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  “Why?”

  “Because you have to go back to school.”

  He crosses his arms. “If you get to stay home from school, then so do I.”

  I groan. “You can’t stay here Aiden.”

  “Give me a good reason why I can’t stay here,” he says, leaning back on my bed.

  “You could be missing a valuable lesson at school,” I say. We both stare at each other, and I shake my head. “Never mind. That was a terrible reason.”

  He clasps his hands together. “Cool. Looks like I’m staying here for a while.”

  I have no idea how this afternoon is going to go. But I guess I’ll find out.

  Chapter 16

  “I’m bored,” Aiden says for about the thousandth time since he got here.

  I rub my face. “I told you, you don’t have to stay here.”

  Aiden is sprawled out on the couch in the living room. We have been watching TV, but Aiden keeps on complaining how boring it is just sitting here. For the record, The Big Bang Theory is not boring.

  Aiden sits up suddenly with a huge grin on his face. “I know what we can do.”

  I squint at him. “What?”

  “Get dressed. We’re going out,” he says, standing up.

  “Whoa, whoa.” I stand up too. “Tell me what we’re doing first.”

  He smiles. “It’s a surprise. Just go get dressed, but not in anything fancy.”

  I roll my eyes as I make my way to the stairs. “Oh yeah, because I dress fancy all the time.”

  I run up to my room and shut my door, locking it of course. I bring out a pair of jeans and my black Metallica shirt. I quickly put those on then grab my old Converse. I brush my teeth in the bathroom then run a brush through my hair. I pick up my phone from my bed and make my way back downstairs.

  Aiden is sitting by the door and is on his phone. He looks up at me. “I’m glad you’re not one of those girls who take forever getting ready.” He stands up. “Nice shirt.”

  “Thanks,” I say. I look down at my phone. “Are we going to leave now? Because my mom gets off at five and I want to be home before her.”

  “It’s only two o’clock, Riley.” Aiden chuckles. “We have plenty of time.” He opens the front door, and we both walk out. Aiden hands me my key, and I lock the door. I put the key in my pocket as we walk towards Alex’s car.

  We get in and are on our way to wherever Aiden is taking me.

  “We’ll need to stop at the dollar store for some things,” Aiden says. “It won’t be a lot.”

  I’m really curious to see where we’re going and also, why we need things for this idea of his.

  Soon enough, we pull into the parking lot of the nearest dollar store. I start unbuckling when Aiden puts his hand over mine. I look at him, confused.

  “I’m going in by myself,” he says to me. “I’ll be right back.”

  I sit back in my chair as Aiden opens his door. “This is so unfair.”

  “Life is unfair!” he exclaims as he shuts the door.

  About five agonizing minutes later, he comes out of the store with two bags in his hands. He opens the driver’s door and sets the bags on my lap. I peek in the two bags then look at Aiden skeptically. “Aiden,” I say calmly, “why are there two boxes of condoms in one bag and three bottles of paint in the other bag?”

  He starts to laugh. “Well, the paint is for us. The condoms are for my use.”

  “Aiden!” I exclaim.

  “I’m just kidding!” He continues to laugh. “We’re going to use the condoms also. But not for the purpose you think.”

  Condoms and paint. I don’t have any idea what he wants to do with all of this.

  “You should have seen the lady’s face when I put the condoms on the counter.” He smirks. “I just told her it was an emergency.”

  I start to laugh at him. I can only imagine what her face looked like. “That might’ve been the wrong thing to say.”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know her, so why should I care what she thinks?” He has a point.

  “So, now do you mind telling me what we’re doing with condoms and paint?”

  “Okay,” he says, smiling. “I was originally planning on using water balloons instead. But there weren’t any water balloons, so I had to settle for the condoms. So what we’ll do is fill the condoms with paint and drop them on people’s heads from the top of a building.”

  My jaw drops. “I can’t do that! Do you have any idea how mad people will be when they get covered in paint?”

