Soul-Mates

Chapter 3

^^^^^Russ pictured above

Jodie kept smirking at me on the drive home and finally said "So...you hugged Aden McGowan...what's that about? I thought you hated him." I groaned and said "Oh shut up. I already regret it. I was trying to make the big oaf feel better since you said he was so sad." She replied "If you hate him so much, why did you even care if he was sad or not?" I replied "Damn girl I'm not heartless! He did look like a sad little puppy before I hugged him but after he was back to his same old smirking annoying self. Annoying but cute I guess...in his own way." There was a voice suddenly coming from Jodies phone...it was Aden. He said "Well I'm glad you at least think I'm cute." I went pale and stopped the car. "Jodie...you are going to die a slow painful death, you do realize that don't you? You set me up the entire time and I bet it was a collaborative effort wasn't it?" Aden went silent and then said "Yea, Jodie told me to look super sad when we were outside and she would handle the rest which she did. Thanks Jodie and thanks for the hug Ryan, I really needed it." I groaned and said "First thing tomorrow I'm looking for a new best friend and now Mr. sneaky...my invitation to sit at my table is revoked." Jodie's jaw dropped to the floor and Aden begged "Please don't do that Ryan, I promise not to trick you again." I just said "Yea right." I grabbed Jodie's phone and said "Jodie has to get off the phone now, bye bye" and hung up. I then glared at Jodie and said "I can't believe you did that. That's so embarrassing." She replied "Sorry Ryan. Don't take my stupid idea out on Aden. He REALLY likes you, trust me. He can't stop talking about you, it's like you're a drug and he is hopelessly addicted." I said "Oh shut up. Tell me you at least didn't give him MY number...please tell me you didn't go that far." Jodie said "Relax, I didn't do that."

When we got to her house I just dropped her off and headed home. I had a lot of homework still to do and needed to study and cool off. I got home and started dinner, I browned some ground beef and Italian sausage and put my sauce together to get it simmering and started water boiling to cook the noodles. Then I sautéed some mushrooms with a diced garlic clove and sat it to the side. While everything was cooking I did some of my homework. The water boiled and I put the lasagna noodles in to boil with some oil and salt then went back to my homework after turning off the heat on the meat and turning the sauce down low before draining the grease off of the meat and then mixed the meat into the sauce. I preheated the oven and sprayed my pans with some pam to keep it from sticking. By that time the noodles were done so I piled everything into the pans with the cheese in the layers and put it in the oven covered in foil. That would take roughly an hour so I went back to my homework after setting the timer. Mom came in just after I put it in the oven and asked what smelled so good. I told her it was my homemade lasagna and she sat at the table refusing to go anywhere else which was the same every time and made me laugh. I just added some Italian seasoning and sugar to the sauce to cut the acidity of the sauce.

My mom called Jodie's mom and 10 minutes later they were here for dinner. I'm so glad I always make 2 pans because this happens every time...more people show up. I finished up my homework and started studying just as the timer went off. Jodie was telling my mom and her parents about what happened today with Aden and I think they all thought it was funny. My face was turning more red than my sauce out of both embarrassment and slight anger. I pulled the Lasagna out and placed a pan on the table with a spatula and uncovered it. They were all practically drooling. I brought out a pitcher of sweet tea and a pitcher of lemonade. Jodie snapped a picture of me three times, once when I was carrying the lasagna to the table, once of the lasagna on the table with me in the background at the oven pulling the second out and again when I brought the pitchers in and was texting. I saw her devious little grin at her phone and said "Jodie Pope you better not be doing what I think you're doing!" She handed me her phone with a smirk and sure enough she sent the pictures to Aden who had replied 'The chef and the food look equally delicious.' I blushed more and groaned mumbling about how annoying she was and my mom snatched Jodie's phone and looked then handed it to Jodie's parents and they were all laughing. My mother...I have no choice but to love her but she told Jodie to invite him over for dinner. She did while I was begging her not to and he replied really fast with 'On my way!' I mumbled that I hated them all and pulled another chair to the table but put it across the table by Jodie and her parents being the traitors they are, they slid down one seat so the empty seat was next to me.