Chapter 1
"You do know they set this stuff up right?" Aspen asked me one idle Saturday morning. I had just sauntered downstairs in my beautiful Winnie the Pooh pajamas with my long blonde hair going twenty directions and plopped on the couch where Aspen was watching the Real World
"Set what up?" I yawned. They had been replaying the stupid Real World marathon over and over and every time I seemed to turn on MTV the same episode would come on.
"They really aren't being themselves. They actually get told what to say and stuff. They're actors." He said like he was a know it all.
"No way." I said very uninterested of the wonders of MTV.
"You do know where Ethan is right?" He asked like I should know the answer to this question even though he just saw me stumble out of bed five minutes ago.
"Huh?" I asked getting up and stretching, about ready to get some breakfast.
"He went to pick up Evie." He said turning off the TV and looking at me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as both of us walked into the kitchen. You have to understand. Aspen and Ethan were tall. 6'2 and still growing. They could reach anything in the world and me being 5'5 and really lazy, he got down the cereal bowls.
"Ethan went to go pick up Evie." He said slower this time while setting the bowl and Lucky Charms in front of me.
"OK, I get that part, what for?" I asked. I was being Princess Jia. He could get me my milk and spoon also. Which he did. It was a ritual in our house that Saturday mornings be bright and sunny and wonderful, even though no one was home until at least lunch time. We had to at least be nice until noon, it never happened but it was aimed for.
He just stared at me. "She didn't tell you? She went to help him pick stuff out for Prom." Aspen said sitting down next to me. He needed a haircut. His blonde hair was in his eyes, and every few seconds he had to cock his head to get the bangs out of his eyes. His hair was the type of hair I wished I had.
"No she didn't tell me," I said under my breath. "Why didn't he just take Grace with him?" I asked curiously as I shoveled Lucky Charms in my mouth. I lived for Lucky Charms.
Aspen just looked at me.
"What?" I asked. He was a stupid blonde.
"How could you not know? He broke up with her." Aspen said giving me one of his looks. Ethan was the sportsman. He played every sport imaginable and excelled in all of them. He dated in his exact words 'The hot athletic chicks or the cheerleaders'. Aspen was more a party dude. He liked clothes, image, and movies. He dated in his exact words 'Any hot chick that catches my eye twice and can watch Arnold Schwartzeneggar blow people up'. They were the identical twins of Western High School.
"Are you serious? Aspen you wouldn't lie about something like that. Grace must be HEART BROKEN?" I asked, now too disturbed to eat.
"I swear it. You should have seen the look on her face." Aspen said giggling and sitting back. He looked like a 12 year old when he was in the giggly mood.
"How come I wasn't bombarded with scary cheerleaders demanding answers and inside info?" I asked astonished. Usually when the twins do anything that could remotely give any of them a chance I get killed with questions and bribes.
"Probably because he did it last night at Ziggy's. We were watching some band play and he just said it. She was definitely terrified." He said giggling again. Aspen hated Grace for some strange reason. She was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Well actually she probably is only nice because I am Ethan's sister but I know how many of my friends would die to have her talk to them. Aspen was just bitter.
"Oh that is HORRIBLE. He is going to contaminate my best friend!" I shrieked. I felt like talking to Grace and telling her how sorry I was. I knew I would be center of attention on Monday from her and every other cheerleader in the universe. Maybe if I dressed Gothic they would leave me alone.
"Evie is already contaminated by you sweets." He said sitting back in his chair. He ate like a moose and was already done.
"You guys disgust me. So why don't YOU go out with Grace Aspen I mean if she liked Ethan she MUST like you." I said smiling mischievously. It was made very clear to me a year ago that they were two VERY different people who liked to have their own identities, but Aspen deserved to be offended.
"You know I don't like that chick." He said plainly as I grabbed his bowl and mine. I could actually put dishes in a dishwasher.
"The only reason you don't like her is because you dated her sister once. Come off it babe." I said as he jumped on the counter and swung his legs back and forth so his sweatpants made a swooshing sound.
"Poor Ji, her best friend went out with her step brother and she has no where to gooo." He said grabbing my cheek like a little kid. My name had been shortened from about every person I know. Jianna has tons of ways to be shortened. Ji, Jia, J, Anna, it just all depended on the persons mood.
"You're so bitter." I said giggling.
"Am not, but I have some place to be." He said looking at the clock above the doorway to the hall and jumping off the counter.
