I wake up and see it's 11:00 am. I think Sunday is the worst day of the week, only because the next day is Monday. I relax on Saturday and shove everything onto Sunday.

My phone rings, and I look at the ID caller. Ashton's calling me... Eh, I'll call back later.

The second I think about that, my heart drops. I pick up and immediately ask, "Are you okay?"

"Awww, I didn't know you cared so much about me," Ashton says.

"I don't!" I say defensively. I don't know what you're talking about. I hear him laugh, which brings a smile to my face. Oh god, why am I smiling?

"We have to go dress shopping today," Ashton says.

"Why?" I ask. I'm pretty sure prom is at the end of the school year... No! I'm just saying that would be the only reason I would have to go dress shopping.

"Lynn, you said you would go to that charity thing with me..." He says.

"Oh ya!" I say.

"Do you not want to be my date anymore?" He asks.

"Of course I do! I just wasn't expecting a call." I say.

"My parents said that I have to match my date. Color coordination or whatever." He says casually.

"Got it..." I say, nodding, even though he can't see me.

"Should I pick you up at 12?" He asks.

"I'll be ready," I say, feeling myself smile.

"Okay, see you soon," Ashton says. I end the call and go straight to the bathroom. I brush my hair and leave it down. Then I brush my teeth and change.

I hear the doorbell ring and rush down the stairs. I open the door and subtly admire the view. Of the sky and the grass!

When he sees me, he softly smiles and asks, "Ready?"

"I guess..." I say, pretending to be bored. He playfully rolls his eyes, and we get in his car.

When we get to the restaurant, I realize I've never been here. Ashton opens the car door for me and asks, "I'm assuming you didn't have breakfast?"

"You know me so well." I tease.

We walk in, and the walls are pale pink and white. The tables are white, and then the booths are black. "This place looks so cool!" I say.

We sit at a booth and take a look at their menu. "Do you know what you're getting?" Ashton asks after we scan the menu.

"I want the hamburger and fries with a strawberry milkshake!" I say. "You?" I ask, taking my eyes off the menu. Ashton is not a dessert! I ban you from thinking that again.

"Steak and fries with a chocolate milkshake." He answers. Soon our server comes, and he asks for our orders.

"Hi, my name is Dave, and I will be your server for today. What can I get for you guys?" He asks.

"I'll have a strawberry milkshake with a burger and fries, please," I say, handing him the menu.

"And for you, sir?" He asks.

"I'll have the chocolate milkshake with steak and fries, thanks," Ashton says, giving him the menu.

"I'll be right back with your orders." He says, leaving our table.

"So what's the charity event about?" I ask.

"My parents are hosting this event to get to know the organizations they work with gang-wise. I'm the leader, but there are still some financial ties with my parents, and I don't exactly need to be in charge of that yet." He explains.

"Oh, so you're not actually the boss?" I ask, tilting my head.

"I'm in charge of the dirty work essentially. As long as I keep everything under wraps, my parents will leave me alone on how I deal with certain things." He says, rolling his eyes.

"Must be difficult keeping track of all of that and making sure your parents trust you," I say.

"Sometimes. My parents love me, and they'll step in if I ask for help. But I'm trying to step up so I can take over fully when I'm older." He says.

"I don't know how you'd have a social life balancing school and your gang," I say, seeing if he'll take my bait.

He chuckles and says, "It helps when your friends are in said gang. Relationship-wise, I don't think regular people would be comfortable with my work. But I know my friends have my back."

"So, no crazy ex trying to get you back?" I ask curiously.

He smirks and says, "Nope, there's nothing you have to worry about."

"Fuck you," I say, shaking my head.

We stop talking when we receive our milkshakes and watch him walk away before continuing.

"What about you?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Relationship-wise? I'm engaged. We've been together since freshmen year. He knocked me up, and his parents will kill him if he doesn't marry me." I say sarcastically.

He glances away with a smile and says, "That's good."

I snort and say, "If you couldn't tell, my parents and friends would just be happy I'm talking to a guy in general."

"You don't have any guy friends? There's no way no one has been interested." He says.

"Don't fucking lie," I say, not believing what he's implying.

"I'm not. You're not... ugly." He says.

"Thanks... It doesn't matter. People judge looks but don't think about personality. Once they get to know me, they lose interest. So I just stopped trying and stuck with my close friends. No one has made it to the stage where I tell them I'm in a gang, let alone the leader. I'm ready to close this high school chapter." I rant.

He nods while he listens and says, "For what it's worth, I think you have a great personality."

"You don't think I'm too sarcastic? I think I give off the vibe that I'm dead inside." I say.

"That makes the two of us. I think you need someone to match your energy." He says with a shrug.

"I have a better chance of getting shot than getting into a relationship at this point. Really makes life interesting." I deadpan.

"I can make it come true." He says. I have a gun on me if you want me to bury you in that forest from before."

"I fucking knew it! You were suspicious the second I met you." I say with a grin.

Our server comes back, and we stop talking for a moment. He places my food in front of me, and I immediately grab a fry.

"Oh my god, I love you!" I say after chewing on my burger.

"Stop talking to your food like that," Ashton says, watching me with a boyish grin.

When the check arrives, I take out some cash to pay for our food. But Ashton grabs the check and slips in his credit card. "I got it." He says.

"No, it's fine. I can pay." I say, trying to get it out of his hands.

Dave takes Ashton's card, and I sigh. "Hey, you can pay next time," Ashton says, winking.

I look down to hide my blush and try to come up with a comeback. Friends hang out!

Before I could respond, Dave returned Ashton's card and said, "Have a good afternoon, guys."

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