"You get my message last night?" Logan asked, interrupting Ashley's thoughts as she stood in the cafeteria trying to decide what to eat.

"Yeah, sorry," she mumbled with a one-shoulder shrug. "I got home late and I was so tired by the time I finished my homework."

"That's fine," he said, but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. It made her feel like such a bitch.

She slowed down, feeling the need to make it up to him. He was trying, and the least she could do was give it a real shot. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. His whole face lit up and it made her feel a little less guilty. It also renewed her belief that she could make this work with him.

The story about Noah's car had died down and she felt less nervous about getting caught for it. It had been another day of being ignored by Maddox and the unsettled feeling in her stomach grew. She had hated his attention, but she hated being ignored more. The few times she had spotted him, she had been unable to ignore him.

Cheerleading practice didn't hold the appeal it had before. She was just going through the motions. Even Diane pulled her aside with a concerned look to ask if anything was wrong.

"No, I'm fine," she mumbled. There was something wrong and she knew it had something to do with Maddox.

She forced a smile anyway.

"If you need to talk, I'm here," Diane offered.

She didn't confide in people, it just wasn't who she was. No one knew about her home life, her constantly fighting parents. Not even her closest friends.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," she assured her friend.

It was a Friday night and, for once, she was thankful for her job at the diner so she could avoid having to be home. Logan had invited her to a party but she had used the excuse that she had to work. He had offered to come by, but she told him to go and enjoy the party. Honestly, she needed a break from him. Having a valid excuse to brush him off made her feel a little less guilty.

She went home and got dressed for work. It was a short skirt and tight top, but she didn't complain as it led to better tips. Although it was quiet, the house was filled with tension. Her mother was drinking wine in the kitchen while eating, and she had spotted her father drinking a beer while watching some football on TV. A storm was brewing, she could feel it, and she had to leave before the undercurrent of anger and resentment exploded.

She left the house, hugging her jacket closely around her. Thinking about her parents, she couldn't remember a time when they were happy. They must have been in order to get together in the first place. It was only a reminder of what love left in its wake when it was over.

Letting out a sigh, she got into her car and made the short drive to work.

"You're late," Jerry grumbled from the kitchen when she entered five minutes late and hurried to start her shift. He didn't even look up.

She was always late, and he always moaned. It was a regular occurrence and she didn't take the threat seriously. She grabbed an apron and tied it around her waist. By the time she made it out with her notepad and pen, Gloria was taking an order from a family.

She had been working there for a year and she hated every minute of it. But it was the key to saving up enough money to move out. That was her sole goal at the moment, getting out of the deteriorating situation with her parents.

Sometimes she wished they would just throw in the towel so she wouldn't have to put up with it anymore. The constant fighting around her made her bite her tongue instead of arguing and she avoided confrontation. It was one of the reasons she had allowed Diane to push her into cheerleading even though it wasn't something she was really interested in.

A few couples came in, and she took their orders. It was quieter than usual, probably because of the party.

She was bringing the older couple their drinks, when Maddox walked into the diner. Her hands shook slightly at his unexpected presence. She covered up her nervousness with a smile as she placed the drinks down on the table without spilling them.

What was he doing here? He was alone. Was he meeting someone? The thought made her feel strange.

He settled into a booth in her section. Was he here to see her? She walked to his booth and their eyes met. Her heart raced a little.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked, still mad at him but trying her best to sound uninterested.

"No 'Hello, how are you?'" he teased, and she held onto her writing pad tighter so she wouldn't be tempted to throw it at him.

"Are you're stalking me?" she shot back, unable to hide that she had been hurt by the fact that he had practically ignored her the entire day. She hated that she sounded like the other attention-seeking girls who usually followed him around.

"You miss me?" His eyes sparkled as he leaned forward.

"As if." She rolled her eyes, but she was lying through her teeth. The truth was she had, but she would rather eat sand than admit it.

"If you missed me, all you had to do was say so," he continued to tease, making her frown deepen.

"I didn't." No way was she going to admit the truth.

He smiled knowingly. He didn't believe her denials.

"Can I get you anything?" She held her own over the writing pad, making it clear she was done talking.

He ordered a soda and she scribbled it down.

"Anything to eat?"

"Eggs."

Her eyes lifted to his and she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"How would you like them?" she asked automatically, wondering if he was trying to remind her about egging Noah's car.

"Splattered against the car," he said with a straight face.

Her smile spread. "That can be arranged."

Now that she had egging skills and could more or less hit her target, he had to be careful.

"You wouldn't?" He feigned indignation.

"Try me," she shot back quickly.

Needing space, she went to get him a soda, and he was still smiling when she returned.

"What time do you get off?" he asked. It was difficult to think when she got the full force of his devastating smile.

"Not for another three hours."

"Call me when you get home," he said. She still had his number from the other night.

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"It's another surprise," he said as he stood up. He put money down on the table to more than cover his drink and a generous tip.

"You know I hate surprises," she reminded him grumpily.

"I know." His smile widened.

She had to remind herself to breathe when he stood so close. He was so confident, and it was intoxicating. He knew his effect on girls and he used it to his advantage.

As abruptly as he had arrived, he left without a backward glance. She stood watching his departure with a mixture of excitement, nervousness and something she hadn't felt before.

********

Ashley was tired when she arrived home after her shift. She contemplated whether to call Maddox or not. What did he have in store for tonight? Her curiosity finally won and she called him.

"Hey," he answered the call.

There was loud music and people talking.

"Where are you?"

"Are you home?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Yes."

"I'll be there in five." And then he ended the call abruptly.

The same curiosity that had driven her to call him kept her waiting, seated on the front steps of the porch for him. Her parents were too wrapped up in their issues to worry about her and what she did when she wasn't at school.

Less than five minutes later, Maddox's car pulled up outside her house.

"Get in," he ordered.

She did. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

She shot him an annoyed look, but he ignored her.

A short time later, he pulled up to a house where there was a party in full swing despite it being nearly midnight.

"A party?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yup." He got out of his car, and she reluctantly did the same.

She hesitated by the car, remembering how much she disliked parties.

"Come on, little Miss Perfect. It's time to live a little."

She wasn't even dressed for a party. She was in jeans and a shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she barely had any makeup on.

When she didn't immediately follow, Maddox stopped and turned back to her.

"I'm not dressed for a party," she said, explaining her reluctance.

"You're not here to impress anyone."

He had a way of saying the right thing at the right time.

***********

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