heya guys it feels like it's been forever. :o i've just gotten so caught up with other things that meh. no time to write!
anyway, this better be 6 pages long here on wattpad. haha.
enjoy you guys (:
oh i found the picture on the side and it reminded me of them. haah idek.
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I jumped back as if I had touched a hot iron. In one swoop, I picked up the crumpled bills and held them up in front of Jeff.
“We were, uhm, fighting for money,” I sputtered quickly, hoping he would buy it. My heart was thrashing in chest, and I didn’t know whether it was from almost kissing my step brother, or almost getting caught doing so.
Jeff, however, was in a worse state then when I had first left him and he probably wouldn’t remember anything the next morning, which I was so grateful for.
“Is your science done?” Jeff asked, leaning against the door for support.
“Math, dad. Math.”
“Same shit, different toilet,” he muttered, waving his hand. With that, Jeff left the room leaving me and Liam awkwardly staring at each other. There was a lot of space between us now and I looked downwards, thinking of something that might give me an excuse to get away or distract me.
Clearing my throat, I handed him the money.
“Uh, here. That’s yours. Now, I came here to help you with your math. So…”
“Yeah, over here,” Liam said quickly, grabbing an extra chair and placing it on the edge of the table. He sat down, not meeting my eye. It was obvious that neither of us were going to mention what had almost happened even though we were both dying to. Pulling my shirt down consciously, I sat down next to him.
Once my heart rate lowered I could finally focus on the math in front of me. Looking over his work, I realized he was making the same mistake each time which was why he was getting the wrong answer each time.
“You’re forgetting to carry the x over,” I told him, correcting his answer on one problem. “See?”
He looked over the paper and scrunched his forehead in confusion. Taking the pencil from my hand, I watched as he tried to figure out what I did that he didn’t.
“I don’t get it,” he finally said.
“Look,” I began, tilting the paper so I could so it a bit. He shifted closer to me and for the first time I noticed how good he really smelled. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what the smell was, but I was leaning towards some kind of Axe. As I thought of what cologne he used I got very distracted and suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be explaining the math to him.
“Sorry,” I said quickly, taking the pencil. I felt him look up at me with that trademark smirk of his. “Okay, so you subtracted the x from here, but then you forgot to add it to the other side. So then you ended up with a negative exponent, which pretty much gave you a fraction instead of a whole number. But all you need to do is just put the opposite of all of these fractions and you’ll be fine.”
Liam looked at the paper, and then up at me in wonder.
“How do you know all of that?” he breathed. “Aren’t you a sophomore?”
I shrugged modestly, setting the pencil down.
“I’m just good at math, so I take integrated math which is pretty much junior math. I help kids at lot with things like this, so it’s pretty easy for me to spot mistakes. Anyways, it’s a pretty easy concept, but you can forget to carry the x’s or simplify, and then it gets hard. I don’t blame you.”
He looked at me and smiled easily before picking up the pencil and quickly changing his answers. One he was done, he shook off the eraser markings and held it out for me. Checking it over quickly, I nodded.
“Yeah you got it. Do you have more?”
He smiled sheepishly as he pulled out an addition four sheets, setting them down on the table. I sighed and rubbed my head.
“It’s going to be a long night.”
- - - - -
A blinding light targeted my eyes and I tossed in bed, trying to avoid it. Then, I started to feel it burning my back. I tried every position possible, but they each got uncomfortable. Eventually, I gave up and got up, walking towards the bathroom. Before I left, I checked the clock and was surprised to learn that is was already noon.
Showering quickly, I decided to put on my bathing suit right away since I wanted to jump right into the lake. It was so hot inside the house, and I guessed that it would be even hotter outside.
Once I was out of the shower and my bathing suit was on, I pulled on my shorts and threw on a belly shirt that had Mickey Mouse on the front. Leaving my wet hair down, I stepped out of the bathroom and started to look for someone. The house was empty, and I couldn’t hear anyone. It actually scared me.
As I stepped into the kitchen, I found some pancakes and was surprised that they were still warm. Next to them stood a little card and I picked it up. Opening it, I found small handwriting that was barely legible and clearly a guy’s.
It went along the lines of –
Left you pancakes. They might be warm. Idk. Hope they’re good. Btw, watch out for eggshells!
