Her Sister's Boyfriend

33

Riley's POV:

I love you, he told me. Sisters forever, I believed. You're such a good girl, Dad always said. No guy will ever divide us, ever, we both thought. 

It was all lies. All of those things were lies except for one. 

I'm not the cute, innocent, little girl everyone thought I was whenever I was held in Dad's arms, being the six-year-old girl I was, the Riley I used to be. 

I'm not the supportive sister either, who would help their sister out during a break-up and tell her he wasn't worth it or that guys are just a homophone to people who waste your time and don't actually mean anything to you. I always used to think that. I didn't think guys were all that great, just jerks who go around breaking girls' hearts. That's why when I made a pact with my sister around about ten years ago, I had no trouble swearing over my Barbie annual treasury that no guy will ever divide my sister and I because I always thought I wouldn't need a guy in my life. 

I thought I would always go by with the saying 'I'm a single pringle'. I didn't see the need of falling in love when I'd watched so many teenage rom-coms despite my age and always stuck with the belief of guys being absolute trash. As I grew a tad bit older, I wondered what the point of having someone to protect you was when all they do is lower your grades, distract you from your education, make them your priority to the point where they're all you'd ever be able to think about.

When Em started dating James, it wasn't really a surprise. They'd clearly been flirting with each other all along. But there was one day, last year, when I was walking down the corridor in school with my books in my hands, brown hair - not dirty blonde like the way it is now, I had glasses on but now I only wear them when I'm at home and even then I hardly wear them, and braces disguising my teeth. I carried my books in my arms and then he caught up with me from behind and flung his arm over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him and told him he didn't have to follow me around everywhere but then, being the clumsy person I was, I dropped a book. He chuckled and caught it for me and then passed it back, which I hesitantly took from him and muttered a sarcastic 'thanks' in response. He grinned and told me that I'm like a sister to him, it was his job to follow me everywhere and make sure I wasn't doing crazy and embarrassing shit. And then he kissed my cheek.

It didn't really mean much, obviously because he was dating my sister and all I did was roll my eyes before he scurried off, probably to the playing fields with the rest of the guys. And then at dance that afternoon we just kept joking around, the way our relationship always used to be, annoying, weird, silly and playful. All the way up until the rehearsals where we kissed and everything changed. The kiss where we couldn't stop and we were standing in the music room which just so happened to be the same place he had cheated on Emily with Beth in. And then he did it with me. I guess he was still a player but I felt for sure that he loved Emily and the whole thing with Beth was just some stupid mistake which is why when he kissed me that day, I didn't think much of it. I just took it as some steamy make-out with one of the hottest guys in school and at dance despite him dating Em. I knew he didn't love me. He didn't love Beth so  why in the world would he gain any feelings for me? Especially since he was with my sister already.

But then we couldn't seem to stop. And every time we were alone and around each other it lead to our lips touching and either ending up in bed, the costume closet or the back seats of his car. An amazing love story, am I right?

But then those feelings began to come through. And I began to feel something through every post on his social medias of him shirtless. Every time he grinned or smirked at me. Every time he looked me up and down or we just so happened to be in a dance together. Every time he was around or standing somewhere in the same room as me even if he was all the way on the other side, I felt something. And it was sickening. I didn't want to feel it. I hated it. I wanted to disguise it and cover it up by trying my best to push it to the side and telling myself I was being delusional. But then every time I saw him kiss Em, or hug Em, or tell Em he loved her, I envied the two of them. I knew darn well just how wrong it was but I couldn't help it.