It was my turn to give him a wry look. "Come on. You guys are a-holes. You don't care and I doubt the fact that I might be your stepsister has anything to do with it."
He grinned and leaned back. "You didn't say anything about the cars before and you torched your coach's car for us."
"I didn't do that for you."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You kept your mouth shut about a lot of stuff, most would've been trying to get close to us and use us. You didn't give us the time of day." He flashed his perfect white teeth at me. "It's refreshing. Then the day you were about to cream your mom, I realized you really don't care who we are. You hate your mom almost as much as we hate our dad." He shrugged again. "I don't know, makes me kinda like you." He chuckled. "Logan's told everyone about his new stepsister. He's proud of you."
My phone went off and I checked the text. It was from Becky. 'At Kilbourn and 8th. Where r u? Adam said u wanted to talk?'
"Where's the party we're going to?"
"Fisher's house is on Kilbourn, by the parkway. Why?"
I sighed and sent a text. 'Be there soon.' Then I looked up. "Just curious."
His eyes lingered on my phone. "Was that the quarterback?"
"Nope. She's the quarterback's friend. She's my only friend right now." Though, that could change after tonight.
He reached over and clipped my seat belt in, and then he dumped my food back in my lap. "You really should eat. Logan's got a list of shots he wants to pour down your throat. This is his way of hazing you into the family."
I'd gone numb, but I unwrapped my sandwich and ate every last bit. I had no taste, no sense of swallowing, but I did and when I was done, we were at the party. I looked up at a huge house on an even bigger hill. Lights and people streamed out of it and as I watched, a group of guys and girls slid down the hill and sailed through the air into a small lake. Their shrieks and laughs pierced the Escalade's wall, but the loud bass quickly covered them up.
"Fun," I bit out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When we got inside, everyone knew Mason was there. Guys appeared from nowhere for a hand slap, a nod, or any greeting from him. Girls tried to curl on his arm, but he shook them off with an ease that was impressive. He left each behind and they all seemed not to realize what had happened before he was already gone. Then he stepped into the kitchen and a herald of cheers sounded out.
Logan was in the middle of the kitchen with his hand around the keg's nozzle. When he saw his brother, he lifted it up and let it go. Beer soaked everyone in the room, but no one was upset. The girls shrieked in laughter and the guys raised their drinks in salute.
So this was their life.
They were celebrities in Fallen Crest and I was starting to realize the magnitude of it all.
Then Logan was in front of me and bent forward. I was picked up in the air in the next moment and flung over his shoulder. He smacked my butt and turned me around. Then he lifted a cup in the air. The room quieted.
"This is my new stepsister. Help me and Mase welcome her to the family." He gave me a smirk when I twisted around. "By getting her drunk!"
Another round of cheers went through the room and I heard an echoing chorus throughout the house, though I doubt they knew what they had cheered for.
I hit him in the head. "Put me down."
When I was on my feet, I saw that Mason was in the far corner of the kitchen. He had a drink in hand and as I watched a blonde wrapped herself around his arm. He didn't shake her off.
A glass was being nudged into my hand and I saw that Logan was trying to give me a shot. "What?"
"Take it. I'll do a shot with you."
I pulled him close and yelled in his ear, "I don't really drink, Logan."
His hand curved around my back. "Just let loose, for tonight only." Then he pressed his mouth to my ear and I heard the seriousness in his voice. "I want you to have fun and I won't let anything happen to you. Promise. Everyone will look out for you since I told 'em your family."
He pulled away and clinked his glass with mine. "Drink up, sis."
"I'm not your sister."
"If you're mom has anything to say about it, you will be."
A flash of anger went through me, but not at him. I gripped the shot glass and drained it. Logan whistled his approval and filled it again. And the night went on like that.
Mason disappeared and Logan wouldn't let me out of his eyesight. An hour later, after he'd been pulled downstairs for a game of pool, I looked up and saw Jessica. She was in a corner by herself. I didn't know anyone else in the room, but it was full of people and they all knew Logan. Most of the guys were tall and muscular with athletic builds so I assumed they were on the football team with him.
I searched for Lydia or Jill, but it was Jessica seemed alone. Then I nudged someone beside me. When he turned with his poolstick in hand, I asked, "Anyone from Academy come tonight?"
He gestured outside. "They're all out by the lake. Why?" He narrowed his eyes. "You an Academy kid?"
"Ethan!" Logan barked from across the table. "Your shot."
Ethan gave me another suspicious scan and left. As he bent over and started to line up a shot, I felt someone beside me and looked up.
I sighed. Who else?
"Hi, Sam," Jessica spoke in a quiet voice. She inched closer when someone scooted past her.
I felt Logan's gaze, but he didn't join us. Thank goodness.
Her shoulders dropped an inch and I wondered if she had wanted the opposite, then I felt stupid. Of course, she did. Why else would my ex best friend talk to me?
"What do you want, Jess?"
"I need a reason to say hi to you? I thought we were friends."
Someone fell against the wall next to me and I didn't have to look. I held my breath for a moment and was thankful when Logan remained quiet.
"You screwed my boyfriend for two years. You haven't said a word to me since I found out."
Her smile seemed strained at the corners and she edged back a step. "What are you talking about? I talked to you at the game tonight."
I pushed off from the wall. "You said hi to me, after you had won a date with Logan."
"What?" Logan stood too.
