Chapter Fifty Seven - A Storm Coming

"So, did you like the car, Becks?" Mom asked over dinner.

"I love it, mom. Thank you so much. I still can't believe you guys got me that beautiful car."

"Of course we had to get you one, sweetie." She squished my cheeks, smiling. "We got Blake his first car too when he turned sixteen. Just be responsible like him, and you won't have the keys taken away from you."

"I will be." I nodded with excitement, cutting a glance at Blake. "Blake's gonna give me driving lessons on his car."

He smiled sarcastically.

"That's great." Mom resumed her dinner, then after a moment, she spoke again, "Rebekah, I haven't asked you in a while, but how's music coming up?"

Oh no!

"Music?" Blake blinked.

I bit down on my lip. "It's coming up great. Yeah, I decided to take up a hobby, Blake. Mom, how was work today?"

She nodded. "It was okay."

"And you didn't tell me, Becks? Wow," Blake scoffed. And here I thought I'd successfully closed that topic. "I feel so betrayed right now. I tell you everything...that you should know."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." I shrugged.

"Rebekah?" Mom frowned. "Even that's not a big deal for you? Do you take anything seriously?"

Dad cleared his throat, raising a brow at her.

"I mean, this is a big deal," she continued defensively. "She could get to perform at that huge event if she wins that competition."

"What event? What competition?" Blake looked completely baffled.

"Just some competition she was telling us about. If she wins that, she's going to perform at this music event that'll be amazing for her college application," she explained.

If I hear the words 'college' and 'application' from her mouth one more time, I'm going to lose my mind.

Blake's mouth fell open in surprise as he threw me a betrayed look. "How come you didn't tell me about any of this? I didn't even know you could sing."

"I-I wanted to surprise you."

"What? Really? You should've told me that." Mom shook her head. "I wouldn't have brought it up in front of him. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, mom." With a nervous smile, I looked down at my food and resumed eating. Blake still seemed a little taken aback but started eating anyway.

"Music reminds me, did you ask Matt for help? I haven't seen him show up here in a few days. Does he not come over anymore?"

I choked on my food, and dad immediately fetched me a glass of water, rubbing my back as he asked, "Are you okay?"

I took my own sweet time to sip it while feeling my brother's eyes on me. The longer I took, the longer I could avoid the daggers he was glaring my way.

"Are you okay, Becks?" Dad asked again.

I nodded, exhaling as I set the glass down, feeling each second of Blake's curious eyes on me.

"No, I didn't really ask for his help. I'm doing okay by myself," I answered while staring at my plate.

There was silence again, and I thought the conversation was over, so I started to eat, but my fork stopped mid-air when someone spoke up.

"Matt comes to our house?" Blake asked in a low voice.

"What?" My voice came out as a whisper, then I cleared my throat and looked up at him. "What? No, he doesn't. He only showed up once or twice for school work. We were partnered for this project, but we gave it up. We don't really talk besides that."

"You don't? What about that gig you went with him to?" Mom asked.

Oh, mother

I had all my brother's attention now as he crossed his arms over the table. "You went with him to a gig? You hang out with him?"

"Went with him, as in just hitched a ride. We didn't really talk there because he was performing, and I only went because I thought being at a gig would help me understand music better. How the crowd responds and all that stuff. That's it."

He did not look convinced but still nodded. I felt some relief until I looked over at Nick and froze. He looked at me like he saw right through my lies. At least that's what the little smirk on his lips told me. But he immediately looked away and went back to eating.

I swallowed nervously.

"Would that be so bad, Blake?" Mom asked. "If Rebekah hung out with him? He's a nice boy, after all. A sweet and mannered young man just like you."

That was probably the only thing my mom had said during dinner that I wasn't completely dreading. She liked Matt. But then, she didn't know the history between him and her son. If she did, her opinion on Matt probably wouldn't be so high.

"Of course," Blake said, but my mother failed to catch the sarcasm in his tone as she smiled at him.

We ate dinner in silence and later hung out in the living room for a while. Thankfully, Blake seemed to have forgotten we'd ever mentioned Matt. He didn't suspect anything. Maybe my lies were so believable because he could never actually imagine something happening between me and Matt.

