I groaned, still half asleep trying to get Aaron to move his legs a bit so I could wriggle out of bed.

But the giant, he didn't even budge.

Fatass.

With one hard shove, I managed to free my legs,throwing Aaron on the floor in the process.

How he managed to stay asleep even after that was completely beside me.Shaking my head, I jumped off the bed and went to my room to freshen up.

I put on my jeans with a comfy hoodie, tied my hair up into a ponytail and made my way downstairs. I grabbed some cereal for myself. I wasn't one for cooking. I mean, I could make some decent food (and by decent I mean edible) but I usually didn't cook because of well, that disease called laziness.

I got up when I was done eating amd put the dishes in the dishwasher.

Just as I was getting up, I saw him,not wearing anything but boxers, hair all messed up and a red mark on his shoulder. Probably from falling down from the bed.

Surprised, I jumped a little and my foot collided with the open door of the dishwasher, hurting me in the process.

"Ow!Ow!Shit!" I yelled jumping on my unhurt foot.

"You alright?" I heard him say after he was done laughing.

I felt two hands gently turn me around.

I let out a deep breath and walked, well, limped away from him out of the kitchen.My foot was still throbbing with pain.

"Where do you think you're going? Sit down," he said with a firm voice.

And because my foot was actually hurting a lot, and the chair was right in front of me, I listened.

"Good girl. Now show me your foot.", he said softly and kneeled down.

He took my injured foot into his hands gingerly.

My cheeks suddenly heated up as his hands made contact with my skin.

Luckily, since he was busy looking at my foot, he couldn't see how red my cheeks had become.

"I think it's going to bruise."

"Thanks doctor."

He looked up at me and I instantly regretted not keeping my big mouth shut.

I was still blushing like crazy. What the hell was up with me, I couldn't understand.

As expected he smirked."Well, what can I say, I'm a freaking genius."

I rolled my eyes at him."You dream too much."

"You know what I think? "

"No?"

Ignoring my response, he continued,

"You look like a tomato and the opinion of a tomato does not mean anything."

I almost gasped."Let go," I said, trying to pretend I wasn't embarassed.

He didn't.

"Let go of my foot!" I yelled and shook my leg around wildly so that he'd loosen his grip but I accidentally kicked his face with my foot.

"Hey!" he yelled cupping a hand over his cheek.

I gasped."I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"It's fine," he said getting up, one hand still over his cheek where I'd hit him.

"I'm just gonna go get ready. You take care of your foot," he said as he headed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"Football practice. I'll be back soon," he said,turning around again.

"Wait."

"What?" he looked at me over his shoulder.

"You didn't eat anything," I couldn't help but point out.

Well, if he was going for football practice, he was going to need his calories, right?

He smiled at me, his dimples showing.

Shit, he really was cute.

"You noticed?" he asked, still smiling as he hopped back to me.

"Well, um-"

"You care so much about me," he said,grinning.

" Shut up," I mumbled, not having any smartass reply and hurriedly walked up the stairs. My foot wasn't burning anymore but my face was.

He laughed. "I know you love me!" he yelled, still laughing like the idiot that he was.

I couldn't help but crack a smile of my own.

I got my laptop and phone from my room and went back downstairs. I was going to go over to Trent's to get some help with the project.

Knowing Trent, he'd probably already finished his a long time back. He didn't believe in procrastination, unlike me.

It was really weird how two people who were so different could be such good friends.

Aaron was putting on his shoes when I got downstairs.

"Where are you off to?"

"Just going to Trent's house."

"Well, I could drop you."

"Thank you", I smiled.

He was actually a sweet guy.

"But I won't," he burst out laughing.

Okay, I take that back. He was the most annoying person on the planet.

I scowled at him." You're an idiot,you know that?"

"A very sexy one, yes."

"Stop lying to yourself."

He laughed lightly. "I was kidding, come on, I'll drop you."

I stayed put. He was probably kidding again.

"I'm serious, come on."

And I did.

***

"Ah! It's finally done! Thank you so much Trent!" I said happily, bear hugging him.

He laughed, hugging me back."Let's grab something to eat," he suggested.

We went downstairs to be greeted by the lovely smell of hot chocolate and cookies.

This was one of the reasons why I loved coming to Trent's house. His mom was the best baker in the world, in addition to being super sweet.

We sat down on the couch and I smiled as I caught sight of a certain spot on the coffee table where Trent, Kayla and I had carved our initials when we were ten. Despite what she had done, we'd made so many amazing memories together.

