Perfect for You (5 page)

“Done.”

Ash drives me home since I don’t have my car. Only we decide to go past my house and up to the top of the mountain. There’s a clearing where a house used to be. It was knocked down a few years back, and now it’s one of our favorite places. The moon is full and Ash opens the sunroof so we can have a better view. In the daytime, the view from up here is incredible. It overlooks the ski slopes, the valley, and the center of town. But now all I see are stars, a full moon, and Ash. It’s perfect.

“Okay, so look, Jackson’s having a beginning of the school year party at his house Saturday night. I was hoping you’d go with me.”

Jackson, the same guy who stopped Ash from beating on Noah. The same guy who made rude comments about me not being worth Ash’s time. “I’m not so sure he wants me at his house. He doesn’t like me all that much. Not after…” I can’t bring myself to say it.

“Don’t worry about him or any of the other guys. I’ll set them straight. You didn’t do anything wrong. Noah’s a tool. They get that.”

He’s blaming everything on Noah. I’m glad he’s not mad at me anymore, but this isn’t all Noah’s fault either. Still, I let it go, knowing that defending Noah would only make things worse.

“Okay.”

“You’ll go?” His eyes brighten.

“Of course.”

“Oh, I should mention it’s an overnight party. Think your parents will let you? I mean, I could drive you home early, but—”

“I’ll work it out with them.” Overnight with Ash? I can’t think of anything better.

“Great. I’m bringing a sleeping bag big enough for the two of us. Of course with everyone else there, it won’t be private at all, but at least we’ll be close.” He brushes my cheek with his index finger.

“Sounds perfect. Well, not the surrounded by guys who hate me part, but the being with you part.”

“They don’t hate you.” He leans over the middle console and kisses me. It’s uncomfortable having part of the car between us, but I’m not about to complain.

***

Two hours later, Ash drops me off at home. “Good luck tomorrow,” he says, leaning over and kissing me goodnight.

“Thanks. You too, Mr. Football Challenge Champion.”

He blushes a little. That’s the great thing about Ash. He’s amazing, but he never flaunts it. “Sweet dreams, Meg.”

“I love you.” It’s only the second time I’ve said it out loud, so I’m still a little nervous using the L-word, but after the day I’ve had, I have to tell Ash how I feel.

“I love you, too.” He pulls me in for another kiss, and I can’t helping feeling that if we weren’t sitting in my driveway with my parents’ bedroom light on right above us, he’d be over the middle console and in my seat with me.

I pull away breathless. “Goodnight.”

He moans in protest. “Goodnight.”

I get out of the car and linger in the doorway. “Just think, on Saturday night, we won’t have to say goodnight.”

“No, we can say good morning instead.” He smiles, and I decide to end the night on that thought.

I close the car door and walk up the front porch. I give him a small wave as he backs out of the driveway.

Mom is waiting up for me as usual. It’s always the same. She pretends she’s reading a really great book she can’t put down—that is, until I walk through the door and somehow sleep suddenly overtakes her. “Have a good time?” She’s already closing the book and shutting off the living room light.

“Yeah.” She’s tired and not up for an argument, so this is the perfect time to mention the party. “Hey, um, Ash invited me to a party Saturday night at Jackson’s house.”

“Do I know Jackson?” His name is more of a yawn. She’s fading fast.

“Um, probably. He’s on the football team with Ash.”

“Okay, well that sounds fine.”

“Great. Oh, and it’s an overnight party so I won’t be home until morning.”

“A sleepover?” Mom glares at me like I just told her I want to rob a bank. Suddenly, she’s wide-awake.

“Jackson’s parents will be home, and besides, everyone is sleeping in the downstairs den.” What does she think will happen in a room full of people? Ash and I aren’t the type to go at it with an audience. Good thing she doesn’t know Ash’s parents are almost never home when I go over there.

“I don’t know, Meg. I really don’t like the idea of you staying out all night with your boyfriend of five months.” The true meaning of her words comes screaming through.
I’m not giving you permission to have sex with your boyfriend.

“Ew, Mom. Seriously, there’s going to be a ton of people there. Think about what you’re implying for just a second. You know me better than that.”

