by L A Cotton
When I’d first met Macey Prince it didn’t take long to suss she was hardened, much like me. But over time, I’d come to realize she was fiercely protective of her family. Somehow, I’d been pulled into her most trusted circle.
We filed out of the restroom, and I heard her grumble, “Honestly, I don’t even know what you see in him.”
As I followed her down the hall back toward the party, a smile lifted the corner of my mouth. Because while she didn’t understand, I still remembered the day like it was yesterday.
The day I met the boy with eyes the color of the ocean and a smirk that made my heart flutter in my chest.
Chapter 4
The summer before junior year
Kiera
I RAN MY CLAMMY PALMS down my shorts as I hovered outside the diner watching kids come and go. They were all so happy and smiley: guys dressed in Hollister, and Hilfiger, and girls wearing Reformation dresses, and other high-end designers I couldn’t afford. Their shiny expensive cars were parked in the lot. Shit, I was so out of my league here I was beginning to wonder why I’d let Kyle talk me into coming. But he’d asked—no, begged—me to drop by his stepbrother’s leaving party. So here I was. Standing outside like a weirdo.
Just go inside already, I silently chided myself. It wasn’t like they didn’t already know me; I’d hung around here a few times, watching Kyle and his friends from a safe distance. It wasn’t any surprise he’d thought I was stalking him. But we were past that now. Kyle Stone and Kiera Lessinger, half-siblings separated for fifteen years and reunited in a strange turn of events that led me here.
Steeling myself, I pushed open to the door to The Shack and stepped inside. I spotted them instantly. “Kyle!” I heard his friends say as I wound my way through the tables and booths to them.
“What?” he said. “I’m just—”
“Do you always talk this much?” I said entering their group, “Or do you just love the sound of your own voice?”
His friends fell silent; their head’s whipping around to me. I was pretty sure I saw Kyle’s cousin Lo, the one with the wicked tattoo, gawk a little. I bit back the urge to laugh.
“Sis, nice of you to show.” He grinned like the joke was on me.
Fucker.
“What can I say, bro,” I drawled, internally wincing at being called sis. “I was missing your awesome.”
A guy I didn’t recognize slung his arm around my shoulder and I went rigid as he howled, “Oh my god, I fucking love this chick, and we haven’t even been formally introduced yet.”
Shirking him off, I shot him a killer stare and put some space between us. The guy blanched but then his mouth curved into full blown smirk. My stomach clenched in what could only be discomfort.
Right?
“Easy, goth girl, it’s all good. I’m a friend of the family.”
“Shit.” Kyle choked on his own breath. “Did he just call my sister—”
“Yes, yes he did,” Kyle’s girlfriend whispered but my head was reeling.
Goth girl?
He’d called me goth girl.
I didn’t know whether to be offended or flattered. I guess I did look out of place in my black cut-off shorts, black racerback tank top, black glossy hair, and my favorite worn Doc Martens.
His blue eyes sparkled as he watched me, and my stomach did that weird flip thing again.
Shit.
Scrambling for a comeback—and refusing to lose face in front of these people—I said, “I guess if we’re already on a nickname basis, it’s okay for me to call you tiny-dick?” My gaze dropped to his junk.
Big. Fat. Mistake.
He was wearing jeans that clung a little too closely to his legs... and other parts of his body. Jesus, Kiera, get a grip. Forcing my eyes to his, I cocked a brow. He went slack-jawed and I felt smug... for about a second. Then his expression morphed into a grin. “Fuck, I think I’m in love.”
What the actual—
“Whoa, whoa.” Kyle slipped between us, his posture tense. “That’s my sister, dude. My baby sister. She’s like fifteen.”
Heat simmered in my veins, but I didn’t know if it was Kyle making me sound like his kid sister or because the guy’s eyes were still trained right on me. He was hot—like really hot. At least six feet with broad shoulders and defined arm muscles, but not too ripped the way football players tended to be. I wondered if he played basketball with Kyle’s stepbrother Maverick since they were friends. His dark hair was buzzed close to his head, making his ocean-blue eyes stand out.
