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  I shrugged. “It’s only useful on vacations. We don’t really associate any other time. He even plays video games on Christmas Day because he’s usually given new ones.”

  “Have you tried playing the games with him?”

  I thought about that for a couple seconds. “I guess I haven’t.”

  “Maybe you should try it.”

  “Maybe I will.” I smiled up at him.

  His honey eyes were lighter in the sun and my hands itched to move the hair away from those beautiful orbs, but I managed to restrain myself. Not the time or place to drool over him.

  I cleared my throat awkwardly. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You know you will.”

  He went to leave, which was what I wanted, but my hand stopped him. It latched itself onto his shirt.

  “Yes?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

  I chewed on my lip. “You’re not playing me, are you? Because I’m pretty fragile if you are.”

  His eyes softened. “There are good guys out there, Molly. You just have to give me the chance to show you. You’re not like other girls and I’m not like other guys. Don’t let your mind get in the way.”

  I gaped at him. That’s exactly what I’d been doing. His lips brushed against the back of my hand, breaking my spell as he said goodbye. I sunk into the seat of my car and gripped the steering wheel. I couldn’t move and let him back his car out. I prayed the whole ride home that my ability wouldn’t come between us.

  When I got home, I did exactly as Rhett had proposed. I opened Maddox’s door without knocking and he stared at me like he was trying to decipher whether or not I was a figment of his imagination.

  “I’m here to play some video games with you,” I admitted.

  “Why? What’s the ulterior motive here?”

  “Can’t I just want to play with you?”

  “Well, yeah, but that’s a little weird to me. Since when do you want to play video games?”

  “Since I want to spend more time with you.”

  “As weird as that is, I’ll take it. I have an extra screen and an extra console just in case this situation would ever present itself.” He directed me to the second television in his room. “I’ll get you logged into a guest account and teach you the basics. Unless you want your own account?”

  The hopeful glint in his hazel eyes made me wish I’d done this sooner.

  “Let’s make me my own account so I can keep the same settings the next time we play.”

  “Perfect,” he cheered. “Let’s get started. I’ll explain everything first since you’re a noob.”

  “A what?”

  “A noob, or also known as a newbie.”

  “Gotcha. I like newbie better than noob.”

  “But noob is more fun,” he teased.

  “Whatever.”

  “So, X is to jump, circle is to hit, and triangle is to change weapons. The attack button is R2, which is located here.”

  He pointed each of the buttons out before beginning the game. It was scary at first with the zombies popping out from everywhere, but I eventually got used to it.

  “You’re not so bad, sis. You’re like a natural,” Maddox remarked.

  “I guess zombie killing is my forte.”

  After I made that jinxing statement, I kept dying.

  “I take back what I said,” Maddox stated. “You’re pretty bad and still a noob.”

  “I’ll graduate from that title one of these days.”

  “You mean you want to play again?”

  “Heck yeah,” I cheered. “This is fun.”

  He beamed in response and restarted the level.

  We played video games until it was time for bed. I felt so complete when I closed my eyes for sleep that night. The contentment was so full after seeing how happy I’d made my brother. He must’ve been hoping I would’ve done that sooner.

  Now I could see why Rhett would want a sibling. They were badass company that could teach you a few things. Like how to shoot zombies for example.

  That night, my dreams consisted of my brother and I tag-teaming zombies and I awoke feeling lighter. Maddox even joined me for breakfast that morning, much to Mom’s surprise. She even called Dad into the dining room and for the first time in a long time, we ate breakfast together as a family.

  School the rest of the week went by at an average pace and I’d fallen into my new routine. I would bite my tongue through first hour. Hang out with Miranda for the second. She’d walk me to my third class. I’d skate through third and fourth. Lunch would consist of Autumn and me initially, and then Rhett joined us for the last half. Fifth and sixth hour were nonexistent and cooking class was always a blast. Rhett would escort me to my car and then he’d leave before me.

  Friday came and my nerves were at their peak. I’d time skipped my drive home after school and quickly found myself in Maddox’s room. Playing video games with him seemed to settle my anxiety. We stayed up past three in the morning fighting zombies and I sluggishly made my way to bed. The thoughts of what tomorrow would bring couldn’t even keep me up after playing that long. I’d felt mentally exhausted because the games were so stimulating.

  Chapter Four

  My stomach churned when I tried to eat my pancakes that morning. The video games had only distracted me until I was no longer playing them. Now, my brain freely wondered what would happen at our date tonight and it just made me sick.

  “You look kinda pale. You okay, sis?” Maddox asked through his pancakes.

  What is with people talking with a mouth full of food?

  Ever since I played video games with Maddox the other night, he had made a point to being present more often. He ate breakfast with me every morning and I mentally thanked Rhett again.

  “I have a date tonight,” I admitted and gave up on trying to eat.

  “You’re pretty cool and a fast learner with video games so I’m sure the date will be fine.”

  “I have to admit it’s a little weird having my little brother giving me a pep talk for a date.”

  He took his last bite of food. “Meh, I don’t think so. Can I have your food if you aren't going to eat it?”