"Oh so abandon me why don't you." I said looking at him hurt while trying to put the bowls away.
"You're welcome to join me." He said. I knew he was just being polite.
"No I would just rain on your party." I said trying to make him feel guilty. I knew he was going to the mall as usual.
"Nah you're just flat out boring." He said ducking out of the kitchen before I had a chance to smack him.
Chapter 2
I knew I would hate going back to school when everyone at Western would come up to me and talk about how my step brother dumped Grace. Then Grace would come to me crying and asking how he was and everything. They always acted like they wanted either him or Aspen back, even when they dumped them so suddenly. It was weird. I was a freshman and the twins were sophomore's when our parents got married, and that was the big gossip of that year. Maybe the way they met added to it a bit, but still, I could just picture Monday at school. 'Jianna is Ethan FREE now?' 'Oh wow I can't believe he did that to Grace, you must know whyyy' blah, blah, blah, bite me. Now that I was a sophomore and the twins were juniors they'd find something else to gossip about in this godforsaken town.
It was Saturday at noon and I was STILL in my pajamas. How could my brother steal away my best friend?
"HELLO?" I asked too excitedly as I picked up the phone on the first ring.
"Woah sweets, a little anxious?" Noelle's happy voice rang out. I heard voices in the background knowing Noelle was probably on her aerobics break. Noelle and my father had both met at Manor Hill Country Club about two years ago. She was the aerobics instructor while my father was the tennis coach. Seemed like a perfect match.
"No, Ethan ran off with my best friend." I muttered into the phone.
"What I didn't hear you Ji, it's kind of loud in here." She said.
"Nothing Noelle." I sighed. I was NOT in a good mood. I didn't even have the car to drive. I had gotten my driver's license in February and at that time it was decided there would be two cars divided among the three of us. I couldn't wait until they went to college.
"Are you ok?" She asked concerned. I loved Noelle; she could always make my day better with concern.
"Sure, is there something you need?" I asked as cheerily as humanly possible while my best friend ran around with my brother. I could have gone also…
"Nope, your father was coming home for lunch and I forgot to ask him while he was here to see who is coming home for supper." She said. I could hear everyone getting louder which meant that they were all rested and ready to start up again.
"I sure am. I'm not sure about the guys but I'll let him know when he gets here." I said sighing again.
"Ok sweety, see you later." She said hanging up quickly. What a great way to spend a Saturday.
I wandered into the den. I loved my house. I had lived in it all my life, even after my mother died when I was four. It didn't matter that she was dead and my father remarried, her pictures were still scattered everywhere and were joined with Aspen and Ethan's father when they moved in. My mother had developed breast cancer right after I was born and it allowed her four years with me. The only thing I ever remember about her was that she wore skirts all the time and her hair was like Goldilock's, all the way down to her calves. The twin's father died in a car crash when they were 11. I once walked in on them talking about it right after I got home from a party, and that was the only time I actually heard one of them cry, nevertheles sseen them.
I watched as my father walked through the door. "Oh Jianna, geeze, scare me half to death," he said turning around and jumping when he saw me. Was I such a fright to look at? Haha.
"Daddy…" I said trailing off.
"Yes?" He asked as I followed him into the kitchen. I hated having a father so tall while I was short. My father and me looked nothing alike, absolutely nothing alike. I looked more like Noelle then I did my father. He was tall and muscular with dark brown hair and green eyes. I looked like my mother, through and through. That's why it wasn't odd that everyone said what beautiful kids Noelle and Dad had because no one figured we weren't blood. We were all blondes except Dad.
"Can I have a dog?" I asked looking at the back window which led into the pool.
"So this is what I get when I come home from my lunch break on a Saturday afternoon. 'Can I have a dog' no 'Oh Daddy I love you with all my heart thank you for being the best father and providing me with all I need'…." He said mocking me. I cut him off.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know I love you. That's a given. But can I have a dog?" I asked him with puppy dog eyes. He shook the orange juice and looked down at me. He smelled like sweat. Yucky.
"Why are you popping this on me NOW?" he whined trying to get away form me by walking into the living room. I followed suit. He thought maybe if he watched the Simpson's or something he could get me away since I hated anything with cartoons, but no I wouldn't budge.
"I figure it this way. Since Ethan decided to take away my best friend I thought maybe having a dog could be a permanent thing, and so if either of those stupid twins want to steal the dog away from me maybe it will whine or something." I said explaining to him seriously.
