My Brother's Best Friend

Chapter Seven

Brooke's POV

It was just Chris and I that drove together to school tomorrow. James was getting a ride from his dad for once.

"So what happened yesterday, are you ok?" he asked, looking at me with concern.

"Ya, I just had some girl trouble." I responded, looking out the window.

"Oh-" he broke off, looking awkward.

"With other girls, not my period." I retorted, rolling my eyes. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Is it all good?"

"It will be." I said.

"That's good." The whole ride to school was silent after that, and I headed to my first class of the day, biology. James wasn't there yet, which let me breathe a sigh of relief. I didn't know how to act around him after yesterday. When he finally sauntered in, I didn't look over at him.

"Hey." he whispered. I looked over, giving him a small smile.

"Hey." I responded.

"Any plans after school?" he asked. I nodded.

"Date with Dean."

"Oh." he looked down at his notebook, reading his notes from yesterday. "Hope you have a good time." he said, giving me that crooked smile that I love. I smiled back.

"Thanks." Class started and we were silent the entire time. The bell rang and we both sprung out of our desk. I headed to the girl's locker room, ready to start gym. Of course, Cameryn and her minions were in there, but I paid her no attention and left the locker room. Dean was already out there, waiting for me.

"Hey Brooke." He smiled, grinning widely. I grinned back, coming over to stand beside him.

"Ready for our date tonight?" he asked, and I nodded excitedly.

"Of course. What movie we seeing?" I asked, c*****g my head to the side.

"That new comedy everyone's been raving about." he responded.

"I've wanted to watch that for awhile now!" I said excitedly. He looked pleased.

"Awesome. So I'll pick you up at 7:30 ok?" I nodded, and he grinned.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" I agreed and we both began to pass the ball to one another. I was so lucky he was even going for me. He was so sweet. I headed off to lunch after gym, barely missing a run in with Cameryn. She looked extra grumpy today. It probably had to do with the fact that her and James had gotten into a fight, over me. He yelled at her for making drama with me and told her to leave me alone. So I wasn't exactly her favourite person right now. The end of the day finally arrived, and I headed out to Chris' car, super excited about my date tonight. James was already sitting in the car, waiting for Chris. I got into the back, humming to the backstreet boys.

"Are you humming backstreet boys?" James suddenly asked, c*****g his head around to look at me. I nodded, and kept humming.

"I love that song." James said.

"Me too. I saw one of their concerts while I was in Florida." I said, and his mouth fell open.

"Wow. So jealous." he said. I smirked.

"It was pretty awesome." I bragged. James suddenly grew serious.

"Did Cameryn give you trouble?" he asked, staring at me intensely.

"I didn't give her an opportunity to." I responded, staring him down. He nodded, looking happy with my answer. Chris finally arrived, and we stopped talking about Cameryn. The whole ride home, I envisioned what I would wear on my date tonight. We got home and I raced up to my bedroom, pretty much tearing my closet apart to search for an outfit. After trying on a million different options, I finally settled on a navy blue dress that was tight on the top and flared out at the bottom. I twirled around, feeling like a princess. I curled my hair and ran my fingers through it to loosen up the curls so that they lay as waves, and then applied some makeup. I hardly ever wore makeup so it felt odd but when I looked in the mirror, I felt pretty for once. I heard the doorbell ring, and I nervously glanced back at myself in the mirror. I grabbed my purse and descended down the stairs. Chris had already answered the door, and he was in the hallway with James and Dean, talking to Dean politely. All boys looked up at me as I came up to them. Chris looked overprotective, but he knew Dean and knew that I would be in good hands. Dean was staring at me in complete admiration, making me blush.

"You look gorgeous." he said, coming up to grab my hand. I took a glance at James, to find him staring at me with wide eyes. He gazed at me, mouth slightly agape. He made me blush too. I let Dean lead me out of the house toward his car.

"You honestly do look amazing." he said again.

"You do too, you handsome man." I giggled. He really did look good. He was wearing a pair of black jeans that hung low on his hips, and a grey form fitting t-shirt with a plaid shirt unbuttoned over top. He even smelt good. His hair was gelled to the side and his smile was making my knees go weak.

