Chapter 1
Our tongues brush together, and that’s when I know.
This isn’t a girl.
I can feel the difference—his jawline beneath my fingertips, the way his chest presses against mine. And honestly? It doesn’t bother me. I’m bisexual. The whole school knows. Which probably makes this game even more dangerous.
Seven Minutes in Heaven—except it’s worse. Both of us are blindfolded, and the entire party gets to decide who we’re paired with.
But right now? I don’t care.
His lips are soft, warm. His breath mingles with mine in short pants as he leans in, kissing me harder. Gum lingers faintly on his tongue—sweet but fading—as I slide mine deeper into his mouth.
“Alright, you two—” a voice calls. Emma. Of course it’s Emma. The host of the party. The one who thought this stupid game was a good idea. “Fun’s over. Take off your blindfolds.”
I reach back, untie the knot, and pull the fabric away. The laughter hits me first—loud, cutting straight through the air. Then I see him.
Elis.
He rips his blindfold off at the same time, his hand flying to his lips, eyes wide as he stares at me. My jaw tightens, fury boiling—not at him. Never at him. But at the people doubled over in laughter, pointing, whispering. My so-called friends.
The blindfold dangles from my hand as I rise to my feet, my glare sharp enough to slice through glass.
“Who...” My voice cracks, then hardens. “Who did this?”
Silence falls.
I swallow, glaring at them.
“It was just a joke, man,” Bentley says. A joke— I nod slowly, squeezing the blindfold in my hand.
“Does this look like a joke to you, Bentley?” I ask, glancing over at Elis, huddled in the corner, looking embarrassed. I don’t blame him. I look back at Bentley, who stares at the floor.
“Emma?” I fix my gaze on her. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “What about you, Mikey?” I look at him. “You think this is funny?” His throat tightens, and he stares at me, but doesn’t say a word.
“He’s my STEPBROTHER!” I scream, making Emma flinch. I walk over and squat in front of Elis. “Are you alright, Elis?” I ask.
He’s new. Like, brand-fuckin’-new. He just moved in with his dad—not even a week ago, literally last weekend—and he’s only been at school for three days. And this... this is the kind of crap my friends pull? But why?
What would possess them to do something this stupid? He stares at me, like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how. I grab his hand, pulling him off the closet floor. His brown hair falls into his eyes before he’s up, staring down at the floor.
___________________
We decided to leave the party. And guess what? We drove together.
“Garrett—” Emma follows behind me, pleading for us to stay. “It—I’m sorry. Look, a lot of the guys were just pissed that you lost Friday night’s game, so they came up with the idea, but I don’t think any of us really thought it through.” She grabs my shoulder, trying to stop me, but I pull away.
“I’m leaving, Emma.” I pause at the driver’s side door, then open it and get inside. Slowly, Elis follows, sliding into the passenger seat. He can’t even look at me.
“We’re still friends?” Emma asks, walking over to the driver’s side window, making me glance up at her.
“Let me calm down, Emma—and then I’ll let you know,” I tell her. She nods and steps back from the car as I put it in reverse. Elis and I drive off.
The whole car is quiet as the headlights flood the road. I glance over at Elis, who’s staring out the window.
“Are you... okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.
“Um...” He leans back, hands clasped together in his lap. “I’m... embarrassed. I know it’s not really my fault—I didn’t even know it was you—but now that I do... yeah.” He shoots me a quick, guilty look, then returns his gaze to his hands.
I nod slowly. “Yeah... I get it. But, uh... at least you got to see what it’s like to kiss Garrett Blake,” I say, laughing awkwardly. Then I wince. “Okay... that sounded way too... full of myself. Forget I said that.”
He glances at me, a small, half-smile tugging at his lips. I clear my throat and focus back on the road.
I bite the inside of my cheek and glance at the side mirror before flicking on my blinker and switching lanes.
“So... um—” I clear my throat. “You, uh... you know how to drive?” I don’t know why I’m asking this dumb question, but honestly, any conversation is better than this deafening silence.
