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Elena's POV 

I barely slept that night.

After my encounter with Logan in the kitchen, I rushed back to my room, heart pounding, my mind filled with thoughts I didn’t want to have.

This was dangerous.

He was my stepbrother.

I kept repeating that in my head like a warning. Like if I reminded myself enough times, my body would stop reacting whenever he was near.

It didn’t work.

I woke up feeling annoyed with myself. I took a long shower, trying to wash away whatever weird tension had formed between us last night. By the time I got dressed and went downstairs, I had convinced myself that I could ignore Logan. 

That last night meant nothing.

But then I saw him sitting at the kitchen counter, and my stomach twisted with these uneasy feelings.

He was shirtless again.

Was he allergic to shirts?

I rolled my eyes before quickly looking away, focusing on my mom, who was sipping coffee at the table with James.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mom said, smiling.

“Morning,” I mumbled, pouring myself some coffee.

Logan didn’t say anything. He just ate his French toast like I wasn’t even there.

Good.

That made things easier.

“So, Elena,” James said, setting his newspaper down. “Are you ready for your first day at your new school?”

 “Yeah. Excited.” I forced a smile.

That was a lie.

I hated starting over.

 I hated being the new girl.

Logan snorted. “Sure you are.”

I shot him a death glare, but he just smirked, clearly enjoying getting under my skin.

“Logan, you’ll drive her, right?”

James didn’t seem to notice.

“What?” Logan stopped chewing.

“Elena doesn’t know the way yet,” Mom added. “It would be nice if you showed her around.”

“You want me to babysit her?”

Logan looked at me, then back at his dad.

Mom frowned. “Logan, be nice.”

“It’s fine, Mom. I can find my own way.” I sighed.

James shook his head. “No, Logan will take you.”

Logan groaned. “Great.”

I had a bad feeling about this.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in Logan’s car, regretting every life decision that had led me here.

He didn’t say a word as he drove.

The silence between us made me uncomfortable, except for the low music playing on the car stereo and the sound of him tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the Kendrick Lamar song that he had on repeat.

I stared out the window, pretending he wasn’t there.

“You’re quiet,” he finally said.

“And you’re observant.” I rolled my eyes.

He chuckled. “So, what’s your deal?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You seem… I don't know, uptight.”

I turned to him, annoyed. “I just don’t like starting over. New college, new people. It sucks.”

He glanced at me, then back at the road. “It’s not that bad.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the new kid.”

He smirked. “Yeah, but at least you’ll have me.”

I scoffed. “Right. That’s comforting.”

He didn’t respond, but I could feel him watching me from the corner of his eye.

When we arrived, Logan pulled into the parking lot like he owned the place.

People immediately turned to stare. Some waved, and some called his name.

Great. He was popular.

That meant I was officially the new girl and the step-sister of one of the hottest guys in College.

Perfect.

I grabbed my bag and opened the door, but before I could step out, Logan leaned over, his voice low.

“Try not to embarrass me, little sister.”

I clenched my jaw. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want people to know we’re related either.”

His smirk didn’t fade as he leaned back. “Good girl.”

I won't lie. That word made me wet, but I won't admit to this prick. I slammed the door harder than necessary.

I was already hating this school.

Everyone stared, whispering as I walked to the administration block to pick out my class schedules and submit my enrollment form.

I ignored them and focused on finding the building.

“Hey, you’re the new girl, right?”

I turned to see a tall guy with dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes smiling at me. He was cute in a preppy, football-player way.

“Uh, yeah,” I said.

“I’m Ethan,” he introduced himself. “You need help finding your classes?”

I hesitated, but he seemed nice. “That would be great, actually.”

He grinned. “Cool. Let’s go.”

As we walked down the hall, Ethan chatted easily about the school, the professors, and the best places to hang out.

 I felt it.

That stare.

I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Logan.

When I finally glanced back, he was leaning against the walls, watching me.

He didn’t look happy.

But why did he care?

Ethan helped me find my classes, introduced me to his friends, and even invited me to lunch.

Logan, on the other hand, ignored me.

Which was fine. That was what I wanted.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

By the time school ended, I was exhausted. I walked to the parking lot, searching for Logan’s car when a voice stopped me.

“Need a ride?”

I turned to see Ethan leaning against his car, grinning.

“I… um…” I hesitated.

Before I could decide, a familiar black convertible pulled up beside us. The window rolled down, and Logan raised an eyebrow.

“Get in.”

His tone was dominant, leaving no room for argument.

“I was gonna give her a ride.” Ethan frowned. 

Logan smirked, but there was something sharp in his eyes. “Yeah? Too bad.”

I sighed. “It’s fine, Ethan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ethan looked annoyed but nodded. “Alright. See you.”

I slid into Logan’s car and shut the door.

The second we pulled out of the parking lot, I turned to him. 

“What was that?”

“What?”

“You didn’t have to be a jerk to him.”

Logan shrugged. “Relax. I saved you.”

“From what?”

He smirked. “From making a bad decision.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ethan was being nice.”

Logan chuckled. “Yeah. Nice guys don’t offer rides unless they want something.”

I crossed my arms. “Not everything is about that.”

“Keep telling yourself that, little sister.”

I glared at him. “Stop calling me that.”

His smirk didn’t fade.

He enjoyed getting under my skin.

And the worst part?

It was working.

I hated it.

I hated how he acted like he owned me, how he got in my head so easily.

I needed to distract myself when I got home. I lay on my bed and got out my phone to scroll through TikTok but switched to iMessage.

I texted Ethan.

‘Hey, thanks for today.’

‘ No problem. You seemed cool. Wanna hang out tomorrow?

I hesitated.

Before I could reply, there was a soft knock on my door.

I turned, my heart racing.

“Come in,” I said.

Logan stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

I sat up, confused. “What are you—”

“I don’t like you talking to him.”

I blinked. “What?”

His jaw tightened. “Ethan. Stay away from him.”

I scoffed. “Are you serious?”

He took a step closer. “Dead serious.”

I stood up, crossing my arms. “You don’t control who I talk to.”

His eyes darkened. “Maybe not. But you don’t want to make me jealous, Elena.”

My breath caught.

Jealous?