Stepbrother Obsessed

by Devon Hartford

  “For sure,” Luke smiles.

  Everybody likes Luke.

  Luke turns to go, “Can I see you later?” he asks me hopefully.

  “Find me at lunch,” I smile as I walk into Trigonometry.

  Mr. Mendez closes the door behind me.

  Wow, I feel better already.

  Why did I break up with Luke again?

  oOoOoOo + O+O+O+O

  “I don’t know why you ever broke up with Luke,” Rox says while we stand at the sink in the girls’ bathroom during brunch. “He’s a good guy. You should totally get back together with him.”

  “Yeah,” I say absently, checking my hair in the mirror.

  Rox touches up her lip gloss.

  “Is that new lip gloss?” I ask.

  “Yeah. It’s Too Faced Glamour Gloss.” Rox looks great without lip gloss, but she looks even better with it.

  “It looks good on you,” I smile.

  “Thanks.”

  “What shade is that?” It’s a pale pink that goes perfect with her skin.

  “Barely Legal.”

  “That’s a color?” I snicker.

  “Yeah.” She reaches into her purse and holds up two tubes. “I also have First Time and Strip Tease. Wanna try one?”

  “Maybe later, when I drop out of high school to become a sex worker,” I quip.

  “When did you become such a prude?” she chuckles as she screws the brush applicator back into the bottle. “Anyway, I say you reconsider things with Luke. He’s a great guy.”

  Luke being great is a bit of a broken record. Even Rox likes Luke. Not like likes, but they got along great. The thing is, when I sat in Trig class listening to peppy Mr. Mendez go on and on about sines and cosines and right triangles, the only thing I could think about was Dante. You see, with Luke no longer around to elevate my mood, my mind drifted right back to Dante’s departure and how much I miss him after mere days.

  I never missed Luke, and that was after months.

  Sure, dating Luke again would make me feel better. For a while. But it wouldn’t fix things. When I ended things with him, I wasn’t distraught. I wasn’t mopey or depressed. I wasn’t much of anything. When Dante rode off on his motorcycle, it felt like the end of the world.

  Looking back, I don’t know if I ever really had any real feelings for Luke.

  Don’t they say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results? If Luke and I ended up dating again, I know what it would look like: meh. Our porridge wasn’t too hot, and it wasn’t too cold. It was just right. But who wants bland baby porridge when you can have hot and spicy man meat stew?

  “What?” Rox giggles.

  “Huh?”

  “The dreamy look on your face says yes to the idea of you getting back together with Luke. See? I’m such a good match maker. Here, try the Strip Tease lip gloss. That’ll pull Luke right back in.”

  I stare at the tube in her hand. I can’t do it. I can’t lead Luke on. “No, I’m good.”

  Even if Dante never comes back, I have to listen to my heart.

  Chapter 8

  My heart doesn’t know what to think.

  “This feels good, doesn’t it?” Luke asks suggestively.

  We’re all alone.

  “Yeah,” I mutter nervously.

  “Kind of like old times.”

  “Uh huh.” I feel really weird right now, like this is way too much intimacy way too soon.

  We’re sitting on the sidewalk in front of the school with our feet in the street. The two sack lunches Luke bought for us from the cafeteria rest on the concrete between us. Luke suggested we eat lunch out here because the senior lawn was too raucous. Normally, he would’ve wanted to hang where all the action was so he could say hey to old friends and re-establish the connections that had dwindled over summer break. Not today. Today he’s all about focusing on me.

  “You look totally hot today¸” Luke says casually after taking a swallow from his bottle of juice. “Did you get sexier over the summer, Albright?”

  “Studying for the SATs will do that to you,” I joke.

  “Want a chip?” He offers me his open bag of Sun Chips.

  “Okay.” I reach into the bag and feel totally guilty taking food from Luke. Sure it’s just food, but it’s like I’m betraying Dante, which is stupid because Dante is gone. The safe assumption is that Dante is never coming back. Nobody knows where he is. I should let him go. But I can’t. What if he does come back? What if—

  I jam the chip into my mouth, crunching it, hoping the noise in my head will drown out my crazy thoughts.

