Thank you AnjaliDedha5 for this beautiful book trailer. Guys, I'm gonna have to ask you for a huge favor. Portray Julian (Nick Jonas) as Alex Pettyfer (who's supposed to be Mario). This sucks, I know, but I can't change the cast because of all the character descriptions I've already applied to this book. So bear with me here and enjoy :)
I hate living.
Why should I waste my time on learning how to live my life blissfully and freely when my overprotective older brothers constantly watch every step I take? All they basically do is control my love life. Especially Mario.
Not to be dramatic or anything but sometimes I feel like there's no point in craving to live a life like mine. Yes, because of some of my brothers.
"Morning, Suz," I pull up a somewhat bright smile at Suzanne - the housekeeper, cook, and nanny that has been working and living in our modern mansion ever since my oldest brother, Mark, came to life.
"Morning, Kylie," she smiles back as she hands me my typical mug filled with creamed cappuccino. "How was your night?"
Sorrowfully shitty and wretched, just like the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And...
You get my point here.
"Good," I say instead, hiding my blues with my petite disingenuous smile. "And how was yours?" I take a slow sip of my cappuccino after sitting on a barstool of the long tiled counter.
"Oh, wonderful." Her ocean-blue eyes twinkle, highlighting her beautiful black hair that's been pulled up to a neat bun. She places a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of me and I close my eyes to appreciate the good scent.
At least food makes me happy.
"Has dad arrived yet?" I ask before dragging a spoonful of Greek natural yogurt into my mouth.
She shakes her head and then presses on one of the buttons of the intercom to call my brothers. Monday morning and they are still not up.
Definitely not a shocker.
"Is Scarlett still not here?" I ask after a couple of moments.
"Thompson informed me that she's outside, waiting for you."
I nod and take the last bite of a single pancake. After quickly finishing the rest of the cappuccino, I hand Suzanne the mug and mutter a low thank you.
"Have a good day, sweetie," she sings as she heads to the sink, humming to what seems like a Disney melody.
After stepping out of the Masterchef-like kitchen through the fire exit - which is closer to the garage - I unlock my Mercedes and climb into it, tossing my backpack onto the backseats. I remove the car from the enormous garage and stop it near my best friend's black Jeep.
She rolls the window down, confusion crossing her face. She's probably questioning my car choice for today, considering we usually leave my house with only one car.
"I have to attend extra swim practice after school," I say after rolling my car window down, allowing the sun rays to violate my tanned skin. "I told you last night, remember? I'll be leaving at two, so no need to wait for me."
She raises her eyebrows in realization and quickly nods before rolling the window back up.
We drive through the modern circular driveway - which basically consists of flowers, bushes cut to perfection and a two-meter sized tiered fountain - and get to the gates. The security guard, Thompson, waves hello at me and opens the gate by pressing a small button inside the guardhouse.
On my way to school, every morning, I always pay attention to the minor details that my rich neighborhood has to offer. It gives me the opportunity to create pictures in my head, all thanks to my photography skills. I've loved photography ever since my dad bought my first minnie camera. It was a toy, but something about capturing the world around me interested me.
After arriving at school, I open my locker and a red piece of paper falls to the floor.
I look around the busy hall, trying to see if there's someone watching, and hesitatingly pick the paper up from the floor. I flip it over and detect a red heart glued to the center where all four sides are connected.
It's a Valentine's card. Which is completely odd. Who'd have the balls to insert a note in my locker? It could simply be my brothers trying to prank me. Or maybe, a mistake?
I look around the crowded hall one more time to try to ensure that my brothers have nothing to do with this.
Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just some snobby teenagers walking down the uncluttered hall with their sights glued to their phones.
Teens nowadays.
The bell rings and I let out a sigh, deciding to view this note some other time, possibly during lunchtime. I think that Scarlett might have something to do with it. I shut my locker door and turn on my heels to make my way to the first class.
"What's wrong? You look puzzled," Scarlett comments as I plop down in my chair next to hers.
"Huh?" I wrinkle my brows, proceeding to shake my head. "Oh, uhm... Did you do this?" I slide the card out of the pocket of my jeans and hand it to her.
"Oooh, secret admirer?" She flips her short dark hair over her shoulder, flashing me a silly smirk.
I roll my eyes. "You know that I don't allow people to have a crush on me. They'll regret it after meeting Mario."
"Are you going to open and read it?"
"What if it's from Mario or even Marvin? Maybe they're messing with me."
"I don't think it's them," she shrugs, seeming certain. "It could be Stephan."
"Trust me," I scoff. "Stephan made it pretty clear that he never wants to see me ever again. He blocked me on all his social media accounts, and whenever I try to talk to him here at school, he cowardly flees."
It hurt, at first, but not too long after, I felt fine. Simply fine, like I hadn't just gone through a forced breakup. I don't want to admit this but I don't think I ever truly loved him. And that makes me feel like utter shit because I lied to him. No one deserves that.
