Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 10

I didn't intend to be a teenage cliché when I woke up this morning, but that was exactly what happened. I stressed out over what to wear to dinner, trying on shorts and an old T-shirt and then a formal dress. I ended up landing somewhere in the middle with a pretty tank top and ripped jeans that I thought looked nice.

I ran to the bathroom next with all my supplies and put on a full face of makeup with reddish eye shadow and a lot of blush, before wiping it all off and just covering my blemishes with concealer and adding mascara.

Next, I curled my hair and brushed it out afterward so it would look loose and casual (I hoped). I tried pulling it up into a cute ponytail and then let it down again when I thought I looked like a founding father.

When I was done getting ready, I ran around my room, organizing things in a state of panic. My stomach was filled with butterflies as I hopped from spot to spot, fixing imperceptible flaws. Once I had cleaned my entire room, I ran downstairs to clean everywhere else too, although it was already spotless. Damon spotted me first and I tried not to hide or run away.

"Well look at you, little girl! You clean up nice." He said politely. I squinted my eyes at him, trying to find the hidden meaning.

"Why are you being nice?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm saving the intimidation until your boyfriend gets here," Damon said, flicking me on the forehead and walking upstairs.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I shouted over my shoulder as I picked up and replaced the pillows, so they looked plump.

"Tell it to someone who believes you!" He called back with a laugh.

Brooks walked into the room next, sitting on the couch and turning on the TV as I wiped dust from the DVD player.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, watching as he began shoveling cold pizza into his mouth. Crumbs spilled onto his dark jeans, and he brushed them off onto the floor.

"Eating. Relax." He answered, turning on a soccer game. He cheered as a goal was scored and stood up, sending more crumbs flying onto the ground. 

"Brooks!" I complained, diving down to pick them up. I looked up at him with ferocity and he couldn't help but let out a little laugh at my expression.

"Very scary," he mocked, before grabbing a pillow and chucking it at me. He turned back to the game and groaned as someone got a red card.

"I just fluffed those!" I roared, grabbing the pillow from the floor, and placing it perfectly once more.

"Oh no! What will he think about us if he sees a pillow out of place? He'll probably break up with you!" he called to my retreating figure as I went to the kitchen.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I said back, looking around for stuff to clean in the kitchen.

Caleb was sitting at the table, looking at his laptop. When he heard me come in, he glanced up and smiled, motioning for me to come and sit with him. 

I slid next to him and took a deep breath, looking at him pathetically.

"You're my only brother who's nice today," I told him, leaning onto his shoulder.

"I know. But that's always true." He said facetiously, giving me his kindest smile.

 "Why are they being awful?" I beseeched, thinking about all the work I was doing to make everything immaculate.

"Because you're all worked up, and they want to get a rise out of you." He said, pushing me off him and getting back to his work.

"That's mean of them!" I exclaimed, pouting.

"Oh, has nobody told you yet? Brothers can be kind of mean." He disclosed, patting me on the shoulder.

"I'm realizing that," I said, sitting up as I saw Dominic walk into the kitchen languidly.

"Don't mess anything up!" I said preemptively, pointing at him.

He ignored me, walking over, and checking out my outfit.

"You look nice. You must really like him." He said with a smirk.

"No..." I lied, unable to think of a better response.

 "No?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked directly into my eyes, making me squirm. He always knew when I was lying.

"Stop!" I whined, getting up and leaving the kitchen.

"Why are you acting like a baby?" Dominic asked with a laugh, following me into the dining room. I sat at the table and crossed my arms over my chest, trying to look angry. He sat beside me and tried not to smile.

"I'm not," I argued.

"You are. Are you scared?" he asked, making fun of me. He poked me in the side, making me jerk away.

"Of course not," I replied, but my voice broke, betraying me. The teasing stopped immediately, and his face became concerned.

"Why are you scared, baby?" he asked, scooting closer. I lifted my legs up onto my chair and wrapped my arms around them, attempting to understand my anxiousness.

"What if he hates me?" I asked, trying not to sound desperate. This was the first time I liked anyone, and I was about as messed up a human as they come. I was moody and distrusting and rude. Why on earth did he even want to date me?

"He won't hate you. He will adore you," Dom said patiently, giving me an encouraging look.

"Are you sure?" I implored, biting my lip, and looking down at my outfit which I was now 100% sure I needed to change.

"Stop overthinking this. If he likes you, you guys can get married. If he hates you, he's an idiot. You are kind and smart and loving and you give great hugs. What guy doesn't want great hugs?" he asked as if my fears were nonsense. He grabbed my knee with his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"Do I really give good hugs?" I asked, distracted as I'm sure he intended. I dropped my legs to the floor and smiled hesitantly.

"Yes. Even better than Caleb's." Dominic said loudly, smirking when Caleb shouted "hey!" from the other room. 

"Why are you guys being jerks?" I asked, knowing he would give me an honest answer.

He chortled and rolled his eyes back, thinking about it.

"Probably because we want to protect you, and we don't want you to change for some boy. So, we will humble you until you realize that Maya is amazing as she is." He said, standing up.

I followed his lead with wide eyes.

"Is that really why?" I asked, standing up straight and feeling more confident.

"No. We just like seeing you get all flustered." He said after thinking about it.

I slapped his arm and ran off to my room with an angry exhalation, ignoring his laughter behind me.

"Love you," he called out teasingly as I took off.

"You too," I responded in a clipped tone, beforegoing to hide until Asher arrived.