"Jianna, find a hobby, please. Has the whining bug taken over you? Yesterday it was Aspen begging me to build him another bathroom I don't get a break," He said looking directly at me and smiling meekly.
"DADDDYYYY." I whined banging my head against his arm.
"Maybe if you got dressed you would feel better! It's a bright and beautiful SATURDAY!" He emphasized bright and beautiful. My father loved being outside and all that stuff. I preferred being indoors and anything that didn't involve physical activity. No wonder Dad and Ethan got along so well. Screw Ethan.
"I don't wanna." I whimpered.
"Tell ya what. If you get dressed and be ready in five minutes I'll take you out of lunch since nobody seems to be around, ok?" He asked turning off the TV.
"YES, thank the Lord!" I said getting up to get out of the room.
"Where is Evie anyway?" Dad asked me as I growled walking up the stairs.
Chapter 3
"If you are going to eat that you better come to the club and play around of tennis with me." My father said after pointing down to my hamburger and fries and the waiter slid it across the table.
"I'll pass, thanks." I said giving him one of my looks and taking a big bite.
He of course ordered some grilled chicken number.
Manor Hill was a pretty small town considering the amount of kids at Western High School. There was no middle school in Manor Hill. They had to go all the way down to Maysville for the middle school. There was only an elementary and a high school. The downtown of Manor Hill was cute and almost vintage. Most of Massachusetts was old fashioned. Manor Hill also had a main street, which you could find everything without having to search. A movie theater, restaurant, the Shop and Save, and any odd and end. But that's where the old people spent their days and occasionally when the teenagers want something less racy. Then you go the West Side of Manor Hill, which was The Strip. The Strip was Manor Hill's teenager's heaven. It had a bunch of fast food restaurants, another movie theater, and Ziggy's, which was a bar which had famous bands come play in it's hole in the wall dump. It was known world wide and any one any age practically could come in as long as they had the big X on the hand. It wasn't unusual on Monday's to see remains of a black magic marker still on everyone's hands.
"So tell me how come Evie and Ethan went prom shopping without you?" Dad asked cutting his chicken. I didn't understand him. How you can CUT a chicken sandwich. "Beats the heck out of me." I grunted. I hated not having anything to do. I always had something to do. Evie and me were supposed to be attached at the hiiipppp.
"Teenagers. Well anyway, anything else new?" He asked looking at me with wide eyes. I must be bad company today, and we don't always get to talk, so I suppose he was making up for a while.
"Oh, um, Noelle wanted me to tell you to find out who is coming home for dinner." I said wiping my mouth with my napkin. Dad looked at me with disgust. "J, you didn't tell me to set out the eraser board." He said with a bit of a whine in his voice. No one ever knew who was doing what ever, so when we needed to know who was coming home for dinner we always sit the eraser board out by the mailbox so they can sign their names. That's the only way we could possibly know what was happening with each other.
"How about this," I said thinking of a possible way to cure my boredom." How about if I drop you off at the club, and you can come home with Noelle? I really want to go out and do something and I need the car Dad, PLEASE?" I begged putting my hands together like I was praying.
"I don't know, I won't know where you are…"
"I'll take your cell phone." I said quickly.
He sat there and looked at me for a moment.
"Fine, I have to leave so let's go." He replied begrudgingly setting down the check and the money.
*******
I paged Ethan. OK I paged Ethan thirteen times, so what. I sat in the car in the driveway for thirty minutes, who cares.
"What are you doing?" a voice said. I jumped three thousand feet in the air.
"HUNTER! My goodness." I said throwing my hand to my heart. I must have been concentrating on that damn cell phone for at least fifteen minutes so that I didn't even hear him. Hunter Camdyn had been living next door to me since I could remember. Before Evie moved to Manor Hill in seventh grade, Hunter and me used to play cops and robbers. That was our thing, I was always the cop and he was always the robber. But as always things change and we grew apart, especially after Aspen and Ethan moved in. They must have had a run in together somewhere along the line even though Hunter was a sophomore.
"You have been sitting here for twenty minutes just, just, sitting." He said motioning to the car. Hunter turned into a skater when we hit high school. Baggy jeans, band t-shirts, ball chain necklaces, he was the real deal, he just didn't exactly skate or anything. He bleached his dark brown hair when the fad hit and he liked to keep the bottoms dark brown and the tips bleached. Beats me.
