Chapter 19

January 31st, the official date of my release from punishment finally makes its way around. I'd have to wait another week if my aunt hadn't decided to release me from my grounding early. I think it's because I cleaned the house top to bottom three times over. This past week has been painful. Maddox is angry at me and I've been avoiding Caroline at all costs. Every time she'd bring up dates in our conversation, I turn the entire discussion around. The last thing I'd want is to go on another fake date with Maddox. For some reason, he's still upset about the fact that he's out of loop. And every time one of our friends gives me a look after saying something about Maddox, the topic himself turns around with a clenched jaw and glares at me, as if it's my fault. It makes me question his intelligence. What does he possibly think it is?

"Isaac is coming home now so we'll be there by seven," Winona tells me through the phone. I sigh and put my bag down on the ground. I take a seat on the porch swing and stare at the darkening sky. I've given my night away to a sleepover at Cassidy's house, which I'm regretting just a bit now. 

It's already six o'clock and I was supposed to be there at 5. They wanted to pick me up at noon before Isaac had to go to work but I was halfway through a shift of my own, and I didn't get out until four. And when my aunt picked me up, I asked her to let me spend the night at Cassidy's and she said I could, but she couldn't give me a ride there because she had to go to work. So I have no choice but to wait for the three teens to come and collect me, whenever that is.

"Why don't you just ask Maddox to give you a ride?" Cassidy asks me. "Then we can all hang out for a bit."

"Because he's mad at me, that's why," I answer as if it's obvious. "Besides, I don't need Maddox to do everything.

"Of course you don't- just to give you a ride here," Winona encourages.

"Kiss him again and he'll forgive you for whatever it is he's mad at!" Cassidy jokes from the background.

I promised Maddox that I wouldn't tell anyone that he knew something was up. The promise works in my favor, too. If our friends had any idea that Maddox is aware of the secret, they'd probably let it slip "accidentally." I can't afford that. Not now, at least. Maybe some other time, like when I'm going to go home to Warrensville for good.

"I'm not asking and that's final," I tell her.

"Fine, then I'll ask," Cassidy responds in a faint voice.

"No!" I shout but it's too late. Winona already hung up the phone and I'm left staring at it and stomping my foot angrily. If I didn't have to deal with Chelsea and Tracy tonight, I'd just stay home.

A few moments later, I get an incoming call from Winona. "He'll be there in fifteen minutes," she announces and I swear at her before hanging up. I walk back inside the house and go straight to the fridge for a drink. 

"Where are you going?" my cousin wonders curiously from the living room. She's also waiting for her friends to show up, except they're sleeping here.

"To my friend Cassidy's house," I answer in short.

"You're spending the night?" she presses when she notices the bag on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I confirm.

"Is that just an excuse to go to a party?" she questions.

I snort. "No, I don't go to parties anymore."

"Well if you do hear about a party, tell me. I don't want to deal with Chelsea and Tracy all night," she drones as she lay across the couch, stretching her legs out.

"Will do," I mutter as I lean against the arm of the couch, watching the show that she has on.

"Are you dating Maddox yet?" she continues the conversation with a casual glance in my direction.

"No," I answer as I swirl the cup of juice in my hands. I want to ask why she's minding my business but she hasn't said anything snarky to me so I see no reason to.

"Why not?" she continues curiously.

"Well, he doesn't exactly like me back—why am I telling you this?" I grunt when I look up at her.

She glances at me before looking back towards the television. "Make him like you."

"It's not that easy," I scoff with a shake of my head. It's actually quite impossible.

"You can make anyone like you," she informs me as if there's a secret formula to it.

"You couldn't make Maddox like you," I mention without thinking. I cringe slightly when I realize how rude I must've sounded and she lets out a slow breath, which sounds something like a chuckle. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, I asked for that, didn't I?" she trails as she grabs the remote from the cushion beside her.

I shrug back. "Well, you kind of had it coming," I confess when I think back on how she treated me early on solely based on the fact that Maddox acknowledged my presence.

Her mind seems to be on the same track because she turns the television down a bit. "Er, sorry about taking advantage of you when you first came," she apologizes awkwardly and her face goes up in red blotches. We must get our blushing from our mother's side. "But then again, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be with Maddox, so you're welcome."

Ignoring the burning of my cheeks from this awkward conversation, I look at her with a skeptical look on my face. "Where is this apology coming from?"

"My heart? I don't know," she shrugs before continuing, "I realized that we're going to have to be in the same house together for a few more months and we might as well get along."

"You think one of my friends is cute, don't you?" I ask her with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What?" she replies with raised brows and pursed lips. Her voice is high and I can tell that she's lying.

I sigh loudly as I hoist myself up from the couch. "And I thought this was genuine."

"It is genuine, I swear!" she responds, jumping forward a bit.

"Which friend?" I wonder as I walk back to the kitchen with my cup.

"Jackson," she answers quietly.

"Of course," I mumble. I thought she was going to say Abel at first. Thankfully, she didn't.