At 10 p.m., I went up to my room and decided to text him.

Rebekah: Are you back from Chris's house? How was the meet?

Matt: Barely stayed for an hour. It was okay.

Rebekah: I don't know how much of mine and Nick's conversation you heard.

Matt: All of it.

I pressed the phone against my forehead and shut my eyes. Then, I decided to call him. He picked up after the second ring.

"I'm sorry, Matt," I started right away. "Nick doesn't know any better. To him, you're still that guy from middle school and—"

"Becks," he started calmly. "I know, and I honestly don't care what he thinks of me. Or what your brother thinks of me. You're all that matters."

"Oh!" I blinked as a little smile reached my lips. "That's good to know."

"Although there is one thing that really pissed me off. Please tell me you didn't give him that chocolate I got you."

I burst out laughing. "I did not. I would never."

"Good." I could hear the smile in his voice as I walked up to my window and crossed an arm over the ledge, staring out at his house.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just wrapping up homework. I had dinner a while ago, and I'm seriously craving some dessert right now."

"Oh, why don't you come over?"

There was a pause, and I could easily picture his lips curling into a devilish smirk.

"Oh wait! Never mind." I clicked my tongue playfully. "I've already finished that ice cream you got me."

"I'm sure I can figure something else out." I heard some shuffling in the background, and soon, he was at his window too, looking right at me. Since his house was really far, I couldn't exactly tell the expression on his face.

I exhaled, barely able to hold back a smile.

"Did I just knock you speechless, Becks?" He sounded a little hopeful to my amusement.

"You did not. I was just thinking about something."

"While talking to me? This better be important."

"Depends."

"On?"

"Whether we do it or not."

"I'm listening."

I pensively narrowed my eyes at the tree branch in front of me, then said with resolve, "You know what, Williams, if you want dessert, I'm gonna get you dessert. I'm sneaking out, then we're gonna go get ice cream. My treat."

"Whoa! What? Hold on for a sec—"

"Do you want ice cream or not?"

"With you? Always."

"Great then. See you outside."

"Wait! Just hold on for a second, Becks. Are you sure? I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I won't. I'm sure everyone is in their room already."

"What about your brother? He isn't haunting the garden again, is he?"

"Matt!" I scolded playfully.

He chuckled. "Fine. Meet me near my garage. Just be careful, okay?"

"Okay." I hung up.

I brushed my hair straight, put on a hoodie, grabbed my phone and wallet, and started climbing out of my window. I was halfway down the stone steps along the garden wall when I remembered I'd forgotten to lock my room from the inside.

"Oh, come on!" I groaned, climbed back up, and locked my door before heading back down.

Scanning my surroundings, I carefully rounded my house and crossed the street. Matt was waiting in front of his garage, leaning against his car with his arms folded over his chest.

He saw me, and his eyes lit up. And then he started checking me out like I was in some sexy piece of clothing instead of an oversized hoodie.

"Hey, Becks," he greeted.

"Hey." I rubbed my hands together and blew into them for warmth while taking quick steps towards him. "The warmth of my house really made me forget that is not the weather for an ice cream."

He stopped leaning against his car and reached for my arms, rubbing along them. "Second thoughts?"

"Nope. We're getting ice cream. Even if it kills me tomorrow."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, I can't risk you missing school now."

I forgot all about the cold for a second as my heart skipped a beat, and I felt all fuzzy inside. I'd hate to miss school too now that it was the only place where I could see him without having to sneak around.

"We're getting dessert, okay?" My eyes widened as the perfect dessert idea struck me. "What about cheesecake? Oh my God! I want a cheesecake now."

"Alright, then. We're getting cheesecake. But let's get you inside the car first because I can tell that a few more seconds out here, and you're turning into a walking popsicle." He quickly ushered me to the passenger side.

"I am freezing. Why is it so cold all of a sudden? We were just having a pool party at your house yesterday."

"There's probably a storm coming."

"Yeah." I stared up at the purple clouds in the night sky, then stared at Matt's face and as the cool breeze hit me and made me shiver, I felt like things couldn't be more perfect. Yep, I was a hopeless romantic.

"What? What are you smiling about?" He was baffled.

"Oh, nothing." I chuckled, shaking my head but still not being able to take my eyes off his face. I was a creep now.