Mom’s always trusted my judgment in the past, but she knows my relationship with Ash is serious, and that scares her. She stares into my eyes like she’s trying to read my mind. Mom, the human lie detector. “You’re not going to do anything I wouldn’t approve of?”

“I can honestly say having sex with my boyfriend in a room full of people is not something I’d ever do, no matter what.”

“Fine.” She lets go and turns toward the stairs. “But, let’s not tell your father all the details of this party, okay? We’ll tell him you’re going to a party with Grayson. She’ll be there, right?”

Grayson. I haven’t called or texted her back yet. I don’t even know where to begin groveling. “I don’t really know yet.”

She nods. “Well, that’s the story, and we’re sticking to it.” Mom always keeps Dad on a need-to-know basis when it comes to me and boys. She says it’s better that way, and I’m not about to disagree.

“Got it. Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, sweetie.”

Mom heads upstairs, and I slump down at the kitchen counter, digging my cell out of my pocket. Grayson is definitely still up. She’s a night owl. I have to get this over with. If I wait until tomorrow, it will only be that much harder to win her over. Besides, tryouts begin at eight. Grayson needs to have a clear head when she goes into them. If she blows her shot at making the team because she’s pissed at me, I’ll never be able to make up for it.

I let out a long, deep breath before hitting her number on speed dial. It rings and rings and rings. I can almost see her sitting there on the other end, debating whether or not to pick up. She’s pissed. Finally, on the fifth ring, she answers.

“If you aren’t lying in a ditch on the side of the highway or someone isn’t dead, you might as well hang up now and start looking for a new best friend.” Her voice is shaking, and unfortunately for me, it sounds more like hurt I’m hearing than anger.

“Gray, I can explain.” But that’s all I have because I
can’t
explain.
 

Chapter Six

She’s silent for a moment, waiting for me to go on. Damn it, why didn’t I come up with an excuse before I dialed?

“I’m waiting. Tell me what was more important than helping your best friend after you swore you’d help me get ready for tryouts, which are tomorrow morning. If I have to play Tracy in a challenge match and she beats me, I’ll get cut from the team. You know that.”

Wow, she can get a lot out without taking a breath.

“Would you believe I was kidnapped?”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“No! Wait!” I pause to see if she’s still there. “Gray?”

She sighs. “Two minutes and then I’m hanging up. I have an early morning.”

Yeah, I know all about our early morning. “I woke up late to start with, but then…” She isn’t going to like this one bit. “I
was
sort of kidnapped.”

“If you’re not going to be serious—”

“I am. Noah showed up at my house.”

“What? He came over? Was he there all day?”

“No. He took me…” This so isn’t easy.

“Spit it out already, Meg.” Her annoyance practically reaches through the phone to slap me in the face.

“We went to the water park. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. I meant to call you. I did. But the conversation in the car got weird.”

“Weird, how?” She’s still mad, but Grayson’s curiosity is taking over—luckily for me.

“He started talking about how I don’t really fit in with any groups at school.”

“That’s crazy. You’re part of the tennis team.”

“That’s what I said, but he pointed out that I’m not really friends with any of those girls but you.”

“So what, he doesn’t like me?” She crunches in my ear, and I can only guess she’s snacking on pretzels, her usual nighttime snack.

“No, he called you and me ‘lifers’ and said he got that. It’s Ash he questioned.”

I hear rustling on the other end, followed by a “Damn.”

“Dump the pretzels in your bed?”

“Yeah, the salt is everywhere. I’ll probably dream I’m drowning in salt water tonight.” I hear her patting down her bed. “I’m still mad at you by the way, but go on.”

At least she’s talking to me. “Okay, so he basically said Ash isn’t good enough for me, which is totally absurd.”

“Totally. Ash is awesome. I’d clone him if I could. I need a boyfriend.”

“Anyway, I told him not to talk about Ash that way.”

“Good for you.”

“Yeah, but he said he’s not trying to break us up, that he wouldn’t do that. Maybe he thinks he’s looking out for me. I don’t know.”

“By telling you Ash isn’t good enough for you?” She scoffs. “He’s taken one too many tennis balls to the head because that’s ridiculous.”

