Authors: April Brookshire
CHAPTER FIVE
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius
and it’s better
to
be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
-Marilyn Monroe
CALEB
What in the hell? I probably looked like a fool, standing at the back of the club with my mouth hanging open. Dante nudged me and my head swung his way. He gave me a what-the-fuck look. I shook my head at him, not wanting to shout an explanation over the music.
Gianna and her crew
finished their performance, the DJ flowed into a new track and the crowd transitioned into dancing again. Other places I’d been to hired dancing or singing acts to mix up the club experience. It livened up the crowd when a surprise performance occurred since they always seemed spontaneous. It barely registered with me when Skylar and Nina took off to use the bathroom. I couldn’t see Gianna anymore and was scanning the crowd when Dante yelled over the music, “Hey, man, I’m gonna go talk to Taye!”
“I’ll come with you
!” I yelled back, figuring Gianna would be nearby.
We work
ed our way through the masses and found Taye chatting up a petite brunette. When Dante was done greeting his cousin, I pounced on questioning him. “Hey, Taye, who’s the hot blonde in your crew?”
His expression filled with disapproval.
“Don’t even think about it, Caleb. I know you, man. We don’t put up with anyone fucking around with Gigi
or
Cece.” Huh, Cece must be the Hispanic chick that danced with them.
“Gigi?”
Now this would be good. “It’s not like that, Taye. It’s just I’m pretty sure I know her. Where’d she go?”
Taye
gave me a skeptical look and pointed over to the dance floor where Gianna was dancing with one of the Hispanic guys from the crew. “She’s over there with Jared.”
My eyes darted
over the pair, taking in her smiling up at the guy. So this was
Jared
. The guy she called when something went wrong. I’d rarely seen her smile and right now she was smiling as if she were high on life.
At Jared
. I didn’t know why, but the uncomfortable feeling of jealousy coursed through me.
“Yeah, that’s her
, Gianna,” I stated when Taye continued to stare at me with wary disapproval.
Finally, and almost reluctantly, Taye said,
“Hey, you guys should come to the after party at Jared and Cece’s house.”
“
Sure, why not?” I agreed nonchalantly. It would be interesting to see how
Gigi
handled me invading her group of friends. I’d known Taye for years but he and Dante didn’t hang out much so I’d never met all of Taye’s friends.
A while later Taye
rode with us to the after party to show us the way. Nina sat between Dante and Taye in the backseat. Skylar sat up front with me since she was sort of my date for the night. We arrived to the house the party was at and unloaded from the car, with Skylar easing up next to me as we strolled up the walkway.
Urging her
in front of me and ignoring the confused look on her pretty face, I let her and the others go in ahead of me and stood back when we entered the living room. There were people dancing in the center of the living room, showing off mostly. Gianna and the other girl from the crew were laughing and doing silly dance moves that mimicked the guys’ serious ones.
Taye
called, “Watch out!” and slid into the middle of the group doing a head slide on the hardwood floor. He flipped forward onto his feet to grab the Hispanic girl, Cece, and lift her up in the air.
The girl
laughed and whined, “Taaaaaye!” as a giggling Gianna tried to pull her down. While the girls were distracted, Jared snuck up behind Gianna and poured a bottle of water over her head.
Gianna
spun around in shock and Jared dashed away. Before Jared could escape through a doorway, Gianna jumped onto his back and they tumbled forward to the floor. Gianna straddled him while his face was to the floor. Triumphant, she declared, “That’s what you get, punk!”
I would’ve
never imagined Gianna had this playful side to her personality. Actually, I assumed she was sadly lacking in the personality department. Why did she act so moody at home and school, then here she acted the complete opposite? It was unexpected, for sure.
She
hopped up off Jared when he started to get on all fours with the clear intention of getting the best of her. Her gleeful smile faded and her blue eyes shot wide when she locked in on me.
I
smirked and said devilishly, “Hello, Gianna.”
GIANNA
Oh. My. God. What was Caleb doing here?
With this thought foremost in my mind,
I asked him, “What the fuck are you doing here, Caleb?” At the hostility in my tone, everyone’s eyes focused on us.
Jared
confronted Caleb with his arms arrogantly crossed over his chest. “I don’t know you, what are you doing in my house?”
To my surprise,
Taye stepped forward. “It’s cool, Jared. He’s a friend of mine.” How did my friend Taye know my infuriating stepbrother? Taye turned to me. “It’s cool that he came, right? I’ve known Caleb forever ‘cause he’s my cousin’s best friend.” What was I to say to that?
“
And
I’m Gianna’s stepbrother,” Caleb piped in slyly. I guess there went pretending we were nothing to each other.
