“Or, or—just give me the phone!”
“Is there a problem?” a librarian asks, having just turned a corner. She’s a middle aged woman with a frumpy blouse and slacks.
“Nope,” Brittany smiles victoriously. “I was just leaving.” She disappears around the corner.
The librarian glares at me and Dante with obvious irritation. “This is a library, you two,” she admonishes, “not a playground. I would expect better behavior from people your age. Please respect the library rules, or I will have to ask you both to leave.”
Is she done yet? “Yeah, okay fine,” I say hastily. “Let’s go, Dante.” I pull him by the arm.
When we turn the corner, Brittany is gone.
oOoOoOo + O+O+O+O
“If Brittany shares that photo, I’m screwed,” I say to Dante as we walk home from the library.
The suburban streets are empty but well lit by numerous orange streetlights. Dante carries my backpack over his shoulder. He offered to carry it when we stepped out of the library into the warm summer evening air. Such a gentleman. Sadly, what should be a romantic walk through my quiet neighborhood is fraught with anxiety.
He puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me snugly against him. “She wouldn’t do that, would she?”
“You don’t know the girls at my high school. They are catty jealous bitches. They will do anything to make someone else look bad. Just to make themselves look better.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re bitches! Don’t you know anything about high school social politics?!” I’m practically shrieking.
“Not really,” he sighs.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Sorry. I forgot you dropped out.”
“It’s cool.”
It may be cool, but he just let his arm fall from my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dante. Now I’m being the bitch. It’s just that I’m really worried about this. If Brittany shows Ashley and Monica, I can picture the three of them conniving and strategizing about how to best ruin my life by posting that photo at the most inopportune time.”
“Would they do that?”
“Yes they would.”
“Did you do something to piss them off or something?”
“No. I try to avoid them. I mean, I see them at parties and stuff, but it’s not like we’re close. I try to stay out of their way.”
“Then why would they dump on you like that?”
“That’s the thing. Those three will do anything in their power to remain at the top of the North Valley High School social ladder. They live to be on top. Part of staying on top is keep everyone else on the bottom. If they can make me look bad, they will. Maybe not right away, but when the time is right, I guarantee you, that photo of us is going to show up.”
“So what if it does?”
“Duh!” I bark. “We’re stepbrother and sister! The kids at school will have a field day with that!”
He smirks.
“It’s not funny! This could be the end of my life as I know it!”
“Now I know why I dropped out of high school. I’ve met nicer drug dealers.”
“Drug dealers? What do you know about drug dealers?”
“Long story.”
We turn the corner onto my street. My house is only a few driveways down at the end of the cul-de-sac. Now is not the time for Dante to go into his own sordid past, whatever it may be. I don’t want my dad accidentally overhearing and jumping to any more conclusions about Dante. The truth about him and me is already bad enough.
What was I thinking back in the library?
I was thinking that Dante is ridiculously hot. I wasn’t thinking that Brittany Price would document my indiscretions. Why me? Couldn’t she have picked someone else to torment? What was she doing snooping around at the library anyway? It doesn’t matter now.
Dante stops us when we reach our driveway.
Our.
I keep forgetting how weird this is. He’s going inside that house with me. He’s not dropping me off like any other guy would. We are going inside. What’s going to happen then? Will we continue what we started in that dark meeting room? With our parents sleeping just down the hall? Ew. I don’t want to think about the possibility of them finding out. Especially not after what Brittany did. There’s already too much evidence of our indiscretion floating around.
“We just have to make sure no one finds out you’re my stepsister,” Dante says.
“Easier said than done.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t go to your high school. Nobody is going to see us together.”
“Rox!” I blurt. “She already knows.”
“Would she spread word around?”
“What, that you’re my stepbrother?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know why she would. She’s not a gossip.”
“What about what we… you know, what we did?”
“I’m not a gossip either. I haven’t told her.”
Dante grins, “You haven’t told your best friend about me and you kissing? Don’t girls share that kind of information?”
“Not when she has a thing for you.”
“Oh, right.”
“What do you mean, ‘Oh, right’,” I mock.
“It was pretty obvious both of you were into me at Blazing Waters.”
I smack his stomach with the back of my hand, hurting my knuckles more than anything.
“Hey!” he chuckles.
“You don’t have to be so smug and cocky about it.”
“What? You know it’s true.”
“So?” I growl.
“Relax,” Dante says, holding both my arms gently. “I’m not into Rox or anybody else. I’m only into you, Skye.”
The front door opens and Dad comes striding out.
I jump back and Dante drops his arms to his sides.
“What’s up, Dad?” I ask nervously.
“Catarina forgot to bring in the mail.” Our mailbox is one of those communal mailbox things with 15 other boxes. It’s a few houses down from our driveway.
“Oh, okay,” I say, relieved. For a second I was sure he’d seen us looking inappropriately intimate.
Dad hovers next to us. “How was the library?”
“Great!” I lie. Translation: Please leave us alone, Dad.
“Did you get a lot of studying done?” Dad asks, ignoring my subtext.
“Skye is a fast learner,” Dante says.
