The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window (32 page)

Silently, I
tried to convince myself that t
his boy
Johnny probably won’t even want to talk to me today and that I was
getting myself all worked up over nothing. It wasn’t this boy’s
fault that my father married his mother and made him move here.
Hell, he probably needed a friend right now because he would have
just left everything and everyone he knows behind.

Walking over
to the bed, I looked down at Liam. He looked so peaceful that I
almost didn’t want to wake him up. I sat on the edge of the bed and
took his hand, knowing we needed to get ready for school. “Liam?” I
whispered. He woke up almost straight away, which was unlike him,
he usually took forever to wake up in the morning.

“Hey.” He sat up and looked at me sadly.

I smiled
reassuringly; he was worried about me I could tell.
“Hi,” I replied, moving onto the bed with him
and pulling him back down with me. “I’m fine. Stop stressing,” I
promised, smoothing out the frown lines on his forehead.

He sighed and
shook his head
. “I’m here if you want to
talk to me. You know that, right?” he asked, looking at me
intently.

He
really
was just too adorable to me
sometimes, I really didn't deserve it. “I know, Liam, but I’m fine.
Let’s just get this over with and see what this guy says today,” I
suggested, shrugging. He bent his head and kissed every inch of my
face, making me giggle before he pulled away to go in the
shower.

When we pulled into the school parking lot an hour
later, Kate came bouncing up to the side of the car with a huge
grin on her face. She wrenched open my door. “I’m officially in
love!” she announced to me proudly.

I
laughed
. “Really? OK, well….
congratulations,” I replied sarcastically, whilst rolling my
eyes.

She
laughed
. “I’m serious. There’s a new guy
started today, and he is
ho
t!” She fanned her face
dramatically. I stopped dead in my tracks; I bet that was him, my
new stepbrother. Well that’s just perfect, now Kate’s going to be
falling all over him and I’ll be forced to hang out with him.
Great, just freaking great.

“
New guy?” I
asked quietly. Liam rubbed his hand down my back gently.

“
Oh
, heck yeah! You should see
him, he’s yummy. But you’ve got Liam so I’ve called dibs,” she
said, grinning and skipping along beside me. “I don’t know his name
yet, Hottie McTottie suits him though.” She waggled her eyebrows at
me and I couldn’t help but laugh at her.

Jake
th
rew his arm around her shoulder. “You
know, I’m not used to you not wanting me, Kate. I’m not sure I like
this new behaviour,” he stated, giving her his flirty
smile.

She
sighed
dreamily. “I’ll always want you,
Jake, there’s just some fresh meat to drool over. I guess you’ll
have to work harder for my attention from now on,” she teased,
winking at him as she shrugged off his arm. He actually looked
genuinely shocked and a little pissed off. “So, I need to find out
everything about him, want to help me?” she asked, linking her arm
through mine.

H
ell no I didn’t.

“
His name’s
Johnny,” I told her, shrugging and trying to go for the casual
approach
.

She
laughed
. “Psychic much? You’ve only just
pulled up, how do you know his name’s Johnny?” she asked, shaking
her head, looking amused.

“He’s my stepbrother.”

She stopped
walking and looked at me
, shocked.
“You’re kidding me,” she gasped, with wide eyes.

I shook
my
head. “Apparently, my father
remarried, and his wife already had a son. If it is him that you
saw, then he’s seventeen and his name’s Johnny,” I said, shrugging
as though it was no big deal.

She squealed
and linked
her arm through mine
excitedly. “This is awesome! You can introduce me and I’ll have the
advantage over the skanks.” She was grinning from ear to
ear.

“
I don’t know
him. I can’t introduce you,” I replied quietly. I really didn’t
want her falling all over him; I wanted to keep my distance from
anything even remotely connected to my father.

“
You are so
damn greedy, Amber! Seriously, the hottest guy as your boyfriend,
the second hottest as your brother and a very close third is your
damn stepbrother?” she cried,
looking at
me with mock anger.

