Chapter 3

Zack

T wo years later, age 18

The bass vibrates through my chest as I watch their movements. They sway to the music, the looks on their faces are care free and lost to the bliss they must be feeling with the flowing alcohol.

I’m probably the only sober one at this party, but I couldn’t bring myself to drink a drop. Something is warning me to keep my eye on my best friends.

I don’t trust anyone, especially a group of high school boys. I’ve seen the way some of the guys have been watching the two of them out there. Like a pack of hungry wolves. They have no chance in hell, not if I have anything to do about it.

Cora spins around so that her back is to Kimmy’s front and grabs Kimmy’s hands, placing them on her hips.

I shift in my seat, unable to keep my eyes off them. The thoughts going through my head are down right sinful. Wrong. But I can’t help it.

Cora raises her arms and hooks them around Kimmy’s neck.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I will my cock to go down. I shouldn’t be thinking these things about my best friends. Making up some kind of fantasy about the two of them, the three of us. Yet, here I am, wishing I was up there with them, their bodies grinding against mine.

That's why I’m keeping my distance, or I just might do something stupid.

I can’t risk what we have. They’re my best friends, my people. I’d do anything for them and hurt anyone who dares to hurt them too.

For years, as we’ve gotten older, my feelings for Kimmy have grown more conflicted. Then Cora came along and threw my world off center.

I shouldn’t feel this way about two people at once, it could ruin everything between us. I’d rather us only ever be friends, than risk losing either one of them. I’ve made it my mission to bury those feelings where they can’t cause trouble.

For the most part, the guys around them have been keeping their distance, knowing I’m here, watching. The guys at our school know better.

Two guys approach the girls and I’m instantly on edge. A growl rumbles in my chest as my fist clenches around the water bottle in my hand.

Ryan and Finn. Two assholes who have made it their mission to get in my two best friends’ pants. Despite me telling them to fuck off and leave them alone more than once, they’ve never listened. I guess tonight, they have a death wish.

I lean forward, breathing heavily as unease courses through my veins. When Cora smiles up at Finn as he wraps his arm around her waist, painfully close to her ass, I’m on my feet. And when Ryan grabs Kimmy’s hips, pulling her ass to his crotch, I’m across the room in seconds.

“Cora. Kimmy.” I shout their names over the music. With each passing second these pricks’ hands are on them, I want to rip them off and shove them down their throats.

Cora’s glassy eyes meet mine, a flash of guilt passes through them. “Zack!” Cora shouts. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” I ask her, my eyes dropping to where Finn’s hands are still on Cora’s ass.

“Dance with us,” Kimmy slurs, pulling my attention to her.

“Seems like you already have a dance partner,” I practically growl.

Despite me standing here, the guys don’t stop trying to dance with the girls, giving me sly grins. I fucking hate these guys.

“Do you mind?” Finn shouts, pulling Cora closer to him. My jaw clenches along with my hand, itching to slam it in his smug face. “We’re trying to dance.”

“Not at all.” I shout back with a curl of my lip. And if he opens his fucking mouth again, I’m going to shut it for him. I turn my attention back to the girls. “Come on. It’s late. I’m driving you home.”

“What?” Kimmy’s lips part. “No, I’m not done.”

Normally, I get a thrill from her defiance, but now is not the fucking time to push my buttons. There’s only so much one man can fucking take. “Now, Kimmy.”

She stares at me for a moment and scowls. “You’re no fun.” Kimmy pouts.

“Good to know. Now, let’s go.” I growl.

I’m not trying to be a dick, but Kimmy is past the stage where she cares what's going on around her and I need to get them home before she starts taking her clothes off.

Last time that happened, I ended up breaking some dickhead's nose.

They’ve had enough to drink for the night and stayed a lot longer than most people.

“Sorry, boys.” Kimmy sighs dramatically. “Dad said it’s time to go home.”

“Haha,” I deadpan.

Cora is quiet, her bright blue eyes watching me nervously.

“Wanna get your hands off her ass now?” I snarl at Finn.

“If she doesn’t care, it’s none of your business,” he says back.

Thankfully, Cora steps out of his hold and looks at me like she’s been caught doing something wrong.

Cora hates when people get mad at her. Her eyes fill with tears and I deflate. I don’t want to upset her. “Ready to go?”

She bites her lower lip and nods, eyes hazy from the alcohol.

Grabbing Cora and Kimmy’s wrists, I pull them through the crowd and out of the house. The cold summer night air hits us but the girls are too drunk to care about the temperature, dressed in tight dresses that just barely cover their asses.