Scarlett waves her hand dismissively, "Well, Stephan's a douche. Come on, open it! I want to know who wants to go to the Valentine's dance with you."
"No one's going to ask me to the dance, Scar."
"You never know," she winks secretly at me just as the middle-aged nerdy teacher steps into the classroom. Scarlett hands me back the card with a smirk playing on her lips and I roll my eyes for the third time already.
***
"Take your hands off of the card, Scar." I playfully glare at her.
She smirks, ignoring my order and opening the card whilst sitting down at our usual lunch table. "I can't wait to know who this 'admirer' is."
"Fine. But I don't want to know what it says."
Her eyes widen just as soon as she finishes reading. There's a mixture of shock and glee in them. A large smirk forms on her face. "Oh yeah? Even if it's from a hot guy?"
"Yep."
"Cute, smart guy?"
I roll my eyes as I munch on some raspberries. "Yes."
"Even if it's from your ex, Julian Davis?"
What?!
Suddenly, I begin to choke. I place my hands on my throat as I cough roughly, my eyes bugged out in shock.
Julian Davis? The one with alluring dark caramel eyes that always seem to be narrowed? The one with sexy pink lips and messy dark brown hair that embellish his dimples? The reason I've stayed up late so many nights, crying like a freaking loser?
Nope. No way. She must only be joking.
I finally calm myself down as I wipe my mouth with a tissue. "J-Julian?"
She nods aggressively, a smile stretching on her lips.
I shake my head and gulp. "You're lying."
"Take a look." She hands me the small red card.
I glance at her with suspiciousness covering my face before tucking a piece of my long blonde hair behind my ear, clearing my throat.
"Holy shit." I cover my mouth with the palm of my hand after reading the first sentence. I recognize the handwriting. It's absolutely Julian's.
Scarlett nods her head as if saying I can't believe it either.
"Why would he... What does this... When did he..." I let out a breath, unable to manage my thoughts. "I'm so confused." I place the card back on the table, my eyes still widened in shock.
I thought he hated me!
"Confused about what?" Ethan asks as he sits down next to Scarlett, his casual smile invading his lips.
Ethan is one of our greatest friends. We met him through Julian, about a year ago. Since then, he's had a secret crush on Scarlett. She might not admit it, but I know she has a thing for Ethan too. I'm her bestest friend. I am qualified to read her like a book.
"Julian asked Kylie to the school dance," Scarlett chirps as she hands Ethan the card.
Why is she squealing and not having a heart attack?
Ethan drops his defined jaw slightly as he analyzes the card with his small brown eyes. "Man. He even drew a fancy heart next to your name."
"So you had no idea?" I ask, confused. "You didn't know he was going to send this to me?"
"Nope." He shakes his head, running his fingers down his short kinky hair.
"But you guys are best friends," Scarlett points out.
"Yeah, but he didn't tell me about this. Plus, this is so old school," he chuckles as he places the card on the table. "A card? Seriously? I need to have a serious talk with him."
I would've never imagined that my first boyfriend ever - the very same one that I broke up with because of Mario - would ever want to reconcile with me.
Even till this day, not having him in my life hurts. But what was done had to be done. No matter how much it brings pain to my heart.
Maybe that's why I deserved what Stephan did to me. I dated him, fully aware that I still had feelings for my ex.
But one thing I can't understand is why Julian would send this card to me. What could he possibly want? Is it a joke? Is it for payback? We broke up for a reason. He doesn't even know the real one because I feared that if he found out, he'd try to fight Mario.
He was supposed to despise me with all of his heart and soul for what I did. Why on earth would he mess with my heart like this?
If only he knew how much I still like him. If only he knew how many nights I fell asleep with tears stains on my cheeks and pillow. I'd lost him and I thought it'd be forever. My heart's been smashed for almost a year now. Why would he, all of a sudden, make my hopes arise?
"So what are you going to do?" Ethan asks me, curiosity evident in his voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" Scarlett rolls her eyes. "She's going to say yes."
"Yes?" I force a dry laugh. "My brothers are going to be at the dance too and—"
"Oh please. It's not like they won't let you have a date for the dance," she says. "I mean, that'd be crossing the line."
"Scaring away my boyfriends is crossing the line," I correct. "Yet that's still what they do."
"If they do anything to him I'll kick their asses for you. Especially Mario's ass. That guy deserves a wrecking ball."
Ethan and I laugh and after long minutes of trying to convince me, I end up rolling up with the idea of saying yes to Julian. I mean, we're solely going to the dance together. We'll catch up a little bit. What's the worst that can happen?
Right?
***
"I'm home," I announce to everyone that's at home whilst pressing on one of the intercom buttons. I walk towards the white davenport and sling my backpack onto it with an exhausted sigh.
