The Bully Become My Protector

Don't you dare tell a single soul in this room that you're my sister.

Phoenixs voice is low, dangerous, and dripping with venom. The bass of the club thumps against my chest, but I can only hear the ringing in my ears. I stand there, shivering in my soaked clothes, a pathetic contrast to the VIP luxury around him.

My trembling fingers slide the crumpled, damp math test across the marble table.

"I I just need a signature. Mom was too scared to ask"

He snatches the paper. His dark eyes scan the red ink, and a vein pops in his forehead.

"Six percent? Are you actually brain-dead?" He throws the paper back in my face, the heavy sheet hitting my cheek like a slap. "I knew you were a stray, but I didn't know you were an idiot. Get out of my sight before I have security throw you out with the trash."

Chapter 1

Glass exploded across the living room floor.

Shards scattered like diamonds, sharp and dangerous.

Phoenix and Garrett were at each other's throats again. The air in the villa was thick enough to choke on.

Garrett shielded Renee with his body, blocking the flying debris.

But me?

I was on my own.

I curled into a tight ball in the corner, pressing my face against the cold plaster.

Shaking.

Please don't see me. Please don't see me.

Phoenixs finger snapped in my direction.

"You bring that stray in here? Ill strangle her myself."

I shrank smaller, trying to disappear into the wall.

I looked at Renee with wide, desperate eyes.

Is marrying into money supposed to be a death sentence?

This stepbrother is a nightmare.

Before today, I actually had hope.

Garrett had promised me a big brother. Someone to watch my back.

I needed one.

Im the girl who fails every test. The girl with the "kick me" sign permanently taped to her back.

I had been the one who got glue smeared on her chair and walked home with ripped jeans while the popular kids laughed.

Every time I came home crying, Renees eyes would turn red.

I thought having a brother would change everything.

Just yesterday, I was trying to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be good. I'll get along with him."

"Get along? My ass!"

Phoenixs scream still echoed in the high ceilings of the estate.

The front door slammed so hard the windows rattled in their frames.

Silence returned, heavy and suffocating.

The war was over for the night.

Garrett clutched his chest, face pale, muttering about his "rebellious son." Renee was already scrambling to get his heart medication.

I looked down at my hands.

I was gripping a crumpled, pathetic piece of paper until my knuckles turned white.

Ms. Pringles voice drilled into my skull.

"Callie, if you aren't clinically stupid, then you're just lazy! I'm done talking. Get your parents. Now."

I looked at the chaos in the living room.

I couldn't ask them. Not now.

But Ms. Pringle wasn't taking no for an answer.

Outside, the sky opened up. Rain lashed against the glass.

After a moment of hesitation, I grabbed an umbrella and ran.

Renee always said the club district was full of lowlifes and thugs.

She wasn't wrong.

Drunks stumbled on the sidewalk. Catcalls followed me like a bad smell.

I kept my head down, clutching my umbrella like a weapon.

I checked every VIP room, dripping rainwater on the expensive carpets, shouting Phoenixs name.

Finally, I found him.

The music was pounding.

Some guy with a microphone laughed, pointing at me.

"Yo, Phoenix. One of your exes? She looks desperate."

Phoenix was a shadow in the corner. His voice was ice. "Get out."

I didn't move.

I walked closer.

I probably looked like a wet dog. Pathetic.

Phoenix sneered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "What? Here to enjoy the show? Think you're clever?"

"I'm not laughing."

My voice was barely a squeak.

I smoothed out the damp ball of paper and slid it across the table. "Ms. Pringle needs a parent signature. I couldn't ask Mom"

Phoenix looked at me with pure disgust. "Not my problem. Beat it."

I stood my ground.

Staring at him with wide, watery eyes.

I wasn't leaving.

A vein popped in Phoenixs forehead. He snatched the paper just to make me leave.

The music seemed to stop.

The room went dead silent.

Then, the explosion.

"Six percent? In Math?"

He looked at me like I was a different species.

"Are you actually brain-dead? Do not tell people you're my sister!"

I tried to bolt.

Too late.

Phoenixs hand clamped onto the back of my collar like a vice.

I was trapped.

I shouldn't have come.

Chet looked at me, then at Phoenix, looking nervous.

