Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
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It had been a week since Isabella told Aiden the truth. It felt great getting along with him again—she was foolish to let Matthew try to break them apart.
Matthew was getting worse by the minute. The day after Isabella and Aiden made up, he was suspicious about Isabella being happy. He asked why she seemed that way and told her she needed to wipe the smile off her face.
She didn't understand why he didn't want to see her happy. She was that way for one reason, only because she was talking to Aiden again. Naturally, he couldn't know about that, so she kept it a secret.
Another secret.
What was with her and all these secrets? At least this secret was something she was proud of and not something she needed to feel guilty about. Aiden was her best friend, and she was not letting him go again.
Isabella was in the kitchen making burritos for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. She hadn't eaten breakfast since she'd overslept, so she was making something quick and easy. The doorbell rang after she sprinkled cheddar cheese on top of the burrito.
She left the kitchen to go to the front door. She opened it and saw her best friend.
"Hey." Aiden grinned.
"Hi, what are you doing here?" she asked, confused.
Aiden walked inside without saying a word, and she closed the door behind him. "I came because I want us to hang out today."
"Hang out like, here?" She gestured at her surroundings around herself, referring to her house.
"No, hang out as in outside. Away from your home." It was his turn to point at the door, referring to outside.
"Aiden, I can't do that. What if Matthew finds us together?" She was terrified at the thought of Matthew knowing she had been spending time with Aiden. And that he now knew what he had been doing to her.
"He won't find out. He works on Saturdays, right?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Finals are over, it's winter break, and I want to hang out with you. Just you and me. I want to hang out with my best friend again."
She missed spending time with Aiden too. It wouldn't hurt if she got out of the house for once.
Dammit, but there was the phone problem!
"What if he finds me with you from this?" She took out the phone that Matthew had given her.
Aiden stared at what looked like a blue flip phone. It seemed like it had been used for years as it had tiny cracks on it. He was puzzled since he didn't remember her changing phones.
"What is that?"
Isabella realized she hadn't shown Aiden her new phone.