“Yes,” he says, almost too calmly.
“Uh...” I nod, staring at the road ahead, feeling my words die in my throat.
“You... like Pokémon?” I ask, not even sure why I’m bringing it up anymore.
“I guess...” he says, shrugging slightly.
“Alright, look. We made out—it wasn’t... uh, it wasn’t by choice, right? So no harm, no foul. Those guys were just being idiots, and I’m sure they’ll wake up tomorrow and realize how stupid they were. Just... don’t let this make things awkward between us, because I haven’t even gotten a chance to get to know you yet. I mean, how much longer do we really have? We’re both eighteen, and we’ll be off to college soon. So... let’s just swoosh this under the rug, yeah?”
I glance at him. He smiles, then nods.
“Okay.”
I nod back.
When we pull up to the house and get out, we walk through the door to find my mom and his dad sitting on the couch. Both of them look up and smile.
“How was the party?” Mom asks.
Elis and I stand there, staring at them like we’ve done something wrong—and we know it.
“Uh...” I clear my throat. “It was... good.” The words feel hollow as I say them out loud.
“What about you, son?” Elis’s dad, Robert, asks, making him furrow his brows and look down at his shoes. I throw an arm around him.
“He had fun,” I answer for him, causing Mom and Robert to glance at me. “He’s tired. I’ll make sure he... like, comes back to life.” I grab Elis’s hand and drag him behind me.
Halfway up the stairs, I whisper, “You’ve got to pull yourself together before the truth comes out and our parents assume the worst.”
How awkward...
When we make it to his room, he flops down on the bed, and I study him. My eyes immediately dart to his lips. Elis is the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen. His black silk hair falls into his eyes, curling slightly around his ears and brushing his shoulders. His lips are full—too full—like he was born with perfect, natural plastic surgery or some shit. I wonder how much God charged him for that.
His features are soft, though his cheeks are hollow. I don’t know... the dude is breathtaking. I have eyes, and yeah, he’s my stepbrother, but he’s cute as hell.
His brown eyes lift to mine, catching me staring, and I quickly look away.
“Look, just... try to act natural, alright?” I place a heavy hand on his head and nearly die inside—it’s the most unnatural thing I’ve ever done. I pull my hand back, then throw my thumb over my shoulder, motioning toward the door.
“I’m... uh—” I start, turning around and walking out of his room, heart hammering.
_______________
I flop onto my bed, tossing my old baseball in the air, my phone sitting on speaker beside me. Brayson’s voice fills the room just as the baseball nearly smacks me in the face—I roll, nearly dodging it.
“Damn,” Brayson says. “I miss the party because I’m grounded, and you... kiss your stepbrother? Maybe don’t go to another party without me.”
He’s right. My friends are my friends, but they’re the kind who probably won’t stick around once we leave high school. Just people I used to know. But Brayson? He wouldn’t have let that happen. He’d have stopped the whole thing. That’s why he’s labeled “best friend material.”
“Right.” I clear my throat. “I guess I’m just... worried. I’m used to being sneaky, you know?”
“Yeah, all the girls you kissed in the locker room—” Brayson chuckles. “But what? He’s not sneaky?”
I think about it. No, he isn’t. “I don’t think he’s ever told a lie in his life,” I say.
“Well, you need to teach him, Garrett. I know if you two start hanging out more, he’s definitely going to get into trouble. You don’t need him snitching on you all the time,” Brayson says. I grab the baseball, tossing it up into the air.
I scrunch my nose.
“Nah. I don’t think he’s going to be hanging around me. We’re night and day, you know? His idea of fun is reading and... uh, whatever else. I don’t really know him that well, but I do know he keeps his nose in a book. And he likes skateboarding. Me? I like sports... and I suck at skating.”
“And reading—” Brayson says, laughing.
“Take one up the ass, Brayson,” I laugh.
“Heh... well, you may be right about your new brother. Maybe this will blow over, and things will go back to how they were,” Brayson says.
I think about it for a moment. “Seems things are back to normal now, you know? I mean, it doesn’t feel much different.”