"Hunter Camdyn are you spying on me?" I asked narrowing my eyes.
"Um no, believe me sweetheart I wouldn't waste my time." He said smiling smugly and standing up straight. Did I mention he was bitter?
"That's not fair." I said rushing out of the car and putting my hand on my hip.
"What isn't?" He replied bored.
"Nothing. You're hopeless. WHY WON'T ETHAN CALL ME?" I screamed at the cell phone. I got back into the car ready to be miserable.
"Oh gross, Jianna, why are you talking to HIM?" Aspen said walking on up the driveway. He liked to park the car on the street, which just made a longer walk for us.
"Aspen where is ETHAN?" I cried. I was now almost sobbing. I was close to tears. I know I am pathetic, probably a loser but it was a SATURDAY.
"I saw him in the mall. Come inside before you get rabies from him or something." Aspen said giving Hunter a snotty look and walking inside. Hunter stared at the door. He would never say anything. Hunter was half Aspen's size, horizontal and vertical.
"How can you live with those beasts?" He growled at me. I was already in the car. "I'm going to the mall, you coming?" I asked starting the engine.
"Aren't you worried to be seen with me your highness?" He asked. I started to drive away. "I'm coming, sheesh." He said hopping in as I floored it downtown.
Chapter 4
"Can I ask you why you are so interesting in finding Ethan?" Hunter asked me as we strolled into the mall. Strolling wasn't the word I was practically running.
"Because he took my best friend hostage." I said like I had a mission.
"I wouldn't put it past him. Slow down though, there is no rush." He said grabbing my arm.
I looked at him strangely. "Come on." I replied walking briskly at a reasonable pace. I figured they could be in a department store, in the tuxedo place or knowing Ethan,looking for hair gel.
"Where are we going exactly?" He asked looking around the huge mall.
The mall wasn't exactly in Manor Hill but the residents looked upon Cedar Valley's mall as their own.
"I'm not sure." I said. Just then I pictured my best friend looking upon hair gel after hair gel with handcuffs on. How dare he make her do such athing as to pick out hair gel!
"Is that them?" Hunter asked pointing towards the back of a girl with short brown hair and a boy about a foot taller with blonde hair.
"YES!" I said jogging halfway across the mall grabbing Evie's arm from the back.
"Oh my GOSH! Jiana, you scared me half to death." She said. One of her hands clutched Ethan's elbow.
"How dare you kidnap my best friend Ethan," I said vehemently then looked at Evie. "Oh babes, I'm sorry he put you through that, you could have told me and I could have gotten you out of it…"
"What? Ji, I asked him." Evie said plainly.
"Huh?" I said my jaw hanging open very impolitely.
Hunter finally caught up with me and I watched as Ethan gave him a dirty look.
"Exactly what I said," she said giggling halfway nervous and looking up at him. "I asked him if he needed help picking anything out for the prom." She said then smiling proudly at me.
I was confused. "So he didn't kidnap you?" I asked curiously. I felt like a fool.
"Nope, not in the least bit. But we found some cool stuff for him." She said motioning to the bags.
"How come you didn't answer any of my pages?" I challenged Ethan. He looked pathetic, but still tried to keep his cool.
"I didn't wear my pager. I brought Mom's cell phone instead." He said taking it out of his pocket to show me. I could have screamed.
"I'm leaving now good-bye." I said turning to walk away.
"No, Ji, why don't you stay?" Ethan called after me. I bet he felt guilty, no I knew he felt guilty. He had promised to let me help him shop.
"No, that's ok, I don't want to hang out with a lying brother who breaks up with random girls even when they are head over heels in love with them and a best friend who doesn't tell her best friend that she is going to help her best friends brother shop for prom stuff even though he promised his sister." I said all in one breath while I grabbed Hunter's hand and stormed off.
******
"Can I ask you something Jiana?" Hunter said when we were in the car. I was mad, not really at anyone in particular. Maybe just mad because it was a lost Saturday. "Shoot." I said. I was just driving not even aiming for home.
"Do you like where you are at now?" He asked cocking his head.
I saw him at the corner of my eye. He always thought things and when he did licked his lips weird.
"Where I'm at?" I asked questioning him. He was weird.
"Like socially, and emotionally and stuff." He asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked him. What boring conversation.
"That's not answering the question."
