Chapter Three

My smile dies the second the door swings open. Gasping, I stumble back as if burned by the deep scowl currently being aimed at me.

“You!” I whisper, and at the same time, my arch-enemy’s scowl morphs into a sinister smile.

Just this Monday, that same smile flashed my way just before I was tripped in the school cafeteria by its owner. Yet, instead of cowering like I normally would, I lift my chin and glare right back.

Icy blue eyes blink back at me, as if in momentary shock, but it only lasts a second. Tyler Brooks raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you’ve added stalking to your nerdy tendencies,” he finally says, his deep voice causing me to shiver.

I feel cold sweat break across my forehead, but I curl my fingers tighter around the strap of my purse. “I’m here to… for… um…”

Damn it, Lila! Why must this boy reduce you to a stammering fool every single time?

Tyler snorts, seemingly taking pleasure in my embarrassment. “What are you doing here, Garcia?”

Involuntarily, my fingers loosen their hold on the strap, and my mouth drops open.

He knows my name? Well, my surname, but still… As far as I can remember, Tyler has called me “nerd,” “nerdy bookworm,” “weirdo,” and other creative words synonymous with them.

Narrowing my eyes, I trace them across his face, wondering if he’s sick or something. But his smooth, tanned skin has never been clearer. My eyes then wander past his chiseled face, down to the muscles outlined through his snug shirt…

A loud scoff pulls me out of my errant thoughts. “Like what you see, nerd?”

Heat spreads from my neck all over my face. “I’m here to babysit Sophie and Lucas,” I try again, thankfully more coherent. “I was told I would be meeting their older brother…”

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Tyler fires back.

My brows knit together as I shake my head. “I don’t understand. I… But you don’t have siblings.”

Back in ninth grade, I made it my business to know everything I could about Tyler Brooks the minute he and his clique decided I was their new target. Not once did he or anyone in school mention that he had siblings.

“Do you know everything about me then?” he sneers.

Oh, I’m going to kill Mrs. Danvers. For such a chatterbox, she couldn’t have mentioned that the family she wanted me to babysit for was the Brooks?

“I can’t do this,” I whisper more to myself, but he hears me anyway.

“Then turn around and leave, nerd.”

Nostrils flaring, I tighten my hands into fists. One punch on his stupid face won’t hurt, right?

If only it were that easy. If only his parents, whom I’d only spoken to over the phone, hadn’t already paid in full before leaving for their trip. If only I didn’t need to save every penny for college. If only walking away now wouldn’t brand me as unreliable, because who would hire me then?

Sighing in defeat, I take two steps forward. “Excuse me,” I murmur once I’m only inches away from him.

Tyler simply smirks and remains at the doorway, leaving the tiny space beside him for me to squeeze through.

I grit my teeth, reining in all the patience I can muster. “I need to pass,” I say, more forcefully.

He shrugs, still not moving an inch. “Aren’t you like ninety pounds? I’m sure you can fit.”

The nerve of this boy!

“How dare you? I’m a hundred and fifteen pounds,” I snap, my voice echoing past the quiet street.

For all my anger, he just stares at me in utter boredom.

Deciding it’s not worth it, I release a breath and count to ten in my head. Then, I take one final step and slide in through that tiny space, all the while aware of the heat emanating from his very hard, very broad body.

Just as I’m about to successfully pass through the door, Tyler turns and places one large arm against the door, effectively trapping me between him and the hinges.

I gasp, my heart skipping a beat. “What are you doing?” I manage, even though my throat feels like sandpaper.

He pins his gaze on me, but something flickers in his expression. He draws in a harsh breath, and for a split second, that confident, arrogant mask slips. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I hit a nerve.

Tyler gives a small shake of his head and lowers it until his mouth hovers dangerously close to my ear. “This is the point of no return, Garcia,” he whispers menacingly, his breath fanning my skin. “You sure you want to do this?”

My stomach drops as my heart begins to pound relentlessly. “Push him, punch him, anything, Lila,” a voice inside my head screams. But my hands seem incapable of cooperating.

A loud squeal pierces the house as a dark-haired girl of about six comes barreling towards us, followed by a much calmer boy of the same age.

Tyler immediately jerks away from me, and just like that, I can breathe again.

“Look, Tyler, I drew a kitty,” the girl announces, waving a paper with a blotchy, purple-colored drawing on it.

And Tyler, Tyler of all people, smiles. The deep scowl lines around his eyes somehow soften, giving way to an unguarded expression I’ve never seen – not in school at least.

The little girl turns to me, cocking her head in a way that makes her look eerily similar to Tyler. “Are you our babysitter?” she asks, then smiles cheekily. “You’re pretty.”

As if remembering my presence, Tyler whips his head in my direction, the smile gone as quickly as it appeared. “These next fifteen days are going to be interesting; don’t you think?”

Oh, I’m so screwed.