Just a quick little doodly doo before the update. In this chapter it's going to sound like Sophie is checking Clayton out. She's not. I just realized that I've never actually included a description of Clayton in this story, so I thought I'd do a real quick one. Once again, she's not checking him out. Just stating the facts.

***********************************************************************************************

"Call us when you land," mom said, before kissing my cheek. "And be safe."

"I will," I promised.

"I never liked that Clayton kid," dad muttered.

I just chuckled. "Bye daddy."

He kissed my forehead. "Make sure you call us when you land."

I know that they were apprehensive about sending me all the way to Florida without some sort of adult supervision, but I'd promised to call them every night and be on my best behavior.

They were still super nervous though.

"Everything good?" Bryce asked, as I joined him in the airport terminal.

"They're just being overprotective."

"As they should be."

I rolled my eyes as he wrapped his hand around mine.

"At least you have parents that care," he pointed out, with a half-smile.

"Your mom just isn't worried," I argued. "It's Clayton, your best friend. My parents don't know him, and my dad's not his biggest fan."

"Well most people aren't."

I laughed at that, the two of us making our way through the airport security line.

I emptied out my pockets and placed my carry-on bag onto the belt, stepping through the scanner.

I made it through without an issue.

Bryce did so as well, but I guess he looked suspicious, because they pulled him aside for further investigation.

"What'd you do?" I asked him, laughing as he rejoined me.

"That was the most invasive experience of my life," he muttered, giving me a sour look.

I just laughed, heading over to Starbucks.

It was very early in the morning, and I needed my caffeine fix.

We took our seats in the chairs out by our terminal, Bryce leaning back and closing his eyes.

"How're you feeling?" I asked him.

"Okay," he said, reopening his eyes. "Last night was my first night of the Chemo, so my stomach is a little upset, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Just let me know if you get overheated or anything today," I instructed, as he let his head drop onto my shoulder. I took his hand in my mine, playing with his fingers. "It's Florida, so it's bound to be, like, a thousand degrees out."

He let out a low chuckle. "I'll just keep hydrated. I'm not missing Disney for anything."

"How'd Clayton get Disney tickets anyways?"

"Said he's made some connections out at school, and he knows some people that work out there."

Clayton making connections. That seems like a foreign concept to me.

He's not that likeable of a person.

~*~

"Did he say where he was going to meet us?" I asked Bryce, after we retrieved our luggage.

Bryce just shook his head, tugging on the mask still plastered across his face.

"Wait until we get outside," I reminded him.

He narrowed is eyes at me, but just tugged me towards the doors that led outside.

"We should probably look for Clayton," I reminded him.

We stepped outside, and that's when I spotted a familiar blonde-haired, green-eyed figure.

Clayton was leaning against his Jeep Wrangler, his hands shoved into his pockets. He was wearing a tank top and a pair of khaki shorts, a bored expression on his face.

He was much more tanned than he'd been when he moved away, his muscles a lot more defined. His dirty blonde hair was swept up in a quiff, his jaw set as he swept the crowd for us.

For some reason he looked a lot older, a lot more mature than when he'd left a little over a month and a half ago.

"Found him," I said to Bryce.

Bryce's eyes immediately snapped over to where as I looking as he ripped the mask off of his face.

Clayton's eyes glanced over our way in that moment, and his head tilted to the side, as though he was wondering why we weren't headed his way already.

"I got an up front parking spot," Clayton informed Bryce, a smile spreading across his face as we approached him.

Bryce just threw his arms around him, giving him a tight hug.

Clayton hugged him back for a few moments, before the two of them released.

"Hey," I greeted.

Clayton just nodded in return, before heading around the back of his Jeep to open up his trunk.

Once an asshole, always an asshole.

I tossed my duffel bag inside, as did Bryce, before Bryce opened the passenger seat door of Clayton's two-door Jeep. I climbed into the backseat that way, Bryce taking shotgun.

"So is McKayla meet us there?" Bryce questioned, as Clayton pulled out of the airport.

Who's McKayla?

"Yeah," Clayton agreed.

"That's not very detailed," Bryce said, with a slight huff.

