My Jealous Stepbrother
EMERALD GREEN

"Listen, Sam, don't get mad, but.... Tyler's going around telling everyone that you still can't get over it."

Tyler, a name I really wish I could forget, just like our whole past relationship. Why can't he just be one of those exes I hear so much about in the movies, who disappear off the face of the earth and you never see again in your life? "What?"

"And that it was your fault in the first place that he got along better with Lily because you weren't paying enough attention to him." This can't be happening. I looked around and had more than one set of eyes watching me mockingly. It wasn't enough for those two to have betrayed me, they also wanted to make me look like the one to blame for that cheating.

"I can't believe my ears." I was stunned and furious! How dare he say that, I was the only one who gave one hundred percent in that relationship!

"He's also going around saying something about you not leaving him alone, and as you can imagine, Lily is furious with you for that. She's screaming all over the place that you're... well..."

"I'm what?" In truth, I didn't even want to hear it, but it was necessary.

"They're her words, not mine, okay? But she says you're a bitch for not being able to get over her taking Tyler away from you and that she's not to blame for being better than you."

I closed my eyes and tried to think of something happy.

"Don't get too mad, okay? They're jerks. Those two practically declared themselves the most popular couple in high school. I don't think anyone would play along with them on that, and besides, remember we saw the dress Lily will be wearing to prom. All in all, green is not their color."

"Prom? How did she get a dress so fast?" When we went to pick out a dress for me to match Tyler's outfit months ago, Lily insisted that if she were going to the prom, she would wear a certain emerald green dress that was on display in the store window. The question answered itself, how could she have a dress so quickly? You couldn't just buy it, so the answer was simple: you had to book it months in advance to have it perfectly fitted to the curves of your body.

Now everything was clearer she was the bitch! If I had to pick someone who would want to hurt me, it would definitely be Lily. I couldn't believe how until a moment ago I didn't have her in mind as a possible suspect for all those messages. "Oops, I think I spoke out of turn." Emily seemed to have noticed my dismay, but my face didn't reflect what was really going through my mind. I was motionless, maybe not even breathing.

"Of course, I must have imagined it," I could only say that. If I made a single movement, I would explode.

"You're taking it better than I expected," Emily didn't seem to notice the fire burning inside me. Me, calm? Not a bit!

I hated them, I hated them all! And as if life wanted to make me explode, a few steps away I saw Tyler's silhouette leaning against a locker as he checked his phone. I could recognize that profile even in a dark alley. "Sam, wait!"

Emily's voice sounded irritated behind me. My feet moved faster than my thoughts, and in the blink of an eye, I was already in front of him, my ex, Tyler.

"You asshole!" I lunged at him and shoved him, though I couldn't budge him an inch. I tried again and again, but to no avail.

"Hey, crazy woman, calm down!" Tyler grabbed my hands to stop me from touching him.

"How do you want me to calm down when you and your little girlfriend are ruining what little peace of mind I have left, you better tell him to be careful because now I sure as hell won't last to defend myself!" I exclaimed with all the hatred coursing through my veins. I had to make it clear how I felt about them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I won't let you talk about her like that. You better be the one to stay away from us, or I'll file a report. You know I have a cop uncle and I won't hesitate to show him all your threats. I still have them on my phone as evidence and I don't plan on deleting them." Evidence? Threats? What did he mean?

"It seems to me that the crazy one is you, because I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't done anything."

"Oh, yeah, right, don't expect me to believe you. All your messages to come back to you and the threats you've sent me with hurting Lily if I don't do what you ask. Sure, that was all a figment of my imagination, huh? Tell that to the police, you crazy woman."

Something clicked in my mind. The same person who is sending those messages to Tyler posing as me was the same person who had been sending me those pictures. What else had they done in my name?