Chapter one: Here we go again

And here we go again
With all the things we said
And not a minute spent
To think that we'd regret
So we just take it back,
These words and hold our breath
Forget the things we swore we meant.

- Paramore.

Summary: After her fathers sudden marriage to Marissa Rider, one of New Yorks wealthiest women, Dylan Swann soon discovers life on the good side of a platinum card. Yet the small town girl soon finds she has met her match in her new stepbrother, one Aiden Rider. When she's forced to join a new prestigious boarding school, Dylan struggles to hide her resentment; afterall, she doesnt belong in this world. But when she catches the eye of many boys at her new state of the art school, will she come to regret her fathers decision?

It was her own personal hell. Sent to her in the form of preppy upstate teenagers who couldn't give two hoots about helping her. Hell, even her own stepbrother had disappeared after jumping out of the car, barely murmuring a goodbye as he ran to meet his abnoxious friends. Sighing, she slung her black duffel bag over her back and tugged her suitcase towards the main reception, cursing her father for ever agreeing to such a stupid idea.

"But Daniel, honey, it would be such a good idea for both of them to attend the same school. Get to know each other a little better." Marissa, her new stepmother, cooed as she stroked her fathers arm, trying to get him to agree.

"Wait, what? No! This is such a stupid idea!" Dylan yelled, ignoring her new stepbrother, Aiden, smirking in the corner. "Well, if you want us to both go to the same school, why can't he join mine?" She smirked, seeing the reaction on his face at the thought of attending public school.

"No way! I am NOT going to some stinking public school!" He yelled, knocking his chair over as he stood up in protest.

"Aww, too stuck up to even mingle with the normal people?" Dylan snorted, folding her arms across her chest as she watched her father close his eyes in concentration.

"Well, that can't possibly be true, can it Dylan? Afterall, Im stuck in the same freaking house as YOU!" He yelled, anger flashing across his face. Over the past few weeks since their parents had married, Dylan had enjoyed provoking her new stepbrother. Along with him she gained a younger stepsister, Sharon, who wasnt old enough to pick on Dylan because of her lower social status.

"ENOUGH!" Her fathers yell shocked them both into silence, and Marissa smiled politely, edging him on. "Dylan, you will attend Austen Academy once the summer is over. No buts." And just like that, the issue of her education had been settled.

After finally finding out that she was in Brenner Hall, one of three dorms for girls only, she made her way across the lawn, ignoring the stares of the rich as they assesed her outfit. Sure she wasn't rich, so why should she make an attempt to fit in? They would be wearing uniforms soon anyway, so she settled for her deep blue skinny jeans, black converse and her favourite vintage leather jacket. Her deep chocolate hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail, and her favourite tinted sunglasses hid the harsh stares she was shooting at people.

"Oh my god, what is she wearing?" The voice belonged to a tall blonde girl, obviously over confident in herself as she wore a long white summer dress which probably cost nothing to her family. Ignoring the remark and the glances it caused, she continued to her dorm, cursing the fact that it was the furthest away.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!" It took her a moment to realise the voice was talking to her, and she stopped abruptly and turned around, shocked to find a tall, athletic, gorgeous guy running towards her, as if it was no effort at all. "Hi, I'm Alex. Alex Carre." Alex extended his hand politely, and she took it, almost wincing at the strength in his hand.

"Dylan Swann." She said simply, wondering why he was talking to her of all people.

"Dylan Swann?" He asked, a look of confusion crossing his face. "You mean, you're Aiden's new stepsibling?"

"Unfortunately. You know him?" She asked, intrest evident in her voice. Folding her arms across her chest, she took in his appearance; he had obviously arrived earlier and taken a jog, as he grey shirt was covered in sweat and his deep brown hair clung to his forhead.

"You could say that. He's my best friend." He smirked, causing her to blush beneath her sunglasses. An arkward silence hung over them both as her cheeks flamed under his gaze; it was blatently obvious he was checking her out.

