IN LOVE WITH MY STEPBROTHER

CHAPTER 7

JASON'S POV

I walked into the room I was supposed to attend an advanced math class in but stopped at the door the moment I saw her. She was seated alone reading a book I couldn't see, her curly hair covering her face. I watched her for a while knowing that she couldn't see me. Tess was wary of me in a way that I couldn't explain but it was fascinating which bothered me.

In a whole school with over thirty girls in each class, cheerleaders and other cool girls who would fit the perfect definition of the cutest high school couple, with my looks and with a hoard of girls all over me but still, none of them had moved me like Tess had. I was obnoxious, sure but I was whenever I needed to be. I figured that maybe if I tried to show her the version of me that she hadn't seen, maybe she would stop treating me like the enemy. I needed her in my corner. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. Who was I kidding? It was no longer about breaking up our parents. I wasn't a kid anymore to do that stuff. Why couldn't I have a romance of my own?

Thinking about Tess like that had freaked me out but I couldn't push it away. Now looking at her for the first time since morning, I headed straight to her and took the seat beside her.

"That seat is taken," she stated without looking up from her book.

"I know, I'm sitting on it," I teased. Tess looked up abruptly and I grinned. "Have you been avoiding me all day?"

"Turns out the school isn't big enough," she responded and went back to her reading. I grabbed the book. "What is wrong with you? Give it back!"

I shrugged holding the book further away from her. I looked at the cover. It was one of the literature books we had been forced to read in junior year.

"Should you be doing this in a math class?"

"Should you even be in my math class? You are a senior."

"I'm retaking it for my college application."

"So you are not only a jerk but also dumb? I should have known."

"Well," I sucked in air and returned her book. "Just so you know, I'm not dumb. I just have severe ADHD." Tess opened her mouth to speak, her eyes already filled with guilt but I looked away pretending to be hurt. I didn't have ADHD. I was just not as sharp when it came to maths as I was in other subjects but I needed to see that look on her face.

Inwardly, I smiled triumphantly knowing that I had her in my corner. Yeah, well. Maybe I was always a jerk.

Some minutes later, her friend walked over. I was in her seat but instead of getting me to move, she took the seat infront. I turned just in time to see Tess throwing daggers at her. Ava was pretty. Her long straight hair tossed to one side of her head exposing a slender neck, and a perfect smile could easily pass her as one of those girls I would date but not this time.

"You know you can't get rid of me forever," I whispered leaning towards her desk as the teacher began the class.

"As if I'm not reminded of that enough times," she responded and snapped her book closed. She was even prettier when angry.

"Jason!" the teacher who happened to be my football coach called loudly startling me. I looked up. "Come back to class."

"Yes, sir!"

It wasn't long before I zoned out of the class. My mind was back on my mother and what was about to happen. My aunt's house was too far from the school so we were moving in with Tess and her father on the weekend. Living with so many people had never happened before. Was I ever going to get used to it? It was a good thing I only had one year to college so I decided to suck it up and be the perfect son my mother always believed me to be. How much longer would that be? I looked at Tess and a second later, she turned and met my eyes. She however looked away quickly and I had to smile. Was I wrong to think that she was also curious about me? There was only one way to find out.

I grabbed a piece of paper from my book and noted it down.

*"You have pretty eyes."*

That was lame but it would do the trick. I was also stating the truth. I folded it once and pushed it towards her. She looked at my hand questioningly but eventually took it. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her open it but I didn't get to read the look on her face. The bell rang and the teacher summoned me outside the class.

"Have you thought about our discussion yet?" he asked hopefully.

Tess walked out right at that moment and eyed me impolitely. My mind zoned out for a second as I watched her walking away. "Like I said, we could really use-"

"I'm in coach. I'll see you at practice. I have to go to another class," I responded hurriedly and didn't wait for his response.

I caught up with her almost at the end of the hallway and grabbed her hand to stop her. Ava was not with her but I didn't focus on that. Tess stared at me in surprise, her eyes searching mine rapidly.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a low voice.

"I think you know what I'm doing," I responded then looked around us as several students passed. Without thinking, I pulled her with me to a Janitor's closet nearby and then closed the door.

"Jace, what the f**k-"

I trapped her next words in my mouth not caring to know what they were. She resisted me for a second trying to mumble something and I broke the kiss to look at her. Her chest rose up and down, her breath out of control. I was looking for a sign that I hadn't f****d up but her face was expressionless. I stepped away and the moment I did, she opened the door and ran out of the closet without saying a word.