Trying Not to Love You
Page 1

Prologue
"Mom, I'm home!" I called out when I opened the front door.
"Hi, baby girl. How was school?" I walked over to my mom and gave her a hug. We shuffled off to the kitchen as we did every day when I got home to make me a snack.
When we walked into the kitchen, my older brothers Mason and Cooper, who are twins and Jackson were sitting at the table doing homework with the most handsome boy I had ever seen.
"Kenzie, close your mouth." Jackson said, laughing.
I was standing there staring at him; I couldn't pry my eyes off of him. "Shut up!" I said to Jackson just as the boy looked up to see me staring at him. He smiled at me.
I quickly looked over to Mom. She had a giant smile on her face. "What would you like to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." No way could I eat in front of him. He was causing butterflies in my belly. "Is it okay if Hailey comes over?"
I heard Mason groan and mumble, "Not again."
"Of course she can," Mom said while pouring sweet tea into glasses.
I reached for the cordless phone on the kitchen island, called Hailey and asked her to come over.
She walked into the kitchen like she owned the place but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed who was sitting at the table. I giggled and ran off to my room with Hailey close on my heels. Once she shut my bedroom door, she turned around and asked, "Umm Kenzie, who is that at the table?"
"I have no idea; he is cute though, isn't he?"
"You can say that again. We need to go ask your mom." Hailey was always brave like that. She does not hold back.
"No way." I said bashfully and sat down on the chair in front of my vanity.
"He must have just moved here." Hailey picked up a brush from my vanity to brush my hair. "I've never seen him around school."
Someone knocked on my door. "Come in."
"I thought I heard you girls up here. Here is your drink sweetie. Hello Hailey, would you like something to drink?"
"No thanks, Mrs. C. Who is that downstairs, sitting next to Mason?" Leave it to Hailey to come right out and ask.
Mom looked over at me and smiled, "That's Hunter. He just moved here with his mom and sister Jaylinn."
"How old is he?" Hailey asked while braiding my hair.
"Oh, he's thirteen, the same age as the twins."
Even at thirteen, Hunter had all the girls crazy over him at school. His dark brown hair was almost black. His bright blue eyes and the cute little dimple on his right cheek when he smiled had all the girls swooning.
From that day on, I felt drawn to Hunter, and I had a feeling I always would be.
Our families took summer vacations together ever since Hunter's family moved here. We were camping this year in Virginia Beach. There was a hurricane passing off the coast, so that meant we needed to stay inside the tents or RV because of all the rain and wind. The parents all hung out in the RV. The boys' tent was bigger than the girls' tent, so that is where the parents set us up with a bunch of different games. No one wanted to play those silly kids games. Jaylinn and Hailey voted for us to play truth or dare. Hailey chose me to go first, of course.
"Truth or Dare?" Hailey asked me.
I looked at her and smiled, knowing that trouble would find me with either answer. It did not matter which one I picked, Hunter would be involved. Hailey was the only person that knew I had a crush on Hunter. Jaylinn might have figured it out, but I had never flat out told her I liked her brother.
"Dare."
Smirking at me, she said, "Go outside with Hunter and kiss him in the rain."
All three of my brothers growled in unison. Hunter looked at me with wide eyes while both Hailey and Jaylinn started laughing and giving each other high-fives. I did not expect that from her, especially since my brothers were within striking distance.
"No way. Not happening." Mason said.
Hailey, who was still laughing, looked at Mason and said, "A dare is a dare."
Hunter reached out for my hand and helped me off the air mattress. Jaylinn open the tent flap for us so we could get out.
The rain was starting to slow down to just a drizzle. Hunter and I walked out, hands held together, and turned to face each other.
"Ready?" He asked. When I nodded my head, he said, "On the count of three. One." He took a step closer. "Two." I took the last step, our bodies just barely touching. "Three."
Our lips connected, and it felt as if someone shocked me and stole my breath. It was sweet and intoxicating, and I did not want it to end. I felt like my brothers had barely let our lips touch before they started making a giant fuss about it.
"Alright man, that's enough." Jackson said.
"Dude, that's my sister. Don't ever let me see your lips on her again." Mason said.
"Yeah or we're gonna have problems." Cooper said.
I would remember that kiss always, my first kiss. It might not have meant anything to Hunter, but it meant the world to me.
My teenage hormones were in overdrive and Hunter was a massive problem, screwing with them. Only problem was, I was not on his radar, or at least I did not think I was. Hunter was going out with girls from our school, and I hated every second of it. I wanted to be the girl that he made out with at the movies. I wanted to be the girl that he took to prom this year. I wanted to be Hunter's girlfriend.
"You ready to go?" Hailey walked into my room without even knocking, disturbing me from my pity party.
"Yeah, just have to do my makeup." I grabbed the bag of make-up off my vanity that Mom and I had just bought yesterday.
"You are not wearing makeup Kenzie. You don't need that shit." Cooper said as he stood in the doorway of my room.
"Get out." I stalked over to the door and tried to shut it, but he blocked it with his foot.
"Dude, what are you doing?" I had heard Hunter's voice before I had even seen him.
I opened the door and crossed my arms. "I'm trying to shut my door, but jackass here won't move."
Cooper glared at me. "Give me the makeup Kenz and I'll leave."
"No." I yelled. "Get out."
"What the hell is all the yelling about?" Mason asked, standing behind Cooper and Hunter.
"She thinks she's going out with Hailey dressed like that, and wearing that shit on her face." Cooper answered Mason's question.
I threw my hands up in the air, walked over to my closet and grabbed my sandals. I didn't dressed any differently than I was any other day. I had on a tight fitting tank top and skinny jeans, my normal every day clothes.