͏b͏r͏o͏k͏e͏n || ͏b͏i͏l͏l͏y ͏h͏a͏r͏g͏r͏o͏v͏e

S E V E N

I snort, quickly covering my mouth with my hand to hide my laughter. Mom shoots me a death glare.

Dad, oblivious as usual, motions to us. "Oh, my apologies! These are our children, Steve and Anastasia." He gives Steve a hard slap on the back that makes him wince.

Steve clears his throat and extends his hand to Neil. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hargrove."

Neil nods approvingly before turning to introduce his family. "Pleasure to meet you, son. This is my wife, Susan, my son Billy, and my daughter Maxine."

Dinner was awkward. That much was obvious from the moment they all sat down. Mom had spent hours preparing the sides, but Dad and Steve were in charge of the steaks. It was rare to see them working in sync, but tonight was special, given the new neighbors. Once the blessing was said, everyone began preparing their plates, though my appetite was barely there. I took my seat next to Billy, the last place I wanted to be, but I had no choice. I glanced at him, half expecting his usual smug stare, but for once, he wasn't looking at me.

"Ana, can you grab the condiments, please?" Dad asked from the head of the table.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded and hurried to the kitchen. When I came back and leaned over to place the condiments down, I nearly jumped out of my skin. A hand brushed up the back of my thigh, sending a jolt of heat and embarrassment coursing through me. I fumbled with the condiments, trying to compose myself.

Mom noticed. Of course, she did. "Excuse her, she's a little clumsy," she laughed, but her side glare pierced through me.

My face burned as I quickly sat back down, crossing my arms over my chest. I looked at Billy, who had the audacity to smirk, shoving steak into his mouth like nothing happened. That little pervert. I clenched my fists under the table, forcing myself to focus on my food instead of throttling him.

While the adults droned on with their conversation, the rest of us just ate in silence. Well, until Mom broke it by turning her attention to Max and Billy.

"What grade are you two in?" she asked with a bright, curious smile.

"I'm in eighth. Billy's a senior," Max replied, sounding bored.

Mom's eyes lit up even more. "Oh, you must have the same classes as Steve and Ana!"

Billy, ever the charmer, nodded. "Yes ma'am. I've got gym and math with Steve, and history, science, and art with Anastasia," he said, that fake kind tone grating on my nerves. Steve rolled his eyes, clearly over Billy's little act.

"In fact, as of today, Anastasia and I are project partners," Billy added, glancing at me.

I nearly choked on my food. How convenient for him to mention that in front of everyone. The smirk on his face said it all, and when I felt his hand squeeze my knee under the table, my heart dropped to— I don't know what. My eyes widen as I yank my gaze away from him.

"Well, if you guys need a place to do the project, you can always use our house," Dad chimes in, and I feel Billy nod beside me.

"Thank you, Mr. H," he replies with that same bright, charming smile. God, he's such a good actor.

"Oh, please, son. Call me David," Dad says warmly. I cringe a little and gently pry Billy's hand off my leg. He doesn't resist, but I can feel the smugness rolling off of him.

Before I can even settle into a moment of relief, Max's voice cuts through. "Wait, I'm confused. You're a senior?" She's looking right at me, like I'm some alien species.

"Yeah, I skipped three grades," I answer sarcastically, earning a wave of a fork from my mom.

"Don't lie," she warns. I shake my head in response, rolling my eyes.