Beware of Bad Boy Read online

  Julie and Scott followed my gaze and, believe it or not, Julie got even more excited. “Oh, Caleb, that’s my daughter, Gianna. Chance, go get your sister. She should be here to welcome Caleb.” Interesting that her name was Gianna, an Italian name when I doubted she had an ounce of Italian blood in her. My mom was Italian-American and she didn’t even have an Italian name.

  “I can’t go get her mom ‘cause she left right when Caleb got here. I told her he’s here, then she ran upstairs, then she ran downstairs, went to the garage and left,” Chance explained in a rush.

  “Oh well . . . she must’ve been late to meet a friend, but you’ll get a chance to meet her later, Caleb. I know, I’ll show you to your room now.” Julie’s cheeks were pink as she excused her daughter’s absence. Perhaps my new stepsister wasn’t so happy about me being here.

  Three hours later I was contemplating living in my car. I needed to escape. If I had to put up with any more of this family time crap I was gonna choke someone. That someone may just be my new stepmother. After I was shown my new room, painted baby blue with sailboat border on the wall, Julie insisted on getting to know me more. This consisted of two hours of Julie asking me questions, my dad staring at her like he loved her curiosity and Chance yanking on my sleeve to get my attention. Julie was hot and all for a lady in her thirties, but I didn’t know what my dad saw in her beyond that. If her daughter was anything like her, I’d be walking around the house with a roll of duct tape for her mouth.

  Finally a reprieve when my dad asked to speak with me privately in his study. A study for fucks sake! It was even decorated like the study cliché with manly plaids and dark woods. I sat across from him and picked up a Mallard duck statue with a question in my eyes.

  He shrugged with a smirk on his face. “I let Julie do the decorating.”

  Setting the duck back down, I laughed. “You should hire a professional to redecorate.”

  “Nah, it doesn’t bother me.”

  “The sailboats in my room have to go.”

  “Whatever makes you more at home, Caleb. I’m sure Julie won’t mind. We really want you to be comfortable living here.”

  “Thanks, dad.”

  He cleared his throat and sat forward. “I wanted to talk to you alone about why your mom wanted you here.”

  I gave him a skeptical look. “You mean, why she didn’t want me there anymore?”

  “Don’t be a brat, Caleb. You know your mother loves you. She just thought the lifestyle down there wasn’t benefitting you.”

  Actually, I liked my life a whole lot. My life was awesome in Denver. “Of course she loves me,” I agreed. “She just thinks I’m a pain in the ass.”

  “You have been in the past,” my dad said. “But let’s leave the past where it belongs and why don’t you look at this as a fresh start? I’m here if you need to talk or if you feel like you’re slipping into bad habits again.”

  I wouldn’t refer to them as bad habits. More like me being me and other people having a problem with it. Maybe if I promised to be a good little boy, my mom would let me come home? I so didn’t want to be here, living in the suburbs, going to another new school and missing my friends. Too bad my mom knew me so well. She wouldn’t believe for a minute I’d already changed my ways.

  “Will do, dad,” I stated halfheartedly. Life was about to get very boring.

  Julie yelled that dinner was ready and we headed towards the dining room to have what she described as “our first family dinner.” Oh joy. At least the food smelled damn good. My mom didn’t cook much and when she did it was out of the box, so I’d finally found a plus about moving in. The spread on the table was mouthwatering and definitely home-cooked. If all family dinners were like this, I’d have to start working out more.

  Right as we were digging in, a door slammed shut nearby. Julie smiled one of her exuberant smiles. “Gianna, honey, we’re in the dining room!” Ten seconds later, in walks one of the most smokin’ hot pieces I’d ever seen.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “She got her looks from her father.

  He’s a plastic surgeon.”

  -Groucho Marx

  GIANNA

  I was glad to escape the meet and greet with Scott’s son. No way would I have been able to be sincere. It gave me time to think and decide on the best game plan for dealing with my new stepbrother. I would cautiously give him a chance since we’d be living in the same house for the foreseeable future. I pulled my Jeep into the garage and entered the house through the kitchen.

