Page 7 of Charming Cruel Boys

“Thank you so much, Remi. It means a lot to me. I know this has caught everyone off guard, but I hope the boys can get past it. Maybe you’ll become friends. I mean, you’ll be their stepsister soon after all.”

I fight back the bitter laugh trying to break free. If only she knew that one of her boys took my virginity and the other physically assaulted me the very next day. I’ll never let either of them close to me again. Senior year, I’m focused on getting good grades, applying to scholarships, and finding a college far away from this town. Not boys.

***

Two hours later, I throw myself face-down on Sara’s cheetah print comforter, letting out a long, dramatic groan.

“That bad, huh?” she asks as she sits down beside me. She’s holding in a laugh, I can hear it in her voice. Rude.

“You have no idea. Think of the worst possible dinner scenario you can imagine, and then times that by a thousand,” I say as I look up at her through my hair. “I was completely blindsided. I didn’t even know my dad was dating. He’s never dated! He likes to remind me constantly about why he’s single. How my mom dying during childbirth is my fault and how he’ll never meet another woman like her.” I have to pause and pull back my emotions. I wish I knew my mom. I have this picture of her in my mind, this sweet, loving, affectionate woman. That’s the mom I would have wanted. Maybe she calmed my father. Maybe he wasn’t like this when he had her… “And now,bam!Out of nowhere, he’s merging our families without a single warning. The guys didn’t even come back to eat. It was unbearably awkward. I picked at my food in silence while my dad and Rose chatted away like all was perfectly normal.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad, Remi. I would kill to live under the same roof as Duke and Knight. I’d let them do so many nasty things to me.” She trails off, no doubt imagining being pinned between the twins. And I get it. Duke and Knight are gorgeous. Easily the most attractive guys at school. Duke, the clean-cut gentleman. Knight, the tempting bad boy. Maybe if Knight weren’t always so weird around me, I would have had similar fantasies when I was with Duke...

Thoughts of my ex act like a bucket of ice water over my head, and I sit up and face Sara. Letting out a sigh, I knit my fingers together in my lap. “It was Duke,” I mutter.

“Hmm?”

I clear my throat, willing my emotions to stay under control. “The boy who dumped me without a word after having sex with me? It was Duke. We had a class together sophomore year, and I had this massive crush on him. Finally, right before the school year ended, he asked me out. It was the best three months of my life. But then his dad died, and I don’t know... Everything changed. I guess he didn’t want me around while he was grieving.” I shrug, wiping away the bastard tears that spilled down my cheeks.

If I could go back in time, I’d give myself a slap in the face.Stupid, naive Remi.Falling for a boy so easily, giving my virginity so willingly. At least Duke helped teach me a valuable lesson: I always have to be strong for myself. It’s not guaranteed that anyone else will care enough to stick around. He certainly made me think we were a forever sort of love, and then one day, he simply changed his mind.

Ugh, now I’m sad and craving Ben & Jerry’s. Like a lot of Ben & Jerry’s.

It’s been a year. It shouldn’t still hurt like this. I should be able to move on without thinking about him every time I’m near another guy. I’ve turned down a handful of guys, waiting until I’m ready. But maybe I’ll never be ready unless I push myself into it.

“Oh, Remi. I wish you had told me. I’ve been talking about how hot he is all day. I’m sorry.” Sara takes my hand in hers, rubbing my palm with her thumb. Then she widens her warm brown eyes and gasps. “Wait, holy fuck. That means your ex is about to become your stepbrother. Gross,” she says with her nose wrinkled and her brows furrowed.

I laugh, although it sounds strained even to my ears. “Yeah, my home life is about to suck even more than usual. Be prepared for lots of sleepovers, Sara. There’s no way I’ll be able to stomach living with them.” Between Duke still having a fist around my heart and Knight seeming to hate my very existence for some reason, I really don’t know how I’m going to survive. What if Duke brings girls home? What if Knight makes a habit out of shoving me around? What if my father treats me like sewer water in front of either of them?

Oh god.

“You’re welcome anytime, you know that,” Sara assures with a kind smile. That’s why I think I liked her so suddenly. She might be wild and outgoing, but she is so nice. That’s all I really need in a friend. My father never let me join any clubs or extracurriculars, so making friends was never easy. George has stuck by my side since elementary school, but until Sara, everyone else has hardly given me the time of day.

Except Duke, a stupid voice whispers in my mind. He never shied away from the principal’s daughter like so many others. He saw me and got to know me and made me feel truly loved for the first time in my entire life.

But then he broke me.

5

Remi

Schoolthefollowingdaygoes about as well as yesterday. My first two classes fly by and I really enjoy them.I know, someone call the police, this girl actually likes school.Sue me. I’ve got big dreams of going to a prestigious college after this and learning all that I can. I’ll pick a school as far away from my dad as possible and never look back. Once I’m gone, I can live the way I want. He won’t be around to belittle me, yell at me, control me. I won’t have to be afraid of setting off someone’s temper every second of my life. I’ll finally get to be my own person. Only then can I worry about love. No matter how starved I am for it, now’s just not the time for me.

The second I walk into music, my mood plummets. Duke is already seated in the back row, in the same seat as yesterday. He’s as handsome as ever in a white T-shirt and tan jeans. The simple look really does it for him. He’s sitting straight up, flicking through some sheets of paper on his desk, bobbing his head slightly to whatever song is no doubt playing in his mind.

I hesitate for a moment, watching him and feeling like a bit of a creep. Should I talk to him? Clear the air before he moves into my house, which my father informed me would be happening this weekend. But I talk myself out of it, opting for a seat in the front row today. The time for talking has long since passed. Duke has avoided me at every turn for the past year. If he wants to sulk and make things awkward when we’re living under the same roof, then that’s on him.I’ll hold my head high and pretend like being near him doesn’t set my skin on fire.

We’re split into pairs and given a stack of sheet music to practice reading.Thank the lord Duke and I weren’t put together for this.Instead, my partner is Sawyer Giovenni, quarterback of the Star View football team.

“Hey, Remi,” he says as he sits down next to me and sets his things down on the floor.

I look up at him with a soft smile. Sawyer is handsome, with brown hair shaved short on the sides and longer on top, big brown eyes, and deep dimples that bracket a bright white smile. Not to mention the muscles on the guy. As I take in my fill, my stomach does a weird little flip. I’ve never talked to him before, but I won’t deny that I’ve admired him from afar once or twice. His looks don’t compete with Duke’s, but nobody’s do.

I decide to give myself that push. I’m not looking to date, but I still want to enjoy my last year of high school. A little flirting is harmless, and it might help me move on from Duke for good. Moving a lock of hair behind my ear, I smile wider and say, “Hi, Sawyer. How’s it going?”

“Pretty well since I got paired with the most stunning girl in school,” he says with a flirty smirk.

I bark out a laugh that is way too loud for the classroom, gaining the attention of the students surrounding us. I stick my tongue out like a freaking child at one girl who’s sending me a death glare. Turning back to Sawyer, I wrinkle my nose. “Wow. Does the cheesy stuff usually work, or do you rely heavily on your good looks?”

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