To say I wasn’t impressed when they showed up here together, after getting dressed at Kimmy’s house, was an understatement.

I hate the idea of other guys watching and thinking inappropriate things about them.

Still to this day, Cora is quiet and shy despite having Kimmy for a free spirited friend. She doesn’t like the attention on her and hates big crowds. So I’m sure Kimmy had a field day that she got Cora to agree to come to the end of summer bash.

I hate that they’re going into their final year of school, and I can’t be there with them. I graduated a few months ago and start business school in the fall. It’s local, so I’ll still be around all the time. Just not where I can keep an eye on them, to keep them out of trouble. Okay, to keep Kimmy out of trouble and from dragging Cora into it.

Kimmy is a wild one. She says what she means and never holds back. Blunt and honest. Not always appreciated by others, but I like it.

Cora, on the other hand, is softer, sweet. Her smile can light up a room. She’s a genuine person.

“I’m hungry,” Kimmy grumbles as we walk towards the car. “Can we stop at McDonald’s on the way home?”

“No,” I tell her.

“So you're just going to let me starve?” she huffs. “Some friend you are.”

“You're drunk and your dramatic self is showing.”

Opening the car door, Kimmy slides in.

I’m about to help Cora in when I find her standing there, eyes wide and face pale. “I don’t feel so good,” Cora groans.

“Cora, are you okay?”

She shakes her head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

I shoot Kimmy a glare. “You two drank way too much tonight. You're a bad influence on Cora. You know she’s a lightweight.”

“Am not.” Cora protests, then slaps a hand over her mouth, makes it a few steps away from the car and bends over at the waist to puke.

Gathering her long blonde hair up with my hand, I rub her back. “You sure about that?” I ask her in a teasing tone.

I chuckle when she looks at me with a glare.

“You okay, babe?” Kimmy asks, sounding concerned.

“I wanna go home,” Cora whines when she's done.

Handing her my bottle of water, she rinses her mouth before taking a drink.

“And that's where I’m going to bring you,” I tell her, helping her to the car. “Both of you.” I shoot Kimmy a look. She gives me back a guilty one. I warned her to watch the drinking tonight, and that because Cora doesn’t drink often, it would affect her more. But of course, the brat doesn’t listen to me. She never does. I know Cora can make her own choices, but I also know she feels bad for always turning down going to parties with us.

So when Kimmy begged her to go to this one, she didn’t want to disappoint her and said yes.

“You know, it's like the two of you have made it your life's mission to drive me nuts this summer.” I tell them as we pull away from the house.

“Have not,” Kimmy argues. “It’s not our fault that you’ve turned into some stuffy boring old person. What? Now that you're not in high school, you’re too cool for us?”

“Kimmy,” Cora interrupts. “Be nice.”

“No,” Kimmy mutters. “Why should I? He’s been ignoring us for weeks. Find new friends, Zack?”

“You know I haven’t.” I look at her in the mirror. “I was working at my dad's office this summer.” It’s the truth. It’s taken up a lot of my time. I miss Kimmy’s bratty ass and Cora’s sweet blushes. But maybe some part of me has been staying away for other reasons.

“Yeah, with that slutty girl. What's her name? Barbie?” Kimmy scoffs.

“Kimmy,” Cora scolds again. “We do not slut shame.”

“It’s Barbara.” I throw back. “And Cora is right. Be nice.”

“You be nice,” Kimmy mutters and my lip twitches. Even drunk Kimmy is a spitfire.

By the time I pull up to Kimmy’s place, both girls are passed out. Opening the back door, I find Cora sleeping with her head against the other door and Kimmy with her head tilted back, mouth parted, snoring loudly. Chuckling, I grab my phone and snap a quick photo to use against them next time they pull this kind of shit.

Scooping Kimmy up in my arms, I close the door and carry her into her house.

“Fucking hell,” Tyler mutters from his bedroom doorway when he sees me trying to sneak her up to her room.

“Shh, before you wake up your mom.” I scowl at him.

He rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Put her in her bed. I’m going back to sleep.” He mumbles before turning around and closing his bedroom door.

As I place Kimmy down in her bed, she groans. “Zack?”

“It’s me,” I tell her as I pull her shoes off her feet and toss them onto the floor.

“What are you doing here?” she murmurs sleepily.

“Putting you to bed.”

She sighs happily. “It’s about time you took me to bed.”