  “Gianna, honey, we’re in the dining room!” I heard my mom call out. I headed that way, feeling a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

  Walking into the dining room my eyes instantly fell on one of the hottest guys I’d ever seen. He had black hair almost long enough to fall into what I thought were hazel eyes. He stood up when I entered, making to move around the table. At a little over six feet, he seemed to tower over Chance who was still seated and shoving mashed potatoes into his mouth. As he passed by my mom I studied his getup: black tank top that showed off muscular arms, straight jeans hanging on lean hips and retro Vans.

  My mom introduced us as he neared, “Caleb, this is my daughter, Gianna. You’ll be starting at her school tomorrow. Isn’t it so convenient you’re in the same grade? Maybe you’ll share some of the same classes, but either way she’ll be able to show you around.” I didn’t second that offer.

  Caleb met me where I still stood in the doorway. I didn’t like the smirk on his handsome face. The light from the hallway behind me glinted on a piercing in his eyebrow. I was startled as he pulled me in for a hug. His muscles contracted as I gripped his biceps, not about to wrap my arms around him.

  “Nice to meet you, sis,” he said with a chuckle. I felt his warm breath on my ear as he added in a whisper only I heard, “Wanna sleep in my bed tonight?”

  Feeling his hand reach down to pat my butt, I pushed him away and yelled, “Get off me, asshole!”

  “Gianna, what’s gotten into you? Caleb was just trying to be friendly. Is that any way to greet him?” She looked appalled while Scott wore a disappointed expression. Chance stopped eating, his eyes riveted to the dinnertime drama.

  “Yeah, well he was trying to get a little too friendly. Mom, do you-”

  Caleb cut me off before I could finish, his face displaying false hurt and confusion. “I’m sorry, Julie. I’ve never had a sister before and didn’t know hugs weren’t allowed.” As I saw Scott’s eyes narrow I realized at least one person was suspicious. He may be able to fool my mom, but his dad obviously knew better. Not that Scott would call him out on it and risk upsetting his wife.

  “It’s okay, Caleb, hugs are allowed. We’re a very affectionate family,” my mom encouraged. We were? “That was very sweet of you,” she said before throwing me a hard look. “Now let’s just sit down to enjoy our first dinner as a family and we’ll talk about this later, Gianna.”

  I couldn’t believe my mom was falling for his crap! No wait, I totally could when I thought of how my mom always liked to sweep problems under the rug, pretending they didn’t exist. Like when our family was splitting up and she insisted her and my dad would reconcile. Or the past three years when Scott’s absentee son was only a picture on his desk when he should’ve been a frequent visitor.

  After dinner, which I finished last with being late, I ran up to my room, ignoring the fact my mom wanted to talk to me. I turned on some music, a new electronic group Cece wanted me to check out, and flopped down on my bed. I looked at my phone to see eighteen new text messages. I ignored the ones from people at school and found one from Cece.

  Cece: How’s the new brother?

  I immediately texted her back.

  Me: Stepbrother! And I’ll probably start a fire outside his bedroom door tonight

  Cece: That bad?

  Me: Worse

  If life got any worse, I’d be moving to Houston to live with my dad. Scratch that, I could never leave Cece and the boys. Guess I was stuc
k with-

  A loud banging on my wall interrupted my thoughts.

  “Turn that shit down!” Caleb shouted through the wall separating us.

  Glancing at my door to check it was locked, I turned the volume up on a crappy song that made me wonder what Cece was thinking when she called this band genius.

  It was funny how people were always telling me how lucky I was. Lucky to be so beautiful. Lucky to do well in school. Lucky to be dating Josh. Right now, when it came to stepbrothers, I was feeling decidedly unlucky.

  CALEB

  Damn, how lucky could one guy be? I’d already worked my way through all the hot chicks at my old schools. Now I’d get to live in the same house as an even hotter chick. Maybe living in the ‘burbs wouldn’t be so bad after all. One thing was for sure, playtime with my sister was going to be fun. Even if she was hands off, I’d still be able to check out that ass whenever I wanted.

