The Hot Girl Called Mommy

Two VERY special people meet (Chapter 21)

The alarm I set for waking up this morning went off, ringing incessantly. I shut it off, silencing my iPhone. I took the time to revel in the silence. It was never this quiet at home if the guys were up. With Chase and Liam still asleep, there was a sense of serenity in the air. No crazy boy energy I guess. I stretched my arms, yawning. My eyes flitted to the koala bear Ryan won for me. It was sitting on my dresser next to my makeup brushes and some bottles of perfume. Kind of nice how it was the first thing I saw. I smiled at it and hopped out of bed, shivering in the cold.

When I passed by a calendar on my wall, my eyes widened. An entire month had passed since school began. How was that even possible? I tried to count the weeks mentally.

The first week was when I met the guys, and Ryan immediately started irritating me. The second week of school I'd ignored Ryan all week until our carnival date that Friday night. From the third week on, everything was a blur. It was all a flurry of exams and meetings with Jacob. After our magical kiss Ferris wheel, Ryan and I went separate ways. We'd been playing the flirting game for weeks now. Longing glances were exchanged, and we made purposeful moves to touch each other where it was safe in public. I caught him staring at my lips during lunch, but he obviously didn't make a move. It seemed like he was holding back to honor my brother's request to back off me. 

I can't believe I ruined my own plans to crush Ryan's heart. I was starting to grow real feelings for him. I couldn't help it after the way he'd treated me during our date. Ryan made me feel special and safe; I was well-cared for when I was with him. He couldn't have been faking his feelings then, could he? There was no way he was that cruel. Our kiss on the Ferris wheel meant something real to him. I knew it. 

Could I still go through with the plan? I was flirting with him after all. That had been the goal. But I was genuinely flirting, not fake flirting in some mad attempt to lure him in and crush him. I didn't know if I could go through with it anymore. Maybe if I talked to Ellie or Jake about it, they'd be able to offer me some advice.

I took a quick shower, using my new fruity shampoo and slipped on a white spaghetti strap sundress. It had this cute sweetheart neckline, and I added a blue jean jacket to my outfit. I slipped on some fake diamond studs and blue jean type flats and was done after I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

I hopped down the stairs and saw Ryan, Chase, and Liam all sitting at the table. I raised my eyebrows at them. Why was Ryan here?

Chase answered my unspoken question aloud. "Ryan's car broke down, and his parents went out of town yesterday. He lost his only set of keys to his house, inside of his house. So now he's locked out," Chase sighed, rolling his eyes as he glanced at his best friend. "He's going to stay with us."

My eyes popped out of my head. I couldn't handle being around Ryan 24/7. I would literally combust from the sexual tension. "What? For how long?"

I noticed Ryan smirking out of the corner of my eyes. "A week maybe. His parents are coming back around then," Chase responded.

I muttered under my breath. "Fabulous, just wonderful. First I have to help Jake after school, and now this. So help me God."

I didn't say anything to Ryan as I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed an apple from our fruit bowl and took a bite of it, turning around. His eyes were on me, blatantly checking me out. Chase was bent over tying Liam's shoes, so he didn't notice. My cheeks flushed under his watchful gaze, and I turned back around so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"Ready to go?" Chase asked.

I turned to face the guys. "Yeah, I can just eat the apple in the car. Let's go."

Chase, Ryan, Liam, and I all headed to the car. I set Liam down in his booster seat and kissed his cheek. Then I squished next to him in the back because Ryan was supposed to get whatever he wanted for the next week. I was supposed to treat him like a king. I scoffed. Like that would happen. Over my dead body. And he didn't even offer me the passenger seat! What kind of guy was he?