“i won't talk

i won't breathe

i won't move til you finally see

that you belong with me.”

CHAPTER ONE

Brock Masterson looked around the lunchroom, a very bored look on his symmetrical face. It was the first day of school, which only meant one thing: new year, same shit. His junior year was going to be the same as the years in the past. One of his brothers would rule their respective grade and then eventually go on to rule the school. When he was a freshman, it was Logan. This year it was River. Which only meant that next year, he would take the throne for himself.

The Masterson boys seemed to be intent on leaving some sort of legacy, dynasty, or whatever and they sure as hell were doing a good job at it. When one graduated, the next in line automatically became the successor and everyone at Notre Dame Catholic High School knew it. And just because Brock's last name was Masterson, people always assumed three things about him.

One, that he was blessed with the good looks that ran in his family. Which wasn't really an assumption because Brock really was blessed with the Masterson good looks. Signature black hair and deep blue eyes. He had yet to master the half smile half smirk that River had, but Brock didn't care about that. It was either one or the other. Seriously. How the hell could a person smile and smirk at the same time?

Two, he was a big manwhore. Another point that wasn't really an assumption. The Masterson boys were known for their regular one night stands, their strands of short-lived 'relationships', and of course, all the notches in their bedposts. Brock wasn't proud of it, but when girls spread their legs for him just by looking at them, it was pretty much an open invitation. Pun intended. He wasn't as big of a manwhore as Logan was. Logan normally had a different girl in his bed every day. Sometimes twice a day.

And last, but certainly not least, people assumed that he liked a challenge. Also an assumption that wasn't really an assumption. Like his older brothers, Brock had a thing for challenges. They just seemed to make life interesting. Whether it was a sport, a videogame, a girl, or anything in between; the Mastersons loved challenges. When they saw something they wanted, they went out and got it, no matter what it took.

Okay, so maybe those assumptions were just truths. But unlike his older brothers, Brock had no desire to go to Yale or law school or become part of the 'Masterson and Sons' law firm that had gone through at least three generations of men in his family. He didn't want that for his life. He liked to argue just as much as his brothers, but he couldn't see a career in it. He wanted to do something that he was passionate about. What Brock really wanted was to go to NYU to study art.

Art was his passion. The shapes, the color mixtures, the details, everything. No one in his family really understood his passion for art. It made him the black sheep of the family in a way, but he was lucky that his family supported him in anything that he did.

Brock's blue eyes continued to scan the room. His brother River was sitting at the middle table with his friends Tyson Greene, Nate Adams, and Garrett Brady. They all seemed to be laughing at something amusing and Brock shook his head. They were probably talking about all the girls each one of them slept with over the summer. Brock rolled his eyes and looked to the other side of the cafeteria where Fallon Kennedy was sitting.

Brock remembered that Fallon Kennedy was one of the girls that Logan slept with on a regular basis. She was probably the only one who showed up the to house, had sex with Logan, and then left right after the deed was done. She was known for being a big slut and an even bigger bitch. Fallon didn't seem to mind though and her best friend Perry Matthews didn't seem to mind either.

Pierce Scott, Brock's best friend, let out a long whistle. “Damn,” he said. “Look who grew up over the summer,” he nodded his head of brown hair to a table to one a few feet from theirs.

Brock looked in the direction his friend was nodding and he held back from letting his jaw drop. There she was. Kansas Summer. The girl of his dreams.

Kansas Summer had been in Brock's art class since freshman year and ever since he saw her own sketched version of the Mona Lisa, Brock was smitten. He'd gotten to know her pretty well that year and they had even become good friends. She had been somewhat of a stick, with long blonde hair and light blue eyes, but the girl who he was looking at was no twig. This Kansas had a bigger chest, more meat on her bones, shinier blonde hair, and had a much brighter smile. Kansas Summer was a late bloomer, but that never really stopped Brock's pulse from skyrocketing when he saw her.

She was sitting at a table with a few other girls, but Kansas wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. She wasn't even contributing to the conversation. She would smile when something was funny and she would nod when someone said something to her, but Brock knew she wasn't really listening. Instead, her blue eyes were concentrated on the piece of paper she was doodling on, a small smile playing on her lips. Brock was fascinated about the way she could just block everything out and focus solely on art.

