"You're such an idiot." Sophia shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"What's the point in confessing a crush on a guy who hates me?" I shrugged.

"He does not hate you." I gave her a deadpan look, and she added. "Okay, maybe he did at first, but it's different now."

I raised an eyebrow. "Different? How?"

"Girl, he's offered you help! I've seen him watching you during lunch breaks-"

"Wait, what?" I frowned.

"Remember when I asked about him in the cafeteria on Monday?"

"Yeah?"

"He was staring at you like you were the only girl there."

"What? No way!" I shook my head, dismissing it. "You got it wrong-"

"When I opened the door earlier, he had this huge grin that faded when he saw me." She smirked. "It was like he was waiting for you."

"That still doesn't add up."

"Why not?"

"Have you forgotten he likes Daphne?" I reminded. "And all the struggle we did to keep them apart."

"Yeah, but maybe it's a misunderstanding-"

"Sophia, I've heard it straight from him." I pointed out.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She seemed like she was having a war in her head, deciding what to believe, and a minute later, she sighed. "Fine."

"Now that it's settled." I passed her some snacks and grabbed Daphne's cookies. "Let's go. Daphne must be dying alone out there."

Sophia grumbled as we walked out of the kitchen toward the living room. My expression soured when I spotted Samuel lounging in my spot, the boys laughing at something he said. Daphne was also giggling, and she seemed relaxed.

"What's so funny?" I arched my brow at Samuel. "Care to share?"

"Nothing." He gave me a smug grin as he ran a hand through his curly hair that looked like a bird's nest.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes as I placed the cookies on the center table. "Elijah, try these." I passed him the cookies. "Dap-"

"Daphne made these?" He cut me off, taking a cookie. "Thanks for the box you gave earlier." He passed Daphne a smile. "They were delicious."

I side glanced at Blake to see him already watching me. I had a feeling he wouldn't give the cookies to Elijah from the study date, but he surprised me.

"T-hanks." Daphne blushed and ducked her head.

"I haven't tried them." Samuel interrupted and picked a cookie. He took a bite and his face lit up. "F**k, these are good!"

Daphne's face turned crimson as Elijah and Samuel gushed over her baking skills while I glanced around, desperate to find somewhere to sit. Samuel had taken my usual spot, and the only available seat left was wedged between Blake and Sophia.

It wasn't the placement that was the problem. It was the space. After what happened earlier, I didn't want to sit anywhere near Blake. As I hesitated, Sophia yanked me down beside her. I stumbled slightly and awkwardly dropped onto the spot between her and Blake. I shot Sophia a glare, but she just smirked, amused by my discomfort.

I moved and the moment my knee brushed Blake's again, a wave of heat rushed to my face. My whole body tensed and I shifted as far as I could toward Sophia, practically falling into her lap in my haste to create some distance.

Sophia rolled her eyes and leaned back, taking a casual bite of a cookie. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable proximity and focused on the snack break. We spent a few minutes munching and then got back to the grind.

Samuel noticed the scowl on my face and excused himself with an exaggerated bow. I blew out a breath of relief, grateful he left.

To my surprise, the rest of the tutoring session went smoothly. Blake-of all people-was a pretty solid tutor. His explanations made sense, and he didn't make me feel like a total idiot for asking dumb questions.

After an hour, we finally wrapped up. Elijah thanked Daphne and Sophia while I turned to Blake.

"Thanks for the help," I muttered, feeling a little embarrassed about how stiffly I had been earlier.

Blake just gave me one of those infuriating smirks, the kind that made me want to punch him and kiss him all at once. He said nothing, just nodded before he and Elijah left together.

Daphne beamed. "This was productive."

"You bet it was," Sophia smirked her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"What?" I gave her a blank look.

"Oh, nothing." She answered, with a smug grin creeping onto her face.

It reminded me of Samuel and how the two of them looked so alike. Same cocky expression and sparkle in their eyes.

But Sophia is stunningly beautiful with her warm, glowing skin tone and her soft cute features, while Samuel only made me want to puke.

After that, the days blurred by as we prepared for the exam. Per Sophia's condition, we let things unfold naturally, avoiding any forced moves. Elijah and Daphne had the occasional conversation, and I noticed Daphne seemed a little more at ease now-at least when we were around.