"So, have you talked to your mom? How is your grandma now?" Trent's mother asked as she set down a plate of chocolate cookies on the table.

"Yes, I just spoke to her yesterday," I grabbed a cookie."She's much better now."

That cookie was sheer bliss.Oh my God.

"That's great .How's Kayla? Trent, how come she never comes over anymore?"his mother frowned.

Trent looked at me, uneasily. I was guessing he hadn't told her yet.I gave him a look.

"What is i-" his mom began but was cut off by the sound of her phone started ringing.

She shot us an apologetic and went outside to answer it.

Trent visibly relaxed when she left.

"You should have told her!" I whisper-yelled at him.

"I know."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Ashley, you know it's hard for me to talk about her."

"Trent, believe me- I know exactly what you mean. But you should tell her,okay?"

He nodded,knowing I was right.

Just then his mother came back.

"Kids, I'm so sorry but I'm gonna have to leave right now. They need me at work."

We both nodded in understanding and said goodbye to her as she grabbed her stuff and walked out the door.

After she left, I looked at Trent.The mere mention of her had upset him.

"Trent."

"What?"

"You have chocolate on your nose."

He laughed at the random comment.

"You're stupid, you know?"

"I'm not stupid,Trenty."

"Hey, don't call me that," he pretended to frown but ended up laughing with me.

"I can't believe summer break is over," I said after a while.

"Me neither.We could have done so much," he sighed.

" Yeah,you're right.But at least we got that fundraiser done with."

"Yeah," he agreed,"that was fun."

"We never found out what happened to Jordan," I suddenly remembered how he'd disappeared on the day of the concert without any explanation.

"Apparently he got an allergy or something," he shrugged.

"Huh," I muttered, thinking how bad it could've been had Aaron not stepped in.

"Well, at least Aaron helped.I don't even want to think what would have happened if he hadn't been there," Trent said what I had just been thinking.

"I know right? We'd probably have had tomatoes thrown at us."

We laughed.

"He's a nice guy," Trent said.

"Who, Aaron?"

He nodded. "Actually, you two would make a really nice couple..." he winked at me.

I slapped his arm playfully. "Don't even think about going there."

"Why not? He's helpful, and admit it, you two would be perfect for each other."

" Yeah, why's that?"

"You know it."

"Quit it."

He put his hands up in surrender but it started a completely new train of thoughts in my head.

Was he for real?

Aaron and me?

That sounded as bizarre to me as the feeling that the thought of us being together created.

***

As Trent's car pulled into the Woods' driveway,I noticed another car there.That was unusual. Who could it be?

I frowned as I got out of the car. I had a bad feeling in my gut.

As I neared the house, I could hear shouts coming from inside.

"You never cared!" I heard Aaron yell at someone.

"You don't know that. I have always cared for you," a feminine voice replied.

"Like hell you did."

And then I went inside. As soon as I did, I noticed a thin, tall woman standing in front of Aaron, her back facing me.I could see Aaron clearly-he was very pissed.

A vein in his throat stood out and I noticed that his fists were clenched.

"I did care! You're my only so-"

"Don't call me that! And how come you never once thought about seeing us, if you cared so much?"

"I couldn't come with Welma and her...her daughter here!" the woman protested.

What? This was getting really confusing and weird.

Who was this woman-was she Aaron's mother but if she was Aaron's mother, who was Welma?And why was Aaron fighting with her?

How dare she? Who did she think she was? How could she just leave me and then barge into my life years later claiming she was my mother?

I couldn't believe her.

"I couldn't come with Welma and her...her daughter here! They had some kind of a spell over you and your father!"

I scoffed. Was she being serious?

"Welma's daughter?" I laughed humorlessly. "She's my sister! She is the only real family I have ever had!" I glared at her.

I did not in the least bit feel guilty about yelling at her. I felt nothing but anger towards the woman standing in front of me.

"She is not your sister, Aaron. And I want to make sure every-"

I stopped listening to her when my eyes landed on Ashley then, who was staring at us with confusion in her eyes.

"You know what?You can do whatever the hell you want to. I don't give a shit," I said coldly before pushing my way past her.

I slowed down a bit when I neared Ashley. She didn't need to hear all this.

I stormed out of the house with no intention of going back as long as that woman was there.

Who the fuck was she to me? No one.

She was never there when I needed her. Never.

And she called me her son?

"Aaron!" I heard Ashley yell behind me.

Why was she coming after me? I didn't want to her to get messed up in my shit.

