Her sympathetic look tells me shereallyneeds this from me. I understand the last minute change of plans. The play, the flight, all of it. I sigh, and give in.
“Alright, but you owe me.” Her smile beams, and while I’m nomama’s boy,thatdoes make me happy. “I’m dialing Tyler right now andyou’retelling him I’m not coming.”
After a solid few minutes of laughing with my best friend, he said he’d cover for me and everything was set. My mom and Grant were soon rushing out of the house to get to the airport two hours early for their redeye to New York.
The moment I close the front door, a body slams into my back. I can tell it’s Alysa, her arms coming around my neck as she jumps piggyback-style onto me.
“Alright, well this couldn’t be any more perfect! We are going, right?”
I groan, and bend to allow her to get a bit better of an angle, then wrap my arms behind her knees. “No, because there’s really no cover. She’s expecting me to stay home, and if it gets back to her that I went, odds are that’ll bust us all.”
Her cheek presses to my head. “But,Keooo. I have a date…”
“Heh, Alysa, please not the nickname.”
“Oh right, sorry.” Only two people can call me that. One is my mom, and the other is, well, Ayden.
Speaking of, I turn and see him standing at the foot of the stairs. He’s already in his jeans and a tucked in T-shirt, looking far too good to be told we can’t go.
“You’re too young to date anyways,” I say in an attempt to distract myself from checking him out.
“Uh.” She makes a buzzer noise. “Wrong answer.” Then she giggles so sweetly. “Alright, but maybe Ayden and I can go and you can still cover for us. If it makes it back to them, you can say we were home.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I roll my eyes and stand straight, releasing her legs. She squeals and jumps from my back. “If I can’t go, we all suffer.”
Ayden hums. “Alysa, why don’t you go?”
My skin zings, and goosebumps crawl the entirety of my six-foot frame.
“Wait, really?!”
“I know how badly you’ve wanted to spend time with the girls… and Kyle.”
Ew, Kyle… Ugh. “No, please, Aly, don’t tell me you fell forthattool.”
She wiggles her arm around mine, and squeezes in close. “He puts on a show for everyone, but he’s a super sweetheart.”
“You’re sixteen, and no offense, your judge of character hasn’t developed yet.”
Her mock gasp makes me shake my head and glance at Ayden. He isn’t looking at her… but at me, telling me with his eyes that he’s fine with her going.
I’m not, though.
I could text Tyler to make sure nothing happened to her, and he’d do everything to keep her safe. He understands how important these two are to me, so I know she’ll be fine.
Besides, there’s no alcohol or weed—we’re not trying to get in trouble—and nothing bad has ever happened at one of these parties in the past.
No, what worries me is being left alone with Ayden.
“Then…” She slowly pulls away from me and steps back. “It’s SETTLED!”
I look down at her, and she’s got her phone in her hand typing away. “He’s going to pick me up.”
“Alysa, I don’t?—”
“Thanks! I have the best brothers!” she cuts me off, and turns quickly, rushing down the hall toward the kitchen.
A very heavy, irritated sigh escapes me. How do these two get away with all of this? I’m nearly two years older, and yet here they are, making up all the rules.
