Ready Or Not 12 Years Ago
"Ready or not, here I come!" yelled Ty. She turned around and scanned the yard, Alex was nowhere in sight.
Ty looked everywhere. Finally she gave up. "Come out come out wherever you are. I give up."
The skinney dark headed little boy stuck his head out from behind the shed in the corner of the yard. "I won."
"I'm tired of playing hide and seek," said Ty.
"Okay, lets go inside and play Nintendo. My mom bought me a new game."
"Okay."
They ran to Alex's house. Ty and Alex were best friends. They had lived next to each other since they were babies. Ty was only a few months younger than Alex, and he reminded her of that fact more than enough.

A couple years later, right before Ty and Alex were about to start 7th grade, Ty's parents divorced. Alex's parents had divorced when he was little, so he understood what she was going through.
"I have to move to New York," Ty told Alex. They were riding their bikes in the street in front of their houses.
"When?"
"In a week."
A frown washed across the young boys face. "We can write to each other. I promise I'll write everyday," suggested Ty.
Alex's face lightened a little and he forced a smile. "Okay."
They spent that last week together, riding bikes, rollerblading, swimming, doing all the things they normally did.
When the end of the week came they said goodbye and Ty climbed into the big moving truch with her father. Ty waved out the window as she drove away. Alex stood at the end of her driveway watching the truck and his best friend dissapear into the distance.

Present
After Ty graduated she decided to move back to Orlando. She was in her apartment unpacking her things when she came across the shoebox full of letters from Alex. She picked up the letter on top and read it.

Dear Ty,
Guess What! Remember the guys I told you about, Nick and Howie? Well we sang for some people and they said they'd get us a record deal, but we should add a few more members. So Howie got this guy Kevin he knew that was working at Universal and Kevin brought his cousin fromfrom Kentucky, you should hear his country accent! Anyway, if everything works out we're going to Europe to record and to some promotional stuff.

Ty didn't bother reading the end of the letter, she knew the whole thing by heart. It was the last letter he had sent her. After a few years the guys made it big in the U.S. She kept up on what the guys were doing, she even bought their cd. She was sure Alex, now known as A.J. wouldn't remember her.
Ty took a break from unpacking and turned on the tv to MTV. She watched the last 15 minutes of Daria then TRL, Total Request Live, came on. The number one video was Backstreet Boys, All I Have To Give. Ty couldn't believe how much A.J. had changed with his tattoo's, sunglasses and haair dye. He was no longer Alex, the skinney dark headed little boy next door that she adored so much.

A.J. was glad to be home. He looked out the window at the house next door. He thought about Ty. He had broken his promise to her. He was so busy with his music career he never hat the chance to write her back. And when he did sit down and write her a letter, he couldn't find her address.
A.J. picked up the phone and called Brian.
"Hello?" answered Brian.
"Hey Brian, wanna go to the movies or something?" asked A.J.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"I'll picked you up in 10 minutes."
"Okay, Later."
"Later."
A.J. hung up the phone and went to the living room where his mom was watching tv. "Hey mom, I'm going to the movie's with Brian.
"Okay, have a good time."

