Climbing out of the car, I straightened my miniskirt and sashayed across the grass to the drug dealer. “You Peter?” I cooed as I came to his side.
“Yup,” he replied, looking me up and down. “What do you want?”
“Got any E?” I whispered. “I’m low on cash but…”
His eyebrows shot up. “Want to trade?” He pulled a little packet of white pills from his pants pocket and shook them in the air.
“Yeah,” I nodded. I scored those easily in less than five minutes behind the barn. I didn’t care what I had to do to get them, I just needed to forget. Music pulsed through the muggy night and I danced. For a little while as the chemicals burned through my blood, I forgot. I forgot that Carter Travis was going to be my stepbrother. I forgot that I loved him. I forgot that I hated my life. I just danced. It was glorious.
Unfortunately, there’s always a low after the high. It’s inevitable. It works like the tides. It comes in big swells and it’s beautiful, then when it goes out, you’re left barren and dry. I was kind of like that the next morning when I woke up on the ground next to the fire that had gone out. Only a few kids were left, the most dedicated of us partiers.
“Get up!” a girl’s voice commanded me and I opened my eyes to see Katie Barrett nudging me with the toe of her sneaker.
“What?” I growled, rubbing my forehead.
“My parents will be home soon, and you guys need to go,” she insisted.
“Fine.” I sat up slowly and yawned. “Can someone give me a ride home?” My ride had bailed on me long ago, and now I was stuck outside Marysville, hungover, tired, and hungry.
“My brother will take you home,” Katie offered. “Are you okay? You partied really hard last night.” Her big blue eyes shone with concern.
Fuck her and her concern. “I’m fine. Party is my middle name,” I snapped, clambering up from the grass. I smoothed my hand down the front of my shirt and straightened my miniskirt. “I’m ready to get out of here, where’s your brother?”
“Carl is out by the truck. He said he’ll load everyone up and take you into town.” She clenched her hands together. “I gotta get y’all out of here. It wasn’t supposed to get this crazy last night. Only a few people!” She worried back and forth and I couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up from my throat.
“This was mild, Katie,” I laughed as I strolled to the truck. Popping open the door I crawled into the cab and buckled in. I closed the door and leaned my head against the window. The other stragglers slowly meandered over and they loaded into the back. Carl climbed in the driver’s seat and started the car. He never said a word to me the whole ride back to Marysville. He drove to the middle of town and stopped the truck.
“Everyone out.”
“Can’t you drive me home?” I yawned.
“No, I can’t. You guys put me and Katie in a tough position this morning. Go sleep it off, crackhead,” he snapped at me, his lip curling in derision.
“Fuck off,” I growled, opening the door and climbing out of the truck. I took off down the sidewalk, not bothering to thank him for the ride or anything. I had a couple miles to walk to home and it gave me some time to think. Thinking wasn’t exactly my favorite. When I thought, it gave feelings the chance to crawl back in my ear and whisper stupid shit.
Finally, I made it home and I managed to avoid my mother’s nagging; she was gone. I assumed she was at work. I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower, scrubbing my skin clean. Flashes of the night before flickered through my brain and I grimaced. I wasn’t sure of everything that had happened, but what I remembered was bad enough.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought against my tears. They won, and the saline mingled with the crappy city water beating down on my head. As the water ran cold, I shut it off and pulled back the shower curtain. My mother stood in the middle of the bathroom, her arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.
I screamed and tried to cover my breasts with my hands. “Fuck! You scared me!”
She threw a towel at me. “Where have you been?”
“I went to the mall with Britney and Jennifer…” I started and she shook her head.
“No, you didn’t. I know because I called their mother. They’re grounded. So where were you really?”
I wrapped the towel around myself and pushed my way past her out of the bathroom. “None of your business,” I snapped back at her as I hurried to my room.
She followed right behind me. “Brielle, it is my business. You’re fifteen. You’re a kid. You shouldn’t be out all hours of the night. Are you even being safe?”