Xoxo – liam & caleb :)
Rolling my eyes, I set the card down and eyed the pancakes suspiciously. I reached out for the fork and then drew my hand back. It would probably be better if I just made my own breakfast. On the other hand, I really wanted to get to the lake…
Whatever, I said to myself, cutting the pancake into smaller pieces. I stabbed a piece with my fork and raised it up to my nose. It smelled likes pancakes. With a deep breath, I stuck it in my mouth and chewed it through. To my surprise, it actually tasted good. And furthermore, there were no eggshell pieces anywhere.
Just as I finished the last piece, I heard the door swing open. Startled, I quickly grabbed my knife and leaned against the wall. I hadn’t really been expecting getting robbed in the middle of nowhere, but then again an empty house with valuable items would be a good target.
“Brooklyn?”
I exhaled deeply as I heard the familiar voice. My heart rate immediately slowed down and I stepped out from under the door and gave Liam the faintest of smiles. He returned it with a shy one, and I knew we were both re-thinking last night.
“Uhm, why are you holding a knife?” Liam finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Oh,” I said quickly, throwing it onto the table. “I just thought you were like some criminal. You know. Staying safe,” I quickly explained, hoping I didn’t sound as awkward as I thought I did.
He laughed and shook his head before motioning to the door.
“You coming back down to the lake?”
Bobbing my head, I grabbed a book and bounced out the door.
“Is the water cold?” I asked, skipping beside him happily. He eyed me curiously and shook his head.
“It’s not cold. It’s very cold.”
Rolling my eyes, I slowed down to a walk next to him. There wasn’t much to talk about, and for the first time in a while I found myself in the middle of an awkward silence with Liam. Once again, I knew what that he was thinking of the same thing I was – last night. I wanted to mention it so badly, but then again, I was scared of what he would answer me with.
“Hey, Brooklyn. Uh, listen,” Liam began. I cringed, but somehow mustered up the courage to turn my head and look at him.
“About last night…” He ran a hand through his slick hair, pushing it back as he did so. “I’m sorry. I just... Wasn’t thinking. I just let my body think before me, and that never turns out good.” He laughed nervously and met my eye, shying away immediately.
I was dumbfounded. So many thoughts buzzed through me head. Did he mean that he was attracted to me? Could it be possible that he liked me? Or was he saying that whatever he felt at that moment was purely physical and it had nothing to do with anything.
I looked back up at him, my mouth parted and my eyes dilated. He smiled sheepishly and apologized again.
“I’m sorry Brooklyn. I don’t want this to end our friendship.”
Finally, I found my voice and replied,” No, Liam. I get it. Either way, I probably would’ve stopped us. I was just in the moment. I couldn’t really think.”
The words that came out of my lips sounded foreign to me, and for some reason, I knew they weren’t true. We both knew they weren’t true. However, we pretended to be satisfied with our statements, and just then the trees opened up and revealed the lake.
Quickly tugging my shirt off, I looked over to where the adults were sitting. They had set up a round table and seemed to be playing cards and sipping wine. With a shrug at no one in particular, I glanced over the lake again and found Caleb treading water near the bank. With a mischievous smile, I stepped out of my shorts and look over at Liam. He was having some trouble taking of his shirt, which made me laugh.
My eyes flicked downwards, out of habit, and my breath caught in my throat.
Okay. So my friends had been right when they said he was undeniably gorgeous. My heart raced at a rate that should’ve been illegal, and by the time I had gotten myself back into control, Liam was smirking at me.
I blushed, knowing he must’ve caught me starting. This little encounter wasn’t exactly helping our previous discussion, but I don’t think I could care less. If I had someone like Liam right across the hall from me, then I might as well take advantage of it. It’s not like I had views like that at school.
“OhmyGod,” I muttered under my breath, realizing what I had told myself.
“Forgot something again?” Liam asked, looking down at me with a doubtful smirk. Scowling, I set my clothes down on a boulder.
“No,” I told him, tipping up my chin and crossing my arms. “I was just … thinking for myself,” I indicated, nodding my head in hopes that he would believe me. His lips curled up into a small, heart-clenching smile that set off the smallest butterflies in my stomach.
And there we stood; the same air around us as before, just looking at each other. Suddenly, Liam tore off down the grass, and yelled, “Last one to Caleb is a rotten egg!”
Giggling, I sprinted after him. He must’ve been running slowly, because I caught up him almost immediately. The whole ‘rotten egg’ thing reminded me so much of my childhood, and I laughed again. Liam turned onto the small boardwalk, and I ran behind him. Watching him swiftly dive into the water, I silently thanked my mom for dragging me to swimming classes over the summer. They came in handy as I followed after his lead, penetrating the water at just the right angle.