A.J. and Brian got in line to buy their tickets. When they got to the front of the line, A.J. saw her.
"Ty?"
"Oh my god, A.J. is that you?"
"Yeah, its me. I didn't know you moved back."
"I moved back a few weeks ago."
"Oh yeah, this is my buddy Brian."
"Hi," said Brian.
"Nice to meet you. Movies on me," said Ty.
"Sure?"
"Yeah its no problem."
"Thanks," said A.J. "Oh, will you be here when the movies over?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll talk to you then okay?"
"Yeah."
Brian and A.J. went through the doors. The guy taking tickets at the door stopped A.J. and Brian. "Why don't you have tickets?"
"Ty said we could go in," said A.J.
"Come with me for a minute," said the man. He went into the office leaving A.J. and Brian standing outside the door. The manager came out and told Brian and A.J. to leave, then he went to talk to Ty.
Brian and A.J. waited outside. A few minutes later Ty came out. "What happened?" asked A.J.
"I got fired," said Ty.
"I'm sorry."
"Its not your fault, I kinda asked for it." Ty looked at Brian. "Are you the guy with the accent A.J. told me about?"
"That would be me," said Brian. Then in a thick country accent he said, "Hey ya'll, how ya'll doin? Ya'll doin' allright?"
A.J. and Ty laughed. "I'll be in the car," said Brian.
"Bye," said Ty.
"So," how are you doing?" asked A.J.
"I'm doing great, you?"
"Same here."
They stood quiet for a minuted. A.J. was amazed at how much she had changed. Of course he had changed quite a bit himself.
"Well, I better get going, Brian's waiting for me. What's your phone number?"
Ty pulled a pen out of her purse. She took A.J.'s hand and wrote her number on his palm.
"I'll call you later, okay."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
A.J. walked back to his car where Brian was waiting.
"So that's the famous Ty you were telling us about," said Brian.
"Yeah, isn't she great?"
"Yeah. Is she living here with her parents?" asked Brian.
"No, she's by herself."
"How's she gonna pay her bills if she doesn't have a job?"
"Maybe I can get Johnny to get her a job," suggested A.J.
"That sounds like a good idea."
"I'll call Johnny later."
"When you guys were younger did you two date?"
"No, we were best friends. She was like the little sister I never had."
"Oh."
"She's so... so..."
"Different?" said Brian.
"Yeah. She's matured a lot since I last saw her."
"Well, people tend to do that," said Brian.
"Ha Ha," said A.J.
When A.J got to Brian's house he parked the car, Brian started to get out. "Hey, want to play a game of basketball?"
"Sure." A.J. turned off the car and they got out. They played basketball for a while and eventually lost track of time. A.J. looked at his watch. "Shoot, I told Ty I'd call her."
"You can use my phone," said Brian.
"Thanks."
Brian and A.J. went in the house. Brian wen't in his room and changed his shirt while A.J. called Ty.
Ty answered the phone. "Hey, Its A.J."
"Hey whats up?"
"I'm at Brian's house, we've been playing Basketball."
"Cool."
"So, do you wan't to go out to dinner, my treat."
"Sure, that would be great," said Ty. Ty gave A.J. dirrections to her house.
"Okay, I'll pick you up at 7:00."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
A.J. hung up the phone as Brian came back in the room. "So?" said Brian.
"I asked her out for dinner," said A.J.
"Call me when you get home and tell me how it goes," said Brian.
"All right. I gotta go, Later."
"Later," said Brian.