I was just
about to answer when Jessica and three of her little clones came
over, all of them looking at Liam hungrily. I couldn’t help but
smile as Liam’s arm snake
d around my
waist. “Hey, Jessica. Have you got my money?” I asked,
grinning.

She sneered
at
me. “Yeah right. As if, emo girl.” She
turned to Liam and smiled seductively, making his arm tighten on my
waist. “You didn’t sleep with her, did you, baby?” she purred
confidently.

I heard Jake
groan behind me. “I can’t hear this! I’m going to my locker. Ambs,
if you need me today then call me, I’ll leave my cellphone turned
on,” he said, as he walked off quickly.

“
Well, baby?”
Jessica asked, put
ting her hand on Liam’s
arm.

He grinned
and shrugged. “A gentleman never tells,” he stated,
kissing the side of my head.

I
laughed
. “Well that doesn’t really help
with the whole claiming the money thing, lover boy,” I teased,
rolling my eyes.

He sighed
dramatically
. “Fine. Jessica, you owe
Angel four thousand dollars,” he said, looking at me
lovingly.

She stamped
her foot on the groun
d and I couldn’t
help but laugh. “How the hell could you do this to me?” she almost
screamed at Liam. “You were supposed to be with me! You can’t sleep
with some little whore!” People were stopping to watch now as her
face got redder and redder. Maybe she’d forgotten to
breathe.

“
Jessica, we
went out like twice,
” Liam countered,
looking uncomfortable.

“
I don’t care
how many times we went out! I’m head cheerleader! We’re supposed to
be together. You’re not supposed to be with some brown haired, grey
eyed, little freak,” she screeched, waving her hand at me
distastefully
.

I couldn’t
help but laugh.
Brown haired,
grey eyed, little freak?
Where the heck
did that come from? “Wow, Jessica, be careful, we’ll have a pack of
dogs here if your voice gets any higher,” I joked,
laughing.

She turned
her anger to me. “You! You stole my boyfriend! I was the secret
girlfriend and you slept with my man,” she shouted, pointing at me
accusingly.

Kate burst
out laughing next to me. Oh
no, she did
not just go there!

I stepped
closer to Jessica,
looking at her
warningly. “Yeah I did, and wow he was good. I take cash, or a
cheque with a bank guarantee card, whatever’s easier for you. Oh,
and Jessica, if you ever scream like that at me again I’m going to
break your face. You understand?” I growled, angrily.

She flinched
away from me slightly; I grabbed Liam’s hand and dragged him away
into the school, with Kate skipping along behind me, laughing her
ass off. “Yo
u should have bitch slapped
her. I would love to see that,” Kate chirped happily.

Sarah and
Sean came running up then
. “You won the
bet?” Sarah cried with wide eyes.

Wow, news
travels fast in this school!

Liam laughed
and kissed me, tangling his fingers in
to
my hair. “I’d better go. It’ll give you some time to gossip about
me before class,” he said, smirking at me cockily. “I love you,
Angel.” He kissed me again gently, before walking off quickly in
the direction of his locker.

I stood
around
, filling in my friends about how
we were secretly dating, and yes I had won the bet. I had my doubts
as to whether I would get the money though. Kate opened her big
mouth and told them that the ‘hot new guy’ was my stepbrother. I
was secretly glad when the bell rang so I could escape to class. I
didn’t want to keep talking about Johnny. I hadn’t even met the guy
yet and he was already too big a part of my life.

I made my way
to English and sat in my usual seat
, next
to Kate. A few minutes later he came in. I knew it was him without
even looking, I could tell by the way Kate gripped my arm way too
tight. I glanced up and looked. He was totally hot; I could see
what she was talking about. He wasn’t as tall as Liam or as well
built. In fact, he was a little lanky, but he totally pulled it
off. He had on ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with a black hoodie
over the top. He had brown eyes, his brown hair was a lot longer
than Liam’s and was messy and a little shaggy. He looked a little
shy, his shoulders hunched a slightly as if he was nervous. I could
definitely see the appeal he held, and so could every girl in the
class who was now staring at him lustfully. I laughed; the poor kid
didn’t know what he was in for. Once Jessica got her claws into him
he’d be done for.