I laughed as I finished drying myself off. “I’ve been on birth control since I was twelve, Mom.” I dropped the towel in the middle of the floor and turned to my dresser to find some underwear and a T-shirt. I pulled on a thong and a shirt that showed off my midriff.
Mom came closer and she brushed my wet hair back from my face. “What happened to my little girl?”
“She grew up.” I sighed.
“Have you been having sex since twelve?” she choked out, caressing my cheek.
“What? No. I’m really not discussing my sex life or lack thereof with you. It’s none of your business. Don’t worry, I won’t get pregnant like you did.” I threw the jab in there because I didn’t want her prying into my business anymore. I liked the way our lives worked. She had hers, I had mine.
“Bri, baby. I’m worried about you. Your dad said he could send you to a boarding school, maybe a change in scenery would be good for you…”
I jerked away and rolled my eyes. “Boarding school? Why, so you two can continue not being parents? Get out of my room. I want to sleep.” I climbed into bed and lay down on my pillows. Jerking my blankets up around my ears, I waited for her to leave.
She kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back. “I miss you,” she said softly, sniffling as she left the room, closing the door behind herself.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I squeezed my middle. “I miss me too,” I whispered.
***
Within weeks, we moved into Charlie and Carter’s house. Mom was happy, so I didn’t bitch, much. I had my own room, which was beside Carter’s. The old house they lived in wasn’t bad, it was a hell of a lot better than the shitty apartment we’d been living in, but it wasn’t what I’d grown up with.
Charlie surprised me by painting my bedroom pink before we moved in. It was a god awful, cotton candy pink, but secretly I loved it. Instead of being grateful, I grumbled, “What, am I five?”
Mom smacked my arm. “Stop it. I told him you liked pink. He’s trying to make the transition for you smooth. Now maybe you can get out of this hood rat phase and be a good girl again, yeah?” she asked hopefully, tucking a strand of my pale blonde hair behind my ear.
“Never know,” I replied, shrugging as I looked at my room. My old furniture didn’t fit in the tiny space, so they went to the thrift store and found me mismatching things; I had a small twin-sized bed that was white, an oak dresser that they promised to repaint for me, and a lime green side table. The coolest thing was a small wicker vanity we found for five bucks at a garage sale. It was pretty awesome. I wanted to spray paint it orange.
The room wasn’t bad, and once I fixed it up, it would be okay. I just hated that I shared a wall with Carter. I heard every noise he made at night. Teenage boys make a lot of noises, if you catch my drift.
I wondered if he thought of me. He barely spoke to me, and it hurt. I guess it was what I had wanted, but it still stung. So I decided to do anything I could to get his attention. That included slathering my skin with baby oil and sunbathing in a teensy tiny bikini every single day the rest of the summer. I set up my chair directly under his window, because I knew he watched me.
One day in July, he came down to see me. “Brielle?” he called softly.
I turned my head to look at him and a slow smile crossed my lips. “I wondered when you’d be out here.”
“What?” he looked c
onfused.
“I know you watch me.”
“Me? Watch you? You’re crazy,” he scoffed.
“Hey, while you’re down here, brother, do you think you could rub some oil on my back? I’m not getting a good tan.” I held up the bottle of oil and he paled as I shook it back and forth.
“Sure,” he choked out, taking the oil from me. He unscrewed the bottle, poured oil in his hand, then placed the bottle on the ground. He rubbed his hands together and I squeezed my eyes shut.
Carter Travis was going to touch me. His hands hit my hot skin and I shivered slightly, moaning, “Rub harder!” Things heated up pretty quickly and I knew I had to make it stop, so I cut him again. “I know you're in love with me, Carter.”
He froze, withdrawing his hands. “I am not.”
“I'm gonna be your sister...” I giggled.
“You’re not my sister!” he yelled, backing away from me.
I rolled over to my back and eyed him. “When our parents get married, I will be. I knew you had it bad for me, Carter, I just didn’t realize you were this pathetic.”
“Fuck you!” he yelled and I grinned.
“You’d love to. But sadly, you’ll never get to.” I waved him away, pretending the game was no longer fun for me. “You can go.”