"Yeah, Logan." She surged forward and gave him a sultry smile. "I won the date with you."
He grinned and leaned back. "You didn't say anything about the cars before and you torched your coach's car for us."
"I didn't do that for you."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You kept your mouth shut about a lot of stuff, most would've been trying to get close to us and use us. You didn't give us the time of day." He flashed his perfect white teeth at me. "It's refreshing. Then the day you were about to cream your mom, I realized you really don't care who we are. You hate your mom almost as much as we hate our dad." He shrugged again. "I don't know, makes me kinda like you." He chuckled. "Logan's told everyone about his new stepsister. He's proud of you."
My phone went off and I checked the text. It was from Becky. 'At Kilbourn and 8th. Where r u? Adam said u wanted to talk?'
"Where's the party we're going to?"
"Fisher's house is on Kilbourn, by the parkway. Why?"
I sighed and sent a text. 'Be there soon.' Then I looked up. "Just curious."
His eyes lingered on my phone. "Was that the quarterback?"
"Nope. She's the quarterback's friend. She's my only friend right now." Though, that could change after tonight.
He reached over and clipped my seat belt in, and then he dumped my food back in my lap. "You really should eat. Logan's got a list of shots he wants to pour down your throat. This is his way of hazing you into the family."
I'd gone numb, but I unwrapped my sandwich and ate every last bit. I had no taste, no sense of swallowing, but I did and when I was done, we were at the party. I looked up at a huge house on an even bigger hill. Lights and people streamed out of it and as I watched, a group of guys and girls slid down the hill and sailed through the air into a small lake. Their shrieks and laughs pierced the Escalade's wall, but the loud bass quickly covered them up.
"Fun," I bit out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When we got inside, everyone knew Mason was there. Guys appeared from nowhere for a hand slap, a nod, or any greeting from him. Girls tried to curl on his arm, but he shook them off with an ease that was impressive. He left each behind and they all seemed not to realize what had happened before he was already gone. Then he stepped into the kitchen and a herald of cheers sounded out.
Logan was in the middle of the kitchen with his hand around the keg's nozzle. When he saw his brother, he lifted it up and let it go. Beer soaked everyone in the room, but no one was upset. The girls shrieked in laughter and the guys raised their drinks in salute.
So this was their life.
They were celebrities in Fallen Crest and I was starting to realize the magnitude of it all.
Then Logan was in front of me and bent forward. I was picked up in the air in the next moment and flung over his shoulder. He smacked my butt and turned me around. Then he lifted a cup in the air. The room quieted.
"This is my new stepsister. Help me and Mase welcome her to the family." He gave me a smirk when I twisted around. "By getting her drunk!"
Another round of cheers went through the room and I heard an echoing chorus throughout the house, though I doubt they knew what they had cheered for.
I hit him in the head. "Put me down."
When I was on my feet, I saw that Mason was in the far corner of the kitchen. He had a drink in hand and as I watched a blonde wrapped herself around his arm. He didn't shake her off.
A glass was being nudged into my hand and I saw that Logan was trying to give me a shot. "What?"
"Take it. I'll do a shot with you."
I pulled him close and yelled in his ear, "I don't really drink, Logan."
His hand curved around my back. "Just let loose, for tonight only." Then he pressed his mouth to my ear and I heard the seriousness in his voice. "I want you to have fun and I won't let anything happen to you. Promise. Everyone will look out for you since I told 'em your family."
He pulled away and clinked his glass with mine. "Drink up, sis."
"I'm not your sister."
"If you're mom has anything to say about it, you will be."
A flash of anger went through me, but not at him. I gripped the shot glass and drained it. Logan whistled his approval and filled it again. And the night went on like that.
Mason disappeared and Logan wouldn't let me out of his eyesight. An hour later, after he'd been pulled downstairs for a game of pool, I looked up and saw Jessica. She was in a corner by herself. I didn't know anyone else in the room, but it was full of people and they all knew Logan. Most of the guys were tall and muscular with athletic builds so I assumed they were on the football team with him.
I searched for Lydia or Jill, but it was Jessica seemed alone. Then I nudged someone beside me. When he turned with his poolstick in hand, I asked, "Anyone from Academy come tonight?"
He gestured outside. "They're all out by the lake. Why?" He narrowed his eyes. "You an Academy kid?"
"Ethan!" Logan barked from across the table. "Your shot."
Ethan gave me another suspicious scan and left. As he bent over and started to line up a shot, I felt someone beside me and looked up.
I sighed. Who else?
"Hi, Sam," Jessica spoke in a quiet voice. She inched closer when someone scooted past her.
I felt Logan's gaze, but he didn't join us. Thank goodness.
Her shoulders dropped an inch and I wondered if she had wanted the opposite, then I felt stupid. Of course, she did. Why else would my ex best friend talk to me?
"What do you want, Jess?"
"I need a reason to say hi to you? I thought we were friends."
Someone fell against the wall next to me and I didn't have to look. I held my breath for a moment and was thankful when Logan remained quiet.
"You screwed my boyfriend for two years. You haven't said a word to me since I found out."
Her smile seemed strained at the corners and she edged back a step. "What are you talking about? I talked to you at the game tonight."
I pushed off from the wall. "You said hi to me, after you had won a date with Logan."
"What?" Logan stood too.
"Yeah, Logan." She surged forward and gave him a sultry smile. "I won the date with you."
