Stepbrother With Benefits 18 (Third Season) (8 page)

"You can sit now, Ethan," he says to me. To the rest of the class, he adds, "For anyone else interested, I have plenty of copies of my book, which you can come collect at the end of my lecture. While it's not required reading for this course, it should make an excellent study guide for your textbook, and will make this class much easier to follow."

I take my book and go to sit next to, uh... Brittany, I guess? Except Brittany scoots over into the other seat, forcing me to sit next to a scowling Ashley. She just fucking scowls at me. Keeps fucking scowling at me. I put my backpack down, sit next to her, and then take out my notebook and a pen. I wasn't planning on taking notes before, because, uh... I was kind of planning on texting Ashley since this is just a guest lecture and not even required for the class.

Not sure that's going to work, though. She's still fucking scowling at me!

Roger Telford starts talking about the fascinating journey Alexis de Tocqueville must have gone on during this new age of democracy in the United States. It's pretty interesting, to be honest. I guess I never thought of it that way, but it'd be cool to just travel around the country and talk to people. Not sure I want to talk to people about democracy, but whatever.

I bet that Alexis guy went to bars and shit, too. How fucking easy was it for a French guy with an accent to pick up American girls in a bar? Wait, did they have English accents back then or what? Was it kind of the same as picking up English girls in a bar? This is fucking complicated.

While I'm contemplating writing this question down, I suddenly realize I have a head on my shoulder, and an arm around my arm. It's Ashley. Her head, her arm. She nuzzles against me, but it's not distracting or anything. She's just cuddling over here, cuddly as fuck, listening to the guest lecture.

I don't know how I feel about this. It's kind of the best? I didn't know this was a thing anyone could do. I can still take notes, but I can also be flirty and cuddly as fuck with Ashley? Holy fuck, how amazing is that?

Brittany sneaks a peek over at us and sticks her tongue out at me. She leans over and whispers into my ear. "She's cute. You two are cute together. I approve."

I grin. Then I bend my head down and give Ashley a quick kiss on the forehead. She doesn't try to press it into anything more than that, just kind of sighs, content, and nuzzles against my arm some more. I love it. I'm a little conflicted here, because I'm not sure I should love that, but, uh...

Alright, what usually happens in situations like this, or what I've seen happen in situations like this, is the girl convinces the guy to just make out with her in the middle of class. It's probably easier than you think. If you're sitting off to the side, and you lean down a little, you can do a lot of stuff without anyone really noticing. Obviously straight up sex is out of the question, but...

Let's not talk about that. I know what the fuck I'm talking about, and that's all you need to know.

It's just really fucking distracting, too. How are you supposed to take notes when you're making out with some girl? Except, yeah, making out is a lot more interesting than taking notes.

Ashley is apparently a pro at knowing the exact line not to cross for both these things. I can take notes, but also be close as fuck with her, and it's not distracting. In fact, I'm pretty fucking sure I'm a million times more attentive right now. Her quiet excitement, just fucking... sitting there and listening with rapt attention to Doctor Roger Telford... yeah... it's kind of rubbing off on me.

I've never once in my life wanted to get an A in a class. I just wanted to pass, you know? Passing is enough, or it was enough, but...

I kind of want to get an A in this one. US History? It's not even that important, but maybe it is.

It feels really important for a different reason. Maybe that's how everything is. You just have to find your reason.

My reason is currently looking up at me with wide eyes and pouty lips. I take a break from taking some notes to bend down and give her a kiss. She holds it for a moment, our lips resting together, and then we break away. She goes back to listening, and I go back to listening and writing some stuff down.

The class ends faster than I expected, except when I check my phone it's already been an hour and a half. Uh, wow. How the fuck did that happen?

I
feel
like I've just had a once in a once in a lifetime experience, except it wasn't anything special, if that makes sense. I know it doesn't. I know I'm being contradictory. I'm just not sure how to describe what just happened and how it makes me feel.

I think I just experienced something special, significant, and important, but... it was just Ethan and I sitting next to each other in class while listening to Doctor Roger Telford give a guest lecture about Alexis de Tocqueville's
Democracy in America
. The thing is that I never really thought I'd ever end up doing something like this.

It's not just about Roger Telford. Yes, I love his book, and I think his ideas about Tocqueville's writing are amazing. I really wanted to go to this lecture, even if I'm not exactly supposed to be here. I know this isn't my college, but I figured I could sneak in and no one would know. It's the second day of classes, so an extra student isn't going to stand out very much, you know?

