The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club

by J. C. Isabella

  Max probably saw right through Chloe’s remark about having a boyfriend.

  He wasn’t that stupid, just stupid enough to think I was all bark and no bite.

  Max didn’t know I used to be the kid that threw punches before asking questions. Always in the office for something, be it a scuffle in the hallway or skipping class. The teachers seemed to understand what I was going through, losing my mom. They could have been a lot harder on me.

  I’m surprised my smart ass wasn’t hauled off to kiddy jail.

  I mean, I’d broken my fair share of noses and ribs. A few of the guys I hung out with started calling me the Beast. And damn if I didn’t live up to that name.

  I’d finally come to terms, started behaving, not acting out because I’d lost my mom once I started high school. I fought in karate competitions, not restrooms and parking lots. I won trophies for my abilities, rather than keeping my title as the Beast. Max saw me as a good guy, a pretty boy, rather than trouble. My truck was the Beast now.

  That isn’t to say trouble went away completely…

  You can take the dog out of the junkyard, but taking the junkyard out of the dog?

  Good fucking luck.

  “Everyone at school knows we’re stepbrother and stepsister now.” I said, wishing like hell I never mentioned my dad was marrying Chloe’s mom, even to Kyle. “Letting them think we’re dating is going to be weird.”

  “We’re not blood related, Zack.” I felt her shrug. She was still right next to me, arm pressed against mine. The heat of her skin seeped into mine, warming me up in ways she’d never have imagined. I needed to go inside and jump into a cold shower for sure. I saw a lot of cold showers in my future.

  “Are you saying that you want to pretend we’re friends for our parents and add a fake relationship on top of it?” Tricky, but maybe it could work.

  “I never said that.”

  “You implied it,” how could we fake a relationship? It was just a bad idea. I never should have let my mind wander in that direction. What was I thinking? Life wasn’t going to be that fair to me. I lost my mom. Why did I ever think the cosmos would be nice enough to let me have Chloe after our parents were married? This wouldn’t work out. How could it?

  “No.” She said. “I made a mistake by telling Max I have a boyfriend, and now we have to figure out a way to fix it.”

  I forced myself to lean away from her warmth. Immediately I felt empty. “We? There is no we Chloe, there is you. You messed up. You fix it.”

  “You’re such an ass.” She spat, scrambling out of the truck once I jerked it to a stop in the yard.

  I took my time getting out, mumbling. “Yeah, I am.”

  She didn’t hear me. “I’m going to fix it, Zack. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

  “Now there’s an image.” However the first thing that came to my mind was Chloe in her frilly underwear looking doe eyed and sweet. Shit.

  I followed her into the house, feeling cold inside even though it was probably ninety degrees out. We didn’t so much as look at each other the rest of the night. I’d pushed her away yet again, for her own good.

  I didn’t really want her to fix the problem of Max thinking we were a couple. The thought of Chloe with another guy made my teeth hurt.

  So what was I going to do about that?

  Just let it go?

  Or go after the one thing, the one girl, I wanted more than anyone ever before?

  Chapter 13

  Chloe

  Zack descended the stairs the next morning, and I had to keep myself from falling off the couch. He was just as sexy with rumpled hair and sleepy eyes, wearing his worn jeans and a white t-shirt. It was too bad that I found him attractive, since when I went to bed last night I decided I hated him for real.

  Seriously.

  I hate Zack Warren…kind of.

  Really, how can you hate perfection?

  So I hate his guts, all the insides that weren’t exposed to the steamy Florida sun.

  He plopped down on the couch, next to me of all places. I was in the living room watching cartoons, a very mature thing to do.

  “Hey.” He said, voice raspy with sleep.

  And here I thought we’d be ignoring each other, shooting imaginary daggers into each other’s backs. Last night he acted as if I’d ruined his life. This morning I was thinking he’d be angry, something other than pleasant.

  I tried to appear unfazed. “Morning.”

  “It’s quiet.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, not having shaved yet. The blond scruff on his face looked prickly.

  “Yep.” I wondered what it felt like, and had the strangest urge to run my fingertips over his skin.

  “Where are the love birds?”

  “Grocery shopping.” So we were keeping things surface. Good, I could do that. No more talk about last night, which was fine with me. One thing I did not need was the fan club getting wind that Zack and I were dating, even if it was fake dating. They’d be on me like ravenous wolves.

  His sleepy laugh rumbled low in his throat. “I’m sure the store is going to be an interesting experience.”

  “They brought the cooler and ice with them. Mom only shops at Publix.” I could count on my mom to be a loyal shopper wherever she lived, creature of habit.

  “I guess they’ll be gone for a while then.” He let out a breath. “Thank god.”

  “My mom made French toast, there’s a plate for you in the fridge.” I wonder if he’d temporarily forgotten what happened last night. Was his brain still asleep?

  “Great.” He sauntered into the kitchen. Clanking around, opening the cabinet and fridge, then the microwave. He came back with his plate and resumed his seat next to me.

