Don't Kiss Your Brother's Sworn Enemy (Don't Kiss! Series Book 1)

by Elle Gonzales

"She really needs to get over herself," Kara says, her tone sounding annoyed, as she dips her fries in the ketchup before popping them into her mouth. "It's been, what, a week?"

  She's talking about Harper, who's still sitting at a different table, away from us. And by us, I mean me. It's not like she isn't talking to Kara and Marie. Her anger is only directed at me. The only reason she isn't sitting at this table is because I'm here.

  "Give or take," I mutter, pushing around the spaghetti on my plate with my fork.

  Jake's plan better work. I have no idea what Harper's reaction was when she saw the chocolates—I didn't stick around to find out—but I hope her conclusion led her to Kirby.

  Speaking of the latter—I have no idea what Jake is planning to do with him. He said I should leave everything to him. I'm not the least bit comforted by that.

  Then again, maybe I should be. Maybe putting my faith in him will be the right call. I mean, this is the guy who knows how to charm the heck out of every girl in school. So the odds of him knowing how to help another guy get a girl is pretty high.

  That is—if Kirby even wants help.

  I'm wishing like crazy that it's exactly the case.

  "You're annoyed with her now? I thought you sided with her in this whole thing." Marie twirls her long braid around her fingers and gives Kara a questioning look.

  "Yeah. A week ago. Now, she's just being a baby." Scowling, Kara points a finger at me. "You need to fix this. Like yesterday."

  I open my mouth to tell her that it's exactly what I'm doing, but can I really say what I'm up to? What if she and Marie go running to Harper after I divulge my plan?

  They're my friends and I trust them most days, but they're Harper's friends too. I can't wholly trust them with the truth.

  "I think I'll just give her space," I simply say.

  "Haven't you given her enough space?" Kara scoffs. "Now's the time to do something."

  "You think I haven't tried? I texted and called her, but she never answered. And whenever I try to talk to her, she pretends not to hear me then walks away." I cringe just remembering the embarrassment I endure when that happens.

  "That's odd." Marie frowns. "It's not like Harper to be pissed at you for too long. Or anyone for that matters. Since when did she start harboring grudges?"

  Kara snorts, shoveling a couple more fries in her mouth. "Isn't that the million dollar question?"

  Marie just shrugs, not knowing the answer.

  But I think I do. She's frustrated about her breakup with Kirby. Frustrated about the fact that she still wants him despite being done with him. But most about the fact that he seems to be moving on just fine.

  And she's taking out her frustration on me. Just because I stopped her attempt at using Jake to make Kirby jealous.

  She's putting the blame on me because it's convenient.

  Well, now that I've realized that I'm pissed.

  "You know what? Let her stay mad. I don't care anymore." I already apologized for telling Jake what she was really up to—and many times at that.

  I've done all I can to get her to talk to me. What more does she want from me?

  My eyes dart across the cafeteria where Jake is sitting with his friends. He has a huge smile on his face, looking so cute as he listens to whatever Ethan is saying.

  Hold up—looking "so cute?" Where on earth did that come from?

  Wrinkling my nose, I'm about to look away when his eyes catch mine. He just caught me staring at him. Again.

  His smile widens, and even from here I can see the mischievous glint in his eyes, telling me he's making his cocky assumptions again.

  But instead of scowling, I find myself rolling my eyes and suppressing a smile.

  The boy is growing on me. And I have no idea if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

  *******

  "So, you and Jake Wilson, huh?" Taylor gives me a playful nudge while I hand a kid his pair of bowling shoes.

  I'm stationed at the shoe rental counter, giving out shoes to bowlers, minding my own business when Taylor slid in behind the counter to join me.

  "What about me and Jake?" I make sure that my voice sounds as casual as possible.

  This girl is like a dog with a bone. If she "sniffs" something interesting, she won't stop until she gets to the bottom of it. Not that there's anything the least bit interesting happening between me and Jake.

  How did she even come to that conclusion?

  I decide to voice out that question.

