Brothers Best Friend [Vinnie Hacker]

Chapter 8

"Hey, Riley," Kio says, pulling me aside from the living room chaos.

"What's up, Kio?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"So... there's this girl I kinda like."

"Oh my god—Kio Cyr? Crushing? I need a minute." I fake a dramatic gasp.

"Shhh, Riles!" He nudges me, but he's grinning.

"Okay, okay. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name's Olivia Ponton. Met her at the Hype House a couple days ago."

"Ooooh, she's gorgeous. Are you thinking of asking her out?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I don't think she sees me that way."

"You'll never know if you don't shoot your shot."

"You're right. Thanks, sis."

We hug. Kio's my unofficial brother. We don't fight like siblings, but we're tight like that.

A few minutes later, I'm already texting.

"I think I'm gonna invite Mac, Nick, and Olivia over for a little sleepover night," I say, scrolling through contacts.

An hour later...

All four of them are lounging in my room, snack bags open, music low in the background.

"Okay, hear me out—face masks. Everyone. Even the guys," Mac announces, holding up a handful of them.

"Kio!" I yell down the hall. "Get in here!"

He runs in, stops dead in his tracks when he sees Olivia, then tries to play it cool.

"What's up, sis?" he says, trying not to look awkward.

"Kio, meet Olivia. Olivia, Kio. You two already kinda know each other, right?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again," she smiles.

"Would you help each other with the face masks?" Mac grins mischievously.

"Sure, if Kio's cool with it," Olivia says, clearly amused.

"Totally," Kio replies, trying (and failing) to sound casual.

"Great," I say. "Now we just need Ryland, Nick, and Vinnie in here."

We all migrate to the living room with masks smeared on our faces and laughter echoing through the room. Kio and Olivia are obviously vibing, and I love seeing Kio all smiley and flustered like that.

"Ryland, could you come hold Vinnie's hair back? I've got mask all over my hands," I ask, trying not to get goo in his curls.

"Why do I have to do it?" Ryland complains.

"Because you said his curls were beautiful earlier. This is your payment."

"This sucks," Vinnie mumbles. Then out of nowhere, he scoops me up and runs into my room, tossing me on the bed and flopping down next to me.

"Vinnie!" I shriek, laughing. "Let me go!"

"Not until you admit you like me back!" he says playfully, but there's something more serious in his eyes.

"If you don't let me go, I'll scream I warn.

He finally backs off, but now there's tension. I sit up, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Why are you so scared of us just being together?" he asks suddenly.

I blink. "What?"

"You always pull away. We act like we're a couple most days, but the second it gets serious, you freeze up. I'm just... confused."