I walk into the kitchen and look for something to eat. I open a bag of barbecue chips but frown when it's upside down. My phone pings with a text.

😒

Are you busy?

I'm very busy eating my chips. So it's technically not a lie. The doorbell rings, and I freeze. I'm not expecting anyone...

I slip my phone into my pocket if I need to call 911. Or if I need someone to help me cover the dead body. I grab a gun under a side table and crawl near the window.

I peer through the blinds and see Ashton. Maybe he'll go away if no one opens the door?

I sit on the floor and wait for him to leave. Then all of a sudden, my phone starts ringing loudly. Why is it off-mute?!

"Lynn, open the door. I know you're home..." Ashton says through the door.

I roll my eyes and decline his call. I sigh and get up to open the door. "What do you want? I told you I'm really busy..." I say, irritated.

"Right..." He says, staring at me, amused. He walks in without being welcomed, and I scoff.

"Make yourself at home," I murmur to myself.

"So you were busy eating chips?" He asks, taking a few chips from the bag.

I gasp and say, "Bitch! I was eating those." I glare at him, and he just winks at me.

"So, what's up?" I ask curiously.

"Can't I just see my friend outside of school?" He asks. What? Sigh...

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Why would I want to see you outside of school? I already see you enough as it is."

"My feelings Lynn. Right here." He says, pointing at his heart. I try to hide a smile, but he catches on.

"I found out the people threatening us are a new gang. They're called Evanescent, and their only goal is to eliminate both of our gangs." He says.

"What did we ever do to them?" I ask.

"They want to be the most powerful group here. So to do that, they have to take us down." He says.

"Which they won't," I add in.

"And it's also good we have an alliance. It'll be easier to take them down together." He says.

"Why do you have a pistol?" He asks, looking at my back.

I'm confused for a second, but then say, "Oh, I didn't know who was at the door."

"I could have gotten killed?" He asks unamused.

"I think you'd give a good fight before I take you down," I say, winking.

"You and I both know I could pin you down for at least 10 seconds. I'm sure your attempts to escape would fail." He says cockily.

"Wanna bet?" I taunt.

He scoffs and asks, "Really?"

"Scared?" I ask.

"Fine. $10?" He asks.

"Easy," I say, leading him to the carpeted living room.

"On three?" I ask.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Ashton tries to punch my side, but I swiftly block it. I grab his arm and twist it behind him. But he escapes my hold before I can bring him to the ground.

He grunts and tries to tackle me. I fall back but push up before he can pin me down. I straddle his side, but he punches my side.

"Fuck." I whisper under my breath.

He pins my arms down, so I try to use my legs.

"1."

"2."

I squirm some more and try to knee his chest. He loosens his grip for a moment, and I try to escape. He leans down to keep his hold, and I glare at him. He gives me a teasing smile and continues counting.

"6."

"7."

"Well, at least you kids still have your clothes on." I hear my mom say. Ashton quickly lets me go, and we both put some space between us.

"It's not what it-" I pant, and my mom laughs.

"Good thing it wasn't your dad." She says, heading to the kitchen.

I sense a smirk from my mom and glare at her back. I turn to Ashton and say, "Since there was no winner... No one gets the money."

He shifts towards me, and I feel my heartbeat speed up. He leans down and whispers in my ear, "You and I both know you weren't going to escape in four seconds."

"I guess we'll never know for sure," I whisper before walking away.

I grab two glass cups and fill them up with water. Ashton is sitting near the counter, and I slide him a glass.

"Hey, guys! What are you up to?" My dad asks, back from work.

"Ashton found out the gang threatening us call themselves Evanescent," I say

"Good work, Ashton." My dad says, giving me a forehead kiss to my mom.

"Well, it's getting late, so I think Ashton should head home," I say. That's enough socializing for today!

"Would you like to stay over for dinner, Ashton?" My mom asks.

"You said you had to head home, right...?" I ask, looking at him.

He gives me a smirk and turns to my parents. "I would love to stay." He says.

"Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes then!" My mom says, smiling.

After we leave the kitchen, I ask Ashton, "Why are you staying?"

"Maybe I want to have dinner? I am hungry..." He says, faking innocence.

"You just ate chips! MY chips!" I say, lightly hitting his arm.

"Maybe I want to spend more time with you..." He murmurs, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh," I say, having no comeback.

"I'm just joking! I have to get to know your parents somehow, right? I mean, we are in an alliance..." He says.

"True," I say, nodding.

We're eating spaghetti and having full-on conversations.

"So, what college do you plan on attending, Ashton?" My dad asks.

"Princeton, sir." He says.

"Really? Adalynn plans on going there too!" My mom says.

"What do you plan on taking?" I ask.

"I want to be an engineer." He says.

He then asks me, "What about you?"

"I plan on majoring in business and marketing," I say.

After dinner, Ashton and I wash the dishes, and then we walk to the living room. We chose a random movie to watch on Netflix called "Newsies" and ate popcorn.

Ashton subtly wraps an arm around me, and I place my head against his chest. Neither of us says anything, scared to ruin whatever is happening.

When the movie ends, Ashton stands up to leave. I walk him to the door, and he turns around. "Can you come to this thing my family is hosting this weekend? It's for charity, and I need a date..." He asks, running a hand through his hair.

"You want me to be your date?" I ask, surprised.

"Unless you're busy!" He says quickly.

I smile and say, "Sure! I would love to go with you." I give him a quick hug and close the door when he leaves. I was never good at that, to begin with.

❤️

😅

👋