I debate telling her the rest. About the almost bet, the near kisses when our faces were only inches apart, about Noah saying Ash was standing in the way of him and me being together. No. I’m trying to get her to forgive me for blowing her off. Telling her all that will only make her more pissed off at me.

“So, we met up with his friends and totally lost track of time.”

“Wait, you hung out with Noah and his friends? You were in the popular clique for the day?”

“Yeah.”

“What was it like?”

“No different than when you and I hang out.”

“Really?” She couldn’t sound more disappointed. “If they had inducted you into their club and told you the secret to being loved by all, I might have forgiven you.”

“I’m really sorry, Gray. My phone was in a locker all day. I didn’t get any of your messages. I was even late to the Football Challenge, and Noah ended up driving me and staying to watch it.”

“Whoa, Noah, in his bathing suit I’m guessing, went with you to watch Ash in the Football Challenge?”

“Yup.”

“Do you have any idea how screwed up that is?”

“Oh, I’m well aware. I was there when Ash nearly knocked Noah on his ass. Luckily Jackson stopped him, and I sent Noah away.”

“So, is everything okay with you and Ash now?”

“Yeah. I explained what happened. Sort of.”

“Sort of? What are you leaving out? Now you have me wondering if you’ve only ‘sort of’ explained it to me.”

I sigh. “He openly admitted he likes me.”

“Noah?”

“Yes, Noah. Who else?” I snap. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like such a—”

“Bitch?”

I deserve that. “Yeah. Look, it’s late. I’m beat. We have tryouts in the morning. We both should get some sleep.”

“Fine.”

“Are we okay?”

She sighs. “I don’t know, Meg. I’m hurt. I mean, you didn’t even text me during the Football Challenge. You waited until eleven thirty at night to call me.”

“I couldn’t explain all this in a text. I needed to talk to you, and I couldn’t exactly do that with Noah around. I screwed up big. You’re my best friend and I let you down. I don’t even know how to begin to make up for that. I mean it, Gray. I love you. Please tell me what to do to fix this.”

“Tell you what, trip Tracy at practice tomorrow, nothing major, just a sprain is fine, and we’ll call it even.”

I laugh, thankful she’s joking around with me again. At least I hope she’s joking. She does have to beat Tracy for the last spot on the team. “Night, Gray. Oh, and don’t worry about tomorrow. You’re ready.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She hangs up, and I drag myself upstairs. I’m ready to call it a night, too.

***

Tryouts are brutal. Coach Moyers has us running before and after practice. He makes us do drills for an hour before we break into groups to work on serving and volleying. And worst of all, he has the entire week jam-packed with playoff matches. I barely see or talk to Ash all week. Between his football tryouts, which are more than twice as long as tennis tryouts, and Grayson forcing me to practice with her every day after tryouts to make up for ditching her to go to the water park with Noah, I’m wiped out by ten o’clock each night. Ash and I manage to talk for about twenty minutes each night before falling asleep.

The upside is that I make second singles, winning all but one of my playoff matches. Jess Wilbur is too good to beat, so kudos to her. And best of all, Grayson beats out Tracy Palmer to secure the seventh and final spot on the varsity team. I can’t help feeling a little sorry for Tracy since she was on varsity last year, and being a senior this year, she’s now cut from the team. But Grayson put in the hard work and deserves this. She’s grinning from ear to ear and even agreed to come to Jackson’s party with Ash and me to celebrate. I don’t tell her that part of my reason for asking her along is to appease my dad who totally thinks Grayson and I are on our way to an all-girls slumber party.

“You girls have fun tonight,” Dad says, peeking his head into my room as I pack for the night.

“Thanks, Mr. Flannigan.” Grayson beams. “We have a lot to celebrate.”

“Yes, you do. Congratulations again, Grayson.” Dad’s already congratulated Grayson about fifteen times, but she never gets tired of hearing it.

She squeals as he leaves the room. “This is going to be awesome. Is Ash friends with Tucker, that really cute tight end with the…well, tight end?” She wags her eyebrows at me. “I wouldn’t mind curling up in his sleeping bag tonight.”

Now that she’s made the team, she’s found this confidence I’ve never seen in her before. “I’ll have Ash introduce you.”

Ash beeps as he pulls into the driveway.