His Favorite, page 1
EVIE CLARK
Copyright © 2019 by Evie Clark
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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About the book
ZACK
If I’m being honest, I’ve always had a thing for her.
She’s pure, untouched by this garbage world.
Smart, witty, and gorgeous beyond compare, there’s only one problem.
She’s my stepsister.
I’m watching over her as she starts her freshman year of college.
Making sure she’s not getting into trouble and no guys bother her.
I also have a plan of my own.
Whether she wants to own up to it or not, I know she has feelings for me to.
All I have to do is convince her to stop lying to herself.
That’s when the real college fun begins.
LOGAN
College means getting away and finally having fun.
Of course, there are classes and homework, but aside from that
I just can’t seem to shake my stepbrother Zack.
Charming and dangerous, all my friends seem to think he’s the hottest guy on campus.
I can’t argue, but I’ll never admit that to him.
At least, I wouldn’t before.
Things are a lot different now.
The more time I spend around him, the more I realize that I’ve always had feelings for him.
And now that we’re away from home, I think it’s time to explore them.
His Favorite is a 20,000-word novella with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
HIS FAVORITE
1
Logan
T his is all so surreal. I knew the day would come, but I never predicted what it might feel like to finally be leaving the nest. Dad tried to tell me that junior high and high school would be the best time of my life, the time that made sense, but I never believed him.
And here I am now, standing in my new dorm room, watching as my stepmom Stephanie smooths out the rose gold sheets on my tiny twin-size bed. She pauses to fluff the pillows, then turns around to smile at me.
She's not my biological mother, but she's been the only mom I've ever known. She came into my life when I was young, mainly as a friend of Dad's, and when I was 13, he finally proposed. Now that Dad's gone, Stephanie is the only family I have left. Well, there's also Zack.
As if taking some kind of off-screen cue, Zack stomps his way into my room dressed ridiculously in his stupid frat boy uniform: mesh shorts, a white tank top, and socks and tennis shoes.
His wily brown bangs don't cover his face like they usually do thanks to the white bandana he has on, and his shaggy beard actually looks like it's seen a razor this turn of the century. Beneath bushy brows are dark brown eyes, serious and determined. He looks at me like I'm a bomb that could detonate at any moment.
“There you are,” Stephanie says with exasperation. “I called you three times.”
“I'm sorry,” he says, hands up to emphasize his innocence. “I put my phone on silent when I'm at work and I guess I forgot to take it off.”
“Well, I'm just glad that you're here.” Stephanie puts her hands on her hips and looks between the two of us with a smile. “My babies are all grown up. I'm gonna cry.”
“Geez, Mom, you did this to me two years ago.”
“She hasn't done it to me yet, so you hush,” I say, sticking up for her. Zack glares at me when I step closer and hug Stephanie. I squeeze her tight to let her know that I'm really going to miss her while I'm away.
She taught me everything I know about being a woman. How to hold myself, how to not let boys get away with the bullshit that they’ll inevitably try now that we’re in college, and how I can call her if I ever need anything. I don’t want to bother her, though. She spent so much of her time raising me and Zack. The least I can give her is a few months off from being a parent.
“Alright, I’ll leave you two alone now,” she says, stepping back and running a hand through my hair. As she walks to the door, she pinches Zack’s cheek, and he groans, swatting her hand away.
“Bye Mom,” he mutters.
“Bye Stephanie!”
And just like that, she’s gone.
I’m not used to feeling like this. Most of the time, I know what I’m going to do next. I know where I’m headed, or what my goal is. But now that Stephanie’s gone, it’s starting to hit me that I don’t have any instruction books now. I’m on my own out here. Well, I still have Zack, but he barely counts as a person. The last thing I want is to take instructions from him.
“So,” he says, crossing his arms and looking at me. “What are your plans for tonight?”
I shrug, taking a seat on my bed. It’s not as comfortable as the one at home, but it’s not terrible either. “I dunno. I was probably just going to spend the night in and get prepared for classes.”
He scoffs. “Of course.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that you’re the kind of person that would spend all your time with your nose in your books while everyone else is having the time of their lives at parties and shit. Here I thought I’d have to make sure you didn’t go too crazy your first few weeks here.”
I’m almost touched that he cares enough to think about looking out for me. Almost. “You’re so sweet, Zack. I really love it when you insult me,” I say sarcastically.
“Hey, I’m just saying.”
“Yeah, well can you just say it somewhere else? My roommate will be here any—”
The door swings open, and I look up at my roommate Julie. She has brown hair braided into two perfect plaits on either side, and her skin is perfectly and smooth as porcelain. “Hi,” she says, looking between me and Zack.
“Hi, I’m Logan,” I say, jumping up to shake her hand. “This is my stepbrother Zack. He was just leaving.” I give Zack a shove and he stumbles backwards, out into the hallway. He shoots me a dirty look but smooths his face out when he turns back to Julie.