  "Because you've been hanging around him plenty these days." She waggles her brows conspiratorially, nudging me a little with her elbow. "So, what's the score? You guys dating? Come on, tell me."

  "Ugh, stop that. We're not dating. We're not even close to dating. Seriously, where did you get that idea?"

  "Didn't I just tell you? I always see the two of you together. Your heads pressed together like you're in a bubble and separated from the rest of us."

  That's because we were busy cooking up a scheme. A scheme that I'm no longer interested in seeing through. I haven't told Jake about this new development though.

  He's probably going to be relieved. He no longer has to deal with me and my problems. There's no reason for us to hang around each other anymore.

  Now why does the thought make me feel a little...sad? It's probably nothing. It's just the growing-on-me thing, that's all.

  "Hello? Did you hear me?" Taylor snaps her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

  I scowl at her. "I did, okay? I just chose not to answer."

  But she's not convinced. With narrowed eyes, she folds her arms over her chest. "Looked to me like you were daydreaming."

  "Who's daydreaming?" Luna, who's approaching the counter, asks distractedly, her eyes focused on the clipboard folder in her arms.

  "Our friend here," Taylor responds, bumping my shoulder with hers. "She's daydreaming about her boyfriend."

  "Oh, you mean Jake?" Luna says without glancing up, making my eyes widen.

  Why is she thinking the same thing?

  Growling, I turn back to Taylor. "Did you tell her?"

  "Tell her what?"

  "About Jake!"

  "Why would I? She has eyes too, you know."

  My jaw practically drops on the floor. "Oh my God, is everyone at school making the same assumption?"

  How could I not know this? When did it start? Has Jake caught wind of if? If he had, why the heck didn't he tell me?

  "I'm going to kill him."

  "Kill who?"

  Ignoring Taylor, I step out of the counter and fish my phone from my pant pocket to text Jake.

  I don't care if he's busy right now. He better responds to me right away. I'm that pissed.

  Me: Do you know the rumor going on at school that we're together?!?

  It takes a full minute for him to respond. Oh, that? I heard one or two people mentioning that.

  So, he knows. The jerk.

  Why didn't you tell me? Did you at least correct them?!?

  Nah. I didn't think it was a big deal.

  "Not a big deal?" I huff, my nostrils flaring as I read his text. "I really am going to kill him."

  That's exactly what I tell him.

  Jake: Oh, lighten up, Mouse. They were just probably messing around or something. Don't take things too seriously. You're gonna get old real fast.

  I grit my teeth. Seriously, this guy.

  Me: I don't care. Tell them it's not true. And by the way, I'm letting you know that we're done playing Cupid for Harper and Kirby. But, um, thanks for helping me.

  Jake: You're welcome. But why?

  Me: I think we've done enough.

  Jake: You and Harper back to being besties now?

  Me: I just don't want to cause any more trouble to you than I already have.

  Jake: Now, why don't I believe that?

  Chewing my lip, I stare at his text for a long moment. I'm halfway through composing a response before thinking better of it. Then slide my phone back
into my pant pocket.

  I guess that's it. I won't be hearing from him anymore.

  Chapter 11

  "Honey, why don't I see Harper around anymore?"

  I stiffen at Mom's question, my thumb freezing over the TV remote.

  We're in the living room to watch a movie, our usual thing after having dinner. Cole's out with his friends, while Dad is holed up in the study to finish up the work he took home from the office.

  So it's just me and Mom in here at the moment. And now she's asking about Harper.

  I should've seen this coming. Mom is used to seeing Harper coming over at least a few times a week. Now it's been over a week and she hasn't seen my best friend yet. Of course, she'd ask.

  "She's been busy. You know, with school and cheerleading. Her schedule is pretty tight right now." I keep my face neutral to make sure that Mom won't see through the lie.

  What would I tell her anyway? That we're not in good terms right now? That would only lead to questions I'm not in the mood to answer.

  Maybe if Harper continues to be stubborn.

  Not that I still care about that.