Jared
was confused for a second before his face broke into a welcoming grin. He gave Caleb one of those awkward half hug, pat on the back things guys did. “Dude, nice to meet you. I’m sorry if I was an ass, but you understand. Us guys are always having to watch out for our girl, Gigi. Hey, so you must be the guy who beat down that Josh motherfucker. No one fucks with our Gigi. We’ve been telling her to dump his ass for months. Thanks for jumping in and taking care of it for us.”
“Us?”
Caleb raised his eyebrows, all GQ handsome dressed in black pants with a grey t-shirt and black vest. His hair looked like the girl standing next to him, obviously his date, ran her hands through it in a moment of passion. As usual, his mere presence annoyed me. The girl was clinging onto his arm with a starry look in her eyes. Her short purple dress made her look cheap, which was probably Caleb’s usual type.
“Yeah, the crew.
” Jared was still conversing with the guy I hoped was a figment of my imagination. “We worry with her up north and us down here. She doesn’t have anyone to watch out for her there.”
Please, Jared, just shut up now
. He made me sound helpless.
Caleb smiled charmingly and I noticed his subtle move to
detach himself from the clinging girl. “No problem, anything for
Gigi
.” The tilt of his lips turned sarcastic when he aimed his grin my way. I so wasn’t okay with him calling me by my nickname. He’d no doubt turn it into a taunt.
Just
great, now Caleb was best buddies with Jared? Someone could just kill me now. I rolled my eyes at them and stomped off to the kitchen to get a drink. Cece came up behind me as I pulled a wine cooler out of the fridge. “Gigi, your stepbrother seems pretty cool, not at all like you described him. Why didn’t you tell me how hot he is?”
“
Huh, I didn’t notice,” I remarked dryly. “But I guess he’s hot, if you like the type.” Her disbelieving expression called me out on being a big fat liar. A girl would have to be blind not to take note of what genetic perfection Caleb was.
“So, you think I’m hot?” I sp
un around and there was Caleb leaning in the doorway, his face smug.
Running a hand over my wet hair, I said
coolly, “That’s not exactly what I said.”
“No, but that’s what you meant.” he
countered. I opened my mouth to say something else but he interrupted, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend,
Gigi
?” He had an assessing glint in his gaze as he scanned Cece’s petite figure.
“Don’t call me Gigi
. This is my best friend, Cece. Cece, this is my stepbrother, Caleb.” I gestured back and forth indifferently.
“Caleb!
Gigi’s stepbrother!” Cece exclaimed excitedly, pulling a startled Caleb down into a hug. She added, “Welcome to the family!” Clearly caught off balance, his response was amusing.
“The family?”
he repeated quizzically.
“Yeah, the gang.
We’re each other’s second family. Well, actually, Jared really is my family because he’s my older brother. But then, you’re Gigi’s brother, also.” Sometimes Cece was too friendly for her own good. Sometimes even for
my
own good.
“
Stepbrother,” Caleb corrected her, emphasizing the
step
part.
Cece wave
d her hands in the air and said, “Whatever.” As the notes of a new song filtered in from the living room, her face lit up and she danced off. “That’s my song!”
Cece, gotta love her
.
Caleb watched
her leave in puzzlement. His focus turned back to me and I felt weird with him towering over me. He was much too close. “I think we need to have a little talk,” he suggested sternly. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and pulled me out the back door.
Once outside, I shouted
, “Let me go, Caleb!” I got ready to struggle, but he immediately released me. Feeling a bit deflated, I rounded on him defiantly. “What do you want?”
Something strange passed over his features
, almost like confusion, before it turned into amusement. Disregarding my cutting tone, he crossed his arms over his chest and taunted, “Does your mother know what you’re up to every Saturday? Because I was under the impression she thought you went to ballet during the day and had a slumber party with Cece at night. I don’t think she’d be very happy to find out instead of sleepovers, you’re going to downtown clubs and parties.”
“No, she doesn’t know and you better not tell her!”
If he tattled on me, it’d be all out war.
“And why should I keep my mouth shut? I think Julie has a right to know what her daughter is up to
.” His mock concern only enraged me more.
Feeling threatened and more than a little panicked, I blurt
ed out, “Because this is all I have! These are my only real friends! The only people who give a shit about me and who I can be myself with! Without this, I will go freaking insane!” To my embarrassment, my voice pleaded. “My mom wouldn’t understand and she definitely wouldn’t approve.” I tried to sound menacing as I finished with, “I won’t let anyone take this away from me.”
To my surprise, t
he look on his face transformed momentarily, softening. Then just as fast his smug expression was back and he shrugged. “I guess I could be persuaded to keep my mouth shut.”
“Persuaded?” I
asked warily.
“
Yes, persuaded,” he drawled in a voice I found disturbingly sexy. “Here’s the deal,
Gigi
. I keep your Saturday secrets and you do what I say the rest of the week.”