His eyes narrowed playfully. "What is it, Becks?"

"Nothing. It's just nice."

"What?"

"Everything."

A soft smile reached his lips as realization slowly settled in his eyes, and he looked around us, finally registering how nice the weather was. How nice it all was.

Why were guys so slow when it came to appreciating the romance around us?

"I see." He nodded, locking his eyes with mine. Now we were on the same page.

"You do now." I chuckled. Just as I said that, a single droplet from the sky landed right on my nose, slid off it, and fell to the ground. "Oh no."

He cupped my cheek and brought his thumb to my nose to brush the trail of water away. His touch felt soft and warm against my skin and something I could never get enough of.

Then, he frowned. "You're cold, Becks. Get inside now, okay? You need to warm up."

"What was that? Warm me up? How are you planning to do that, Williams?"

The corners of his lips lifted into the ghost of a smile before his eyes held mine in a challenge like he was considering me, and I watched as his hand slowly slid from the passenger door to the backseat door and pulled it open.

"Ooh, what are we gonna do in there?" I whispered to him, then bit down on my lip to stifle a smile. "Am I gonna ride in the back?"

I squeaked when he grabbed my waist and put me against the car, watching me with amused eyes as he cocked his head to the side. "Are you talking dirty to me, Andrews?"

"I don't know, am I?" Since he'd already opened the door, I simply slithered back into the backseat and pulled him along with his jacket. He hovered on top of me, climbed between my legs, and brought his mouth to my neck.

"You were saying?" he whispered, tickling my skin with his hot breath. His hands squeezed my waist, and I grabbed hold of his jacket and arched into him, filling my lungs with desperate breaths.

"I'm never gonna get enough of you, Becks." He nuzzled his nose down my cheek and started leaving small bites across my jaw before grabbing my earlobe between his teeth and sucking.

"That's the plan." I smiled and, without wasting any time, grabbed his face and captured his mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. My lips started having their own way with his—biting and sucking on them while my fingers tangled in his hair and pulled.

I groaned when he slipped a warm hand under my hoodie and started rubbing circles on my stomach, snatching away my old warmth when he started pulling it up but bringing a whole new one by lighting me up with his touch.

"What the hell!"

We both froze at the voice and stared at each other for a few seconds before I started to shuffle in panic to look outside. Nick was standing there with an open mouth.

I immediately started to sit up to see if my brother was there, too. It took a moment for Matt and me to untangle and stumble out of the car in our dishevelled states.

He straightened his jacket, and I ran a hand through my hair, while Nick looked between us like he'd seen a ghost.

Thankfully, Blake wasn't there, but Nick being there wasn't any better. I knew we were screwed. I was screwed already. He was my brother's best friend, and he wasn't gonna keep this from him.

"I knew it! I fucking knew something was going on." He recovered from his shock almost immediately and took a dangerous step towards Matt. "What the hell were you doing to her?"

"What? Who the fuck are you to ask me that?" Matt looked about ready for a fight as he balled his fists and stepped forward but I jumped between them quickly.

"Nick, what are you doing out here?" I snapped.

"Are you seriously asking me that, Rebekah? What-what is going on? What the hell did he do to you?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, still feeling a little unsettled and kind of frustrated with the fact that Nick saw us. "Did you follow me out here, Nick?"

"That's not important."

"It is. Answer her." Matt stepped up next to me, glaring at him. "Have you been spying on her?"

"I saw her running through the front lawn in the middle of the night so sue me for being a little concerned," he snapped and I shook my head at myself. Not as sneaky as I thought.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Becks. When you faltered at the dinner table earlier, I suspected you'd made friends with Matt. Or maybe had a crush on him. I never expected this, for things to have come so far."

"What do you care?" Matt demanded.

"What do I care? She's my best friend's little sister. She's like my little sister. And you're an asshole. This can't be true. I know your intentions can't be good. You're using her, aren't you? I swear to God if you hurt her—"

"You know nothing about us," Matt snarled and advanced towards him. "And if you don't stop talking shit for no reason—"

"Okay that's it!" I cut in, looking up at Nick. "No, he's not using me. He's not even the guy we clashed with in middle school anymore, Nick. I know the last time you saw me, I hated him with a passion but now I like him, okay? You can't come back from college and expect things to be exactly the way they were when you left. Matt's changed. I've changed. What you just saw in the car is real. Not some kind of manipulation of his to get me in bed, okay?"