A.J. pulled up in front of Ty's house. He walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door. Ty answered, she was wearing a spaghetti strap tanktop and jean shorts. "Damn," was all A.J. could think.
A.J. smiled. "Ready to go?"
"Just a minute." Ty dissapeared in the house for a minute then reapeared, shutting the door behind her.
A.J. opened the car door for Ty and shut it behind her.
"Are you still living in the same house?" asked Ty after A.J. had gotten in and started the car.
"Yeah, I'm not home very often though. I'm usually on tour or recording or something."
"Do you miss being at home?"
"Yeah. But this is what I've wanted to to for a long time."
"Yeah, I remember you used to tell me that you were going to become a famous singer or actor."
"Well, I was right wasn't I," said A.J. with a grin.
"Yep."
"So," said A.J. changing the subject. "Did you date any guys in New York?"
"Yeah, why do you want to know?"
"I was just wondering."
"What about you?" asked Ty.
"I've dated a few girls," said A.J.
"A few? I heard about you Mr. flirt, I do watch MTV."
"You can't believe everything you hear on tv," said A.J.
"So its not true?"
"Well, not really. I haven't really had any serious relationships."
They pulled in front of the resteraunt and went in.
"So," said Ty when they got their food. "What's it like being on tour constantly with girls fighting over you?"
A.J. laughed. "Well its not as glamourous as you make it sound."
"Oh really?" asked Ty.
"Well, your never at home, you can't go anywhere without worrying about fans recognizing you and attacking you, and you get jet lag all the time."
"Yeah, but you get to see the world. I've never been out of the united states."
"Yeah."
"I visited my aunt and uncle in Ocala on my way down here and the whole time I was there my little cousin Katie and her friend were constantly talking about you guys. Well, mostly Nick and Brian. They read me every single artical she had about you guys."
"Oh really?" asked A.J. raising an eyebrow.
Ty laughed. "Yeah, I know a couple of unusual things about you."
"Like what?"
"Well, you prefer boxers not briefs, you love McDonalds, your favorite kind of Ice Cream is Mint Chocolate chip and you believe in love at first sight."
A.J. smiled. "Yeah, those are all true."
Ty and A.J. finnished their food. A.J. paid the bill and they walked outside. The weather had gotten cooler and it was slightly cold outside. Ty shivered. A.J. noticed and put his arm around Ty. She looked up at him and smiled.
When they got back to Ty's house A.J. got out and walked her to the door. When they got to the door they stopped. "Do you want to come in?" asked Ty.
"No, I better get going," said A.J.
"Thanks for dinner," said Ty.
"Anytime."
A.J. put his arms around Ty's waist and kissed her. Ty was slightly surprised, but she kissed him back. Afterwards they stood looking into each others eyes for a few moments.
"I... I better go," said Ty.
"I'll call you," said A.J.
"Bye."
"Bye."
Ty opened the door and went inside. She watched A.J. walk across the lawn to his car. "I can't believe what just happened," thought Ty. She touched her lips that were still tingling from the kiss. She enjoyed spending time with A.J. She had developed strong feelings for him in the last couple of hours. But she knew him so well, he was like a brother to her.

"So what happened?" asked Brian.
A.J. had called Brian as soon as he got home. "I took her out to dinner and we talked."
"Did you kiss her?" asked Brian.
"Yeah. Its just weird, I mean we've been best friends since we were really little. We're like brother and sister. I don't know if she's ready or not for us to get serious."
"I think it'll work out fine," said Brian.
"Yeah I think so too," said A.J.

The next day Ty and A.J. decided to go see a movie. A.J. got to Ty's house at about 11:40. He walked up to the front door. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. After less than a minute Ty answered the door. She was wearing Khaki shorts and a t-shirt. She smiled. "Hi."
"Hi," replied A.J.
They walked toward A.J.'s car. "God he looks good," thought Ty. A.J. was wearing blue jeans and a white wifebeater tanktop with an open short sleved shirt over it. "He's done a lot of working out since I last saw him."

When they got to the movie theatre A.J. bought a the tickets. They got candy and drinks and sat down.
Ty was paying attention to the movie, but A.J. was thinking about Ty. He wasn't sure how she's react if he put his arm around her. He finally decided to put his arm around her. When he did she smiled at him and moved closer.
When the movie was over they walked out to the theater to his car.
Later that day after A.J. had dropped Ty of at her house he called Johnny their manager about getting Ty a job.
"Please Johnny she's my best friend, and its my fault she got fired," said A.J.
"She's not just some girl you met yesterday? I don't want another Julie," said Johnny, refereing to a girl A.J. had dated for a while. Johnny had given her a job as a make-up artist and when her and A.J. broke up she bailed out.
"No, I've known Ty since I was really little."
"Well, we do need a new hairdresser. Angela has been talking about quiting."
"That's great. Thanks so much," said A.J.
"Your welcome, have her come with you to rehearsal next Tuesay."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."