Instantly, I was greeted by a cold wall of liquid that only intensified when my whole body was submerged. As soon as I was completely underwater, I looked up and pushed myself towards the surface. Breaking through the water, I smiled brightly and pushing my wet hair out of my face. Caleb and Liam were a little ways away, and Caleb wolf whistled teasingly.
“10 points for that dive!” he joked; only making my grin grow wider. Dunking under the surface again, I propelled myself toward them. Joining the two of them, I spread myself apart so that we made a lopsided circle.
“It’s freezing!” I exclaimed through chattering teeth, rubbing my bare shoulders. Liam and Caleb exchanged grins and then the smallest of nods. Before I even realized what was happening, Caleb was holding onto my wrists and Liam had thrown himself underneath the water.
“Stop!” I shrieked as he suddenly pulled me forwards. Trying to wriggle from his grasp, I totally forgot about Liam. So, when I felt something grab my ankle, I immediately went to the most probable explanation.
“SHARK!” I screeched, so loudly that people over the mountain probably heard me. “OHMYGOD THERE’S A SHARK!” Thrashing wildly in Caleb’s grasp, I looked past his laughs and the lack of blood, genuinely thinking that I was being devoured by a large fish.
Then, the pressure on my ankle suddenly disappeared, and Liam popped back out of the water. Caleb released me, slapping Liam’s hand in a high five.
Distraught, I looked around my surroundings with shock. Even though it was a practical joke, I was flooded with emotions. So there was no surprise for me when a tear trickled down my face. As my heart crashed in my chest, a few more tears slipped down my cheeks. Finally, Liam turned towards me and looked at me intently. His laughter seized and he came closer.
Out of instinct, I brought my hands up to cover my face and mask my tears.
“Is she crying?” I heard Caleb say behind me, disbelief evident in his voice. It made me feel that much worse about myself.
I felt Liam’s warm touch attempt to peel off my hand, but I jerked back and vanished under the water. Swiftly pushing the water behind me, I raced towards the wooden pier. As I came up momentarily for a breath of air, I noticed that it was closer than I thought. Pressing forward again, I ignored Caleb’s shouts and reached the ladder.
As I stepped up, I saw Liam close behind me. In fact, just as I got to my feet, he was right behind me. My gaze flooded to the adults, who were looking straight at us.
I just probably made the biggest scene, I realized, letting Liam pull me back. He spun me back and looked at me intensely. I wish I could just save a picture of him looking at me like that so that I could re-live it every time I was upset.
“Are you okay?”
Slowly pushing him away, I shifted over to the edge of the pier and sat down. Knowing Liam would come down next to me, I wiped some tears away.
“Brooklyn? Say something,” he muttered quietly, reaching out to stroke off a lone tear on my cheek. Moving away from his touch, I rubbed the tear off on my own.
“How do you know I wasn’t attacked by a shark when I was little?” I squeaked, looking downwards at the murky water.
“You were attacked by a shark when you were little?!” Liam repeated. Even though I couldn’t see his face I knew he was surprised by just his voice. Lowering my shoulder, I swallowed.
“Well… No, but still,” I said quickly, knowing that the attack reference wouldn’t have probably been the best thing to bring up. Next to me, I heard Liam laugh the slightest bit. “It’s not funny!” I argued, scrunching my forehead together.
“I’m sorry, Brooke. It was a joke,” he finally said, his voice gentle again. I looked up at him and spotted that small smile that made my heart melt. As I opened my mouth to tell him that he was forgiven, my mom threw her arms around me.
“Brooklyn! Brooklyn, sweetheart! Are you okay?! Is everything fine? Are you hurt?!” she sputtered frantically, wrapping her arms around me as if I was on the verge of death. Even Mrs. Kilduff kneeled beside me, stroking my shoulder comfortingly.
“Hunny, it’s okay. They’re just stupid boys,” she explained to me gently, looking me over with a sorrowful expression.
Pushing my mom’s arms off of me, I looked around in bewilderment.
“Mom, I’m fine. Nothing happened,” I made clear, squirming away from the two women. Were they seriously this worked up over a small joke? Did they think I was hurt, or something? Even though I had made a scene, I wasn’t expecting this…
“Liam Martins!” My head shot to the right at the booming voice and I saw Jeff walking over to us, his livid gaze focused solely on Liam. “You have a lot of explaining to do!” he hissed once he neared us. Feeling the need to intervene, I jumped up and held me hands out.