That all kind of changed as soon as I saw Ethan walk in. It didn't help that the only empty seats in the lecture hall were right next to me, so he sort of needed to sit there. I was going to explain everything quietly once he sat down, but then, um...

Things escalated. That's what I'm going to say happened. They escalated.

And then it turned into something amazing. Except not. I'm contradicting myself again, aren't I?

It was just sitting. I literally just spent about an hour and a half sitting next to Ethan while he took some notes about the lecture and Doctor Telford spoke to Ethan's class. It's not really anything amazing, but to me it was.

It wasn't amazing because of the lecture, it was amazing because I got to be with Ethan. I know I'm with Ethan a lot, or I can be, but I never thought we'd be in a class together.

It reminds me of when we were in class together before. It seems like a long time ago. We didn't really have a lot of classes together in high school. He was in a physical education class with me once, and we were in some electives together, but I was in the higher tier classes most of the time as far as core learning went. I don't hold that against Ethan or anything. I just...

I liked when we were in class together before that. In middle school and elementary school. I don't know why. It's not like we talked a lot. I just liked it.

Sometimes I'd get jealous of girls passing boys notes in class, too. Not just with Ethan, but anyone. I always wanted to pass a note to someone, but I didn't really have anyone to pass it to. I could never pass a note to Ethan. It just... no. It wasn't anything I thought about. I mean, yes, I
thought
about it, but...

That was it. Daydreams and ideas. Silly little things. The daydreams sort of ramped up after we kissed during the party Ethan held in high school, but we weren't really in any classes at the time, so...

And it's not just that. Back at my college, the whole "passing notes" thing kind of became cuddling and kissing during class. I really don't think anyone should be cuddling and kissing during class the way I see some people cuddling and kissing during class, because how are you going to take notes that way. Really now!

A little cuddling is alright, though... and maybe a kiss here and there...

That's what Ethan and I just did. A little. Here and there. In a lecture I really enjoyed.

Basically, um... it was perfect? Is that a dorky thing to say? Well, I don't care! It was perfect. It really really was.

Ethan and I stay in the lecture hall after class to talk a little. Sort of. The girl Ethan came in with is still here, too, sitting right next to him.

"So..." she says, giving Ethan one of those looks.

"What?" he asks her.

"Are you going to introduce me or what?"

"Oh, yeah, uh... Brittany, this is Ashley. Ashley, this is Brittany. She's a cheerleader."

Brittany smiles at me and holds out her hand as if to shake mine. I blink once, then twice. I open my mouth, to, um...

"You're the one who tried to seduce Ethan the day he came back to school," I say.

That's what I open my mouth to tell her. I won't say this is one of my best moments.

"Ethan, really, you told her that? I was just teasing you!" she hisses at him. "Wow."

"If you didn't want me to tell her, you shouldn't have fucking tried to seduce me," Ethan says, matter-of-fact.

"Well, maybe," Brittany says, grumbling. "Now she's going to hate me, though."

"I... I mean, I don't hate you," I say. I don't know if I should say that, though. "Um... just please don't do that again?"

"Yeah, you hear that?" Ethan says to her. "Don't try to seduce me, Brittany. Fucking A, man... you cheerleaders."

"Ethan!" I say, laughing and slapping at his shoulder. "That's not nice, either."

"I hope I didn't make you mad," Brittany says to me. "It's not like I was being serious. Ethan's just... I don't know. I've always thought he was nicer than he lets on, but to be honest he doesn't exactly have the best reputation."

"Oh, are we playing that game?" Ethan asks. "Ashley, just in case you were wondering, Brittany pretends she's a huge flirt, but in reality she's shy and doesn't think she'll find anyone who can see past her cheerleader sexiness and cherish her inner beauty."

"As you can see, Ethan is always looking to uphold his title of the most unintelligent student on campus, idiot football jock, and the guy who knows absolutely nothing about women," Brittany says, sighing and shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

I don't know what to think of this. Any of it. I'm kind of partial to believing Ethan. Not just because he's my boyfriend, but he just seems to know things about people. Maybe it's not exactly that, but I feel like he can understand people better or social situations or something. It's not like I can't handle them, but sometimes I don't really understand them. People and groups and...

Ethan's always been popular. I've never exactly been unpopular, but I just sort of um... I like to study? That's not really a good answer, but that's alright.

"Are you two in the same classes a lot?" I ask.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Ethan says, pretending to mumble, like he's, oh, so very upset about this.

"Yes, fortunately for your idiot boyfriend, we are," Brittany says. "I've been protecting him from girls who want to flirt with him. I'm not sure that'll be much of a problem after today, though."