"I like where I am at socially because I can still be myself and still be the loser that I am and still get the attention from all the better people in Manor Hill, but emotionally there really isn't anything." I said turning onto The Strip. I didn't want to go home yet.
"But isn't that fake? You get attention because your Dad happened to marry the Canterbury twins' mother? I mean maybe you do still think you are a loser and you are yourself but if you were then we'd still be friends. Or maybe it was a choice you made…"
"That's not true. People change and drift apart. It wasn't like 'Ooh look, I can ditch all my friends now, there's Hunter, he's ditched'"
"Then what was it like?" He questioned.
"It wasn't like anything. We hit high school and things changed. We couldn't play cops and robbers anymore," I said. I felt like I had given a good explanation.
"But you had feelings and you knew what you wanted and you used to hate people like them. We used to laugh at them at lunch and wonder what kind of rods they had stuck up their asses…"
"Hunter. It's different now."
"It's a fake kind of different Jiana you know that. You know that if they didn't move in we would still be sitting up on the back porch reading from poetry books." He demanded.
I looked at him. "I don't like poetry." I simply stated.
"Bull shit. Plain bull shit." He said. That set me off. Fuck The Strip I was going home.
Chapter 5
"Why is it that everything I say is bull shit Hunter?" I asked irritated as I set off for home.
"Because it is just the truth. First of all, just because Aspen and Ethan don't like me, doesn't mean you had to stop talking to me. Your life doesn't revolve around what they say. Second of all, it must be pretty damn lonesome and boring to have none of the same emotions and feelings you used to, and lastly, you love poetry." He said trailing off. I didn't know what to tell him, so me being stubborn, I shot back.
"I barely listen to a word the twins say. They are normal. I treat them normally just like they treat me normally. It is not lonely having barely no emotions because it just let's you forget everything, and lastly, I don't think enough anymore to enjoy poetry." I said just as tears started forming in my eyes. I hated the way he always brought things out of me. He was right. Why was Hunter so right.
"Pull over Ji," Hunter said quietly as I eased over to the side of the road somewhere near Oak St. "I didn't mean to start you crying or anything ok? I'm sorry. I just wanted to make you think a little bit because you have changed so much." He said. I had my head against the steering wheel. I really hadn't thought about it much until Hunter brought it up about what I was doing.
"I know. But it is different now Hunter. I've got other things to worry about besides all the fairy tale junk and kid stuff we used to. I have to worry about clothes and who to talk to and who not to. I mean it wasn't like that with you. With you it was just kinda natural for us to drift apart. I don't know." I said wailing.
"So you think we should just stay how we are now? You kinda mad at me all the time and blowing me off and me taking it?" He asked sitting up straight and looking forward.
"No definitely not. I don't like that. I didn't want us to drift apart I just thought that was the way it was supposed to be." I replied getting up form my position on the steering wheel and looking at him.
"Then how come you never drifted from Evie?" he asked hurt.
UGGGHHHH why did he have to put my on the spot like this? What was I supposed to say to him? 'Because the popular people excepted her also'?
"Because she was a girl? I don't know Hunter. But please, give me another shot. It just kind of came all too fast, you know?" I asked trying to explain it to him.
"Sure Ji, whatever you say." He said still looking straight ahead.
"No Hunter, don't say it like that." I replied about to start crying again.
"You have to argue with me even when I agree with you," he shot at me dead square in the eyes. We both looked at each other and he cracked a smile.
"Come on, I have to get home." He said nudging his head still smiling. That's what I started to figure things might turn out all right.
*********
"I am pleased to say that you are a jerk, but you I can still stand." I said prancing into the living room. Aspen and Ethan were both home. It was very rare that you found them both home, except when neither of them had girlfriends, which was the situation now. "Look Jia…"
"Oh no. Don't even udder a word to me until I cool off, hear me?" I said dead serious and walking straight through into the den. It was five o'clock and still no word from Evie. By five thirty Noelle and Dad would be home and by seven we would be eating. By eight o'clock I should be out doingsomething. I realized I had absolutely nothing to do. I had nowhere to go nothing to buy. I was practically stranded in my own home.
"You are quite evil you understand that right?" Aspen asked joining me in the den. The den was boring just two couches and a bunch of antiques. But it was better then sitting watching TV with Ethan.
