Trying Not To Love You

Summer was ending, and I would be heading off to college next weekend. This weekend, my best friend Hailey, Hunter's sister Jaylinn, and I were throwing a surprise 21st birthday party for my twin brothers. We were only a few days away from the party, and they knew we were up to something. My brothers were extremely protective of me since I was the baby of the family, and of course, the only girl. Dad instilled it in their heads at a young age that they were always to protect me. That made trying to plan something without them knowing near impossible, since they did not let me go anywhere without one of them or Hunter.

"Kenzie!" Mason yelled.

I jumped, dropped the shirt I was holding and my right hand flew to my heart. "Jesus, Mase you scared the shit out of me." I bent down and picked up the shirt I was trying to fold.

"What are you up to this weekend?" Mason leaned his shoulder against the laundry room door.

"Hailey, Jaylinn and I are all going out on dates together this weekend." I replied but did not look in his direction because I knew a fight was about to start. My brothers hated when I went out on dates. Hell, they hated when any of us went on a date, for that matter.

"No, you're not. It's our birthday weekend, and you guys are hanging with us. Tell Dominic he is going to have to come next weekend." I did not have to look up to know he was glaring at me.

"No, he already has plans to come this weekend since he doesn't have football practice. I'm not cancelling on him." Dominic had left a few weeks ago for college at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he received a full football scholarship to play for them. Hailey and I would be joining him and Hunter there this fall. Yes, I know what you are thinking. I chose to go there because of Hunter, and yes, it was probably a mistake, but I did not care.

"Yeah, you can. Tell those a*sholes you have plans." With that, he turned away before I could respond. I had been dealing with this all week when Mason or Cooper would ask what my plans were. I had always tried to avoid them and to be as vague as possible.

A few minutes after Mason walked away, my phone beeped. I reach into my back pocket, grab my phone out and read the text.

Hailey – 12:22pm: Got a text from Mase telling me 2 cancel my date this weekend

Me – 12:23pm: LOL. They have no idea

Hailey – 12:23pm: I know it's going 2 be gr8

The twins had to work for the next few days with my uncle, so it was easy avoiding them. We were able to run to the store to grab things for the party without them knowing. Hunter was going to cover for us Friday night. He told my brothers that he wanted to take me to see a chic flick to repay me for when I helped him a few weeks ago. Dominic had football practice Friday, so he was not going to be here until some point on Saturday. I couldn't use Dominic as an excuse to be out of the house without one of my brothers tagging along.

Late Friday afternoon, Hunter came to pick me up before my brothers got home. We made our way to my parents shore house to start getting things set up for the party the next day.

My parents were out of town on a weekend getaway. The shore house was a lot bigger than our regular house. It was three stories with five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full finished basement. The house also had a massive deck and the beach backed up to the yard. We had a lot more room here to accommodate everyone than we did at home. Hailey had come down earlier in the day to let the housekeeper in so they could give the house a good cleaning before everyone would arrive tomorrow.

Hunter and I walked into the house. I called out, "Hey Hails! We're here."

"Hey guys," she came over and kissed Hunter and then me on the cheek.

"I just started putting a few decorations around the house. Did you get the food and the rest of the stuff from your house?"

"Yeah we got it. It's all in my truck." Hunter yelled over his shoulder, on his way out to the truck to grab the food.

"I'm going to get started on the food. Hails, can you get Hunter to help you move the furniture around in the living room, so we have more space? Mom also said to lock all the bedroom doors so nobody can get into them. You know where the keys are, right?"

"Yes, on top of the fridge in the money jar." Hailey said, and then left to go help Hunter.

For the next couple of hours, I prepped all my brothers' favorite foods. Hailey and Hunter moved everything around so that we would have room for everyone tomorrow night.