  Aiden sighs. “If we don’t do that, then our other option is to throw the paint filled condoms at each other in the park.”

  I think about this. “But I already showered today.”

  “It’s one or the other.”

  I bite my lip. Maybe I should be more spontaneous. “Um, why don’t we do both?” I suggest, still a little bit unsure.

  Aiden’s smile grows. “Okay. We have to drop two paint filled condoms each on someone. Then we’ll head to the park and throw them at each other. Deal?” He holds out his hand.

  I stare at it for a moment. I cover my eyes with one hand and shake his hand with the other. “Deal.”

  ***

  We walk through the entrance of an old building. I glance around once we’re inside.

  “Where are we exactly?” I ask Aiden slowly.

  “We are in my uncle’s old store. He died a few years ago and now this building just kind of sits here. I usually go up to the rooftop and hang out,” Aiden says matter-of-factly.

  I look around nervously. My hands shake as we make our way up the stairs. I take each step carefully, making sure I don’t trip and fall. We make it to the top, which holds a door that says “EXIT.” Aiden opens the door, letting the cool air hit us. We step onto the rooftop, and I let out a sigh. I have to say, the view up here is pretty nice.

  Aiden sets the two grocery bags on a small table nearby and takes out the boxes of condoms and bottles of paint. “Let’s take out the condoms and start filling them with the paint,” he tells me.

  I grab a box of condoms and a blue paint bottle. “Two each, right?”

  “Well, I might throw more than two. But yeah.” He nods.

  I open one of the condom packages and shake my head. I can’t believe I’m going through with this. I start to fill the first condom with the blue paint. I can’t help but laugh while filling it up. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”

  “But it will be ridiculously hilarious.” Aiden chuckles.

  We both finish filling up our first ones, and I look at Aiden. He has an evil grin spread across his face. “Let’s do this.”

  We walk to the edge of the building. I glance down at the ground below us and notice a few people walking along the sidewalk.

  “So are we going to aim or—”

  Aiden tosses the first one over the ledge and leans over before I can finish asking him my question. We hear a splatter then an angry voice saying, “What the hell?”

  Aiden leans back and starts laughing. I peek over the edge and see the guy covered in the red paint Aiden has filled his up with. I giggle at the sight below me. Aiden looks at me then. “Your turn, Summers.”

  I take a deep breath and launch mine over the edge without aiming. We hear another splatter. I peer over the ledge and see a kid covered in my blue paint. He looks up and sees me. “Hey!” he screams.

  I lean back, and Aiden and I start to laugh. I didn’t think this was going to be fun, but it actually is.

  That’s how we spend our time on the roof. We end up throwing about five each over the edge of the building. We’re now on our way to the park with our already paint-filled condoms to have our war.

  “You look nervous.” Aiden chuckles at me.

  I rub my hands together. “I’m just not sure how I feel about getting condoms filled with paint thrown at me.”

  “It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  Aiden parks the car in the small parking lot, and we both get out. We had packed
a bag with the condoms, so Aiden grabs that bag from the backseat. We walk towards a small secluded area. Aiden gently sets down the bag and looks at me.

  “Ready?” he asks, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Sure.” I nod.

  Aiden grabs a few from the bag and sets them on his side. I then reach inside and start to grab a few.

  Something hits me, and my arm instantly feels wet and sticky.

  I gasp and look at my arm, which is covered in red paint. I look at Aiden who has an evil smirk on his face. I reach down and grab the nearest one to me and throw it at Aiden. I hit him right in his stomach, turning his shirt blue.

  “Remind me to never use this brand of condoms. They break easily.” Aiden chuckles. I roll my eyes then throw another at him.

  And so our war begins.

  ***

  We arrive at my house at exactly four-thirty. The paint had dried on mine and Aiden’s skin, making me feel all stiff. We’re covered in red, blue, and green paint, which when combined makes the ugliest color I’ve ever seen.

  Aiden sighs next to me. “Well, this was a fun afternoon.”