Suddenly aware Kyle was still glaring at him, I cut around my would-be protector, nudging him out of the way. “I’m almost sixteen, actually. And while your big brother routine is cute, I can handle myself.” I held the guy’s stare with my own, letting him know his blatant appraisal didn’t intimidate me. “Let me say this real slow so you can get it into your dumb jock brain. Not, nor will I ever be, interested.”
I didn’t date. And I most definitely one-hundred-percent didn’t date guys like him. He had player written all over his dangerously pretty face.
Tiny-dick went to speak, but Maverick slung his arm around his neck, dragging him away. “Okay, lover boy, you have a game to finish.”
“What?” I barked when I realized everyone—mainly Kyle—was still watching me.
“I think you and me need to have a little talk.” He jabbed his finger at me, narrowing his eyes in my direction.
“Kyle.” Laurie came up beside him and placed her hand on his arm. “Relax. Kiera is fine, right, Kiera?”
I offered her a saccharine sweet smile but couldn’t help but roll my eyes. They were completely overreacting. His friend wasn’t really interested in me. I mean he was older and gorgeous and could have any girl in the place. What could he possibly see in me? He was obviously just trying to push Kyle’s buttons—and apparently it had worked.
Kyle watched me, as if he was trying to figure me out. It unnerved me and before long, I’d matched his curious stare with my own. Eventually, and only when Laurie went up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against Kyle’s ear whispering something to him, did he back down.
Hating the tension lingering over us, I forced a smile and said, “Down, Toto. You look like you’re ready to tear him a new one. He was joking. I mean look at him and look at me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you.” The defensive edge in Kyle’s words surprised me. I mean we were related, yeah, but this—us—was still new. I didn’t expect him to be so... big brotherly. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel nice. Strange, but nice.
“I know nothing’s wrong with me,” I said with conviction. “But we’re not exactly compatible.” My gaze flicked over to where Maverick and the other guy were finishing their game of pool. Like nearly every guy in this place, he was completely out of my league. Ridiculously hot. Older. And filthy rich no doubt.
Kyle snapped his fingers and I slid my gaze back to his. “Enough! I can’t go there, it’s weird. You’re my sister and he’s... well, he’s someone we are not talking about anymore.” And then his brows knitted. “Did you just call me Toto?”
I shrugged fighting a smirk. But it soon slipped when he leaned over and ruffled my hair. “I guess that makes you Dorothy. Welcome to Oz.” He made a big deal of sweeping his hand around.
“Are you always this weird?” I asked fighting a smile.
“Takes one to know one.”
“My God,” Lo said to no one in particular. “There’s two of them.”
“Good luck with that.” Maverick joined us. Kyle still seemed tense, so I moved over to Lo, but my eyes had a mind of their own, scanning the diner for their friend. Even more surprising, I was disappointed when I couldn’t spot him.
“Chill,” Maverick said to Kyle who seemed to be looking for him as well. “He’s with Luke ordering more drinks.”
“Kyle is really pleased you came,” Lo said pulling my attention. We split away from the guys moving closer to a high table.
“I almost didn’t
.” I admitted.
“Well I’m glad you did.” She tucked her long brown hair behind one ear. “It’s been a tough few weeks for him.”
I scoffed at that, I couldn’t help it.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s cool,” I said staring out over the diner again, my eyes searching.
“His name is Trey.”
“Excuse me?” My head snapped around to her, my gaze wide.
“The guy they were so desperate to get away from you. He’s one of Maverick’s best friends.”
Trey.
I rolled the name around on my tongue. It suited him. And as stupid as it was, it made my stomach do a little flip again.
“It’s not my place to say this, but I was the new girl once so I’m going to say it anyway. Trey is a good guy, but he’s not exactly a saint, and Maverick and Kyle are—”
“Overprotective?”
She nodded glancing back to them. “Kyle will never be okay with you and Trey.”
