Luckily, he seemed to be an idiot, too. “Yeah, crazy, huh?” I tossed some pepperoni on the pizza. “They’ve been thinking about moving out to this hippie commune, so who knows, they might not be around much longer.” My mind was screaming at me to shut the hell up, but I kept talking. “They make guys meditate with her dad before they let her leave with anyone. Something about being centered. I think it’s some kind of hypnotizing thing, so they won’t mess around with their daughter.”

Apparently, I didn’t know when to shut up. I’d been known to lay it on a little thick, I guess. Whatever. When he rolled his eyes, I knew I was losing him. “Dude, if you want her, all you had to do was say so.”

Huh? What was he talking about? I didn’t want Aspen. I was being a good friend. Taking care of her so this guy didn’t play around with her. The last thing I’d ever want was Aspen to get hurt. “You’re barking up the wrong tree there, Mattie. I don’t want Woodstock.” I didn’t.

Matt grabbed the pizza from in front of me and put it in the oven. “Matt. The name’s Matt.”

I ignored him. “So…do you? Want her, I mean?” My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Just curious. Like I said, I take care of her.”

Matt shook his head and laughed softly. I couldn’t help but measure him up. You know, just in case I had to kick his ass. He was about my height, maybe an inch shorter, but I was definitely more muscular. I could take him no problem.

“I don’t know. She’s pretty cute. Funny, too. I saw her at the arcade a few days ago, but she was kind of being bitchy though.”

He’d been there too? And what the hell? Who did he think he was calling her bitchy? “She’s not a bitch.”

“I didn’t say she was. I said she was being bitchy. There’s a difference.”

Dude, what was wrong with me? I needed to get myself under control. “Don’t take it personal, man.” The tightness in my voice annoyed me. I don’t know why I was still letting Friday night bother me so much. Made me feel a little better that he’d been there and she ignored him, too.

“Anyway, not sure. I’m pretty new in town so just getting the lay of the land, if you know what I mean.” He put his hand in the air and I didn’t leave him hanging even though his words rubbed me the wrong way. It was either give him five or punch him in the gut. Lay of the land? Who talked like that? Me.

“Sebastian! Matt! Back to work, guys. It’s time for the dinner rush.” DJ yelled at us.

The rest of the night, I took my anger out on pizza dough and tried not to think about Matt getting the lay of Aspen’s land.

***

“Sebastian, get in the car.”

I rode my skateboard down the street, ignoring Woodstock driving at my pace beside me.

“I swear, sometimes you’re worse than a child. It’s ten o’clock at night. I know your lazy butt doesn’t want to walk home.”

She was right. I didn’t want to walk. I stank like pizza sauce and all I wanted to do was get home and take a shower. “This doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re pouting,” she teased after I got in.

“Only real men can pout without losing their masculinity. I have nothing to worry about there.”

She laughed and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. That’s why I avoided her. Even in the dark, all it took was knowing those green eyes were focused on me and I was a goner. My mom had the same power over me. I wondered how she couldn’t know how much power she had. Mom too. Why she let guys trample over her when she had so much strength.

We took the ten minute drive in silence. A few minutes later, she pulled into my driveway. Part of me didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help but talk to her. “Why’d you park here? I can walk.”

Aspen hit the interior light and turned it on. “I figured I’d come in for a minute. I probably have some groveling to do, and I’d much rather do it inside than in my car.” I knew she was trying to make me laugh so I quirked up the left side of my mouth and gave her a half smile. Even though I wasn’t over her ditching me yet, I was willing to talk about it. Like she always could, Aspen read between my lines and got out of the car. We were upstairs in my room a minute later. My mom wasn’t home, but I still pushed the door closed, wanting privacy.

“Have you seen Pris or Jaden?” I asked after she sat down on my bed. I took the beat-up chair at my computer desk.

“Nothing from Jaden. Pris is at some fancy dinner thing with her family.” Before I could reply, she sighed and then started speaking again. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I just, I have my reasons and I know I’m being shady because I can’t tell you why, but I would never have ditched you without a reason. There’s just some stuff going on right now. Not like that makes it okay, because it was still wrong. You’re my best friend, so that should always come first, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be that big a deal. I didn’t know you’d be so mad.”

I stared at her as she picked up my pillow and put it on her lap. One of her feet was tucked beneath her on my bed while the other Nike-covered foot dangled near the floor. I couldn’t stay mad at her even though I wanted to. “So, it’s not just Jaden who says I’m your BFF. You think so, too.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in the chair. It felt good to talk to her again. I couldn’t handle not talking with Aspen, Pris, or Jaden.

“You know you are.” She tossed the pillow at me. “Am I forgiven?” Aspen batted her eyelashes and something flipped in my stomach.

“Whatever.” I threw it back. “See, girls have it so easy. Smile and bat your eyelashes and we’re defenseless.”

Aspen scooted my guitar over on the bed and leaned back further. “Whatever! Guys have it easy. Everything is much harder for girls.”

“Pfft. Let’s not go there. We’ll just get in an argument again.”

The room was quiet for a few minutes before she spoke. “So, is everything okay? It’s not like you to get so upset about something like that.” Her voice was all soft and caring and I immediately felt like a wuss. What was I supposed to say? Some dude who, if I’m honest with myself, looks like a nice guy wants to marry my mom and I’m pissed about it? Oh, and on top of that, I’m confused about you right now. I didn’t think so. There was no way those words were passing my lips.