I didn't answer her. I continued to walk as fast as I could. I just wanted to get the fuck away from there.

"Aaron!" she yelled again and I felt a tug on my arm.

"What?" I snapped at her, instantly regretting it when I saw a fleeting glimpse of hurt on her face.

"Wha-Where are you going?" she asked uncertainly.

"The hell away from here," I muttered, struggling to keep my anger under control in front of her.

She really, really didn't need to see this.

"Aaron, calm down.Please lis-"

"No," I said firmly."Ashley please, I need to be alone for some time."

And with that, I stormed off again.But this time, she caught up with me easily.

I wanted to run. Go away. I'd probably go stay at Caleb's house or something for a few days till my "mother" went away.

I was just grateful Amanda wasn't here to witness this. Pity Ashley had to.

I was still fuming as I walked. Ashley didn't say a single word.

I was pissed. Why was she following me? She was better off not knowing my sob story.

I don't know how long I walked for with Ashley following me. I finally snapped."Why are you following me?"

"I'm not!"

"Really now?"

"Aaron..."

I knew she wanted to help me.I knew she was worried.I could see it on her face. But why? Since when did anyone care?

I sighed and entered the forest, walking towards the place I hadn't visited in so long. Even so, that place had a calming effect on me.

"Can we...sit?"

I glanced at Ashley in surprise. I had completely forgotten she was there.

She looked exhausted. I suddenly felt really guilty.

"I never asked you to come with me," I said, calming down a bit.

" But..." she bit her lip.

"But?"

She was quiet for a few seconds."I wanted to."

Why would she?

"What?Look, please,just go. I'll be back soon."

She really needed to leave before I lost control. I don't think I'd ever been this angry. Except maybe that one time when Kaden stole my pizza...

Just kidding, that didnt even begin to compare with what I was feeling right now.

But the thing was -I kind of wanted to tell her .And I couldn't understand why. Maybe it was because I knew sharing it with someone would help.

But I'd never told anyone. Not even my friends knew the whole story. So why her?

"No,I'm not going," she said with a determined voice.

I gave her an annoyed look and decided to ignore her presence, shich wasn't exactly easy.

I kept walking for some more time till we finally reached there and stopped. I sat down as I took in the breath taking scene before me.It was the same river where my father used to take me fishing . It had the most gorgeous view,as always.

I glanced at Ashley, who looked wonder stuck. Her cheeks were flushed from the long walk and her long hair was tied up, as usual but a few stands of hair were loose.

She still managed to look amazing.

God, I sound like a creep.

"Wow..." she muttered.

"I know," I said."My dad used to bring me here all the time..."

We were quiet for a while before she spoke."Aaron, you can tell me," she said softly.

She looked so genuine and so sweet.I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"That was my mother," I muttered hesitantly and looked at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before she nodded with a knowing look.

"She left my dad and me when I was a kid...for some guy."

"She left us. She didn't care about me, or my dad. Never looked back."

"We were such a close knit family before," I grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it forcefully, so it landed far away. Not to mention it made my arm hurt like a bitch.

She just listened, with shock covering her face.

"After she left... it's like everything changed. Dad changed, completely. We used to go out every weekend—camping, fishing, you name it. And suddenly, all of that changed. My father married Welma,Amanda's mom."

I heard her gasp in surprise. "Amanda isn't...she's your step-sister?"

I nodded."But the only real family I've ever had. And Joanna. She took care of us, both me and Amanda."

"So, it was just you and Amanda then?", she asked.

"Welma stuck around for a while too but basically yeah, just me, Jo and Mandy. That's why we're so close.*

She smiled a bit. She was really beautiful. "I don't know what to say...I wish you didn't have had to deal with all of this on your own."

"Gosh, I suck at this don't I?",she chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

I smiled."It's enough for me."

It made her blush.

"You should do that more often, you know," she quietly said.

"Do what?"

" Smile."

"Because my smirk is too much for you to handle, eh?" I joked.

I suddenly felt much better now.Just having her there made me feel better.

She rolled her eyes at that but she was smiling.

We sat there for a long time, before I decided it was time to leave.

I got up, brushing the dirt off my pants and helped Ashley up.

"I'm... I'm sorry for all this," I told her.

"No, are you stupid? Shut up."

I laughed. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you didn't leave."

Here eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks turning even redder than before. She was fucking adorable.

She did the impossible then. She hugged me.

Ashley Forbes hugged me.

I kind of expected my name to be in the next issue of the Guinness Book of World Records after that.