My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 110: To Turn The Tables Around

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I was still trying to shake off everything those freshmen had just said when Gigi came charging down the hallway like a tiny, furious, pink storm cloud.

"Noah!" she wailed dramatically, waving a sheet of paper over her head. "Look at this injustice—LOOK AT IT!"

Before I could even get a word out, she slapped the paper against my chest. A giant C- glared back at me, almost as if it was personally offended by her existence.

I winced. "Oof... that’s rough."

"Rough?" she echoed, gasping like I’d delivered a deadly blow. "This is a hate crime! Mrs. Williams has it out for me. I swear, she sniffs my essays and just gives me failing grades out of spite! And I poured my heart and soul into this paper. Maybe it’s because I’m black! Maybe–"

I had to stifle a laugh; she was being so ridiculously dramatic that I couldn’t keep a straight face. She huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at her paper as if it had betrayed her.

Then her eyes fell on the flyer still in my hand.

Her whole face froze.

"Oh my God." She grabbed it so fast it crinkled. "Oh. My. GOD. Did you—did you actually get invited? Did some freshman mistakenly think you were someone else?!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Gee, thanks?"

"Oh—you know what I mean!" she snapped, waving the flyer like it was a flag. "DID THEY GIVE THIS TO YOU ON PURPOSE?!"

I shrugged helplessly. "Apparently, they said my name was on some list or whatever."

Her jaw dropped so wide I thought it might hit the floor. "And you’re just standing here like this is totally normal news?"

"I’m just as confused as you are," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "They said I’m... apparently popular now?"

Gigi looked at me as if I’d just revealed I swallowed a live crow.

"Popular?" she repeated slowly. "As in... with people? On purpose?"

"Apparently."

She blinked, then threw her hands up.

"Absolutely not. Noah, NO. You are NOT going to another one of Adrien’s stupid friend group’s parties. Have we forgotten the Pool incident trauma?"

I snorted. "I don’t plan to go, Gigi."

"Good," she said firmly, clutching the flyer like she was about to perform an exorcism. "Because I will literally handcuff you to your bed if you even think about stepping foot into Jace’s house."

"I’m not going," I repeated, rolling my eyes. "I just... want to know why they gave this to me. Even if the whole ’popular’ thing is true, it’s kind of strange."

Gigi squinted at the flyer like it held some ancient secrets. "Weird is an understatement. This is suspicious. This feels like a setup. Jace definitely has something up his sleeve."

"Maybe," I conceded with a sigh, my stomach twisting at the thought.

Gigi finally looked up at me, her expression serious for a moment... but then confusion washed over her again.

"But like," she said slowly, "why you if it isn’t a trap?"

I sighed dramatically. "Trust me, I’m wondering the same thing."

She nudged me with her elbow. "Boy... your life is starting to feel like a paranormal romance thriller with a side of comedy."

"And I didn’t sign up for any of that," I muttered.

Gigi hummed, still eyeing the flyer suspiciously. "Well... too late. The universe is pairing you up with chaos now. Maybe I should write a fanfiction based on your life story."

Before I could process Gigi’s meltdown or her threat of writing a fanfiction inspired by me, Skylar floated toward us with her usual calm, cat-like confidence, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

She took one look at Gigi’s flailing arms and accusatory glare and sighed.

"What did she do now?" she asked me, like I was the parent responsible for Gigi’s unsupervised chaos.

Gigi spun around. "ME?! Excuse you, I’m the voice of reason here."

Skylar raised an unimpressed brow as she eyed Gigi’s essay. "I’ll believe that when Mrs. Williams gives you an A."

Gigi gasped, clutching her chest. "That was cruel and uncalled for."

I couldn’t help but laugh as I held up the flyer. "Someone invited me to Jace’s party."

Skylar blinked, then shrugged like it wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened to me.

"Oh. Nice. You should go."

Gigi nearly exploded. She slapped her hands on her thighs so hard a passing freshman jumped.

"SKYLAR. NO! DID YOU FORGET THE POOL INCIDENT?!" she exclaimed, her voice rising like she was climbing a staircase of pure outrage. "Noah almost drowned! Emotionally and literally! Vanessa revealed to everyone that he’s gay and in love with Ethan and pushed him in front of HALF THE SCHOOL—"

"I remember," Skylar said, almost too calmly, leaning against the locker beside me. "I was the one who called the paramedics. Of course I remember."

"That makes this even WORSE!" Gigi protested, waving her English test in the air like a protest sign. "You think he should walk back into enemy territory willingly?"

Skylar rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yes."

"YES?!" Gigi echoed, as if Skylar had suggested I join a cult.

Skylar nodded, completely unfazed. "Yes. Because look, if this is a genuine invite, then he gets to actually have some fun for once instead of hiding from every school event like a traumatized Victorian ghost."

"Hey," I muttered weakly, they were talking about me as if I wasn’t standing right next to them.

But honestly? She wasn’t wrong.

And I felt like a kid watching his parents argue about my future...which was beyond weird.

"And if it’s not genuine," Skylar continued, tapping the flyer with a perfectly manicured nail, "then Noah can be ready this time. He’ll see whatever they’re planning coming from a mile away. And he can finally flip the script and get some revenge."

Gigi opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish. "But—but—"

"But nothing," Skylar finished. "He deserves to live his senior year, not hide in fear every time a cheerleader or a jock sneezes. And honestly?" She gave me a small, crooked grin. "You’ve got a boyfriend who’d burn the school down if someone looked at you funny. You’re not going alone."

The way she said it made something warm bloom in my chest, something protective and hopeful and just a little reckless.

Gigi groaned, pressing her hands to her temples. "I can’t believe I’m hearing this. This is madness. Actual madness."

But Skylar just shrugged and bumped her shoulder lightly against mine. "It’s your decision, Noah. But running forever gets exhausting, doesn’t it?"

And God help me... she was right.

As chaotic as it sounded...

As dangerous as it felt, there was a part of me, buried under nerves and past humiliation, that whispered she had a point.

As out of character as it seems, I did want to turn the tables, I did want that revenge. What I went through last semester shouldn’t be forgotten; they should suffer more than just a simple slap on the wrist from the principal.

"Great," Gigi muttered, catching the flicker in my eyes. "He’s actually thinking about it. Skylar, look what you’ve done."

Oh, yes. I definitely was thinking about it.