Stepbrother; My Salvation

ISABELLA

Stay away from problems and they'll stay away from you, right? Wrong. My entire life, I'd craved simplicity, avoiding drama and controversy like the plague. I kept to myself, never rocking the boat or seeking trouble. But, as fate would have it, I got slammed with the most mind-wrenching, soul-shattering drama imaginable.

*****

His hands slipped under my skirt, gently tugging down my panties. This was wrong, so wrong, but it felt incredibly right. The tip of his fingers grazed my skin, sending jolts of electricity through me.

He flashed his perfect smile. "I knew you were naughty," he whispered, his smooth baritone voice caressing my face. He sucked in my lips, his knee pressing against my skirt.

My mind raced; my mom was going to kill me. But I pushed the thought aside. "You only live once," I told myself, surrendering to the moment.

******

The book was yanked from my grasp, and I met Ariana's scathing glare. "I told you to get ready, bitch," she spat.

I rolled my eyes, exasperated. "How did you even get in here?" I asked, still trying to process how I'd been so caught up in my book that I hadn't even noticed her arrival.

Ariana's scowl deepened, but I pressed on, determined. "Ariana, please give me my book. I'm about to get to the steamy part," I said, adjusting the large glasses perched on my face.

She tossed the book away like I hadn't waited for three months for the release.

"Ariana, no! Not my book!" I protested, watching in horror as it sailed across the room.

She ignored my distress, a sly grin spreading across her face. "You'll get to the steamy part later, birthday girl," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "Today, we celebrate you.”

Okay, let's do a little intro…

I'm Isabella Mayers, 19, and feeling fine, I guess. I'm a total bookworm, reading's my vibe. There's not much to say about me, my life's pretty low-key. Just me, my mom, and Ariana - that's my whole crew. Yeah, my life's boring, and honestly, so am I. But I'm fine with it.

I hated drama... but I'm about to get into one now. Not just any drama, a really MESSY one.

Ariana's voice cut through, "Girl, you need to put on something sexy! Let's head out! You can't tell me you're spending your entire birthday reading a book?”

"What's wrong with that? It's my favorite author we're talking about."

Ariana rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever, Bella. Just this once, don't do this. Are you going to hide behind books forever?”

"Well, if you let me, I would," I said, picking up the book Ariana had flung earlier and carefully placing it back on my shelf, my fingers tracing the spine lovingly.

"Okay, okay! Go get dressed, we need to head to the cluuuuub!" Ariana let out a squeal that made me cover my eardrums.

"I thought we were going to an arcade or something?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"I hated parties, not to mention clubs," I continued, my voice laced with distaste. "Please, I'm out. The people, the lights, the over-energized crowd... that's definitely not me.”

"You don't have to tell me, I'm your best friend, remember? I already know that," Ariana said, her tone playful but firm. "Miss, just go get dressed!"

I released a frustrated groan, knowing where this was going to lead. Ariana would definitely do anything to drag me to the club. I was having a cool, nice birthday, and she just had to ruin everything.

"Ariana, come on! Can't we just do something low-key for once?" I pleaded, but I already knew the answer.

“And when have you allowed us to do something high-key for once she said, imitating my voice; I couldn't deny that she was good at it.

"I give you thirty minutes, I'll be downstairs," Ariana said, already heading out the door.

As soon as she was gone, I flopped onto the bed with a dramatic sigh. "thirty minutes is way too little time; I just want to finish that chapter," I muttered to myself, already dreading the night ahead.

Before I knew it, the thirty minutes had flown by, and I was trudging downstairs. As I entered the living room, I was met with a look from my mom and Ariana, like I had poop on my shoes.

I glanced around, confused. "Is everything okay?"

My mom raised an eyebrow, "Uh, Bella, you're going to the club, for heaven's sake. She turned to Ariana. “Ariana, did you mean a book club or a night party?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

Ariana let out a silly giggle at that, clearly entertained by my mom's teasing.

"But nothing's wrong with this dress!" I protested, feeling a bit defensive. "Grandma got it for me for my 16th birthday, and it still fits perfectly."

My mom and Ariana burst out laughing again, and I could feel my face growing hot with embarrassment. Ariana was practically doubled over, her eyes shining with amusement. It was clear she was enjoying this way too much.

I hadn't even headed out yet, and I was already drained. This night was going to be a long one.

"You know you can't do without me right? Ariana said, flinging a bag at me. I looked inside to see a dress and a pair of heels,

“I knew something like this was going to happen, so I came prepared, Ariana said like she had just saved the world from an earthquake.

"Just go put that on," Ariana instructed.

I hesitated for a moment before pulling out a pink bodycon leather dress from the bag. It was ridiculously short, and I was certain it would barely cover my butt. I felt a surge of embarrassment at the thought of wearing something so revealing.

"I'm telling you, this is basically illegal," I said, holding the dress between my thumb and index finger, my distaste evident.

But after nearly thirty minutes of persuasion, I knew I wasn't going to win this battle. With a resigned sigh, I reluctantly went back to my room, slipped into the dress, and made my way downstairs.

My mom and Ariana were waiting for me, and they burst into a chorus of over-the-top praise.

"OMG, she's so gorgeous!" my mom squealed in an exaggerated teenage voice.

"Like, she's literally my favorite celebrity right now," Ariana chimed in, her eyes shining with amusement.

I rolled my eyes, trying to maintain my feigned frown, but a tiny smile threatened to escape.

The gown felt suffocating, restricting my every move. I was a trousers kind of girl, and this dress was a nightmare. The lacy silver heels Ariana had given me were another story altogether - I struggled to walk in them without stumbling.

Mom forced a light makeup on my face, took away my glasses, and replaced them with contact lenses, her eyes shining with excitement. "Have fun, ladies!" she said, waving us goodbye. "Spend as long as you want. Be the life of the party!"

I rolled my eyes, feeling like I was being sent to my doom. "Bye, Mom. Love you," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

As Ariana drove us away from the house, I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread. I wasn't ready for this.