As for Blake, he threw me for a loop when, out of nowhere, he asked our calculus teacher to switch seats with me.

Our teacher, who never listened to anyone, actually agreed because Blake, of course, was his 'star student'. But the excuse Blake gave was ridiculous.

He claimed I annoyed him by kicking his chair from behind. Which I definitely don't. But our teacher, for some absurd reason, took Blake's word and scolded me right there in front of the class and I was torn.

One, I was grateful that I could actually see the board now and follow along with the lesson. On the other hand, I was pissed. Blake got away with lying, and I got publicly called out for something I didn't even do.

There was also a silver lining in the seating switch. I didn't have to stare at his back anymore. But there was a catch. Now Blake sat directly behind me. And honestly, I didn't know if I was imagining it, but I could feel his gaze on the back of my head the entire class.

Did he feel the same way when I used to stare at him?

➽─────────❥

On Saturday evening, my mom asked me to pick up my brother from Zack's house. I'd only met Zack once, but the encounter still made me laugh. I was sure he'd grow up to be some kind of heartthrob.

I slid behind the wheel of my mom's car, pulling up to the address she gave me. As I turned the corner, my eyes widened at the sight of Zack's house.

The softest shade of yellow, like a permanent bit of sunshine had settled on the place, covered the siding. Crisp white trim framed the windows and door, making everything look even brighter if that was possible. I couldn't help but smile as I climbed the steps.

Balancing a huge dish of chicken pie thanks to my mom's 'friendly gesture', I rang the doorbell.

The door clicked, and I stretched my face into a grin, ready to greet, but I froze when I saw the last person I ever expected to be standing there looking right at me, just as confused as I was.

"Cara?" His brows furrowed as his eyes scanned me in disbelief.

"Elijah?" My head dropped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" We both asked at the same time.

"I..." His gaze flickered inside, then back at me. "Live here."

I took a step back and looked around the quiet middle-class neighborhood, thinking I got the wrong house. It's not the big, sleek, luxurious mansion across from Sophia's house that I've been to the party before. There was no doubt I got the right house my mom gave me, but why was he here?

My frown deepened. "No, you live across from Sophia's house."

"Well... yeah..." He chuckled. "That's my dad's house. This is my mom's." I blinked, trying to process this.

Wait... this means...

Before I could finish that thought, I heard the unmistakable sound of two boys yelling from inside the house. I stared at Elijah as realization dawned on me.

"Zack's your brother."

Now it made sense why he looked so familiar to me!

Elijah's eyes widened. "Wait... you're Cody's sister?"

"Guilty." I gave him a sheepish smile and extended the chicken pot pie toward him. "My mom said to give this to your mom."

"She's not home right now, but I'll make sure she gets it. Thanks."

He took the dish from my hands, and his fingers lightly brushed against mine. I quickly pulled my hands back and when I glanced up, I could've sworn his cheeks had a faint pink tint to them.

Is he blushing?

No way.

Elijah's skin was already a caramel tone, so maybe I was imagining it.

"Uh, can you call Cody for me?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the awkwardness of the moment.

He grinned. "Why don't you come in first?"

I hesitated for a second, but before I could come up with a good excuse, Elijah stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.

His father's house was sleek and modern, everything sharp angles and clean lines. But his mom's house felt different. Cozy, a little old-fashioned. The furniture was mismatched, walls covered in framed photos of the two brothers with a woman I assumed was their mother. The house had the kind of warmth that modern places sometimes lacked.

"So... your parents," I trailed off, glancing at the family pictures that lined the hallway. The woman in them had the same bright eyes as Zack and Elijah, and the resemblance was undeniable.

Elijah paused, then looked back at me with an almost resigned expression. "Divorced."

I swallowed, not quite sure how to respond. We continued through the hallway in an uncomfortable silence, and I was more than grateful when I heard the sounds of two boys arguing, cutting the tension.

"They are in the living room." Elijah signaled towards his left and glanced at the dish in his hands. "I'll go place this in the kitchen."

Nodding my head, I entered the living room, where I saw both boys engrossed on the computer screen.

"Revive me, bro! Quick!"

"I'm coming to you don't die on me!"

"How about you die in the game and revive in the real world?" I interrupted them.

"Why are you here?" Cody's face scrunched when he heard my voice without even taking his eyes away from the screen while Zack's head whirled towards me.

