I sprayed my best cologne on and stood back to examine my look in the mirror. I didn't know why I was doing it. Ximena wouldn't care, and why did I care? My father, on the other hand, convinced me to dress up since it was my first time seeing Ximena in a couple of months.

He was fond of her.

That made one of us.

Ximena wasn't bad, but I wasn't into this. I didn't feel like dressing up for nothing.

"Iago." My father entered my room with a huge grin on his face. He didn't reek of liquor, which was rare. "Aquì tienes." He handed me a wad of cash. "In case you wanna spoil your girl."

"Papa," I said, "I don't know if that'll be necessary."

"Take it, Iago." He smirked. "You never know."

"Gracias," I said with a nod while pocketing the money.

I could use the gas money.

"Have fun, boy." He patted my back before heading out, and I watched my father.

He was giving me money and being friendly. Today must have been a good day.

I grabbed everything I needed but stopped when I saw my big Beats headphones on the dresser. I always wore it around my neck, even when I had the smaller Beats headphones. It didn't match my outfit but screw it. I took the headphones and placed it around my neck.

Then I was out the door.

A couple minutes later, Ximena walked over to Verda with her own headphones in and gum in her mouth.

She opened the door to Verda and got settled in. "Jax."

"Ximena." I pulled out of the packed driveway, and I began driving to God-knows-where.

Ximena didn't try kissing me. She just popped a second gum in and planted her feet on my dashboard.

She glanced at the stereo. "You still like this music, I see."

Avenged Sevenfold was playing. "Yup," I said. "Things been good?"

She shrugged. "Ana got a new boyfriend."

"Again?"

Ximena nodded. "I've lost count."

Ana and Ximena had a decent mother-daughter relationship, but damn. That woman went through men. No wonder Ximena avoided her sometimes because she was always getting her heart broken.

"Is this one a decent guy, at least?"

"Who knows?" she said while waving it off. "I don't even give a damn anymore. She makes the same mistakes over and over again, and it's getting old."

"She's lonely." I just drove around, deciding this was going to be a drive.

"And desperate," Ximena added. "Then again, I'll be lonely and desperate, too, if I was treated the way my dad treated her."

Not long after Ana got pregnant with her, Ximena's father left for Costa Rica, where they were both originally from. He hadn't returned since, and Ximena didn't know her father.

"That's why I won't subject myself to that," Ximena said. "I know I'm prone to being desperate and lonely, so I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm not gonna let no man have that hold on me. That's why I found you." She slapped my arm with a grin. "You're perfect."

I smirked with a shake of my head. She was perfect for me, too. I should have asked about school, but I didn't care. She was probably partying, getting drunk, hooking up and sometimes studying and attending classes.

Typical and predictable.

"How're the boys?" Ximena asked. "Everything good?"

"Yeah," I said. "Same old, same old. Brice is Brice. Oliver is Oliver. Tyler is Tyler."

Ximena rose a brow. "I hope Brice is Brice and etcetera. You're terrible at this, Jax." She chuckled. "I love it."

That was the thing. Ximena wasn't bothered by my ways. She didn't try to change me. She and Sabrina had that in common.

"Made new friends?" she asked, and I smiled.

        Estella.

She was my friend. I looked forward to seeing her, and we spent a lot of time together. We got in trouble together in French. We went driving often. We texted a lot, and she sometimes called. We had our meet-ups near the vending machine. She was in my space—a lot.

I bit my lip. I didn't mind it.

"Is this person a friends with benefits based on that look?" she said, and my eyes broadened.

"No!" I made sure to correct. "Just friends."

Estella and I didn't even hold hands, yet alone, going that far. My face heated up at the possibilities. Estella was an attractive girl. I could see why a person would want to have sex with her.

Why was I even thinking about this?

I shook my head to clear it.

"Are you okay, Jax?"

"I'm fine." I gripped the steering wheel and focused ahead.

She continued to send me funny looks. "Okay, but remember—" My phone started ringing, cutting her off. "I got it." She picked up the call and brought my phone to her ear. "Hello, this is Ximena." She smiled. "Brice, nice to hear your voice. What's up?" She brought one arm out the window and leaned back to get more comfortable. "Cool. I'm down for it. Send him the address, and I'll put it in the GPS." I snuck peeks her way. "Awesome. We'll be there. See you soon." She hung up with a grin. "That was Brice inviting us to his house."

My neck almost snapped by how fast I turned it in her direction. "Brice's house? How's that possible?"

I had never been inside Brice's house before. He never invited anyone there.

"Oh, here's the address." She continued to play with my phone. "It's not too far. Okay, start." She pressed something. "I'll direct you, Jax."

"Brice's house, huh?" I re-focused on the road. "Interesting."

I already knew how to get there even without the GPS, so we were off to Brice's house. 

