Step Brother

Chapter 17

My room consists of a bed and a dresser. The only things I brought are my clothes, toiletries and other necessities. Adeline knows about Maddox and I but she says nothing. She does her best to make me feel at home but I stay locked up in my room to give them their privacy.

Brooke's happy that I'm here because once I leave for college, we won't see each other. I'll be on the other side of the country and she'll be here. We'll only see each other on holidays if I decide to fly back home. That may be difficult if I don't find a job there. I guess we'll see how things go.

Just as I get ready for bed, my phone rings. Glancing at the name, I see it's Maddox. I ignore his call and curl up again. When it rings again, I grab it and answer. "Leave me alone!" I growl.

"Why the fuck are your clothes gone?" Maddox demands.

"Didn't your dad tell you?" I ask.

"Obviously fucking not. They're in bed." After a long moment of silence, he continues. "Are you going to fucking tell me?"

"I moved out," I say as if it weren't important.

"Because of me? Do you always run away from your problems?"

"I would've left anyways, jackass. College starts in three weeks. Running away wouldn't have been a choice then. I just got a head start."

"College?" he breathes. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"Because it's none of your business. You won't have to see me again for a long time after school starts. You should be happy," I say.

"Why would I be happy about that?" he asks.

"Because you won't have to keep sneaking around with Leah. You guys can be a couple without me in the way. Congratulations. Isn't this what you wanted?"

He groans. "You're what I want."

"Bullshit," I snap. "You were making plans to fuck Leah when we got back from Florida."

"You said when we got back, it was over."

I shake my head. "If you really cared, you wouldn't have let it go that easily."

"You said -"

"Goodnight Maddox," I say before hanging up.

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The next day, my mom and Jason take me shopping for college supplies. Of course, Maddox just had to tag along. My mom picks out everything, throwing the most ridiculous things in the cart. "Babe, I think some of these things aren't really necessary," Jason says.

My mom rolls her eyes, waving her hand. "Don't be silly, she'll use it all. Won't you honey?"

Ignoring her question, I slowly walk away. We go to the hygiene aisle where she begins throwing shampoo, conditioner and body wash into the cart. When we reach the end of the aisle, she throws a box of condoms in the cart. My face turns beet red. "Mom!"

"You'll need them. I'm not ready to be a grandma and your priority is school," she says sternly.

"Put them back," I demand.

She places her hands on her hips. "So your not going to have sex in college? For four years?"

"That's none of your business!" I exclaim.

"It is when I'll be the grandma," she says. "Just take them."

I look back at Jason and Maddox who look incredibly uncomfortable - especially Maddox who also looks slightly irritated. Shaking my head, I leave the aisle. Another half hour of shopping goes by then we go back to the house. As my mom prepares dinner, I go up to my room. It's sad that I'll be leaving all this behind in a few weeks. "Hey," Maddox says from behind me.

Keeping my gaze on the objects in the room, I reply. "Hey."

"You know you could always go to a college around here," he says.

I roll my eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I want you to stay," he says softly.

Part of me wants to stay but I can't. I've dreamed about going to this college for years. I'm not going to let that dream slip away just because a boy wants me to stay. Even if I did stay, we couldn't be together. "I don't want to stay," I lie.

The door clicks closed behind me and he walks towards me, his footsteps nearing me. "Please stay. Stay with me. I don't want to lose you," he says, placing his hands on my hips.

Our body's press up against one another's and I close my eyes. "I'm leaving and no one can change that."

"Give me another night then. One more night to make things up to you. We shouldn't leave things on a bad page when you leave. Forgive me," he finishes quietly.

I shake my head. "I can't."

"Why not, princess?" he murmurs.

I swallow. "Because nothing can ever happen between us."

"Please," he begs.

I turn around, placing my hands on his chest. "No. You had your chance."

Bringing his hand up, he cups my cheek. He leans his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. "Can I kiss you goodbye?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply with a shaky breath.

Angling his head just right, his lips press against mine. They move slowly, his tongue brushing my lips softly. Parting my lips, we kiss each other with all we have. His hand slides around my body and down to the small of my back, pressing me into him.

You don't want this, I tell myself. But my body betrays my mind, lusting after the muscular body before me. Pulling away, I step back. I inhale deeply before saying, "You should go."

He silently obeys, leaving me with my thoughts.

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