"That's right. I promised my mom I'd help clean the toilet. She doesn't like doing it alone because she's worried she'll fall in."
"In the toilet?" Asher asks with a raised eyebrow.
I nod with a fake look of sadness. "She's gone to so many therapy sessions for it."
He licks his lips, not seeming impressed with my story. "Listen, Riley, if it's because you don't want to go, you can just tell me."
"I want to!" I assure. "I do. It's just.."
Do I lose all street creds and just tell the boy that my parents won't let me go? Or do I continue this messed up excuse that I googled two minutes before our conversation started?
"Yo, Westfield! Get your ass over here so you can kiss mine!"
Did I say that out-loud? Wait, no. That came from behind me.
I hope.
Asher nods his head in the direction the voice came from. "I gotta go. I owe Craig Davis a favor and let's hope he doesn't actually want me to kiss his ass. Later, Riley."
He casually pats my arm as he walks past me. I sigh and watch him meet with a group of boys in my grade. Ugh, Craig Davis, taking my precious crush away from me.
"Guess what day it is!" Zander challenges, popping up next to me at my locker.
Out of nowhere, Sam appears and booms, "hump day!"
They give each other high-fives and then kisses because they just have to prove they're the cutest couple around. I'm more aware of the stares they attracted. However, everyone at the school should be used to it at this point. They do it every Wednesday.
"Except it's Tuesday," I point out, much to their disappointment.
Sam whacks Zander's hip. "You told me it was Wednesday!"
"I thought it was!"
"So, what'd you tell Asher?" Sam asks.
"That my mom is afraid of toilets."
Zander gasps. "Your mom has coprophobia? I do too!"
Sam opens her mouth before fully registering what he just said. When she does realize, she slowly turns her head to look at him. I give him a similar look of wariness.
"I lied, Zander." I pause and wait for his reaction. "She's not afraid of toilets."
"Neither am I," he says quickly, straightening his posture. He does that when he's lying.
"Anyways..." Sam says as she makes a face that Zander can't see. "I'm still on team sneak out of the house."
"I'm on team Edward." I smile innocently as Sam rolls her eyes.
"Well, you have a good time sitting at home while Zander and I are dancing and Asher Westfield is partying with some other blonde who he thinks is easy!"
I open my mouth in offense and shock. "You're the one who said that he was madly in love with me!"
"I lied."
I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not speaking to you."
"Fine!"
"Good!"
We stay in the same spot, neither of us daring to move. It's a typical thing we do after fighting. Whoever walks away first caves.
There's a long period of silence before Zander says, "if you guys were wondering, I'm on team Jacob."
"We really weren't wondering, Zander!" we yell at the same time.
Unable to hold it in, we burst out laughing. Typical.
"I don't understand girls," he mumbles.
The bell rings and Sam hugs me before taking Zander's hand and walking down the hall. "See you at lunch, Riles!"
~~
My mom and I dance around the kitchen to Girls Just Want to Have Fun as we make dinner. She decided years ago that when we sing and cook at the same time, the food tastes better.
So here we are, shimmying as we stir the sauce and chop the tomatoes.
Wren joins at some point. He takes samples of each of our side dishes as he dances with my mom. I laugh when my mom kicks him out of the kitchen for attempting to twerk.
She has a stern 'no twerking' policy.
The song changes to Push It by Salt-n-Pepa, my actual jam. I drop the wooden spoon to go all out.
As most people know, I'm not a good dancer, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to groove..if you know what I mean.
"Push it real good!" I sing-a-long and push my hands out in front of me.
My mom stops shimmying her shoulders, straightening her apron out abruptly. She never stops dancing... And then she turns off the music.
I straighten immediately and spin around in a gasp. Before me stands a horrible sight.
The horribly attractive Asher Westfield is leaning against my kitchen wall with a smirk on his face. "Hey, Riley."
"What are you doing here?" I ask a little too aggressively.
"I invited the Westfield's over to watch the game," my dad explains as he walks into the kitchen with Mr. Westfield.
"Oh."
My mom smiles at my dad in a way that strangers would think was friendly, but I know well enough that she is ready to murder him. As am I.
It's a Tuesday night. I'm wearing my far-too-large sweatpants and one of my dad's old t-shirts. So basically I look like a garbage bag.
And not a cute one.
"We can watch the game downstairs," my dad says and leads Mr. Westfield to our basement door.
Asher stays in the kitchen. "I don't really like basketball."
"Well, are you hungry?" my mom asks.
He nods. "I'm a teenager, ma'am. I'm always hungry."
She laughs in amusement, clearly charmed by Asher Westfield. "Of course. You sound a lot like my son."
"Speaking of your son," Wren muses as he walks in, "can he eat dinner in the family room?"
"Why would he need to do that?"
"Because Stephanie just kissed Brad."
She squints here eyes before making her final decision. "Only because I already watched that episode and need someone to talk about it with."
I cover my face with my hands. The second hand embarrassment is real right now.
Then, my mom pushes Asher and I to the kitchen table where she brings us plates of the dinner we just made. A small part of me thought she'd be cool enough to know not to join us, but that was chance was long gone by the time she took her seat right next to Asher.
"So, you're Riley's age?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm a junior at Ventura as well."