“No, Jeff. Everything’s okay. It was just a harmless prank!” I interjected, regretting that I had put up such a fit earlier. Because of it, Liam was going to be in that much more trouble with his father. In addition, he was probably going to hate me forever.
Jeff quickly looked down at me and furiously shook his head.
“Try telling me it was harmless when you were screaming bloody murder out there! I thought you were getting hurt, Brooklyn! Do you know how worried I was?!”
He pushed me aside in a firm manner, stepping closer to Liam again. I saw Caleb get closer to the pier, wondering what was happened. With a subtle shake of my head so that the adults wouldn’t notice, I mouthed ‘leave’. I would feel that much guiltier if Caleb got in trouble too.
Focusing on Liam again, I reached for Jeff’s arm.
“Jeff, I’m fine! Really! Liam didn’t do anything. He didn’t know this would happen!” I continued to argue. From behind me, I heard my mom clear her throat. It as a sure sign to drop it, but as I looked over Liam I couldn’t help sticking up for him.
“Brooklyn, the boy has to learn that he can’t treat you like that!” Jeff replied. His tone hinted that the discussion was over, and that he wasn’t going to buy my explanation. “I’ll talk with you later,” he mentioned to Liam, before turning away.
Just as I was about to run over too my brother, my mom grabbed my hand.
“Come on sweetheart. Leave him. We have to prepare dinner,” my mom told me gently, yet at the same time sternly. In other words, I didn’t have a choice.
As she dragged me along, I snuck a look back and saw Liam staring at the water, defeated.
-----------
By the time we reached the cabin it was almost 3. My mom, Mrs. Kilduff, and I quickly ate lunch. It was plain hot dogs, with nothing fancy on the side, which surprised me. My father and Mr. Kilduff had left to pick up some gasoline at the nearest gas station. I wasn’t quite sure why, but either way, I didn’t care.
Liam and Caleb still hadn’t come back and while I was upset, I was also relieved. The second they showed up, I was convinced that all hell would break loose, especially with Jeff. Lately it had seemed like he was waiting for Liam to slip-up, just for him to have an excuse for a fight. In this case, Liam had screwed up majority in Jeff’s eyes.
After our small lunch, the three of us went into the kitchen and started to think of what to make. Personally, I was a really bad cook so I didn’t listen or contribute much. The two of them finally decided on salmon with rice. Automatically, I volunteered to cook the rice since I didn’t want to have to do anything with a dead fish. However, my mom began to lecture about how she had to prepare the fish first and how cooking the rice now would just be a bad idea altogether.
So, I ended up smearing all types of herbs I couldn’t name on a dead, slimy, smelly fish. The disgust must’ve been evident on my face because my mom quickly took over. Either that, or I was doing a really bad job.
Giving up on cooking, I washed my hands with a perfumed soap, hoping it would get the reek out. Eventually, you could barely smell the fish on me anymore and I decided that I my hands were as clean as they would ever be.
As I stepped back into the kitchen, I heard the slam car doors. Checking to make sure it was Jeff and Mr. Kilduff, I stepped outside. It was. Jeff smiled at me, handing over a red container to Mr. Kilduff.
It had cooled down a lot since the afternoon, and I barely realized how time had flown by. The sun was setting, and the sky was streaked with a palate of colors.
“Is dinner done yet?” Jeff asked, quickly giving me a one-arm hug. He seemed to be in a better mood then before, but he was definitely still holding onto his promise to Liam.
“Well, mom just put the rice on the stove so I’m going to say yes!” I told him with a laugh, following him inside the house. As I entered the house, I heard the door close behind me. I turned around and saw Liam and Caleb. They both looked upset, and scared.
“We’re uhm, here for dinner,” Liam explained after Jeff gave him a pointed look. My mother poked her head out the kitchen door and offered him a warm smile.
“That’s great!” she chirped brightly as she moved a steaming salmon from the kitchen into the dining room. “Why don’t you boys wash up and then come join us?” she suggested, running back into the kitchen.
They shuffled towards the bathroom as I stepped into the dining room. It was pretty small, compared to the one we had back home, but in a good way. It was cozy, not cramped, and the seven of us fit in there perfectly.
To my surprise, Jeff didn’t mention anything about the lake incident during dinner. It made the atmosphere much calmer and relaxing, especially for me. I had been cringing all day, waiting for Jeff to say something and I had been positive it was going to come during dinner.