"Well there's nothing more to say."

"Is she going to spend the day with us?"

"I highly doubt it."

"What did you do?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"For the sixteen thousandth time, she's just a girl that happens to be getting us into Disney," Clayton informed him, with an exasperated sigh.

"What interest does she take in you?" I questioned, leaning forward and resting my arms on the center console.

"None," Clayton snapped.

Bryce just smirked.

"She owes a favor to my roommate Brad," Clayton added. "So really Brad is getting us into Disney."

Bryce just chuckled.

Clayton let out a frustrated sigh, shooting Bryce a look.

"So there's more to the story?" I asked.

"Of course there's more to the story, it's Clayton," Bryce said, with a laugh.

"There isn't more to the story," Clayton declined, in a flat voice.

"They've been hanging out for weeks," Bryce informed me.

"There are a total of 10 people in my apartment building for the duration of this summer that aren't on the team," Clayton argued. "We haven't been hanging out, we've been making the most of it."

"You're so oblivious that it could be considered sad," I said, shaking my head.

"To think that I'm doing you guys a favor, and you're both being dicks about it."

"We're trying to help you out," Bryce said, a smile spreading across his face. "Soph, what's a Disney song that goes with this moment?"

The Little Mermaid of course.

"I swear to God, if you bust out in a Disney song right now, I'm driving us back to Gainesville," Clayton snapped.

"I will turn this car around," Bryce mocked.

"You're more annoying than I remember," Clayton muttered.

"And you're just as annoying as I remember," Bryce teased.

"Why the fuck were we ever friends?"

"Because you can't function without my presence."

Clayton shot him a look, and Bryce just cracked up.

"Can I have some of this?" Bryce asked Clayton, gesturing towards his water, after a few moments of silence.

"Sure," Clayton agreed.

"So are you enjoying UF?" I asked Clayton, in an effort to make conversation.

I cared more about breaking the silence than his actual answer.

"I guess."

"He is," Bryce corrected.

Clayton rolled his eyes.

"Being on your own," Bryce recited. "Having buckets of freedom. Not having anyone to report back to. You love it, don't lie."

"It's not all about freedom," Clayton declined. "I have two-a-days, which suck ass. And I have to cook for myself. And do my own laundry. And pay for my own gas. And deal with three annoying roommates. Being on your own isn't as much fun as you think it is."

"Are you skipping practice today?" I asked, the thought just occurring to me.

"Brad's covering for me," Clayton said. "I get a certain number of practices that I get to miss."

"What position is Brad on the team?"

"Pitcher."

"You just can't stay away from those pitchers," Bryce teased.

"More like I can't get away from them."

The rest of the ride to Disney was filled with Bryce and Clayton chatting. They talked about baseball and college and Bryce's future plans, catching up with each other.

"I've never been to Disney," I blurted out, as pulled off the exit.

Bryce chuckled, glancing back at me. "Me neither."

"I have," Clayton said, with an eye roll. "Just a tourist trap really."

"That's because you're void of happiness," I stated.

"I don't waste my happiness on childish dreams," Clayton retorted.

"I didn't miss this," Bryce mumbled, glancing between the two of us. "Cool it for today? It'll be a long day if you guys' are constantly at each other's throats."

Clayton mumbled something to himself, too low for me to hear. But apparently Bryce caught wind of it, because he glared over at Clayton, his eyebrows knitting together.

For me though, the tension was immediately released when we reached the Disney archways, Mickey and Minnie welcoming us for our day of adventure.

"Too cool," I breathed. "Which park are we going to?"

"Magic Kingdom," Clayton muttered. "The one with the castle and the parades and all of the magical bullshit that Disney feeds you for hundreds of dollars."

I ignored Clayton's hate towards Disney, a smile stretching across my face. "Can you, like, walk through the castle?"

"Kind of," Clayton said. "There's an archway where you can walk through, and they have Cinderella's story depicted inside."

I was also excited for my iconic Disney picture with my boyfriend in front of the castle. Not sure how Clayton will feel about having to take our picture, let alone one of us kissing, but I wasn't going to miss out on my tourist needs.