"Bro, is that actually your sister? Maybe chill out don't hit her"

"Shut up!"

Phoenix roared, shaking the paper in the air.

"I don't have a sister this dumb!"

Thirty minutes later, Phoenix stormed out of the club.

I trailed behind him. A sneezing, miserable burden.

The rain had soaked me to the bone. My head felt heavy, spinning like a top.

I had just endured thirty minutes of interrogation in the VIP room.

"You don't get shapes? Fine. But a2 + b2 = c2?"

"I understand it"

"Then why did you get it wrong?"

"I I made a stupid mistake."

""

Phoenix gripped my arm, dragging me toward the curb while barking into his phone. "Someone come get this stray. Now."

My legs gave out.

I tripped over my own feet and face-planted straight into Phoenixs chest.

Lights out.

"Fever reducers are in. Keep an eye on her. Once the temperature breaks, she can go home."

Voices floated in the darkness.

My nose twitched. The sharp, chemical sting of antiseptic.

"Fine. Thanks."

Phoenixs voice. Cold. Hard like granite.

I cracked one eye open.

I was in a hospital bed. Phoenix was looming over me, staring with dark, heavy eyes.

I squeezed my eyes shut immediately.

"Open them, you little stray."

I peeled my lids back, terrified but stubborn. "I'm not a stray."

He let out a dry, cruel laugh. "Your mother is a mistress. That makes you a stray bitch. What else would you be?"

"My mom is not a mistress."

"Oh really? Then who's your father?"

I froze.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"He's dead."

Phoenix froze. The mockery vanished from his face.

"He drove long-haul trucks," I mumbled, my voice thick with congestion. "Highway accident. He didn't make it."

I watched his face. Searching for a crack in the armor.

He looked away, breaking eye contact. "Hmph. So you two are just here for the payout. Gold diggers."

My face burned.

He wasn't wrong.

"Uncle Garrett said if we moved in, we'd have a better life."

"I knew it." He sneered, validated. "Schemers. Both of you."

Later, Phoenix dozed off on the visitor cot.

I watched him sleep.

I felt something furry brush against my face. Like a puppy nuzzling me.

Wait, no. That was me.

Phoenixs eyes snapped open.

I was hovering inches from his face, a band-aid in my hand, trying to stick it to his forehead.

He clicked his tongue.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Bandaging your cut."

I pointed to the angry red mark on his brow. "It's bleeding. Does it hurt, Phoenix?"

A flicker of somethingsurprise? discomfort?crossed his eyes before the walls slammed back up. He shoved my hand away.

"Save the fake sympathy."

"It's not sympathy," I said honestly. "You have a cut on your face. If you walk into that meeting tomorrow looking like a thug, Ms. Pringle will think you're unreliable."

Phoenix stared at me. Deadpan.

His gaze was heavy enough to crush bone.

I felt the hair on my arms stand up.

Oops.

I said the wrong thing.

Standard survival protocol: Run.

"I I need to use the bathroom"

"Callie!"

The next morning, I stood ten feet away from him outside the faculty office, rubbing my throbbing ear.

His grip strength is insane.

Like a demon.

He nearly twisted my ear off.

Inside the office, Phoenix was unrecognizable. He stood before Ms. Pringle, head bowed, acting like a total saint.

"Callie's attitude is the problem," Ms. Pringle declared, slamming a file on her desk.

"I apologize, Ma'am," Phoenix said smoothly.

"You're her brother, right?"

"Yes."

"I remember you on the Honor Roll. Perfect score in Calculus, wasn't it?"

"It was."

"Then why can't you help her? You share the same parents, yet she's scoring single digits?"

Phoenixs jaw tightened. He ground his teeth.

"I will handle her education personally."

Handle.

Right.

Judging by how he beat my ass black and blue last night, my life was officially over.

Thanks to me, Phoenix endured a solid hour of Ms. Pringles screaming.

When we finally walked out, he looked ready to murder me.

Ms. Pringle wasn't done. She followed us into the hallway, her voice dripping with condescension.

"Callie, seriously. Go get your IQ tested."

"Okay."

Phoenix stopped dead.

The air around him dropped ten degrees.

"What did you just say?"

I looked at him, confused. "What?"

Phoenix grabbed my wrist and dragged me back to the office door.

"Apologize to her."