So far, however, things were going smoothly. The salmon didn’t taste that bad at all. Liam or Caleb didn’t do anything stupid. My mom wasn’t overly embarrassing…
Yes, things were going very well. That was until Liam’s clumsy self knocked over a glass of water. Well, actually, I had spilled it. He had passed me a mint, and I reached out to harshly, resulting in my elbow tapping the glass and then spilling it over.
“Brooklyn! See what you did!” Liam mock-pouted, pointing to the puddle of water. A heavy stream of water dripped down the side of the table, only making it grow. Sticking my tongue out at him, I pushed out my chair and stepped up, about to get some paper towels.
“No,” Jeff cut in, just as I was about to leave the room. “Brooklyn, sit down. Liam, you go get the paper towels,” he said coolly, glaring down at his son. Gulping, I chuckled nervously.
“No, it’s fine Jeff. Really, I can go get –“
Before I could finish my sentence, Liam had already gently pushed me out of his way.
“Save your breath,” he whispered to me, glancing in my direction before walking on towards the kitchen. My breath caught in my throat as I got his delicious smell again, making me quickly remember that I was in front of family and they were watching. With an awkward clear of my throat, I shuffled back to my seat and sat down. Ducking my head to escape from Jeff’s unwavering, icy stare, I fiddled with my fork. I didn’t really understand what had exactly happened between Jeff and Liam, but I didn’t get how Jeff could hate his son that much. It was almost immature of him to pick a fight about everything with a teenager, but then again, I didn’t know the whole story.
We all continued to eat in silence as Liam wiped the mess up. He was right by me and I couldn’t help but poking him with my foot, despite the tense mood. Sticking his tongue out at me, he finished cleaning up the spill and went back to the kitchen to through the wet wads out.
Eventually, small chatter filled the table again, but it wasn’t the same as before. Caleb barely talked, and I noticed that the pink tinge still hadn’t left his cheeks. I shook my leg in thought, wondering what he was embarrassed for. By accident, I knocked into Liam’s leg under the table, and he kicked me back firmly.
“Oh,” I hissed under my breath, craning my head at him and knitting my eyebrows together. “What was that for?!”
He smirked at me in return. I couldn’t stand it when guys smirked at me. It was so stupid. Totally annoying. But when Liam did it, I just wanted to giggle like a stupid, love-struck girl.
At this point, I was done with hiding my attraction for Liam. Or at least from myself. I mean nobody else needed to know, but I had remotely admitted it to myself. But, honestly, what was there not to like? He belonged in some Hollister catalog; not across from my room. Everything from his deep, brown eyes, to toned abs screamed ‘model’, but I was perfectly fine with having him in my house too.
“Brooklyn.” Startled, I jumped out of my thoughts and shot my head to the right. My mother was glancing down at me, slightly confused and almost upset.
“Uhm, yeah?” I murmured, placing my utensils on the plate in front of me and gathering it. Looking around the table, I noticed that Kilduff’s had left and it was just Jeff and Liam.
“We’re going to clean up and wash the dishes. Come now, Jeff needs to have a word with Liam.”
Nodding obediently, I followed after my mom. Not without a snuck look at Liam, of course. His confident smirk was now replaced with pursed lips and above all, a worried expression.
My mom grabbed my wrist and literally dragged me into the kitchen. Mrs. Kilduff was scrubbing away at the dishes, her face frightened. What was going on?
“Listen, Brooke. I don’t know what’s going on with you and Liam, but drop it. Okay? He’s rubbing off on you and I can see it. The kid is nothing but trouble; even Jeff realizes it,” my mother warned me in a very low tone that even Mrs. Kilduff couldn’t hear. “Do you understand?”
I stared at my mom, dumb-founded. Did she know that I liked Liam? Wait, but I didn’t like Liam…
Who am I kidding? I said to myself in spite. Aloud, I added, “Yeah. I get it. It’s… It’s just a little crush Mom. I’m barely around guys anymore and –“
My mom held up her hand because Mrs. Kilduff had turned off the water. I watched her tub the dish roughly, making circles with the sponge on both sides.
“I understand, Brooklyn. But I’m telling you now. It needs to end. That will be all.”
With a curt nod, she motioned for me to follow and led me towards the sink. Handing me a sponge and soap bottle, she turned the tap on.
“I’m almost finished, ladies,” Mrs. Kilduff chuckled nervously, glancing up at me before turning her eye away. Cocking my head, I picked up a plate and started to lather it either way. From the other room, I could hear shouts. About a minute later, they got so loud that I realized that I couldn’t take much more of this anymore. And if I was at my witt’s end, then I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Liam was going through now.
