"Where's this Ashley chick and why are you driving her car?" Madison asks me as we drive to my parents house.

"For the fifth time Madison, she was supposed to take me to the airport to get you guys but she had some band business to take care of suddenly, so she gave me her car and took Lexy's."

"Oh, the best friend from hell." Madison says and rolls her eyes.

"Madison you're gonna have to try to get along with Lexy. At least pretend." I chuckle and shake my head at my friend.

"Yeah, that's not happening." Aiden says from the backseat.

"Nope, sure isn't." Madison says folding her arms over her chest.

"Well it's gonna be kind of hard for us to all hang out if-"

"Whoa!" Madison shrieks, turning in her seat to face me. "I never said I would hang out with that chick, I'm here to see you. Not extra hoes." Madison says seriously and I can't help but burst into laughter.

"She's not that bad Mads." I shake my head and continue to chuckle.

"Mhm."

"Really, she isn't." I assure my friend.

"Just give the girl a chance Madison." Aiden chides his girlfriend.

Madison scoffs and turns around abruptly in her seat. "Would you like to go back to New York single?" She asks Aiden with a raised brow and he quickly shakes his head. He's knows she's not joking. I chuckle at her as she turns back around.

"Put your seat belt on." I command.

"You don't look like Marisol Angelis Daurte to me." She says completely ignoring my request for her to do the safe thing and put on her seat belt.

"Okay, if you die." I shrug, glancing at her then back at the road.

"A little dramatic aren't we?" I just shrug. "Fine!" She says after a moment with a huff. She snatches the seat belt from it's position above her right shoulder and snaps it in. "Happy?" She asks harshly.

"Very." I smile.

"Works every time." Aiden chuckles from the backseat.

–

"Mom!" I shout into the house. I told her that Madison and Aiden were coming today and she completely went nuts, talking about taking off of work and what not. I'm like seriously mom? You'll take off work to spend time with my friends that you've never met but you won't take off to come to New York to visit your own daughter?!

So anyways, I talked her out of it because lets face it...you've met my mom. She can be super awesome but she can also be super annoying.

"I'm in here, Spencer!" She shouts from the kitchen.

"Yo, little sis." Glen comes down the stairs eating a bag of chips.

I roll my eyes as I show Aiden where to put his and Madison's suitcases. "Go away, Glen." I tell my brother as he follows us to the kitchen.

"Who's the hottie?" He asks and Madison scoffs.

"My girlfriend." Aiden pipes up.

"Excuse my brother guys, he was born without a brain. We get monthly checks and everything." I tell my friends in the most serious tone I could muster. They both chuckle as we reach the kitchen. "Ma tell Glen to stop being a creeper and hitting on my friends." I whine we enter the kitchen.

"Glen stop hitting on, Aiden is it?" My mom looks up and asks.

"Yes ma'm." Aiden chuckles.

"Mom!" Glen shrieks. "I was hitting on the girl, not the boy!" He shakes his head and scoffs before walking out the kitchen in a hurry.

I giggle at my mom. "Why'd you think he was hitting on Aiden?" I question, taking a seat on the stool.

"I didn't." She shrugs and shakes her head. "But I knew if I said it, it would get him to leave." She laughs, placing the pan of cookies on the cooling rack.

"Nice one." I commend my mom. "Mom this is Aiden and Madison, guys this is my mom." They both smile and shake my moms hand.

"I made cookies for you guys." She squeals, clapping her hands together.

Annnnd

Welcome back annoying mom.

"I love cookies." Aiden smiles, reaching over to grab one. My mom slaps his hand away.

"These need to cool, young man." She tells him with a stern finger. Aiden pulls his hand back and rubs it.

"Hurts doesn't it?" I chuckle and Madison joins in.

"So what are we doing today?" My mom asks and my head immediately whips back to her.

"Say what?" I question.

"Today, what are our plans?" She asks enthusiastically.

Oh helllllll no.

"Um... mom what makes you think I, a nineteen year old college student wants to hang out with my friends I haven't seen in a month and my mother?" I ask. She shrugs and walks around the counter.

"Because you told me your friends were coming so I assumed you wanted me to hang out with you guys." She smiles.

"No." I shake my head, hoping down off the stool. Madison and Aiden just stare at the pair of us in amusement. "I told you, to let you know they were coming." I say.

"Right." She nods. "So we can all hang out."

"Nope." I shake my head again. "So you'd know they were coming, as in to your house, as in to stay here for the duration of thier trip." I clarify.

"Oh!" She says, throwing her head back in a fit of giggles. "My mistake." She waves me off when she calms down. I turn to my friends with a raised brow. Is my mom serious right now? "Well we can all still hang out anyways." She shrugs and starts to walk off.