  I chuckled and pushed the plate closer to him. “Go for it. I didn't realize you ate so much.”

  “I’m a growing teenage boy. What did you expect?” he joked.

  “A newly teenage boy. I’m glad we’re spending more time together. How about we go to the movie theater tomorrow afternoon? Just you and me?”

  “You’re not as weird as I thought you’d be with all your lying. Why do you do it anyway?”

  I sighed.

  Of course he didn’t believe me.

  “I don’t feel like going into it with you but just know that I don’t lie. So yes or no on the movie?”

  I watched the idea roll around in his mind and he replied with a simple ‘okay’.

  “Okay.” I grinned at him.

  “Okay,” he said again and half-smiled at me.

  We didn't say anything after that and I went to take a hot shower to ease my tension of from the upcoming date.

  Autumn came over that afternoon to help me get ready. Well, that was what she was supposed to be doing. Instead, she listed just about everything that could go wrong.

  “What if you sneeze and nasty green boogers come flying out?” she exclaimed with a dramatic gasp.

  “Okay, enough. I thought you were here to make me feel better, not make me more nervous.”

  She laughed. “I was never good with pep talks.”

  “My brother is though.”

  She shot me a ‘what the heck’ look and I told her what Maddox told me that morning.

  “Since when did you two become close? I thought he was a recluse that never came out of his room,” she inquired.

  “Since I joined him with his video games Tuesday night.”

  “Are they fun?”

  “Video games?” I asked and she nodded her head. “They’re actually pretty fun.
Maddox likes zombie games but we’ll play an RPG every now and then.”

  “RPG? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” Autumn was lying on my bed and jokingly hid under the covers. “All that violence in the games aren’t going to turn you into a cold-blooded killer, is it?” She peeked her eyes out from under my blanket.

  “And you say I’m crazy. An RPG is a role-playing game. You can be whatever you want. My brother taught me that. They’re cool. I think those are my favorite. There isn’t too much violence but I can’t even see the zombie games creating a killer. You have to have that chemical imbalance in your brain.”

  She pulled the covers down to her stomach and sat up. “Whatever. Let’s get back to the important things. How are you going to prevent yourself from doing your time skip thing?”

  I groaned and joined her on the bed. “I don’t know. Try not to think about it and try not to freak out.”

  “You don’t seem too anxious around him at school. Why’s that?”

  “I guess because I focus on the fact that he’s just a person and not a hot guy who wants to date me.”

  “And tonight is different because?”

  “Because we’re actually going on a date. Duh.”

  “Right. Well, I’ve got nothing. Let’s make you look good.”

  Autumn grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet with her. She sat me down at my vanity table and started twisting my hair. She pulled it into some fancy up-do and moved to my face. Her hands moved expertly and swiftly as she worked. She wanted to be a make-up artist for models and celebrities, so I had always been her guinea pig. She even posted instructional videos on the internet.

  By the time she was finished with me, I could’ve passed as a supermodel. She was fantastic and I was lucky to have her to get me ready for my first date. She made me get into my black dress. It clung to my skin at the top, flared out as it went down, and stopped just before my knees. It completed the look and Autumn gave me a wolf-whistle.

  Not too long after that, Mom announced that Rhett was here. I swallowed hard and tried to calm my stomach that insisted on doing backflips.

  “Just breathe. You got this,” Autumn encouraged.

  I turned my head to the door when a knock sounded. Maddox poked his head in.

  “Hey, sis. Just wanted to wish you luck before you went on your date.”

  Autumn muttered, “Holy crap you were right.”

  Maddox looked at her. “I can’t believe you guys are still friends.”

  “I can’t believe you aren’t as pale as a ghost,” Autumn bit back.

  “Knock it off you two.” I inhaled deeply through my nose and breathed it out slowly.

  This was it. Moment of truth. I headed to the front door and saw Rhett waiting for me. He watched as I carefully descended the stairs. My feet stopped in front of him and he held out his arm.

  “Ready for me to prove you wrong?” He smirked.

  He was wearing a light blue polo shirt with faded dark blue jeans. His chocolate hair was combed neatly on his head and I’d never noticed how straight it was.

  I blinked and realized he was waiting for an answer. No words came so I just nodded my head, which made him grin.

  “Bye, Mrs. Jacobs. It was a pleasure meeting you. I’ll have her home by ten.”

  My eyes found my mom and I didn’t realize she’d been watching us. She waved bye and her eyes lingered until we shut the door behind us.

  We were still in hearing distance when she shouted, “I can’t believe my little girl’s growing up.”

  My cheeks heated and I looked at Rhett who was snickering behind his hand. When he met my eyes, he cleared his throat and pretended he wasn’t just laughing at my expense. Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him.

  He opened the door to his car for me and shut it after I climbed in. He rounded the car and jumped in quickly.

  “So first, I thought I’d take you to dinner. I’m still new around here, so I was hoping you had a place with good food in mind.”

  I thought about it for a minute and then directed him to a local seafood restaurant. I was in the mood for some fried shrimp.