"Well, when you're done eyeballing me, I have a dorm to get to." Finally breaking from his gaze, she grabbed her suitcase and stormed away, hoping he wouldn't follow. But of course, she was wrong.

"Okay okay, wait up. I'm sorry! At least let me help you with your bags." He caught up to her with no effort at all and gently tugged the duffel bag from her shoulder, easing the tension almost immediately. For a few minutes they walked in silence, and Dylan tried to ignore the stares and evil glares that were sent her way.

"How do you know Aiden?" She finally asked, tugging the glasses from her eyes and placing them on top of her head. The sun was hidden behind a cloud, and Alex stole the chance to look directly in her eyes; they were a warm chocolate, almost causing his insides to melt.

"Well, hes been my friend since we were kids. He's always been there for me, always looked out for me. He's never let me down, you're lucky to have him for a brother." At the last remark Dylan snorted, and it didn't go unnoticed. "Not a big fan of Aiden then huh?"

"He's so...irritating. It's like he thinks he's better than me, just because he has limitless money at his expense." She rolled her eyes as if to communicate her point, and he paused before choosing his response.

"I wouldn't go judging Aiden if I were you, there's alot more to him than meets the eye. And out of all of us, he's the one that sees our money as more of a curse instead of a blessing." He stopped altogether, looking at the buiding in front of him before smiling gently. "Well, this is as far as I go. Nice meeting you Dylan, see you around." Alex was already a small blur in the distance before she realised she was at her new dorm, and her head spun at the sudden change in Alex's mood. So apparently, there was more to her new stepsibling than meets the eye. And she was determined to find out what that was.

After settling her stuff in her new dorm room and meeting her kind new roommate Kate, they headed across the main field in an arkward silence for the welcome back assembly. A crowd of other students in the schools hidious uniform (consisting of black skirts or trousers, along with a white longsleeved shirt, burgundy tie and blazer. Hideous in Dylans case) had begun to file through the main buildings doors, almost two fields away. It was only then that Dylan realised that they were going to be late.

"Oh God, Kate! What time is it?" Panic set in as she began to speedwalk across the field, hoping that she wouldnt get shown up in front of her new school on her first day.

"Almost 1:20. Why?" They were now officially late; the assembly was supposed to start at just after 1, and the last students through the door now were even cutting it a bit late.

"We're late. Late on the first day! This cannot be happening." Dylan almost broke into a sprint, with Kate hot on her heels behind her. Thankfully, she had been on the track team at her old school and could hopefully manage the fields in no time.

"Dylan, wait up! It's not that big of a deal, we're always late." She turned to see Kate slowing her run, her long blonde curls tumbling behind her as her hands desperately tried to smooth them. What the hell did she mean "we're"? And thats when she saw them.

A group of impossibly perfect students stood by the main doors, neither of them looking as bothered as she was inside. As she drew closer, she saw one of them was the rude girl from earlier, her white dress now exchanged for a extremely short back skirt as she picked at her perfectly manicured nails in boredom. Alex stood beside her, his arms folded across his chest as he stifled a yawn, yet his eyes lit up as Dylan grew near, Kate now at a steady pace beside her. A couple of people she didn't recognise stood with them, each of them turning as the girls approached. And of course, in his stubborn beauty, Aiden stood next to the blonde, figiting with impatience.

"Hey guys, this is Dylan." They all shrugged their "his" and "hellos" before turning back to their own conversations. "Dylan, this is Blake, Alex, Chase and obviously you know Aiden."

"Oh don't worry K, me and Dylan go way back." Alex smirked, watching the shocked look on Kates face as he winked at Dylan saucily. She stiffled a giggle, whilst the blonde, known as Blake, looked uncomfortable as the conversation no longer centered on her.

"Not that isn't thrilling or anything, but does anyone want to just skip this lame excuse for an assembly and hang out on the old tennis courts?" Blake asked, her own vanity causing somewhat of an amusement to Dylan. Did she not realise she had insulted her earlier?

