Beware of Bad Boy (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

“The reason that the all-American boy prefers beauty

to
brains is that he can see better than he can think.”

-Farrah Fawcett

CALEB

This
was the boring life my dad chose over my mom? I couldn’t believe I was going to be stuck here until I graduated high school. After complaining for years about my dad giving up on their marriage, my mom chucked me out the door to go live with him and his new family.

So maybe I
got into trouble every now and then. So maybe I got expelled from another school last May. When did
boys will be boys
turn into
I can’t take it anymore, you’re going to live with your father
?

Three years ago
my dad brought this blonde woman to meet me and told me she was going to be my new stepmother. I went home, told my mom and she freaked like her heart was breaking. The thing she was stuck on at the time was that my dad’s new wife was so much younger than her. My future stepmother appeared nice enough, but I loved my mom and I couldn’t stand her pain. I told my dad I refused to ever be a part of his
new
family. Even though she never said it outright, I know it made my mom feel a little better when I was resistant to having anything to do with my new stepmother and her kids.

Now,
barely three years later, my mom couldn’t seem to pawn me off to that new family fast enough. Being her only child only got me so far. She’d had enough of my antics and was ready to send me to dad to straighten me out. I thought the way our home life worked was just fine. My mom did her thing and I did mine. The problem for her was she didn’t like the things I got up to.

When
I pulled up to a giant two-story house which looked like it belonged on a sitcom, I couldn’t help but compare it to the apartment I shared with my mom. Our apartment was in a trendy Denver neighborhood. This place was definitely a far cry from trendy. The neighbors probably expected quiet and everyone was in bed by ten at night.

My dad had been mowing the lawn when I pulled up and his wife was gardening in a flowerbed
. My artist mother would have called it very Norman Rockwell. I hoped I wasn’t expected to take part in any of it. I especially wasn’t going to be pushing a damn lawnmower around the front yard.

A
s soon as I’d parked, my dad turned off the lawnmower and met me as I got out of the car. We grabbed some of my bags from the trunk and I was ushered through the white front door with a fancy gold knocker. My dad happily patted me on the back while Julie, my stepmom, yapped about how excited everyone was to have me there.

All of a sudden
a skinny blonde kid came crashing into my legs. “Caleb is here! He’s going to play PlayStation with me!” The welcoming party sure was confident. When tugging on my hand in the direction of what I guessed was the game console didn’t work, he only pulled harder.

“Caleb,
this is my son, Chance, and he’s obviously excited about your coming to live with us. Chance, honey, Caleb just got here. He needs to get settled in first, so please stop yanking on his hand.” It was weird how she spoke sternly with a smile on her face.

Maybe
my dad went out and married my mom’s opposite. When my mom used that tone you better believe there was a frown to accompany it. My mom was the moody artistic type, more likely to tie a scarf around her waist than her neck. This lady dressed different too, very preppy in her polo shirt. “Caleb, come sit over on the couch so we can all get to know each other.”

I follow
ed them into a living room, feeling awkward. Jesus Christ, could a person fit more floral printed furniture and paintings into one room? I spied what seemed to be some sort of shrine on the other side of the room. A long table against the wall was covered in pictures of a blonde girl at different ages. Different outfits, too. Some looked cheerleading related and some had her in ballet getups. The pictures were far from where I sat, but she looked sort of pretty. I didn’t remember how old the daughter was, high school age at least, but she looked good enough to bang if she weren’t my dad’s stepdaughter. That definitely put her on the
Do Not Bang
list.

Julie and Scott follow
ed 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.

W
alking 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 introduce
d 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 stuck 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 wa
s 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 check
ed 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 ki
cked 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 plat
e 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 slip
ped 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 t
he 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.