"This is...crazy." Nick blinked between us for a solid ten seconds. "You really like each other?"

"Yes, Nick. We do." I took Matt's hand in mine and Nick looked down at it with wide eyes like he was on the verge of losing his mind or worse, passing out. Then, he took a few seconds to register it. Finally, his shock toned down a bit and he nodded.

"You can't tell Blake about this. Please," I begged.

He ran a hand through his hair, still wrapping his head around the information.

"I won't." He assured me. "But you have to."

I took in a deep breath and nodded. "I know. I will."

"He's gonna lose his fucking mind." He shook his head and turned around to leave, then stopped and looked back at me. "Are you coming?"

"Not now. You interrupted something important."

He cringed as if just the idea of that made his skin crawl. "I'm gonna sleep this off and in the morning, I'm gonna pretend this was just a nightmare."

"It's not gonna change the truth." I shrugged.

He shook his head to himself one more time and left.

I let out a long sigh and turned to Matt. "I'm sorry about—" I stopped talking because of the little smile he had directed towards me and asked him in confusion, "what?"

"You stood up for me."

Realizing that, I nodded slowly, giving myself an imaginary pat on the back. "Of course I stood up for you, Matt."

He went in thoughtful mode for a moment before admitting, "That was kind of hot."

I laughed. Those damn butterflies were back at it again—fluttering their tiny wings in my stomach like they had nothing else to do.

"Uh huh?" I finally cleared my throat and looked back at his car. "So, are we riding to the dessert shop or are we riding into the sunrise?"

He burst out laughing and grabbed me by the nape of my neck, pulling me closer as his deep brown eyes lit up with a spark. "Come here."

*****

Even if I had no reason to, I somehow trusted Nick enough to keep his word but Matt did not. So, after we got cheesecake, he insisted I went back home as soon as possible just in case Nick had caused some trouble for me with my brother.

He had not.

And next morning, he did not say a word about it neither did he pass me any smartass looks. It was like he'd actually forgotten all about it. I couldn't be more thankful.

"See you guys after school." I waved them goodbye after finishing my breakfast.

"Doesn't your school start at 8 a.m.?" Blake asked while sipping on his coffee.

"It does."

"Why do you leave at like 6 a.m.?"

"I think the real question is what are you guys doing up at 6 a.m.?" I raised a brow at them.

"Early class and stupid project, Becks," Nick answered, lazily hitting the backspace key on his laptop.

"But what do you do at school so early?" Blake asked. "Are you still watching the football practices for Sean?"

"Um sure." I shrugged and he shook his head at me, a little disappointed at my desperation. "I mean, not every day. Come on, Blakey, I'm not that pathetic. I use that time to study at the library sometimes."

Beside him, Nick raised a playful brow at me. Ah there he is.

"Thank God!" Blake nodded in approval.

"Pro tip: too much effort is a big turn off anyway," Nick said.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." I forced a smile at him while swinging my backpack across my shoulders. "Anyway. Meera's almost here so I gotta go. See you guys after school. Bye!"

I walked out of my house and just then, across the street, Matt unlocked his car and shoved his backpack inside. Before getting in, he saw me and stopped, stared for a moment and then smiled.

Aww! I waved at him but froze when the front door opened and someone stepped up behind me. "Becks, you left your phone."

"Oh, silly me!" I took my phone from my brother with a nervous chuckle and when I looked up at his face, his eyes were set behind me, across the street.

I turned around to find Matt staring back as well and they went into a little stare down. I rolled my eyes. Can they be more dramatic?

I waved my hand in front of my brother's face. "What are you, five? It's like you've got a crush on him or something."

He scowled at me, clearly disgusted. "Gross."

I scoffed and climbed down the steps while watching Matt get into his car and leave.

"You stay away from him, okay? He's nothing but trouble," my brother said.

"I can handle myself, Blake. FYI, I've been surviving high school for two years now without you and I'm doing awesome."

