% CHAPTER 24 %

I replay what happened over and over again in my mind. I felt it. I know she felt it. Why did she reject me?

Maybe because you have a girlfriend.

Shut up, I told the voice in my head.

You know it's true.

Ugh. The voice inside my head was right. In the end, however, I'm thankful she said that. It never happened. I didn't just cheat on my girlfriend with a girl who's pretending to be my cousin. If I could just actually forget it...

Everything was so perfect. She had actually wanted to kiss me. I knew she did. I could feel it. Fuck me for even tempting her. I'm the one who started it. I kissed her. I did everything and Amanda wasn't even in my mind when Taylor and I kissed. Fuck she wasn't anywhere near it! I need to get my priorities straight. Do I want the girl or not? I wish I could say I didn't. But something draws me to Taylor and I don't want to give up on it. At all. Not even for a little bit.

I sigh into my pillow and fall asleep.

$_$_$_$

It's Sunday now. I need to get out of the house. Being with Taylor after last night is the worst thing to do.

I jog down the stairs two steps at a time. When I walk in the kitchen, I notice the note immediately.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Good. I really need this time to myself. I venture farther into the kitchen. I need a back up girl.

I take out my cell. Should I hang out with Amanda or another girl? I've already cheated on her. There's no rule that says if you've cheated you can't cheat again.

I shake my head. I have to be reasonable. Amanda's feelings may get hurt. Besides, if she catches me, then I'm screwed. I decide to give her a ring.

"Bret?" The girl asks incredulously.

"Yep its me babe."

"OMG are you alright? You didn't come to school Friday and-"

"I'll explain everything at school okay. I was wondering if you wanted to go hang out or something."

"Actually I'm sort of at a wedding right now."

I made my voice drop intentionally. "Oh. Okay well that's alright. I'll, um, talk to you later then."

"Yeah. I'm sorry! Bye."

"Bye babe."

I sighed. So it obviously wasn't going to be Amanda. I could hang out with Aaron. Or Jake or even Isaac. I didn't exactly know what to do.

Maybe the best bet for me was to just be alone. I had to sort out my thoughts about all the kissing business. The boys couldn't help me with that one.

Then I get an idea. I'm a movie star. Maybe I can look into some extra curricular activity movie stars do.

I try turning on the tv. It won't turn on. Then I remember. The kiss only happened because of the blackout. I sigh. The electricity isn't back on yet I guess.

I rush back upstairs and get dressed. After shoveling some cereal down my throat, I grab the car keys and go to the car. My career as an actor better not fail me now.

I call up Derek as I'm driving.

"Hey kiddo," he says, immediately answering his phone.

"Hey Derek. I need to ask you something."

"Go right ahead."

"What other things do actors do?"

"Well they advertise, they model, but that's more of another job. The modelling I mean."

"Well I'm bored. I have no idea what to do today."

Derek makes no hesitation to respond. "You could act out a few parts! I mean there are parts in the movie that you don't shoot with Taylor. Take Jenna for instance. There are a lot of scenes you have to finish up with her."

I nod as if he's next to me. "I'll do it."

$_$_$_$

"Why? Why do you like her?! What does she have that I don't?" Jenna's character is near tears. I caress Jenna's cheek. "Don't touch me!" she shrieks.

"Stacy, you know I loved you once."

"Not anymore."

"That can't be helped. Just please don't try anything. Emily is a very sweet girl. Maybe one day you'll talk to her."

Jenna sniffles. "If you ever do gain your senses back, let me know and I'll come back for you."

She then stalks off the set.

"And scene!" Derek shouts. He's overjoyed to see how the movie is coming along. "We're almost done with the movie. Can you believe it?"

I smile. "Not really."

"Me either!" He pats my back. "You're finally showing the potential I saw at the auditions Bret. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Derek."

"Now get back in that trailer and get your outfit on for the Break Up scene!"

I start heading back to the trailer with Jenna. She takes that time to smack me.

"I can't believe you Bret! I'm missing my second cousin's wedding for this!"

I shrug and rub the back of my neck. "You were the one who wanted in on this movie Jenna, not me. It said on the contract that you would always be ready at unexpected times. You signed that slip of paper."

Jenna huffs and walks off. I can't believe I used to flirt with her. I think I'm changing or something because my mind is definitely working different ever since Taylor played a huge role in my life.