"No no, mom." I stop her. "Aiden, Madison and myself are gonna go hang out. That's it. No parent's." I tell her.

"I heard you." She nods, turning to walk away again.

"So where are you going then?" She stops and turns back to me.

"To get ready." She turns to walk away again.

"But mom I just said-"

"To go to work Spencer." She chuckles.

Oh.

That little...

"You never planned on going with us, did you?" I narrow my eyes at her.

She purses her lips and shakes her head, a smile creeping out. "Nope. I'm on until eleven." She says before turning to walk away again.

"Real funny ma!" I shout to her retreating figure.

"It's nice to know how you feel about spending time with your mother though." She shouts back and I can practically hear the smile in her voice.

"I like her." Madison says, with a smile on her face as I walk back over to them and sit down on the stool. Aiden leans over and grabs a cookie from the tray.

"My mom's gonna-

"Ow!" He screams, dropping the cookie on the counter in front of him. Madison and I both stare at him with a raise brow. "Damn cookie is hot." He says, putting his injured fingers into his mouth. Madison and I chuckle at him.

"That's what you get." Madison tells her boyfriend.

"So what are we doing today?" Aiden asks as he plays hot potato with the freshly baked cookie. I don't see why he can't just wait until they're cooled down.

"I was thinking maybe we could hit up In and Out burger, maybe go to the Pier and then the beach?" I suggest to my friends. Aiden nods as he eats the burning hot cookie but Madison... well Madison looks unimpressed.

"Sounds boring to me." She shrugs and hops off the stool.

"No it doesn't." I counter.

"Yes it does. But what can I expect, this is L.A after all." She retorts.

"Don't mind my girlfriend." Aiden shakes his head and rolls his eyes at her. "She's just a bitter old hag right now." He adds, eliciting a slap from Madison.

"I am not!" Madison shrieks. "First of all, I'm not a big red meat eater, I don't wanna go to some stinky Pier and I absolutely hate the beach." She folds her arms over her chest.

"You love steak Mads, it's your number one favorite food, we go to Coney Island like every other weekend and your parent's practically live in the Hampton's during the summer. It's all beach pretty much."

"Well then I hate sand." She tries. Aiden and I burst into laughter.

"No one hates sand Madison." I shake my head as I laugh at my friend.

"Mhm, I do. It's all...sandy and gross."

"Oh I'm sorry baby I guess it didn't get the memo that even though it's sand, it shouldn't be so sandy." Aiden quips and it causes me to laugh even harder and earns him a punch in the arm. He rubs his arm as he laughs as his girlfriend. She pouts and he quickly kisses it away.

Aw.

That makes me miss, Ashley.

Sigh.

"Well how about this, I just don't want to go." Madison says.

"Oh you're going." I tell her.

"No." She shakes her head. "I think I'll just stay here and watch some TV."

–

"I can't believe you two made me come here." Madison sighs as we walk along the Pier. We had to pretty much drag her out of my parent's house and into the car. She fought the entire way, kicking and screaming. And when we went into In and Out Burger, people were staring at us. She kept saying 'Let me go, I just wanna go home.' I think people thought we were trying to kidnap her or something.

What kidnappers would bring the person they kidnapped into a restaurant with them?

A restaurant full of people.

People that can call the cops.

Aiden finally got her to calm down enough for us to eat our food and actually enjoy it without people staring at us.

Of course she tried to pretend like she didn't like it. But the emptiness of her tray told another story.

"It's not that bad babe. Why don't you just try to have a good time?" Aiden sighs. I think Madison's mood is bringing him down.

"It's not Coney Island." She mumbles. Aiden and I can only chuckle at her.

"How about we play some games?" I suggest.

"Sounds good." Aiden nods. He runs off quickly to one of the shooting games. The one where you gotta shoot the star out of the middle. I freaking hate that game…only cause I suck.

Madison and I stagger back and stay silent for a minute. I do my sad sigh and I know she'll wear down.

I hear her sigh obnoxiously and try not to smile.

"I'm not going to apologize for my behavior so wipe that smirk off your face."

I quickly pull my lips into my mouth forming a thin line hiding my smirk.

"So what's the deal?"

If anyone else were to start off a conversation like that I'd be so lost. Madison just knows how to get her point across, or you just make sure you know what's she's talking about because you do not want to be on the receiving end of that attitude when you don't.

"Since you refuse to meet Lexy…" I ignore the gag face she does. "I don't know how you'll meet Ashley. Lexy is always around."

I swear maybe if they just met each other they'd get along

Or Fight.

My money is on Madison!

Sorry Lex.

"I'm sure you'll find a way…so what are you going to do?"

Geez Barbara Walters ask some harder questions, I don't think you're grilling me enough.