"All done, CC. Anything else you need help with?" God, when he called me that, I just wanted to kiss him to death and punch him, all at the same time. Hunter was the only one that got away with calling me CC, short for Chubby Cheeks. There was a picture of me as baby dressed up in an Easter dress that my parents kept on the mantle at home. I looked like a Cabbage Patch doll. Mom had put this bonnet on me that made my cheeks look super chubby and ever since Hunter saw it, he started teasing me by calling me CC.

"Nope, I think that everything is done for tonight. You ready to get out of here Hails?"

Looking as if she would drop any moment, she answered, "Yes, I'm exhausted. We should get up early to come back down here, so we better get going."

We left Hailey's car at the shore house, since it was late and she didn't want to drive the forty-five minute ride home by herself. Fifteen minutes into the ride, I looked back at Hailey, and she had passed out. I looked over at Hunter, and started picturing all the things I wanted to do with him. I knew it was wrong, because I had Dominic, but it was just something I couldn't help.

"See something you like, CC?" He had the biggest smirk on his face.

Damn, he caught me looking at him. I turned away from Hunter, and looked out the window, hoping to hide the blush creeping up my neck to my face. "You know I do." I mumbled, hoping he would not catch what I said.

"And what would Dominic think about that?" Hunter reached over and ran his fingers down my arm, causing me to shiver. Over the last year, Hunter had seriously kicked up the flirting game with me. I am sure it was because of Dominic.

I rolled my eyes at him. "You always bring him up, why?"

"Because I don't think he deserves you. Is he actually going to make it here tomorrow for the party, or is he going to blow you off again?"

"He promised he would make it this time. He didn't blow me off the last time. He got held up at practice, and it didn't make any sense for him to come all the way here, and turn right back around." He made it up to me by sending me flowers the next day. Yeah, I was still mad, but it is not as if he could drop what he was doing just to come home to see me. I knew football was his life.

"If I was him, and you were my girlfriend, I would make damn sure I was home every chance I got." I noticed when he said this, that he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, and his knuckles were turning white.

"He's trying, Hunter."

As we were pulling into the driveway of my house, he mumbled under his breath something that sounded like, "He needs to try harder."

"What did you say?" I asked, wanting to clarify what I thought he said.

Shaking his head, he responded, "Nothing. What time do you want me back to pick you and Hailey up?"

"You don't have too; I'm going to drive my car down in the morning. I just need you to make sure my brothers are there by seven. I don't care what you have to tell them, just get them there." I reached over the seat and shook Hailey's leg and said "Hails, wake up. We're home."

The next morning Hailey and I were up before Mason and Cooper. We quickly got ready, and made our way back down to the shore house to start getting set up for the party. Finally, after all the food was out, and everything was set up, Hailey and I went up to my room and started to get ready for the party.

"So what are you planning on wearing? I know we packed a bunch of different shit." Hailey said as she pulled out everything from the bags we had packed last night before we fell asleep.

"I'm wearing my white shorts, and that,"—I pointed to the black low cut halter-top she had in her hand—"with my black peep toe pumps." I picked this because Dominic could never keep his hands off me. He always told me that wearing white shorts made my legs look miles long.

"Your brothers are going to throw a fit. That shirt barely covers the girls."

I smiled, looking at her through the mirror in front of me, and just shrugged my shoulders. I knew she was right, but I didn't care. "You should wear those hot pink shorts on the pillow over there, with the white strapless shirt and those cute white pumps with the pink underneath them. The white shirt will bring out your tan."

Hailey picked up the outfit and held it up to herself in the mirror, "Yeah, I think you are right. I do look pretty hot in those pink shorts."

Hailey was gorgeous. She was tall with long blonde hair, dark olive skin, dark blue eyes and flawless skin. I never could understand why she felt so insecure about herself.

After Hailey and I finished getting ready, we made our way downstairs to start greeting everyone arriving for the surprise party. We had our next-door neighbor Jimmy have everyone park in his parent's driveway. Hunter and my brothers would think it was Jimmy throwing the party. Around six-thirty, I got a text from Hunter saying they would be there a little after seven.

Wondering why Dominic was not here yet, I sent him a text to find out where he was. I didn't want him ruining the surprise by showing up late.

