You!

The Nerdy Deceiver

"Ok, so you will keep your ears open and find out when Luke will have a pool party again, and then you will invite me," Lucy said optimistically, her eyes shining with excitement.

I let out a bitter sigh. "What makes you think he will invite me?"

"You don't have to be invited, you live there remember," she said dramatically, as if living in this house was some sort of privilege.

Don't remind me. I don't intend to live there very long. I can't wait to be 18 and finish the last four months of school. Then I can return home, leaving this place and... well my mother. The thought of leaving her behind made me feel guilty, but I couldn't deny the relief that washed over me at the idea of escaping this suffocating environment.

"Leah, I'm serious now. You have to invite me," Lucy insisted for the hundredth time. I rolled my eyes.

"I will try, but don't get your hopes up," I replied, feeling the pressure. As I stood up, I noticed Luke walking towards his car. Panic set in. Was he really going to leave me here?

I quickly said goodbye to Lucy and ran after Luke.

As I hurried towards Luke's car, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest like a hyperactive kangaroo on Red Bull. My legs, normally sturdy and reliable, were now wobbling like a plate of Jell-O in an earthquake. I felt like I had just run a marathon, even though in reality, it was just a sprint across the beach.

Sweat dripped down my forehead, making me look like I had just taken a dip in a pool. And to top it all off, my hair was now sticking to my face like a clingy ex-boyfriend.

"Were you leaving without me?"

He turned around, a look of surprise on his face as if he had completely forgotten I was even there. "Oh, I forgot you are still here," he said nonchalantly, looking around to make sure no one saw him with the "nerd girl."

"Don't worry, no one saw. They're all too drunk to even notice, and you are drunk as well. Give me your keys," I said with determination, holding out my hand as if I were a superhero ready to save the day.

Luke looked at me with confusion, his eyebrows furrowing. It was as if he thought I had lost my mind.

"You must be on drugs, girl, 'cause I will never leave you to drive this car," he slurred, his words slurring together like a bad mixtape.

But I wasn't about to take no for an answer. I knew that if I wanted to see my 18th birthday, I had to take matters into my own hands. So I snatched the keys from Luke's hand and tossed them into the bushes.

"Looks like we're walking home, buddy," I said with a smirk.

As I stood there, arms crossed and a smirk on my face, I couldn't help but relish in the awkwardness that my stepbrother had just created. The room fell silent as his words echoed through the air, drawing the attention of everyone around us.

"Are you fucking crazy?" he yelled, his face turning a shade of red that matched the fiery rage in his eyes. I could practically feel the eyes of every person boring into us.

"Now look, everyone is going to ask what I'm doing with a... With..." he stammered, his voice trailing off as he searched for a way to describe me.

"A nerd like me?" I finished for him.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe. No one will know that you are my stepbrother," I muttered, trying to salvage the situation.

Shit! Shit shit. I told Lucy that he was my step-brother.

He glared at me, waiting for me to tell that I already blurted out he was my stepbrother, it was like he could see right through me. My face must have looked like a naughty little girl who had just been caught stealing candy from the cookie jar.

I tried to muster up a confident smile, but it quickly faltered under the weight of his gaze. I could practically feel the laser beams shooting out of his eyes, burning a hole right through my facade.

I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, desperately trying to think of something clever to say to diffuse the tension. But all that came out was a nervous giggle that sounded more like a chipmunk on helium than a coherent response.

I realized that facing Mr. Grumpy Pants was no laughing matter. His glare was like a force to be reckoned with, and I was about to find out just how powerful it really was.

"So you're telling me that you told no one?" he said with a disbelief tone.

I let out a nervous chuckle, trying to play it cool. "Pfft, no, I didn't. I'm a nerd remember? No one will want to have a conversation with me." I lied, feeling the guilt creeping up on me like a stealthy ninja.

As he raised an eyebrow in suspicion, I mentally kicked myself for not coming up with a better excuse. Why did I have to call myself a nerd?

I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead as I awaited his response, praying that he wouldn't see through my act.

"Go look for the keys," he demanded, his voice full of irritation. I nodded, relieved that he didn't continue the conversation about me blurting out that he was my stepbrother.

I was wandering through the woods like a lost puppy, searching for the car keys, trying to ignore the sounds of a car speeding away and girls giggling. And then, out of nowhere, I heard Luke's voice echoing through the trees, "So long, little sister!" Little sister? Did he just call me sister? After I lied to him that I hadn't told anyone, was he actually telling everyone that I was his stepsister? Oh, the bastard.

I trudged through the dense woods, branches slapping me in the face and thorns tearing at my clothes. I scanned the ground, and my frustration grew with each passing minute.

Finally, after what felt like hours of searching, I spotted something shiny glinting in the grass. Could it be? Yes, it was the keys! I let out a triumphant shout and rushed over to grab them, only to realize that they were not the car keys, but rather the keys to Luke's house.

"Dammit!" I cursed, kicking a nearby rock in frustration.

I flopped down on the hard pavement, feeling like I had just been hit by a freight train. And that freight train's name? Well, it was none other than the devilishly handsome monster himself, Luke!

With his seductive eyes, chiselled body, and muscles that could make any girl weak in the knees, it was clear that there was a dark side lurking beneath all that bad-boy charm.

I picked myself up from the pavement. Who leaves another person stranded like that? Luke, apparently.

With a huff, I started walking. My feet felt heavy with each step, weighed down by anger. How could he just leave me here like this?

I reached for my phone, hoping to call for help, only to be met with the dreaded black screen of death. Of course, my luck would have it that my phone would die at the most inconvenient time possible.

"Fantastic!" I muttered to myself, sarcasm dripping from my words like the raindrops that had just started falling from the sky. As if being abandoned at the beach wasn't bad enough, now I was getting soaked to the bone as I aimlessly wandered the unfamiliar streets.

I couldn't even call an Uber to get me back to the Anderson's villa. And without access to maps, I was basically a lost puppy in a storm. Just my luck.