I sigh and rub the back of my neck nervously. I smile as Aiden point towards one of those minion guys from Despicable Me and walks over to us.

Madison jumps slightly as Aiden hits her on the arm with the yellow creature's goggle covered eye.

"Thanks baby now go play another game." She quickly dismisses him and reaches out for the stuffed doll but he holds it away.

"Uh get your own." He chuckles as he hugs the very large guy close to his body.

Madison glares at him and he pops his eyebrows up once not backing down. She sucks her teeth.

"I got you Aiden, trust." He glances at me nervously. He probably should sleep with one eye open tonight. I just shrug and he leaves to go play another game. Probably to win something for Madison to get out of the hole he dug himself in. "Anyway like I was saying…" She leaves the sentence open for me to continue where I left off.

I'd prefer if she forgot because honestly…

"I don't know."

"Well you need to figure it out for your sake Spencer. How long are you going to be doing this shit? You love her, she loves you then what? You guys play Danny Zuko and Sandy in the shadows until you leave then…"

Ugh her and her logic and her Grease reference because really? Grease?

I'm feeling claustrophobic in this big ass open space. I don't need her to make sense right now.

I want things to go back to how they were the last two days.

Her visit is supposed to be fun and carefree.

This isn't fun or carefree!

"Can we just have a good time Mads, I really just need you."

She looks at me with soft eyes.

Finally! They've been fierce since she got here.

With a nod she grabs my hand and pulls me towards another carnival game.

"Let's go beat Aiden at a game and make him feel emasculated."

I laugh as she pulls me towards her boyfriend.

Its so good to have her here.

–

"Ew, ew, ew, ew…."

"Madison just take off your shoes!" Aiden shouts through a laugh as we walk onto Venice Beach.

Madison refuses to take off her shoes so now she's got sand in them and she's stuck saying…

"Ew, ew, eeeeeeeeeew. I hate sand!"

Aiden and I laugh then quickly shut up as she glares at us.

"Why don't you use the million dolls you've won to make a runway so you can walk?" I suggest through a smile.

She won like a bunch of stuffed animals which she is making Aiden carry.

I don't know what the hell they are going to do with those things when they go back to New York.

"I will not!"

She answers as if the very thought were beneath her.

We finally reach a spot close and far enough away from the water and plop down.

Madison stands as she looks down at us.

I bury my hands in the sand and she cringes which makes me laugh because that right there hilarious.

I look at her as she looks down at her animals and grabs one. Sitting on it with her knees as close to her chest as possible.

"So you won't walk on your dolls but you'll sit on them?"

"This one's Aiden's." She says with a shrug.

"Hey!" He shouts in protest.

We share a laugh and I'm grateful that Madison decided to lay off with the questions for the time being. I know she'll bring them back up soon but for right now this stress free situation feels really good.

My phone goes off and I go to answer it.

As I answer the call Madison grabs the phone and quickly speaks.

"She's with her real best friend so you need to not disrupt our time together, Okay? Okay thanks."

Then hangs up.

My eyes are wide and my mouth drops open.

Yeah I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you who just called.

Aiden's chuckling as he watches the waves ahead of him.

"I can't believe you just did that."

No actually I can but I'm in a bit of hysterics right now because I know Lexy is going to call back.

I think it best to just not answer her calls right now.

We tiredly drag ourselves into the house, stuffed animals dragging against the floor.

Aiden announces he's going to call it an early night. The jet lag probably got the best of him.

"I'm going to wash the sand off me."

I laugh as I shake my head.

"Madison you've got like no sand on you."

"I feel it!"

I can't help but throw my head back laughing, she's such a drama queen. I direct her towards the bathroom and she grabs her things and heads there.

I drop against my bed sighing tiredly. I didn't realize how much I missed my bed.

What a long day.

I miss Ashley so much. This can't be normal how much I miss her.

It's like we've been apart for months not hours.

I just want to be in her arms again and I think about the picture she took of us while I was asleep.

Turns out she couldn't figure out how to work my camera, so she called the company and had them give her play by play instructions on how to set up the timer and take the picture with me.

I text her and drop my phone against my stomach, closing my eyes.

There's a ton of missed calls and texts from Lexy and I'm not all enthused to answer her back right now.

Maybe I'm a little annoyed that she's back though I have no right to be.

Some best friend I am.

My phone vibrates signaling a text from Ashley and my heart aches with desire as I read her reply.

'I miss you so much more, you have no idea'

I let out a long sigh as I smile. My eyes drift close and I imagine Ashley's arms around me, wishing I were the me in that picture she took.

Frozen and happy with the girl of my dreams.

–

Chapter Title- Mat Kearny- New York to California