“Whoa, there isn’t going to be a Trey and me,” I whisper-hissed. “I’m fifteen. They’re off to college. I’m not deluded.”
“Okay,” was all she said. But I didn’t like the glint in her eye, as if she knew some big secret I didn’t.
Unwilling to discuss Trey any longer, I inched back to Kyle. He and Maverick were still talking. “What’s all good?” I asked, picking up on the conversation.
Kyle stuttered, “I, hmm, the burgers.”
“The burgers?” I raised an eyebrow at his sudden inability to form a sentence. “You weren’t talking about burgers, were you?”
Maverick looked between us and then settled his hard gaze back on Kyle. “This is going to be interesting,” he said.
And for the second time that night, I felt like the only one not in on the secret.
TWO HOURS LATER, THE Shack was standing room only. Our group grew and grew until I found it impossible to keep up with the conveyor belt of new faces and introductions. At some point, Laurie and Kyle slipped away to an empty booth. I’d heard her say she was hungry, but Lo stuck to my side, making small talk and whispering in my ear, pointing out the who was who of Wicked Bay High.
After a little while I needed a break so when I saw Laurie leave the booth she and Kyle were sitting in, I approached him. “So, this is your life, huh?” I slid in beside him.
“Yup,” he let out a resigned sigh. “This is the dream.”
“I’m not sure this is me,” I said.
Kyle met my gaze and gave me a small smile. “Kiera, I want to get to know you and Mom. But there’s no pressure. Dad already spoke to the principal and there’s a place at Wicked Bay High waiting for you when the new semester starts.”
My stomach knotted with his words, what they meant. “Just like that? At the snap of your fingers?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in and honestly,”—he dragged a hand down his face—“I’m not even sure it’s a good idea. Wicked Bay is a different world. You know that. I know that. But you’re my family. My blood. And we wasted too much time already. If you’re happy at Rotunda High, then stay. We can still hang out.”
“Rotunda sucks, but then, I think you already know that.” I hadn’t known Kyle long, but I knew him enough to know he’d probably looked up Rotunda High as soon as he learned I went there.
“Think about it; that’s all I’m asking.”
“W- what if I don’t fit in?” I hated how weak I sounded. But he was right; this world—their world—was worlds away from mine. I’d wanted to slip out unnoticed more than once tonight, but I had forced myself to stay.
Kyle slung an arm around my shoulder and said, “Sis, you're half-Stone, you fit in. Trust me.” But that was just it. I wasn’t half-Stone. We shared the same DNA, yeah, but not the part that would count in a place like this.
“I want to say yes. I want to go to college and study to be a therapist, but this is...” my voice trailed off as I glanced out across the room. Maverick and his friends were still at the pool table. Lo was at the service counter talking and laughing with Kyle’s other sister, Summer, and her boyfriend, Nick.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“If it makes you feel any better, they already consider you family.”
“But they don’t even know me.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He gave a small shrug. “This time last year, we didn’t know Lo either.”
I eased out of his arm and turned to face him, surprised by that snippet of information. “You didn’t?”
“Not really. And now look at her.”
“The two of you seem close.” Like really close. They weren’t just cousins, they were best friends.
“We are. Because like I said, family.”
“Mom wants me to do it. She wants me to say yes.” She’d done nothing but hound me to make ‘the right choice’ since it was proposed. I was smart, and Wicked Bay High was a good school. A great school. Doors would open for me there. College doors. Doors I knew wouldn’t open if I stayed put at Rotunda High. And it wasn’t like I’d be leaving much behind. I had a handful of friends, countless enemies. In a place like Rotunda you didn’t enjoy high school, you survived.
“But it’s your choice, Kiera.”
“There you both are.” Laurie reappeared with a basket of fries in her hand.
“Babe, I’m right where you left me.” Kyle smirked.
“Oh, hush.” She shot him a bemused smile. “I’m so glad you came, Kiera.” Laurie shuffled into the booth and pushed the fries in the middle, taking one for herself. “Kyle told me you’re thinking about transferring to Wicked Bay?”