"Uh, what?"

"After your crazy declaration of love and relationshipness, along with the cute cuddling and kissing you two were doing, basically everyone in school is going to know you're dating. You should be safe."

"Um, everyone's going to know?" I ask.

Oh no, what have I done?

To be fair, though, out of all the things that could have gone wrong, this seems like... I'm not sure this is something that went wrong? It's a little awkward, but it's probably good. I hope. Maybe. Ugh.

"I can keep an eye on him for you if you want, though," Brittany says to me, conspiratorial, winking. "Just let me know. Oh, we should trade numbers. Ethan said you might be interested in cheerleading stuff? If you're ever here on the weekends, you can come to our practice, or I can help you out afterwards. Just for fun, you know?"

"Oh! That would be... that would be really nice," I say, smiling.

It would, too. I tried out for cheerleading once. It kind of went horribly? I feel like that's an understatement. The cheerleaders in my high school were...

"Yeah, those cheerleaders in our high school were huge bitches, but Brittany's cool," Ethan says, finishing my unsaid thoughts.

I laugh at how unexpected and in tune we end up being. I like it. "Yup, a little," I say.

"Too bad you don't go to our school," Brittany adds. "We could cheer Ethan on at the games. Maybe I can sneak you onto the field sometime. Oh ho ho..."

"Brittany's crazy, by the way," Ethan says. "Like Scarlet, but different."

"I happen to like Scarlet a lot," Brittany says.

"See? The crazy people stick together, because they're fucking crazy."

"You're welcome to your opinion, Ethan, but your opinion is wrong. Also, don't you have to get to your next class or something?"

"Yeah, uh... I don't know why we're still sitting here. No offense, Princess. I was just kind of going with the flow here. You two are supposed to be the responsible ones or something."

"I'm being responsible," Brittany says. "This was my last class. You're the only one who has to be somewhere, you goon."

"Oh," Ethan says. "Uh... fuck. Princess, I have to go! Motherfucker, I'm going to be late. You could have told me earlier, Brittany!"

He grabs his backpack and jumps up, then starts running for the door. Halfway there, he turns around, runs back, and, um...

He grabs me. He picks me up off my seat, lifts me into the air, hugs me tight, and kisses me hard. It's completely unexpected, but entirely welcome. I hesitate for a second, caught off guard, and then the next thing I know we're kissing. The next thing I know after that is that there's a small group of students arriving for their next class and they're cheering at us.

"Ethan!" I hiss at him, laughing. "We're making a spectacle."

"I don't fucking care," he says, grinning at me and kissing me on the lips again, quick. "Everyone's just jealous."

"It's true," Brittany says, nodding and letting out a little sigh.

"Shut up, Brittany," he says. To me, he... well, he kisses me first, and then he says, "I'll see you later, alright? Just one more class but then I'll be back and we can pack up to leave."

"Alright," I say, kissing him once more, too. I wonder how many
once more
kisses we can get away with? "I love you, Ethan."

At least one more
once more
kiss, this one from Ethan.

Or two, this time from me.

Three, from the both of us.

"Right right," Brittany says, pulling us apart. "Ethan, class," she says, pointing at him and then to the door. "Ashley, you can come with me."

"Um... sure?" I say. "Why?"

"I need to pack. I'm coming with you two tonight."

"Oh," I say, as if this makes sense. "Wait! What?"

"I was going to tell you!" Ethan says, and this time when he runs out of the class, he doesn't come back.

Wow, Ethan. Really? Wow.

"Here, let me see your phone," Brittany says. I give it to her, and she saves her number into it as one of my contacts, then calls herself from my phone so she can get my number, too.. "Let's get Scarlet in on this, too. Do you know if she's packed yet? We can have some good girl talk bonding time together. This'll be the best."

"I don't think so," I say. "I was going to meet up with her after, so we can head there?"

"Hm, might be hard to get into the art dorms," Brittany says.

"Oh, she's in Caleb's room," I say.

"Oooh, is she now?" Brittany says with a glimmer in her eyes. "Interesting. And juicy. Let's just go see what she's up to then, shall we?"

Whoops! I didn't mean to do that. I'm supposed to be a good girl! Except I just snuck into a lecture I shouldn't have attended. And I skipped school to be with Ethan. And I told Brittany that Scarlet's staying in Caleb's room, which is probably not something she's supposed to be doing...

I'm the worst good girl ever, aren't I? I used to be so good at it, too.

Ugh.

Oh well.