  We settled in to watch Elmer Fudd duke it out with Bugs Bunny. It felt so normal and comfortable, like we’d always spent our morning’s vedging out in front of the TV.

  The knockdown drag out I anticipated never happened.

  Maybe he was waiting to catch me off guard…probably hoping I’d get paranoid.

  And if that was his goal, he’d achieved it in spades.

  The doorbell rang sometime later. Zack was putting his dishes in the dishwasher. I went to answer it and checked my reflection in a mirror by the door.

  Didn’t want to scare anybody, since I hadn’t looked in a mirror yet. I was in my gray shorts and an old tee. Both were splattered in paint, thanks to mom.

  Not that I didn’t care about my appearance, I did. I just wasn’t going to fluff myself up for the hot guy in the room next to me, even though I really wanted too.

  I had a million cute outfits, teeny shorts and halters, flirty dresses, that I knew made guys look twice. Lana told me so, and I figured this was one area where I could trust her judgment.

  “Hello,” A blonde was waiting on the other side of the door wearing a hot pink sundress. Her skin color was reminiscent of George Hamilton— the old actor who reminded me of a human Cheez-It.

  “Hi,” I said. Someone came up the porch behind her. It was the leader of the bike gang, the big guy that had been with Max.

  “I’m Stella Wright, and this is my boyfriend Carlos Perez.” She held out a basket of fruit, the Florida welcome gift, even given in winter. Nothing says hey neighbor like a bunch oranges someone probably picked off a tree in their yard. “We wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

  Carlos rolled his eyes. Eyes so dark they looked black. And he was scary big, as tall as Zack, but double the muscle with curly black hair. He made Zack look as tame as a kitten. No small feat. “Stella means to say, we’ve never been in the house and we want to snoop around.”

  I laughed. “Uh, okay. Nice to meet you, I’m Chloe Baker.”

  After accepting the basket of fruit and placing it on the dining room table, where it would probably be forgotten until it started to stink, I led them into the living room. Zack was as charming as could be, even settling his magical spell over me for a bit.

  “So,” Stella e
yed us with confused, gray eyes. “I heard the people who bought this house had two kids…no offence, you don’t look related.”

  “Yeah, she’s my stepsister.” Zack said.

  I nodded. “It’s been interesting.”

  Carlos sympathized, “I feel your pain. My mom remarried a couple years ago. The guy is a douche, so I moved in with my dad.”

  “It is so cool to finally be in here.” Stella said, glancing around the living room, not in tune with where our conversation had turned. She was a little oblivious, but in a sweet way.

  I smiled, not seeing what was so interesting about the house. “Why?”

  Carlos locked eyes with me and I resisted the urge to jump. “The owners didn’t tell you?”

  Zack frowned. “Tell us what?”

  “This place is creepy, some say haunted.”

  I was on the edge of my seat ten minutes later. Zack seemed a bit more relaxed on the outside. But I knew he was just as wound up by the way his fist kept clenching next to me.

  Apparently everyone is terrified of our home.

  “I don’t believe any of this.” Zack glanced around the living room.

  Stella nodded, “I understand. We don’t either, that’s why we wanted to check it out.”

  Carlos rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. “They say a colonel named James Lane built the house with his bare hands. One day his wife went missing, vanished. The town blamed him. Then his neighbors found him dead in the front yard two weeks later. This was about ninety years ago. And, supposedly, he’s been haunting the place ever since.”

  I didn’t buy into the story either, but I had to admit, I was a little spooked.

  “We haven’t experienced anything.” I said, thinking back to strange things that might have happened. Nothing stuck out as otherworldly.

  “I’m skeptical too. Then I had to wonder why your parents got the house so fast, at such a cheap price? The previous owners couldn’t get out of here quick enough.” Carlos said.

  Despite everything going on between Zack and me, the whole love hate relationship we had to figure out, I peeked up at his face, looking to him for something…reassurance maybe? That it was just a spooky story. I knew whatever answer I needed, he would have. Call me crazy, I felt I could trust his reaction to the situation.

  “No offence, I still don’t believe you.” Zack stayed firm, not convinced in the least.

  Great, that was my cue. He didn’t believe them and neither would I.

  It wasn’t that I couldn’t think for myself. Ghost stories always scare me. Ever since I was little I’d had problems with the dark, flipping on every light in the house when I was alone. Scared I’d walk down a hallway and some sheet with eyes and no feet would pop out.

  I could thank my dad, Vince, for that trauma. He took Halloween too seriously.

  “At least you have a warning in case it is true.” Stella said.

  A phone rang somewhere in the depths of the house. Zack excused himself and raced upstairs. I wanted to go with him, only because I was spooked. Not because I liked his company…

  When would I stop lying to myself?

  Maybe I need therapy.

  “Hey, you want to have some fun?” Stella asked.

  I smiled, thinking that hanging out with her would be cool, and take my mind off of Zack. “Definitely, what did you have in mind?”

  “Carlos and I are going to the canal.”

  “My dad has an airboat. We get to take it out when he’s not using it.” Carlos said. “Ever been?”

  “No, I’m game.”