"M'lady," he chuckled as he opened the passenger door for me. I hopped in, buckling my seat belt. He went around to the driver's side and hopped in, pulling out of the driveway toward the theater. He grabbed my hand as he was driving, caressing it with his large fingers. Once we arrived, we went inside where he bought movie tickets and popcorn and then we went into the theater. We chose seats near the top in the middle, and nestled in, getting comfy. He rested his hand on my leg, giving me large amounts of butterflies. James new exactly what to do to make me want him even more. Wait, what. Did I just call Dean James? I shook my head, disappointed with myself. Dean was the guy I liked. James was just my brother's attractive best friend. No. He was just my brother's best friend. My mind fought with itself as I ate my popcorn. Dean began rubbing circles with his finger on my leg. I was getting shivers. His large hand felt nice and warm against my bare leg, and I wanted so badly to just lean over and kiss him. Of course, I would never be daring enough to do that. Once the movie had ended, Dean offered me his hand, and hoisted me up. We exited the theatre, and I let out a slight shiver at the cool night air.

"Are you cold?" he asked, looking concerned. Before I had answered, he was shrugging off his plaid shirt, leaving him in just his t-shirt.

"Wear this." he instructed. I tugged it on, feeling woozy with puppy love as his scent washed over me. It was warm because of him. He held my hand as we walked over to his car.

"How'd you like the movie?" he asked once we were in his car.

"It was hilarious." I responded, giggling. He smiled.

"Glad you liked it. I liked it too." he said. He began to drive me back to my house, and I hoped that he would make a move before I went inside. He parked in my driveway, and none of us moved. He suddenly leaned over, pulling my face toward him, and his warm, soft lips brushed against the side of my neck. He kissed and nibbled slightly, me fighting back moans. Finally, he made his way over to my lips, kissing me softly. I entwined my fingers into his hair, but before things could go further, two knocks came from the window. We broke apart, both of us blushing furiously. Chris and James stood outside, and we gingerly stepped out of the vehicle.

"Glad to see you're having a good time, but I think it's time my sister went inside." Chris said, his protective brotherly instincts going into overdrive.

"Goodnight Dean." I said softly.

"Goodnight." he whispered back, giving me one last kiss before I was yanked into the house by Chris, James following behind.

"Chris! You're such a jerk!" I yelled as we got inside.

"He was pretty much taking advantage of you." Chris growled, staring me down. I looked up at him, furious.

"So what, you're allowed to make out with girls in front of me, but as soon as I try to privately make out with my crush, it's suddenly not allowed?" I yelled, my face going red with rage. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Don't act so slutty." I froze, my mouth agape. Even James' mouth flew open. Chris seemed to realize what he said and his eyes immediately softened, and he looked guilty.

"Brooke, I didn't mean it-" he said.

"Forget it, f**k off Chris." I spat, rushing up the stairs in a rage. I guess Chris had tried to follow me, but James stopped him.

"Stop it man- you pissed her off. I'll go talk to her." James said, and I heard Chris murmur some sort of agreement. James followed me up the stairs and came into my room.

"Are you ok Brooke?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine."

"Did it trigger past memories?" he asked, concerned. I glared at him.

"I'm not some weak little girl James. Why do you care so much anyway." I rolled my eyes. turning away.

"Because I care about you Brooke. It kills me to see you hurting. I hate feeling so powerless." I turned to him, the anger slowly fading away. He was staring at me with an intense gaze. It felt like he was staring straight into my soul. He took a few steps closer, breathing heavily.

"You are the most beautiful girl I know. I hate the fact that you don't see it. Brooke- you are beautiful inside and out. Daniel was a jerk for breaking your self confidence like that. He didn't deserve you. You deserve someone who knows your beautiful and treats you like a princess." he broke off, staring intently at me. Our faces were inches apart. I was caught in his gaze, and couldn't look away. His lips were inches away, and I couldn't stop looking at them. Before anything else could happen, Chris barged in the room. We scrambled away from each other, both of us going red.

"Brooke. I'm sorry for being a shitty brother. I'm sorry I interrupted your moment with Dean. I was wrong and I'm a jackass. Please forgive me." Chris rambled. I merely smiled and went over to give my older brother a hug.

"It's fine. Just please give more privacy next time." Chris nodded and hugged me back.

"C'mon James, video games call us." Chris said, running out of the room. James gave me one long look before he followed my brother from my room. I sunk onto my bed. Why did I feel so torn between two guys?