She nods. "And do you have a girlfriend?"
I nearly choke on my chicken, my eyes wide as I stare in horror at my mom. "Mother!"
"What? I was just asking," she laughs. "He's a handsome young boy. It wouldn't be surprising."
Asher smiles at her sweetly. "Well, thank you. But I do not have a girlfriend." He takes a sip of his water before looking at me. "Yet."
"Well shit."
"Riley! Language!" my mom hisses.
I cover my mouth with my hand, not even realizing I had said that out loud. "Sorry."
Asher smirks, rubbing his thumb over his stupidly irresistible lips.
My mom keeps the conversation going. I'm thankful that she steers away from the topic of his love life for the rest of dinner. Things were looking up until..
"Excuse me, I have to use the restroom," my mom says and places her napkin on the table.
"Are you going to be okay?" Asher asks her slowly.
I shut my eyes. Just perfect.
"Pardon me?"
"I mean," he glances at me, "do you need help?"
Why, oh why, would you say that?
"Why would I need help?" She looks at me with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Asher. "That seems rather inappropriate for you to say."
He opens his mouth. "I just..I thought.."
"Asher, I have to ask you a homework question!" I announce and quickly walk around the table to grab his hand and tug him out of the kitchen.
He follows me upstairs to my room. I take a deep breath and shut the door.
"She doesn't like to talk about it," I say awkwardly. "Part of the disease, I think."
He rolls his eyes. "I'm having a hard time believing you. Why'd you lie?"
"Why'd you ask a married woman if she needed help going to the bathroom?"
"Because I knew you were lying," he says smugly. "Why didn't you just tell me you don't want to go the party?"
I cross my arms over my chest. "I do want to go. My parents are the ones who won't let me. I know it's lame, but I don't want to sneak out."
His eyebrows knit together momentarily as he takes a step closer to me. "It's not lame. I think it's cool that you respect your parents like that."
"As cool as my dancing?" I ask, trying to ignore the fact that he's less than a foot away.
"As cool as your dancing, Green," he assures with a smile.
My heart starts beating faster as he closes the distance between us. I'm just about to close my eyes and pucker my lips when he steps past me to look at the picture on my desk.
"Is that you?"
I bite my lip out of embarrassment before spinning around. "Yeah. My brother shoved my face in my birthday cake that year."
He laughs. "You look cute even with cake all over your face." He places the picture frame back on my desk and walks closer to me again. "You also look cute in baggy sweatpants and an old t-shirt, even with a touch of sauce on your cheek."
My face heats up as his thumb wipes my cheek. His eyes trail over my face, this time staying on my lips. He lifts his hand to hold the side of my jaw, his head ducking down slowly.
I shut my eyes as he shuts his. Asher Westfield is about to kiss me for the second time and-
"Riley, I need the-" Wren stops in the middle of his sentence. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Don't you knock?" I ask in annoyance.
Asher backs away from me nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Sup."
Wren scoffs. "What are you still doing in my sister's room, douchebag?"
"Wren," I hiss.
"Sorry, man," Asher apologizes awkwardly. "The game is probably over now anyways. G'night, Riley."
"Night!" I call as he leaves my room in a rather urgent way.
Wren stands with his arms crossed and a cocked eyebrow. "Really? You don't listen to me at all?"
"I listened. I just didn't do what you said," I mumble and take a seat on my bed. "Nice job with the overprotective brother thing though. I will say, however, it doesn't suit you."
"What? I totally scared the shit out of him."
"Oh please. Have you seen his biceps? He could snap you like a twig," I sing teasingly.
"Um, have you seen his biceps?"
"No, but I've seen yours. Pretty sure I could snap you like a twig." I sigh contently. "Asher was just being polite and respectful."
I smile victoriously as Wren walks towards my door to leave. "Whatever, Riley."
"Oh, for the record, douchebag is a total 2000's insult."
He flicks me off before slamming my bedroom door shut. I stick my tongue out and make a face to the wooden door. Childish, but that's just who we are.
From: Asher Westfield
I think our dad's have man crushes on each other
I can't help but smile giddily at the text, even though it was just a goofy message.
To: Asher Westfield
oh? and why is that?
He then sends me a video of our dad's saying goodbye for a good five minutes.
From: Asher Westfield
they went on and on. it was basically a 'no you hang up first' moment.
I smile a his cuteness. Maybe this bromance will be good for us. My dad will have to like his new best friend's son. Maybe I'll even be able to go to the party.
"Hey," my mom greets as she walks into my room.
I turn off my phone. "Hi, mom."
"Hate to do this to you, but you're grounded."
"What? Why? I don't know if you can see or not, but I'm not Wren!"
She rolls her eyes at my joke. "You told that boy that I had corprophobia. That's not acceptable."
I scrunch my nose up. "I can kind of almost explain that."
"Grounded." She's a bit stubborn with these things.
I sigh. It's not like I had any plans anyways. My friends have the dance and Asher has his party.
I have Netflix.
~~
AN:
so if anyone interested in making a cover for this story you can dm me or comment here bc I'd love to maybe switch it up idk
but thank you for supporting this story and being so cool ily
spending my spring break at home so I guess that means more updates maybe¿
QUESTION: favorite characters?
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