Maddie's POV

I was still somewhat surprised by Billy's reaction. The fact that he let me leave the bathroom without looking at me, without complaining, and without saying the last word after that argument was... It was really strange and left me with an odd feeling in my body.

As I walked toward the exit of the bowling alley to get to Steve's car, my mind kept racing. Normally, the times I had rejected him, he'd almost flown into a rage. And now, all of a sudden, it seemed like, for the first time in his life, he had given up and didn't want to argue with me.

I refused to think about it, but... what if he really regretted sleeping with me and didn't want to do that to Sandra? What if, deep down, he wasn't as bad as he had always tried to show?

After all, I'm also starting to realize that my cruelty, for the most part, is just a shell to protect me from the pain others might cause me.
I'd already had enough with Neil and Billy throughout my life. Of course, when I think about it coldly, Billy could be just as cruel or mean as I am because of his mother's abandonment and his father's beatings.

What if, in reality, Billy and I were more alike than I was willing to admit? What if the hatred we feel isn't really for each other but for Neil? And since we can't do anything against Neil, we've channeled all that rage into hating each other.
And what if...
What if Neil hadn't been in the picture? Maybe... Maybe we would have gotten along. Maybe we could have been good siblings. Maybe...
Maybe we could have loved each other.

Just like I've felt I loved him every time he's smiled at me these past few weeks. Every time he's shared a knowing look with me. Every time he's tried to defend me. Every time he's worried about me.
Thinking about each of those moments made my stomach tie itself into knots.

And if... What if I didn't really hate him but actually cared for him? What if... I was actually falling in love with him?

"I was starting to think you'd fallen into the toilet," Steve said as I realized I'd already reached his car, where he was leaning casually against the passenger door. "You okay? You seem a little distracted. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing... nothing..." I murmured, clearing my throat. He'd think I was crazy if I told him I felt something for my stepbrother. He—and anyone who could hear my thoughts in that moment—would think I'd lost it. "Sorry for taking so long. I think... I think the food didn't sit well with me," I lied, blurting out the first excuse that came to mind to avoid further questions.

"Oh, no..." His smile vanished instantly. "Then I'll take you home."

"Didn't you say you had something planned after the bowling alley?"

For some reason, I felt bad seeing him so downcast. And besides, why did I feel as if I were deceiving him? I didn't know why I felt like that—we weren't anything. The only one doing any deceiving here was Billy, with Sandra, and with me. A shiver ran through me as those thoughts swirled in my head. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Yeah, but that can wait," he said with a forced smile. "Besides, you've had a long day—with the fall, the hospital, and reluctantly agreeing to go out with me."

"It wasn't reluctantly, silly. Honestly, I had a great time. It gave me a chance to get to know you a little better. Plus, you managed to make me laugh after a total crap day," I said with a smile, nudging him playfully with my hip.

"Then it wasn't all in vain," he replied, smiling again, his eyes lighting up. "That's good enough for me. Let me take you home—you probably need some rest." He straightened up and opened the passenger door with a little flourish. "Your carriage awaits, fair lady."

"Thank you, kind sir," I laughed, stepping into the car.

As soon as I sat down, Steve closed the door and walked around the car to take the driver's seat. He started the engine and turned on the radio, flashing me another smile before heading toward my house.

Steve was a lot more into pop than I was, and the radio was playing the latest Wham! cassette. It wasn't exactly my favorite kind of music, but they'd been playing it non-stop lately, so inevitably, I knew most of their songs. The entire drive to my house, we sang at the top of our lungs to tracks like Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Come On!

We were having such a great time, and I felt so carefree, that the trip to my house felt incredibly short. Steve pulled up on the curb across the street from my place, and we both got out of the car. I felt so comfortable with him, and I knew that stepping into that house would only sour my mood again...

Instead of going inside, I sat on the hood of the car once I got out, and Steve joined me. I lit a cigarette, and though he was trying to quit, we shared that one. We didn't say anything. The silence between us wasn't awkward, though—it was actually really pleasant, peaceful even.