“Good,” Brayson says. “Then everything should be fine.”
I nod. “Anyways... I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”
“Yep,” he says. “Night.”
“Night.”
I roll over and close my eyes, but I swear I can still feel Elis’s lips on mine. My chest tightens just thinking about it. Why do they feel like that—soft, warm, impossible? I shouldn’t be thinking this way. Stepbrother. Stepbrother. Stepbrother.
And yet... I can’t stop replaying it. The way his lips moved against mine, that subtle, nervous way he shifted under me. I tell myself it was a mistake, a stupid accident forced by idiots at a party.
But my brain doesn’t listen. It keeps running through the memory, over and over. And I hate that I like it.
I sigh and pull the blankets up to my chin, hoping sleep will come and that maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop thinking about him by morning. But deep down, I know I won’t.
____
The next morning, I walk into the kitchen, yawning. I’m already dressed for school, bookbag slung over my shoulder.
I pause when I see Elis sitting on a stool at the island, eating a bowl of cereal. His hand is pressed against his cheek, elbow on the table, and he’s wearing that sleepy, half-awake face. His head slumps, nearly tipping into the bowl, and I bite the inside of my cheek, stifling a laugh. He knocks some hair out of his eyes before settling back into his leaning position.
“Good morning.” I walk over, grabbing a bowl.
“Morning,” he says. I set the bowl on the island and reach for the cereal.
“Are you riding to school with me?” I ask.
He sits up, glancing at me. “No, thanks. I’m taking the bus. I like being able to sleep on the way there—it stops more frequently, so it’s easier.”
“Alright then.” I fill my bowl with cereal, then add the milk.
He doesn’t want to ride with me, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of last night. He’d ridden with me before—once he started, it had been our thing. Fine. If he wants space, I probably need it too.
I eat my cereal, then say goodbye and head outside, sliding into the car.
When I get to school, I step out of the car and head inside. I know everyone probably knows what happened—maybe not the people who weren’t invited, but word gets around.
I stop at my locker and start opening it when someone grabs my shoulders. I snap my head back to see Brayson. His white dreads are pulled into a low bun, and his hazel eyes pop against his dark skin.
“What’s up?” he asks, leaning against the lockers beside mine.
“Nothing much. You’re the only person I know who can be in a good mood this early,” I tell him.
He smiles, shaking his head. “I’m used to it.” I grab my books, slide them into my bookbag, zip it up, and sling it over my shoulder.
We walk to class, and I spot Elis coming through the door. He looks much more awake than he did earlier. He notices me and slowly raises a hand, but keeps walking, not even giving me time to wave back.
It’s okay. This whole awkward thing will pass, and we’ll get to know each other better. I’m sure he’s a pretty cool dude.
Brayson and I walk off to class.
_______________
We make it to homeroom. I toss my bookbag on the floor and slide into my desk, just as I see Josh Walker walking in. He’s on the same team as me—linebacker—and he thinks he’s the shit.
He flops down at his desk, leaning back and talking to a few of his friends. He was at the party last night, so it’s no surprise when I hear him mumble my name. Ain’t nobody scared of that Frankenstein-looking bitch, so I sit up.
“What’d you say, Josh?” I snap.
He looks over, a smirk on his face. “Nothing, Gay–rrett,” he says, making me shake my head.
“Grow the fuck up, Josh,” I grumble.
“You first, you little incest,” he spits, and when I stand, I nearly knock my desk over.
“The fuck did you just call me?” I snap, glaring so hard I can practically see the soul he doesn’t have. He slowly stands, that stupid smirk still plastered on his face, stepping closer, eyes boring into mine.
“Why don’t you go home and fuck your brothe—”
My fist connects with his cheek, sending him staggering back. He recovers quickly and charges, and we both crash into my desk.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” I hear people chanting from around the room.
“ENOUGH!” I hear our homeroom teacher scream as Josh and I tumble to the floor, fists still swinging.
“I said ENOUGH!”
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” the chant continues around us.