“I’m Julie,” she says. “Nice to meet you both.”
“You too, Jules,” Zack says, winking at her. I cringe hard enough to give myself a cramp. Of course. Not even one minute in and he’s already flirting with my roommate. Before he can say anything else, I slam the door in his face and lock it.
“Sorry about that,” I sigh, shaking my head. “He’s a tool.”
“That’s okay,” she giggles.
While she unpacks all of her things, the two of us start talking and getting to know each other. She’s a bio major with dreams of becoming a teacher, and I have to give her credit. We were just high schoolers, and anyone that goes through that and decides they want to be around kids still is an angel. When she asks about my major, I tell her that I’m torn between what I want to do. I love to write, but I don’t know whether I want to focus on English or journalism.
“Those are both great majors,” she says. “I’m the kind of person that says follow your heart. You’ll eventually figure out what you want to do in life.”
I don’t know her very well, but I’m already starting to like her. Zack would probably make fun of me and tell me that I’d flunk either major so there’s no point in stressing myself. But really, he doesn’t have much room to talk when he’s struggling with his communications degree.
After we’re all unpacked, Julie mentions an Omega Nu party happening later tonight. She undoes her braids in the mirror, looking over her shoulder at me as the waves frame her face. “We should totally go,” she says excitedly. “I’d go by myself, but I’ve seen too many PSAs. I’m sure we’ve got a couple of Brock Turners around here, and I’m not trying to meet any of them.”
I almost turn her down, but then I remember what Zack said earlier. How I’m boring, how I’m going to waste my time studying when everyone else is having fun. Annoyed with his smarmy analysis, I say,
“Sure! I’ve never been to a party, though, so don’t leave me.”
She giggles. “I would never. Not unless you wanted to be alone with a guy or something.” Her eyes flash to mine in the mirror. “Or girls, too. That’s cool with me.”
“Just guys,” I say. “But hey, this is college. Anything could happen.”
“Damn straight!”
It takes me no time to get ready. I change out of my t-shirt and jeans and pull on a dress that stops just above my knees. It’s simple, blue and gold, with a pretty sweetheart neckline that shows off the necklace Stephanie bought me as a graduation present a few months ago. When I finish, Julie’s just getting done as well.
We head down to campus, and I nearly stop to admire the place. Everything feels so open and free, not restrictive like the halls of my old high school. Here, we could do anything. We can be anyone we want. The limitless possibilities make me excited—and just a little uneasy. I remind myself to take things one step at a time. And like Julie said, I’ll let my heart guide me.
The party is in full swing when we arrive. As promised, Julie doesn’t leave my side, and we end up mingling wi
“Chris, right?” I ask, holding my drink to my chest and looking up at him. He has these beautiful green eyes and sandy blond hair, and when he smiles, there’s a dimple in his left cheek.
“Chris, yeah,” he says over the music. “You’re Logan.”
“Guilty,” I smile.
He offers to get me a refill when I finish off my cup, but Julie jumps up from the sofa and does it for me. I give her a silent, appreciative glance as she heads into the kitchen.
“That was awfully nice of her,” he chuckles.
“Yeah, that’s my roommate. She’s nice.”
“How are you liking campus so far? I’ve gotten lost a few times already, and that’s just when I went looking for somewhere to eat at,” he says.
“It’s huge!” I exclaim. “I went to a tiny high school one town over, so being here is… I don’t have the words for it. It’s just incredible.”
He slips a hand into his pocket and looks around. “It’s crazy to think that these budding alcoholics will be our classmates next week. Asking to cheat off us, showing up to class late.”
I laugh, and I can’t argue with him. There’s a girl dancing wildly in the hallway, and two people in the kitchen throw back shots like they’re going out of style. I’m impressed with how much they can drink, but my stomach also turns at the sight. Too much for me.
“What classes are you taking?” I ask. I brush a strand of dark hair over my shoulder and look up to meet his gaze. “Maybe we’ll have something together. Then we can just cheat off each other.”
“I like the way you think,” he says.
Chris starts giving me his schedule, but just as he lists the classes off, my eyes lock onto someone staring at me from across the room. At first, I almost ignore them, but I do a double take when I realize that it’s Zack. He’s standing off to the side of the living room, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a red plastic cup.
What’s he doing here? And why is staring at me like that?
Immediately, my good mood starts to sink. I thought after our conversation earlier today, he’d leave me alone and realize he didn’t have to watch after me. I’m an adult now, and I can take care of myself. But here he is, standing in the crowd like some kind of creepy Edward Cullen, and I can’t focus on anything but him.
I turn towards Chris, and with an apologetic tone, I say, “I’m so sorry, but I’ll be right back.”
“Sure!”