Clayton paid a ridiculous fee to park as we reached Magic Kingdom.

"McKayla is meeting us at the main entrance with our passes," Clayton informed us, checking his phone after he parked the car.

My hand intertwined with Bryce's as we made our way to the shuttle station, where a shuttle would then pick us up and take us to the main entrance of the park.

"So how's everything been going?" I asked Clayton, as he fell into step next to me.

"Fine."

"Have you had an opportunity to explore Gainesville yet or anything?"

"It's really just a college town," he informed me, with a slight frown. "Nothing to explore."

Well this conversation is going swimmingly.

I nodded, rocking back onto my heels as we waited for the shuttle.

"How're my folks?" Clayton asked Bryce. "You know, aside from the bullshit they feed me over the phone."

"Your dad's fine," Bryce said, with a shrug. "I just saw him the other day when I was helping your mom with her summer cleaning project. He asked a lot about you, said that he knows you're probably not as informative over the phone as you should be. But I didn't tell him anything important."

"And my mom?"

"She hasn't stopped scrapbooking yet."

Clayton rolled his eyes. "Stupid fucking hobby."

"Don't talk about your mom's interests like that," I scolded.

"I don't want to go home and see my entire life laid out in multiple different scrapbooks," Clayton said, his eyebrows knitting together. "It's strange."

"You're her only child," I reminded him. "Of course she's missing you, let her miss you in her own way."

"Kayla asked about you," Bryce informed him.

"Your sister?"

He nodded. "She's still pissed that you didn't come to the wedding, so I'm not sure it was entirely sincere."

Clayton just shook his head. "Not interested."

"You're a real piece of work, do you know that?" I questioned, as the shuttle pulled up to take us to Disney.

"It's just the truth."

"So what's the first ride we should go on?" Bryce asked Clayton, after we were all seated.

"Space Mountain is bound to have a long wait," he mused. "And Peter Pan gets really long too, for no fucking reason."

"There are children here," I whispered, glancing around the shuttle.

Luckily no one seemed to have heard him.

"Grow up."

"You can't just drop the f-bomb in front of children."

"Are they incapable of hearing it?"

"They're innocent and naïve. They shouldn't have to hear it."

"I think you're innocent and naïve," Clayton muttered.

"Real mature." I let out a huff, fed up with this conversation. "Just think if it were you as a child. You wouldn't want to hear something like that from a teenage kid on a Disney shuttle."

"Yes, because my dad was so thoughtful when it came those things," Clayton snapped, his voice dripping with venom. "I forgot that we all grew up in fairytale land with magic and unicorns."

"We haven't even made it to the park yet," Bryce mumbled. "All I ask for is one day, and we haven't even made it to the park yet."

~*~

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Clayton questioned.

I licked my Mickey Mouse ice cream, ignoring him.

"Because it's not every day we get to go to Disney," Bryce reminded him. "And Soph wanted to see one parade, so I think we can squeeze it into our schedule."

I shot Clayton a satisfied smirk, which he returned with a frown.

"I'm not really interested in watching Disney Princesses parade around the streets," Clayton deadpanned.

"Well shut your face hole, because I am," I snapped.

"We're doing this," Bryce informed Clayton. "Now set a good example for all of these kids."

"Right, the kids again," Clayton said, glancing around him.

Bryce gave him a good nudge in the ribcage.

Even I could tell that Clayton had been acting like more of a jerk than usual, which definitely sent out some red alarms because he's already a Class A Asshole.

But pretty soon that disappeared from my mind, as I heard the music for the parade.

I know that neither Clayton nor Bryce cared, but I couldn't help the excitement bubble inside of me as I watched the floats pass by, each with a different Princess story.

"Who's that?" Bryce asked me, as Scottish music played from the surrounding speakers.

"Merida, from the Disney movie Brave," I informed him.

"Never heard of it."

"That hurts me."

He chuckled, watching as Merida and her float passed by.

I glanced over at Clayton, but he was just watching the parade in a brooding silence.

Bryce offered me a slight shake of the head, telling me to leave him be.