Ms. Pringle frowned, adjusting her glasses. "Excuse me? Why should I apologize?"

"I don't think a teacher has the right to insult a student's intelligence."

Phoenixs voice was low, dangerous. His eyes were dark pits.

"Apologize. Now."

Ms. Pringle looked at me, annoyed but intimidated. "Callie I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Don't worry, I won't bother teaching you anymore."

"She doesn't need you to," Phoenix snapped, cutting her off. "We're transferring her. A teacher who produces six-percent test scores isn't worth keeping."

He turned on his heel and stormed out.

I had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

My eyes were sparkling.

"Phoenix."

He ignored me.

I skipped to his other side. "Phoenix!"

"Spit it out."

"You got a perfect score in Math! That's amazing!"

Phoenixs face stiffened. "Save the flattery. I'm still not tutoring you."

He called me a burden and tried to dump me at the house.

But he had just stood up for me. I didn't want him to leave.

I clung to him. "Where are you going? Aren't you coming home?"

"None of your business. Let go or I'll hit you."

We walked through the front door, him trailing behind me.

Smash.

A heavy glass tumbler flew across the room and shattered against Phoenixs forehead.

Blood instantly started to flow.

"You rebellious son! I thought you left! Why come back? Staying out all night like a thug?"

Garrett was screaming, face purple with rage.

The band-aid I had carefully applied last night was soaked red in seconds.

Panic surged through me. I threw my arms out, shielding Phoenix.

"Uncle Garrett, he wasn't out partying! Last night he"

Phoenix shoved me aside. Hard.

His eyes were cold, dead. "You think I want to be here? I could die in a ditch and it wouldn't be your problem."

I reached out to grab his arm again.

He pushed me too hard.

I spun around and slammed headfirst into the doorframe.

Thud.

The living room went silent.

Renee rushed over, terrified. "Callie! Are you okay?"

Garrett raised his hand, ready to strike Phoenix again.

I lifted a weak, trembling hand. "Wait! Don't hit him!"

Garrett froze, staring at me in disbelief.

Even Renee looked shocked.

I scrambled up from the floor, ignoring the throbbing in my head, and latched onto Phoenixs arm like a lifeline.

"I was sick last night. I was in the hospital. My brother stayed with me the whole time."

"He even went to my parent-teacher conference today."

"Please don't yell at him."

"Let go! I'm not your brother"

Phoenix scowled, trying to shake me off. But I held on for dear life.

Finally, he gave up and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Garrett looked at Phoenix coldly. "Is she telling the truth?"

"No." Phoenix said coldiy.

Hey!

This guy and his mouth!

I doubled down. "Uncle Garrett, can Phoenix tutor me? Please?"

Garrett scoffed, looking at us like we were a bad joke. "Him? Tutor you? Does he even have a brain to use?"

"He does! He got a perfect score in Math!"

Garrett frowned, suspicious. "You? Perfect score? Since when?"

"Never happen Mmph!"

I clamped my hand over Phoenixs mouth and dragged him toward the stairs with all my strength.

"Phoenix, let's go study! Right now!"

I thought I had scored a free tutor.

Instead, I got a sleeping beauty.

Phoenix was sprawled out on the bay window, dead to the world.

I didn't get it.

The guy was brilliant. Why throw it all away?

Rumor was, he got into Yale right out of high school.

But he never went.

He had deferred his enrollment and spent every night running with the wrong crowd.

Fighting. Drinking. Disappearing for days.

If I had gotten into Yale, I would have died of happiness.

My goofy giggle must have woken him up.

Phoenix cracked an eye open. "Finished? Or just losing your mind?"

I hesitated.

He sighed, the sound of a man accepting his fate. He dragged himself off the window seat and slumped into the chair next to me.

"Show me what you don't get."

He looked at the page.

Red ink everywhere. Not a single correct answer.

"Callie! Did you solve these with your feet?!"

Yale dream: Dead.

Phoenix pulled my chair closer, suppressing the urge to strangle me. He started from scratch.

"Okay, look. At this step, you apply the formula. Which one?"

I pressed my lips together.

"Speak. Don't play dumb."

"Phoenix I don't know."

""

"You take the union of these three sets and that gives you the conclusion"

We ground through the afternoon. Finally, my error rate dropped to 70%.