Suddenly, I realized that my mother was wrong. Liam wasn’t a bad kid. His father just wouldn’t give him the chance. And even if I didn’t know the whole back story I did know that Jeff should’ve held a grudge against a 17 year-old. Setting the clean plate down, I started towards the hallway. My mom cleared her throat and I looked back. She was glaring at me and very pointedly telling me to “come back or you’re dead” but I ignored her.
As I slipped into the hallway, the shouts intensified and but I still couldn’t exactly make out words as they were muffled. A small sound came from behind me and I saw my mom. She was fuming, but I could tell by a small glimmer in her eyes that she wanted to know what was going on more than I did.
Pressing against the door Liam and Jeff were in, I opened it just the slightest crack. They didn’t notice as they were too preoccupied in their argument. But now, I could hear everything they were saying.
“Dad! This isn’t about her! Since when has it been?” I heard Liam yell, and I wondered who they were talking about.
“Since she moved in! You’re interested in her, Liam and you can’t be for multiple reasons.”
Scrunching my forehead, I realized that it was me that they were talking about. Or at least for now.
“And why not? Is it so wrong that I think she’s cute? That I might like her?!”
My heart crashed in my chest, ignoring the drama momentarily. Had he just fessed up to liking me? It felt almost wrong, but I knew that I liked him back even after what I had told my mom.
“Because you’re a bad influence on her. Even Karla will back me up on that.”
“How am I a bad influence?! I don’t smoke, I barely drink – it’s not like I bring home my friends and let them get all over Brooklyn and it’s not like I hook up with her in the closet or whatever! Nothing has changed dad; only her attitude towards you. And you have Karla wrapped around your finger! You could cheat on that woman and she would still stand behind you!”
Silence. I inhaled sharply, biting my lip. No. Not now.
Liam, please don’t say another word, I silently begged, squeezing my eyes shut.
“You haven’t told her, have you?” It was Liam’s voice again. I knew what this was leading up to. Looking behind me, I saw my mom. Her mouth was parted and her eyes almost appeared glossy, as if she was on the verge of tears. And behind her was Mrs. Kilduff. She was only poking her head out the door, but she looked so distraught and pale that I thought she might pass out.
There was silence once more, and Liam spoke, “You know what, Dad? You make me to seem like the bad guy to cover up your own problems. You haven’t told Karla yet about Mom, have you? I don’t think you mentioned to her how you were still lawfully wedded to Mom while you were going on all these extravagant dinner dates with her. You’re pathetic, you know that? And you know what? I bet you’re doing the same thing now? Who is it this time?”
Pursing my lips to hide tears, I looked back at me mom. Her face spilled all of her emotions – betrayal, anguish, pain, and fear. She was counting on Jeff. He couldn’t let her down now. He couldn’t be cheating on my mom, right?
“Watch it be like Mrs. Kilduff. There has to be a reason that you’re talking with them all of a sudden. And I know this whole trip isn't about trying to get Caleb and Brooklyn to bond. You’re telling Karla it is…”
Silence again. No. It couldn’t be true… Even though everything made sense, I refused to believe it.
“OhmyGod. You’re cheating on Karla with Donna, aren’t you?” Liam whispered, he voice so low yet so powerful that I could easily catch it. My head shot back to Mrs. Kilduff, and her face said everything.
“I’m so sorry!” she yelled to my mom, rushing over to her.
My whole life, I had looked up to my mom and seen her as a powerful, unbreakable woman. Not once had I seen her spill tears. Even when my father had passed, the only crying she did was locked in her room. But now, I was in shock. I could barely feel anything as she grasped me tightly, shaking Mrs. Kilduff off of her and sobbing into my shoulder. My brain went into overdrive as signals poured in from all around me. Jeff was shouting at Liam now. He was telling him to pack his bags up tonight. Leave the cabin. Catch a plane. Find a friend to house with when he came back.
And as Jeff came out, he stared at us in surprise. Now I knew what criminals looked liked when they were caught red-handed. Jeff probably thought he was doing this so swiftly, until Liam. My mom clutched me tighter, but as I watched Liam rush out the door I realized that at the moment, I barely cared about anyone else.
“Deal with her,” I hissed to Jeff, glaring at him venomously. “You’ve screwed up enough.” I passed my mom to him and left her side for the first time since I could remember.