“Hey, Masterson,” Pierce snapped his fingers in front of Brock's face. “Quit gaping at my step sister,” Brock shook his head and glared at his friend. “When I said 'look who grew up over the summer' I was talking about Jillian Simpson, she seems to be filling out her white button down nicely. Why would I be talking about Kansas? That would just be wrong on so many levels.”

“Fuck you, dude,” Brock said. “Kansas looks good,” he glanced over at her again.

Pierce shrugged. His father and Kansas' mother had gotten married two summers ago when they were fourteen. Piece never really saw what Brock liked about Kansas, but she seemed nice enough. And if Brock wanted her, he could probably have her. It was just how the Mastersons worked. They always got everything they wanted and Brock had wanted Kansas since they were freshmen.

What Pierce couldn't understand was the fact that Brock hadn't asked her out already. What was he being so shy about? It was just Kansas. And they were friends, so it should have been a piece of cake. Brock always seemed to exude confidence just like his older brothers, but then again the older Mastersons probably never liked a girl as much as Brock liked Kansas. If Pierce wasn't mistaken, he was pretty sure that Brock was secretly in love with her.

And Kansas! It seemed like every time Brock came over to their house, she turned beet red. Brock never did anything to embarrass her, he just flirted with her a lot. Then again, Brock seemed to flirt with every girl, so it really wasn't anything special. Kansas was cute too, which was a little weird for him to say of his own step sister, but she was. Guys had asked her out before, but she'd always politely decline. Whenever Pierce asked her about it, she'd use the 'he's just not my type' excuse or the 'I don't have time for a boyfriend' excuse. Pierce snorted. He read her diary enough to know that she turned those guys down because she was waiting for Brock to ask her out.

“Yeah, sure, Kansas looks good. Whatever,” Pierce rolled his eyes. “My cousin Alyssa gave her make-up tips or some shit. Are you going to do something about your undying love for her this year or what?”

Brock's blue eyes widened. “Huh?” How the fuck was he going to get out of that one? “What makes you think I'm in love with Kansas?”

“Don't play dumb with me,” Pierce said. “Just grow a pair and ask her out already. Or tell her you like her. I'm sick of you two dancing around each other. It may not be obvious to anyone but me, but fuck. Do something.”

“You know, it's really not as easy as you think,” Brock told his friend.

Actually, Brock didn't know if asking a girl out was easy or not. He'd never really asked a girl to be his girlfriend. What he usually did was hook up with a girl for a week, or a couple days, and she would be his girl of the week. Nothing too serious. His brothers taught him how to do it. It was simple. Just pick one, get what you want from her, and then be done with her. It was easy. Committing to one girl was much harder.

Pierce shook his head. “Stop pussing out, man. I know girls are on your cock all the time, but Kansas is probably the only one who isn't going to just let you have it.”

“Exactly, that's why I don't want to put any effort in,” Brock replied. “Besides, she's your step sister. There's a rule against that, you know.”

“Yeah, but I know you, man,” Pierce shook his head. “You're not one to follow the rules. It's like encoded in your DNA or something.”

“So my brothers are bad influences,” Brock shrugged. “Big fucking deal.”

Pierce smacked himself in the forehead. “Fucking a. Will you just grow a pair and go talk to Kansas already? It's not like she's in the middle of some big important conversation with her friends. The only person who can pull her from art mode is you.”

“Lunch is almost over, there's no point,” Brock argued.

“Oh, for the love of all things holy!” Pierce got up and pushed Brock out of his chair. “I didn't think I'd have to help get your scared ass up, but I'll be your fucking wing if it helps. Jesus. I thought you Mastersons had a knack for challenges.”

Brock straightened his blue blazer and glared at his friend. “We do have a knack for challenges.”

“Then what the fuck are you stalling for? Kansas Summer is a challenge. At least for you anyway,” Pierce pushed Brock in front of him, both boys making their way to Kansas' lunch table.

“You know, man, one of these days I'm going to have to kick your ass,” Brock narrowed his blue eyes at his friend once again.