Phoenix looked like his soul had left his body. He had accepted his reality: his sister was a moron.

I scurried over and started massaging his shoulders.

"You're the best, Phoenix! The smartest! The king!"

I swore eternal loyalty. I would be his humble servant forever.

Phoenix glanced at my fawning face. A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes.

"Dummy. Want to go out?"

Ever since he found out Mom wasn't a mistress, 'Stray' had been upgraded to 'Dummy.'

I beamed. "Where?"

"You'll see."

Night had fallen. The bass in the club was vibrating through my ribcage.

I clutched my Coke like a lifeline, sitting at the bar, staring daggers at the dance floor.

Damn you, Phoenix.

He brought me to a club!

He dumped me with the bartender"Watch her"and vanished into the crowd.

I was just his alibi.

Jordan slid a plate of fries toward me. "Eat up. Your brother's gonna be a while."

"Is he here a lot?"

"You could say that. VIP regular. Big spender. The girls love him."

Jordan nodded toward a dark corner. "See? Your brother's got a whole fan club."

True.

He was buried under a pile of models. I could barely see his head.

Jordan tapped the bar. "Hey, kiddo, I'm out of ice. Gotta run to the back. Stay put, don't move. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Jordan disappeared.

I tried to ignore the eyes burning into me.

I buried my face in my Coke, sucking on the straw like my life depended on it.

Plan: Finish drink. Find Phoenix. Beg to go home.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over me.

"Hey there. All alone?"

I looked up.

Handsome guy. Perfect smile.

Red flag.

Major red flag.

Phoenix smiled like that when he was charming girls.

He was hitting on me.

I scooted my stool back. "No. I'm here with my brother."

"How old are you?"

"Underage"

"Liar." He laughed, reaching out to grab my arm. "They don't let kids in here. Who are you trying to fool?"

I panicked. I tried to yank my arm back. "Let go! I don't know you!"

"We can fix that. Come on, get closer to daddy."

Terror spiked in my chest.

I splashed my Coke right in his face.

The guy roared. Humiliated. Angry.

He raised his hand to slap me.

But the blow never landed.

A boot connected with his chest, sending him flying across the room.

Without his grip anchoring me, I lost my balance.

I toppled off the high stool.

Crash.

Chaos erupted.

Someone pulled me up, but my eyes were glued to the scene in front of me.

Phoenix was straddling the guy, raining punches down on his face.

"Who the hell are you calling 'baby'?"

Crack.

"That's my sister!"

Thud.

"You have a death wish?!"

Warmth trickled down my forehead. My vision blurred at the edges.

Jordan ran over, shouting over the chaos.

"Phoenix! Your sister's bleeding!"

I lasted exactly three days as Phoenix's sister.

Scoreboard: Two hospital visits. One police intervention.

Phoenix was outside dealing with the cops.

I sat alone on the crinkly paper of the exam table, legs dangling.

The doctor threaded the needle through my skin. Stitch one. Stitch two.

I shook.

Maybe from the pain. Maybe from the terror.

I was never going back to a club. Ever.

And I hated Phoenix.

The door flew open. Phoenix burst in. He looked like a war zonebandages wrapped around his head, eyes swollen.

He saw me crying, my head wrapped in a turban of gauze.

His voice dropped. Soft. Unfamiliar.

"Callie I"

I slid off the table and walked past him without a word.

"Callie."

He grabbed my wrist.

I spun around, eyes red and burning. I ripped my arm from his grip.

"I hate you."

Garrett went nuclear.

He dragged Phoenix into the study. The shouting stopped, replaced by a tone that was terrifyingly calm.

"What is your end game, Phoenix?"

"You're useless. Disrespectful. You have no ambition. I finally have a chance at a normal family, and you're tearing it apart."

Phoenix stood there, head bowed. Silent.

I pressed my ear against the crack in the door, holding my breath.

"Your suspension is almost over," Garrett said, his voice cold. "Go back to school. Renee and I got the marriage license. Callie is a good kid. If you don't have a reason to come back then don't."

He was kicking him out.

Just like that.

Phoenixs voice cracked. "Dad do you even remember Mom?"

"Do not blame your behavior on your mother!" Garrett snapped.