“You asshole,
I’m not having sex with you!” I practically screamed at him.
He burst out laughing.
“Who said anything about sex?” Looking disdainful now, he explained, “Baby, I’ve never had to force or blackmail a girl to have sex with me. I’m not exactly hard up when it comes to getting laid.”
“Pig,”
I muttered. The unwelcome image of him in a towel popped into my head and I scowled.
“You got that right,” he
agreed unrepentantly. He seemed thoughtful as he continued, “But since you suggested it.”
Before I
had time to process what he’d just said, he pulled me into his arms and his lips came crashing down on mine. At first I just stood there, not moving. I was about to push him away when he started nibbling on my lower lip and sucking it. It felt so good I couldn’t help myself. With a groan, I put my hands in his hair and met his enthusiasm.
After a
dazed minute, he pulled back. “Like I said, never had to force or blackmail a girl.”
I was pissed off by his trick and belatedly pushed him away.
“You jerk! I would die before I ever had sex with you! And that kiss
sucked
!” I slapped him on the chest as a final insult and walked back inside. His mocking laughter followed me into the house.
CALEB
I thought I was lucky before. Now, I not only got to live in the same house as the hottest chick ever, but she had to do whatever I said. My own personal pretty little slave. Life was good and so was that kiss. It promised to be one of the more enjoyable kisses I’d experienced. This new game would at least alleviate the boredom of suburbia.
CHAPTER
SIX
“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”
CALEB
I spent the next hour of the party observing Gianna in what I now liked to call her
natural habitat
. I relished the power I possessed over her. I just needed to figure out what precisely to do with it.
I notice
d how Jared took every opportunity possible to touch Gianna in some way, or he’d find ways for her to touch him. An arm slung over her shoulder in a friendly manner seemed not to faze her. Maybe he meant it only as a friend, but either way, it bothered me. I was starting to think of Gianna as belonging in some way to me. Not in a relationship sort of way, of course, because I didn’t do relationships. I just felt protective of her. It was completely natural, given our relationship as stepsiblings. It was also clear that the girl was mixed up and needed to get her life together. This double life business, where she was one way during the week at school and something else altogether on the weekends couldn’t be healthy.
It amaze
d me that at home she clearly did what her mom and everyone expected of her. It was almost as if she wasn’t a real person at home, but some alternative universe version of Gianna. Here, with people she was comfortable being around, I watched her and she seemed to be a more likable person. It was like Gianna and Gigi were two different people. Which one was the real Gianna? I was guessing Gigi. Why was Gianna the way she was at home? Why didn’t Gigi exist at home and school? I’d definitely be finding out.
Dante wa
s still hitting it off with Nina, but I’d lost interest in Skylar even though she’d suggested we go out to my car to be alone. The air of desperation in her eagerness was a turn off tonight. Normally, I’d be all over that.
I weave
d through the crowd of people until I spotted Taye. Needing to get rid of her, I asked him to do me the favor of taking Skylar off my hands. He was more than happy to oblige and within seconds was sitting on the couch next to her.
I
located Cece and asked her if I could talk to her privately. She nodded with a serious look on her face and I followed her to what must’ve been her bedroom, unless it was Jared with the purple walls and bedspread.
“What’s up?”
she asked, plopping down on the bed. I pushed from my mind the memories of other girls’ bedrooms I’d been in. Gianna would have my balls if I put the moves on her cute little friend.
Figuring
out the best way to play this out, I started by saying, “I’m worried about Gianna.”
She immediately
became alert and I didn’t even have to say anything else, because
damn
did the girl like to talk. Her wild hand gestures combined with long curly black hair whipping around made it all the more animated.
“I know
exactly
what you mean, Caleb. We all worry about her, especially me and Jared. She’s like a sister to us. I first met her when we started ballet together when we were little. She was always really quiet and the other girls thought she was stuck up because even then she looked like a mini supermodel. You should’ve seen her mom, though, she was so overbearing. Wanted everything to be perfect, especially Gianna, and always talking about how beautiful Gianna was. No wonder the girl was shy, with a mother like that. When we got to middle school, her mom started letting her spend the night on some Saturday nights. That’s when Jared was really getting into breaking. We used to watch him and his friends and eventually we learned the moves and became part of the crew a few years ago. Now, Gianna is with us almost every Saturday night!” She ended the last sentence with a pleased smile.
I opened my mouth to comment on a couple
things she said, but she wasn’t done yet. “When Gianna started hanging out with the crew, she really came out of her shell. I feel so bad for her, though, being so gorgeous. You know she hates it, don’t you? She knows that most girls only want to be around her because she attracts guys’ attention. And, of course,
you
know why guys want to be around her.” She tilted her head to the side and studied me. “No offense, but I’m getting a definite player vibe coming off you.”