  “I agree.” I nod. I open the car door and start to get out.

  “I’ll walk you to the door,” Aiden says suddenly.

  We make our way up to my front door, and I pull out my key. “Don’t even try to take my key, Aiden. I will hurt you if you do.” I threaten him.

  “I’m not afraid of you, Riley,” he says, sounding amused. He stands directly behind me as I try to insert the key into the lock. “You should be afraid of me,” he whispers into my ear.

  My breath catches in my throat from how close he is to me. I feel his hands settle on my waist, giving me goosebumps. He turns me around so I’m facing him. Instead of focusing on the paint covering his face, I just stare into his eyes. “Do I scare you?” he asks quietly.

  “Sometimes,” I say.

  He smirks and leans closer to me. My back presses against the door while both his hands rest on the door beside my head. I’m trapped between his arms. He leans a little closer and my eyes flutter close. His lips gently press against my cheek and linger there for a minute. My eyes pop open to see him smirking still.

  He pulls away and gives me a smile. “See you tomorrow, Riley.”

  I feel my face heat up from what just happened. I quickly turn around and unlock my front door. Once I make it inside, I lean against the door and touch my cheek.

  He kissed my cheek.

  Once again, I let him get close to me, and I let my guard down. That’s the third time he’s done it. I feel weak and defenseless.

  I stomp up to my room to take another shower. I have to hide the evidence that I ever left the house. Otherwise, I will hear it from my mother.

  ***

  I’m hesitant when I walk into the school’s main building. I keep my head down as I weave my way around everyone. No one’s really paying attention to me, so I take this as a good sign. I walk to my locker with no problem.

  As I open my locker, I feel a presence near me. I look over and see Ryan standing next to me with his arms crossed.

  “Yes?” I ask because he’s not saying anything.

  “So you left yesterday?” he questions.

  I look back at my locker. “Obviously.”

  “And it was because of Nicole, right?”

  “Listen, Ryan, it’s okay—”

  He steps closer to me. “No, it isn’t okay. I had no idea she hurt your feelings until I heard her talking about you after school. I was going to break up with her right there, but I figured I’d wait.”

  I face him. “Why? This doesn’t concern you, Ryan. I can handle myself.”

  “Oh really?” he asks. “If you could handle it, then you wouldn’t have left yesterday.”

  “So what are you going to do? Just break up with her?” I ask him. I don’t need his help. I’m fine.

  He runs a hand through his hair. “Yes. But I’m going to do it in front of everyone at lunch.”

  “Well, let me know how that goes. I’ll be in the library during that time,” I say as I shut my locker.

  “So what did you do yesterday? I know Aiden left, but did he go see you?”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “What did you guys do?”

  “Um…we played with paint.”

  He raises his eyebrow. “You…played with paint.”

  I sigh. “Ask Aiden. I’m sure he’ll tell you the whole story.”

  “Hey, are you ready for the rehearsal tonight at the church?” he questions.

  Oh crap. I keep forgetting about this wedding stuff that I need to go to. I should be more responsible about this. “Uh, sure I am.” I give him a small smile.

  He chuckles. He probably knows that I’m lying about that. “Well, just wear a nice dress or something. We’re just going to go over how everything will play out. Okay?”

  “Okay.” I nod.

  Ryan gives me a smile before walking away. I take a deep breath as I start to walk in the opposite direction to my first class. I internally groan when I remember that I’ll have a ton of makeup work to complete since I missed yesterday.

  What a fun afternoon I’ll have!

  Not.

  Chapter 17

  After lunch, everyone is buzzing in the hallway. They’re probably talking about Ryan breaking up with Nicole earlier. I hear a girl talking about it in the bathroom, and it sounds like Ryan embarrassed her pretty badly. I’m trying really hard to stay away from her since she might be on a rampage.

  As I walk to my next class, I feel someone’s presence next to me. I smile when I look over and see who it is. “Can I help you, Aiden?”

  “Yes, you can actually.” He nods. “Wanna hang out again after school?”

