My Brother's Sexy Best Friend (18+)

Are You In Love With Him?

Jake

"You've gone insane," Vanessa ground out as she pushed past me, purposely bumping me with her shoulder.

I grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to turn around and look at me. "Addison drives a silver Jeep. Not a red Jetta. Stop trying to gaslight me."

"Stop trying to gaslight me," she mimicked, raising her voice several octaves as she made a scrunched up face at me. Shrugging out of my grasp, she stomped towards the kitchen and snatched a juicy red apple out of the fruit basket on the island. She took a massive bit, taunting me with the loud crunch and her unwavering stare. "Mmm...this is so delicious. I just love an in season McIntosh."

All of a sudden seeing crimson, I smacked the apple out of her hand and sent it bouncing across the linoleum tile.

She watched slack-jawed as it continued rolling, gathering dust and crumbs. "You asshole!" She screamed. "I'm telling mom!" In a huff, she beelined it for the stairs.

"Go ahead!" I shouted back. "I doubt she'll care when she finds out that you spent the night at a boy's house because you were drunk."

She immediately froze, her pale knuckles gripped tightly on the handrail. Backpedaling down the steps, she whirled around to face me, her golden brown eyes flashing. "For the last time, I didn't sleep over Matt's! I was only with him just now because we went out and got breakfast. You're too much of a goody two shoes to have more than a sip of alcohol and be privy to this information, but grease is quite fantastic for curing a hangover."

Narrowing my eyes, I jabbed her in the ribcage. "You're wearing his shirt."

Her face paled for a split second but she quickly regained her composure. Busted. "Yea, because I...I...uh, got sick on the way to Addison's house and he lent me his t-shirt that he had crumpled up in the backseat of his car."

"Hmph." Crossing my arms, I gave her a once over. She's going to be a tough one to crack. "How would you feel if I went after Addison? You wouldn't like that, would you?"

She opened the fridge and bit her lip as she studied the contents inside. I thought you just ate, liar. Suddenly, she let out a loud snort. "Right. Good luck with that endeavor, Jake. I would like to see you try. You know she only dates jocks and I highly doubt being a part of the Mathletes falls into that category."

Slamming the refrigerator door closed on her, I raked my hands through my hair. "Please, Vanessa." I begged. "Matt's my best friend. Don't screw this up for me. Can you please, please, please find someone else to date?"

She shrugged as she wandered back out of the kitchen. "Okay." I followed her out, nearly slamming into her as she stopped short and spun around to face me. "Oh, and Jakey, don't even dare think of blabbing to mom that I was out drinking last night." She made a slicing motion across her throat with her finger. "Snitches get stitches, bitch." And with that, she bounded up the stairs.

"Jake, will you please stop pacing? You're getting in my way." Mom pressed her palm on my shoulder as she moved past me to pull a meatloaf, carrot this time, out of the oven.

"Sorry," I muttered, moving on to biting my nails inside. Sighing, I settled down onto the barstool at the island, mindlessly watching mom chop broccoli. It took me forever to find a friend as genuine as Matt. I can't lose him.

Images of him spending Friday nights laughing with Vanessa in her bedroom in favor of mine made my stomach queasy. Would dinners at our house now be because he wanted to see her instead of me? There was no place for a third wheel on something that was functioning just fine with only the two.