  “I think I figured it out,” Luke says thoughtfully, staring off at the row of houses across the street from of our school.

  “Figured what out?”

  “Why a hottie like you dumped me.”

  I ignore his use of the word “hottie”. Luke was always complimentary when we were together. I like that he still is, but I’m not sure if I want him knowing that. I don’t want to encourage him. “I didn’t dump you,” I smile. “It was a break up. Not a dumping.”

  “Either way, you ended it.”

  “Yeah. Sorry.” I’m not sure why I’m apologizing, but I feel like I should.

  “No worries. I know why you did it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I was too busy for you. I mean, you told me I was too busy. I never listened. Sure, I heard you. But I never took it in. It’s like, I don’t know, I think maybe I was afraid to have feelings for you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” he nods, gazing into my eyes. “I think I was afraid if I liked you too much, if you knew how into you I was, you’d dump me.”

  “See how well that turned out?” I snicker. I’m trying to cover up my feelings because everything Luke is saying is having an unexpected effect on me. I always thought he was too cool for school. I didn’t realize he could be so sensitive. It’s kind of a turn on.

  “What can I say? Guys can be dumb. Eat a chip.” He pulls one out of the bag and points it at my mouth.

  I frown and wrinkle my nose.

  “Eat it,” he grins. “You know you love Sun Chips.”

  I do. I open my lips and he slips it in. I crunch and smile.

  Luke smiles happily too. He really fills out his Daft Punk shirt quite nicely. I don’t remember his shoulders being so broad. Did he spend the summer working out?

  A black blade of hair shields one of his brown eyes, which look amber in the bright So Cal sunlight. I reach up and push the blade aside. Luke has really nice eyes.

  So does Dante.

  What am I doing?

  I bury my hands in my lap. I can’t let myself have feelings for Luke.

  “I thought about you all summer,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “The more I thought about you, the more I felt like I’d blown it big time. My dad told me sometimes you gotta take a risk on love. If you don’t go all in, you never win the jackpot. Know what I mean?”

  Am I his jackpot? I never felt like his jackpot before, as weird as it sounds. A moment later, I realize that our knees are touching. When did that happen?

  “I never went all in with you, Skye. I should’ve put all my money on you. But I didn’t.” He rests his hand on my knee. “What am I saying?” he chuckles to himself and swallows nervously. “This isn’t about money. I’m just saying that because I’m afraid to say what I want to say. What I need to say…” he drifts off and stares at the pavement beneath his feet.

  “What, Luke?” Am I having feelings for Luke? No, I can’t be. That’s why I ended it. Lack of feelings. There can’t be feelings now, can there?

  Somehow, his fingers find mine, crawling into my lap like a sneaky spider. Not the scary kind of spider. The love kind, if there is such a thing.

  “I need to put my heart on the table, Skye.”

  My own heart flutters, frightened to life by the love spider in my lap. I squeeze his hand.

  He squeezes
back, “No more hiding my feelings. Skye, I never told you this before, but I really, really—”

  BROOOOWWWWWLLLL!!!

  A dusty motorcycle roars up right in front of us, skidding to a stop.

  “Dante!” I blurt, jumping to my feet, flicking away the love spider that had been attacking my hand a second ago.

  oOoOoOo + O+O+O+O

  Dante vaults off his motorcycle like he’s about to attack Luke.

  “Dante, don’t!” I blurt, jumping between them.

  Luke is already on his feet, standing his ground. I don’t think Luke has been in a fight since grade school, but he doesn’t look scared. “Do you know this guy, Skye?”

  “Yes. He’s uh, he’s… um,” I don’t want to say he’s my stepbrother. “He’s my math tutor.”

  Dante already has his helmet off. He smirks at me.

  “Math tutor?” Luke snorts, not buying it.

  “Yeah,” Dante grunts. The sharp edge of confrontation sizzles in his tone, “Do I look like I don’t know math?”