"So...is he single?" she presses once I reach the living room. I give her a shrug. I actually don't know the answer to that question

"I don't know. I can find out," I assure her. "But you have to do something for me."

"And what is that?" she questions cautiously while tugging her hair into a bun.

"Keep your mouth shut," I insist with a point of my finger.

"About what?" she asks. I simply stare at her and she comprehends my words. "Oh- Maddox!"

"Yeah, Maddox," I nod. A horn sounds from outside and I sigh, get up. and turn to her. "I'll find out for you."

"Don't be frank," she calls out as I approach the door.

"Can I be Jim?" I tease her.

"Ha, ha, very funny!" she yells back and I leave the house, chuckling quietly.

"What's so funny?" Maddox asks as I got into the car.

"Does Jackson have a girlfriend?" I blurt and his eyes widen.

"Is that the secret? You like Jackson?" he questions without skipping a beat.

"What? No," I say with a shake of my head. I figure I can trust him. He trusts me with some stuff at least. "My cousin thinks Jackson's hot."

"Jackson, Jackson? Our Jackson?" he replies with raised brows.

"No, the Jackson Five, yes our Jackson," I retort. He scowls at me and continues driving while I shove my bag in the back seat. "So does he like blondes?"

"Who? Jackson?" he asks me. I stare at him with a flat look on my face. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

I take my phone from my pocket and ask Jackson if he's dating anyone. I mean, Vivica sort of helped me out with Maddox in a weird, hurtful way. I may as well return the favor. Moments later, I get a response from Jackson, which is him saying that he's single and ready to mingle. I ask if he thinks my cousin is cute and he immediately says yes and to send her his number. I roll my eyes at the winking faces and forward Vivica his number.

"So does he?" Maddox wonders after the three minutes of me texting back and forth between the two.

"Why are you worrying? You're not blonde," I joke as I lock my phone and put it in my lap.

"Is the secret about liking someone?" he asks me bluntly, immediately catching me off guard.

"What?" I question even though I heard him loud and clear.

"The secret that I don't know about. Does one of our friends have a crush on a friend?" he proposes the idea to me.

I awkwardly scratch my head. "No." I mean, I told him two weeks ago that he'd take it as a compliment. And I know Maddox. He'll hold on to any word uttered to him, especially about something he's curious about. He won't let it go. And he'll immediately rule out Nicholas and Jackson. And he'll eventually rule out Winona and Cassidy. And then there's me. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that I like him. I mean, I don't know how he doesn't know yet. And if it wasn't for his reputation, I'd think he likes me, too.

"That was a really unsure answer," he scoffs at me.

"No," I say more firmly.

He glares at me. "Why can't you just tell me?" he mumbles as he grows quiet.

I take in his pouty face and coo. "Awe, is this you trying to be cute?" I ask as I repress the urge to pinch his cheeks.

"What?" he asks when he looks at me.

"You got all quiet and sad like a little baby," I smirk as I reach out a finger and poke his cheek. I surprised myself by doing that and he glowers at me.

"Don't belittle me, Olive," he snaps huskily.

+ + +

When we arrive at Cassidy's house, I thank Maddox and grab my bag. However, he gets out of the car, too. I don't think much of it, figuring that he probably wants to step in and say hi to our friends. As I lug my bag up the steps behind him, Maddox rings the doorbell a few times. I wait patiently, unlike him. He practically beats the door with his fist while Cassidy shouts that she's coming.

When she finally open the door, she glares at him. "If you could not assault the door, that'd be great." I want to tell her that maybe if she didn't invite him, she wouldn't have to worry about the state of her door.

"Where's the pizza?" Maddox asks as he steps inside. I looked at Cassidy in confusion and she smiled at me.

"Well, we had to bribe him to give you a ride. We said we'd give him some pizza when it arrives," she smiles apologetically. I sigh when I think about how this was supposed to be a weekend away from Maddox. "I'm making cake, though!" she smiles before running back into the kitchen.

I walk into the living room and take a seat on the couch across from Isaac and Winona. Winona has her arm slung around Isaac, who's watching the news. My eyebrows furrow as I look at her and Cassidy's older brother. I'm obviously not the only one surprised. Maddox has the same expression on his face when we look at each other.

"Do you consider this a double date?" Winona teases, winking at me. I roll my eyes at her and she only winks at Maddox to dispute any suspicions he may be having.

Maddox makes it a point to slide across the couch so he's away from me. I lay back and stretch my legs out across the couch. "Do you mind?" I ask him as I lift my feet above his thighs. He stares at me as if challenging me to do so. We all know I never back down from a challenge so with a smirk, I drop my feet on his lap.

He doesn't bother pushing them off like I expect. Cassidy jogs into the room and immediately takes note of Winona's arm around her brother's shoulder. As she's walking by, she grabs her flirtatious friend's hand and returns it to her, effectively moving it from her brother's back. She then proceeds to hop over the couch and land on Winona, who hunches over in pain. Cassidy takes advantage of this momentary weakness by shoving her hurt friend over and squeezing in between her older brother and best friend. She sighs contentedly as she extends her legs in front of her. 