  Too bad she had shit taste in music. The ruckus coming through our adjoining wall made me turn up my own music to drown it out.

  Going through my phone, I checked my messages. One from a one night stand the other weekend asking why I hadn’t called her back yet. She’d made weird sounds when she was coming. Another from Dante wanting to know if my new stepmom was hot. A text from Hailey checking if I wanted to go out tonight.

  I answered Dante and Hailey, telling no to both. Although, my stepmom could be hot if she didn’t have the suburbia stick up her ass. If I were home at my mom’s I would’ve taken Hailey up on her offer, but no way was I going to make it all the way back home driving drunk. Plus, my dad would be pissed if I ruined my new start so soon.

  Feeling tired, I kicked off my jeans and pulled off my tank. I’d unpack my stuff tomorrow. At least the bed was comfortable, with all these pillows and the fluffy comforter.

  *****

  I woke up with the sun shining on my face and my first thought was to buy some blackout curtains. I’d need them to sleep in on the weekends I spent here. I planned on crashing at my mom’s as much as possible otherwise I’d be bored as hell stuck here.

  Three knocks on my bedroom door accompanied Chance yelling through it, “Caleb, Scott says to wake up!”

  “Yeah!” I grunted, dragging myself out of bed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t skip the first day of school. It really pissed teachers off. It was creepy to open my door and find Chance standing out there. “What’s up, little dude?”

  “Are we playing video games after school?” he asked intently.

  “Um, sure,” I replied, then added as he was running off, “As long as your mom says it’s okay!” Or whatever.

  The bathroom Julie had indicated I’d be sharing with Chance was free. It was decorated with yellow rubber ducks, the shower curtain, the towels, even the freaking soap dispenser. No way was I ever letting my friends up here. The teasing would never end. Soaping up in the shower, I wanted to laugh my ass off. Maybe I’d redecorate this room also. I’d see how the kid felt about skulls, Julie would love that.

  Leaving the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist, I passed by a pissy-looking Gianna who made an obvious effort not to look at my bare chest. “Want to put some clothes on?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Want to help me get dressed?” I countered and laughed obnoxiously when I heard her curse softly. Looking at the alarm clock I failed to set last night, I saw I was running late. I was dressed in two minutes flat and took an old backpack with me downstairs.

  “Caleb, honey, here’s your lunch money.” Julie handed me some one dollar bills. Was she for real? She passed out lunch money every day? My mom transferred money into my bank account every few weeks. But, hey, I was never one to turn down free money, so I pocketed the cash thinking I’d enjoy the extra spending money.

  “Thanks, Julie, you’re the best stepmom ever,” I told her, seeing the compliment had the desired effect from her pleased smile. Oh yeah, I knew how to work the charm so she’d be more willing to give me money in the future.

  Julie handed me a plate of pancakes and glass of milk. It worked for me. I sat down at the kitchen table across from Gianna and dug in. There was a blue backpack on the chair next to her. She was ignoring me, concentrating on her food.

  “Oh darn,” I said sorrowfully.

  “What’s wrong, Caleb?” Julie questioned immediately.

  Slapping my forehead in a dumbass gesture, I explained, “I forgot my school supplies at my mom’s.” Total lie, I just didn’t bother getting any even though my mom bugged me all last week.

  Gianna’s eyes narrowed on me at her mom’s next words. “I’m sure Gianna can lend you some.”

  There was a pronounced silence as Gianna stared me down. Finally, and with obvious reluctance, she said, “Sure.” I kept eating my pancakes, washing them down with milk. With agitated movements, Gianna got a notebook and some writing utensils out of her bag, shoving them across the table at me.

  Picking up the pink notebook she gave me and a pack of pens, I slipped them into my backpack. “That’s sweet of you, really.” I’d seen the less girly colored notebooks in her bag so I grasped she’d done it on purpose.

  She looked proud of herself and I was sure it was the pink notebook putting that smirk on her face. “No problem, Caleb.” Her insincere smile had me wondering if being gorgeous made her a bitch. She wouldn’t be the first beautiful female with a crappy personality.