  “I haven’t been to a seafood restaurant down here yet. I bet they’re good.”

  “You do like seafood right? Because if not then we can go somewhere else,” I offered.

  “I love me some crab cakes, and I’d like to try some southern crayfish.”

  “Down here, we call it crawfish.”

  “I like that better.” He grinned at me and my stomach twirled again.

  The remainder of the ride was spent in silence except for the bouncing of my foot. If it irritated him, he didn’t point it out. I wondered if he was just as nervous as I was, but I quickly wrote that off. He was so good looking that I doubted he was ever anxious.

  “Wait there,” he told me after he parked.

  I quirked an eyebrow questioningly, but did as he requested. I watched as he darted to my side of the car and opened the door for me. He even offered his hand to help me out of it. His hand felt so warm in mine and I could’ve melted right there.

  Get a grip on yourself girl.

  We walked hand-in-hand to the restaurant and it was so awkward for me. I’d never held hands with a boy before.

  Gosh, I was way too innocent.

  Rhett chuckled and I looked at him weirdly.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He laughed again. “I’ll tell you one of these days. For now, let’s start with the basics once we’re seated at our table.”

  His words were so confusing but I let them go. We didn’t have to wait long at the restaurant before we were seated. Rhett got a soda and an order of crab cake and some crawfish. I ordered water and a plate of fried shrimp with french fries.

  When the waiter left, Rhett dove straight into the basics. “What are some of your hobbies? What do you like to do in your spare time?”

  I took a sip of water but ended up choking on it. “ Um… forewarning, I’m not really good at the small talk thing.”

  “You seem fine talking to me at school,” he stated with a serious look. “Why is now so different?”

  My mind flashed back to Autumn asking the same question.

  “At school, there’s people all around us. Here, it’s more intimate.”

  Rhett made a point to look around and gestured to neighboring tables. “Looks like there’s a lot of people around us now. So, what are your favorite hobbies?”

  He was right. This wasn’t any different from school.

  I’ll just pretend we’re in the cafeteria.

  “I love to eat. Trying new things is my favorite.”

  “Do you cook?”

  “Not very well,” I admitted. “Mom doesn't let me anymore since I set the cabinets on fire last time I tried to cook beignets. Since then, I have to try to convince Mom to cook me something new when I want to branch out.”

  “What’s a beignet?”

  “It’s pretty much fried dough with powder sugar on top. They’re so delicious.”

  “Oh, well, I’ll cook you something then. That can be our next date.”

  “Next date? How do you know there’s going to be another one? We aren't even halfway through this one.”

  “I just know it.” He threw me a breathtaking grin.

  I cleared my throat awkwardly. “So, you cook often?”

  “That’s actually one of my favorite hobbies. See, we’re perfect for each other.”

  This time, I choked on my own spit. “Can you not say cheesy stuff like that? We haven’t known each other long enough and it makes me uncomfortable.”

  “What if I said I know all there is to know about you?” He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. His eyes were smoldering and bore right through me.

  “I’d say that’s a little stalkerish.” My thumbs fiddled with the napkin that was in my lap.

  He started chuckling. “Calm down. I mean no harm. I don’t stalk you. I’m just more like you t
han you think.”

  My heart rate spiked even higher. I took a bite of French fry but it tasted like metal.

  Oh-no, I thought to myself. Not now.

  Aaand I was in Rhett’s car.

  Dang it!

  We were parked in front of my house and he was looking at me expectantly. I’d skipped over our date. Tears prickled my eyes. Rhett was still staring and I was pretty sure he was waiting for an answer to a question that I didn’t hear.

  He frowned. “Molly, calm down. It’s okay.”

  He reached towards me, but I drew back.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  The dam burst and the salty tears flowed freely. I needed to get out of there. I wasn’t meant to date. I couldn’t believe I was allowed to have a true friend like Autumn in my messed up life.

  Rhett looked like he was going to reach for me again, so I opened the car door and jetted across the lawn. I stormed up the stairs to my room, but stopped myself from crying hysterically on my bed. Instead, I peered out the window. Rhett was still parked out front. It was too dark to see what he was doing, but after a few more minutes, he drove away. He took my heart and willingness to date with him. I would never subject myself to something like that again. I just wasn’t meant to have a boyfriend.

  With that last thought, I crawled into bed and fell asleep in my little black dress. A dress I would get rid of in the morning.

  Chapter Five

  It wasn’t until midday Sunday that my brother popped into my room.

  “By the sulking, I take it the date didn’t go so well?”

  “No,” I croaked.

  My throat felt raw and I was in desperate need of a cold glass of water. Maddox moved closer and pulled a cup from behind his back. He handed it to me and I was surprised to see ice water.

  “I thought you might need it. I heard you crying last night.”

  My arms enveloped him in a tight hug. “Why are you such an amazing brother and why am I just discovering this?”

  “I’m just awesome in general. I know what helps me when I’m down.” I pulled away and he beamed. “Zombies.”

  I laughed. “I’m in. Video games with you are probably just what I need.”