"To pick you up," I said in a duh tone and smiled at Zack, who was gawking at me. "Good evening Zack."

"Why didn't you tell me your sister was coming to pick you up?!" Zack whispered to my brother as he ran his fingers through his messy hair, leaving the game.

"I had no idea!" Cody grumbled and threw the controller. "And I'm dead."

"So am I." Zack rolled his eyes and stood on his feet, smoothing down his casual tee. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Valentine." He extended his hand toward me with a charming smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," I giggled, shaking his hand.

No doubt, a gentleman. My brother should take notes.

"El, see!" Zack grinned like a proud peacock and flicked his gaze toward Elijah, who had just walked into the living room. "Told ya she's beautiful."

"That she is." Elijah chuckled, and his brown eyes lit up as they met mine.

Heat rushed up my neck. I looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I glanced at my brother, who was now giving me his best 'you're disgusting' scowl.

"I'll go grab my stuff," Cody muttered, trying to act unaffected. He jerked his head toward Zack. "It's in your room. Let's go."

Zack grumbled in protest, but my brother dragged him out of the room without another word.

"Looks like my brother has a little crush on you," Elijah smirked, crossing his arms and leaned against the door frame.

"He's just a kid." I let out a nervous laugh, trying to downplay it.

"He's been eager to grow up ever since he met you." Elijah's teasing grin grew wider, and something about it made me feel even more flustered.

It reminded me too much of Blake, and that thought made me flinch. I brushed it off and plastered a smile on my face.

"Well, I'm not into younger boys."

"Good." Elijah's smirk took on a mischievous edge. "Wouldn't want to cause any brotherly rivalry."

My forehead furrowed and before I could dig into what he meant, Cody and Zack came back into the room.

"Got my stuff. Let's go," Cody muttered, already heading for the door like he couldn't wait to leave.

"Hey, wait for me!" I called after him, running to catch up. I stopped at the door, looking between the two brothers, now both grinning at me. "Uh... thanks for taking care of my brother."

"Thank your mom for the meal," Elijah said with a warm smile.

"Hope to see you again, Miss Valentine." Zack grinned, giving me an exaggerated wave.

I forced a smile in return. "Uh... yeah. See ya."

It was fun the first time, but now it's way too awkward for me to digest.

I slid into the driver's seat, glancing at Cody, already adjusted in the passenger seat. The brothers waved as I started the car and pulled away.

"You're a witch." He grumbled after a minute of silence, in his tone sharp.

"What did I do?!" I shot him a side glare.

"You're stealing, my friend!" He folded his arms across his chest like I'd committed some great betrayal.

I gasped. "Am not!"

"Oh, really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then why'd you have to pick me up?"

"Because Mom told me to, okay? It's not like I was dying to be your chauffeur." I rolled my eyes. "And your precious friend is not my type."

"Ha! You? Have a type?" He leaned back, tapping his fingers against the seat. "Let me guess. Girls."

"Do you have a dying wish?" I gave him a deadpan look.

"It's alright." He waved his hand nonchalantly. "You can like whomever you want. It's common these days."

"Who's teaching you all this?" I scowled. "And FYI I'm into guys. Tall, strong, and my age."

"Like Elijah." I whirled my head toward him with my eyes wide in disbelief. He shot me a knowing smirk, enjoying this way too much.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Elijah is not my type, either."

"Liar liar! Pants on fire!" He sang in my ear, making me flinch.

"Shut up Cody." I gritted through my teeth but he didn't stop. "Shut up, or else I'll tell Mom you failed your history test!"

He froze for a second like someone threw an ice bucket at him. "How do you even know that?"

"I have my ways." I gave him a smug grin. Though I shouldn't act proud since I got a D minus on my Calculus he doesn't need to know that.

"You sneak in my room?!" He screamed. "You sneaky swiper!"

"I do not!" Keeping my eyes on the road, I yelled at him. "I came to wake you up in the morning, and your sheet was lying open on your bed. You should hide it better if you don't want anyone to see it."

"Privacy intruder!"

"If you don't shut your mouth now, I'll tell Mom, and she'll ban you from playing video games forever!"

"Fine." He huffed, falling into a sulk.

"Good boy." I beamed.

He muttered something under his breath but stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. I leaned back in my seat, feeling a smug sense of accomplishment.

➽─────────❥