My brows jump as my eyes dart up to her face. Her eyes are still closed. But there's a smile on her lips. “Oh, really?” I ask, pulling the blanket up over her body.

“I’ve been trying for years.” She buries deeper into the blanket. “But, you’ve never seemed to see me the way I see you.”

My pulse picks up. I know I shouldn’t entertain this, I should just ignore it and leave. Yet I open my mouth anyways. “And how do you see me?”

“You're handsome. Kind. A good friend.” Her words are hardly whispers now. “Wanna know a secret?” she asks, eyes closed as she starts to drift off back to sleep.

“Always,” I whisper as I brush some of her hair out of her face. She’s so damn beautiful.

“I’m in love with you.” She manages to get out before she's out likea light.

I stand there, blinking at her as her words sink in. A part of me always knew Kimmy had a crush on me. I see the way she looks at me, the way she acts when other girls flirt with me.

I’ve made myself believe it was her just being an overprotective best friend to make it easier to ignore my own feelings. But hearing her say it out loud, even if it’s a drunk confession she won't remember tomorrow, makes things real. A little too real.

My heart is at war with my mind as I run my fingers along her soft cheek. “Wanna know a secret.” I find myself whispering to her sleeping form before leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I love you too.”

I hate leaving here, I hate being away from her. I want to pull back the covers and climb in with her, to pull her into my arms and hold her, kiss her. Fuck her.

Knowing I can’t do any of that, I leave her room and quietly close the door behind me.

“Zack.” Tyler’s voice makes me jump.

“Fucking hell, man,” I whisper hiss.

He’s back in his doorway, watching me with a look. His eyes flick from the room and back to me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Ah, sure?” I run my fingers through my hair. “What's up?”

Tyler and I are still good friends, but over the past year, we’ve drifted a bit. He always wanted to go out, meet girls, party. All the normal things teenage boys in high school do. I went along with him at first, and for the most part I had fun hanging out with the guys.

Then people started pairing off and I had no interest in the girls flirting with me. So, I’d leave.

He’d hassle me about it and my shitty excuses. Eventually, I just stopped agreeing to go out because I’d rather have a movie night in with Cora and Kimmy.

“Are you in love with my sister?” he asks me outright.

“Ah...” I’m taken by surprise. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Don’t bullshit me.” he says, stepping closer. “I’m not stupid. I see the way you look at her. How you two have been for years now. She likes you, she’s denied it, but she’s my twin. I know her better than she thinks.” Fuck. “And don’t lie to me. I know we’re not as close as we used to be, but we’re still good friends.”

“Would you hate me if I said yes?”

He sighs. “No.”

“But it doesn’t matter, because nothing is going to happen.”

“Why not?” He asks. “Is it because you like Cora too?”

“What?” I scoff. “No.”

“You sure?” he asks, raising a brow. “The three of you are close. Really close. More than most friend groups. But Zack, man, she’s your stepsister. That's messed up.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” I hiss, my heart racing. “Don’t you think it kills me that I feel something for her and know I can’t ever have her. Or that I’m also in love with our best friend? But I haven’t done anything with either of them and never will.”

“Why not? If you love Kimmy, then go for it.”

“What?” my brows furrow, confusion filling me. “What do you mean?”

“You can’t have both of them. But the choice is easy. You can’t be with Cora. So be with Kimmy.”

“It’s not that easy.” I say, growing frustrated. “I don’t want to ruin what we already have.”

“Look, it’s your choice if you want to pursue something more with my sister. If I’m one of the reasons holding you back, don’t worry. I approve. You're a good guy and you’ve shown more than once you really care about her. Just think about it,” he says before turning around and heading back into his room leaving me confused as fuck.

What the hell was that?

Remembering Cora’s still in the car, I rush out of the house. I find her still sleeping and sigh as I get back into the car.

The whole way home, my mind races, a million thoughts running through my head.

It’s not as easy as Tyler said it was. Yes, Cora is my stepsister, the choice should seem obvious. But it’s not. I want them both.

I don’t think I could choose one over the other.

“Zack?” Cora murmurs as I carry her up to her room.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, blinking up at me.

“Sorry for what?”

“For upsetting you.” Her lower lip quivers and I want to suck it between my lips and tell her everything is fine.

“You didn’t upset me,” I tell her as we get into her room. I place her on the edge of the bed. She’s more awake than Kimmy, but I’m not surprised. Even with Cora not needing as much to drink to get drunk, Kimmy drank enough for the both of them. I crouch down in front of her, placing my hands on her thighs.

