My Stepbrother Secret

in th

sh start." Apparently, the school had just accepted his records from what

halls I had owned for y

the whispers ha

e new guy Lena

in juvie. Someth

alk to anyone

at wouldn't make

through the crowd like he was above it, eyes forward, headphones in. He did

e... ex

at's what I

h to

ce as we sat in the cafeteria, a half-eaten ap

. Let me guess..." she dropped her voice a

d. "Can

ned forward. "He sat nex

because there wer

nd

it into my sandwic

technic

y-five minutes. How his scent-something like cedar and cold air-had messed

aid thoughtfully. "You two li

. Ve

he's

to

step-s

aid

thought had already taken r

was getting harder to keep

after Fri

after wha

a lot braver t

opped think

red me more

st my car in the parking lot, twirling hi

ing my door,"

Thought I'd offer

You have you

t up this

nt me on it

ay I wanted you on it.

"So what's the real

ked to mine.

my problem

k tugging at his lips. "Because we bo

how righ

nto the driver's seat. "Last

g his hands up in surre

away, I didn

s eyes on me

the house wa

ient. The shadows stretched longer when I came home,

a book and every intent

eace did

n hour later. I didn't answer at fir

?" I

s Ja

d. "Obv

I com

hought screamed no. But curio

ea

his pockets, shoulders

glancing around.

s, I t

"What are

ying to survive in a world th

. "Sounds

w. "What do yo

is hair, suddenly looki

ed a

ght me o

riting you

" he said quickly.

k down, cauti

e tomorrow. I

e c

n hour or two. I have

dle

htened. "It

me to drop everything and drive you ac

ything." His voice wa

his eyes was real. An

if this gets me arrested or

a faint smile. "I'd never

d from my lungs... Because he meant it

ctions as we drove through unfamiliar streets a

a weathered building with bars

aid, already half

a chance. You said I wou

nd over his face. "You

sit out here wondering

between a frown and relucta

tale coffee. A woman behind a plastic divider looked

il we reached a room with a

is place?"

fway house. My unc

ed

di

d hard. "I

but said

han I expected-maybe mid-thirties, with

led. "Didn't think

tood.

d war buddies-tight, bri

slid to m

r," Jace s

here." He gestured for us t

orbing fragments. Something about a favor owed

you're getting back into

just need to make sure certain

ent. Then nodded. "Alright. But

hand

Keep an eye on him. He pr

aze, startl

e the only one

know wh

I finally aske

d. "No one you nee

not an

's prot

ing... Because for the first time, I saw just how deep Jace's secre

dn't spoken since we left the city, and I didn't push. I could tell he was lost

to pretend I didn

he cut the engine and leaned back

ed, my voice soft

ne eye. "De

ser

am

ait

're trying to outrun something, but no matter how

odd

h. T

Come inside. You need f

gue, which s

it gave me something to focus on other than the storm brewing in my c

e in front of him, h

t poison i

a little. Just enough

te. "Tastes

se it's my ma

ut the sound of chewing and the rain s

w who Marco is,"

fr

" I ad

angled up with last year. Stupid stuff-boosted bikes, fa

d t

it didn't

e, and I saw the

to do with me by then, and my dad was in prison. Ray

heart heavy. "And now M

He thinks I know something he can use

you didn't want

"This place isn't bi

or once, the sarcastic armor

alone anym

d, caught

tart. You have... me. Even i

answered. "You don't even

tell

pushing his plate a

m to the stai

locked with mine, sharp and raw. "And I don

the rain now steady, like the

don't," I

fro

's not because of what you've done. It's because

as he swallowed.

worth t

inside him. Like he couldn't figure out if he

a single step. But it was enou

e low. "I don't think

t is

hatever this

t doesn't matter if

de of fire and he wasn't sure

th

ed in the

just in time as Mo

tepping away as Jace t

my room,"

... Because the truth was, I didn't know what scared me more- How close we'd