The tranquility I'd been enjoying quickly dissipated as my thoughts took over. I glanced toward the house and saw Neil passing through the living room window. That reminded me of the stupid idea I'd had to tell him Steve was my boyfriend to try and cover for Billy's nonsense. And for what? The idiot got mad anyway, on top of everything else.

Great. Now I had no choice but to come clean to Steve if I wanted to avoid future issues with Neil.

"Steve, I need to tell you something," I broke the silence, tossing the cigarette butt to the ground and stomping it out. "You might not like it, and I'm already apologizing in advance."

"I doubt it's that bad. What's going on?" he asked calmly.

"Well, uh..." I cleared my throat nervously. "Neil and my mom want you to come over for dinner one day."

Damn it, Maddie, since when are you such a coward? You've always been straightforward about everything. It's not that hard—just say it.

"Well, I'd love to," he said with a broad smile. "Though I still don't understand why you think this would bother me. We're friends, right? I don't see what's so bad about having dinner at your place."

"So smart about some things and so clueless about others," I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"Hey, I don't mind coming to dinner, but I do mind being insulted," he teased, bumping me with his hip and frowning in mock offense.

"Sorry," I chuckled softly. It was impossible not to laugh at how naïve he could be sometimes.

"Okay, Steve, my king, think. When a mom and her husband want to meet a guy, why do you think that is?" I gave him an expectant look, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't—" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened in realization. "Wait, has Max already been up to something and told them you're my girlfriend?"

"Not exactly..." I mumbled, scratching the back of my neck and avoiding his gaze.

"Then what? Stop being so cryptic, woman! You're always direct and blunt about everything. I don't get why you're suddenly so mysterious," he huffed, clearly annoyed.

"I told them you're my boyfriend! There, I said it!" I exclaimed before pulling out another cigarette and lighting it.

"Oh... this... wow," he said, taking the cigarette from my mouth and looking at me. He took a drag. "I must admit, the idea of you being my girlfriend has crossed my mind more than once. Can you explain to me when this fantasy became real? Because, as far as I know, we're not actually dating," he said, making a face before taking another puff.

"And we're not," I replied, snatching the cigarette from him and taking a deep drag. "But they think we are."

"You're going to have to give me more information, Madeleine," he muttered.

"It's long and short to explain at the same time..." I let out the smoke, inhaled deeply, then blurted everything out in one go. "I already told you that Neil is pretty aggressive. With me and Billy, but especially with Billy," Steve nodded, listening carefully. "Well, when we got back from the hospital, Neil went ballistic when he saw that Billy hadn't taken Max and me home. So, as soon as we walked in the door, he started hitting him."

"Are you serious? But I personally took him home!" he exclaimed, shocked.

"I know. Max and I insisted on it. But since he didn't know you, he got even angrier. He doesn't want any 'random guy'—" I made air quotes, since he clearly wasn't 'just anyone'—"getting close to me. So, since he doesn't know you, he thinks you could be some guy who might do something to me."

"Emm... but you go with whoever you want, whenever you want, and always do," he said, confused.

"Are you calling me a slut?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at him seriously.

"What? No, no, no. It's just that, well..." He started flailing his arms around, turning as red as a tomato.

"I'm joking, Steve. I know perfectly well you don't think that about me, and I know exactly what kind of woman I am," I burst into laughter before he could finish his sentence.

"Damn it, Maddie, I hate when you do that," he sighed, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I'm sorry, it's just too easy and fun to mess with you," I said, stopping my laughter.

"Look, the thing is, yes, I enjoy being with whoever I want, whenever I want. But in Neil's eyes, that's not how it is. And, on top of that, for him, Billy is the one who's supposed to make sure no man gets near me."

"And that includes me," he finished my sentence.

"Exactly. And Neil didn't know you existed, so your name meant nothing to him."

