STORY 1- CHAPTER 3

For a second, my heart actually stopped.

The way Kai was looking at me... the way his thumb brushed my cheek like he didn't even realize he was doing it. It felt like he was about to say something real.

Like ... maybe he felt it too.

I swallowed hard, and this stupid, dangerous little hope started flickering in my chest.

But then he pulled his hand back like I burned him.

"You're not unwanted, Kid. You're just young. You've got time. You don't need to settle for guys like him."

Kid.

The word hit me so hard I almost flinched. I felt my face go hot. Of course. That's all I am to him. Just the kid he has to look out for. The same little stepsister he used to mess with when we were younger. Nothing more.

I let out this weak little laugh and looked away fast.

"Right," I muttered. "Yeah... you're right."

Kai didn't say anything else. He just sighed and ran a hand through his hair like he was tired of this whole thing.

"Come on. Let's go inside."

I followed him without arguing. My chest felt heavy as hell. I kept my eyes on the ground the whole walk back to the house, replaying that moment over and over. For one second, I really thought he wanted me.

How fucking stupid was that?

Once we got inside, I didn't even wait. I just mumbled something about needing to shower and went straight upstairs to my room. I didn't want to be around him right now. Not when I felt this raw.

I shut my door and sat on my bed, staring at the floor. My phone was lighting up nonstop on the nightstand. I ignored it at first, but after a while the notifications kept coming, so I picked it up.

That's when I saw it.

A picture. Ryan, with his arm around some girl. They looked cozy as fuck. The post was from a couple days ago. I scrolled through the comments and felt my stomach twist. People were already talking. Some were asking if we broke up. Others were saying they saw them together last week.

I just sat there, staring at my phone like an idiot.

He didn't even wait. He cheated and moved on like I was nothing. Like I was easy to replace.

Something in my chest cracked open.

I thought about my dad. How fast he was gone. How my mom remarried and built this whole new life while I still felt like I was standing on the outside of it. How Kai had always been there, but never the way I wanted. And now even Ryan, someone I didn't even really care about, had found someone else without thinking twice.

I was so fucking easy to leave.

Unwanted. Forgettable. Replaceable.

My breathing started getting fast and shallow. I tried to calm down, but it was like my body wasn't listening. My hands were shaking. My vision got blurry at the edges.

I pressed my palms against my eyes, but the panic was already hitting full force. I couldn't breathe right. I felt like I was disappearing.

I curled forward on the bed, gripping the sheets, trying to ride it out. Tears were coming now, hot and angry. I hated this. I hated feeling like this.

Like no matter what I did, I'd always be the one people could walk away from.

By the time the panic attack finally eased up, I felt completely drained. Empty. I sat there for a long time, just breathing, until the ache in my chest turned into something dull and heavy.

I didn't want to feel like this anymore.

So I went downstairs and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet. My parents were gone anyway. They wouldn't notice.

I took it back to my room and didn't even bother with a glass. I just drank straight from the bottle, letting the burn distract me.

The more I drank, the quieter everything got. But at the same time, the want I usually tried to ignore got louder.

I kept thinking about Kai. About how we shouldn't even be step-siblings and how ridiculous this whole situation was. About how bad I wanted him to fuck me so deep and rough I could barely breathe. My panties were already fucking soaked just thinking about it. Everything felt so wrong, but I couldn't stop.

I was a mess. A complete, desperate mess.

I took another long drink and stared at my ceiling.

The alcohol was making everything feel blurry and warm. My inhibitions were gone. All the reasons why I shouldn't want him didn't seem to matter as much anymore.

I thought about going downstairs. Or texting him. Or doing something really fucking stupid.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I got up. My legs felt unsteady, but I didn't care. I walked out of my room and headed down the hallway toward Kai's room.

His door was slightly open, light spilling out into the dark hallway.

'So he canceled practice, huh?'

My heart started beating faster. I stopped right in front of his door, knowing I shouldn't go in. I was drunk, emotional, and probably about to make everything ten times worse. But I couldn't stop myself.

I pushed the door open a little more. Kai was sitting on the edge of his bed in just a pair of gray sweats, scrolling on his phone. He looked up the second he heard me.

Our eyes met.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then I stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind me.

Kai sat up straighter, his eyes narrowing as he took in how unsteady I looked.

"Isla... What are you doing?"

I didn't answer right away. I just stood there, staring at him, my heart pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears.

And then, before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.

"I don't want to be just your kid anymore."