Pathfinder

Part 1 - 9

NINE – LEXI

I have no idea why I agreed to tutor Brody. I hadn't been able to tell whether he was lying about needing the help or not. Was this just another ploy to piss off his parents? If that's all it was, then I shouldn't have agreed. No matter how hard I tried, I was failing at keeping my feelings in check. Brody Vincent was a world class kisser, super good-looking, and was quickly becoming a test to my willpower. I knew better than to think we could be anything more than fake boyfriend and girlfriend. Guys like Brody didn't fall for girls like me, not for real anyway. Even if I did go back to my original hair color, as Lance suggested, I still wouldn't be Brody's type. After all, I actually had brain cells in my head.

"So you're going to Brown, huh?" Brody asked, in the car, on the way to his house, after school.

"Yep."

"What do you want to study?" He asked.

"No idea." I answered, honestly. I had zero clue what I wanted to do with my life. I could draw, but I knew I couldn't make a living from it. I liked to bake, but I doubted I could make a living from that either. I baked for fun, I didn't want to turn it into a job.

"Yea, I don't really know what I want to be when I grow up either." He said, with a chuckle. What neither of us said, was that we were running out of time to decide. We were scheduled to graduate in just a little over two months.

When we arrived at Brody's house, no other cars were visible. Inside the house, it was quiet, indicating that it was empty. I suddenly felt awkward. I hated silence. So I blurted, "Uh, good game Friday night."

"You came?" He asked, whirling to face me.

"Yes. It's the first one I've ever attended."

Brody grinned, "What made you decide to suddenly come to that one?"

I shrugged and averted my gaze, "Curiosity, I guess."

"About me or the game in general?" He asked, his grin widening.

"Both." I tell him with a shrug. It was a lie. I didn't give a crap about basketball.

"You want something to eat or drink?" He asked and I followed him into the kitchen, where he began digging out the makings of a sandwich.

"Uh, maybe just water or something."

"I could turn that or-something into all kinds of somethings, if you'll let me." Brody said, smirking, as his eyes traveled down my form. Today I wore my combat boots, black skinny jeans, and my customary black hoody. I probably looked like a Goth chick, I suddenly realized. What I couldn't figure out though, is why Brody was coming onto me right then.

"Uh, Brody, I don't think anyone is home."

"I know, which increases our options." He said, wiggling his eyebrows, suggestively.

My eyes widened. So he was coming onto me, knowing nobody was home. There went my theory that he was still just trying to put on a show for his parents. I stammered, "Uh, are your folks expected home any minute or something?"

Brody glanced at the clock and shook his head, "No, dad will be at work for another two hours, at least, and today is Monday. Mom has afternoon tea with friends every Monday, which usually turns into booze in the evening."

"So there is nobody that could possibly interrupt us or something?"

Brody frowned, "Well, I can't promise what Cammy is doing. She pops in, unannounced sometimes, but I'm not counting on that. Lexi, I didn't ask you to come over as a way to piss off my parents."

"Right, you asked me over to tutor you in chemistry." I tell him, trying to remind him, as well as myself.

He winced, "Well, I might have lied."

"You lied?" Now I was really confused.

"I don't really need help with chemistry."

Alright, I'd had enough, so I demanded, "Brody Vincent, tell me what I'm doing here, right this instant!"

Brody grinned and closed the refrigerator, which he'd been holding open. Then he began to stalk toward me, "You're sexy when you're bossy."

"Brody! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to show you why I wanted you to come over." He says, matter-of-factly, and then picked me up, setting me on the counter. He stepped between my legs and I gasped, which he swallowed with his own mouth. Brody Vincent was kissing me and nobody was around to witness it. Did it mean that he actually wanted to kiss me?

"Well, I'm sure mom would be happy to know that your girlfriend's ass has been sitting where her food is prepared." Cammy's voice startled both of us and I grew cold. So Brody had lied? He knew that Cammy was about to interrupt us, so that's why he kissed me? Damn it. I really needed to get a grip on my emotions, I silently scolded myself.

Brody growled, "What are you doing here, Cammy?"

"Dad left some papers on his home desk that he and Ron need at the office, so I'm picking them up for them. What are you two doing?" She asked, smirking.

I hopped off the counter and looked at my feet. I felt used. Brody could have just told me that he wanted to put on a show for his sister. I needed to get the hell out of here. I needed to get away from Brody. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I moved toward the door, and picked up my backpack, where I'd dropped it when we first arrived. I threw it over my shoulder and hurried out of the house. Brody hollered after me, so I picked up my pace, getting behind the wheel of Lance's car, and peeled out of Brody's driveway. The next time Brody asked me to help him out, I needed to tell him no. I would say no. I snorted. Damn it, if that boy came to me again, I was going to freaking say yes and I hated myself for it.