3

“How is your new stepbrother?” Christina asked as soon as I answered the phone.

I could fully say that she was my only friend. Since transferring schools, she was the only one to ever say a word to me. While everyone seemed too up themselves and acted as if they were better than the rest. She was the only down to earth.

‘’It’s Aaron Boyd.’’

I heard muffled sounds on the other end.

‘’Come again?’’ She finally said.

‘’Aaron Boyd is my stepbrother.’’

‘’Should I know him?’’

‘’Remember I told you about a boy that used to bully me so badly I had to change schools? You know, the reason I came to Middleton High in the middle of the ninth grade?’’

‘’Holy cow!’’ She lets out. ‘’

‘’A cow is putting it lightly.’’

I began to tell her everything, minus for the dick staring contest in my bathroom. I was too embarrassed to share that piece of information. Even though I wanted to tell her so badly about his nipple and dick piercings.

‘’Damn, I can’t imagine being in your situation. If he was so horrible to you at your previous school, I can only imagine at home.’’

I sighed, wondering how things will be. We will be going to the same school starting on Monday. Maybe he would go back to bullying me, or I hope he didn’t. As much as I only had one friend, Middleton High had a strict policy against bullying.

“I’m not expecting much. We don’t talk, and we don’t have to. I just need to endure one year with dick bag and then it’s time for me to go to college.’’

‘’It can’t be that bad.’’ Christina said.

‘’We don’t talk at all. Mom cooked a hearty breakfast: eggs, bacon, pancake, waffles and the whole works. He took a box of cereal and a bottle of milk up to his room instead. He never even said good morning.’’

‘’Come on Mia, maybe he changed.’’

‘’Hmm, unless you mean change for the worse. He is an asshat, a douchebag and giant jerk. He used to bully me for no reason, and you should have seen the look he gave me. It was full of hate.’’

‘’Just a stick up the ass then.’’ Christina laughed.

‘You should really see his stick,’ I wanted to say. ‘That hard stick I can’t get out of my head.’

‘Fuck.’

“Maybe we can be friends. Who knows, we could just talk to him and understand where he is coming from?” Christina suggested.

‘’What is wrong with you? There is no talking to this guy.’’ I got up from around my desk and went to flip down on my bed.

But I knew the truth. Christina liked guys like him. She always had a crush on the bad boy, the dark, brooding type.

Now I knew that she would make excuses to come over, even though I doubted she would be his type and I doubted he would even give her a second glance.

I suddenly felt bad for that thought. I didn’t even know what Aaron’s type was.

‘’Can I come over? You know just to-‘’

‘’Stare and drool?’’ I cut her off with a laugh. ‘’Mom is still cooking, so unless you want to come over and help her cook.’’

‘’How come you never help your mother cook?’’

‘’You have seen me in the kitchen, remember the last time?’’

Christina laughed.

“I can’t believe this asshat is living with me now. His features have changed a lot, though. He is more handsome.’’

‘’At least he is a sight to look at.’’

I rolled my eyes. ‘’His nasty attitude over weights his good looks.’’

‘’He can’t be that bad, maybe it is just a front he puts up.’’ Christina said. ‘’He could be a nice guy, just give it a chance,’’

I didn’t know why she was taking his side so much.

‘’Listen, his good looks are the only thing he has going on for him. It might be something he could bank on if he loses the shitty attitude.’’

‘’Aaron sounds hot.’’

I moved the phone to my other ear before replying.

‘’Damn it, he is so fucking hot. The sexy, ignorant Aaron Boyd is in my house and is now my stepbrother.’’ I almost squealed, but I bit my lip to stop myself.

‘’See, that’s the spirit.’’

I laughed.

‘’How are you going to deal with this?’’ Christina asked.

‘’Apart from having to ignore his sexiness, I just have to kill him with kindness. If he still insists on being an ass, then I’ll just ignore him. But damn that body.’’ I groaned.

‘’Wait, you saw him naked?’’

Shit.

Luckily, I received a message from mom, saying dinner was ready.

‘’I have to go.’’

“Wait, I need details.’’

‘’See you at school,’’ I told her.

‘’Such a mood kill,’’ Christina said, then made a kissing sound.

I helped mom set the table. My stomach grumbled after the smell of the cooked meat scent emanating from the oven hit my nose. I wiped my mouth in case I was drooling.

Johnathan's voice came, and I stiffened. I was not ready to sit at a table with him or Aaron. That’s if Aaron even joins us, since all he did was stay locked up in his room.

‘’I can’t seem to get through to him,’’ Johnathan said, coming to kiss my mother on the side of her head.

‘’Mia, maybe you can get him down to have dinner with us.’’

“Why me? You two are the adults here. If not, then call the cops.”

‘’You two need to bond, besides. I am not his favorite person right now. His father got remarried and now he has to live with complete strangers. At least you two are the same age. Maybe you can find some common ground.’’

‘’But he used to bully me.’’

‘’Well, this is a great opportunity for you two to hash things out, become friends, well, brother and sister.’’ 

I shivered at those words.

‘’You two need to bond as well,’’ I told mom.

‘’Can you please just do this?’’ She asked.

I shrugged.

As I walked up the stairs, I paused because the thought of knocking on his door terrified me, and I didn’t know what I would be faced with if he even opened the door.

I knocked.

To my surprise, he opened it right away.

He blew vape smoke directly in my face, the sweet smell travels quickly up my nostrils. He took a hard drag and intentionally blew the smoke in my face again.

His voice was low when he spoke. “What?”

I tried to seem unaffected until an uncontrollable hacking cough broke out.

This was just ridiculous; I smoked my vape all the time, so why was I dying right now?

“Dinner is ready.”

I couldn’t help it. Even though he was a bastard, he was still handsome, and I allowed my eyes to run over his body.

He was wearing a tight, V-neck t-shirt, and my eyes drifted down to a tattoo on his right biceps that was in Chinese. It said ‘Unruly’. Aaron shifted and leaned on the door, causing his muscles to bulge.

I drank him in more, hating that he had this effect on me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’d rather have me for dinner.” He snickered. “And why are you winking at me?”

Shit. My eye twitched whenever I was nervous and made it look like I was winking.

“It’s just a twitch. Get over yourself.”

His expression turned angry. “Really? Should I? My looks are all I have going for me, right? So, I should capitalize on that.”

I stood there confused, not knowing what he was talking about.

He continued, “What’s the matter…too hot in here for you? Then, he said in a mocking tone, “So…fucking…hot.” He flashed a wicked smile.

Shit.