"I am NOT evil. You two both promised me that you would let me help you shop for prom. It was a big deal for me since I am a lowly sophomore with no chances of being asked and I thought 'Hey! My step brothers are going to the prom to get drunk as a frickin skunk afterwards and having the time of their lives so why can't I help them get ready for it while I am left out?' But noooo, Evie had to go on and ask Ethan for no apparent reason, and by the way I still can't figure it out. AND Ethan agrees! Even after he promised I could help him!" I said talking quickly. Aspen just stared at me.
"Jiana, breathe please." He said rolling his eyes at me. I couldn't help that I talked fast.
"I'm breathing, but just annoyed. Oh come on Aspen. If your friends decided that they were all going to ditch you for some chicks what would you feel like?" I asked him throwing my hands up in despair. I didn't know who I was madder at, Ethan or Evie.
"I would tell them to rock on." Aspen said giggling. I punched him in the arm.
"Well since you are a guy and you are insensitive and all that great stuff you just don't understand." I said narrowing my eyes. It was mad hard staying serious with either of them.
"You still have me! You and me can go shopping still. You forgot all about me, I'm mad at you, yep." Aspen said getting up and crossing his arms playfully. I knew he didn't care.
"Come on Aspen you know I didn't forget about you." I said not really changing my attitude.
"Nope you are a brat and you forgot about me." He said looking the other way.
"Nu uh."
"Now you know what it feels like being stupid and petty, sheesh. Go get your sophomore ass in there and talk to Ethan. Maybe he just forgot, and maybe Evie was just being nice?" Aspen demanded like a drill sergeant and pointing his finger into the living room where Ethan was watching TV.
"No I am stubborn and I think I deserve an apology, from both of them." I said standing up and facing him.
"Well maybe if you would go in and talk to him he would apologize. Stupid underclassmen have no common sense…" Aspen said trailing off and walking away. He'd probably go out tonight and have massive amounts of fun while I do absolutely nothing.
"I suppose you want me to be all happy and sunshine's about this huh? Well you are wrong Ethan, it doesn't work like that." I said walking through the living room with my nose in the air. I was so petty, petty, petty.
"No, I just want you to listen to me." He said shutting off the television quickly and turning to look at me as I sat down at the kitchen table eating a banana. "I'm listening now." I replied snottily.
"Look, I dumped Grace last night, and I was bored. Evie stopped by this morning and you were still sleeping so we started talking about prom and things and she asked if I needed any help, and I said yes." Ethan said doing his famous hand motions, like that would help the situation or something.
"But you DIDN'T need any help. You promised meeeee." I whined throwing the banana peel at him and missing him only slightly.
"You are blowing this way out of proportion. Just because I said something doesn't mean that I always keep my word." Ethan said now getting his higher-than-thou attitude on.
"Stop acting like a JERK! I am only blowing this way out of proportion because you LIED to me Ethan. You promised me that I could help you and you lied. If you wanted to get a good screw out of Evie, you should have told me instead of lying to me." I hollered.
Chapter 6
"A good screw? Jiana why would I screw Evie? My goodness, are you insane? She's a sophomore and your best friend and ew. I just was bored and had nothing to do. Why does everything have to be about sex with you?" Ethan crashed into my door violently.
"Being a sophomore never stopped you before. Marianna Davidson's party last year. You made out with Bree Parker, who just happens to be a sophomore this year AND it IS all about sex with you. Who are you kidding? I hear it all Ethan." I screamed at him. This was silly. I was arguing about Ethan's sex life, which I never really cared about anyway.
"Bree Parker. HA. Were you STALKING me before our parents married or something?" He demanded. I was speechless.
"Who the HELL do you think you are? Before Noelle and my father got married I barely knew who you were." I yelled back at him aggressively. That was a lie of course. Everyone knew who Ethan and Aspen were but what I couldn't believe was that he thought I had STALKED him.
"That's bullshit. Everyone knows who I am, and maybe the only reason Evie wanted to hang out with me was because SHE wanted a good screw." He said smirking at me. I looked at the door and Aspen and Evie were standing there. I figured Evie would have called me sooner or later and boy was that a bad time to walk in.
"That's really low Ethan, really low." Evie uttered. Her face was full of hurt and she looked away.
"Evie, I.."
"Bro, that was uncalled for. Totally." Aspen said shaking his head and following Evie. I looked at Ethan and walked out of my own room leaving him behind.
**
"Evie, wait!" I flew out of the front door trying to catch my best friend who was walking at a brisk pace down to her car.
