“F*** you!” I screamed at my father, giving him the finger as I slammed my bedroom door, tears streaming down my face. I locked my door and shoved a chair under the knob. As I curled up into a ball on my bed, I couldn't help but wish that he'd never left––Kobe, that is.

My step-brother of three years and counting that had gone off with his band on tour after being signed by a record label just weeks before. I'd been in love with him from the day that I'd met him, and, a few days after our parents announced their engagement to us kids, he'd told me that he'd always wanted to
be with me. I hadn't been able to look at him as a brother since.

I dragged myself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall at the head of my bed. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, pressing and holding the '1' until it called him. I held it to my ear, trying to calm down enough to talk to him. I glanced over at my clock, wondering if he'd be able to answer his phone. It was 12:38AM.

Just as I was about to hang up, expecting it to go to voice-mail, the ringing stopped and I heard his voice. “Lexiss?” I heard Kobe said, sounding confused. “Why are you calling so late?”

“Kobe..” I whispered, the tears coming on stronger now.

“Why are you crying? Is everything okay?” he asked, taking on that big-brother tone, even though I was older.

“It's––dad. He's sending me to––to boarding school...”

“What?! Why?! Where?! Why would he do that!”

I felt myself trying to choke down laughter at how mad he was. “It's in––” I choked, trying to sound calmer––“Germany...He told me it's because of my behavior at school lately. Says he hopes that they'll break me in.”

“Germany...” Kobe whispered. “Lexiss––I need to tell you something.”

At the sound of those words, my heart felt as if it were trying to strangle me from the inside. “What––what is it?” I asked. My tears had stopped by now; my cheeks felt like rubber.

“You...You know how I've been seeing this girl––Alisha––?”

I nodded, but then realized he couldn't see me. “Yeah...?”

“Well...For the past couple nights, my dreams of her have turned into––dreams of you...”
My heart began to pound, so loudly that I could hear it in my ears. “M-me? Why me? What are you saying?”

“I miss you, Lexiss. More than I ever would have though possible. I mean, you're my step-sister, but...I think I'm falling for you...”

I held a hand to my mouth. “Kobe...” I murmured.

I swear I heard the smile on his face. “I guess I just never really moved on...”

“From––from what?”

“...You don't remember?”

“Remem––” I cleared my throat “––Remember what?”

“What I told you the first time I saw you after the engagement....”

My breath caught in my throat. “That you'd always be there for me?”

I knew that wasn't what he was talking about, but that night I'd had a mini-breakdown, and he'd told me that he'd always be there for me, no matter what. That was in person though...What he was talking about was said via text message.

“No...” he whispered. Then louder, “I did say that, but that's not what I'm talking about...Do you remember how we'd been texting until like midnight that night, after I left?”

“Yeah...” I murmured.

“You remember, don't you?”

I nodded, not caring that he couldn't see. “I never understood why you would say that, and then not do anything more...I told you how I'd felt, and you told me..And then we did nothing about it.”

“Lex, you have no idea how badly I wanted to be with you. I just didn't know how...Our parents, you know?”

“I don't see why they matter.” It was true. I didn't think it mattered whether they were married or not.

My mother's cousin had married his step-sister, why could Kobe and I be together?

“I guess...But, what I'm getting at here, is that...Well, I'm still in love with Alisha, but I want to be with
you.”

[i]This is wrong[/i] I though. “Kobe, if you're still in love with her, forget about me.”

“I've tried. Then I think about what may or may not happen when I come home.”

“Kobe,” I said sternly. “Be with Alisha. Better yet, be [i]happy[/i] with Alisha. She seems like a nice
girl, the way you talk about her. Stay with her. Forget about me.”

Then, before he could try to persuade me further, I hung up, finally letting the tears that were threatening me that entire time fall.

[i]It doesn't matter, anyway,[/i] I told myself. [I]You're leaving in a few days, and he won't be back for another month.[/i]