“And if you do that, then no one's going to be there to talk you up when you start acting like a pansy around Kansas.”

Kansas Summer sighed to herself. As much as she loved her friends, she wasn't interested in who they hooked up with that summer, what clothes they bought with their parents' precious plastic, or who had sex with who at this party. It was all the same gossip she heard every other day.

“Kansas?” a voice from her right said.

“Hmm?” she replied, not looking up from her drawing. It was of the Eiffel Tower and she was only relying on her photographic memory to draw every detail that she could.

She had gone to Europe over the summer with her father and his new wife, all three of them trying to become some sort of family. They had only been married for a year and Kansas was still trying to adjust to the fact that her new step mother was old enough to be her older sister. Disgusting.

While her father and his new wife got it on in their hotel room, Kansas made sure to hit all of the art museums she could while she was in Rome, Paris, London, and every other gorgeous European country. She spent most of the vacation traveling to some of the tourist attractions herself, often with a drawing pad and a pencil. She got a few good sketches of historic landmarks that she hoped would be good enough to help her get into NYU.

“How was Europe?” Jillian Simpson, her best friend, asked.

Kansas looked up to find three sets of eyes looking at her expectantly. She didn't know what they were waiting for. It wasn't like she had some exciting European excursion. All she did in Europe was draw scenery, landmarks, and people.

She shrugged. “It was... fun. I guess.”

Jillian frowned and gave Kansas a disapproving look. Kansas knew that look. She and the strawberry blonde girl had been best friends long enough for Kansas to know that Jillian wanted her to contribute more to the conversation. She briefly wondered how they were even friends since Jillian was more of a socialite and Kansas wasn't. Social outcast wouldn't have been the word to describe her, since Kansas herself was quite popular, but sometimes she felt like she didn't fit in with her clique of girlfriends.

“I mean, the sights were amazing. I got to go to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower and the view from up there is absolutely breathtaking. I wish I could have drawn it, but it wouldn't really compare to the real thing. And plus it probably would have taken me too long anyway,” she rambled. Jillian shot her another look, so Kansas quickly went on. “The food was great. People were nice.”

“Did you get to do any shopping?” Tiffany Wilson asked.

“Um, my dad did take me shopping in Milan, but I didn't buy too much. Just a couple dresses.”

“I bet they look amazing on you, since you're so tall and everything. Plus, you've finally filled out!” Tiffany beamed.

“Yeah, thanks,” she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Kansas had been a skinny twig for most of her life, but for some reason that summer, her body decided that it was time for a change. Her breasts had grown to a B cup and she had started to gain some more muscle on her scrawny body. Her step cousin Alyssa had given her some kind of workout plan to follow while she was in Europe and away from the gym. Kansas wasn't really the kind of person who liked to workout, but Alyssa had been so eager for her to try it that she couldn't help herself. Plus, it was a fairly easy workout to follow since the hotels they stayed at had big enough pools for her to do laps in.

“Did you meet any cute boys? I hear European boys are sexy. Just look at David Beckham,” another girl, Abigail Miller, spoke.

“Abi, honey, Beckham is a huge soccer star. Of course he's sexy,” Jillian smiled. “Besides, not all guys in Europe play sports, right Kansas?”

“Right, whatever you say,” she agreed, although she didn't really know if that was the truth. She hadn't met any boys when she was in Europe. She really didn't care much that she never met any either. “But I didn't really meet any guys while I was in Europe.”

“Why not?” the three girls asked at once. Each one started spitting out question after question and Kansas barely had any time to let them register so she could answer them.

“Were they not cute enough?”

“How come you didn't go find a European boy toy? Hello! I would have.”

“Do you have a personal vendetta against all the Y chromosomes in the world or something? Jeez, girl, we need to get you a man.”

Kansas sighed and shook her head. She was tired of the conversation already. Times like this made her wish she really was an outcast among her peers. At least she would get some peace and quiet every once in a while. And it wasn't that she didn't like boys, she was actually very attracted to the opposite sex. It was just that no one really made her heart pound in her chest. No one made her feel like she was walking on air. Or some other equally sappy feeling that described love.