"I'm all for it." Aiden said, smiling coyly at Dylan. "But I'm interested in what the newbie has to say." At that moment, it seemed like all attention was on her, and she did not like it. After all, she spent most of her life avoiding people like these as she knew they were no good. But right now, she had two options: Option One was go into the assembly like the good student she was, ignore the whispers about her and try to get on with her life. Option Two wasn't any good either; she could join this group in whatever activities they had planned and attempt to get on with the stepbrother she at the moment hated, for the sake of their parents. Besides, what harm could skipping one assembly do?

"I'm up for whatever you say, brother dear." She flirted, gently placing a hand on his arm as a sign that she wasn't afraid of him; where was this newfound confidence coming from?

"Well, sister dear, don't go making any promises you can't keep." Aiden smirked, hoping to call her bluff, yet Dylan meerely fluttered her eyelashes and signaled for him to lead the way.

"Well, I think you two seem to be getting over your sibling issues..." Alex drawled as he fell behind the group to keep Dylan company, gently putting his arm around her shoulder and hugging her close. "Hey, no need to look at Aiden like that. I'm pretty sure he can feel the dagger in his back already." Alex joked, yet he made no move to remove his arm from her shoulders. Suddenly, she tensed; how could Alex jokingly be like this with her, and more importantly, how could she let him? She had never been in a situation like this, and her only real boyfriend had been a summer fling where she had mistakely thrown herself at any willing guy in her drunken stupor. God, how inexperienced she felt. The people here had probably been round the block more times than she had slept.

The old tennis courts were part of the old school building, which had been abandoned when the new state of the art building had been built. The school had its own private road that stretched seemingly for miles, and the old building was a few miles down the road, away from the new school. Hence why it was a good location for unsupervised parties. Luckily for the students, none of the teachers had cottoned on to the secret party location, yet.

"Anyone got a light?" Blake asked as they sat on the hard concrete, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her small gold clutch. Trust the most stuck up girl to be the most accessorised. Everyone else seemed to follow suit, sitting in a semi-circle with Blake at the head. From the way the others stared expectantly at Blake, Dylan could she she ruled the school. And how bad it would be if she got on the wrong side of her. One of the other boys, Chase, lent forward, a lighter extended in his hand as he lit her cigarette, and by the look in his eyes, Dylan wondered which of these boys Blake claimed.

Alex sat down next to her, with Kate on her other side, and Dylan couldn't help but wonder if this was it. Was this all they had planned after bunking off the first assembly of the year? As if reading her mind, Blake perked up.

"Let's play truth or dare." She oozed confidence as she flicked the ash off the end of her cigarette, and her eyes settled on Dylan, challenging her. "Whats it gonna be? Truth or dare Dylan?" She asked, daring her to slip up.

"Truth." She muttered, chickening out of picking dare. Who knows what Blake would have picked her to do? Most likely to run into the assembly hall naked.

"Hm...Whats the kinkiest place you've ever done it?" She asked, silencing the small conversations that were going on around her as she smirked. "Oh, that is, if you've done it." Her bright blue eyes were challenging Dylan, just begging her to fail, to fall. It was in that moment that Dylan realised that no matter how hard she tried, Blake would hate her. And she had no idea why.

"On a beach at night. Sand's a bitch; it gets in places you never knew existed." Something in Blake brought the bitchy side of Dylan to the surface, and she swore that the girl would never take her down without a fight. The group fell into a small round of laughter, and Kate meerly blushed next to her, her eyes wandering suspiciously away from the group. After that point, most people picked dare, and she seemingly faded into the background as Kate was dared to make out with Alex, and Blake likewise with Chase.

"Well, I guess its Dylan again. And you've already used your truth." She added the last sentence with the arch of her eyebrow, trying to hide the smirk that was spreading across her face.

"Dare then, I guess." She tried to act like it wasn't bothering her, but the truth was her heart was pounding in her chest, dreading what Blake had coming for her.

