“Checkmate, Ava, checkmate,” he whispers against the shell of my ear before shoving past me. I’m not a dog, and I won’t roll over and play dead. If he wants to hurt me, he’s going to have to try harder than that.
???
Not wanting to go home and face Vance yet, or worse yet nothing at all, I decide to do a little shopping. By the time I get home, the sun is setting, and my stomach is grumbling, demanding me to feed it. The shower is calling my name and I have a paper to write. Oh the joys of the first day of classes. I pull onto the long driveway that leads to the house and immediately see cars lined up along the road and in front of the house.
What the hell is going on?
I can already feel my blood boiling in my veins. People scurry across the driveway as I press the garage opener in my mom’s car, only to find there’s nowhere for me to park since there appears to be a game of beer bong taking place in my parking space.
He’s got balls… massive ones, if he thinks this is going to fly. And who has a house party on a Monday, anyway? Doesn’t anyone care about classes? Sleep? Throwing the car into park, I get out, my teeth grinding so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them cracks.
The music inside the house is so loud I can hear it outside, the ground shaking from the bass. This asshole is going to get the police called on us. My appearance draws the attention of a bunch of people that are standing in the yard, red cups in hand. A few of the girls sneer at me, while the guys stare at me like I’m a fawn entering the lion’s den.
Grabbing my shopping bags out of the car in a haste, I march up the walkway and onto the front porch. If this asshole thinks he can ruin me by doing some adolescent bullshit, then he’s got another thing coming. I’m shutting this shit show down, right now.
Chapter Eight
Vance
I feel her before I see her. That’s the strange thing about being drawn to someone you have no business being drawn to. You feel them deep inside you, like your soul is speaking what your mind refuses to acknowledge.
“Heads up, little stepsister alert. And she’s looking hot as fuck, and a little bit psycho,” Clark chuckles, a billow of smoke escaping his lips. Sarah is slung across my lap, acting as if she belongs there, and though she doesn’t, I don’t have the patience to tell her otherwise. She twirls a piece of blonde hair around her finger, looking bored.
She’s not who I want…who my blood sings for… As if my body knows she’s close, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. A second later Ava appears in the foyer, her hands filled with bags, a scowl the size of Texas on her face. Like the perfect mix of drugs, her presence sends endorphins racing through my veins. It cripples me, making me weak, but it also gives me the edge I want. The edge I need to hurt her.
Her cheeks are dark pink, and frustration creases her forehead and I know I’ve hit my mark. The schedule switch was supposed to be a little fun, just something to humor myself, but then I heard she had befriended Jules Peterson, and I couldn’t have her thinking her first day turned out okay.
So like always, Clark came to the rescue with the back-to-school-bash. A few texts and the mention of free beer and word spread like herpes on spring break.
“Hey stepsister,” I greet with a smug smile. Her hands curl into tiny fists and she looks like she has the urge to throw her shopping bags at me. She’s kinda adorable when she’s mad, her mousy brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail, her outfit sexy, but not overly eye-catching. I bet she had a guy or two lusting after her today.
Sarah wiggles in my lap, her well-manicured hand running over my chest possessively. Normally I would tell her to cut it out, she means nothing to me, has no hold over me, but right now I don’t mind it so much, not when I see jealousy flash in Ava’s emerald eyes.
“How was your first day? Did you find all your classes alright?” A couple of the guys chuckle beside me.
“Great, thanks for asking,” Ava sneered sarcastically, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would really appreciate it if you could quiet it down. Most of us have classes tomorrow and I have homework already, so…”
The fuck? Who does she think she is? Obviously, I need to bring her down a couple notches, show her who is really in control here.