All That Glitters Is My Stepdad.

George's POV

I turned, and there Blinky was....arms folded across his chest, lashes long, lip gloss shimmering like he owned the entire damn hallway. He had that stare... that "boy don't play in my face" stare.

I swallowed.

"Uh... Blinky, I need to, uh..."

Before I could even form a sentence, my dad stepped right beside me like a problem I didn't order.

"Hello," he said, eyeing Blinky from head to toe. "Mind me asking what's goin' on here?"

Blinky flipped his hair, hand on his hip.

"Ohhh, you tryna book a session, daddy?" he purred, licking his lip dramatically. "'Cause you know... I handle clients real good."

My dad smirked, shameless.

"You gonna do well in the bedroom, no lie. I know men who like that kinda energy."

Blinky hissed so loud I thought steam left his ears.

"Uh-huh, so that's the vibe? I actually thought you was gonna drop at least a penny on me. My bad for overestimating your senior citizen's pocket."

I grabbed Blinky's arm real quick before he started a fire we couldn't put out.

"Ayy...stop...come here..."

He snatched his arm back.

"Boy, why the fuck are you grabbing me like your ex? Don't be yanking on me."

"I'm trying to stop you from embarrassing me with my dad, Blinky," I muttered, voice tight.

"Ohhh." He rolled his neck. "So why you here anyway?"

"Is Cierra in?"

He blinked. "Sorry, baby, Cierra don't work here."

I grabbed his arm again. "Blinky. Cut the lies. When Cierra and I were dating, I dropped her off here for work. Don't play."

He froze, then let out a slow "ahhh...ahhh, makes sense now..."

I sighed, hand dragging down my face. "Okay, so where is she now?"

He squinted at me. "Hold up. Y'all broke up during the summer. So why the hell you need to see her, huh?"

"She needs to know something important," I said.

"Call her then. You got her number."

"For fuck's sake, Blinky, not today..."

"EXCUSE ME?" he snapped, hand on hip. "I'm not your ex, so tone that dirty-ass voice down."

I exhaled quickly.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But please... can I see Cierra?"

He held my stare for a long moment.

Finally he said, "Aight. I'll go tell her."

"Oh... thanks, Hun..."

"No," he snapped, finger in my face. "Stay. Here. Do not follow me."

I nodded.

He turned and strutted off, hips moving like he had theme music behind him.

I stared at him walking away and muttered,

"Damn... he got more ass than most regular girlies."

Right then, a woman walked by, heels clacking like gunshots. She stopped and gave me a slow, hungry stare.

"Hello, hot boy," she said.

"Uh..." I cleared my throat and fixed my eyes on the wall. The last thing I needed was another rumor Cierra would hear.

She stepped closer. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

"Oh...hey."

"You look real familiar..." she said, circling me like a predator. Her perfume hit me so hard I almost leaned away.

"Oh really..."

"Mhm." She walked a slow circle, eyes dragging down my body. "Too damn hot to resist. Why you standing out here? Come inside..."

"Uh....no, mama. I'm good."

She slid a hand up my neck. "Don't you wish mama would clap her ass on that baby you got growing down there?"

My eyes widened. I immediately covered myself, heat rushing up my neck. "Uh... nah. I came for something important."

She pulled back with a scoff. "Mm. So you just gon' disrespect me like that? Boy, whoever raised you...."

Before she finished, the hallway door opened.

Blinky came out...

and Cierra walked out behind him.

My heart dropped so hard it shook me.

I stepped forward. "Oh... finally."

I went to hold her hand, but she slapped mine away like it burned her.

The other woman clicked her tongue. "Sooo you rejected Chelsea for this cumbag?"

I blinked. "Who's Chelsea?"

She pointed at herself dramatically. "Me! My name is Chelsea."

"Oh... well...you're just too old for me."

She gasped like I shot her. "BOY, FUCK YOU."

She threw a middle finger in my face, storming off....but then stopped and eyed Cierra from head to toe.

"So... did you handle that cock successfully?"

Cierra stepped forward, eyes blazing. "With all due respect? Fuck off."

Chelsea snapped. "Girl, don't be mad 'cause your man out here tryna get with somebody classy..."

"Classy?" Cierra laughed. "You smell like expired wine and desperation."

Chelsea clutched her chest. "Oh she got jokes."

"You walked up to my ex and tried to drag him inside like he's on your payroll," Cierra shot back. "Please be serious."

"At least I can pull a man," Chelsea barked.

"Please. You pull backs, legs, and necks too, I bet."

"Ohhh, bitch..."

Blinky slid between them like a referee. "Yo, yo, yo...relax. Chelsea, go home. You smell like birthday cake and bad decisions."

Chelsea gasped, pointed at all of us dramatically, then stomped away.

Blinky turned to me with a smirk. "A tip, please. For saving your messy ass."

I sighed, pulled out my wallet, and shoved money into his hand. "Here."

He snapped his fingers. "Energy!! Let me go tell my girls I got paid today." He walked off swinging the cash.

And just like that, it was only me and Cierra.

Her blue eyes locked on mine, cold but full of something I couldn't name.

"You must be tired," I said softly. "How was work?"

"Stressful," she said. "But worth everything."

"I'm sure." I pulled off my coat and draped it over her shoulders. "It's cold outside."

She hesitated... but finally whispered, "Thank you."

My throat tightened. "Uh... yeah."

"So why are you here?"

"To talk to you," I said.

"About what?"

"If we can elope. Together."

She laughed... loud, sharp. "George, please spare me."

"No...listen. I'm going overseas today. Later this morning. And I want you to come with me."

"Okay. I'm done here." She turned to leave.

"No, no...okay, okay... just for a month!"

"Bye, baby."

"Wait...wait...wait..."

She stopped with the tiredness of someone who had cried too much over the same person. "George, please stop being an obsessed ex. Get over me."

I grabbed her hand gently. "You know I love you so much, Cierra."

She scoffed. "You think I'm what, TEN? That you can play like that?"

"C'mon Cierra. I'm not playing you..."

"You love me, yet you had a damn threesome in the same hotel room we booked for our anniversary."

"You know I was depressed....my mom's death.."

"WHAT are you saying?" she snapped. "Your mom dying didn't push you into a threesome a whole year later."

Her voice cracked... not with softness, but with rage.

She turned to walk away.

I grabbed her hand again.

She glared back. "Let me go, George."

"No," I whispered. "I won't."

She struggled, but I pulled her closer.

"So you're really gonna let five years go down the mud?"

"No," she shot back. "Not the mud. The gutters. So dead worms can feed on it."

I swallowed hard. "So you hate me now?"

"I don't even care about you."

Something snapped in me. "Cierra, shut the fuck up! What am I not doing? I give you flowers, gifts, everything... just to win you back. It's not like I killed somebody."

She stepped closer and hit my chest with both hands. "It's that simple, George! GET. OVER. ME."

I leaned in, whispering. "What if I don't?"

Her lips parted... maybe for anger, maybe for something else...but the words never came.

"Let's go in," I whispered.

She swallowed hard.

I pushed her gently against the wall, her breath catching...

My hands slipped under her gown...

"George..." she whispered, trembling.

"C'mon," I breathed. "Take me inside."

And just like that...

I kicked the ball.

Let the whole world scream:

GOAL!!