Stepbrother Games

by Jessie Valentine

  “I… I couldn’t sleep?” I offer half-heartedly. What was I supposed to say? I fell asleep cuddling with my hot stepbrother? Somehow I didn’t think that would go over well.

  “Well, you need to leave, like, now if you’re going to make it on time to school. I have to leave now, so you had better get a move on.” She turns around, ready to leave me on the porch once again by myself. “Oh,” she calls over her shoulder, “and don’t think you aren’t cleaning up that huge mess you left in the kitchen when you get home.”

  Great.

  I jump up from the sofa and run as fast as I can up to my room. I put some deodorant on, run a brush through my hair, wash my face, and brush my teeth all at lightning speed. Then I run into my room and slip a bra on underneath my shirt and sweatshirt. I quickly replace my sweats with a pair of jeans, grab my keys and book bag, and jog to my car.

  I practically speed to school, glancing at the clock on my dash the whole time. How rude could Zane be? He had dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night, then not even bothered to wake me up before he left. Totally typical; as long as he was on time he could care less about anyone else.

  So annoying.

  It’s not until I pull into a parking spot and jog toward the school that I realize I’m still wearing Zane’s sweatshirt.

  ***

  “That’s Zane’s sweatshirt,” Emily announces as I swing my locker door shut. It’s right before our lunch and Emily’s waiting for me to exchange my morning books for the ones I need for my afternoon classes, like she does everyday.

  “No, it’s not,” I say, looking around to make sure no one is paying attention to her.

  “Yes, it is,” she tells me. “I remember because he used to wear it to Ben’s bonfires all the time.”

  I shrug. “Oh, I must have thrown it on by accident. I was in a rush this morning, I woke up late.”

  Emily raises her eyebrows at me, but drops it anyway. “I tried to call you back like ten times last night but you never picked up.”

  “Sorry,” I say, digging around in my locker for my chemistry book. “I just needed some time to myself, you know?”

  “Totally get it. I just hope you thought more about what I said. Those guys totally deserved to be messed with for a change.”

  “I’ve thought about it,” I say honestly. “I’m just not sure I can do it.”

  “Of course you can. Look what they are trying to do to you.”

  I bite my lip, not looking up at her. “Maybe Zane isn’t that bad, maybe he’s just caught up in a bad situation, and he’s going to realize it’s wrong soon, and call the whole thing off.”

  I finally find my book and stand up, slamming my locker door shut.

  “What fantasy world are you living in?” She asks, rolling her eyes. “And don’t you need your math book?” she adds, flipping her long hair over her shoulder and looking around the hall bored.

  I sigh and start to turn the dial to reopen my locker. What was wrong with me today? Zane gives me a little bit of attention and suddenly it was like I couldn’t even think straight. Ugh.

  “I’m just trying to think the best of people.”

  “He seems like he’s really going to come to his senses. NOT.”

  I turn around and follow her gaze. Zane’s standing on the other side of the hall with Troy and a few other kids I don’t recognize, he has his hand slung around the neck of some blonde girl. She’s about the size of a twig with huge boobs. She’s laughing at Zane like he’s the funniest guy she’s ever met. I feel my stomach drop. The sight of them together makes me feel sick.

  “He’s not going to change,” Emily says. “He doesn’t want to change. He has no reason to change, none of them do. They think what they do to people is okay, they think it’s funny.”

  The blonde laughs, pushing her boobs into Zane even more than she already was. I feel sick all over again and I realize that Emily’s right. Zane won’t change; he could care less about anyone but himself. What did I think? That just because we had spent the night making pancakes that I suddenly mattered to him? What a joke, here he was, less than six hours later, and he had already forgotten about it. Already busy with other girls. Girls who were his type, girls that were nothing like me.

  “I’ll do it,” I tell Emily, not breaking my gaze from Zane and his blonde bimbo.

  “You will?” I can hear the surprise in her voice, but I don’t care.

  “Yup,” I say. “I will.”

  Game on Zane Williams. Game on.

  **WANT MORE KAYLA AND ZANE? DON’T MISS THE NEXT INSTALMENT OF THEIR SECRET OBSESSION COMING SOON FROM JESSIE VALENTINE!**