My Stepbrother (Secret-Possession)

Never Have I Ever

Turning around, I spot a guy with brown hair wearing the same cheetah jacket. He's grinning widely, so much so that it might hurt, as he applauds the craziness. "That's insane," I manage to blurt out, my mouth still hanging open.

He laughs harder. "I know. Do you want to try?" he asks, sounding more serious now.

Shaking my head immediately, I blurt, "There's no way I'm ever doing that."

"You're the scariest one. I like it," he bites his lip in a way that makes my subconscious scream 'run'. But since I'm brave enough to follow a group of friends who left me on my own at the first party I've ever attended, I guess I have to stand my ground and act mature enough to defend myself and face any obstacle. However, I did the opposite of being mature and agreed with my subconscious.

I turn away and scurry further into the garden, where I spot the bonfire Tyron mentioned. Luckily, I see him sitting on the bare ground, so I make my way to the small crowd and settle myself on the grass between the girl Tyron was with earlier and a stranger I've never met. At this point, I don't care about getting my dress ruined. All I care about is getting rescued, which I'm definitely not getting since Lilith has invisibly turned against me in just one night.

To my surprise, Embry is sitting among the small crowd, balefully staring at me. I shouldn't have agreed to hang out here, and I shouldn't have agreed to come to this party in the first place.

However, she doesn't say anything to me, not even a wink, but she utters something unexpected. "Never have I ever travelled more than ten hours by air." Before I can process everything, people around me start drinking from their plastic cups.

"What? Seriously, we're playing this right now?" a curly-haired guy sitting on a recliner whines but immediately stops when Embry shoots him a sharp, murky glance.

"Ava, I thought you flew, didn't you? Fourteen or fifteen hours to America," she feigns innocence when she asks, appearing completely oblivious.

Only I know how deceitful and two-faced Embry can be. Only I know her catlike eyes were far from innocent and decent. "You have to drink," she adds, inviting everyone's gaze to focus on me.

Exasperated and annoyed, I force myself to pick up the cup in front of me and bring it to my mouth. "What is it?" I question the group of strangers.

"Drink and find out," smirks the guy beside me, the kind of smirk that sends chills or jitters down my spine.

Swallowing the regret of putting myself in this situation, I force myself to gulp down the intense mixture of unmistakably strong spirits. I have to grimace as it burns down my throat. "That's fruity vodka punch... just seventy per cent vodka and rum," explains Embry, clearly enjoying humiliating me, while I splutter, cough, and the whole group, amazed by watching me, bursts into laughter.

This is my first time drinking, and it was forced—way to go, Ava. And a big thanks to Embry.

Unfortunately for me, all the kids around here are quite knowledgeable, so the game doesn't spare me a chance. Embry, the excited witch, taunts me as I keep gulping cup after cup, even though everything considered boring to people my age is precisely what I've done.

I get the feeling they're all enjoying the game by stating things they know I might have done. But then again, most of them are strangers. My anger towards Embry keeps growing since I know that by drinking countless cups of vodka punch, I must have revealed a lot of secrets to the world of young people who will spare me no chance, for being bullied is my cursed fate from this day on. So I embrace my ill fate.

Welcome to the world, Ava.

"Never have I ever slept with someone after s*x," emphasizes a guy in a red shirt and black shorts.

After chanting and laughing, some of the boys swallow their vodka punch.

"Never have I ever kissed and told," says the other girl Tyron was with earlier. Most of the boys chuckle and drink, including Tyron.

"That's sad," the girl shakes her head at the boys.

"Never have I ever kissed someone of the opposite gender," states a boy in a white outfit while holding hands with a shy boy who appears to be around the same age. Almost everyone drinks from their cups, except for me.

"Omg, Ava, I didn't know you're gay," blurts Embry.

Swallowing, I drop my eyes to my lap. My cheeks must be slightly rosy because I can sense amazed eyes scanning me.

"Your turn," nudges the guy beside me.

With a deep breath, I push out the words before they get stuck in my throat. "Never have I ever been obsessed with someone." I fix my gaze straight on Embry, whose cheeks instantly burn with anger.

Two people respond by drinking from their plastic cups while Embry and I maintain our locked gaze. "Drink, Embry," I say, enjoying the sudden shift of authority because now it's my turn to smirk.

She blinks rapidly and becomes all flared up, likely to combust. "It's actually not your turn. It's Jeffrey's," the girl on my left tells Embry.

"I say it's my turn," Embry practically yells at the girl, who hisses back, and then Embry redirects her attention to me. "Never have I ever fallen for my stepbrother," she smirks, her lips lifted, and her gaze crooked.

That one hits me like a truck. What is that supposed to mean? What is she implying? With no one drinking from their cup, I pause and knit my brows together while I look straight at Embry, absolutely amazed by her choice of accusation.

I want to believe that none of the people around the fire have figured out the intense animosity between Embry and me, which I don't know how it all started.

"I'm done playing this game," I scowl and get to my feet. I feel tipsy, but I don't care. I walk to the table by the daybed and pour myself some more beer, ignoring the scene behind me that should be rated eighteen. At the moment, I happen to be borrowing a twenty-one-rated profession.

"I could do with a little more," I say every time I finish a cup until I can't swallow anymore. Until I'm beginning to feel utterly sick.

By the time almost everyone around the bonfire has disappeared, either heading to the pool or the dance floor or whatever, the fire is slowly dimming.

I try to stand up but fail horribly, crashing to the ground. My body feels heavy, and my head is throbbing to the beat of the music and loud chants. That's when I realize I can't find my purse to call Mom to come to pick me up.

