Steamy Contention (SAMPLE)

Chapter 1

"Remind me again why I'm putting weed killer on my own front lawn" Axel whispers from the ground beside me.

"Because I helped you pour milk down Eden's window!" I whisper yell, trying to see inside the house. Is that Cole or Zane sitting on the armchair? The similarity between all three brothers in uncanny in good light, so I'm not overly surprised that it's difficult to distinguish who is who from their silhouette alone.

"But it's like pranking myself" Axel points out, interrupting my inner confusion Cole or Zane? He has a point! I really should have thought this shit through. Lying under the tree that sits on the boys' front lawn in the dark, watching the windows to make sure Cole and Zane aren't planning on leaving the house anytime soon, I have a terrible feeling that I haven't thought this through or prepared enough. "You're right, go in there and distract them!" I whisper the only solution I can think of in the heat of the moment.

"What are you going to do?" he whispers back.

We really wouldn't make good criminals... And in Axel's case that thought is particularly true, considering he is a policeman and it would be a total conflict of interest.

"I'm going to write on the lawn with this" I say, lifting up the weed killer, which is a pointless action, because he already knows my plan and helped me carry my weapon of choice...

He sighs, "Alright, but make sure you write 'Cole' so I don't feel so stupid". He says before getting up and pulling the hoodie off his head.

"Meet me back out here in ten!" I whisper order, ignoring his comment about feeling stupid, I mean who in their right mind would be dumb enough to help someone deface their own front lawn? Yeah, you guessed it, Axel would but that's only because he owes me big time.

He nods before running to the front door, where he promptly disappears inside. I watch on as he walks by what I know to be their lounge room window discretely nodding, letting me know I'm in the clear - or maybe he's nodding to his brothers.

Nevertheless, I run over to the front lawn and pull the lever pump up, to fill the nozzle. I makes a loud squeal as the metals pulls out, making me squat quickly and look around to make sure nobody heard - after a minute of not seeing or hearing anything, an indication that it is safe and I haven't been caught, I start spraying.

When I've finished I run back over to the tree and lay on my stomach to wait for Axel. Until three years ago, Axel and I never really had anything to do with one another. One night we both ended up at Jones', after Eden had put water in his fuel tank and Cole had put hair remover in my moisturiser (which wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't turned out to be allergic to the shit). From there a mutual agreement was formed, and ever since we've become really good, albeit really weird friends.

I scratch my arms absently as I stare at the front door waiting for Axel to come out, internally chanting 'come on, come on' in my head.

A whopping fifteen minutes of nervous scratching later, Axel saunters out.

"whad took you so long?" I hiss when he finally makes it to my side. I'm desperately scratching my leg, to get the weird, painful itch to go away.

"What's wrong with you?" he says not in a whisper like I expected and looking at me with wide eyes.

"Nuffing" I say, standing up, "why?"

I'm suddenly dragged across the yard to the front door and in the general direction the person I really don't want to see, "AKel!" I say desperately, trying to yank my arm free so I can be free to scratch with both hands at the same time. Did something bite me?