That tuesday they had a rehearsal and a press conferance, before they started their summer tour. A.J. picked up Ty and met the guys at the builing where they rehearsed.
"So why exactly did I HAVE to come?" asked Ty.
"You were a hair stylist in New York right?" asked A.J.
"Yeah, I did over the summer."
"Well, since me and brian kinda got you fired we figured we'd help you get a job," explained A.J.
"You don't have to do that," said Ty.
"I wan't to. Plus, we need a new hair stylist."
"You wan't me to work for you guys?"
"Not for us, for Johnny."
"How much does this job pay?" asked Ty.
"Pretty good," said A.J. "Plus you get to go on tour with us and see every show for free."
"When do I start?" asked Ty.
"You'll have to talk to Johnny about that, he'll tell you all the details." A.J. led Ty over to Johnny and they started talking it over.
"A.J.!" yelled Fatima.
A.J. waved bye to Ty and hauled ass over to Fatima and the other guys. "What took you so long?" asked Fatima.
"He was talking to his girlfriend," said Nick in a whiney voice.
"Shut up Kaos. We're just friends," said A.J.
"Just friends? That'ss a little odd for you," said Kevin.
"I'm serious, we've been friends since we were little kids."
"Sorry to interupt you guys but we need to start rehearsing if you want to get out of here today," said Fatima.
The guys got serious and finnished their rehersal. Afterwards A.J. went over to Ty and sat down.
"You guys have some pretty good moves," said Ty.
"I'd like to see your moves," thought A.J. "Do you want to go dancing tonight?"
"That sounds great," said Ty.
"Allright."

That night Ty and A.J. went out to a club. They danced for a while then Ty sat down at a table while A.J. went to go get them drinks. While A.J. was gone, a guy came over and sat next to Ty.
"Hey sweet thing, wanna dance?"
"No thanks, I'm here with someone."
The guy slided his chair closer to Ty. "come one, just one dance." He put his arm around her.
Ty shrugged his arm off and stood up. "Look, I said No."
He stood up and grabbed her by the arm right as A.J. was comming back with their drinks.
"Hey leave her alone," said A.J. The guy looked at A.J. and laughed. "Who's gonna make me?"
"Look, she said she didn't want to dance, so just leave her alone."
"The guy let go of Ty and walked over to A.J. "Butt out of my business." He shoved A.J. knocking him into the table. A.J. shoved him back and the guy swung, narowly missing A.J.'s nose.
A couple of guys noticed them fighting and broke the two apart, but not before they each got out a few good blows.
"Come on A.J. lets go," said Ty. She took A.J.'s keys and drove her and A.J. to her house.

As soon as they got there Ty led A.J. to the bathroom to clean him up. He had a busted lip and a few cuts on his face.
A.J. winced as Ty cleaned the cuts with peroxide.
"Sorry," said Ty. "He got you pretty good."
"Yeah, but I got him worse," said A.J. looking at his sore knuckles.
Ty stopped and looked A.J. in the eyes. "Thanks for saving me from that jerk."
"Anytime," said A.J.
Ty finnished cleaning off his cuts. A.J. watched Ty the whole time. A.J. couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. He wanted to tell her how he felt, he needed to tell her how he felt.
When Ty was finnished she let the way to the living room. They sat down on the couch. She started to pick up the remote control, but A.J. stopped her.
"I need to tell you something," he said.
Ty put down the remote control and looked at A.J. "Shoot."
"I... I really like you," he blurted out sudenly. "I'm sorry, I know..."
Ty reached out and put her fingers on his lips. He stopped talking.
"I like you too," said Ty. "When I moved back a few days ago I saw you on MTV and I didn't think you'd remember me."
"How could I forget you? We've been best friends since we were in Diapers."
"You've changed so much," said Ty. "I almost didn't recognize you when I saw you on tv with your hair and tattoo's and sunglasses." She reaced over and touched his cheek. "You know you really shouldn't cover up your beautiful eyes so much."
A.J. leaned closer and they kissed.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" asked A.J.
"Yes," said Ty.
They kissed again. "I love you."
"I love you too."

The End

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