"Therefore, Billy didn't do his 'brotherly duty' by letting me get close to you and even bringing Max home," he interrupted again.

"Exactly, I see you're getting it," I sighed deeply in resignation. "The thing is, Neil wouldn't stop hitting Billy, and that made me furious. I hate it. I hate that he hits him," I clenched my fist and quickly wiped my eye, a tear threatening to fall. And I'm not the type to cry. "I panicked thinking about what might happen to him if he didn't stop hitting him. So, the only thing I could think of to stop him was to tell him that you weren't just anyone, that you were my boyfriend."

"Ah..." Steve paused for a moment, thinking. "Did it at least work?"

"Yeah, he stopped immediately. But of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. He wants to meet you to make sure you're actually a good guy."

"Am I?" he asked, looking at me with the face of someone who's never broken a plate in their life.

"You are. And you know it," I smiled, nudging him.

"I like that you remind me of that," he laughed and winked at me. I shook my head and returned to the conversation.

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this, Steve. I'd even understand if you were upset and refused. After all, I've been lying to you all this time." I glanced off into the distance. "But in that moment, out of panic, it was the only thing I could think of to stop Neil from beating Billy to death."

"Relax, I won't leave you hanging," he said, placing his hand on my back to comfort me. I turned to look at him. "Although now I don't understand why you say you hate Billy. It doesn't seem that way to me at all. In fact, I think it's the opposite. It feels like you care about him more than you want to admit," he said, looking at me, somewhat puzzled.

"It's... complicated," I sighed.

"So complicated that you hate him and love him at the same time," Steve said, his voice soft but knowing.

He didn't say anything more. I felt him move his hand from my back, pulling away slightly to get into his car, rummaging through the glove compartment. He returned a moment later, standing in front of me with a marker in hand, a half-smile on his face.

I smiled back at him. It was true—no one had signed my cast yet, and he wanted to be the first. He took my hand gently and started doodling on the plaster. When he finished, he tucked the marker into the back pocket of his pants, and I read his dedication:

"To the bravest girl I know. Stay strong, Maddie."

I smiled softly, feeling warmth spread through me.

"To the girlfriend with the most beautiful eyes in the world."

I couldn't help it and gave a silly half-smile. Even though I knew it wasn't true, no one had ever called me "the girlfriend with the most beautiful eyes in the world" before; it made me feel a little special. But I had to remind myself that it was just a lie, and I couldn't let it hurt Steve. Not when I wasn't even sure of what I felt for him, or for Billy, for that matter.

I looked up, and found Steve's eyes locked on mine. I barely had time to react before he cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine in a warm, gentle kiss. His kisses were so sweet that I closed my eyes and, once again, allowed myself to be swept away by the calm he brought with each soft touch of his lips. I kissed him back, matching his tenderness and calmness, savoring the warmth he offered.

"Steve..." I sighed as we slowly pulled apart.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to practice. Since I have to be your fake boyfriend, I might as well get an idea of how it feels," he sighed.

A few seconds of silence passed before the loud slam of a door startled us both. We looked toward the noise, and I'm not sure how long Billy had been there, but I think it was the first time in his damn life he hadn't caused a scene pulling up to the house in his car.

"You have five minutes to get inside," he walked past us and flicked his cigarette to the ground.

He only looked at me, ignoring Steve. "If you don't come in five minutes, I'll come looking for you. And you know damn well I won't be pleasant."

"I'm coming. Idiot," I muttered.

"Idiot," he shot back, turning his back and heading inside.

As soon as he was gone, Steve let out a frustrated sigh. "As much as no one deserves to get beaten by their father, I don't understand how you can care about such an idiot." He moved away from me, clearly upset.

"Neither do I..." I sighed. "Well, I better go in before my idiot stepbrother comes out and starts making a scene." I stood up and walked over to Steve, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being so nice to me, Steve."

"I know I'm being an idiot, and I shouldn't be doing this after you rejected me so many times," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Steve..."