  Luke laughs, “I don’t look like I know shit about math either, but I’m taking AP Calculus this year. Luke Nash.” He extends his hand. “Nice to meet you.” That’s Luke. Always making friends.

  Dante’s face softens slightly, but he still looks suspicious. “Dante Lord.”

  They shake like men. There’s a moment where they test the strength of each other’s grip.

  “Why don’t you guys arm wrestle,” I say sarcastically.

  Luke chuckles, “We’re good.” He glances at Dante. They’re still shaking hands aggressively. “Are we good?”

  “Yeah,” Dante says, releasing Luke’s hand.

  “Math tutor, huh?” Luke smiles. “I used to help Skye with math. Back in the day.”

  “Which day was that?” Dante asks pointedly.

  “Oh,” he laughs. “Last school year. When we were dating.” He emphasizes the word “dating” ever so NOT subtly. Luke is smart. I’m sure he senses Dante’s interest. If that’s what it is.

  I hope that’s what it is. I’d love for Dante to explain himself this instant, but I’m not about to have a heart to heart with Dante while Luke is listening.

  “You guys used to date?” Dante marvels like it’s an impossibility.

  “Yeah,” I smile. I don’t want to give Luke any ideas by siding with Dante. I want it to look like Dante is merely my math tutor. And… I wouldn’t mind making Dante a teeny bit jealous. Just a teeny bit.

  Dante’s face wiggles between irritated and friendly. It’s kind of funny to watch. “That’s great,” he semi-scowls.

  These two are politely fighting over me. Pardon me if I don’t step in and put a stop to it. It’s not like either of them is going to get hurt. So I’m going to enjoy it for a moment.

  “You don’t go to school around here, do you?” Luke asks Dante.

  “Nope.”

  “Are you in college? You look a little old to be hanging around a high school,” Luke quips. Jab, jab, jab.

  “Part of the job.” Dante grimaces.

  “Do you tutor other kids here at North Valley?”

  “Sure.”

  “How’s the pay?”

  “By check.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Luke snickers. “I meant—”

  “I know what you meant,” Dante grunts.

  “Okaaaay,” Luke says dismissively.

  “Skye,” Dante says, “can I talk to you for a second? It’s about our next tutoring session.”

  “Uh, yeah, sure,” I smile. “Luke? Do you mind if I talk to Dante for a minute?”

  “Yeah, go ahead,” Luke grins.

  “Alone?”

  “Oh, okay.” Luke picks up both lunch sacks from the sidewalk possessively. “Do you want any more chips?” He holds up the bag. “I’m not going to eat them all.”

  “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

  “I’ll eat ‘em.” Dante leans past me and snatches the bag from Luke. Then he pops one in his mouth and crunches dramatically in Luke’s face.

  “Sure, man.” Luke’s smile flutters on his face as he tries to hide his irritation.

  I think the chip bag is a metaphor for me, and Dante just took it, a.k.a me.

  “You want my apple too?” Luke asks with irritation.

  “Yeah.” Dante holds out his hand expectantly.

  Luke stares at it. “I changed my mind. I’m still hungry.” CRUNCH!! He takes a big bite and chews in Dante’s face.

  Now I’m the chips and the apple. There’s a Garden of Eden metaphor in there somewhere. Because of the apple. But my name’s not Eve, and there was only one Adam. Although Dante did write The Inferno, so maybe that makes him the devil in this scenario.

  Dante shoves four more chips in his mouth and bites them all at once.

  I repress a grin.

  Men.

  I turn to Luke. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he mumbles over his mouthful of apple, standing in place. Tiny drops of apple juice jump from his lips.

  “Bye?” I say suggestively.

  “Bye.” Luke backs up slowly, taking another big bite of his apple. I guess once Eve gave Adam that apple, he ate the whole thing. Then bad stuff happened and everyone got kicked out of the garden. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

  When Luke is gone, Dante is swallowing the last of his chips. “Good chips,” he says.

