“I’m exhausted,” I complained to my mom when I sat down at the table the next morning. I had gotten no more than five or six hours of sleep after getting home from the park.
“Well, when you stay up all hours of the night, that tends to happen,” Mom commented while she put a plate of bacon in the microwave. I stifled a yawn and stood up to walk to the fridge.
“What do you mean?” I questioned, pulling out the milk so I could make the pancakes. It was our Saturday morning agreement for Mom to make the bacon and coffee, and I would make the pancakes or waffles. Mom has never successfully made a pancake or waffle without the smoke detector.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear you romping up the stairs at four in the morning. If you’re going to stay up all night, at least be quiet about it,” she pointed out. I wasn’t sure if that meant she knew I had sneaked out with Aidan or not. Maybe she just thought I had been downstairs until four.
“Sorry. I got really into the book I was reading,” I lied. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not.
“It’s fine, Ash. I’m assuming you’ll want an extra cup of coffee,” she offered. I nodded my head and started pulling out the other ingredients for pancakes, and then it suddenly hit me. I had invited Aidan over for breakfast.
“Mom, I invited Aidan over for breakfast,” I told her. I reached for my phone that I kept in my bra when I didn’t have any pockets so I could text him and tell him I was awake.
“You did?” she questioned.
“Yeah. I saw him while I was out with Persephone, Isaiah, and Brady last night. Sorry I forgot to tell you.”
“It’s fine. Just make sure you make enough pancakes for him.”
Hey, you can come over. I’m up.
I never sunk to the low of using pancake mix. Mom used to try to buy me pancake mix when our agreement first started, but I never used it. I know how to make pancakes that taste way better than the mix they sell in the stores, so scratch is the only way I’ll make them.
Just as I finished mixing the batter to pour onto the griddle, there was a knock on the door. Mom answered it, and seconds later, Aidan was standing in my kitchen with two cups of coffee.
“I figured it would be rude to show up without getting a coffee for your mom, too, being as your both coffee junkies,” he told me, setting both coffees down on the counter.
“Aw, you’re so nice!” I exclaimed. He handed me one of them and I took a sip while pouring some of the batter on the griddle.
“Why’d he bring coffee?” Mom questioned, though she was clearly pleased with his manners. “We have plenty of it here.”
“He lost a Rock-Paper-Scissors game and owed me a cup,” I explained.
Mom glanced at me with her eyebrow raised, but accepted my answer. Why did she get so suspicious of Aidan? Beside the fact that I was secretly making out with him behind everyone’s backs, there was nothing to be suspicious of. Well, besides his cigarettes. And the key he gave me. And that club he told me about. But those were hardly reasons to doubt him, right? … Right?
“All right. I’ll be right back,” Mom said, leaving the kitchen and heading up the stairs.
“Got a minute?” Aidan asked with a small smile on his face. I shook my head and flipped a couple of the pancakes.
“My breath tastes like lack of toothpaste and coffee, and I have to make sure these pancakes don’t burn. Sorry,” I replied.
“I think the tiny amount of burn that will come from half a second will be worth it. Besides, I did kiss you last weekend when you had been throwing up all night,” he pointed out.
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FantasíaAll Ash Mara wants is to get her new Camaro, and her job as an undercover actress is exactly how she's going to get it. People will pay almost anything to have someone they love brought to them, whether it be for a drug intervention, surprise party...