While her friends started idle chatter, Kansas picked up her pencil and continued to draw, tuning them out of her mind. She didn't need them interrupting the masterpiece that she was trying to create. She'd offer in a nod or laugh when she briefly heard something funny, but she didn't open her mouth to say anything else.

“Hey, Brock Masterson and Pierce Scott are heading this way,” Tiffany whispered loudly.

Kansas' hand stopped shading in her picture. Okay, so maybe 'no one made her heart pound in her chest' actually meant 'no one but Brock Masterson made her heart pound in her chest.' Brock was probably one of the best looking boys in their grade and probably one of the best looking in the whole school next to his older brother River and his friends. Then again, Brock and River were Mastersons and with a last name like that, it was kind of a given that you were wanted by the female population. Wanted in a good way.

Brock had been a good friend to Kansas ever since they were freshmen and as time went by, she had a little—okay, big—crush on him. He was funny, smart, and probably one of the best artists she had ever come in contact with. Whatever Brock drew, he drew with raw emotion and passion. The kind of passion that Kansas could only wish for.

“Kansas, you are so lucky that you have a hot step brother who just so happens to have a hot best friend,” Abigail sighed.

Kansas frowned at her drawing. She was so annoyed that girls only saw Brock as something nice to look at. They didn't know that there was something more underneath that good looking exterior. Brock had some serious talent that could take him places. Sure, he acted exactly like his older brothers when it came to relationships or dating, but his artistic abilities were more than enough to make up for it.

“I wonder what they want,” Jillian glanced at Kansas for a moment. She could tell that her best friend was nervous about Brock making his way over to their table. Kansas didn't even have to look at her for Jillian to know that it was true. She could just tell in the blonde's body language. Her back had stiffened.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Kansas mumbled.

“Hello, ladies,” her step brother, Pierce, said smoothly.

“Hi, Pierce,” they chorused. “Hi, Brock.”

“Hey,” Brock replied. Kansas could hear the smile in his tone. She didn't dare look up from her drawing. Brock Masterson made her thoughts foggy. Half the time she couldn't form coherent words around him. She was surprised that Brock even talked to her, since she felt like all she did was ramble on and on in his presence.

“Can we sit with you girls before lunch is over?” Pierce asked.

“Sure,” they all replied, moving over to make room for the two boys.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kansas saw that Jillian moved over and a new body took a seat next to her. She didn't need to look up to know that it was Brock Masterson.

“Hi, Kansas,” he said, turning to face her.

“Hi, Brock,” she said quietly, still not looking up from her drawing. She forced her hand to move again, praying that she wouldn't mess up her drawing since it was shaking so much.

“How was your summer?” he asked.

“It was fine,” she replied, hoping her voice didn't sound shaky. Jillian cleared her throat and Kansas looked over at her. Jillian's green eyes kept shifting between her and Brock, silently telling her to contribute more to the conversation. “I was in Europe for a while,” she sighed, finally meeting his blue eyes.

“I know,” he grinned. “I missed seeing your face when I went to your house,” he winked.

Kansas willed herself not to blush. It was a cute statement, but Kansas was sure he'd used the same line on a girl once before. Brock was a smooth talker and a big time flirt, so she tired not to look into it too much. “Thanks,” she smiled back. “Did you draw anything over the summer?”

He nodded. “I sketched a couple of still life drawings. Just stuff around my house or around town. Probably nothing compared to what you drew in Europe.”

“The scenery over there is amazing. Have you ever been before? I bet you'd be a kid in a candy store over there. There's so many different things that you could paint or sketch.”

“I think we're going next summer or something,” he shrugged. “But I'll take your word for it, it looks like you've been inspired,” he tapped his finger on her drawing of the Eiffel Tower.

“I'm trying to draw it from memory,” she said. “I'm hoping to enter it in the art show this year. NYU too.”

“It looks like a great drawing to me. I can't wait until you finish it,” he said. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Brock looked at her. “What class do you have next?”

“Art,” she replied with a smile.

“Good, me too.”

A/N: YAY! One chapter down for Brock :] Only four to go! You know what to do!

Disclaimer: Lyrics in the beginning of each chapter come from the song "True" by Ryan Cabrera.