"But I can't help it. You have something that makes it impossible for me to stop helping you. I think I'd even go to hell for you if you asked," he laughed softly and placed a quick kiss on my forehead. "Good night, bad girl."

"Good night, good guy."

Steve gave me one last smile before getting into his car to head home. I, on the other hand, quickly made my way inside my own house to avoid another unnecessary argument with Billy. If Steve was an idiot, I was too; he was right in saying that it made no sense why I cared about the gorilla that was my stepbrother.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked in as calmly as I could. It wasn't that I was nervous, but I had to face Neil again after the beating he'd given Billy, and that put me in a bad mood. As soon as I opened the door, I was face-to-face with Neil, Billy, and my mom.

"That guy you were with, is he Harrington?" Neil asked, once again reminding me of the disgust he had for me.

"Hello to you too, Neil," I replied with disdain. "Were you spying on me?" I frowned. My mom looked at me with wide eyes, clearly worried about me raising my voice.

"No. But if you're going to start making out with him like some cheap girl in the street, don't expect me not to notice," he grumbled.

"A cheap girl?" My anger flared instantly as I walked up to him, ready to confront him. "At least I don't..."

"Sweetheart, have you told him about dinner?" My mother intervened, stepping between us to change the topic and avoid a confrontation with Neil. It only made me angrier.

"Yes," I answered coldly. I loved my mother, but I couldn't stand her cowardice.

"Great. We also told Billy to bring that girl, Sandra. That way we can meet both of your partners at the same time."

"Let's see if he finally stops dating trash and you two start acting like adults," Neil grumbled, but I didn't even hear him.

My attention was entirely on what my mother had said.

"W-what?" I was stunned, speechless. I glanced at Billy, who looked back at me with a cold, unfriendly expression. He was standing there, arms crossed, silently listening without saying a word.

"You're all classmates, right?" my mother added. I could only nod. "Then it will be great to meet your friends, and even better if they're your partners."

"Mom, I don't think..."

"You better not argue, young lady. If I find out this Harrington isn't trustworthy like you say, William will pay the price, and you won't get away this time," Neil snapped, pointing his index finger at me threateningly. "Let's go, Susan. I'm tired of all these stupid kids."

"Really?" I looked at my mother, "Are you really going to let him talk to me like that?"

My mother didn't respond. She lowered her head and turned to follow Neil into the living room.

This was unbelievable. Not only did she let him hit her and Billy, but now she didn't care that the bastard was threatening me right in front of her.

I should leave through the door right now and never come back. Rage consumed me. I wanted to scream and break things. Still, deep down, I knew my mom acted this way because she was scared. And I couldn't leave her alone with that monster she called a husband. And even less so, I couldn't leave Max alone in that house.

"It's all your fault for not keeping your mouth shut," Billy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Go to hell, William. You're a fucking ungrateful piece of shit," I narrowed my eyes.

"No one asked for your help. I never asked for it, and I never will," he frowned.

"You don't need to ask me for help, idiot. You live with me, and I don't want you getting beaten up in front of me."

"As if you cared much about what happens to me," he replied with irony.

"Look, Billy..." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "It's been an incredibly long day, and I just want to go to rest. I'm done having this damn argument AGAIN." I glared at him, my anger flaring. "If you want to believe I did it because I care about you, even a little bit, fine. And if not, that's fine too. I'm SO FUCKING DONE." I passed by him, deliberately bumping my shoulder into his with force.

Without looking back, and despite hearing a growl of frustration from Billy, I made my way to my room and slammed the door shut. I sat down in the chair in front of my vanity and hit the table. Now, not only did I have to pretend with Steve about the kind of relationship we had, but on top of that, I had to endure Sandra practically all over Billy in front of me, in my own house.

Yeah, I liked Sandra a lot. She was a good girl. But that didn't stop the fact that it pissed me off seeing her kiss Billy, touch him, smile at him.

Why, damn it? Why the hell did I have to feel these damn jealous feelings over that girl being with Billy?