The parade finished with a giant, mechanical dragon from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and I couldn't help but watch after it in awe.

"Did you know any of them?" I asked Clayton, as we stood up to leave.

I threw my empty popsicle stick in the trash, the only reminisce of my Mickey Mouse ice cream.

"Of course," he said, casting a look over at me. "I don't live under a rock."

"Could've fooled me."

"Let's grab some water," Bryce suggested. "It's hotter than Hell out here."

Disney had water stations set out, so that guests could fill up their water bottles. And we headed over there to take advantage of Disney's kindness.

"Do you guys mind if we sit for a moment?" Bryce asked, after refilling his water bottle and then nearly draining it again.

"We just sat for the parade," Clayton reminded him. "Are you feeling okay?"

"It's just hot out here," Bryce muttered.

Clayton nodded. "Let's get you into some AC."

We headed over to Main Street, where Clayton pushed open one of the shop doors, following us inside.

The rush of AC welcomed us, and I let out a sigh, running my fingers through my sticky ponytail and across the back of my sweaty neck.

Florida is so gross.

We stayed inside there for a little while, Bryce regaining his bearings.

"So," I said, glancing over at Clayton.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Care to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"About what's bothering you, why you're being such a jerk today."

"Am I not always?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, but today it's unbearable almost. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," Clayton snapped, his eyes lowering at me. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Again with the f-bomb."

"Why should I care about somebody else's kids?" Clayton questioned. "It's not fault their parents haven't taught them the ways of the world yet. Maybe it'll do them some good to have their eyes opened a bit."

I sensed a strong feeling of hostility coming from Clayton right now.

I glanced over at Bryce, but he was seated with his back pressed against the wall and his eyes closed, still cooling down.

"You should care about someone else's kids because it's the respectful thing to do," I said, my eyebrows knitting together. "And it's not your job to decide when to ruin a child's innocence. But seeing as though you've managed to drop the f-bomb all around the park today, I'm sure you've done plenty of that."

"If the f-bomb is the worst thing they ever have to hear in their lifetime, I think they'll survive."

"So you don't like kids," I stated.

"Who likes kids?"

"A great deal of people. You worked with them at Mrs. Wilcott's summer camp," I reminded him.

"That's because my dad knew her. And he told her I would."

Clyde or Taylor?

He probably wouldn't continue working there if it was linked to him through Clyde.

Why did Clayton continue to call Clyde his dad anyways?

"I'm not going to argue about children with you," I said, with an exasperated sigh. "It's just common decency not to make it your life's mission to ruin childhoods. Especially at Disney."

"And I. Don't. Fucking. Care. About their childhoods," Clayton breathed. "So I'm glad we're on the same page now."

Bryce came over to us, tipping back some water from the bottle he'd refilled. Twice.

"Okay," he said, with a lopsided smile, oblivious to the clear tension between Clayton and me. "Let's go ride some rides."

~*~

"What's your score?" I asked, craning my neck to see Bryce's console after we finished the Buzz Lightyear ride.

You had to go through and shoot aliens, collecting points.

"32,400" Bryce informed me, glancing over see mine.

"44,600," I bragged.

"How even?"

"Clayton!" I whispered. "Clayton, what's your score?"

"62,000 and some change," he answered back.

"No way," Bryce said, straining to see Clayton's console in front of us.

"Suck on it."

I rolled my eyes as the ride finished, and the three of us exited off.

"We have to walk through the castle," I said, glancing over at Bryce for confirmation.

"Of course."

"This way," Clayton instructed, dodging people as he fought against the current flow of traffic.

We followed him out to the front of Cinderella's castle, and I let out a sigh as a smile spread across my face.

It was gorgeous.

"And I suppose you'll want me to take your picture?" Clayton drawled.

"That would be nice of you," I agreed, handing him my phone.

For once, Clayton didn't complain. Not even as he was forced to take our picture while we kissed in front of the castle, my iconic Disney moment.

"Can we walk through it now?" I asked, with a bright smile.

"Sure, where are we headed to though?" Bryce asked, linking hands with me.

I didn't care. I just wanted to walk through the archways that led through Cinderella's Castle.