After a quick, forced smile for Chris, I stalk towards Zack, my expression hardened. He’s in for it now.
2
Zack
L ogan meets my eye from across the room, and I see the look on her face change. Seconds ago, she was all laughs and smiles, and now she looks like she’s ready to kill someone. Namely, me. She makes a beeline for me, ignoring everyone else in the room as she approaches. When she’s close enough, she grabs me by the sleeve and pulls me to a small alcove in the dining room.
“What are you doing here?” she demands in a hushed voice.
I crack a smile. “Am I not allowed to go to parties?”
“Yeah, you’re allowed to go to parties, but not if you’re gonna stare at me like some weirdo. Are you here so you can watch over me like you said in my dorm?”
“You give yourself too much credit, Logan.”
Did I know that Logan was going to be at the same party as me tonight? Hell no. If I remember correctly, she’s the one that told me she wasn’t going out. She was going to spend her night getting ready for school, and I teased her about being boring.
Besides, these guys are my friends. I’ve been to almost every other Omega Nu party since I’ve been at Jefferson. I’m not going to suddenly change how often I go out just so she doesn’t feel like I’m dedicating my entire life to stalking her.
Ever since we were kids, Mom wanted me to look out for her. She wanted me to make sure nobody messed with Logan. It didn’t matter if we weren’t related by blood. We were family, and that’s what family did. So, that’s what I did.
Whenever someone was bothering Logan, I’d pull them aside and let them know that it wasn’t cool. If some guy kept harassing her or trying to get her phone number, I was a little less nice about telling them to back off. Did it annoy Logan? Did she always complain that I was hovering, trying to parent her like Mom and her dad did? Yes. But I didn’t care. She was my responsibility.
And even now, she’s still my responsibility. I’m supposed to keep her out of trouble, especially with how gross dudes are in college. It’s more important now more than ever.
“You’ve always done this, Zack,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’ve always put your nose into my business when you didn’t have to. You’re always trying to treat me like a child.”
“That’s what big brothers are for,” I smirk.
“No,” she says, glaring at me. “Stop being a freak. Stop staring at me.”
“My bad,” I say, holding my hands up. “If you want to flirt with Chris Newman, then be my guest.”
An indignant look crosses her face. “I wasn’t flirting with him,” she snaps.
And just like that, she’s told me everything she probably doesn’t want me to know. I’d only been glancing at the two of them for a few minutes, but from their body language and the way she looked up at him, I knew Logan was trying to flirt.
It was painful. I almost felt sorry for the guy, having to deal with such an awkward person like Logan.
I’m being an asshole.
Really, it was fine. He looked at her like so many guys look at girls around here. Like they’re plotting the fastest way to get them undressed. Like they’re figuring out all the right things to say to get a positive reaction from her. And surprisingly, she didn’t seem as terrible uncomfortable as I might’ve expected. She held her own. It was a bit impressive, if I’m being completely honest.
I don’t know why it rubbed me the wrong way, but it did. It’s probably because I was raised to watch out from her. Being two years older, it was my job to be the careful one, which majorly cramped my style because I like getting in trouble more than staying out of it. Those two years in school when I was out of town and didn’t have to look out for anyone but myself were glorious.
Not that I mind having Logan around. She’s cool, when she’s not yelling at me and accusing me of being a creep.
“You were flirting with him,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Fuck off,” she mutters. She looks over my shoulder as someone approaches. It’s the girl from her dorm. Jessie, I think her name was. She hands Logan a drink. “Thanks,” Logan says with a smile.
“Wow, none for me?” I tease.
The other girl looks flustered and smiles bashfully. “Sorry, do you want one?”
“No,” Logan cuts in. “He can get his own drink. C’mon.” She takes her friends hand and leads her away, glaring at me as she leaves. That look, with her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, always makes me laugh.
“Whatever,” I grunt. “I’ll make it myself.”
I head into the kitchen and pour myself a glass of something cheap and strong, leaning against the counter as I sip. All around me, people are wasted out of their minds and doing the dumbest shit. Two guys are trying to play beer pong on the dining room table, but they keep knocking cups over and spilling everything. In the kitchen, a girl is playing bartender, but she’s adding splashes of whatever she can get her hands on to make the most fucked up cocktails I’ve ever seen.
There’s even a small group off to the side of the room snorting something off the counter. I don’t even want to know what that’s about. That was never my scene. Sure, I’ve smoked, eaten an edible or two, and popped something when we went to Coachella freshman year, but addictive shit like that isn’t my kind of thing. I like being in control, or at the very least, being able to sober up really quickly.
A redhead in a tiny miniskirt and matching black crop top approaches me, a wicked smile on her face. She leans against the counter next to me. “Makes you wonder which of us is going to graduate, huh? Without a coke addiction, I mean.”