The cold night air was refreshing, and just what I needed. On the other hand, the dark blanket of night didn’t help at all when I tried to locate Liam. I had seen him dart into the forest, which was actually in the opposite way of the lake. However, the forest was big and very, very scary. Pushing back my fears, I grabbed a blanket from a bench and ran in after him.
With only the moonlight to guide me, finding him was a difficult task. I tripped over roots and shivered from the cold, but pressed forward. Wrapping the blanket around my shoulder, I realized that he couldn’t have ran far either.
Suddenly, I heard coughing ahead of me. Looking straight ahead, I saw a flat bed of water, glistening under the beam of white light.
“Wow…” I breathed, not realizing there was a lake here too. Drawing closer, I spotted a shape closer to the bank and under a tree. It was Liam, of course. I ran over to him, unable to tell if he was crying since his face was buried in his knees.
“Liam?” I uttered softly, kneeling down next to him. “Liam, you’re okay. I’m here.”
Tipping his chin up so I could get a look at his eyes, I noticed that he had been crying. Handing him a wad of tissues, I looked at him. He stared back at me and blew his nose before pushing the used tissues to the side. Spreading the blanket across us, I crawled next to him.
“Why’d you come?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
Clearing my throat to make sure my voice wouldn’t break, I answered, “Because you did nothing wrong but you have no one to stand next to you.”
He didn’t say anything back; he only sighed. With a sigh of my own, I tipped my head down and leaned it against his shoulder, fluttering my eyes shut. After a few minutes of silence elapsed, I remembered something.
“I remember once my dad got so mad at me,” I began, looking up at the night sky. “We were out camping, and I poured out all the gasoline that was supposed to make fires. He yelled at me so much, so I ran away and hid. It was night time when he found me and he didn’t say anything about what had happened before. He just sat down next to me and showed me all the constellations.”
I snuggled up closer to Liam subconsciously, pointing up to the sky.
“See those stars there?” I asked, pointed to a straight line in the sky. I felt him nod, and I continued moving my finger. “Just follow where I’m pointing,” I told him, outlining a rectangular shape and then spanning out at the top. “It kind of looks like a pan but it’s actually supposed to be a bear,” I explained to him with a small giggle. “Ursula Major. I can’t remember her story, but I think it was sad.”
Looking up at him, I saw that he was focused at the sky. Smiling, I closed my eyes before I heard him talk again.
“I wish I knew your father,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist and dragging me closer to him. Invisible energy crackled everywhere between us, I noticed, and I wondered if we both truly liked each other. “It wasn’t always like this…”
I opened my eyes and looked up at him.
“It started when I found out he was cheating on my mom with your’s. And then he started to point out every mistake I made. He made me seem like such a bad kid. I mean, I know I got into fights before and yes, I was angry at him for what he did but…” He looked at me, his brown eyes meeting my blue ones. “But he almost took you away from me.”
My heart drummed a thousand miles a minute, but I still dared to ask, “What do you mean?”
With a soft smile, he shifted in the ground and turned his body toward me more. I slumped slightly on the tree bark, angling over to him as well.
“I’ve always been occupied in those really hot girls with the long hair and tight clothes that have new boyfriends every week and thousands of friends on Facebook… But I looked over the girls like you, Brooke. The intelligent ones. The ones who truly care. The beautiful ones. I’m not letting my dad take you from me, Brooklyn. You mean more to me than you think.”
Smiling stupidly, I batted my lashes and gazed up at him, moving just a bit closer and setting off more energy between us as I did so. He reached out his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, but just as he was about to, something rustled in a bush by us.
With a gasped, I jumped up and somehow landed in Liam’s lap, pressing into him out of fright. There was definitely a bear behind that bush. Yep. No doubt. I was dead. Done for. With a whine, I hugged Liam’s muscular chest tightly as the rustling grew.
Sneaking a look up, I spotted a rabbit jumping out from the undergrowth just in time for me to see. We watched up hop away nonchalantly, and I looked at Liam with my mouth gaped open. Suddenly, we both burst out laughing. We laughed until our stomachs hurts and until our vision was blurred by tears. Still on his lap, I braced myself on his chest and giggled uncontrollably, laughing at how a small rabbit scared us both to death. Eventually, the moment passed and I reluctantly lifted away from him, his smell still lacing its way through my nose.
There we were again. Just looking at each other. This time, it was different. No one was here to interrupt us, or see us. I looked over him, and he did the same. I took mental pictures, trying my hardest to forever capture the look he was given me with his deep eyes which were covered slightly by his messy hair.