  To say that I’m thrilled to see him doesn’t do my feelings justice. I’m ready to jump into his arms, wrap my legs around him, and kiss every inch of his face. The only thing stopping me is the random students coming back to campus as lunch winds down. I’m sure if we started making out right here in front of the main entrance, word would spread around campus like wildfire before the start of fifth period. It can wait. “What are you doing here, Dante? I thought you’d left town or something.”

  “Thought about it,” he grins. “But I couldn’t do it.”

  “No? Why not?” I’m twirling from side to side like a giddy girl, my hands planted on my hips.

  He chuckles and his dimples pop out as his luscious lips spread over his pristine teeth. A spray of stubble covers his jaw. His blond locks drift over his well-tanned brow. Emerald specks glint in his eyes, catching sunlight. He is so handsome it’s ridic.

  “Well?” I grin, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.

  “I couldn’t leave you, Skye.”

  My heart melts all over the sun kissed sidewalk. I laugh. In a good way. “You couldn’t?”

  He shakes his head, at a loss for words. His bashful mood elevates his gorgeousness to godlike levels.

  “How did you find me?”

  “You told me you went here,” Dante smiles.

  “I did?”

  “When you were talking about Brittany and Ashley and your other chums.”

  “Chums?” I laugh. It feels so good to laugh. I haven’t had a good laugh since Dante disappeared. “Who says ‘chums’?”

  “Me.”

  “That’s so dorky,” I giggle. His dorkiness only makes him that much hotter. I’m dying here. I want to jump him. I need to jump him. I glance around. More students migrate back onto campus as the warning bell rings. “Can we go someplace?”

  “Don’t you have class?”

  I shrug. “Yeah. I can be late. This’ll just take a minute. I promise.”

  oOoOoOo + O+O+O+O

  “I could do this forever,” I sigh as Dante nibbles my neck.

  We’re leaning against a stuccoed wall behind the church down the street from North Valley High. Nobody is ever here during the week. Even though we’re outside, you can’t see us from the street because tall bushes hide us from view. The school burnouts often come back here to smoke pot, but none are here today.

  Somehow, making out with my 21 year old stepbrother behind a church is more of a turn on than if it was a random building. Are the nuns and priests watching our deviltry? I hope they’re enjoying the show. Maybe we’re giving th
em ideas. Cause you never know what those nuns and priests do when no one is watching. They’re never as innocent as they pretend.

  Dante’s hands squeeze my ass through my short shorts as his tongue thrusts into my mouth. I moan and lift one knee up and hook my heel around the back of his leg. Our naked lips grind together with hot wet passion. His hand slides inside the bottom of my shorts and he squeezes my butt cheek. “Are you wearing any panties?” he chuckles.

  “Wanna find out?” I giggle.

  “Damn, Skye, you are crazy. Shouldn’t you be getting back to class?”

  “This is more fun.” I bite my lower lip and lock eyes with him. I am so turned on right now I feel nuclear. The pent up emotions inside me, and all the grief and sadness from the past week, now transform into lusty desire. This is insane, I know. But I can’t help what I feel. I reach down between us and squeeze his hard cock through his jeans. It’s a guided missile ready for launch. Wow. It’s burning hot. I whisper into his ear. “Do you have a condom?”

  He squeezes his eyes shut hard, smiling his dimples and grimacing at the same time. “No.”

  I shrug, “It’s okay.”

  “What, are you on the pill?”

  “No. Just pull out.” I can’t believe I just said that, but I did. I can’t help it.

  “Fuck, Skye…”

  That’s exactly what I had in mind.

  “We can’t,” he sighs.

  I start unbuckling his belt.

  “What are you doing?” He chuckles, amused.

  “You know what I’m doing,” I purr. I was never this forward with Luke or any of the boys I’ve been with. But Dante does things to me. He literally drives me wild. I finish with the belt and it dangles open, the buckle tinkling softly. I unbutton his jeans and reach my hands inside, finding his heat.

  He moans when I stroke his shaft and run my cupped fingers over the head, grazing the tip with my palm. “It’s slick,” I say, thrilled to feel his pre-cum already. I push his jeans down to give my hand better access, until he’s all the way out.