  I’m about to agree when I remember I have the rehearsal tonight. “I would like to, but there’s the wedding rehearsal tonight…”

  His expression darkens. “Right. Somehow I keep forgetting you’re in the wedding also.”

  “So do I,” I mutter. “Maybe tomorrow?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe.” Then with that being said, he goes his separate way.

  I frown but then brush it off.

  ***

  “No, Max, you stand here next to Halle. Drew, stop messing around! This is serious!” Anna exclaims at them. She seems stressed out, which is understandable. From what I’ve seen on TV, brides tend to turn into bridezillas when their wedding is in less than a week. “There. Nobody move! This is where you’re all going to stand while I’m walking down the aisle.”

  So far we have covered the order that each couple will come out. Lucas and I are last. Then Anna shows us the speed in which we need to be walking. It can’t be too fast, and it can’t be too slow. I have a huge headache and hearing all of this isn’t helping me at all. I didn’t know weddings can be so complicated.

  Anna stands in front of us all and crosses her arms. “I do not want anyone messing around while you’re up here. People’s attention will not only be on Robert and me but on the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. So please act professional,” she says. “Okay. Since the wedding is on Saturday, I want all the bridesmaids at my house by nine in the morning. You all need plenty of time to prepare since the actual wedding starts at three. And all the groomsmen need to be at Robert’s house at ten. Please don’t be late. I do not want a rough start.”

  I sigh silently and look down at the dress I’m wearing. I thought I was going to look silly, but Kelly and Jenna convinced me that this dress looked amazing on me. So that boosted my confidence a little bit. It’s a dark blue dress that stops at my knees. The bottom half has lace flowers. It isn’t too girly, and I actually kind of like it.

  “Our rehearsal dinner is going to be Friday at six in the evening at my house. Everyone is invited.” Anna gives us a smile.

  After the rehearsal is over, I wait outside of the church for my mom. I sit on the curb rubbing my head with my hands. Once I get home, I am so taking Tylenol.

  I
see Ryan walking towards me. He sits down with me on the curb and sighs. “My mom is turning into a bridezilla.”

  I chuckle. “She’s just stressed.”

  “She’s been going on a rampage at home, and it’s getting crazy.” He shakes his head. “I just want this wedding to be over with.”

  You and me both.

  “So do you need a ride? Or are you just going to sit on this curb all night?” he asks me.

  “My mom is picking me up,” I say. “Thanks for the offer though.”

  We stay quiet for a moment before I speak up. “How did the break up go?”

  Ryan groans. “I thought I could just end things with no problem. I decided that embarrassing her wasn’t right. But she brought attention to herself like she always does.”

  “I heard she embarrassed herself,” I comment.

  Ryan nods and chuckles. “She did. It was annoying and entertaining at the same time.” I chuckle too. “The only downside is that she and her parents are going to the wedding.”

  Crap. I will probably be harassed by her once she sees me at the wedding on Saturday. “That’ll be fun,” I say sarcastically.

  “Oh yeah. Loads of fun.”

  “What do you think Aiden will do during the wedding?” I ask him. I was going to ask Aiden earlier, but I didn’t see him for the rest of the day.

  Ryan shrugs. “I have no idea. I haven’t had a conversation with him for a while now.”

  Aiden is shutting everyone out. I don’t blame him for being so upset, but he is only hurting himself more. “Oh,” I say, looking down. I hear a car pull up and see that it’s my mom.

  Ryan stands up and holds his hand out to me. I take it, and he pulls me up with ease. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ryan.” I wave to him.

  “Bye, Riley.” He gives me a small smile.

  I get into my mother’s car, and we drive back to our house.

  ***

  I haven’t heard from Aiden in two and a half days. The last time I talked to him was in the hall on Tuesday. It is now Friday, and I still haven’t spoken to him.

  I’m now at home, getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. My mom had bought me another dress for this evening. She’s going with me too since she and Anna are good friends.