Amelia's POV"Can anyone tell me why Mr Sanchez isn't in class today?" Mrs Irvine says and when she pins me with her stare, I take back my forgiveness. "Where is your brother, Miss Hart?"You should ask teensvogue or Google, Mrs Irvine.And it's stepbrother. Step. Why do people always forget the step?I open my mouth to tell the lie.You can't lie for shit, Mia. He has diabetes, Mrs Irvine."He's unavailable, Mrs Irvine."Everyone in the class laughs. Even Bianca. Traitor."I can see that, Miss Hart."So can I, Mrs Irvine.When she sees that I'm not going to give her any more answers, she narrows her eyes at me and continues with her pairing list.Amy 1, Mrs Irvine 0."You should add learning how to lie to that bucket list. Right between skipping class and failing a test." Bianca whispers, chuckling when I glare at her.I'm making a mental list of how to get her back when someone kicks my table and when I turn, the girl passes me a note.Hey partner,Exchange numbers after class?p.s
Amelia's POVI barge into Miguel's room just before dinner "Teach me how to be wanton." "The one day that I don't have lunch with you and hell freezes over." "I said teach me how to—" The remaining words die in my throat when I take in his state of undress. The white towel rides dangerously low on his waist, his hands working another towel over his wet locks. My eyes trace the outline of his lean body like a vulture eyeing it's next meal, my gaze settling on his abs where drops of water trickle down the pecs and the outline of a tattoo disappears down the towel.Look away, Amelia. Look away. I can't. When my gaze finally moves away from his abs to look at his face, I don't see the Miguel that I'm used to. The cocky unashamed taunting Miguel. The Miguel that would have said something absolutely lewd and revelled in the fact that I'm gawking at him in a way that a sister should never look at a brother. He's looking at me like he likes my eyes on him. Like it's absolutely okay for
Amelia's POV"I am definitely not doing any of those things on that list, Miguel." I say for the hundredth time as I drive to Maria's. Today is Miguel's first day as a waiter and I'm not going to miss it for the world. It should surprise me how excited I am about watching him work and that my excitement has nothing to do with watching him fall flat on his face but everything to do with supporting my friend on his first day. Quite ironic that I'd rather call him friend than stepbrother. Christian had called to meet up about our Geography assignment and I'd picked Maria's as our meeting place. Watching Miguel work and talking to Christian at the same time? My stone definitely lucked out. Two big attractive birds. I'd called Bianca but she was going on a movie date with Adam, even though she refused to call it a date. "You're the one who spent the last twenty four hours reminding me of how serious you were about becoming a bad girl. And now that the list is here, you don't want it?
Amelia's POVBeeMiles: You should've seen his face when I said you were sick and couldn't make it. Me: Who?BeeMiles: Girl, did you hit your head? Christian Grammer, that's who?Me: Oh. BeeMiles: Yes, oh. And Angel says you're lying about being sick. I believe him. Me: You can tell him to shut up. Now stop texting me, I'm at Spanish class with my mum.BeeMiles: Hey, how did you get well enough to get dressed for Spanish class? You were lying about being sick. Me: 🙄🙄BeeMiles: Why did you lie? Is this about the wanton list?Me: Why should it be about that?"BeeMiles: You've been dodging your coach and I since we made that list, that's why. Why the hell would you pass up a chance to show Christian Grammer your banging body when he personally invited you?Me: Because! Look, there'll be other chances, okay?BeeMiles: I take my question back. You did hit your head. And oh, Angel says to tell you that he'll rib you in about your secret Spanish classes. Me: Is he seeing this chat?Bee
Amelia's POVMy mother parks in front of the store and unstraps her seatbelt "Well, that depends."I roll my eyes because I know my mother. She's about to strike a deal with me."I'm putting together a small dinner party for Emilio in a few weeks. I want you to make sure Angel is on his best behavior at the party. I promise to make sure Emilio plays nice too. If you can promise me that, we have a deal."Asking Miguel Angel to be on his best behavior has more often resulted in him doing the opposite but I can see that my mum believes that I have some kind of hold on her stepson, even though I don't understand where she got that idea."Fine." I agree.She beams at me and opens her door"I'll get you a bike too so he doesn't suspect anything."I follow her into the store "And make sure to give it to him when I'm not there.""Deal."*************************"So, you're not talking to Adam. Again. What happened this time?" I try to keep the judgement out of my voice but from the glare B
Amelia's POVMiguel skipped school for the rest of the day. I found out when I went to ask Bianca to take him to the nurse to get his knuckles and lip checked. He'd turned off his phone and all my messages went unanswered. I didn't know why I was worried. Miguel had skipped school several times. But even when we were frenemies, he'd never left school without informing me or Bianca.And right now, I couldn't probe Bianca because I was giving her the silent treatment. There was no doubt in my mind that she had a hand in orchestrating the disaster that people were still gossiping about hours after the incident. "Knew I'd find you here" she who shall not be named says and drags out a chair rather loudly. The librarian gives her a look and she smiles sheepishly, turning her attention back to me. "So, this is not the reaction I was expecting." She whispers and I raise up my head to glare at her. "The library is going to close in the next thirty minutes, Bianca and some people, yes, pe
Amelia's POVShe squeezes my hand "I don't think so. I've never seen him mad at you. And believe me, he's pretty scary when he's mad. You should ask the girls in my class that come on to him when he's not in the mood." Unstrapping her seatbelt, she hugs me tight and I lean into her touch"Don't feel so bad, Mimi. Just find him and apologize. You're good at that. That's why everyone loves you."I snicker and she grins, kissing my cheek before she hops out of the car."Bye, good girl." she says with a knowing smile and the knife in my heart twists at Miguel's nickname for me that has become more or less a term of endearment.Yep, I'm going to do a lot of groveling.**************************I went to the lake.I went to the diner.I tried his phone.I went home.He was nowhere to be found, although Maria the third had said he'd come to the diner briefly before disappearing.My stepdad wasn't at dinner, having left for a two day trip before I got back from my search so it was easy to li
Chapter 21Amelia's POVSomeone knocks on my bedroom door and I halt the process of toweling my hair dry."Who is it?""It's the Grinch, here to steal Christmas spirit away." Miguel answers and I'm about to retort that it isn't even close to Christmas when I do a double take and look at the tiny towel covering my body. Opening my wardrobe with a squeal, I begin searching for a robe when he knocks again and adds"You do know I can pick locks, don't you, Mia?"Of course he can. Is there any bad thing he can't do?Finding a red woolen robe, I throw it over my body and run to the door, opening it to see him holding a pin in his hand, ready to pick my lock.Ugh."What happened to your manners?"He breezes past me into the room. "Buenos dias, Mia.""And what is good about this morning? It's a school day, I'm not a morning person and you're interrupting me in the middle of my preparation for school, shall I go on?"We take in each other's appearances at the same time.He's wearing a big y