That's when I remember Lilith left me, and I immediately feel despondent, angry, and overall disappointed in her. She was meant to be by my side, yet she vanished and left me alone with her snake of a friend, without a glimpse of her anywhere. That's when I recall the promises I made to my mother before coming to America and how I broke many of them in just one night.

I feel awful, truly terrible.

Sitting on the ground in my remorseful condition, everything spins around me, leaving me feeling dizzy.

"There you are, Ava. What were you thinking?" The last person I expected to see in this place calls out.

Turning my body around, Leigh is standing above me. He looks unusually tall, and his shoulders are remarkably broad. Actually, he seems quite amusing.

"Hey." I attempt to get on my feet, but once again, I fail miserably. Fortunately, Leigh is here to catch me, and he grabs my waist to steady me.

This is the first time Leigh has held me like this, in such proximity. I shiver from his warmth, his unique scent, his large arms, and his touch against my delicate clothing. In this intoxicated state, I immediately sense that something has been missing from my life, and right now, right here, I feel complete. "Your mom will kill you today," he says with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, you finally made it. I'm so bored, Leigh. Maybe you could get me a drink," says a brunette with dramatic makeup, standing before us. Her outfit must belong to Oprah Winfrey or JLo or something, just like Embry's obsession. The way she looks at Leigh makes me even more nauseous. I think her lipstick makes me sick, as it's too bright and greasy.

"I have to take my sister home. Next time, Sofia," Leigh's voice is slow and soothing above my head, and I want to believe he's being cautious not to exacerbate my headache. I can't tell if she's frowning or acting nonchalant, as her face is currently spinning, which makes me laugh.

"I'm not your sister yet," I remind him amidst my laughter. But no one seems to listen to me as the girl continues.

She leans closer to Leigh and whispers, "Well, alright, I wish you good luck on your next game against the wolves." I don't think she wants me to hear that, but too late—I'm practically attached to Leigh right now, and I can slightly hear his heartbeat and the rhythm of his chest as he breathes. Even in silence, the girl's voice mingles with the music from the building, intensifying my irritating headache.

"Thank you," Leigh politely says to her. I can trace the rhythm of her heels as she walks away from us.

"You play for the school?" I murmured, closing my eyes, trying to compose myself as the laughter subsides. I'm unsure when things will start to become serious.

"Yes, come on, let's go," he pulls me gently, but I stiffen.

"I'm sorry," I blurt out with a pout.

Furrowing his brow, he asks, "For what?" His lips don't close when I bend down and throw up. I don't know how much damage I've done to Leigh's reputation, but I can feel his fingers caressing my back in a gentle manner. Even in my intoxicated state, I feel bad for what I've done to his black boots.

But if Leigh is affected by the scene I caused, he's not showing it. He offers me his napkin while I groan in pain. Lilith was right—Leigh is a good person.

After someone hands Leigh a bottle of water and some tissue paper, he cleans his shoes and smiles back at me. "Alright, here we go," he mutters, supporting my weight since I can barely walk. We navigate through the sweaty bodies and toxic environment, finally making our way out of the building to his beautiful car parked by the side of the street.

He helps me into the passenger seat and clicks my seatbelt. My eyes land on my purse, which is on the centre console, but due to my condition, I can't ask how he got it. "Why did you come to rescue me?" I ask him when we're both in the car.

Without starting the engine, he keeps both hands on the wheel as he answers calmly, "Because you're my sister."

"I'm not your sister yet. Stop saying that. Besides, I don't even know if I'll ever be," I yawn, looking out the window.

He doesn't reply, but I continue anyway. "Oh, and I hate Lilith. She disappeared and left me all by myself in there. If that's what step-siblings are like, I don't want any. Now people know I'm a boring person because of that stupid game where I had to confess things I've done. Not only am I ill-fated now, but I've also given the school a reason to damage your reputation. I don't know how I feel because my mom is going to kill me when I get home. I can't even stand on my feet because my head is pounding from the substances that have left me stupefied. Oh, and your dad will kick me out and send me back to the religious boarding school I deserve because I'm a troubled child and a disgrace to the family." I didn't realize I was sobbing until tears dripped down my bare hand. Just a moment ago, I was laughing, and now everything has changed in an instant.

The car falls silent, and the air feels awkward in my drunken state. The only sound is my intermittent sniffing that fills the confined space. Leigh swallows before finally speaking. "You're not a troubled child. You're just happy, Ava," he says, lowering both hands from the steering wheel to clasp mine. "You are not ill-fated at all, and you haven't ruined my reputation. If anything, I gain more for saving the most beautiful girl at the party, and that's what I'll continue doing from now on, I promise."

When those words leave his lips, I'm taken aback. He didn't just say that. He didn't call me the most beautiful girl among all the girls at that party. My breath quickens, and my cheeks flush. Without thinking twice, I follow my instinct and grab his face, my fingers grazing along his jawline as I press my lips against Leigh Boyce's, my mother's fiancé's son.

It feels more than right, the tension and stress washing away as I melt into his sweetness. At first, he's surprised by my move, but he quickly responds and kisses me tenderly, his hands cupping my cheeks as our mouths move in harmony.

When I pull away, afraid to look him in the eye, I lean my head on his shoulder, trying to catch my unsettled breath as my heart races a thousand times per second. What did I just do?

"My mom is going to kill me and bury my corpse," I manage a small laugh after thirty seconds of breathing.

"Only if she finds out," his voice is deep and serious.

Right here, I realize that Leigh Boyce isn't perfect in every way, but his imperfections and kindness make him perfectly imperfect. (Am I making sense?)

"Never in my life have I kissed anyone else except for you."