Rival Stepbrother Shouldn’t Know How You Taste

Chapter 1

Cheryl’s point of view

It’s official. There’s something new I despise more than waking up early.

You’d think it was an event or something random. But it's far from that. It’s more of a who than a what. It’s one human! A prick!

“Would you quit stabbing him with your eyes?!” Sara nudged me out of focus.

I huffed. “Only if it’s legal to do it with my bare hands now,” I retorted, finally breaking contact with the asshole.

Sara chuckled, “Remind me again how the rivalry started?”

I gasped before settling my full attention on my best friend whose brain has chosen to forget my most sensitive experience.

“He bet on me, Sara! He gambled with my worth and as if that isn’t enough, he’s also about to become my fucking stepbrother!” I slammed my locker door closed with a strong force. I’d let the imagination that it was his head consume me.

“Wasn’t that two years ago? You’ve hated him since freshman year? It’s Junior year already, it’s time to let go and you both are becoming a family…”

“Don’t use that word,” I snapped at her warningly. “He’s never gonna be my family. Never!”

“Hey sis!”

Speak of the devil. I’d recognize that voice anywhere and anytime.

“If we pay no attention, it’ll go away,” I said to Sara, doing my absolute best to pretend he hadn’t walked up to us and his warm leather scent hadn’t polluted the beautiful atmosphere.

“Excuse us.”

“Sara I swear to god if you move an inch, I’ll make sure you wake up with a missing toe!” I threatened before she’d think to succumb to the prick’s demand.

“Scram!” he voiced in a lowered tone, and that seemed to do the trick as Sara scurried away.

“I’m cutting off your toes!” I shouted at her fading presence.

And now I have to deal with a stupid bitch.

I finally locked gaze with him, staring deep into his soulless golden eyes. “The more time you spend with me the more likely it is for you to miraculously end up with a knife in your stomach!” I spoke directly into his face, not minding how close that brought us.

He smirked in a way that highlighted his perfect facial structures; which he absolutely didn't deserve. Demons don't deserve good things.

“You really hate me that bad?” he rasped out in an unnecessarily flirty tone.

Yes, it once worked on me, but never again.

I glared at him. “Five seconds to tell me why you’re in my face or you regret it. One…” I began my countdown and his only response was to conjure another smirk.

“Five,” I completed and since he said nothing, I sent a kick straight into his groin.

“Jeez. Bitch!” He staggered as he fell against a locker with his eyes deeply shut, reeling from the pain.

“Never in your life call me Sis again!” I sentenced, shuddering at the word as I walked past him to go find my chicken best friend so I can describe how I was going to cut her toes.

I hadn’t walked that much distance when a figure crossed into my path. I rolled my eyes realizing it was a minion from Noel’s posse.

“What?” I glared at him.

“There’s a party tonight at Jenna’s lake house. You shouldn’t miss it,” he said and immediately walked off.

What made him think I’d attend? Like I’ve ever crashed a party before unless it was thrown in Noel’s name and could use some sabotage.

I still recall the last one he hosted. I’d found a way to slip fast reacting sleeping pills into each and every of the kegs bought for beverages.

Everyone who had a drink that night fell asleep, including Noel himself. Only a few, including Sara and I, were awake for the next part of my stunt.

I came with a marker and began drawing on their faces, then took a picture to later upload on my page.

That was how everyone became scared of me as well as came to love me. The stunt boosted my social status because I made it the last party Noel would ever host.

The class I have right now is maths but upon reaching the entrance to see the equations scribbled on the board, I found myself retracting my steps, not wanting to go in and regret the next forty five minutes or longer. Hell no.

Once I was away from the class, I turned only to come face to face with a classmate I wasn't really familiar with. He held out an envelope.

“For me?” I asked while giving him a weird look. He nodded.

I collected the envelope and he instantly ran off. ‘That’s weird,’ I thought to myself before I tore open the envelope to read the letter folded inside.

I hadn’t even finished when a loud slam drew my attention away from the envelope. I looked up to see Noel had cornered the guy who just gave me the envelope and had him pinned to one of the lockers.

“What!” I whispered as I approached them in a hurry. What was going on?

Noel doesn’t just have him pinned hard against the locker, he had his collar gripped to exert pressure on his neck.

“What’s going on?” I couldn’t intervene. There was no way I’d like to test my strength against Noel.

“I’m sorry,” the poor dude barely breathing under his grasp pleaded before his gaze fell on me. “Please give me back my envelope.” He stretched his palm out to me, nearly in tears.

“Huh?” My brows furrowed. “What do-“

“What is going on here?!” Principal Andrew’s voice cut me off my statement.

“Noel Williams. Release that kid!” he instructed in a sharp tone, and only then did Noel free the dude from his grasp.

“Three of you, wandering around during class hours. Detention after school!” His index swayed from me to Noel and the last of us.

I frowned at the judgment. “I wasn't even the one fighting,” I remarked.

“That’s two days for you, Miss Jones.”

‘I hate this man!’ I huffed the words in my head. Chances are I’d earn a week if the words were to come out for him to hear.

“Run along now, or you all need help finding your classes?”

We all dispersed, but the unfamiliar guy dude latched on to me.

“Please give me back my envelope. It’s either I collect it or he kills me.”

He? As in Noel? Why would Noel kill him for giving me an envelope?