He tore upstairs, and I soon followed. I wasn’t done with him yet. This was hilarious. I lolled against his door jamb, sucking on an orange lollipop I’d found in the kitchen and he soon came out of the bathroom, glaring at me in annoyance.
“Wow, nice room,” I giggled.
“Get out of my room.”
“Isn’t this where you want me?” I pouted, then walked further in and draped myself across his bed. “I hear you at night, you know. Do you always think about me when you...?” I paused as he didn’t answer and giggled. “You do, don’t you. Oh, poor Carter. A nice boy like you shouldn’t want a bad girl like me. I am a bad girl, you know. I could show you things that would blow your little...mind.”
“Get out.” he huffed and rolled his eyes.
“Carter, you need to get over me. I’ll never want you. Ever. In a million years. You’re a geek. I prefer older, more sophisticated men.” I crossed my legs and reclined on his bed.
“Right, like your charming boyfriend who did God knows what to you against a wall.”
Ouch, kitten has claws. “It was fun. But we’re over.”
“Whatever. Get out.” He was obviously over my bullshit games.
“I’m going to be someone, someday, Carter, and you better be nice to me,” I whispered.
“You’re never nice to me!”
I pouted slightly then smiled. “I know. But you still love me. Don’t you?”
“You’re a bitch,” he growled.
“I am. But I’m beautiful and sexy. You have loved me for years. It’s kinda cute how you actually think something will happen. If only you were older, and someone else…” I sighed, sat up and shrugged. “But you’re not. You’re Carter Travis. I’m Brielle Harper, and I’m totally out of your league.”
“Just leave me alone,” he snapped.
“I can’t. That would ruin all of my fun.” I hopped off his bed and darted toward him. Gripping his hips, I pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his neck and darted out of his room before I did anything else.
He left the house minutes later, the door slamming in his wake. I showered and curled up on my bed. Shit. I can’t control myself. Any attention was better than none at all.
***
I floated through most of my ninth grade year in a haze. Part of the haze was the constant supply of E that I scored from my new buddy Peter. My mother was marrying Carter’s dad, it would happen by summer, and I just didn’t want to think about it. So I didn’t.
“Bri, should you be taking them all the time?” Britney worried as I popped another pill to get me through the rest of the day.
“Shut up,” I snapped back, swallowing it down with a handful of water from the bathroom sink. “I’m fine, I can quit anytime I want to.” I fluffed my hair and applied my favorite bubblegum scented lip gloss.
“I’m worried about you,” she started again, touching my arm.
I shrugged her off. “Don’t worry about me, I’m just fine.” I smiled brightly. “See?”
“I see,” she said softly, shaking her head. “As long as you’re sure.”
I straightened my skirt and blew the mirror a kiss as I gathered my things to go to class. “I’m positive, babe.”
Whispers circled through the lunch room later that Carter Travis and Gabby Denver were going on a date later that night. It bothered me, and I wasn’t sure why. I should’ve been happy that he had found a girl like him to date. But it burned me up inside. I wanted to be his one and only but not at the same time.
“Find out what you can about this date,” I hissed to Jennifer, who pulled out her cell phone and went to work trying to dig up details. I took a bite of my licorice and chewed slowly as I watched him. I would just ruin his date…
“They’re having pizza tonight, apparently,” she whispered, showing me texts from girls in our class.
I pursed my lips. “Oh, really?”
“What are you gonna do?” Britney squealed in excitement.
“I’m gonna take him down a peg or two.”
They giggled and I focused in on my target. If Carter Travis thought he could move on from me, he was crazy.
Later that night, he showed up from the garage, where he’d been working for months now. I had to admit, he’d bulked up some over the summer and he didn’t look half bad in a tank top and low slung greasy pants. His hair was getting shaggy again and I wanted to mess it up. A knock came at the door not long after he walked in and he opened it. His best friend Kirby, this large, oversized leprechaun, stood on the step.
“What are you doing here?” he asked him, taking a long drink from his water bottle.
