Chapter Three

River

It's Saturday morning, and unsurprisingly, my dad is not at home. I'm pretty sure he's at Martinez's place. Maybe he'll even move in with them and leave me here alone in this house. One can only hope.

Suddenly, I hear a loud noise coming from downstairs, so I go out of my room to see what's happening.

"What are you doing here?" I ask Rock when I reach the bottom of the stairs and see him and some of his football friends carrying a bed.

"Hey sis, I'm home," he says.

What the heck?

"What do you mean you're home, Rock? Why are you bringing a bed into my house? Where is my dad?"

"We're moving in, roomie... and your dad is at the other house helping my mom with her things."

Oh my god, this can't be happening.

"What room am I going into, River? This is getting a little heavy," Rock asks.

"Um, take it back out the door and put it in the room it came from," I tell him, just as my dad walks through the door.

"River Nichole Darby, that is no way to talk to your soon-to-be stepbrother. Rock, you'll be upstairs with River. The room right next to hers is available. She'll show you where that room is," my dad says in a warning tone.

"Yeah, sure," I tell Rock. Once he joins me, I point out the door to the right of mine.

Rock and Brody open the door and I can't help but chuckle.

"Damn it, River, that's not funny," Rock says, almost tripping over the toilet.

"I thought it was," I say, then gesture towards the door to the left of my room for them to enter. I then return to my room.

Five minutes later, I hear the guys running back down the stairs and out the door, presumably to get more things from Rock's other room.

I hear a knock on my door. Who could that be? I wonder as I walk over and open it.

"Hello," Brody says, standing on the other side of the door.

"Hello," I reply. "What brings you here?" I ask him.

"I wanted to come and see if you'd like to grab a bite to eat with me."

I look at him as if he's lost his mind. "Is this some joke that you and Rock are playing?" I ask him.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't do what Rock and the other guys do. I don't know the history between you and Rock, but I do know that I think you're cute, and I would like to get to know you."

"You would!" I say in disbelief. For the past four years, nobody has wanted to talk to me or get to know me, especially since I became the water girl in high school.

"Yes, I would like to go to lunch with you. What do you say?"

"Don't you have to finish helping Rock and the others? I'm a bit skeptical about this. How can I be sure this isn't some kind of setup?"

"I already told the guys that I would ask you to lunch and then come back to help them."

"Well, they did give me a hard time about it, but I don't really care what they think, and you shouldn't either."

"I understand, but I already deal with enough crap at school. I don't really want to add anything else to it."

"Don't worry, if you stick with me, you won't have to worry about all that crap anymore." Brody jokes, and I instantly like him.

"Okay, I'll go eat lunch with you, but I'll take my own vehicle so that I can leave whenever I want. You can never be too cautious. For all I know, you could be a serial killer."

Brody laughs at my comment. "Good point."

"Alright, I'll meet you downstairs in about half an hour. I just need to finish helping the guys. I don't want them giving me a hard time for ditching them to hang out with a pretty girl."

As soon as Brody leaves, I call Sydney.

"Oh my god, Sydney asks if he wants to take you out to lunch like on a date?"

"Yeah, surprising, huh?"

"Not really. You're attractive. You just don't see it because the football team and cheerleaders are mean. They're unhappy with themselves, so they try to make people like you feel bad. Brody can see through their nonsense."

"That's only because he's new to town and hasn't learned the rules yet. Wait until the team and squad find out about this. He'll get in trouble and realize his mistake."

"Just give it a chance, River. Don't dismiss it before it even starts, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Stop talking to me and go have some fun."

"Yes, mom."

Sydney is right. I shouldn't let the fact that Brody is part of the football team discourage our date. Besides, we might actually like each other. "Right?"

I find my cute sundress and sandals to wear, then I go downstairs to get the keys to my Jeep.

"Where do you think you are going, young lady? We have a lot of unpacking to do?"

I want to tell my dad that I have nothing to do with unpacking. I'm not the one who moved my girlfriend and her three kids into our house. And even if I was Sydney, I wouldn't be responsible for unpacking.

"I had plans with a- um."

Hmm, what is he? A friend, a peer.

"Sir, I was going to take River to grab a bite to eat, then we were going to bring some pizza back for everyone else. Then we were going to help Rock in his room."

"Weren't we, River?"

"Yes, that's what we were going to do."

"And you think wearing that is appropriate for grabbing a bite to eat? It won't impress anyone... go change into proper clothes. That way, when you come back, you can get straight to work."

"Sir, with all due respect, River. Changing will only slow down the process."

Dad simply nods, and I finally leave the house with a bit of dignity. Or so I thought.

"Brody, why don't you take water girl to fetch us some water?" Rock asks, smirking at me.

If I were Sydney, I would flip him off and tell him to piss off, but I'm not her, so I just cower beside Brody. He chuckles and flips Rock off.

"Now you have to ride with me. Your dad and Rock think we're going somewhere together. And we are."

"You know you're going to get a lot of criticism for this."

"Bring it on."