I can’t decide if that’s an innuendo laden pun about what we did in the dark meeting room or not. Now would be a good time for Dad to leave.
“I know,” Dad says. Somehow, that comment makes this conversation even weirder.
I bite my lip and try not to think about Dante and orgasms while my dad stands two feet away. I suddenly picture a camera crew driving up in a big news van. The reporter jumps out, flanked by the camera guy. A bright light blares in our faces and the reporter stabs the mic in my dad’s face and says, “Sir, how does it feel knowing that your own daughter is sleeping with your sexy stepson?” Can you say awkward bomb?
Cringe.
Fortunately, the street is empty and the news vans are nowhere in sight.
Feeling guilty and skanky at the same time, which I think is referred to as “gunky”, I say to Dad, “Do you want me to get the mail for you? I can bring it inside.”
“Sure,” Dad smiles.
Thank goodness for small favors.
oOoOoOo + O+O+O+O
“Can you do me a favor?” I ask Rox over the phone. I’m lying on my narrow twin bed in my bedroom, still dressed. Dante is down in the kitchen talking to his mom.
“Sure,” Rox says in my ear.
“Can you not mention to anyone that Dante is my stepbrother?”
“Why not?”
“I ran into Brittany Price at the library tonight.”
“Oh? What were you doing at the library?” Her tone of voice has shifted from normal Rox to suspicious Rox.
“Dante was helping me with my SAT
math. Dad was being really annoying tonight. Actually, he was kind of a jerk to Dante.”
“Oh?”
“You should’ve seen him. Dad was giving Dante tons of grief for not graduating college and traveling the world instead.”
“What kind of grief?”
I do my best to recreate the showdown between Dad and Dante. I can’t do it justice, but Rox is clearly amused by the whole thing. Especially the thing about the hexayurts and grass huts and stuff.
“Damn,” she says. “It sounds like he shut your dad up.”
“Yeah,” I chuckle, “It was awesome. Anyway, Dante convinced my dad that it would save electricity if we studied at the library. Dante was ready to leave because Dad was being so rude, so it seemed like going to the library was best for everybody.” I’m trying to make it sound all innocent.
“And you guys just studied?” Rox asks pointedly.
Does she know? How can she know? Maybe our lifelong friendship and her knowing my moods has something to do with it. “Of course we just studied,” I say dismissively. “We were at the library. What else would we be doing?” Lies, lies, lies!!!
There’s a pregnant pause.
Is my nose growing? Because I seriously feel like Pinocchiette right now.
“Just checking,” Rox says.
I can’t help but think that if this was any other random situation, Rox would totally call me on my evasive behavior. She would accuse me of getting defensive and pry with a pick axe until she got to the truth. But sadly, I think she doesn’t want to actually entertain the idea that Dante and I did anything other than studying. She wants to keep believing that nothing happened.
If I told her what did happen, it would break her heart. I just know it.
I am a horrible person.
I am lying to my BFSF.
“Anyway—” I stop to rub my nose, which is suddenly itchy. I better not wake up tomorrow morning with a six foot long broomstick nose. “Anyway, please don’t say anything to anyone about Dante being my stepbrother. It’s bad enough Brittany and Ashley and Monica saw us at Blazing Waters with Dante. I mean, what would they say if they found out he was my stepbrother? Can you imagine the rumors?” Unfortunately, those three won’t have to do any imagining. Ashley totally saw me kissing Dante in the wave pool. Now they have photographic proof.
“I get it,” Rox says. “Those three rumor groomers would love to make you look bad any way they can. Them knowing you have a sexy stepbrother is begging for trouble. I won’t say anything.”
“Good,” I sigh, relieved. I feel like I’ve been half holding my breath this entire conversation. I can’t believe it went this smoothly.
“Besides,” Rox says, “it certainly wouldn’t look good for me if I start dating my best friend’s stepbrother, would it?”
“No,” I groan. “It wouldn’t.”
“I can totally see Ashely accusing us of having a threesome. We can’t have that, can we?”
I wince, “No, definitely not.”
“Good thing it’ll never happen,” she chuckles. Not for the reason she thinks. “Don’t worry, Skye. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks,” I say, relieved.
“Bee Tee Double U, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“Can you steal one of Dante’s shirts for me?”
“Whaaat?! Why?”
“So I can sleep with it.”
“Why would you want to do that?” I know exactly why, because I already thought of it.
“As a warm up. So his scent will seep into my brain while I sleep. Then I can dream about him all night tonight. Have my very own trashy sex dreams about Dante,” she purrs. “Like the Gaga song. Speaking of, I think I’ll go listen to it right now. Cue up the Sexxx Dreams!”
“I can’t do that, Rox.”
“Well, try.”
“Nokay.”
“Did you just so ‘nokay’?”
“Yeppers.”
“Bitch,” she laughs. “Fine. You don’t have to steal one of his shirts. But maybe you can borrow one for me? I’ll return it when he marries me.”
Oh, groan.
Chapter 6
I wonder if I can somehow manage to steal one of Dante’s shirts to put under my pillow. And speaking of sex dreams, I’m having some sex day dreams right now while looking at Dante. I sit on the queen sized bed in the guest bedroom, which is next door to my bedroom. “So, Dante, am I gonna be safe with you in the next room?” I joke.