Meera pulled up next to me. Without giving Blake another look, I climbed into her car and while I got in, she leaned all the way over to the passenger seat to look outside at my brother as a slow grin formed on her lips. "Yep. Still hot."

I chuckled at her and shut the door after me. As she started pulling away, I looked at my brother heading back inside the house and couldn't help but feel bad. There was suddenly a thought I couldn't push at the back of my mind. The thought that I was fooling him. And taking advantage of his trust.

"I got a sandwich in the back. Do you want it?" Meera asked.

"Nope. I just had breakfast."

"Can you get it for me then?"

"Sure!" I fetched a little lunch box from the backseat and handed it to her.

"You didn't have breakfast at home?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Is it because you have to leave early so I can watch the practice? You know what, tomorrow onwards we can just go at normal school hours."

"No, it's fine, really. I love going to school early just as much as you do. It's quiet and peaceful."

"Can't argue with that." I chuckled. "Just give me a week or something. I'm gonna learn to drive properly, and then I can give us both rides."

"Oh, hell no! I love driving. You're not taking that away from me, Rebekah Andrews."

"Okay, McQueen. Relax!"

She ate the last of her sandwich and handed me the box. I shut it and tossed it in the back.

We made it to school in twenty minutes and headed straight for the bleachers. The practice had started already, so I began searching for Matt among the players on the field.

He was far ahead, surrounded by at least five players, all of them looking alert to get the football. As if sensing me, he looked over at the bleachers, and I waved at him like a silly fan, desperate to be spotted.

He waved back with a smile.

Suddenly, the ball was thrown at him. He wasn't prepared, but he still caught it and started running until someone tackled him a bit too roughly and threw him to the ground.

I gasped. Football is no joke. How does one get used to something like that?

But then I realized it must've not been their usual thing because the players started running up to him and surrounded him in a circle.

"Oh my God!" I jumped out of my seat, and sprinted down the bleachers and across the field to get to the mass of players around him, struggling to weave past them to get to the centre and finally breathed in relief when I saw Matt standing in the middle, wiping the dirt off his jersey.

"You did that on purpose," I heard Chris snap at someone.

"Did what on purpose? Tackle him? Yeah, that's part of the game, dipshit. He should've kept his eyes on the ball." Sean cut a glance at me, and my jaw dropped slightly. He did do that on purpose.

"What did you just call me?" Chris shoved him back violently.

And soon, they were at each other's throats, literally, like mad dogs until the coach came and broke them up.

I ran over to Matt and grabbed his arm in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He nodded, cutting his eyes at Sean sharply.

"Alright, Williams." The coach patted him on the back. "You're off for the day. Sean and Chris, take a break, and we'll be back in five. Go!" he dismissed everyone.

"You're not worthy of being the captain. You suck!" Chris shouted at Sean before walking away, and he just watched him leave with a deep scowl on his face before it shifted to me.

I ignored it and asked Matt, "Do you need help walking?"

"Nope. Look at me. All good." He limped for a few steps, and I deadpanned, throwing him a seriously? Then he stretched his hamstring twice and finally started walking better. "Now all good."

"Thank God!" I knew he wasn't gonna fall or anything, but I still threw my arm around him as we started making our way to the changing room. I felt him cut a glance at me.

"I'm sorry I distracted you," I muttered.

"Don't you dare apologize for someone else's fault. Sean was being a dick. We know it."

Since the changing room must have been empty, I didn't bother staying out. I walked inside with him.

"Just watch your back, okay? It's like he went psycho after all that." I frowned.

"Not my fault if someone can't take rejection well."

I fetched his duffel bag from his locker and pulled his clothes out.

"You wanna change them for me, too?" He winked, a clear spark of mischief dancing in his eyes as he placed his hand on the locker above my head, trapping me against it. With half a smile, I shoved the clothes on his chest.

"I'm going to wait for you outside."

"Why? It's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Matt," I scolded him, feeling a blush rising to my cheeks. "Be out in 5."

"You got it."

I walked out and leaned against the wall, staring down the empty corridor. While waiting for him, I decided to call Meera.

"Hey! I'm sorry I left you there on the bleachers," I said the moment she picked up.

"Come on, Becks. It's okay. How's Matt?"