Me – 6:36pm: Where r u?

Dominic – 6:38pm: on my way stuck in traffic

Me – 6:40pm: text me when you cross the bridge

Dominic – 6:41pm: I'll be there by 10

Me – 6:42pm: Y so late?

Dominic – 6:44pm: Traffic

Of course, he was going to be late; he would be late to his own damn wedding. I knew I should not act pissy, but he had known about this for weeks. He should have been here hours ago, but at least he was coming this time.

"Everyone, please find a hiding place. They will be here in the next few minutes." Hailey yelled over all the chatter in the house.

You would think finding hiding places for 75 people would be somewhat hard, but somehow, everyone found a place.

I heard their street bikes pulling into the driveway so I "shushed" everyone to give a warning that the boys were here.

They walked in laughing, and flipped the light switch on. Everyone screamed "Surprise!"

Cooper and Mason's eyes flew wide open. When they noticed everyone, they were in complete shock. When their eyes landed on Hailey, Jaylinn and me standing in front of the stairs, they smiled and shook their heads.

After being greeted by a few of their friends, they made their way over to us. Mason pulled me into his arms, "I knew you were up to no good." He let go of me and grabbed Hailey, while Cooper hugged me. "I can't believe you two did this. Mason said you girls were out on dates tonight."

Cooper released me, and leaned me against the wall beside Jaylinn. "Is that why you left so early this morning? I was surprised when mom said you left around ten. Your ass never gets up before noon."

Hunter walked up next to me and leaned his elbow against my shoulder; I looked up at him, then back to Cooper. "I knew you and Mason wouldn't let us leave without a fight, so we had to disappear early."

"You're damn straight we wouldn't. Oh, this," Cooper motioned behind Hunter, "is Jessica, Alexis, and Angel."

I knocked Hunter's elbow off my shoulder, and then turned towards them. I was surprised to see Alexis standing there with two other girls I did not recognize. "Hi, I'm MacKenzie, their sister, and this is my best friend Hailey, and Jaylinn over there is Hunter's sister." Alexis rolled her eyes, which she did a lot, and the other two girls just mumbled hello's.

I excused myself and walked into the kitchen to grab a drink when my older brother Jackson and his pregnant fiancé Chloe walked in. "Hey, you guys made it! How are you feeling Chloe?" I reached over to rub her baby bump.

"This morning sickness is seriously kicking my ass. I don't know how long we will be able to stay, but we wanted to show up for a little while."

"You and Hailey did an excellent job Kenzie. Mase and Coop were freaking the f*ck out all day. Hunter and I had to keep them from coming to search for you girls." Jackson said.

"Well, thanks for covering for us. I am so glad they had no idea; you know how hard it is to surprise those two with anything. Hey, why don't you guys just stay in your room upstairs?" I looked over at Chloe, "That way, if you don't feel good, you can go upstairs to lie down. All the doors are locked, so no one can get into them."

Jackson looked over at Chloe, and she nodded, "Alright, I guess we can do that."

"Chloe, there are some clothes upstairs you can put on to sleep in."

Chloe stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Jackson. He placed his large hands on each side of her belly. "All right, all right, get a room already you two." Glued to each other ever since they met, it was no wonder she was pregnant.

I walked away from them to search for Hailey. Passing the stairs, I saw Alexis standing with her back to me, holding Hunter's hand. "That's just great!" I mumbled to myself. I looked past her and saw her two friends standing there, beside her. Angel was holding on to Mason's arm, and Jessica had her hands around Cooper's waist. I didn't say anything to them as I walked by. Out on the back deck, Jaylinn and Jackson were playing beer pong with Chloe's friend Sarah, and some other girl.

"Hey Kenzie, did Hailey find you?" Jackson said.

"No, that's who I was looking for." I said, looking around at all the people swimming in the pool, and sitting around the fire pit.

"Have you seen Mase, Coop and Hunter? I haven't seen them since we got here." Jackson said.