“None taken,” I replied wryly.
She shrugged one small shoulder and continued, “Anyways, in eighth grade, she heard all the other popular girls at school, who pretended to be her friend, talking shit about her in the bathroom. After that, she tried making friends with some unpopular kids, but they acted weirded out and nervous around her, like they had to impress her. I really hope she stays broken up with Josh, though.”
“Me, too,” I
got in quickly, thinking of last night.
“
He’s so obsessive about her. She told me once that she wishes she could come live with us, but she knows her mom would never allow it. I tell her to say fuck off to everyone, but she won’t. She’s always worried about pleasing everyone else around her, especially her mom, and in the process she makes herself miserable. Her mom has been conditioning her to be a certain way since she was little. It just makes everything jumbled in her head, her wants and her mom’s expectations. So, what exactly are
you
worried about?”
Like I said, this girl like
d to talk. Summing it up to her satisfaction, I told her, “Basically the same thing.”
She
popped up to give me a hug. “I’m so glad there’s someone up in Broomfield looking out for Gigi.” This made me feel guilty, for about two seconds.
“Don’t worry,” I
assured her. “I’m going to make sure things are different for Gianna at home and school from now on.” I was feeling mixed up myself. I hadn’t decided my intentions in this new game between me and Gianna. I’d think about the stuff Cece told me and figure it out later. “By the way,” I began, “the nickname, Gigi?”
Cece looked proud as she explained, “Cece and Gigi, they rhyme.”
This girl was adorable. I could see why Gianna cared about her. However, if she were my sister, I’d probably put a muzzle on her when the yapping became too much.
GIANNA
I hadn’t seen Caleb for awhile and was annoyed his absence even registered in my mind. Maybe he went home. A girl could dream. My life sucked enough already. What’d I do to make the universe punish me with an evil, devious stepbrother like him?
While I was
sulking and feeling sorry for myself, I saw Caleb and Cece come out of her room down the hallway. What the hell? He was such a manwhore. He brought some girl named Skylar to the party and now he was hooking up with Cece. And what was wrong with Cece? This wasn’t like her at all. Your best friend wasn’t supposed to hook up with your stepbrother. Maybe they’d just made out. That was more like Cece. I wouldn’t even care what Caleb got up to, but this was my best friend. They were totally off limits to each other.
Caleb walked
up to me and I did my best to ignore him, but he put his arm around my shoulder and asked, “Miss me?”
“Fuck
no,” I told him acidly.
“Gigi, watch your mouth! Am I going to have to tell mom?” he
teased me, faking astonishment.
I
said through clenched teeth, “She is
not
your mom and it’s Gianna to you”
“You know
, Gigi,” he started as if I hadn’t spoken. “I was thinking you need to have more fun, and I think I’m just the person to help you out.”
“Un
likely,” I replied sarcastically. “I’m not into banging random sluts.”
He was
quiet long enough for me to turn my head to look at him. “Just a moment,” he whispered. “Okay, image burned into my brain. Gonna have to save that one for later.”
“So gross,”
I muttered, shuddering in distaste dramatically.
He ignored
me and continued, “Tomorrow, when I’m in charge, we’re going to work on this new goal of ours.”
“I didn’t
realize you knew what the word
goal
meant. Unless you count that your only goal in life is to not have any real goals at all.”
“You know, that may be true in the
past, but now I have two goals. Making sure you have more fun is one of them.” He glanced at his wrist where a nonexistent watch rested and said, “Hey, it’s past midnight! Technically, it’s Sunday now and you’re supposed to do whatever I say.”
Before he
could say anything else, Jared came up to us and asked to talk to me alone. Seizing on the opportunity to ditch Caleb, I quickly walked with Jared to the front door. When I glanced over my shoulder at Caleb, I saw a disgruntled expression on his face. Good, it wouldn’t be fair if I were the only one annoyed.
Jared and I s
at on the front porch. The late summer night breeze was nice. “Thanks for interrupting us. He gets on my nerves.”
“Really?”
Jared seemed surprised. “I thought he was pretty cool.”
I nudged him playfully. “That’s because he beat up Josh.”
“I’m glad you broke up with Josh.” I watched as the breeze picked up a chunk of Jared’s dark hair. Then I noticed he seemed tense.
“Well, I don’t know if we’
ve technically broken up. I mean, the words haven’t been said. I’ve been ignoring his calls and texts all day, but I haven’t told him it’s over yet. I do plan to officially end things with him. I’m just not looking forward to dealing with his protests.”
Jared
was thoughtful for a moment before saying, “Good enough for me.” His lips were on mine a moment later. This was the second time in one night a guy surprised me like this. I hoped it wasn’t a new trend.