“What do you mean, is everything okay with me? You’re the one who said you have stuff going on right now. What is it, Woodstock? Do I need to beat someone up? Toilet paper a house? You name it, and I’m there.”

“Smooth move on the subject change.”

“Right back at ya.”

Aspen sighed. “No, there’s nothing you can do. It’s—complicated. I love that you asked though.” Her cheeks went a little pink, getting a smile out of me. I’d never seen her blush like that before.

“You know I always have your back.” I scratched my head and realized I had pizza sauce in it. “I gotta get cleaned up real quick. I feel like a friggin’ calzone. You should hang out though.” I shrugged.

She glanced at her watch and I noticed her nails looked shiny like she had something on them. I’d never noticed that on her before. “Sure. I have time.”

After pulling some clothes out of my drawers I ran into my bathroom. I didn’t stay in until I pruned like I usually did because I’d feel like a jerk making her wait. Five minutes later, a sauce-free Sebastian came out of the bathroom. I had on black, baggy basketball shorts that went down past my knees and no shirt.

“Um, are you going to put on any clothes?” Aspen had her shoes off as she leaned against my headboard. A little chill must have come in from my window because shivers suddenly rolled down my spine.

“Why?”

Her cheeks went pink again.

Oh. Ooh! “You think I’m hot, too!” I practically shouted.

When her eyes bugged out, I realized I’d added the too on there. I couldn’t think of a cover so I decided to embarrass her instead. “It’s okay.” I rubbed my stomach. “These abs have been known to bring down much tougher girls. I won’t tell anyone you want me.”

“You wish! I was thinking more along the line of your mom coming home and seeing you in your room alone with me, no shirt, and your boxer-briefs hanging out of your shorts.”

My eyebrows raised and my heart started to beat faster. “You’re taking your shirt off? Hell yeah.”

Aspen launched herself off the bed and toward me. I easily caught her, and tackled her to the bed. My legs straddled her middle as I held her arms above her head. “I told you. I’m a ninja. Your tricks don’t compare to my Jedi skills.”

She tried to twist, but I held on to her. “Let me go.”

“Not until you admit I kick ass.” Actually, I just wanted to hold onto her a little longer. She was so soft beneath me. Smooth, female skin that drove me wild.

She bucked, her breathing coming out heavy and that’s when I realized what a huge mistake this was. This was Aspen and I was totally loving the feel of her. Totally savoring it. She smelled like cinnamon and it was so much better than the floral stuff girls usually wore that it kind of hit me like a sock to the gut. It was suddenly all I could focus on. Her scent and feel. What the hell?! I jumped off her before she could realize I was enjoying it a little too much. This felt way different than BFF stuff.

First thing tomorrow, I was making some phone calls. I obviously needed some quality time of the female variety.

“You gave up.” She sat up, smoothing her hair down and straightening out her baby blue t-shirt. It wasn’t like a guy t-shirt, it was smaller, tighter, but definitely not revealing.

“No, I just felt bad beating you up after we just made up and all.” I sat back in my chair, trying to get some distance between us. Maybe if I couldn’t smell her, I could find a way to clear my head.

After a few silent minutes, she picked up my guitar that we thankfully hadn’t kicked off my bed. “I haven’t heard you play for a while.”

“Yeah?” Playing for one person like that always felt like showboating.

“Play something before I go?”

No. “What do you wanna hear?”

She handed me the guitar and I took it. “Something relaxing. I got tackled by this mental guy tonight and it gave me a little headache.” She smiled and gave me the eyes. Damn it with the girl eyes. I needed to figure out some kind of defense against it.

Aspen moved to the foot of my bed, crossing her legs beneath her. There was nothing I could do but sit back and play.

Chapter Six

It had been a week since Aspen showed up at work to pick me up. For some reason, we’d only worked together once, but she still stopped by DJ’s a lot. She and Pris would come flitting in for no apparent reason other than to taunt us with their freedom while we were knee deep in pizza dough. As quickly as they came in, they’d disappear again, leaving nothing behind but the urge to dump the uniform and go with them.

Matt talked me down from that a couple times. I think DJ wanted us to be pizza partners or something because it seemed like every time I worked, Matt worked with me. Every time I worked with him, he bugged me more. I trusted him less.

“So, your first couple weeks on the job and you’re already trying to get some time off, huh?” DJ asked me when I went into the back office to see about getting the weekend off for Pris’s birthday. I did manage to weasel my way into an invite for me and Jaden. Of course, it hadn’t been that hard. I guess they were kind of freaked out about staying the weekend by themselves anyway, but didn’t want to tell her parents, because then they wouldn’t be able to go.

We had it all figured out. I’d tell my mom I’d be spending the weekend with Jaden. Even though I never stayed at Jaden’s I knew she wouldn’t check up on me. It would be the perfect time for her to play house with the loser. Of course Pris and Aspen already had it figured out, because their parents totally trusted them and thought it was a good idea to rent a beach house for a couple teenage girls for the weekend. Lucky. And Jaden’s parents just never gave a shit where he was. I’d be surprised if they even noticed he was gone.