Kate nudged
me with her elbow,
making me look at her.
She mouthed the word ‘hot’ and fanned her face, nodding excitedly,
making me laugh harder. That boy really was in some big
trouble.

“
Class, this
is my new student, Johnny Brice,” Mrs Stewart said, smiling at him
warmly. He turned to the c
lass and smiled
uncomfortably.

“Told you! Seriously hot,” Kate
whispered.

Sure he was
hot, but he had nothing on my Liam. “He’s cute,” I
confirmed,
nodding in
agreement.

“Johnny, tell us a little about yourself,”
Mrs Stewart suggested.

He shifted
uncomfortably on his feet as he looked around the class nervously.
“
Er….. well, I’ve just moved to
Timberfield with my mom and stepfather. I have a little brother
who’s one. And I like to skate?” he said, making it sound more like
a question.

“
OK, well I’m
sure you’ll be very happy here. How about I pair you with someone
for my class then they can show you to your next class after?” Mrs
Stewart offered. I groaned. There was no way she would pick me,
that’s the kind of thing that just happens in cheesy stories. I
sank down in my seat, looking at my book, praying for a break.
“Jessica, are you volunteering?” Mrs Stewart asked. My head snapped
up and I breathed a sigh of relief. Kate cursed under her breath
and put her hand back down, she was obviously volunteering
too.

Johnny made
his way across the class to sit next to Jessica, who was busy
undoing another button on her already slutty shirt. He smiled at me
as
he walked past my desk. “Hi, Amber,”
he said quietly.

“
Hi
, Johnny,” I replied, a little
shocked. How the hell did he know my name? I watched him sit next
to Jessica, she immediately starting flirting her ass off with him,
while he just seemed to be nodding politely, looking
uncomfortable.

K
ate looked at me with wide eyes.
“I thought you didn’t know him,” she whispered, frowning at me,
looking a little confused.

I shook my
head
. “I don’t. How the hell did he know
who I was? I’ve never seen him before,” I replied.

The teacher
cleared her throat. “Right then, if we’re all done talking, how
about we start the lesson?” she asked sarcastically. I grabbed my
book and sunk further into my seat, trying not to look in his
direction.

As soon as the bell rang I
jumped out of my seat and practically ran from the room, not
wanting to chance another meeting. I silently prayed over and over
in my head that he wasn’t in anymore of my classes. Thankfully, the
rest of the morning went past with no more run-ins with my new
stepbrother.

People were
talking to me a lot today; everyone was asking
if Liam and I were an item, they wanted to know how long
we’d been together. Blah, blah, blah, it was the same thing over
and over and I was already bored of it.

“
Hey, Angel,”
Liam purred, grabbing me from behind as I stood in the
lunch line with Kate and Sean.

“
Hi.” I
smiled, feeling instantly ha
ppier now
that he was near me.

“
How’s your
day been?” he asked, kissing my neck,
making me squirm.

I
sighed
. “Well, I’ve been answering the
same questions over and over. It was so bad that I’m actually
considering getting: ‘
Yes, I
am dating Liam. Yes, I have won the bet. Yes, he is a good
boyfriend. No, my brother didn’t go crazy,’
tattooed across my forehead so I don’t need to keep
repeating myself,” I joked, shrugging. He laughed and held me
tighter. “Aside from the repeating myself, I had a class with my
stepbrother. He knew who I was. And oh yeah, he’s walking in right
now with that skank Jessica, who by the way, looks like she wants
to kill me. So my day’s not going too good, boyfriend,” I stated,
discreetly nodding towards Johnny.