"He's fine."

"I really wanna punch Sean in the face. He's being a little bitch."

"I know, right? I don't know what I ever saw in him. I guess he's always been like this and I was just blinded by this sweet, perfect image of him."

"I'm so happy things never worked out between you two. Honestly, it just saved me all the effort I'd have to put in to help you get rid of him later."

"Totally!" I laughed. "Where are you right now?"

"Chad and I were just about to head to the coffeeshop. Wanna come along?"

"Nope. I've done enough third wheeling with Mack and Cher when you hurt your foot. Besides, Matt's got off practice for today."

"Okay. Then I'll see you in class."

Matt stepped out in a black leather jacket and denims and I subtly checked him out by nodding at him, impressed.

"See ya. Bye." I hung up.

"Like what you see?" He smirked.

"I've seen better," I replied nonchalantly while shoving my phone in my pocket and he narrowed his eyes at me, slowly nearing and just as he lunged for me, I jumped out of his way to dodge his hold, laughing. "Every day in the mirror."

"I can't disagree with that." He clicked his tongue, amused, as he grabbed my wrist before I could slip any further and pulled me towards him, pressing me up against his chest.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked, probing his arms. "We can swing by the nurse's office."

His lips curled at the mention of nurse. "No, I'm good."

"What's your deal with her?"

"What? Nothing."

I threw him a suspicious look. "I noticed something was off when you carried me to her office once and now, I'm even more curious. Tell me."

He sighed. "Remember our detention when Mr. Jensen's papers caught fire?"

I deadpanned. "You did not seriously make me recall the time when you doused me with a fire extinguisher."

A deep chuckled reverberated from his throat and I crossed my arms to show my annoyance.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he asked.

"I don't know? Not douse me with the fire extinguisher?"

"You'd just yelped in pain the moment I'd walked inside the classroom. I completely panicked and went for your hand just in case the fire was catching on to you. It wasn't until I'd made sure you were alright that I went for the fire."

I did get a hazy flashback of the frothy liquid covering my hands and clothes first before he'd put the fire out. And back then, I'd thought he'd done it to me on purpose just for a silly win.

I was knocked speechless for a moment and then, I felt a sense of comfort within my chest at the revelation.

"You didn't even like me back then. You hated me," I muttered.

"Becks." A soft look reached his eyes. "I don't think I've ever hated you."

I brought the tips on my fingers to his jaw, grazing it lightly as I leaned up on my tiptoes to peck his lips. But in the very next moment, I realized something.

"Wait a minute." I pulled back. "That doesn't answer the nurse question."

"Right, that." He chuckled. "After you walked out of the classroom, I went to the nurse's office to get you an icepack and she was being really persistent about bringing you there to use it instead of taking it with me since it was school property. So, I just told me to give me the fucking icepack..." He took a pause as if recalling it as he shrugged. "...rather rudely and that I'd be replacing it the next day. Eventually, she did give it to me and the next day when I went back to replace it, she threw me a dirty look and told me to never come back unless it was an emergency. And I said I wouldn't be coming to her office anyway if there wasn't an emergency. Obviously, she got even angrier and told me to get out. I did and the next time I saw her was when I carried you there. That's all it was."

My mouth had fallen open while listening to him. "That was you? I thought it was Chad who'd left me that icepack."

"Nope."

"And oh my god!" I burst out laughing. "I pity the poor nurse."

"The nurse?" He deadpanned. "Really?"

"Now I'm even more inclined towards taking you to her. I can only imagine the drama."

"I'm good, seriously."

"You mean it, right? You're not just saying it so you won't have to go to her? Sean pushed you really hard. I saw it."

"Bold of you to assume that fucker can actually hurt me but turns out, it's a good thing he tried. Now we've got an hour before school."

"With nothing to do," I added.

"Are you sure about that?" He raised his brows suggestively.

I stared at him with an open mouth. "At school? You're joking. I don't wanna get expelled."

"Wow you've got a one-track mind, woman. I was talking about getting your favourite strawberry milkshake from the coffeeshop."

I laughed, scrutinizing his face. "No, you were not."

He shrugged, another devilish smirk curling across his lips.

