"Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford."
-Cindy Crawford
GIANNA
Was I stupid enough to agree to be Caleb's girlfriend? I was kind of freaked out about the future. Dating a guy like him was like serving your heart up on a platter for him to devour.
One hand still on the wheel, he reached with his free one to hold my own. Brushing aside worries of an unknown future, I asked, "Where are we going?" It was pretty late and it'd be more than a little awkward going back to Jared's house.
"We're going to my mom's."
Not a better idea. "Won't she mind?"
"No, she's cool about most things as long as I'm not getting into trouble." He drove into the same parking garage from the last time we were here. Taking the keys out of the ignition, he said, "Wait there!" I sat in the car as ordered, watching in the side mirror as he came around to open my door for me. He smiled proudly as I stepped out of the car. "See, aren't I a good boyfriend already?"
In a condescending manner, I patted his cheek. "You still have a long way to go, master player."
He scowled at me and took my duffel from me after I grabbed it from the backseat. Throwing it over one shoulder and taking my hand, he locked the car door. "Come on. My mom is going to freak, me bringing a girl home. It's unheard of." His sneaky grin hinted at anticipation.
We walked the distance to the apartment building and waited for the elevator. Entering the place, all the lights were off with the glow of the city coming in through the blinds.
Halfway to Caleb's room, a bedroom door opened and a woman stepped out. "Caleb, sweetie, is that you?"
Sweetie?
"Yes, mom, it's me and Gianna."
His mom flipped a switch, turning on the hall light. She was a pretty older woman, in her late thirties with dark hair like Caleb. "Oh hi, that's right, Gianna, the stepsister. It's nice to meet you." Her eyes glanced down at where Caleb was still holding my hand before coming back to rest on my blushing face.
"You too," I responded awkwardly. It felt weird and scandalous to be spending the night at a boyfriend's house. Would she tell Scott?
"Wow, Caleb didn't tell me how beautiful you are," she complimented. My face grew warmer and I wanted to elbow him for forcing me into this embarrassing situation.
"Thank you," I mumbled, not having anything better to say.
"She's also very tired, so we'll just be going to bed now," Caleb cut in, making me want to murder him! It sounded so bad when he said it aloud.
"Okay then, goodnight, sweetie. Goodnight, Gianna." As she closed her door I knew I should tell her goodnight, but I couldn't get it out. She must've thought I was the biggest slut.
"Oh my god, Caleb!" I whispered harshly. "Did you have to say it like that? I can't believe your mom is okay with this. My mom would totally freak if you stayed the night in my room!"
Inside his room, he shut the door and locked it. "Who says I'm staying in here with you? Maybe I intend to sleep on the couch to protect my virtue."
"Oh please, I'm the virgin here. You're practically a gigolo. You lost your innocence a long time ago." I wonder how long ago that was.
He faked hurt. "You make me feel so dirty and used."
"You said it, not me." Mentally worn out from everything that'd happened I laid down on the bed thinking about the last time I was on here. Did Caleb really have a tattoo somewhere under those pants or had he been messing with me?
"I'm not the one in the hooker dress," he teased.
"It was for a good cause." What the heck did his mom think when she saw my racy dress? Probably that I was a slut! Mortified, I kicked off my heels and grabbed my bag. "I'm going to change in the bathroom. I think you and your mom have seen enough of this dress tonight."
"I really didn't mean it about the dress. Come back . . . please," he trailed off dramatically as I quietly padded down the hallway to the privacy of the bathroom.
I changed into very unsexy sweats and a tank top. For modesty's sake, I covered up more skin with my hoodie. When I returned to Caleb's room, he was already down to boxer briefs. Holy crap, a girl could get knocked up just looking at him. Switching off the lamp to give my hormones a rest, I got under the blanket, sensing him doing the same. He wrapped his arms around me and my head naturally rested on his chest.
"Is this where you try to get into my sweatpants?" I asked him, feeling nervous about sharing a bed with a guy.
He laughed softly. "There would be no trying involved. If I wanted in them, they'd already be on the floor."
"Oh, so now you don't want to have sex with me?"
He grabbed my hand and I was startled as he placed it on his crotch. "Believe me, I do. Just not with my mom in the other room."
I yanked my hand away. "You are such a pervert!"
"Thank you," he said. "Now, I'm going to sleep. I know I'm irresistible, but please try not to molest me again, Gianna."
Determined to block out the memory of the feel of him in my hand, I shifted position to lie on my side, facing away from him and his massive ego. "Whatever."
He pulled me into his arms again, spooning me from behind and laughing into my hair. "I'm sorry, princess."
"No you're not. Goodnight, Caleb," I said grumpily.
Not denying it, he whispered sweetly, "Goodnight, beautiful girlfriend."
That was the problem with players. They always had the charm to go with the good looks.
CALEB
Gianna's breathing slowed down as she fell asleep. It was so insane that I now had a girlfriend. Doomed from the start, she had me at get off me, asshole! Well, that and her hot body. If I had to have a girlfriend, only someone as awesome as Gianna would do. She wasn't only beautiful, but also cool and fun to be around. Even if she was mad at me half the time. Not that I didn't sometimes deserve it. Not that I'd ever admit to deserving it.
I'd never cuddled with a girl before without sex being involved and usually not even then. I liked holding Gianna in my arms. I liked knowing she was mine. Josh, Seth and Jared were suckers! I'd never felt protective of a female before, besides my mom, and this was the first female I'd been possessive of. This thing between us could go somewhere serious but I could also manage to keep it to having fun. We were too young to worry about forever.
The player in me was screaming for his freedom, but I couldn't stand to let her belong to anyone else. The only way to prevent that was for her to belong to me. The idea of not messing around with other girls was surprisingly acceptable. It helped to have the most beautiful girl in the world as my new playtime partner.