I gave a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe. It’s a big decision.”
“It’s not all bad. Some of us are even quite nice.” She winked at me and I fought a smile. Laurie was... well, she was like no one I’d ever met. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing yet, but she and my brother seemed to work.
Shit.
My brother.
That would take some getting used to.
“Hey, guys, what’s going on?” Lo and Summer came up to the booth glancing between the three of us.
“Kiera was just telling us she’s thinking about transferring to Wicked Bay when school starts.”
“She is?” Lo sounded surprised, but there was something about the way she watched me that made me wonder if she already knew about Kyle and Gentry’s offer to help with the transfer. Oh, who was I kidding? Of course she knew. They probably all did.
“That’s great. Isn’t that great, Summer?”
“Yeah,” Summer smiled. “We’d be in the same grade too.”
Crap, they were already talking like it was a done deal. I felt my heart pick up speed, the color drain from my face.
“Hey, guys,” Kyle came to my rescue, “let’s not scare her off before—”
“It’s okay.” I sat straighter, smoothing my black bangs out of my face. I was being ridiculous; these people had been nothing but accepting and nice to me. “I thought coming here would be awkward and horrible, and too much. But it’s turning out to be pretty perfect.” I smiled and this time it wasn't uncertain or conflicted. It was genuine. My gaze slid to Kyle who smiled right back before mouthing, “family,” and although a little part of me was screaming to get up and run far away from these people with their entitled lives and shiny happy futures, I didn’t. Because Kyle was right—he was family now. Even if I wanted to escape, something told me he wouldn’t let me run very far.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to go to the restroom.” Kyle’s eyes asked a silent question, but I answered anyway. “I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”
After getting directions from Lo, I headed for the restrooms. I didn’t really need to pee, I just needed five minutes to catch my breath, to adjust to my new reality.
“Crap, I’m so—” I clutched my nose as I rebounded off a wall of muscles. My eyes lifted slowly taking in the white tank top rippl
ing over taut muscle. Shoulders and arms tanned and defined. I swallowed. Hard. “Hmm, hi.”
“Hey.” Trey smiled down at me although it was more like a smirk. “Are you okay? You were in a rush.”
If my heart was galloping before, it was a runaway train now, crashing violently against my ribcage. “Kiera?” My name rolled off his lips like a gentle sigh as if he was tasting it.
Shit. I was screwed. So fucking screwed.
Get. A. Grip. I silently demanded of myself.
“Are you—”
“Fine.” I finally found my voice. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” His brow lifted a fraction, but I was too caught up in the inflection in his voice. In the words he wasn’t saying.
“I should...” My eyes flicked over his shoulder to the restroom’s door.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I guess I’d better move.” Only he didn’t. He ate up the space in the small hall tucked at the back of the diner. The air was thick, so thick I could barely breathe.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He leaned in closer. “You look a little flushed.”
“I—”
“Berrick?” A voice called out—Kyle’s voice. Fuck my life. “Get the hell over here so I can kick your ass at pool.”
My eyes went wide and I daren’t turn around for fear of being caught, which was crazy because we weren’t doing anything.
Were we?
“I guess I’d better go.” His gravelly voice washed over me. “I’ll see you around, goth girl.” Trey moved around me, but I didn’t miss the slight kick of his lips as he’d said the words.
I released a shaky breath.
He’s just a guy.
But as I slipped into the restroom, I knew I was lying to myself. Trey Berrick wasn’t just any guy. He was that guy. The guy your heart wanted, but your head knew was a bad idea.
A very bad idea.
Chapter 5
Present
Trey
WATCHING HER WALK AWAY from me felt wrong. So fucking wrong. I’d half-expected to get chewed out by Lo, again, but instead she’d just looked at me with the strangest expression and then disappeared after Kiera. I don’t know what was worst; Lo's silence, or the fact she looked at me like she knew the truth.
