My Stepbrother Colton

"Are we there now?!" "Milo, haven't you asked that twelve times already?!" "Well, I'll stop bugging you once we're there! Duh!" My mom let out an annoyed groan. "Milo, we are NOT there yet," she muttered. "Ask me one more time and I'm tossing you out of the car to hitchhike." I stuck out my lip and slid lower in my seat, folding my arms like a brat while I stared through the window at the blur outside. "Where's your iPod? Why not listen to that?" mom asked, shooting me a glance. I rooted around the backseat until I found my iPod. I shoved in my headphones and cranked it while Let's Get It blasted "Maps." I leaned back and looked out the window again, wondering how much farther we had to go but not brave enough to ask. Hitchhiking sounded like a terrible idea. With my luck, I'd end up with some creepy fat pedo bear trucker named Wade Tanner who'd steal my poor virginity! Ew. Hard pass! For the record, my mom had just married the guy she'd been dating for five years, and today we were moving in with him. He was this nice guy named Gavin, and it was obvious he adored my mom. That earned him a gold star from me. Gavin had a son, though, and I'd never met him. Isn't that just fabulous? Mom had been with this dude for five years and I still hadn't met his kid. Hell, I didn't even know how old the guy was! I went to the wedding, but Gavin's son didn't. He'd been stuck at home with the flu. He was too wiped out to come and didn't want to spread germs everywhere, so he missed it. Mom kept saying we'd meet during the summer, but I always went to camp with my friends, so that died fast. She'd bring it up for school breaks too, but I always went off with friends then. I honestly felt bad that I'd never met Gavin's son, but that was changing today! I was finally going to meet the guy now that we were stepbrothers. I started wondering what Gavin's son might be like. Mom had seen him a few times, but she never really said much. Then again, I always asked about Gavin, and she could go on about him forever. I probably should've asked more about his son. I seriously hoped Gavin's son was as cool as Gavin. Gavin was ridiculously funny and genuinely nice. He and my mom just clicked perfectly and got along great. I'd say they were ying and yang, but then my brain would wander somewhere dirty. And when those thoughts involved my mom and her new husband…ew. Just ew. Uh-uh, no way, no thank you! Getting sleepy, I stretched a little, knocked my knee on the dashboard, and glared at it. I jabbed a warning finger its way. "Don't start with me. I've got a license to kill!" I warned. "Milo, once you start threatening the dashboard, that probably means it's nap time," mom said, sighing as she shook her head at me. "Keep your eyes on the road, woman!" I yelled, and she sighed again before looking back at the road. I settled into the seat as best I could, watched my knee this time, and shut my eyes. A whole week of packing crashed into me like a train, and I was asleep fast even though the position sucked. "Milo! Milo, get up!"