  Jake still doesn't want to quit though. He's been pestering me ever since I told him we were done playing matchmaker.

  I had no idea he was actually enjoying it. What, is he bored out of his mind? Must be, considering how much he's blowing up my phone.

  As if on cue, my phone vibrates on the coffee table. Instead of reaching for it, I just scowl. That's probably, what, the twentieth text I got from him just in the last couple hours alone?

  "That's too bad, honey. Well, tell that girl I've missed her."

  I glance back at Mom and force a smile. "Sure, Mom. I'll tell her." Then in a slightly above whisper, I add, "Just as soon as we resume talking."

  As to when that'll happen, who knows? All I know is that I'm done exerting effort into it. I've already apologized more times than I can count. I recognized my fault and did something about it. What more do I need to do?

  The doorbell sounds just as I finished thinking that.

  "Were you expecting someone?" Mom asks, tearing her eyes from the TV to frown at me.

  "Um, no. I was actually about to ask you that." I rise from the couch and head for the door to check who the surprise visitor is.

  It's still a little early so it can be anyone. Maybe it's Cole. Maybe he forgot his key. It happened before.

  But when I get to the front door, I find out it's not my twin brother.

  "Jake?" I step out onto the porch, closing the door behind me. "What are you doing here?"

  And why does he look like he's on his way to a party or something? He's dressed in a red shirt and a pair of dark jeans, his sandy blond hair styled neatly.

  I can even catch a hint of aftershave mixed with his cologne. And it smells good. He smells good.

  He smirks at me, and for a moment I expect him to crack a joke about me ogling him. But instead, he says, "Did I wake you?"

  "Huh?" I blink at him. But then I remember. I'm in my pair of old Snoopy pajamas, and my hair is swiped up in a messy bun atop my head. Feeling self-conscious, I shoot him a defensive look. "I wasn't expecting any visitors. You could've texted or something."

  "And give you the chance to say no?"

  I open my mouth to argue, but let out a sigh instead. I mean, he's not wrong. I would probably tell him not to bother. That he shouldn't waste his time on the issue anymore.

  "Come on, get dressed. We're going to Knox's place."

  Knox's place? What are we even going to do there? I've been in his house a few times. The place is huge, and it has an Olympic size pool. His parents are kind of a big deal. They're Hollywood actors and their movies always hit the box office. As to why they chose to live in a small town instead of a swanky place like Beverly Hills, I have no idea.

  But, again, what are we going to do there? Wait, is Knox having a party? I've been to his parties—those are the only times I, and our classmates for that matter, ever step in there. Knox's parties are known to be crowd-drawers. West Grove High students—and sometimes even those from East Grove—love going there.

  Still, I ask, "Why?"

  "He's having a party in his house right now, and Harper and Kirby are there."

  "How did you know that they came?" I shake my head. "Never mind. I don't really care. I told you we're done with all that crap." I fold my arms over my chest and wrinkle my nose to show him how much I don't.

  To my annoyance, he pinches my cheeks. "Stop being cute and go get dressed. They're not going to stay there all night."

  I scowl at him. "Didn't you hear me?"

  "Loud and clear, Mouse. But I'm not letting you give up just like that."

  "You think you can order me around?"

  Jake rolls his eyes at that. "I'm not ordering you around. I'm not a jerk. I'm just saying that we should see the whole thing through. We've already come this far. Don't we at least owe ourselves that?"

  "What are you talking about? We've barely even started. All we did was sneak chocolates into Harper's locker. That's literally it."

  Unless he's done something I don't know about.

  "I've been talking to Kirby."

  Bingo.

  "So, what, you're besties now?" I say sarcastically.

  He gives me a look of frustration, as if to say will you let me finish first?

  I have to bite back a smile at that.

  "Bottomline is, he wants Harper back."

  "I already know that." Then I frown when a thought occurs to me. "Did he actually say that to you?"

  His lips twitch at the corners. "Oh, yeah."

  "Huh."

