Stolen

Chapter 3

Mia's POV

Holy shit.

The possibility of Dakota Williams already being here did not even cross my mind for a single second. I just stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, having absolutely no clue what to do.

When did you get here?

He stared back at me, looking into the depths of my eyes, waiting for any kind of response from me.

I must've stared at him for a bit too long, though, because a moment later he shifted in his spot uncomfortably.

"Umm...are you gonna take my hand or...?"

"What?" My gaze automatically shifted towards his outstretched hand, clearly meant to pull me off the ground.

"Oh. Well, umm..."

And then I suddenly remembered what was going on here.

"Where are my parents?" I demanded, ignoring his outstretched hand and immediately standing up on my own.

"Wait, what?" he asked, looking disoriented for a moment and rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, so I guess you weren't gonna take my hand..."

"Just answer the question!"

"Oh, right. Your parents," he said, looking embarrassed. "They're not here."

"Well, obviously," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Don't you think I've realized that by now? My question is, where are they?"

He looked taken aback, as if he wasn't used to someone talking back to him.

"They went out to buy groceries," he said, watching me with a weird expression on his face.

"Did they say when they're coming back?" I questioned.

"No," he said, shifting his weight onto one leg.

"When did you get here?"

"A while ago."

"Be more specific!"

"Okay, geez!" he cried. "About ten minutes ago."

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. I meant what I said to Crystal and Andrew - he could live here if he wanted to, but that doesn't mean I have to talk to him.

"I'm going to my room," I said in a robotic voice, walking towards the staircase. "If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen. But do not eat the cinnamon rolls. Those are mine."

"Wait, what?" he asked incredulously, following me up the stairs. "That's all you're gonna say to me?"

I swiftly turn around, facing him. "What did you expect me to say to you?" I demanded, folding my arms.

"Well...I dunno," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Show me around the house, maybe?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Adam can do that," I decided, turning around and walking up the stairs.

"Wait, Adam's your twin brother, right?" he asked, following me.

"Yes," I nodded, refusing to turn around.

"Where is he?"

"At a friend's house." I reached the top of the staircase. "Just wait for him to come back."

"Okay, but-"

"Your room is over there," I interrupted him, pointing to the room in between mine and Adam's. I knew he didn't deserve to be treated so coldly, but maybe if I treated him this way, he'd leave me alone. "If you need anything, you can find me in the room to the left of yours," I said, walking towards my room. "Do not come see me unless it's about something really important."

"Wait!" he cried, holding onto my wrist and swiftly turning me around. I gasped, my eyes widening as he stared at me intently, his deep gaze burning into mine. "I'd prefer it if you showed me around the house."

I glared at him. "If you're gonna live in this house, we need to have a standard set of rules," I seethed. "Rule number 1: Never touch me," I declared, yanking my hand out of his.

"But-"

"Goodbye," I said, slamming the door in his face.

***

Dakota'a POV

Mia Summers was frustrating.

Frustratingly intriguing.

Why would someone ever act that way towards me? Who was she to tell me what to do, huh? Did she have some kind of grudge against me?

I never wanted to come live here anyway.

My parents made me. They practically forced me. I wanted to go to Ohio so bad to see my aunt Claire after her car accident. The doctor said it's really serious and could result in permanent nerve damage.

I was so scared something bad might happen to her. I was ready to be there by her side during the entire thing.

And then my parents had to go ahead and tell me that no, I wasn't going to Ohio to see her, but instead I had to stay in someone else's house during the entire time they were in Ohio.

It made me so mad.

But eventually, I came to realize that if I'm gonna live in someone else's house, I may as well act civil around them. After all, I had no idea how long I was gonna stay there, and it wasn't the best idea to take out all my anger on them.

So when I met Mia today, I tried. I tried to be nice to her.

And what did she do?

She ended up making me embarrass myself.

It made me so angry every time I thought about it. I wanted to go punch a wall.

But at the same time, I really wanted to find out why she was acting so cold to me. So...

So mean to me.

She's the first person to have ever dismissed me like that, as if I wasn't worthy enough of her time and energy.

I heard footsteps walking down the staircase, which must've meant she's coming downstairs. I stood up and was about head into the kitchen, when a kid with curly brown hair and a goofy grin burst through the door.

"Hey Mia, can you-" he stopped talking when he saw me, his jaw dropping to the ground.

Mia walks in from behind me. "Oh, I believe you two haven't met," she said, glancing at the new guy. "Dakota, meet my brother Adam. Adam, meet Dakota Williams."

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