Chapter 5
1166 Words
AMARA
"Here comes our baby stepsister the nerd-"
The words hit like a slapshot to the chest. I froze mid-step, Peyton and Nova turning with me.
There they were-Kingston and Maddox Cole, leaning against the brick wall near the main entrance like they owned the entire school.
And damn, they looked hot as hell. Both in sleeveless hockey practice tops that showed off their sculpted arms and broad shoulders, the fabric clinging to chests carved from endless drills.
Sweat from morning skate still glistened on their skin, messy dark hair damp and tousled. Kingston's sleek black glasses caught the morning light, giving his arrogant smirk that annoyingly sharp, intellectual edge. Maddox, without them, radiated raw, untamed energy, green eyes flashing with mischief. Identical twins built like predators on ice-six-foot-three of pure trouble.
Peyton practically drooled beside me, her eyes wide as she clutched my arm. "Oh my God, Amara ... "
I shook her off, irritation spiking. "What do you want now?"
Maddox pushed off the wall first, twirling a hockey puck between his fingers as he sauntered closer. His gym shorts hung low on his hips, drawing unwanted attention to those powerful thighs. "Where were you last night, bookworm? We waited for tutoring. Dad asked where you disappeared to."
"Not like it's your business or anything," I shot back, crossing my arms. Nova gave me a supportive nod, but Peyton was still staring dreamily at the twins.
Kingston adjusted his glasses, stepping up beside his brother.
The two of them boxed us in without even trying, their height and presence making the busy walkway feel cramped. "Everything's our business when it affects the team. Coach is breathing down our necks about that calc midterm. You bailed on us."
"I was at Peyton's. Girls' night. Deal with it." I tried to sidestep them, but Maddox's arm shot out casually, not touching but close enough to block my path.
"Girls' night, huh?" Maddox's grin widened, green eyes flicking over me-ponytail, tendrils framing my face, the faint shine of lip gloss. "Bet you were talking s**t about us. Cute."
Peyton finally found her voice, giggling nervously. "Hi, guys. I'm Peyton. Huge fan of the team."
Maddox barely glanced at her, focus locked on me. "Tell your friend we don't need fans. We need our tutor home on time."
The bell rang, saving me from more of their crowding. Students streamed past, but the twins lingered a second longer, identical smirks promising this wasn't over. "See you at seven, stepsis," Kingston said smoothly, tapping his glasses before they both headed inside, shoulders brushing as they walked in sync.
Nova pulled me forward. "Ignore them. Boundaries, remember?"
Peyton sighed dreamily. "They're so intense. Lucky you."
I groaned. The rest of the school day dragged-classes where I caught glimpses of them in the halls, always surrounded by teammates, always shooting me those mocking looks.
By the time I got home, dread settled heavy in my stomach. Mom and Desmond were out again, leaving the house quiet except for the low hum of the fridge. I set up the dining table early, notes organized, determined to keep tonight strictly professional.
At exactly seven, the door slammed. They were back from afternoon practice, filling the entryway with their post-game energy-compression shirts damp, that unmistakable scent of ice and exertion trailing them.
"Tutoring time," Maddox announced, dropping into the chair beside me without invitation. His knee bumped mine immediately under the table.
Kingston took the other side, glasses still on, elbow grazing my arm as he reached for a pencil. "Missed us?" I ignored the jab and launched into the material-more integrals, practice problems from the upcoming quiz. For the first twenty minutes, it was almost tolerable.
They engaged enough, Maddox twirling his puck and Kingston doodling lightly in the margins, but the usual bullying simmered: stolen eraser, knee knocks, comments about my "nerdy ponytail" and how I probably color-coded my dreams.
Then Maddox got a problem right on his own. He leaned back triumphantly, stretching so his shirt rode up. "Nailed it. What's my reward, tutor?"
"No rewards," I said firmly. "Just keep going."
But Kingston was already closer, green eyes intense behind his frames. "Come on, Amara. One little thing. You owe us for bailing last night." His voice dropped, casual but edged.
Before I could pull away, he tilted my chin with two fingers-light, almost playful and brushed his lips against mine. It wasn't aggressive. Just a quick, firm press, warm and surprising. He tasted faintly of mint gum and Gatorade. My eyes widened, but he pulled back almost immediately, adjusting his glasses like nothing happened. "She really tastes good," he commented to Maddox, voice nonchalant, as if remarking on the weather.
Maddox chuckled, leaning in from my other side. His hand rested on the back of my chair.
"Told you. Sweet like those cookies your mom bakes." He didn't kiss me, but his breath ghosted my ear for a second, close enough to make my pulse jump.
Then he grabbed my highlighter and twirled it, passing it over my head to Kingston like another round of keep-away.
I sat there stunned, face burning, swatting at their arms. "What the hell? Stop that! This is tutoring, not ... whatever that was."
Kingston smirked, scholarly and smug. "Relax, bookworm. It was just a thank you. You're helping us stay on the team. Fair trade."
Maddox nodded, knee pressing mine again. "Yeah. Don't make it weird. Back to derivatives."
They brushed it off so casually, diving back into the problems like the kiss was no bigger than one of their hallway shoulder checks. But my lips tingled, and the air felt thicker.
I pushed through the session, voice shakier than I wanted, correcting their work while they kept up the low-level bullying-flicking my ponytail, "accidentally" bumping my notes, teasing my organized tabs.
"You're all red again," Maddox observed midway, grinning. "Cute when you're flustered."
"Focus," I snapped, but my mind kept replaying that brief contact. Kingston's precise move, the casual compliment tossed to his brother. They were bullies, invading my space as always, but this felt like a new line crossed and then shrugged away.
By the end of the hour, they'd actually improved. Enough to scrape by if they reviewed it. Maddox stood first, ruffling my hair roughly. "Same time tomorrow. Don't disappear again, nerd."
Kingston lingered, pushing his glasses up as he looked down at me. "And Amara? You taste even better than we imagined." He said it lightly, almost teasing, before following his brother out.
I stayed at the table, heart racing, notes slightly crumpled from their games. The kiss replayed-quick, casual, dismissed like everything else they did to torment me.
But it lingered, mixing with the frustration and that unwanted flutter low in my stomach. My bully twin stepbrothers were escalating, and I had no idea how to stop it without blowing up the fragile family peace.
Tomorrow night loomed. Seven p.m. couldn't come soon enough-or maybe it could.
- Writer