"They were over by the stairs last time I saw them." I said, watching as his ping-pong ball lands in the cup on the opposite side of the table.

"Here, take over; I'm going to go get them." As Jackson handed me the ping-pong ball, Hailey came running up the deck steps and grabbed my arm. "F*ck Kenz!"

"Hails, what the…" I spotted Hailey's ex-boyfriend Matt as he walked in with some trashy looking girl with crazy red hair. "Shit!"

"What's going on?" Jaylinn asked, looking around.

"Kenzie, what the f*ck is he doing here?" Hailey was practically screaming at me. She had every right to be hysterical after the shit that a*shole put her through.

"I have no idea. You know I wouldn't invite him here after what he did to you." After senior prom, about thirty of us came to party here at my parent's shore house. Alcohol flowed freely, and everyone became more and more trashed as the night passed. Matt cheated on Hailey with some skank who had come with one of our friends. They broke up that night, and Mason nearly beat the shit out of Matt.

I raised my chin in Matt's direction, "Matt is here." Jaylinn looked over at Matt, anger shooting from her eyes.

Hailey was in tears and near panic. "Why did he show up here? He knows whose house this is."

"Look, let's just hang out here, and finish the game. Try to act like he isn't even here. Chloe, can you text Jackson, and ask him to handle Matt?"

"Yeah, I sure can." She reached for her phone on the table, and I saw her tap out a text. A second later, her phone beeped. "He'll take care of it."

While Jaylinn and I finished our game, Hailey grabbed a bottle of Vodka off the outside bar, and started chugging it.

"You better slow down. I'm not being the only one responsible if this party goes to shit." I knew she would ignore me, and be plastered by the end of the night. After Matt's stunt, I seriously did not blame her.

"Just let her be Kenzie. She's a blast when she's drunk." Jaylinn said, as the ping-pong ball she threw hit the rim of one of the cups.

"Fine, but when she is puking her guts up, she is all yours." I threw my ping-pong ball in the cup and turned to look at Jaylinn with my eyebrows raised, gloating that I made my shot.

Finally, my brothers and Hunter came over, but Mason looked pissed. He was watching Hailey as she drank straight from the vodka bottle. "Kenzie, how much has she had to drink?"

I rolled my eyes at his over protective ass. "She drank the whole bottle of vodka over there,"–pointing to the empty bottle on the bar– "and just started on the second one." I scowled in Hunter's direction. "Where'd your girlfriend go, Hunter?"

Hunter had dated Alexis briefly a few summers ago, and she had dated Dominic right before he and I started dating. She still was not over either one of them, and would do anything to get their attention. She had started rumors that Dominic was going to leave me, and go back to her. She even tried to break us up by telling people that she and Dominic made out after a few of his football games that I had not attended. Dominic always denied it; I didn't think he would do something like that to me, since he was the one that broke up with her.

"She left. Where's Dominic?" Mason said, with a smug look on his face as he answered for Hunter.

"Low blow, Mase. I'm going upstairs." I threw my ping-pong ball at Mason, and turned towards Hailey, "I'm going up to my room; are you coming?"

Hailey giggled at nothing in particular, and shook her head, "No, I'm good out here. I don't think I can move at this point, since I can't feel my legs."

I glared at Mason. "You think you can keep her out of trouble, a*shole?"

"Why are you going upstairs? Just stay down here with us. I'm sure Dom will be here soon, CC." Hunter spoke up, as I was getting up out of my seat.

"Kenzie, you're not going upstairs! It's my birthday, and you haven't even had a shot with me yet." Cooper said. He threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into a hug, trapping me.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Fine, but if I have to stay down here, and deal with this bullshit, I'm going to need more than one shot." I got up, and stormed away from them.

In the kitchen, I was about ready to down my shot when I felt a pair of hands grip my hips. I hoped it was Dominic finally getting here, but when I turned around, I was staring at Hunter chest.