"Velasco." Brice greeted us in the driveway of the huge white house with the spacious lawn. The houses nearby were a decent distance away. "Glad you could make it." I pounded his fist, and he focused on Ximena. "Nice to see you, again."

"Back atcha." Ximena pulled him into a hug, and she kissed his cheek to his surprise.

He glanced at me, and I laughed. "Ximena can be very affectionate."

"Physically," she said with a finger pointed out, "not emotionally."

"Either way, glad you're here," Brice said while leading us to the front door.

To my surprise, when we entered the house, a familiar, petite girl stood in the living room with a smile forming on her face the moment her eyes landed on me.

Estella.

I halted in my steps as that familiar strange feeling returned to my chest. "Hey."

"Hi." She made her way over, and Brice wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

What was supposed to be a smile diminished.

"Ximena, this is Estella," I said while motioning to the girls. "Estella, this is Ximena."

"Nice to meet you," they said in sync as they hugged each other.

"I decided to invite Estella over," Brice said.

I frowned. He couldn't invite his friends over, but he could invite a girl over? Were they getting that serious? My frown deepened, but I relaxed it to not draw suspicion. 

"I remember Velasco telling me about you guys' date," Brice continued, "so I decided why not? Let's all hang out."

This wasn't a date, but okay.

"Oliver's gonna be pissed." I crossed my arms. "He's been dying to come to your house. Why the sudden change?"

Brice shrugged. "Before, there was never a right time, and I just didn't feel like it. Now, my parents are gone for two days, and I want to."

Gone for two days? I hoped he wasn't planning on having sex with Estella. My eyes widened.

Wait, why should I care? They were together and such...

I wasn't going to think about it.

"I'll invite the boys over at a different time. Relax, Velasco." He clamped a hand on my shoulder. "Enjoy your girl, and I'll enjoy mine."

That last statement left a sour taste in my mouth.

"Okay, where's the alcohol?" Ximena walked around, taking in the house. "Or do you not have any?"

I groaned. Why did this have to be about drinking?

"Luckily, I have a pack of beers stashed in my room," Brice said. "You like beer?"

Ximena grinned. "I love beer."

"You got it." Brice ran up the stairs to retrieve the drinks.

"You better have a juice pouch or something for me," I shouted up at him, and Estella giggled.

"Jax, you're cute," Ximena said before running down the second set of steps, making herself comfortable in Brice's home.

A little too comfortable, if you asked me.

"Ximena's interesting," Estella said while circling me, and I turned around to face her as she stopped.

"You and Brice," I said. "Getting serious?"

She twisted her lips to the side in thought. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend yet."

Yet?

"I guess we are technically dating," she went on. "We go on dates."

They were dating.

I forced a smile. "Cool." 

"Got the beers!" Brice came down with the pack of beers raised in one hand, and Ximena emerged from downstairs.

"That's what I'm talking about," she said as she approached the alcohol.

That was the start of our "double date." Brice and Ximena drank beer, and Estella and I got coke. I thought she was going to drink again, but she passed off the opportunity, which I was grateful for. Then Brice put in Monster's Ball for us to watch. He and Ximena sat on the outside while Estella and I were in the middle.

Her hand brushed against mine beneath the blankets we all shared, and I should have moved mine, but I didn't. Her skin was smooth and soft, and it was warm. Her touch was comforting.

She never moved hers either.

When the snacks ran out, I jumped up with the empty bowl. "I'll get more popcorn."

"It's in the pantry," Brice said as I freed myself from the cluster of blankets.

"I'll get drinks." Estella stood up as well and followed me. "Two beers and two cokes."

"That's it," Ximena said with a nod as we made our way up the stairs.

I grabbed the popcorn and popped one in the microwave, but Estella stood back. "Drinks?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"We'll walk down together," she said. "I'll get the drinks when you're done."

I nodded. "How've you been? Got any plans for Thanksgiving break?"

It was Thanksgiving break already. Where did the months go?

The two of us stood next to each other with our backs against the counter. "I'm planning on taking my permit test."

"Nice." I gave her a hi-five. "Gonna take driver's Ed?"

She nodded. "After school. I don't have band practice anymore, so it's perfect."

"Do you know how to do your laundry yet? Or cooking?"

She hid her face. "One thing at a time."

I laughed. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Life isn't a race. We all do things differently and at different times, so be easy on yourself."

She glanced up at me. "Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me."

The popcorn was ready, so I poured it into the bowl before placing the second popcorn into the microwave. Then I retook my spot beside Estella.

"You and Ximena are an odd couple." She stared ahead as she fumbled with the counter. "You don't look like a couple."

"You and Brice are an interesting couple," I said. "Not intriguing, just weird, and you could be a better couple."

She gasped and smacked my arm, but we laughed. I said it in a joking manner, but I wasn't sure how much of it was a joke.

"Why are we dissing each other's other half?" she asked.

I glanced down at her, and she met my gaze. "'Other half' sounds too serious. You and Brice are only dating."