  Carlos had to get going to ready the boat. Stella decided to stay. We went up to my room and I grabbed my backpack, threw my hair up and changed into a bikini with shorts and a tank.

  “So, you go to school around here?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Carlos and I decided to help with his family business and go to community college. We’re sophomores. He’ll take it over one day. It’s really exiting. Airboat tours, scuba trips and kayak rentals. He loves being outside. I run the office. Perez Rentals and Tropical tours. I really like it, and I get to be with Carlos.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “What about you?”

  “Undecided. But I love photography.”

  “Hey, how about Zack? Does he want to go with us?” Stella asked when I was ready to go.

  Right, him. “I’ll see if he wants to come.”

  Stella went to wait downstairs to wait. I forced myself to walk through the bathroom. Zack was on the computer, brushing his teeth, and texting. Talk about multitasking.

  “Can I help you?” he didn’t look at me, pushed away from the computer, and went in the bathroom to finish brushing.

  I rolled my eyes, feigning boredom. “I’m going out with Stella and Carlos. Want to come?”

  “No.”

  “Fine, bye.” I whipped around to march out of his bedroom, but Mr. Personality wasn’t finished yet.

  “Where are you going?” he leaned against the bathroom doorway, arms crossed, blocking my way out.

  “Does it matter?” I wondered what his grouchy, and somewhat nosey behavior was for. If I caused it…it was probably nothing I could control. The mere fact of my existence must drive him insane.

  “Yeah, you’ve known Stella for thirty minutes.”

  I let out dramatic gasp. “Do I hear a hint of concern?”

  “You wish. I’m just doing what any stepbrother would do.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. He looked annoyed, and pissed, which was normal. I figured living with me was starting to make him dislike me even more than he already did. I wasn’t sure how much he didn’t like me in the first place. For all I knew, he could hate me with the blazing fire of a thousand suns—no matter what he told me to my face. He could wish I were being chased by a pack of hungry polar bears. Of course that is all a little far fetched. But then, so was him being concerned about where I was going.

  “That’s sweet, Zack. I don’t need you looking out for me.” I said, wondering what his motive was.

  “Uh-huh, sure babe.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “I want to know where you’re going.”

  “Why?”

  “Curiosity.”

  “Killed the cat.”

  “Come on Baker, just let me have it.”

  I told him about the airboat, mumbling the entire time so there was a chance he didn’t understand me. But that didn’t work. His enthusiasm for an invitation to go airboat riding through a swamp was a verging on giddy. Then I remembered he was a guy. There was a boat with a giant motor involved in this activity, and the potential to come face to face with carnivorous reptiles capable of drowning a cow. It was only natural for him to want to come.

  “I’ll meet you downstairs.” And I marched down those stairs with emphasis, hopefully showing him that I was just as pissed at him…for some reason.

  I don’t get it.

  Zack, mean and grouchy and glaring, called me babe!

  And to top it all off, he wants to know where I’m going, as if he is concerned.

  Like he actually gives a damn about what happens to me!

  Was I missing something here?

  In the living room I found Stella sitting on the couch and soon forgot about the grouch upstairs, mostly. She was cool, not judgmental or snippy like Lana. I’m not looking to replace my friend, but I’m glad I found someone to hang out with who was Lana’s opposite…and a little ditzy in an endearing way. It turns out Stella was experimenting with sunless tanner, until she turned orange. She tried covering it up with a different brand of tanner, ended up looking like an Oompa Loompa. So she was really embarrassed.

  “How long do we have till Carlos is ready to leave?” I asked, eyeing her blotchy skin.

  “An hour, maybe a little more.”

  I grinned. “Perfect.”

  So last year my mom did the spray tan thing and she turned orange too. A friend told her that a combination of warm water, sugar, and lemo
n juice would exfoliate her skin and get rid of the icky tan. I grabbed all the necessary ingredients from the kitchen and dragged Stella out into the backyard. She was wearing a bikini under her sundress, so her modesty wasn’t an issue.

  “I thought you were crazy when you suggested this, Chloe.” She scrubbed the concoction on her arms and legs. I took care of her back, and after a few minutes the orange tanner faded away.

  “I learned my lesson when I saw what my mom looked like.” I laughed, slathering it all over.

  “I can’t wait till Carlos sees. I’m going to act like nothing happened. Maybe he wont notice, or think he’s hallucinating.”

  Someone whistled and we glanced up to see Zack poke his head out the backdoor.

  “Do I even want to know what you girls are doing?” he wandered over and sniffed the air. “I smell lemonade.”

  “I made a lemon exfoliating scrub to get rid of the tanner.” I said. Pleased with the way Stella’s skin looked. She was pale, more porcelain than I expected.

  Zack raised his eyebrows, grinning. “Aw, now you ruined my fun.”

  Stella giggled. “Must be a guy thing.”

  “I agree.” I grabbed the hose, aiming it at him. He ducked back inside. Since I lacked a target I sprayed Stella, careful of her hair, and couldn’t help but smile because of Zack’s antics. “He wasn’t being a pervert.”