"Oh, by the way, you look stunning in that dress," I complimented.

"I'm not trying to look hot," she replied. "I'm wearing this dress to stay cool in this scorching weather."

Brody gave me a puzzled look and then shook his head. "What?" I asked.

"That was a compliment," he explained. "River, have you ever received a compliment before?"

"Not from a guy," she admitted. "I've always been socially awkward. I was a tomboy until I was about 12. Believe it or not, Rock and I were best friends until junior high. Then he got into football and became too cool for me. Somehow, I ended up with just one friend - my best friend Sydney."

"That's tough, River, but I'm glad you became the person you are today instead of a cheerleader," Brody said.

"Oh, really? And why is that?" she asked.

"I can't stand cheerleaders. They're just too cheerful," Brody replied.

We both laughed, and I realized that Brody and I could become great friends.

We arrive at the pizza place, and to my surprise, Brody only orders a pizza for us.

"We're eating here," he tells me.

"Then are we going back to the house?" I ask him.

"Do we really have to?" Brody asks, winking at me.

"So, what do you have planned then?" I inquire.

"Well, I chose today to ask you to eat with me because the park is showing a movie tonight. So, once our pizza is ready, we'll go to the park, enjoy our pizza, and watch movies until we can't watch anymore," he explains.

"Oh, that sounds like fun."

Sydney was right. This is a date. Why would he want to date someone like me?

While Brody is at the counter placing our order, I text Sydney.

Me: He's taking me to watch movies in the park.

Syd: I told you it was a date. Just have fun. I'm not telling you to sleep with the guy, just have fun.

Me: Oh god, is he expecting sex? Sydney, that's not something I'm capable of doing. I won't do that. I don't even know him.

Syd: Calm down, I don't think Brody is that kind of guy. He didn't grow up with these assholes around here.

Me: Okay, I have to go. He's coming back.

"Are you ready to watch some movies?" Brody asks.

"Yes," I respond, feeling a bit confused about what I'm doing.

We arrive at the park and find a blanket to sit on. The park is set up in a romantic atmosphere, with string lights illuminating the trees and blankets placed every few feet.

The first movie playing tonight is the classic "Gone with the Wind." I can't help but find it adorable how hard Brody is trying to get into the movie.

"What?" he asks, noticing my gaze.

"Nothing," I reply, not wanting to ruin the moment.

We are halfway through the next movie when my phone suddenly rings in my hand. I had put it on silent to avoid disturbing the other moviegoers. When I see that it's my dad calling, I know that I'm in trouble.

"We need to go back to the house. It's my dad calling, probably wondering why we haven't returned to help with the unpacking," I explain to Brody.

"Why does your dad treat you like a servant instead of his daughter?" he asks, expressing his concern.

"You noticed that, huh? It's because I wasn't born a boy," I reply, feeling a mix of frustration and sadness.

"I'm sorry, River. That must really suck," Brody sympathizes with me.

"Let's leave before my dad calls back and I get into more trouble," I suggest. On our way home, Brody fulfills his promise and calls in a couple of pizzas. We swing by to pick them up and head back to my house. As soon as we arrive, my dad starts lecturing me.

"River, where have you been? You knew the boys needed Brody's help, and your stepmom and sister needed your help. I have to get back to the office because you're being irresponsible. I'm going to be late for my meeting."

Wait, did he just refer to Gabriela as my stepmother? They're not even married yet. And the office is just his excuse to avoid helping her with anything. I really don't understand what Gabriela sees in my father. He's rude to everyone he meets. Except for Rock. He's the child my father always wanted.

"That's enough, Jim," Gabriela interrupts. "River hasn't done anything to deserve your anger. Now go to the office if you must. River and I will take care of what needs to be done, and the boys are upstairs playing video games. Brody, you can take a couple of pizzas up to them if you'd like."

"Yes, ma'am," Brody responds to Gabriela, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze before heading upstairs. My dad just storms out of the house like a sulking child.

I'm grateful that my dad and Gabriela are together because she's the only one who supports me when it comes to him and her son. The younger two are nice as well, but I'm not sure if I can handle Rock and my dad living under the same roof.

"Thank you," I whisper to Gabriela, and we fall into a comfortable silence as we work on various tasks. Mostly cleaning her house and preparing it for renting. Gabriela is being smart by keeping the house and making some extra money from it.

Later that evening, I make my way to my bedroom to prepare for bed and notice that my door is slightly open. This is unusual because I always make sure to close it. Curious, I cautiously peek into the room to see if anyone is inside before entering. To my surprise, I find Brody sitting in my desk chair, looking towards the door. He smiles when he sees me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him as I walk into the room.

"I was waiting for you to come up so I could say goodnight," he replies.

I find his gesture sweet and think to myself, "Are you heading out for the night?" I inquire.

"Yeah, I have some homework to finish," he answers.

"Well, I'll see you later then," I say, intending to continue towards my dresser. However, he stops me in my tracks. Then, he does something unexpected. He leans in and kisses me on the lips.

Work brain!