Seething through my teeth, I pushed back on him. "Hunter, don't okay, just don't. I can't believe you, of all people, would invite Alexis here."

He crossed his arms across his chest, looked down at the floor, then back up to me. "CC, let's just go out front, and talk for a sec."

"No." I was not going anywhere with him. He knew I hated the drama that bitch brought with her. I had wanted to have a good time tonight, but seeing her had ruined it for me.

"No?" He was challenging me. He knew I had a problem telling him no to pretty much anything.

God damn it!

Why did he have to be so damn hot? Even after that summer, knowing nothing could happen, I still had feelings for him. I had Dominic now, but no matter what my brain said, my heart wanted Hunter. I looked up, and he smirked at me. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but we can't be gone long; I need to go check on Hailey."

Hunter and I made our way out to the front of the house, and I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and noticed it was Ricky, one of the football players from high school.

"Hey Ricky, what's going on? Are you down here for the night, or are you staying somewhere?"

"A couple of us from the team rented a house down the road for the summer. We got wind that you were throwing a party, so we stopped by. Is Hailey here with you, too?" For as long as I could remember, Ricky had a crush on Hailey, but Hailey was not having anything to do with him.

"Yeah, she's out on the back deck with my brothers and Jaylinn. I'll catch up with you in a little bit." I gave Ricky a hug, and walked down the front steps. Hunter and I walked down the driveway, away from the blaring music, and the people gathered on the front porch.

"What's going on with you and Ricky? You know Dominic has a problem with that a*shole." Hunter asked, glaring at Ricky over my shoulder.

"Nothing is going on with me and Ricky. We are just friends. You know, I am allowed to have friends."

"Why did you have to hug him then?"

"UGH! Are we seriously doing this?" Hunter nodded his head. "Dominic only has a problem with him because he told me that he saw Dominic and Alexis together after one of the games. Look, I am not having this argument with you. Let's just go back inside. I need to go check on Hailey, and Dominic should be here soon."

I started walking away from him. "Wait!" Hunter called out, and I stopped walking, but I did not turn around. "Please don't be mad at me. I'm trying to do the right thing here."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Hunter took a few steps, pushed his body flush against my back and whispered in my ear, "Keeping you away from me, CC. You know I want you. F*ck, you can feel it." To prove his point, he shifted his hips so that I could feel his hardness. "We both know I just can't have you." Hunter backed away from me, and walked back towards the house.





Hunter left me standing in the driveway, all hot and frustrated, as he walked back into the house. Yes, I knew he wanted me. That was clear. What I did not understand was why he would tell me this now. He knew I was with Dominic. Hunter would never act on his feelings; look how that turned out last time. I needed to clear my head before I could walk back into the party, so I took the little path beside the house that lead to the beach. I watched the waves crash and the moon dance on the ocean for a little while before I went back to check on Hailey. I could not imagine how trashed she would be if she had not stopped drinking yet.

I was walking between the sand dunes when I spotted Hailey sitting on the bottom step with Mason and Hunter hovering over her. I bent down to her level so I could see her. "Mase, what's wrong with her?" Hailey was sobbing.

He looked annoyed and disgusted. "I don't know. She is either crying about her ex-boyfriend, her one-night stand from last weekend or her own puke. None of those things are worth her tears, though."

Hailey had a different relationship with Mason than she did with Jackson and Cooper. I had asked her a few times if she had feelings for Mason. She had always denied it, so I left it for them to figure out.

"He…had…Slam Station…carved…into his…headboard…and he wasn't…even any good at it." Hailey was saying between the sniffling and hiccupping. She was trying to get over Matt, but was going about it the wrong way. She was going out with different guys all the time. This was the third one-night stand she had this month. Lucky for her, Mason does not know about the those. There is no telling what Mason would do to them.

Trying my hardest not to laugh at her, I reached over and put my hand on her knee. "Shut up and let's get you upstairs." I seriously hoped she was done running her mouth. I knew she was going to regret saying that tomorrow.