"I can't believe he thought that. Ji, have I ever said one word about having sex with him? How could he say that? WHY would he say that?" Evie said choking on her words as she reached her car.
"He didn't mean it Eves. He was mad at me and he is always an egotistical moron. He didn't mean it though I know it." I said giving her a look of sympathy.
"Yeah I bet." She said looking down and kicking a rock that hit the mailbox.
"Look, why don't we go out tonight. Me and you and maybe Aspen can get us into some kind of club or something all right?" I asked giving her a hug.
"I don't know. We'll see. Call me after you eat. And Ji I'm sorry about going shopping with him when I knew you were going to," she said sighing and getting into her car.
"It's all right, don't worry about it," I said smiling as I watched her drive away. I turned around where Aspen was sitting on the front step observing the situation. I had a newfound respect for him lately. My respect for him would probably change in about 0.4 seconds after he does something stupid but still he held it now. "You know A, I'm kinda getting sick of all this shit." I said sighing and putting my chin in my hands.
"I don't blame you, there's a lot of shit going down around here," Aspen said looking around our yard. It was starting to get dark out, a little past dust but not quite totally dark.
"Why do you think Ethan would say that? I mean that was just, bad," I said shaking my head. I couldn't help thinking about how much I just wanted to be back in the fifth grade when me and Hunter would sit in the backyard at the edge of my Dad's tomato garden and just throw grass at each other and talking about the lunch schedule for the next day. It was perfect back then and now it was just complicated. I had to deal with people and hold up my end of the whole "bargain" or whatever God had let me in on where I get popular step brothers so I didn't have to work hard to become it myself. I never wanted to have all this in my life, I just wanted to… hang out.
"It sounded like you guys were fighting, I don't know, he could have been just mad and said it out of spite or he could have meant it. He may be my twin but I can't mind read babe," he said sighing.
"You wouldn't have said something like that, would you? Even if you were terribly mad?" I asked looking up at him. He needed a haircut badly and I felt like calling the hairdresser at home and making an emergency appointment.
"Yes, probably. Especially if I were steaming mad and I'm having incredible stresses. Think Jiana, he just broke up with his girlfriend, he has senior year to think about, colleges to think about, girls to think about and girls to think about and you to protect," he said nudging me in the ribs.
I laughed. "I'm quite sure the last possible thing on Ethan's mind is protecting me, dork, and you have all that stuff to worry about too so its not like he's the only one," I answered.
"Are you kidding me? Just last week in homeroom John Corniellson was saying something about how you made out with him or something and Ethan almost kicked the shit out of him. It was almost funny because John said something about it being last weekend and we were at the beach then so he also looked like a loser," Aspen said laughing. I almost laughed myself. I didn't think that Ethan even cared a quarter as much as Aspen explained.
"Why in the WORLD would he have even cared?" I asked just plain dumbfounded.
"Argh you're going to get all sensitive and stuff. Girls. Well, I don't know I guess it's because he never had to protect me and he's all big and bad and the like so now he has someone to be big and bad about, I don't know. It's different now that our parents are married," he said shrugging.
I just sat there. I didn't know if I had made a huge mistake by being a jerk to Ethan or what. "A LOT has changed and not just in that respect. HEY AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE SAID SOMETHING IF JOHN CORNIELLSON HAD SAID THAT TO YOUR FACE?" I shrieked and attacking him.
"Of course not," Aspen said giggling as I settled down. I was going to leave Aspen all my cool stuff in my will when I died.
"Well, John is kinda cute anyway…"
"Don't even THINK about it. What a dirt bag to say the LEAST," Aspen said cutting in.
"Aww is Aspen getting protective of his poor little loser step sisterrr," I cooed. It was so abnormal just sitting and talking. Usually none of us were around, summer was coming and who knows what would happen then.
"Nah, just John is a loser. And don't you go hanging around Hunter anymore, got it?" Aspen said acting all serious.
I just looked at Aspen blankly. I would never, ever get the whole Hunter thing with them. "Aspen, I can't do that anymore. He was one of my best friends for a long time and I want to build back a new relationship with him and since you just won't tell me why you don't want me hanging around him I can't tell you I won't," I said explaining to him lightly as not to wreck the mood too bad.
"Just trust me on this one, all right?" He asked standing up to walk back inside. I just looked at him and followed him inside without an answer.
More soon...