How would my dad and Julie take this? Probably not very well. My mom noticed us holding hands, but she didn't say anything about it. She was cool like that, but Gianna wasn't her daughter.
I was nervous about having sex with her. She wouldn't be my first virgin but I stayed away from virgins for a reason. Girls put a lot of importance on their first time and I didn't want the pressure of not fucking it up. I ached to have sex with her now, but I had to wait until she was ready. It also needed to be special for her.
Kissing her head through a silky cloud of hair, I let go of my worries and joined her in sleep.
When I woke up at eleven the next morning, Gianna was still asleep. I quietly got out of bed and went to the kitchen. My mom was in there at the stove. "Mom, why are you making breakfast?"
"For you and Gianna. Which reminds me, what exactly is going on between you two? I saw you holding hands last night and she slept in your room. I don't think stepbrothers and stepsisters normally do that."
"No, but boyfriends and girlfriends do."
"What? You have girlfriend?" My own mother was laughing at me! "Don't get me wrong, she's gorgeous, Caleb, but do you think it's the best idea to break your own stepsister's heart?"
"Why would you say that? Who says I'm going to hurt her?"
She looks at me seriously. "Caleb, you're my son and I love you, but I know how you are with girls. I'm just trying to be realistic here. Besides, how do you think her mother is going to feel about this?"
"Her mom is sort of intense when it comes to Gianna. She had her in high school and feels she missed out, so she wants everything in Gianna's life to be perfect, including Gianna herself. But I don't care what her mom says about it," I said defensively.
My mom twirled a spatula in the air. "Like it or not, Gianna is only sixteen years old. Her mom still has a lot of say in what she does or doesn't do."
"We aren't going to tell her or dad yet. When we do, they'll just have to get used to it."
"Well, I'm here for you two if you need me," she offered doubtfully.
"We appreciate that, Mrs. Morrison." a voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Gianna standing in the doorway. How long had she been there? Hopefully she didn't hear the part where my own mother called me a player.
"Morning, Gianna. Come sit down, I made you guys breakfast."
"Good morning." Gianna yawned and took a seat at the table. Her hair was all messed up from sleep, but she looked cute like that.
"What are you two going to do today?"
"I don't know, mom, whatever Gianna wants to do." My mother raised her eyebrows at my comment. Jeez, why was she so surprised? Was I usually that selfish?
Gianna bit her lip. "Cece and some of the guys were going to check out 16th Street and see if there anyone was up for a cypher. I thought maybe we could go."
"What's a cypher?" my mom asked, handing us both plates full of omelet and fried potatoes.
Gianna looked from me to my mom. "It's when a bunch of breakers get together and freestyle."
"Gianna's a b-girl," I told my mom in between bites of omelet.
"Oh, that sounds like fun! You two be safe today."
I could tell she liked Gianna, despite any doubts she had about me or Julie. She probably hoped having a girlfriend would keep me out of trouble. Little did she know, Gianna was more of a partner in crime.
Since my mom was using her bathroom, Gianna and I took turns getting ready in mine. My mom hugged us both as we left, which brought a smile to Gianna's face. Getting off the elevator, Gianna called Cece to find out what their plans were.
Those of the crew not busy or working were already there. I assumed Jared would be there, but didn't ask. It was funny that I stole Gianna right out from under him, almost literally. By this point, the dumbass had either figured it out and was pissed, or he was dumb enough to buy the protective stepbrother act and was going to suck up to me to get my permission to date my stepsister. After last night, he'd be asking to date my girlfriend. That was a big fat negative.
I paid for parking near the 16th Street Mall and we walked several blocks before finding the group. The outdoor mall was packed, with the MallRide shuttle buses transporting people up and down 16th Street. A crowd of mall-goers were already gathered around the street dancers. I recognized a few breakers from the crew.
When we circled around to where Cece and Jared stood, he gave me a weird look and asked Gianna, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"No," I told him, feeling that was clear enough.
He both looked and sounded annoyed as he said, "Caleb, I know you're her stepbrother and all, so I don't blame you for trying to protect her, but I've been her friend a lot longer than you've known her."
"I don't care how long you've known my girlfriend," I corrected him with a triumphant smile.
Jared's face fell and he looked to Gianna. "Is this true? Are you two together?"
"Uh, yeah," she said guiltily, staring at the ground.
"What are you thinking, Gigi? You can't date a guy like him. I asked Taye about him and do you know what he told me?" Jared's appalled face was overly dramatic.
"No, and I don't want to know!" She yelled, finally looking him in the eye.
"Fine, then I'll tell you this. I love you and I have for a long time. He doesn't love you and he never will. He'll get tired of you and throw you aside like he has to all the girls before you!" Jared's raised voice was drawing the attention of those around us. Poor Cece looked ready to cry.
And she said I wasn't romantic. Bitching a girl out while you declared your love for her was a fool's move. Gianna was stunned but I'd had enough of his crap. Taking Jared off guard, I pushed his chest, making him stumble backwards. "Fuck off, man! I don't care what you've heard. You don't even know me."
Jared didn't seem ready to back down. "I don't need to know you. All I need to know is she should be with me, but instead she's wasting her time with a loser like you. I've looked out for her the best I could for years and you just come along and decide to make her your next conquest."
"She means more than that to me," I argued through clenched teeth.
"Yeah, for how long?" Jared sneered. Obviously there was only one way to shut him up. I punched him in the face, drawing gasps from the girls. I heard Gianna call out my name, but he'd recovered quickly and punched me in the gut. From there it escalated and we went at it for a few minutes before some of the guys dragged us apart because some police officers are jogging down the street towards us.
We all got the hell out of there. Jared and I were both pretty roughed up, but I was pretty sure I'd won the fight.
Jackass.
Gianna and Cece were long gone.