sudden change in attitude hadn’t just startled us both. Perhaps being accepted into the academy had given her a newfound boost of confidence. Apart from that, she wasn’t wrong though. Lamar never stayed in the shelter either. He was always out and about. Besides that business of bringing hostesses to the bars, it kept him occupied most of the time.

“By the way, you should start unpacking. I’ll bring my stuff in gradually and then start setting it up,” she added cheerfully, her enthusiasm unmistakable.

I glanced at my single bag, still untouched. I hadn’t even bothered to open it yet. I nodded at her suggestion, noting that she’d already unpacked one of her own bags neatly into the closet.

“Oh, and is anyone coming to meet you this Sunday? It’s a family meet-up day. I’m so excited to have my family around!” Lucy placed both her hands on her heart and sighed dreamily.

“Umm, let’s see.” I quickly looked away, pretending to inspect the room as though I hadn’t already taken it all in. Truthfully, I just wanted to avoid this topic.

“Hey, I forgot you’re a rogue. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have a family, right? You’re so young, and—you live in the wild. I just assumed you had someone with you,” she said, watching my face closely for a reaction.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, we can drop it. We’ll discuss it whenever you’re ready. As for this Sunday, you can join my family for the feast. You’re going to love them, and I know they’ll love you,” she added with a cheerful giggle.

I couldn’t help but feel happy for her. She was lucky to have such a loving family—and to love them just as much in return. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same about my own.

Gosh, my father. He had told the alpha he killed me and buried me, just so he could avoid admitting I had run away. He didn’t want to lose the money he got from the pack. He probably thought his daughter would die in the wild anyway, so why not save himself the trouble?

“Hey, did I upset you?” Lucy’s soft voice broke my spiraling thoughts. “I really need to watch what I say. Gavin always tells me I talk nonsense, and I think I finally realized it today.”

She gently rubbed my elbow, trying to comfort me. I didn’t blame her. It wasn’t her fault that even a passing mention of family could ruin my mood.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, forcing a small smile. “I was just thinking about something else. Why don’t you bring Gavin here? I’d love to meet him and congratulate him on joining the academy.”

I struggled to keep up the fake smile, but pretending to be okay was exhausting. Memories of my past always left me paralyzed—trapped in a pit of depression I couldn’t seem to escape.

“I’ll go get Gavin to meet you!” With a snap of her fingers, she excitedly uttered and dashed out of the room.

Now, it was just me and the bag.

I dragged it into the closet, noticing how spacious it was. The two walls facing each other were lined with shelves, leaving the wall opposite the door for Lamar’s things—a decision we’d silently agreed upon.

Sitting down on the floor, I unzipped the bag. Inside were two brand-new uniforms, shoes, a few casual outfits, notebooks, stationary box, and some tracksuits—all practical items I’d expected to need.

But then I froze.

At the bottom of the bag was a phone box.

“He got me a phone?” I murmured, staring at the sleek packaging. My hands trembled slightly as I picked it up, realizing it was one of the most expensive models on the market.

I hesitated to turn it on. Accepting such an extravagant gift didn’t feel right. Was this really okay?

I kept staring at the phone before finally picking it up. He’d already charged it and even set it up for me. That was thoughtful of him, especially since I’d never owned a fancy phone like this before. Operating it made me nervous—I was terrified I’d break it.

Then, a message popped up on the screen, and a huge smile spread across my lips.

Prof. Emmet: Sorry for adding my name to your phone list. Let me know if you’re adjusting well.

Prof. Emmet: I just found out who your roommate is. Don’t worry; I’ll see what I can do about it.

My smile grew so wide that my cheeks started to hurt. Was he thinking about me?

He must have been. He’d gone back to the office just to check who my roommates were.

Me: It’s alright. You’ve already done so much. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.

For the first time in so long, I sat holding a phone, grinning like a teenager with a crush. But that wasn’t the case with me. He was just someone who made me feel alive.

Prof. Emmet: By staying happy and safe.

I nodded to myself like an idiot, his words echoing in my mind. I was so absorbed in the moment, sitting in the closet, that I didn’t even notice someone entering the room until the closet door slammed shut.

I jolted upright, staring at the door in confusion. Was it just a strong gust of wind?

I quickly got to my feet and tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge. That’s when it hit me—it wasn’t the wind. Someone had locked me in.

“Hey!” I shouted, banging on the door with my fist. “Who the heck locked this? It’s not funny!”

Laughter echoed from outside, and my blood boiled. I hated it. Why? Why did people always have to ruin my moments of happiness?

I kept pounding on the door, shouting, until it finally swung open. Standing outside was a concerned couple—Lucy and Gavin.

“Hey! Who locked you in?” Lucy asked, immediately pulling me into a warm hug. Gavin, meanwhile, scanned me anxiously, his worry evident.

“I saw Sydney and Salem running downstairs,” Gavin muttered, shaking his head in frustration.

So, they’d already started?