"You have to make out with...Dean." Suddenly she smirked, a better idea coming across her. "Better yet, make out with Aiden."

"Eeeew! Blake, thats practically incest!" Kate piped up, her eyes full of outrage. But Dylan would be damned if she let this bitch get the better of her.

"What about it newbie?" Aiden taunted from where he sat opposite her. Anger flared in her eyes - he thought she wouldn't do it! Well, fuck him. She stood up abruptly and walked the short space between them before dropping to her knees in front of him. Even when she was this close, he thought she didn't have the guts. Well, she would certainly prove him wrong!

Her lips crashed down upon his, yet with gentle reluctance; she wanted him to pay, but she certainly didn't want him to enjoy it. His lips were unresponsive under hers at first, but she felt him stir as she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking entry. She forced her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his emotions changing as he became more passionate, wanting more from her. As his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, she chose that moment to pull away. Always leave them wanting more, that was one lesson she had learnt at least.

She surfaced to a round of applause from everyone, and despite her being ice cold, Blake seemed impressed. It was only then that she realised that the force of her kiss had knocked them over and she was lying on top of Aiden, his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"How was that for a grand performance?" She whispered, nibbling on his ear. She knew she was coming across strong, but hell, she wanted him to pay for treating her like some dirt on the bottom of his shoe. With a great push, she heaved herself off him and composed herself before settling down next to Alex and Kate again.

"Well well Dylan, I'm impressed. You've got guts, that's for certain." Blake smiled at her, and she knew that whilst Blake disliked her, she damned well wouldn't show it in front of everone else.

Dylan composed herself, and smiled right back.

Authors Note: Well, new story, hope you guys like it! Please review, and the next chapter will be up soon :) x x

Chapter Two Snippet

She leaned against the rough brick wall, her mind buzzing as she took in the fresh air. It bugged her how much it hurt to see him fawning all over Blake, giving her exactly what she wanted. Out of all the men in this school, she had to lust after her stepbrother; the same stepbrother that she couldn't stand. And then there was Alex...He had been so sweet to her, and she lusted after him too. Classic, she laughed to herself. The stepbrother and the best friend, just perfect.

"Well newbie, seems you've lasted little more than a week and you're already cracking." His voice held evidence of a smirk, and she ached to wipe it off his face. So many conflicting emotions she had for him, yet she promised she wouldn't cave; after her little dare last week, he just wouldn't leave her alone!

"Urgh, why can't you just leave me alone?" She was thankful that people were in lessons and that they were hidden round one of the back buildings, but it also gave her the feeling of vulnerability. She leant her head back, banging it gently against the wall as she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping him to leave. But of course, he didn't.

"You know you don't want that." He came closer, backing her into a corner as she glared at him. "Aww baby, what's that look for?" He muttered, placing either of his hands on the walls beside her, blocking her in.

"It's telling you to back the hell off, thats what its for." She was crumbling under his seductive gaze, and he knew it. If only she had the strength to push him away...

"Again, you know you don't want that."

"And what is it you think I want?" She asked, venom in her voice. Good, she was regaining her strength, and she would be damned if she let her stepbrother of all people play games with her.

"This." He whispered, kissing her ear gently. She froze as he trailed kisses down her cheek, edging even more towards her mouth. He paused when he kissed the corner of her mouth, waiting for Dylan to push him away; yet she didn't. Her body ached for him to kiss her, and he knew it. When his lips descended upon her, both of them lost control. Her body curved against his, her arms wrapping around his neck and crushing his lips closer to hers. His hands grabbed her waist passionately, desperate for his body to be close to hers in anyway possible. A small moan escaped her lips as he nibbled on her lower lip; and just like that, she found the will to push him away, even if it wasnt what she wanted.

"Stay. Away. From. Me." She gasped inbetween breaths, and as if to make her point, her hand connected with his cheek and the sound echoed off the walls around him.