She sucks in a breath, her pupils widening as she looks down at my hands. My cock jerks. Fucking traitor.

I ignore it and ask her, “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” She blushes, eyes slowly rising to meet mine.

“I’m glad.” I give her a soft smile and stand, kissing her on the forehead as I do. “I’ll be right back.”

Grabbing a glass of water from her bathroom and something for the hangover I know she’s going to have tomorrow, I bring them back into her room. I pause when I find her undressing.

My eyes trail over her creamy skin as she shimmies out of the dress, letting it fall to the ground.

I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a groan as I take in her perky ass. When she reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra, tossing me a knowing look over her shoulder, I almost toss what’s in my hands and throw her on the bed.

She doesn’t care that I’m watching, continuing to get dressed into night clothes before getting under the covers.

It takes a few deep breaths and a mental argument with myself before I can move again.

“Get some sleep, Cora,” I tell her, placing the glass and pills on the nightstand.

I make it halfway across the room when she calls my name. “Zack.”

“Yeah?” I stop, but don’t turn around, afraid I might crack if I see her face right now.

“I want to tell you something, but please don’t say anything back right now, okay?”

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and will my heart to slow down.

“Okay,” my voice cracks. I should keep walking, leave because whatever she’s about to say, I just know is going to change everything and I’m afraid it’s not going to be for the better.

“I’ve spent hours coming up with different ways to tell you this, a million different speeches but none of them seemed right. Maybe there is no right way to say this because what I feel isn’t right,” her voice trembles as my heart thunders in my chest. “So, I’m going to just say it, get it out there.” She pauses for a moment. “I know I’m your stepsister, and I know this is wrong. But, I... I wanted you to know that. I like you. A lot. More than a best friend. More than a brother. I don’t expect you to feel the same way, but I had to tell you. It’s been eating at me for the past year and I don’t know what to do.” She’s crying now and it fucking shatters me. I can’t turn around, I can’t go over there and comfort her. Because if I do, I’ll crack and there’s no coming back from that.

“Zack?” I’ve never heard my name sound so small, so broken. My fists clench and I’m about to say fuck it all when her dad steps into the doorway.

He looks at me, then over to Cora. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything's fine.” I manage to get out through clenched teeth. He gives me a look before his attention is on Cora.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Dad. We just got back from the party.”

“Are you drunk?” he asks her, but his eyes dart to mine.

“No,” Cora tells him. “But I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep.”

He nods to her, then stares me down, daring me to stay.

“Good night, Cora.” I tell her. I don’t want to leave things like this, but I can’t tell her what I want to right now, not with him here.

So, I leave the room and close the door behind me.

Ignoring my asshole of a stepfather, I head across the hall towards my room.

Just as I’m about to step into my room, I’m yanked back by my shirt and shoved up against the wall.

“Stay the fuck away from my daughter,” he growls in my face.

“Fuck you,” I spit back. “She’s my best friend.”

“And your fucking stepsister. But that doesn’t seem to stop you from looking at her like you want to fuck her. You're sick, you know that. Fucked in the head. Your mother is too blind to see it, but I do. Stay the fuck away from Cora.”

“Or what?” I ask, giving him a shit eating grin. “She already knows you hate me. Are you pissed off that she likes me better than you?”

His jaw clenches, nostrils flaring. “You're a spoiled punk. A fucking creep. If you don’t stay away from her, I’ll fucking ruin you. And how do you think your father would feel if he found out his precious son is a freak who fucks his sister? I don’t think his company would be too happy about a scandal like that. And your mom? Wouldn’t want to break her heart, would you?”

“You're fucking pathetic,” I spit. I’ve always hated this guy. I knew from the moment my mom told me she was getting married he wasn’t worthy of her. The more time I’ve been around him, the more he’s proved me right. The way he treats Cora just added to my hatred of him. “You’ve never deserved her. I have no idea what she sees in you. But I hope she comes to her senses and leaves you.”

“Wish all you fucking want. Just remember what I told you.” He grins. “Stay the fuck away from her.”

He pushes off me and takes off down the hall. I’m so fucking pissed off. It’s taking everything in me not to run after him and beat the shit out of him. But I can’t. I have to think about my parents, about Cora.

But if he thinks I’m going to stay away from Cora, he’s out of his damn mind.

Breathing hard, I stare at her bedroom door. I want to go back in there, tell her I like her too. That I feel the same way.

Instead, I stand here for a moment longer before heading into my room and locking the door.

Tonight was a fucking shitshow and I have no idea what to do about it.