And speaking of Billy, above all, I had to endure the fact that he was an ungrateful asshole.

I had done all of this to keep him from getting his face beaten in, but if I had known he was going to be this fucking stupid, I would have kept my damn mouth shut.

You know that's not true. You know you would never let Neil hurt him if you could avoid it.

"Couldn't you have kept your little boyfriend business to yourself? Now, because of you, we have to have the most awkward and stupid dinner," Billy stormed into my room like a hurricane, making my thoughts disappear.

"Get out of my room, William," I responded without looking at him.

"Not a chance. I'm not leaving until you stop being an idiot," he said, his eyes burning with anger as he stared at me through the mirror. "You've put us in a completely awkward situation for no reason. And then you go and kiss your fucking boyfriend right in front of the house! What part of 'I don't want to see you with him' don't you understand?!" he shouted.

« And what part of 'he's not my boyfriend' do you not understand?!" I stood up from the chair and turned to face him. "I only said it to protect you from your father, YOU UNGRATEFUL IDIOT! The only fool here who actually has a girlfriend and cheats on her is YOU! So stop spouting nonsense and leave me the hell alone already!" I finally exploded, letting out all my pent-up rage.

"And what's this then?" he grabbed my arm in a cast and pointed directly at Steve's dedication. "Are you still going to deny that he's your boyfriend?"

"Think whatever the hell you want, William. Steve is not my boyfriend," I yanked my arm away with a sharp motion."and he's not because I don't want to hurt him! Just like I don't want you to get hurt, you idiot! Stop meddling in my life, all of you, and trying to decide for me!"

Billy didn't say anything else. He turned toward my desk while I tried to steady my pulse after all that shouting. It was impossible not to argue with that idiot.

He came back to me holding a sky-blue marker, a shade very similar to my eyes. He grabbed my hand angrily and scribbled something on my cast.

Then he closed the marker and tossed it aside carelessly.

This time, he gripped my other wrist tightly, the one that was uninjured. He pulled me toward him, making our bodies collide, and didn't let go of my hand, ensuring I couldn't escape. Being taller than me, he straightened even more and looked down at me. He stared at me, filled with anger.

He said nothing.

His chest was pressed against mine. I could feel his uneven breathing, his rapid heartbeat pounding against my chest, mirroring the rhythm of my own. I stared back at him with fury, equally silent. I didn't want to give in, and neither did he.

The deep navy blue of his eyes clashed with the light blue of mine. I straightened up, drawing a little closer to him. He began leaning down toward me until the tip of his nose brushed against mine. He parted his lips just as I parted mine. His warm breath mingled with mine, spilling into my mouth.

Our lips barely touched—a soft, fleeting graze.

But before they could truly meet, Billy released my hand with a frustrated force. He turned around and, still silent, left my room, slamming the door behind him.

I exhaled all the air I had been holding, my legs weak from nearly falling. Again.

I threw my head back in frustration as I walked toward my bed. Letting all the weight of my body collapse onto it, I sighed again. But it wasn't out of anger or frustration.

I sighed because of the absolute mess of emotions swirling in my head, a tangle I had no idea how to unravel.

I felt something pressing into my back. Reaching under me, I pulled out the object and immediately realized it was the marker Billy had thrown after scribbling on my cast. My first reaction was to lift the plaster covering my wrist to my eyes and read what that damn blond had written:

"I hate you and you drive me crazy, redhead."

Even in this, he had to be infuriating.

And yet, without knowing why, I smiled like a complete idiot.

If only he knew how much he drives me crazy too—in both the best and worst ways. If only he were aware of just how much I hate him too.

But the worst part of it all was that I knew exactly why that teenage girl smile was spreading across my face. There was someone who was starting to feel different and special.

Something that, after a long time, was beginning to take on a new meaning.

I was starting to like it when he called me "redhead." I liked the idea that only he called me that. I liked the idea that I, and only I, was his redhead.