Heartstrings and Headlines

08

Aiden, Logan, and Tyler were already crammed into the car, the tension from earlier still lingering in the air. Taylor and Logan were still discussing whatever they were talking about, but Aiden was getting impatient. Tyler's reluctance was palpable as he slid into the backseat, Ashlyn's sharp gaze following him.

"Come on, Tyler," Ashlyn urged, her voice a mix of frustration and something else he couldn't quite place. "We're supposed to be dating, remember? If you don't come with us, Melissa's going to have a field day tomorrow. I do not want to deal with that."

Tyler groaned but relented, finally buckling in next to Ashlyn. Aiden flashed him a triumphant grin, but Tyler barely noticed, his thoughts still with Taylor and Logan.

"Tyyyyyler!" Aiden drawled out his name, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What do you want, halfwit?" Tyler shot back, his irritation barely masked.

"Oh, so we're choosing violence today?" Aiden retorted, his grin widening. "I was just going to ask if Harry's Diner is cool with everyone."

Tyler let out a sigh, sinking deeper into the seat. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Great!" Aiden revved the engine a little too enthusiastically, causing the car to jolt forward. Tyler winced, along with Ashlyn, who clutched her seatbelt.

"Wait a second," Tyler began, glancing around with a newfound concern. "Why is Aiden driving? Ash is definitely the best driver here."

"Uh-uh," Aiden interjected quickly, shooting Ashlyn a mischievous glance in the rearview mirror. "Remember that time you fell out of the car when she was driving? You still have that scar."

Tyler narrowed his eyes at Aiden. "We were like 14! I had no idea what I was doing."

Ashlyn shot Aiden a withering look. "That was years ago. I'm a way better driver now! You, on the other hand," she added pointedly as the car swerved slightly, "almost hit that deer five minutes ago."

Aiden scoffed but didn't argue. "Too bad. I'm driving, and we're not switching." he smirked at Ashlyn, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Tyler shook his head, pulling out his phone. He opened his chat with Taylor, hoping for a distraction from Aiden's reckless driving.

Tyler

I was kidnapped. We're going to Harry's Diner.

Taylor:

Why didn't anyone tell ussssss?

Logan and I are on our way.

Tyler couldn't help but smile at the mention of Logan, though he quickly masked it when Aiden noticed.

"Oooo, who's texting you?" Aiden teased, glancing over at Tyler's phone with a knowing smirk.

"None of your business," Tyler muttered, his cheeks heating up.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "You're no fun."

They pulled into the parking lot of Harry's Diner, the neon sign buzzing faintly in the evening air. To their surprise, Taylor and Logan were already waiting by the entrance, arms crossed and expressions mildly annoyed.

"How did you guys get here so fast?" Tyler asked, his surprise evident.

Logan chuckled, throwing an arm around Taylor. "We took a shortcut. I'll show you later."

Tyler felt a pang of jealousy but quickly brushed it aside. "Cool, I guess."

"Yeah, real cool," Ashlyn added, her tone laced with sarcasm as she glared at Aiden. "Just like Aiden's driving." she glared at the bottle blonde.

Aiden shrugged, unfazed. "Hey, we made it, didn't we?"

Logan shot a grin at Tyler. "Can't believe you survived his driving" which was rewarded with a screeching "hey!" from aiden.

Tyler groaned, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips as they all headed inside. The bickering, as annoying as it could be, was just part of who they were. And for better or worse, he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Definitely not besides Logan. 

a/n

CHAT IM BACK 

SO SORRY 

IM HERE

DW

IDK WHY THIS IS SO SPACED OUT

IDK

ILY ALL

XOXO AJ