  Drinking the last of her orange juice, Gianna zipped her bag up and headed for the garage door. Julie stopped her by suggesting, “Honey, Caleb should ride with you today since he doesn’t know the way to school. That way you guys are together so you can show him around.”

  With my back to Julie, I gave Gianna a smug grin and relished her scowl. “Fine, hurry up,” Gianna called out before the garage door slammed behind her. I took both my dishes and Gianna’s to the sink, earning an approving look from Julie.

  Gianna sat in the driver’s side of a white Jeep Liberty. Taking my time, I hopped into the front passenger seat. She started the car as the garage door came up and DMX blasted from the stereo.

  “You like DMX?” I asked disbelievingly. She didn’t look the type to enjoy rap music. More like a Katy Perry fan.

  “Yes, and I’d much rather listen to him than you right now, so if you don’t mind. . . .”

  What a raging bitch. Fine by me, I thought to myself, I’d just check her out in silence. Damn, her body was rockin’. She wore a denim skirt that showed me lots of those luscious legs, a tight-fitting white t-shirt and white Adidas. As I listened to DMX’s aggressive lyrics, I wondered if angry cheerleaders on the rag were now listening to rap music.

  Five minutes later, we pulled into the school parking lot. It was newish looking, unlike the schools I’d attended downtown. The massive two story building was a light brick. As she parked her Jeep, Gianna’s hand suddenly gripped the steering wheel tightly. What was up with that?

  Climbing out of the vehicle, we were literally swarmed. Several people converged, all trying to get Gianna’s attention, both male and female. Guess the girl was popular. The look on her face was interesting. She didn’t seem to enjoy the attention. The curve of her smile hinted at a grimace. The way she held her body indicated discomfort.

  I got a couple curious glances from her fan club. One girl who walked on the other side of Gianna nudged her to ask, “Who’s he? He’s cute.”

  Gianna looked at me as if she’d forgotten I was even there and said indifferently, “This is my stepbrother.” Just her stepbrother, not even my name. Rude.

  Since Gianna apparently wasn’t going to bother with any introductions that was their cue to offer it themselves. I met a Shawn and Erin first. Talk about popular by association. While I was being bombarded, the girl who’d asked about me was now hanging on my arm and trying to get my attention. I saw Gianna hide a smile and walk away from the group.

  “Gianna never told us she had such a nice stepbrother. My name’s Hannah.” I looked the girl up and down and decided she
was definitely worth my time. Since Gianna didn’t seem bothered with me finding my way around a new school, I’d allow Hannah the honor.

  “Show me to the front office?” Gracing her with my sexiest smile, I let her grab my hand and lead me towards the front entrance. On our way there, I saw Gianna walk up to a blonde guy smiling at her. He immediately pulled her into a hug and kissed her. For some reason this really bothered me. Maybe it was a protective brother thing. Bitch or not, she was my stepsister now. I shook the feeling off, taking on a who cares attitude about it. It didn’t matter to me who kissed those lips.

  My classes sucked just as much as they did at my last school. My English teacher last year was fresh from college and not bad to look at. The one I had this year had hips almost as wide as the doorway to her classroom. I had a couple classes with Gianna, not sure if it was a good or bad thing. She didn’t seem like the type to let me photocopy her notes.

  She didn’t show me around even after the classes we had together. The idea of ratting her out to Julie crossed my mind. Hannah was more than eager to help me out and I wondered what else she was eager for. At lunch time, I found out the guy Gianna kissed was her boyfriend Josh and that they’d been going out for almost a year. I sat at the same table as Gianna and this Josh guy, but at the opposite end. It seemed as though I’d been inducted into the popular crowd. As if I gave a shit. I’d piss off more than one of these girls before long. Gianna ignored me, but my ego was nurtured by several of the other girls.

  Gianna was a favorite topic amongst our classmates once they found out who I was. I learned more about her during the forty-five minutes of lunch than I did the day before being in the same house as her. No wonder she was such a prissy bitch. All of her peers practically worshipped her. In this shallow society of high school, she outshone the other females, and there were a lot of pretty girls here. This was why half my friends were older.