Living with the Millers

Chapter 26 - Hollywood Calling

Chapter 26 - Hollywood Calling

I woke up the next morning with a massive headache.  It was like a ten ton brick had landed on my skull and the pain was manifesting itself by a pounding in my temples.  I groaned and rolled over, grateful it was a Sunday and I didn't have to get up for school.  Judging by the light streaming in through the open window, it was already late morning.  I forced myself to get up and trudge on down to the kitchen, still in my sweatpants and tank top from sleeping.

Zoe was the only one in the kitchen when I arrived, sitting on one of the barstools and leaning against the island.  She had a bowl of cereal in front of her and was scrolling through her phone. "Hey Zo," I called, immediately pulling a water bottle from the fridge and chugging it.  I was parched.

"Oh hey," she said, setting down her phone. "Have fun at the festival last night?"  I had ended up finding Ry and Jeremy and forcing them to give me a ride back home.  I was still a little pissed at Ben and didn't think I could handle the car ride back home with him.

"Something like that," I laughed, shaking my head. "What about you?  Meet up with some school friends?"

"It was super fun," she gushed, eyes lighting up.  She was super excited. "Being here, it's so awesome.  Savanna and Jason gave me some money so I could even ride all the rides with Hannah and Rylie."  Hannah and Rylie were apparently her two new best friends.  They were in the same grade, and had practically everything in common.  I was happy she had found some friends, the last thing I wanted was for my sisters to be alone. "I saw you walking away with Ben, what's going on there?"

I choked on the water, actually spitting it across the room. "What?" I asked, still coughing and sputtering.  She burst out laughing, almost falling off of the stool she was perched on.  What the hell?  I didn't see any of my family members, but of course it was my luck someone had seen me.

Thankfully, before Zoe could ask any more questions, Ryder came into the room.  He smiled at me and slung an arm around my sisters shoulder, squeezing her tight. "I'm not interrupting girl talk, am I?"

"Nope," I replied quickly, clutching my water bottle and rushing to the backdoor.  The morning air felt nice on my skin as I took a deep breath, letting it out through my nose.  This thing with Ben was going to get me in trouble.  How did I explain it to my sisters?  Or to Savanna? 

When the backdoor creaked open I turned to see Ryder, a smug grin plastered across his face. "A little birdie told me I won our little bet."  I rolled my eyes, turning my back to him.  Honestly, I had forgotten about the bet.  Ryder had claimed by the end of my first month here I would like Ben.  Well, he wasn't wrong, but I couldn't admit that to him.

"It's been more than a month," I retorted, shrugging my shoulders. "Sorry buddy, you loose." In the back of my head, I was secretly hoping Ben hadn't told his brothers about our...Relationship.  It wasn't even a relationship, I just wasn't sure what else to call it at that point.

"Doesn't matter," he hook his head, smirking. That smirk was just like his brothers. It made my blood boil. "If I remember correctly, I said a month or so. There's no limit on that. Hand it over." He held out his hand teasingly, which I slapped away, laughing. "Seriously, though. What's going on there?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. So Ryder had noticed something going on. "Why? What did he say?" I stiffened, picking at my cuticles nervously. My nails were a hot mess. Biting and picking away was a bad habit I had always tried to fight, but was never successful.

"Nothing," he almost sounded disappointed I hadn't spilled my guts. "But I know my brother. I know when something is going on, and the two of you aren't necessarily being discreet. Even the way you look at each other is different, not to mention the way you speak to each other." It felt like there was a pot about to boil over in my stomach. Why didn't I want people to know about this? Why did it make me want to throw up?