It's her fault then. I sort of should be thanking her though. The guy I used to be was a retard. I can't believe Luca was okay with that.

I shake my head and open the trailer door.

$_$_$_$

"Bret! Son! Come on in."

I make my way into my dad's house. It really is something. The countertops in the kitchen are this beautiful marble and the sinks in the bathrooms are white and gray granite. Everything about the place is huge. There's a 50" flat screen in my dad's bedroom and a soft queen size bed. Too bad he doesn't have a king size. Those are bigger.

Does everything in nature lead to the women having dominance? For spiders the males have to run for their lives after they've mated because the female wants to kill them. Female praying mantises eat off their prey's head after they've mated. King size beds are bigger than queen size beds, but my dad buys the smaller one! In a game of chess, the queen gets way more power than the king does. Females live longer than males. Is the only thing males are good at strength? Maybe throw a little ignorance and testosterone in there and mix it all up. There's the male species! I just can't believe it. Males fail at life.

A different girl than Angele is laying on the couch, watching tv.

"Um dad," I say. "Who's that?"

I'm expecting him to say it's another one of his small hook ups. I mean she's young enough, but she also looks a little too young. So when he utters these next words, I won't find my voice for a very long time.

"Oh that's your sister."

The girl sits up from the couch and takes a look at me. My eyes are wide and my mouth won't close. I have a sister?! What the fuck?

Why didn't he mention anything about a sister a while back? Like a long time ago? I almost chuckle. A flat out loud, empty chuckle, This is the way my dad is. He doesn't deal with things until the last minute, even important things like siblings and when he does, he makes it seem like its no big deal. He just says it like its his regular order at his favorite fast food restaurant.

Five minutes pass by. Silence. I stand in the exact same position, trying to find the richt facial expression to express what I'm feeling. Ten minutes. It feels like the blood is rushing to my head. My teeth are rattling and I feel this weird buzzing sensation in my eardrums. I feel like a bomb. The clock is ticking.

"What the hell?!" I sputter. "What's the meaning of this?! Don't just expect me to be okay with this dad! Why haven't you told me this before?"

He sighs. "Well she's your half sister. I just got custody over her from her mom this week. She wanted to see me. I actually wasn't planning on telling you, but you walked in so I was like, the hell with it!"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My dad was such a narcisist. I can't believe this is the guy I've looked up to for so many years. With my dad though, it was all about forgiving and forgetting. Well at least for the time-being.

I turn back to her and look at her features. She has long wavy caramel hair that's parted in the middle and light brown eyes. She looks like a supermodel, although I know she's too young.

She looks like she's been watching this discussion with my dad very closely. I hope she didn't like what she saw. My dad's an asshole.

"What's your name?" I ask and sit next to her on the couch. I cross my right ankle over my left thigh.

"Aurelia, but people call me Ari. You?"

"Bret. How old are you?"

"Sixteen. You?"

I narrow my eyes at her. Something isn't right. "Sixteen," I reply.

She notices it too. We're both sixteen yet we come from different mothers. I turn to my dad. He has a lot of explaining to do.

He doesn't catch on though. He keeps sipping his drink as if he's surrounded by a group of girls from Hawaii.

"What month? What year?" She asks timidly.

"June, 1996."

"I'm older than you by two months."

Both of us look at my dad in disbelief. He still doesn't notice. I guess I need to figure it out on my own.

"If what you're saying is true, then my mom and my dad..." I shake my head and start differently. "That would mean my dad would have been cheating on my mom because...they were together for almost three years. Dad!"

He finally pays attention to us. "Yeah?"

"I want to know the truth, now. Did you cheat on my mom?"

He shrugs. "A few times, yeah. When I got angry, I would leave and- hey! Bret! Where are you going?!"

I walk away angrily. This guy. He can just admit it so easily, like it doesn't cause him pain at all to know he cheated on his wife. No wonder my mom left. My dad actually had the nerve to have sex with another woman and have a kid with her while he was married to my mother. There is something extremely wrong with my dad. He's definitely not my rolemodel anymore.

I'm going to find my mom and apologize to her for all the horrible things my father has done. That's what I'm going to do. I grit my teeth in disgust. What a day and its not even over yet.