I mirrored his look, eyes falling on the chem lab in the far end of the corridor and I started dragging him towards it by the collar of his jacket.

"What are you gonna do to me, Becks?" He chuckled as I pushed the door open and pinned him against the wall immediately, my hands falling flat on his torso and slowly slipping lower.

The humour on his face turned down a notch and his eyes darkened.

"Damn!" he said under his breath as my fingers started undoing his belt.

*****

I was in the bathroom, fixing my hair before class, with a deep blush sitting on my cheeks, on my neck and probably everywhere on my body. I had no concealer to cover the hickey on my neck so I'd just let me hair down and got very hopeful for the rest of the day.

The door opened and Cheryl walked inside. I smiled at her but she headed straight for a stall without smiling back or saying hi.

"Cher?" I frowned. She didn't reply so I waited for her to come back out.

Not more than a minute later, Meera stepped inside, confusion written all over her face as she asked me, "have you seen Cheryl?"

"Yeah, she's in there. Seemed in a crappy mood. What's up with her?"

The door opened and she walked out, giving us a blank look as she walked over to the sinks and washed her hands. "If you wanna talk about me while I'm here, at least whisper."

"Sorry. Is everything okay?" I asked.

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." With that, she left the bathroom and I looked at Meera questioningly. "What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea. Should we ask Mack?"

I nodded. "He's got to know."

During lunch, we made our way to the cafeteria. Mack was at our usual table but Cheryl had decided to sit elsewhere.

"Yep. Trouble in paradise," Meera muttered to me. "You go to Cher. I'll go talk to Mack and try to bring him over."

"Great!" I nodded and carried my tray to Cheryl's table, offering her a smile. "Hey, Cher!"

"I'm fine, Becks. I don't wanna talk."

"That's cool. But can I at least sit here and have lunch?"

She nodded, eating a spoonful of her yogurt and I started eating mine. A minute later, Meera showed up with Mack. I noticed how Cheryl threw him a sharp glance before looking away, completely ignoring him.

He sat down anyway, which must have pissed her off further as she made a move to get up until he put his hand on top of hers and squeezed, his eyes begging her to stay.

"Babe, can we talk, please?"

"About?"

"Us."

"What do you care about us, Mack?"

He sighed defeatedly. "Please don't say that. I really—"

"I really don't feel like talking. So, you can leave."

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out. It was Matt.

"Hey, guys, can I—" I cut myself off when Cheryl's glare shifted to me. What the hell is wrong with me? "Sorry." I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

"No. It's fine. You don't wanna keep your lover waiting. After all, we're all there for you when you need us but you can't do the same for any of us," Cheryl snapped.

My mouth opened in surprise. I'd never heard her say something like that to me. "Cher, I'm sorry but I'm here for you right now, okay?"

"How big of you, Rebekah. Thank you!" She smiled sarcastically and got up to walk away, leaving her lunch unfinished.

"I-I'm sorry, Mack. I didn't mean for that to happen," I stuttered.

He patted my back, nodding. "It's not your fault, Becks."

"What's wrong with you two? What happened?"

He buried his face in his hands and exhaled loudly before pushing his hair back. "I appreciate you guys trying to help but I've already managed to piss Cheryl off. If I tell you, I'm afraid I'm gonna piss you both off too. And I don't need that right now."

"What did you do, Mack?" I blinked.

He ran a hand through his hair and for a moment I thought he was going to spill but then he shook his head with resolve and got up. "I'll catch you guys later, okay?"

Meera and I exchanged a look and I could tell she was thinking what I was thinking. Mack and Cheryl were probably going to break up, if they hadn't already.

"That's okay, Mack," she told him with a reassuring smile and he gave her a grateful nod before walking away.

We didn't try to talk to either of them for the rest of the day.

After school, Meera decided to drive Cheryl back home to make sure she was okay and just maybe finding out what had happened. I wanted to come along but she told me it was best if I didn't. Cheryl was already mad at me.

So, I'd asked Matt for a ride again. What were the odds of my brother being out there and seeing him dropping me anyway, right?

"Hello to the person who doesn't pick my calls." Matt was leaning against his car as I neared him.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you deliberately start avoiding me right after we have sex to freak me out?" he asked but he wasn't annoyed. He was playful and I was really thankful for that.

