My Jealous Stepbrother
FAVORITE CEREAL

-Who the hell are you and why are you hell-bent on wrecking my life?

I plucked up my courage and decided to respond to the anonymous messages, desperately searching for some clue that would lead me to the person responsible for all this chaos in my mind.

-Ha ha, so you finally decide to confront me, you insolent little minx. I thought you'd be more entertaining.

-You don't have the right to meddle in my affairs, why so much interest in hurting me?

-Oh, honey, I just enjoy watching people suffer. You're just another piece in my sinister game.

My heart pounded, as my fingers trembled over the keyboard. I could not allow this unknown person to continue to manipulate me.

-It doesn't matter who you are or what amuses you. I will not allow you to play games with me anymore.

-You think I'm affected by what you say? Keep flirting with your stepbrother, did you manage to advance to second base? I wonder what your father would think of that.

I couldn't replace the right words to respond to that hurtful comment. Anger burned inside me, but I preferred to remain silent. After that, I received no more messages for the rest of the day. I knew I had to do something, although I didn't know exactly what. I had to take action before things got worse, and I was determined to do so.

I sent a message to Emily, and in less than two minutes I had her reply. It was something I always admired about her, she was always there when I needed her.

"Hey, Sam, how are you doing with geometry?"

"That's already behind me, Emi. But I have a much bigger problem than just homework," I confessed to her.

I was sure my concern resonated in my words, even through a text message. "Oh, you sound serious. Well, I guess the angry face emoji can express it well enough. Tell me, what's going on?"

"An emoji couldn't describe how I'm feeling right now. It's just... agh, everything is SO complicated," I expressed, letting out some of my frustration.

"Take it easy, Sam. Just tell me what's going on."

"It's that damn stalker's fault, he won't leave me alone," I exclaimed angrily.

"Didn't you block his number?" asked Emily with concern.

"Yes, I did, but he wrote to me from another number," I replied frustrated.

A sense of helplessness washed over me as I tried to understand how this stalker always found a way to keep harassing me. It was as if he was one step ahead of my security measures.

"Sam, this is very serious. You can't let him continue to harass you like this. We must take more drastic action."

I knew she was right.

"I thought it was just someone wanting to play a practical joke on me," I confessed with a mixture of disbelief and fear.

"It doesn't sound like it," Emily replied seriously, grasping the gravity of the situation.

"You don't even have to tell me. That lunatic is threatening to tell my dad about Ryan and me," I admitted in anguish.

"Have you said anything about these messages to anyone else yet, like Ryan, for example?"

"Ryan? Not even jokingly," I quickly replied. The thought of involving Ryan in all this would only make things worse, I sighed regretfully. "I can't tell him about the stalker, he'd take away my phone and I'd be locked up until I'm as shriveled as a raisin. Plus I don't plan on speaking to him for quite some time," I confessed with determination, making my decision clear.

"What did you fight about this time? Did he eat your favorite cereal again or did he run out of the whole bottle of super-smooth hair conditioner with coconut oil extract you bought recently?"

I shook my head even though she couldn't see me. "None of that," I replied evasively. I couldn't tell Emily that the fight had been her brother's fault. Well, it wasn't directly his fault, but he did have a hand in it somehow. "Anyway, that doesn't matter now," I quickly changed the subject. "I'm going through a complicated enough situation right now to keep talking about Ryan."

"Wow, you really are in serious mode right now. You wouldn't miss the opportunity to complain about Ryan so easily."

Her words made me smile, relieving some of my anger. Even though the circumstances weren't fun at all, Emily always found a way to get a smile out of me and remind me that I wasn't alone.

"Sam, I understand your concerns, but you shouldn't have to face this alone. We can get help together, replace a solution to protect you without your parents or Ryan replaceing out."

Emily's determined and supportive attitude left me shocked. Before, she seemed somewhat withdrawn and cautious in talking about the stalker, but now she was willing to face it together with me. I was deeply grateful to have her by my side during this difficult time.

"Emily, you don't know how much it means to me that you are willing to help me," I told her sincerely.

"We are friends, Sam, and I will always be here for you. We're not going to let that stalker bully us. Together we will replace a solution and put an end to all this." Her support gave me renewed strength. "However, my dear, I don't think it should be just you and me doing this. If things get dangerous, we need someone to stand up for us."

The thought of involving anyone else in this situation filled me with anxiety. I didn't want more people to know about what was going on, especially if it meant revealing the complications between Ryan and me. I wasn't ready to face the consequences that could come with that.

"Anyone else?" I replied apprehensively. "I don't want anyone else to know about this. I'd have to tell her about things with Ryan, and for me that's a resounding NO," I confessed firmly.

Emily pondered for a moment, weighing the options. "I was thinking Zack might be able to help us."

"I don't know," I replied uncertainly. "Getting Zack involved would mean telling him about things with Ryan, and that's something I want to avoid. I don't want any more people to replace out about that situation."

"He doesn't need to know." Her voice conveyed determination and a hint of mystery. She seemed to have a plan in mind, something that left me intrigued and eager to replace out.

I stared at the text and read it over and over again, waiting for an explanation. How were we going to get him to help us without telling him?