Neither one of us was going to fess up their feelings for the other, but I knew that we were both well aware of how we felt for each other. So when Liam opened his mouth and began to whisper my name, I brushed a finger over his soft lips and muttered, “Shhh.”
After that, it was almost a reinaction of last night. He sat up straighter and leaned into me. My heart crashed in my chest and butterflies did somersaults in my stomach. However, I didn’t feel a hand against my back or cupping my cheek, so when he brushed his lips against mine, I was surprised. Shocked, actually. I didn’t know how to react.
When I finally got myself together, he had pulled back.
“Shit, Brooklyn. I’m so sorry.” He shook me off, and stood up. I sat on the floor, so lost and confused and dazed because Liam had just kissed me. He hadn’t attempted to - he actually had. I brought my hands up to my lips, wondering if it had actually just happened as Liam blabbered on. Slowly standing up, I listened to him with wide, lost eyes. “OhmyGod. You’re my step sister. Our parents are married, Brooke. Even if we like each other, this can’t happen –“
I shut him up pretty efficiently by crashing my lips to his. He mumbled something at first, reluctant, but once we felt each other, we both realized there was no turning back.
At first, our kiss was slow and gentle. He pushed my hair back, cupping my cheek as he molded him lips onto mine. His lips were soft, and I couldn’t help but notice how careful he was with me with his touch. He also tasted like those mints he passed to me, which brought back memories of all the arguing and scandals and fighting that was still to come.
Suddenly, the light-hearted feeling passed and was replaced by fury and anger. I knotted my hands in his hair forcefully and pushed my body into him. I heard him moan into my mouth as he caught on, kissing me back with the same passion. Our lips moved in union and my chest rose heavily as I struggled for breath. The kiss sent shivers down my spine and sparks ricocheting up my arms. I was too busy concentrating on the movement of his hands tracing down my body that I didn’t notice his tongue maneuvering across mine. As I wondered who had turned the kiss into a French one, I also realized the fireworks that were everywhere. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt like this about a kiss. In fact, I don’t think I ever had felt like this about a kiss. My head felt like it was going to explode any second, and just when I thought I couldn't take much more, Liam grabbed my hips and lifted me up. Out of fright, I dug my nails into the back of his neck which only made him growl playfully. I think he turned me, because I felt the firm tree bark pressing into my hair as we continued to kiss, devouring each other.
I left his lips, gasping for air but he continued to trail kisses down my collarbone.
“Liam,” I panted, not used to this heated kissing. It’s not like Jake had ever picked me up before or kissed me in places besides my lips.
I tried to squirm out of Liam’s lift, but it didn’t work. He started to bring his kisses back up until I finally couldn’t resist the temptation and found his lips again. Hungry for more, I didn’t resist when he swiped his tongue against my bottom lip.
Then, I felt him tugging on the hem of my shirt. Liam actually brought it up a bit, but before he could touch my skin, I pushed his hand away and drew back. He dropped me but kept his arms around my waist. His chest rose and fell with mine and he glanced at me with lust in gaze.
“Sorry,” he finally spoke with a flustered smile. “But…” He looked at me, mirroring my lost expression. “That was probably the best two minutes of my life. You’re something else, you know that? Right, Brooklyn?”
I was too star-struck to respond. With a chuckle, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around me. The lustful expression was still nestled in his eyes and I leaned forward, wanting to brush my lips against his again. But at the last second, he tilted his chin up and brought his lips to my forehead, pecking it softly.
“Save some for later,” he told me in a husky voice, making me realize how tired I was. Stepping back, I grinned at him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I finally uttered, finding my voice again. With another small smile, I turned back towards the house and took a step forward.
“Wait, you’re leaving me?” he asked, making me stop and look back. Liam looked stunned and I cocked my head.
“Well… Yeah?” I responded, clutching the blanket tighter. With a frown, he sat down on the ground.
“Stay with me,” he whispered in a soft voice, brushing off the spot next to him. Shaking my head out of amusement, I bit my lip. A part of me was begging me to go back to the house, but a newer, bolder side of me egged me on and told me to stay with him.
Taking a step forward, I bounced back towards Liam and plopped down next to him. He looked me over happily and winked, spreading the blanket over us. The ground actually wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be but maybe it was comfortable because of Liam’s protective grasp over me. Nestled in the crook of his arm, I inhaled deeply. His steady breathing lulled me, and I snuggled up against him tighter before finally falling asleep.