But then he noticed something was wrong with me as a little frown took over his lips. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just something with Mack and Cheryl. I'm worried they're going to break up but there's no point fretting over it because I'm not finding out anything today." I waved my hand dismissively.

"Is there anything you can do to help?"

"No." I sighed. "I already pissed Cheryl off. So right now, I can just go home and wait to hear from Meera if she finds something out."

He nodded while walking me to the passenger side. I smiled when he held the door and once I'd gotten inside, he shut it after me and got into the driver's side himself and drove out of the parking lot.

"Is there anything I can do to cheer you up? You want something to eat? Or maybe a milkshake?" he asked.

"Are you trying to fatten me up? Always offering food."

"It brings me up whenever I'm feeling low. Thought it'd work on you, too."

"I don't need it. Being with you is therapeutic enough."

Something on his face shifted and he threw me a fleeting glance before taking his eyes back to the road; a little smile reached the corners of his lips and he nodded at me. "Well, happy to help."

I turned sideways in my seat to look at him. "How was your day?"

"It was going great until we both realized we had to get out of the chem lab at some point." He clicked his tongue.

A laugh escaped my mouth as I crossed my arms in front of myself and just gazed at him. He really knew how to cheer me up. Or maybe he didn't even need to try.

I was feeling a whole lot better for the rest of the ride and once we were near home, I started praying that my brother wouldn't see me coming back with Matt.

But it's like the universe was against me because he was out in the lawn, crouched over the grass and upon noticing closely, I realized that he was petting a cat. It was Cheeto.

"This little bastard," Matt cursed.

"Excuse me?"

"You know I'm talking about Cheeto." He stepped out of the car with a grin. "Come on."

Blake looked up, then did a double take to make sure it was me getting out of Matt's car. He stood up with a deadly scowl directed at Matt as we both walked up to him.

"What are you doing with my sister?" he snapped.

"What are you doing with my cat?"

Blake looked down at the kitten who was now rolling on the grass near his feet before he picked him up. "I didn't know he was yours. I found him in the garden."

"That's not the first time he's done that." I chuckled, reaching forward to take him from Blake but he shot me a glare and I brought my hands back to my sides.

Noticing that, Matt reached forward and grabbed Cheeto from him, and started to leave.

"Bye, Becks." He took a step back.

I cut him a sharp glance, somehow hiding my smile. "Bye. Thanks for the ride."

"Not a problem." He walked away and even with his back to me, I could picture the smirk on his face.

Feeling Blake's eyes on me, I started making my way inside the house without sparing him a glance, silently counting the seconds before his outburst.

One...

Two...

"Becks? He calls you Becks?" He followed after me.

Two seconds.

"It's my name, isn't it?" I muttered. Nick was sitting on the couch, working on his laptop when we walked in and caught his attention.

"Yes, but that's what friends and family call you. He's not your friend. Why do you let him?"

"Blake, you're seriously acting like a child here. I can't stop him from calling me what the entire school calls me. I mean, the ones who know me, not like I'm famous or anything."

He sighed. "Why did you come home with him?"

"Because Meera had to go somewhere else so I asked him for a ride because we're neighbours, you know? I didn't think it would be a problem."

"You should've called me."

"Wow he's losing his mind already," Nick muttered, eyes shifting back to the laptop screen.

"You don't even know what happened. She came back home with Matt."

"So?" Nick raised a brow.

"I'm talking about Matt Williams. Have you forgotten—"

"No, Blake. I remember him alright. But that was such a long time ago. Come on, man! People change."

For probably the first time, I found this respect in my heart for Nick and I turned to my brother hopefully.

Blake scoffed. "I don't care how long ago it was. I don't want him anywhere near my sister. Becks, you understand?"

Nick and I exchanged a brief look and he looked almost sad for me and kind of annoyed at Blake.

I nodded, swallowing a lump. I wasn't this weak but I hadn't already had the best day to have all this added to it. I wanted my brother's approval to date Matt and here he was, somehow rejecting it without even knowing about it.

"Do you?" Blake raised a brow at me.

"Of course." My voice wavered slightly and not wanting him to see me cry, I told him I was gonna go to my room to change and sprinted upstairs.