  I don't know if this changes anything, but I can't deny the fact that it has piqued my interest. Suddenly, I have the urge to go to the party. I'm not sure I'll do anything, but I'd like to watch things unfold.

  "So, what's it gonna be, Mouse?" He's waggling his brows at me, knowing I'm on the verge of saying yes.

  I roll my eyes and blow out a breath. "Fine. Give me ten minutes."

  Just as I told him, exactly ten minutes later, I'm telling my mom I'm leaving to go hang out with "Harper and the girls"—she doesn't check on me while I'm out so I'm confident she won't find out the lie—and stepping out of the house.

  Jake, who I instructed to wait where Mom couldn't see him, is already leaning against his car.

  The look suddenly reminds me of one of the typical scenes in a teen romantic movie where the lead guy waits for the lead girl by his car to take her out on a date.

  I don't know what came over me, but I mentally remind myself that this is not a date. We're going to a party, and we're going there for a reason. And it doesn't involve having fun—or romance. Not between us at least.

  Jake straightens up as I near him, his eyes sweeping over me, making me feel a little self-conscious. Just because we're not going to a party for fun doesn't mean I didn't want to dress up.

  I'm wearing a white cropped top that shows a bit of skin and a short floral skirt, topping the whole outfit with my comfy ballet flats and a small purse tucked under my arm. I let my hair down, but only because I made sure to put on a dollop of smoothing serum to tame it.

  I feel pretty. And if I'm to judge the look in Jake's eyes, I'll say he agrees with me.

  After a long moment of simply staring at me, he clears his throat. "You look great, Mouse."

  "Thanks," I say, blushing a little.

  He surprises me by opening the passenger door for me, giving me a wink before rounding to the driver side.

  Seriously, why does this feel like a date?

  The thought nags me the whole drive to Knox's house. I spend the short minutes telling myself it's not and I'm just simply imagining things.

  Maybe because I haven't been on a date in several months, and I'm feeling a little sad about it. But am I, really? I don't remember ever feeling envious of my friends' active dating lives. I've always been content with sporadic dating.

  So, why am I feeling
this way?

  "We're here," Jake announces, drawing me from my crazy thoughts.

  Not wanting to feel any weirder than I already do by letting him open my door, I quickly step out of the car.

  If Jake notices my silliness, he doesn't let on. He just motions for me to follow him as we walk up Knox's huge front lawn and to his equally huge front door.

  I can hear the music even though we're still outside, telling me it's even louder inside.

  Which is exactly the case when Jake pushes the double doors open and we step inside. The music that's pumping through the speakers is too loud for us to converse in our normal voices.

  So I need to yell what I have to say. "Please tell me you have a plan!" If I end up with a raspy voice tomorrow, I'll blame him.

  How are we even supposed to find Harper and Kirby in here anyway? Like I said, Knox's house is huge. And right now, it's pretty packed with people. Which always happens whenever the guy throws a party. It doesn't help that the lights are pretty dim too.

  Harper and Kirby can be anywhere and, for all we know, may as well be already making out with other people. What would we do then?

  Instead of answering me, Jake grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd. For a crazy moment, I assume he's taking me to dance, but he's just clearing the path for us until we reach the stairs.

  I realize what he's doing when we get to the top and he starts scoping the area below. He's looking for them through the crowd.

  With a sigh, I do the same.

  But the elevation does nothing for us. And it's not just because of the muted lights. The air is thick with smoke too.

  Still, I squint my eyes and do my best to find the two among the swaying bodies. It takes me ten minutes to realize it's practically impossible to find them.

  "I can't see them anywhere!" I yell at Jake, a little louder than I originally intended.

  "Thanks for breaking my eardrum!"

  I roll my eyes. "Come on." I grab his hand this time, then pull him downstairs, leading him to the pool area, hoping we'll finally find what we're looking for.

  Luckily, it doesn't take us long. In fact, we find them in an instant.

  Sitting on a lounge chair and making out with a girl on his lap is none other than Kirby Johnston. And the girl? Harper herself.