She tried to stand up, but nearly fell over. "I'm not sure if I should be proud of you for waiting, or disappointed in you for letting your sex life get this sad Kenzie."

"Christ, Hailey! That is enough. Come on, let's go." I grabbed Hailey by her arm to try to pull her up, but she was dead weight. Hunter grabbed her arm from me, and picked her up so we could make our way inside. When we reached my room, I dug into my pocket for the key to unlock my door. It was a pain in the ass to have the doors locked, but we really didn't want to have people hooking up in our beds.

Hailey put her arm around Hunter's neck. "You know what? I'm just so happy because I get to go to bed, and when I wake up there will be chocolate milk and Mason's penis waiting for me." I gasped, looking back at Hailey while she started to giggle.

"That is just wrong on soooo many levels Hailey." Hunter said, trying not to laugh; clearly, the situation amused him.

I just shook my head. "Like, really wrong, Hails! That is just disgusting. No one wants to hear about that shit!"

As I got the door opened, Hunter stepped in and put Hailey down on her feet. She started jumping up and down, screaming she had to pee. After she had taken off towards the bathroom, I took a few steps towards my bed. Hunter grabbed my hand, and turned me around to face him. He whispered, "CC, you look so damn sexy tonight." Then he leaned in, and kissed my forehead.

He was giving me whiplash. He wanted me, but did not want me at the same time. After a few seconds, I heard him curse under his breath. "I've got to get out of here before I do something I shouldn't. If Hailey becomes too much for you to handle, just come get me or one of your brothers." Looking puzzled, I said, "Goodnight, Hunter." Then he left.

About an hour later, there was a knock at the door. I got off my bed, went to open the door and found Dominic leaning against the wall across from my door.

I was furious. "What in hell took you so long? I thought you would have been here hours ago?"

He was standing there, looking at me as if I was crazy and being unreasonable. "Can I just come in, and we can talk?"

I walked back in my room, and he followed behind me. "Just be quiet. Hailey isn't feeling good. She had too much to drink."

"You couldn't put her in her own damn room? I haven't seen you in two weeks, MacKenzie."

I shook my head, "No, I couldn't. Hunter is in the spare room, and you know I always share this room with Hailey and Jaylinn."

Cocking his head at me, he asked, "Why are you being such a bitch? It was just a question. I drove all this way just to see you; you could have at least made sure we had our own room."

"You know what Dominic? Just leave. I don't even know why you bothered to show up this late. You didn't have practice today, so there is no excuse for why you were late."

He grabbed the bag he had left by the door. "Fine. I don't know why I bothered to drive hours just to come to this stupid ass party anyway." He walked out the door, and slammed it shut.

Hailey walked out of the bathroom, shaking her head. "I don't know why you stay with that asshat, Kenzie."

"He never used to be like that."



When I woke up the next morning, everyone was still sleeping. I decided I would make breakfast, since I bailed on them early last night. I looked around the place, and it surprised me that the house was actually fairly clean. I thought there would be a giant mess to clean up. At least now, I didn't have to tip the housekeepers any extra.

As I was making the last of the pancakes, Hunter walked into the kitchen with some girl. He walked her to the front door, and then came back to the kitchen. How did he turn his feelings for me off and on like that? Not that it mattered but still, I could not figure it out.

Hunter grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and asked, "Need any help, CC?"

"Nope, I'm good." Yeah, I want you to explain to me what you were doing with her!

"Alright." He went back towards his room, but then stopped before he opened the door. "Did Dominic ever show up last night?"

I pulled the last pancake out of the frying pan and put it on a plate. "Yeah, but not for long."

He shook his head at me, "What did he do this time?"

"I don't want to talk about it with you." He was the last person I wanted to talk to right now; let alone talk about Dominic.

"Fair enough. I'm going to pack up all my stuff." He went into his room, and I did not see him again until we were all about to leave.

Everyone else, including the girl that Cooper had hooked up with, made his or her way downstairs to have breakfast, and talk about what Hailey and I missed last night. After we ate and cleaned up, we all went to pack and get ready to head home.