"Finally," Scarlett sighs as she plops down on the davenport next to me. "Mario was being a jerk to me."
"Why didn't you kick his ass?" I ask as I stretch my legs on the coffee table.
"Cause your dad's home and he would have kicked my ass."
I laugh. "He'd never."
I realize that she has said that dad is ultimately home from his flights so I quickly stand up and sprint to the first floor, heading to his office.
"Hey, dad," I smile as I open his office door.
He looks up from his laptop and motions for me to come in with a content smile lying on his lips.
"Hey, baby."
I wrap my arms around him as I sit on his lap and plant a kiss on his cheek. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you more," he pokes my nose softly. "Did the boys behave?"
When Mario beat Stephan I told my parents. What they did? Grounded him as if that would change things.
I shrug. "Same as the usual."
There's no point in telling my parents what my brothers do because all they'll do is ground them, thinking that it'll change them, when, in reality, it does nothing.
"They'll always be the Johnson's trouble, huh?" He chuckles softly and I nod.
"How were your flights?"
"Tiring as usual. I have another one tonight but decided to come to see you guys first."
Just as he finishes his sentence, his phone buzzes continuously meaning that someone is calling.
I sigh, knowing that it's my cue to leave his office and interrupt him some other time. He smiles apologetically as he places the phone on his ear.
I make my way out of the office and head to mom and dad's elegant bedroom. Their 50-inch TV is turned on and the sliding curtains that cover the king-sized bed are tied and pulled to a side, exposing the disarranged bed. Mom is on the phone, rubbing her forehead as she paces impatiently.
Without saying a word, I walk towards her and kiss her cheek. She gives me a quick smile and then yells at whoever is on the other line.
"No! This is intolerable! It was supposed to be delivered yesterday. Your services are legitimately the worst, I'm certain. Wait until my lawyers get to you."
Oh how much I love having a rich family. Not.
Ben Johnson, my father, is one of the most prestigious pilots in the United States, and Selena Johnson, my mother, is a successful businesswoman who owns hundreds of companies spread across the world.
Don't even get me started on my grandparents.
As you can tell, my family is pretty loaded. I don't entirely hate that because it gives me the opportunity to donate money to people who actually need it.
My mom tosses her phone on her king-sized bed after ending the call, groaning in frustration.
"Everything alright?" I carefully ask.
She sighs and places her hands on her hips. "Just some work stuff, honey."
I slowly nod as I roll my lips into my mouth.
She walks towards her closet and pulls out a red suitcase. She lies it on the bed and opens it. "I'll be in London for a few days. Work-related stuff. Please take good care of your brothers."
They would've loved to hear mom say that.
"Call Mark for me," she orders.
I walk to where the intercom is and then press on one of the buttons.
"Mark, mom's office," I say and then release my finger from the button.
I lazily fall on my mom's bed, my arms stretched out behind me as they support my back.
"So there's something I want to tell you before you leave," I begin timidly.
Mom nods slowly, flashing me a sympathetic smile. "Did your brothers do something to you? Do you want me to spank their butts?"
As if she'd ever.
I chuckle. "No, it's not them this time. But it does involve them."
She gives me a curious look as she places a bunch of Burberry outfits in her suitcase.
"I got a card today," I start slowly. "And this guy asked me to the dance. And I said yes. And now I don't know if I did the right thing because I don't think the boys will like seeing me with him at the school dance."
"What's his name?"
I hesitate to answer. My mom knows everything about my life. I don't keep any secrets from her so she knows about Julian. She knows that he was my very first boyfriend, the one I never truly stopped liking and the one I broke up with because of my brothers. She actually tried to talk to Mario but he, being the temperamental rebel that he is, didn't give a shit.
"Julian," I admit.
"Julian Davis?"
"The one and only."
"Wait, isn't he the one who ran away from our house after getting beaten up by Mario?"
"No, mom, that's Stephan. And please let's not ever again talk about that or him again."
"Oh."
"So can you please tell the boys to behave at the dance this Saturday?"
Even though it's pointless. But it's worth a shot.
"Leave it to me," she says before hurling another bunch of outfits in her suitcase. "They're going to pretend that you don't exist on that day."
"I hope." I quickly stand up and place a kiss on her cheek. Wishing her a good trip, I turn around to exit the room.
As I get to the last step of the elegant staircase, my body freezes. My eyes make contact with the heartthrob who's running his fingers through his hair whilst flashing the cutest smile ever.
I gulp as I lean my hands on the stair railing, observing the beauty in person while he talks to my best friend. My heart stops beating for a mini-second and my hands begin to drench in sweat.
What the heck is he doing here?
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The picture above is of Olivia Palermo cast as Kylie's mom, Selena Johnson.
Spoiler: Who do you think the person Kylie has encountered is? (Cough, her ex, cough). ;)
Next Update: Wednesday
Thanks for all votes and comments! Especially @LiticiaPerez