Phoenix flinched. He opened his mouth, then closed it. The fight drained out of him.

I leaned back against the wall.

So thats why they hated each other.

Even if he messed up, you don't kick your kid out.

He had to be hurting.

If I wasn't so mad, Id go hug him.

But I wasn't talking to the jerk.

Instead, I snuck into his room and jammed handfuls of Snickers and Hershey's bars into his backpack.

Renee always said chocolate fixes everything.

It releases happy chemicals.

When my dad died, I carried a bar in my pocket for months. Whenever the world got too dark, I took a bite.

"What are you doing?"

Phoenixs voice was raspy. Gravel and exhaustion.

I jumped, looking ridiculous with my bandaged head.

"None of your business!"

I watched him carefully, waiting for the explosion. Waiting for the fist.

It didn't come.

He looked at the bulging backpack. Then he rubbed his eyes.

"How's the head? Still throbbing?"

Since when was my brother gentle?

I was still angry. I huffed, spun around, and marched back to my bedroom.

The transfer paperwork went through fast.

I was moved from the local public school to Yale Prep.

It was right next to the university. Just a black iron fence separated the two campuses.

There was a small gate in the middle for faculty and "academic outreach."

I was dead last in the rankings, so I got the desk in the back corner by the window.

Afternoon slump. I was dozing off, forehead pressed against the cool glass.

Voices drifted in from the other side of the fence.

"Yo, Phoenix. Why the long face?"

Phoenixs voice. Moody. Dark.

"I have a friend. He made a girl mad. How does he fix it?"

Laughter erupted.

"You? The player? You're asking us how to handle a girl?"

Thud.

It sounded like Phoenix threw a book at them.

"Shut up. It's my sister."

"Oh, the sister"

Smack. Thud.

More sounds of violence.

"Mercy! Bro, chill! You should have said it was family!"

Phoenix scoffed. "Cut the crap. Do you know how to coax a sister or not?"

"No idea, boss. We're all only children."

For the next month, my locker became a magical portal.

Every morning, something new appeared.

Strawberry milk. Imported Japanese candy.

Limited edition merch from my favorite band.

Signed copies of best-selling novels.

Expensive stuff.

My classmates did some digging. Apparently, a tall, hot guy from the university was sneaking in during break to make the deliveries.

Phoenix.

Considering the effort, I decided to forgive him.

One afternoon, Renee called me into the kitchen.

She handed me a heavy Tupperware container. Steaming hot ribs. And a stack of hand-knitted sweaters.

"Callie, drop these off for your brother tomorrow."

Phoenix was living in the dorms now.

Garrett was always "working." He never came home.

This was Phoenixs house. But Renee and I were the ones living in it.

It felt wrong. Like we were intruders.

I grabbed the ribs, eager for a truce.

I marched onto the university campus.

Dorm 14, Unit 3.

Phones were banned at my school, so I couldn't call him. I just stood downstairs like an idiot, waiting.

I waited. And waited.

Then, I saw a familiar face.

The nightmare from the club. Butch.

He saw me at the exact same moment.

His hand shot out, fingers tangling in my hair. He yanked my head back.

"Well, well. If it isn't Phoenixs little sister Where you going, huh? Your brother messed me up bad last time."

Pain shot through my scalp. I grabbed his wrist, trying to pry him off.

"He messed you up for a reason! Let go! Or he'll do it again!"

Butch laughed. A wet, ugly sound. He tightened his grip.

"Let me tell you something, little girl. Your brother has pissed off a lot of people. If they find out he has a soft spot like you tsk tsk."

His eyes raked over me. Predatory. Disgusting.

"Hey boys! Who wants a piece of Phoenixs sister?"

Shadows detached themselves from the building. A group of guys surrounded us.

"That bastard? The one with no mommy?"

"Who knows? But Phoenix protects her like gold. Let's have some fun."

"Shh. If he hears us, you're dead."

"So what? His daddy hates him, his mommy's dead. No one's got his back. We can break him."

That was it.

I hated being called a stray.

But I hated them using his dead mom as a weapon even more.

No wonder Phoenix was always fighting.

If I were him, Id burn the world down too.

I didn't think.

I lunged.

My teeth sank into Butchs wrist. Hard.

"Don't you call my brother a bastard!"

"F*ck