“Only if you want to be safe,” Dante winks suggestively, a wicked glint in his eyes.
Catarina already made the bed while we were at the library. She showed Dante when we got back, almost like the made bed meant he had to spend the night, no matter how annoying Dad behaved. The door is wide open. My dad and Catarina are in the master bedroom getting ready for bed or chatting or who knows what. I know instinctively that if I was in this room with Dante with the door closed, Dad would somehow know. Whenever I’ve had boys over before, the rule has always been “doors open”.
Dante is squatting on the floor beside his backpack, removing the contents thoughtfully, setting everything on the carpet with great care. Two rolled up T-shirts, folded socks, a toiletry bag. Too bad he only has two T-shirts. He’ll totally notice if one goes missing. If Rox asks why I didn’t steal her one, I’ll blame his small wardrobe. He also pulls out a first aid kit. A tattered copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac. A journal with a knotted piece of twine holding it shut and a ragged pencil that looks sharpened by hand.
“Is your like, whole life inside your backpack?” I ask.
“Pretty much. Everything I need, anyway. And I don’t need much.”
“Wow. That’s so cool. I can’t imagine having so few possessions.”
“You get used to it. The next thing you know, you don’t miss anything you used to have.”
“Do you have a cell phone?”
“Not right now.”
“I can’t imagine not having one. I’d feel naked without the internet.”
He shakes his head, grinning. “That’s too bad.”
“Why?” I genuinely want to know.
“Come camping with me some time. We’ll leave your cell phone at home. Maybe drive up to Yosemite. That’s close to here. Spend a week in the woods. I promise you, by the fourth day, you’ll forget all about the internet.”
The idea of spending a week with Dante in the woods sounds totally romantic. “I could be into that.”
Dante pulls out a wrinkled map of Venezuela.
“Did you go to Venezuela recently?”
“Yeah. I was there in the spring.”
“Really?”
“Yup. I spent weeks camping in Canaima National Park with some friends. Have you ever heard of Angel Falls or Mount Roraima?”
“No.”
“Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall. It’s over 3,000 feet high. There’s nothing like it in the entire world. It’s majestic. Breath taking.” He has a far away look on his face. “The water from the falls is just clouds of mist by the time it reaches the bottom. On a sunny day, it’s rainbow after rainbow.”
“Wow, that sounds beautiful.”
“You’ve never seen anything like it.”
I’ve never seen anything like the look on Dante’s face right now. So dreamy. Literally. I can only imagine the sites he’s seen. “What’s that mountain thing you mentioned? Mount Roar-What’s-It?”
“Mount Roraima?”
“Yeah,” I giggle.
“It’s one of the oldest geological formations on the Earth. It’s a table-top mountain with—”
“What’s a table top mountain?”
He nods, looking up and away, remembering. “It’s like a huge flat chunk of rock thrusting up out of the middle of the jungle. The plateau on the top is 20 square miles of land surrounded by 1,300 foot sheer rock faces on every side. It’s like a time warp up there, like you’re back in the time of the dinosaurs or someth
ing, like the jungle floor lifted up a billion years ago, preserving an entirely different ecosystem than the newer one down below. The vegetation is ancient. The rocks are worn down into crazy shapes by a billion years of wind and rain erosion. There are natural pools of collected rain water everywhere because it rains all the time. Some of the pools are big enough to sit in. You can soak and stare off into the clouds for hours. It’s one of the most tranquil places on earth. So peaceful. The native Pemon people who live near the base of the mountain say that their gods live on top of the plateaus.”
“Did you see any gods?” I joke.
“No,” he grins, “but I can totally imagine them wanting to live there. It’s paradise. Spending the night up there sleeping under the stars is like being in the Garden of Eden or something. A gentle breeze blowing across your face, the clouds opening and closing to reveal twinkling stars.” He shakes his head and sighs. “When the weather is good, it’s literally perfect.”
“Wow, that sounds amazing. I think I’m jealous,” I giggle.
“You should go. You’ll never forget it.”
“Will you take me?” I joke.
“Yup.”
“Wait, are you serious?”
He nods.
Taking a trip with Dante to such a magical place sounds like a dream come true. I can’t imagine it happening to me. The only vacations I’ve ever been on involve resort hotels and theme parks. My dad isn’t into roughing it. But Dante makes it sound like roughing it and getting back to nature is the only way to travel. “When can we go?” I tease.
“Whenever you want.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yup.”
“I sort of have senior year to deal with. It starts in a few days. I’m gonna be busy with AP classes and studying for the SAT in October.”
“If you went to Mount Roraima, you’d forget all about AP classes and SATs and everything else. That place has a way of making you forget everything that doesn’t really matter. We should totally go. Just you and me. We should go when you graduate.”
Is he making long term plans with me? This sounds like the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. And I barely know the guy! We just met this morning! Sure, he’s my stepbrother, but I don’t know him. How did he manage to hypnotize me so quickly? It’s inexplicable.
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