"You and Ximena are open fuck buddies," she said with her voice lowered.

I scrunched up my nose in a joking way. "Don't say 'fuck.' It sounds weird coming from your mouth."

She got on her tip toes to say, "What should come from my mouth then?"

I peeked down at her lips. She used to have lip gloss on, but eating and drinking wore it out. Her lips still looked full and soft.

"Not that," I finally answered with my eyes meeting hers. We stared at each other, and I wanted another glimpse of her lips.

Then the microwave went off, and we both jerked back.

Estella got back down to the balls of her feet, and I made it to the microwave. While I poured the second popcorn in, she got the drinks. When we were ready, we headed downstairs. Brice and Ximena pounced on the alcohol and the popcorn while Estella and I sat together.

Her hand moved closer to me, and I met her halfway, allowing the back of our hands to touch. Even when Brice and Ximena scooted closer or talked, I never moved my hand and she never moved hers.

Once the movie ended, we stayed a little longer, but after a while, we had to leave.

"I'll give Estella a ride home," I told Brice, and he shook his head.

"No, I'll drive her." He went to grab his keys from the hook.

"No, you won't," I said while approaching him. "You were drinking."

He scoffed. "Who gets drunk off of beer?"

"I don't care," I said. "You were still drinking. I'm not allowing you to risk your life and hers."

Brice frowned. "What are you? The alcohol police?" 

"No," I said. "It's common sense. Don't be selfish, Abrams. If you wanna drive after drinking, do it alone, not with someone else in the car."

A crease formed on Brice's forehead as his grip on his keys tightened.

"Jax will drive me home." Estella stepped forward. "He's right. You've been drinking. Better safe than sorry."

"Whatever." Brice returned his keys to the hook. "I guess the next time I'm with you, I won't drink."

"Just for today." Estella gave him a kiss on the cheek, and I glimpsed back at Ximena who was examining her nails in boredom.

I was bored, too. Bored with this situation.

Brice smiled. "See you later."

He squeezed her hand before releasing her. The three of us said our goodbyes, and we made it to Verda. Estella sat in the middle as we drove her home.

When we entered Estella's neighborhood, Ximena examined the place. "You live in a nice part of Creek Rowe, too. Lucky girl. I wish Jax and I were as lucky."

I stiffened when Estella looked over at me, but I focused on the road.

        Damn it, Ximena.

Estella laughed, but it sounded strained. I stopped at her house, and Ximena got out so Estella could. I kept my gaze down for a couple seconds, but when I couldn't take it anymore, I looked up to catch Estella peeking back at me.

My expression stayed firm, and she smiled. I couldn't help but send her a small one in return, and she turned around and went for her house. I waited until she was inside before I drove off.

As we went back to South Creek, I glared at Ximena. "Why would you say that? Estella doesn't know where I live."

"Why?" she asked. "Are you ashamed?"

"Who wouldn't be ashamed?"

She tsked. "Now, that's a problem because if that girl is your friend like you say she is, and if you like her like I know you do—"

"Wait, what?"

Ximena rolled her eyes. "If she's as important as she seems to be, what's there to be ashamed of?"

I continued to glare at the road. "You shouldn't have said it."

"If she really matters, she wouldn't care," Ximena said. "Remember that the next time you try to hide where you live."

I didn't say a word, but my glare diminished. When I first met Estella, I thought she was snobbish and stuck up. However, I knew she wasn't. She just liked things a certain way, and she liked to take care of herself. She was a lot more open-minded than I gave her credit for.

But would she judge me based on where I lived?

Deep down, I knew she wouldn't, but I didn't want to verify.

After a couple minutes, I parked Verda outside of Ximena's small house, and she opened the front door for us.

"Ana isn't home." Ximena threw her bag and phone onto the couch. "Neither is her new boyfriend whose name I still don't know." I placed my Beats headphones onto the table before being led upstairs. When we neared her bedroom door, she turned around and grabbed me by the collar to pull me close. "Now, it's time for the real fun."

She kissed me as she opened the door to her room, and she led me in. I closed the door behind me, and Ximena grabbed me and pushed me back onto the bed before crawling on top of me.

She kissed along my neck as she unbuttoned my shirt. "This is the best part."

Sex.

Sex was the best part. That was how it'd always been.

Her lips were back on mine once all the buttons were loose, and she discarded of my shirt. My hands roamed along her body and stopped on the hem of her blouse before pulling the fabric up.

I knew what was to come. It was what always came when it involved me and Ximena.

Open fuck buddies.

Then Estella came to mind, and I kissed Ximena more aggressively. I tugged her clothes off, and I flipped her over, wanting control. Even as Ximena panted in my ear and even as her touch caressed me, there was only one girl on my mind.

A girl whose hands I'd never even held.

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* What do you guys think about Jax and Ximena's interactions? The "double date?" Jax and Estella? Any thoughts in general?