Anti-Stepbrother

Kevin really did have feelings for me. He’d ended things first with Maggie. As if he was going to magically appear, I glanced at my door. I could almost feel him on the other side of it. I frowned.

“She actually asked me to ask you for a favor,” Avery continued.

“Who?”

“Maggie.”

“Maggie what?”

“Maggie asked me to ask you a favor.”

My mind was spinning. “Huh?”

Avery cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You seem a little more out of it than normal.”

I gave her a rueful grin. “Caden said something like that to me on Friday. I must need to rein in my weirdness.”

She was still giving me a weird look. “Maybe a little. You’re having a hard time following this conversation.”

I nodded, and then refocused. “Okay. What’s the favor?”

“She wants you to find out who the girl is.”

“Say what?”

“Kevin always has another girl on standby. If he ended things with Maggie, there’s got to be a new girl already. He didn’t even make it six months this time. Can you go ask him who it is?”

Cue the awkwardness. It was me, I was pretty sure, but I needed to make sure, or I needed to make sure he knew I wasn’t an option. The real reason I was going? I wanted to see Caden. A weekend was too long.

“I’ll go.”

“You will?” Avery’s eyes went wide.

I grinned. “I mean, yeah, I’ll go and ask him. I don’t think he’ll tell me.”

She snorted. “You won’t have to ask. She’ll probably be in his room already.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Then I asked, “So we’re pro-Maggie now? I mean, you’re pro-Maggie again?”

Her hands had been on her knees, but she pulled them back at my question. She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know what I am, but she’s bawling in my room, and I couldn’t kick her out.”

I reached forward, laying my hand over hers. “You’re a real friend. You know that, right?”

“Or I’m a stupid friend.” She lifted up gloomy eyes. “She’s going to go after Marcus again. I can feel it.”

“But that won’t matter, because he’s with you, right?” When she said nothing, I added, “I can see him wanting her to want him, but just so he can enjoy it when he rejects her.” I sat back, my hand leaving hers. “I don’t think you need to worry.”

I hoped I was right.

I stood outside the basement door and flashbacks from my first night at North River—the first time I ever came to Kevin’s fraternity house—washed over me. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe the uncertainty? Because I didn’t know what I would find on the other side of that door? Either way, the nerves I felt that night hit me again.

I smoothed my hands down my pants. There was no need for them to be sweaty. I just needed to get this over. “My love life sucks,” I muttered under my breath.

“It does if you’re heading down there.”

I recognized that voice. Of course. I had the best luck in the world. But then again—I looked at Marcus. “Why are you here?”

He smirked, but his eyes weren’t amused. “I’m here to see Caden. I thought I’d walk through the house, and I saw you.” His face went blank. “I want to state a few facts for you.”

He wanted to fight.

Okay. I turned fully to face him and put my hands in my pockets. I needed to get comfortable to hear this, and then it would be my turn. I had a few thoughts to share as well.

“Fine,” I told him. “You have the floor.” I raised my finger. “For now.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You are a smartass.”

“Your brother hasn’t told you that?”

“He did. I didn’t believe him. I just thought you were kind of crazy. I’ve been thinking he’s lost his nuts since taking up with you, but I don’t know. I like the spine. You should show it more often.”

I snorted. “As opposed to the times I haven’t? You mean all those times we’ve hung out since bowling? All those times you just glared at me in class? I’ve missed my chance to stand up and roar?”

“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

“Oh contraire. Your statement just now called for it. Literally.”

He rolled his eyes. “Avery’s been a little nervous around you. I thought she was nuts too.”

I showed him my teeth. “Razor sharp.” Wait. Why was Avery nervous around me?

He grunted. My little quips and one-liners weren’t working on him. He’d looked at me with disdain when he first spoke, and that disdain was still there.

He motioned to the closed basement door. “Why are you going down there?”

“Because I heard Kevin and Maggie broke up. I was going to comfort him.”

“You’re lying.”

“What? You’re here to comfort him too?”

His lip twitched. “Okay, you’re a little funny. I’ll give you that.”

I deadpanned, “My life is complete.”

His smile vanished again. “You’re here for the same reason I am.”

“Didn’t think you and Kevin were that close. I must’ve missed the bonding time while he was screwing your girlfriend, who you’re not going to start dating again. Right?” I scowled. “Because that’d be a really shitty thing to do to Avery.”