Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Okay.”
“That’s not all.”
I sighed. “Of course, it’s not. Continue.”
“You take Carlton with you right away.”
“No way.”
She grimaced. “Come on, Aiden. It will be a good chance for you to get to know him.”
“I don’t want to get to know him.”
“Yeah, I know, but…” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It’s important to him. He begged me to come.”
I tilted my head toward her in complete dismay. “You’re really friends with him, aren’t you?”
She laughed and shrugged. “I am. You don’t understand. When you were gone last year, I was lonely. I had no one to talk to, and Carlton was there when I needed… a person. Plus, this party is kind of a dream of his. He’s always wanted to be invited. I figured if he walked in with you, he’d get a few cool points with everyone.”
“Cool points? What makes you think I have cool points?”
Hailee placed her hands against my shoulders. “My sweet, naïve, stupid best friend. It’s cute how you don’t see how you instantly became the coolest person at our school today. You have the coolest points that there are to collect.”
“They don’t mean anything. Those people don’t know the real me.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “But I do. And I know you’ll do this for me because I’m your person, and best friends do uncomfortable things for one another in order to make each other happy.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you really playing the best friend card?”
“I’m playing the best friend card.”
“Wow.” I blew out a cloud of smoke. “That’s not fair.”
She smiled.
Crap.
That smile would’ve caused me to do anything she wanted.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “But this means you owe me.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” She stood from the ledge to head back to her window, and my eyes tracked every inch of her from behind. Was her butt always that plump? Did it always sit that high? Did her thick thighs always appear so kissable? When did she become so… perfect?
“What do people wear to parties?” she asked, looking over her shoulder toward me as she almost caught me checking her out. “Do I have to wear a dress? I hate dresses.”
I laughed. “You can wear whatever you want, Jerry.”
“That’s not a helpful answer.”
“I’m not a helpful person.”
“Fair enough.”
She went and climbed into her window as I climbed back inside mine. She smiled my way and said, “Welcome home, ugly.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Ugly?”
“With everyone else blowing smoke up your butt, I figured I should keep you humble and grounded.”
I laughed. “Thanks, beautiful,” I said, knowing compliments made her extremely uncomfortable.
“Shut up, Aiden,” she said, followed by her slamming her window closed.
I missed that, too.
Slamming windows and Hailee’s attitude.
9
Aiden
* * *
Never in my wildest imagination did I envision myself going to a party with Carlton by my side. Then again, never did I imagine Hailee befriending someone like him. It was the oddest pairing in the history of pairs. That was what I got for leaving her alone for a year. My best friend had officially lost her mind.
“Can you do me one big favor?” I asked Carlton as we stood on the front porch of Cara’s house.
“What’s that, buckaroo?” He pulled out a pack of mints and tossed a handful into his mouth.
“Once we get inside, go off on your own and have the time of your life.”
He smirked ear to ear. “You got it, dude,” he spat out, hitting me in the face with one of the many mints sitting in his mouth. He took his hand and wiped it across my face. “My bad.”
Hailee owed me more than she knew.
I’d never been so irritated showing up to a party before. Sure, it wasn’t my first party. I’d been to a handful of gatherings in Los Angeles, but it was my first high school party. I was excited to see how much Hailee hated the party. That would be the most entertaining part of the evening.
As we walked into the house party, it was well underway. Carlton burst into the living room with his arms wide open. “Hello, party people!” he shouted. He went left, I went right, and I’d hoped we wouldn’t run into one another again.
I spent the first thirty to forty-five minutes of the party taking photos with people and having them record videos of me saying hi to their random family members. The joys of being semi-famous. The second hour was spent with me talking about what acting was like and the different celebrities I’d interacted with. I’d turned down about fifty drink offers. The last thing I needed was for someone to post a picture of me drinking underage. My father made sure that I was very aware of my surroundings since I was a public figure. Underage drinking was not something I needed to get caught doing.