As Jaylinn and I were walking out to my car to put our bags in the trunk, Cooper came up behind me and hugged me. "Thanks again for throwing us the party. We love you, lil' sis."

"Love y'all too; I'm glad y'all had fun. You know, it's not easy to surprise you and Mase."

Nodding his head, "We had a blast. Have you seen Mason or Hailey?"

"Not since breakfast." Jaylinn answered.

Shutting the door to his truck, Hunter stepped over to us. "You know, she did get her chocolate milk this morning. I wonder if she is getting Mason's…."

I punched him in the arm, and started yelling. "Stop! Just stop. I don't want to hear about that shit, jackass."

While Hunter and Cooper were laughing their asses off, Hailey and Mason walked out of the house, both with big-ass grins on their faces.

Shaking my head, I walked over to the driver's side of my car and got in, while Jaylinn got in the passenger side, and we took off for home.

When I got home Sunday afternoon, I was still pissed off at Dominic for the way he acted last night. He tried calling me all morning, but I kept sending his calls to voicemail. Around dinnertime, my mom yelled up the stairs to tell me that Dominic was here. Sighing, I got up and went downstairs to find out what he wanted.

He was standing by the front door, so I walked over and stood in front of him. "What do you want? Have you not noticed I have been avoiding your calls all day?"

He looked over my shoulder and then back at me. "Can we go out front and talk?"

I turned around to see Cooper and Hunter looking at us from the kitchen, so I turned back to Dominic and nodded.

We sat down on the porch swing. Dominic ran his hand threw his hair, and looked over at me. "Look, I know I f*cked up last night Kenzie. I shouldn't have left like that. I'm sorry. I just wanted to spend some alone time with you." He let out a loud sigh. "I don't get to see you every day anymore, and I'm frustrated. We've been together for a year now. I thought you would be ready to take that next step. Now that we don't see each other as much as we did, I just miss you. I want to feel close with you."

I knew it; I knew this would happen. This is why I had told Dominic before we started dating that he would have to wait until I thought the time was right. I was not going to whore myself out. I saw what my brothers did to all the girls they messed around with and I did not want to be one of those girls.

"So, because I'm not putting out, or we aren't messing around, you're going to act like an a*shole? That's f*cked Dominic. You said you would wait until I was ready, and if you can't accept that, then you need to leave."

"I'm not leaving MacKenzie. You're mine." He pulled me over to him, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and then kissed the side of my head. "I love you."

"Well then, you need to wait, and respect what I want. I told you I wanted to wait. You said you would wait."

Sighing, he said, "I've waited this long. What's a little bit longer, right?"

I looked up into his eyes. "Right."

He kissed me lightly on the lips. "Look, I have to get on the road. I have practice tomorrow morning."

We walked over to his car, and I gave him a hug and kiss, "Okay, I'll see you next weekend."

Dominic sat in his car, and slid on his sunglasses. "Love you."

I waved, and started back towards the house.

Did I love Dominic? Yes. Was I in love with him? No, I don't think so. Would I ever truly love him? Maybe, one day I would. Dominic was my first serious boyfriend. I didn't seriously date anyone because everyone in school knew my brothers; no one messed with my brothers, no one. When I was in seventh grade, I had a crush on this boy Ryan. We started going out, mostly talking on the phone and going to the movies occasionally. Right before winter break, he said he did not want to go out anymore. Ryan broke my heart, and, at thirteen, I thought my life was over. My brothers found out about what happened, and when we went back to school a week later, Ryan had a broken nose and two black eyes. To this day, when I see him, he will look the other way, or cross the street if he sees me coming. I asked my brothers what they did to him, and they always said they did not know anything about it.

Just when I was heading back upstairs to my room to take a nap, I heard Cooper talking to Hunter. "Dude, you better look out for my sister while you guys are away at school. I don't like that a*shole."

"I know. I don't like him either. I'll keep her safe."