“Uh, hello, we have a date tonight,” Kirby sighed.
I snickered, “Going gay?” as I walked past him down the hallway.
“Buzz off, Barbie,” Kirby snapped. I flipped him off and he yelled, “You wish!” He turned to Carter. “You look like a grease monkey.”
“I am a grease monkey.” Carter laughed.
“Go get a shower. We are supposed to meet them at the pizza parlor in twenty minutes! It’ll take us fifteen to walk there.”
“Don’t worry,” Charlie interjected, “I’ll drive you boys. I’m glad you have a date, Carter.”
“Okay, let me get a shower.” He ran upstairs and I could hear the shower running while I stewed on the couch. It burned me up that he was going out with her. She was a nobody, and she freaking chewed the ends of her braids! Gross. What a loser! I decided then and there I would ruin the date. He came back downstairs a few minutes later and my mouth went dry. He looked…hot.
“Do I look okay?” he asked Kirby.
“You look like a loser,” I quipped, and Carter narrowed his eyes.
“Takes one to know one.”
“Ouch, you do bite,” I smirked, gripping my chest like he’d wounded me. I ran upstairs as fast as I could go, pulling my phone out of my pants as I ran. I dialed Peter’s number. “Hey Peter, baby, feel like giving me a ride into town?”
He happily agreed. After all, I was amazing and he knew it. I hurried to put on makeup and pull on my sexiest dress. It was one I’d stolen from a trendy store in the mall. I bunched it up so it looked like a shirt and pulled on jeans. They would be removed later. Jamming my heels into my bag, I pulled on my sneakers and made sure my makeup was right.
Running downstairs, I yelled, “Going out!” I didn’t wait for anyone to answer as I let myself out the door and darted down the driveway. Peter waited for me at the foot of the drive in his shitty old car. I jumped into the passenger seat and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, babe.” We weren’t dating, more like friends with benefits. He got a little bit, I got free rides everywhere and my favorite little white tablets.
“Where to, sweetheart?” he asked, putting the car into drive.
“The pizza parlor downtown,” I told him as I peeled my jeans down my legs and stuffed them in my bag.
He whistled softly. “Damn, you’re hot.”
“I know,” I laughed, slipping on my shoes. “This won’t take me long, then we can go wherever you want.”
“Sounds good, babe, I’ll wait out here for you.” He pulled into the parking lot and I could already see Carter and his friends at a booth. I opened the door of the car, climbed out, and adjusted my body in my dress. Strolling across the parking lot, I opened the front door of the parlor and smiled at the little bells jingling to make my appearance known. Different couples in booths fell silent as I sashayed toward my victim. They all watched me. I loved every second of it.
He looked up and his eyes went huge. Kirby turned and looked at me too. I slid up to their booth and murmured, “Hey there, baby brother.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“What are you doing here, Brielle?” he growled as I withdrew.
“Just stopping by to say hello. Hello.” I waved at everyone at the table.
“Hello,” Kirby said coldly. “Now leave.”
“Ooh, are you that nasty to your girlfriend?” I pouted. “Carter, are you here on a date with your little girlfriend?” Leaning across him, I held out her hand to Gabby.
“She’s not my girlfriend. Yet.” He paused, pushing me back. “This is Gabby.”
“Hi, Brielle,” Gabby smiled tightly. “We have geometry together.”
“That’s right!” I grinned. “You’re the girl who chews her braids. Wow, Carter, you aimed high, didn’t you?”
“Excuse me?” Mindy squealed, shooting up from her seat. Kirby grabbed her arm.
“That’s uncalled for, Brielle.” Carter groaned.
“What? I’m just shocked you got a girl to go out with you. I mean, you do know he’s in love with me, right, honey? And if you give him your cherry, he’ll be thinking about me the whole time,” I tossed my hair over my shoulder and smiled again.
He jumped up from the booth. “Excuse us.” He grabbed my elbow and jerked me out of the parlor. We ended up in the alleyway behind the restaurant. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?” he yelled at me.
Good Stepbrother (Love #2) Page 4