Calum starts singing and I’m transfixed again by his voice. I heard him sing yesterday but the emotions are new, touching me in all the places Mum’s voice used to touch me. I cross my legs on the chair, too stunned to do anything more. The singing slows to an end but his smile is still intact when he says to his camera, “Alright guys. That’s it for today.” Before he started singing, he made a small announcement and apology for his long, unexplained absence. I know it had to do with his band breaking up but that’s all I know. “See you next time.” He blows a kiss to the camera and my stomach knots with jealousy. I have to find his YuuTube channel ASAP. “Love you. Stay safe.” As Calum’s eyes come to rest on mine after ending the recording, I can’t help thinking what it would feel like to be loved by him in a proper way. Not as a brother or sister but as a man loves a woman, his lover. As if hearing my thoughts, his smile fades. The clapping from somewhere in the room tears his eyes
I’m preparing for school on Monday morning when someone knocks. My first thought is to check whoever is at the door till my eyes catch the new post on Girls Code open on my screen. I tilt the screen of my laptop so it won’t be visible to whoever is at the door when I open up. “Who’s that?” “Calum,” my stepbrother answers, followed by another knock. “Are you ready for school?” That’s weird. Amelia or Dad is usually my ride to school. I shuffle to the door and wrench it open. Calum’s lips part in a silent curse and I lower my gaze to my chest to see what he’s seeing. Oh. Blush rushes to my cheeks. My breasts are almost spilling out of my black lacy bra. The top is on the bed. Again, it’s not deliberate but I make no effort to cover up. Instead, I fold my arms under my boobs, pushing them up to catch more of his attention. Calum slides his hands into his pockets and my cheeks redden at the indecent thought that sneaks into my mind. I lean on the door, using that opportunity to size
The car is too quiet. The radio is off. I hate my dad’s incessant questions but I’ll give anything to have him in the car asking me stuff I don’t want to talk about than sit in this silence with my stepbrother. I reach for the radio and he cuts me a look that has me retracting my hand.My elbow juts out the window, my head pokes out and the morning air whips through my hair. The car slows as he is about to make a turn.“Do you have a YuuTube channel?” Calum asks at the traffic light. I’m surprised he’s talking to me after his ominous warning at the house. I shake my head. The light turns yellow. “Okay. I can help you set one up if you don’t mind. You can post some of your singing videos there.”“Okay. Thanks, bro.”One. Two. Three. The light turns green and we speed off. We sit in silence, not as awkward as it was earlier. I toy with the buttons of my shirt for a minute. &
Was Calum angry? Was he jealous? Does this affect our budding friendship? I don’t know. It feels like I cheated on him. I didn’t do anything wrong but it’s all I can think as I make my way to the chemistry class, my last class for today.Amelia waves me over to a seat at the back. We haven’t seen each other since lunch break. I’m not sure I want to talk to her. She must have sent Jackson to me and the idiot kissed me.Grudgingly, I plop into the seat she reserved for me. She retrieves her phone from her purse and slides it over my desk. I don’t want to see. I look to the door, my only means of escape. Mr Andy should be here soon but until then, I have to make small talk with her. It sucks to be me.“You two looked so cute,” Amelia says.I pick up the phone and my frown deepens to a sneer. “You took a picture of us? Really?” The three girls in the row before ours throw us a
CALUM“Cal, are you ready?” Alice asks again.“Yes.” Another uncertain glance at the door Cathy walked out of, angry and disappointed in me and a knife spears my inside. I might have fucked that one up with my reply to her. I rub a finger over my nose. “Miss Gates?” Alice perks up. If I hadn’t agreed to take her to the clinic, I would have said yes to Cathy’s request. I try not to feel bad. She can ask that Jackson of a guy to take her home. If he can kiss her, then he can drive her home too. “I will appreciate it if you call me Calum. Just Calum.”“And you will call me Alice?” she asks.Alice’s eyes say more than her lips do. And it is obvious she’s attracted to me. I grab my water bottle and briefcase. “Yes, Alice. Can we go?”“Sure, Calum.”Together, we exit my office and step into the chill air. It&rsq
I skipped dinner last night. The next day, I grab only an apple from the kitchen and rush out of the house to meet Amelia. When she asks how I got home, I make up a lie about catching a ride with my stepbrother. But in truth, I walked home. How do I tell her she was right? That I turned down his offer to take me home because I did not want to be in the same car with him and his date. He didn’t want to drive me home anyway. And it’s not his fault that our town’s facilities are limited. After school, I lock myself in my room. My plan is simple. Talk to my wicked stepbrother only if unavoidable. My stomach growls again. I bury my face in the pillow and scream into it. The only real meal I ate today was cafeteria lunch. My decision to stay away from Calum is starting to look like a bad one. He’s not the one affected by hunger. I am. Dinner is in an hour. I resolve to show my face for a bit, then grab my dinner to eat in my room. My Samsung phone on the nightstand vibrates, I place it
Calum crosses his arms. His lips quirk in that arrogant smile I want to slap off his face. But with Dani and my dad watching, I have to stay composed. I hide my hands under the table. I already know I’ll hate Calum for the words that will come out of his lips and he proves me right.“Maybe your daughter wants to enlighten us.” I hate him. I hate this food. I mutter something under my breath and the table laughs. Was it funny? I stab the chicken and take a big bite of it to avoid talking to them. “As a matter of fact, Pete, I think I might like one of your teachers.”Oh, God.He is lying, right? Of course not. She called him Cal. He let her touch him without his consent. That’s what lovers do and I’m not his lover, just a silly little stepsister he wants out of the way.Tears swim in my eyes. I’m so stupid. What did I think would happen? That the singing would make us close? That momen
The day rolls by so fast. Soon, it’s Thursday. On a regular day, I’ll be pumped for choir practice but I drag myself out of the bed with second thoughts. What if I cancel? If I do that, then we will never have a reason to talk to each other.As appealing as that idea sounds, my love for music supersedes the desire to ignore Calum.Amelia calls when I’m eating breakfast. Dani made strawberry pancakes. Once the call drops, I put down my phone. Amelia can’t make it to school today. That means, I have to ride with my dad or even worse, Calum. I’ll rather eat sand.Speaking of the devil, Calum joins me at the dining table with a plate of pancakes and a glass of milk. The heat of his body envelopes me. Did he have to sit this close to me? His leg brushes mine and I almost jump out of my seat. He’s tempting me.“Good morning. How was your night, sis? Did you sleep well?” Step. Stepsister. I dig into the