"Where's the pizza?" Maddox whines again.

"It's supposed to be coming soon. Hold your horses," Cassidy responds in an irritated tone.

"You could always just leave," I manage to piece together. His warm forearms rest on my ankles and shins, which sends warm shivers up my legs.

"I wasted gas money on you. I'm not leaving until I get my pizza," he retorts without so much as a glance to me. I simply shrug and turn my attention back towards the television.

"You finally asked her out?" Isaac wonders when he look at us.

Maddox immediately shoves my legs off of him, which causes me to jerk into a sitting position. I look over at him with a look that's wordlessly asking why he basically pushed me. "Ew, no," I answer for Maddox when I shift around to get comfortable again.

"Ew?" Maddox asks in a tone that hints at being slightly offended.

I look at him and slowly return my legs back to his lap. What can I say? It's comfortable. "I was answering for you," I tell him

"I wouldn't say 'ew', that's rude," Maddox notes as he readjusts my legs by grabbing my ankles.

Winona snorts loudly. "Since when do you care about being rude?"

The doorbell rang and Maddox jumps up, pushing my legs off of him again again. I'm jerked into a sitting position once more and I glare at his back as he runs towards the door. Cassidy trails behind him with the money in her hand. Isaac is second to stand up, running to the kitchen to get cups for the soda that Cassidy bought. I remain in my spot, cross legged on the couch. There are four boxes and Maddox takes one for himself. Cassidy puts one away for her parents for when they got home from work and leaves the other two on the table for the rest of us to share. Maddox has his box propped on his lap as he starts devouring the pizza. Sneakily, I grab a slice and his hand falls around my wrist, leaving the slice to dangle limply from my fingers.

"If you could let go of me, that'd be amazing," I comment as I stare at my restrained hand.

"Drop the pizza," he demands.

"Not going to happen," I retort as I keep the crust in my grip.

"Drop the pizza," he repeats more firmly with a glare on his face.

"Not going to happen," I respond in the same tone as him.

"I'll lick the pizza," he threatens me.

"Like I care," I retort as I stare back into his face.

"Ooh, dinner and a show!" Winona whispers from the other sofa.

He raises my hand to his mouth and attempts to lick the pizza. "You just licked my hand!" I shout loudly as I try to sound disgusted.

"Are you serious?" he asks as he shoves my hand away. I managed to keep the pizza safe as I bring it back to my chest.

"No, but I got my pizza," I respond with an evil laugh. The shock and disgust wears off from his face as he slowly blinks in annoyance.

"Just eat your stolen pizza," he mutters.

+ + +

When it's time for Maddox to leave, I walk him out to his car- not because I want to, but because I left my jacket in there and he refused to give me his keys earlier. Once he unlocks the door, I reach in and grab my coat. "Go home now, Maddox," I instruct him as I close the passenger side door.

"Don't talk about me too much," he insists as he grips the door handle.

"No promises," I scoff with a roll of my eyes.

"And no prank phone calls. I swear if I receive one blocked call, I'm blocking all of your phone numbers," Maddox snaps threateningly with a wave of his hand.

"I'm so scared," I retort as I wiggle my hands beside my face.

He ignores me and gets into the car. I walk up the steps of the porch and wave at him as he drives away. I push open the door to the house and find my three friends at the window. When I announce my presence, they jump back and scatter. "What were you guys doing?" I ask.

Isaac stands up and wipes off his shirt. "I was just checking the weather. We're supposed to get snow, you know? Well, yeah, I'm going to go. I have homework. Bye."

I stared at him with furrowed eyebrows as he disappears up the steps. "And you two?" I ask as I turn to the two girls, who have returned to their respective seats.

"Oh, we just wanted to see if you guys would kiss again," Winona answers as she lays out on the couch.

I look at Cassidy in slight surprise. "Hey, do you want us to lie?" she shrugs.

I roll my eyes and take the seat beside Cassidy on the couch. "So what do we do at sleepovers?" I wonder.

"You've never been to a sleepover?" Winona asks me with wide eyes.

"I have, but most of them weren't really planned. We'd go to a party, someone would get drunk, and then we'd go to someone else's house to sleep," I explain. "And then the next morning, we'd rush home before our parents woke up."

"Well, there isn't any alcohol, but we have milk," Cassidy grins at me. "And it's just as good!"

+ + +

"My cousin thinks Jackson's cute," I tell them as we sit in a circle in Cassidy's room.

Winona looks up from her phone. "Gross."

"She does?" Cassidy asks as she subtly chews her lip.

"Yeah, he gave her his number when I told him," I explain.

"Oh..." Cassidy trails awkwardly.

"Yeah," I reply just as she lets out a quiet sigh. I notice that her mood drops significantly. "What?"

"Nothing," she mumbles with a shake of her head. She pulls her knees to her chest and rests her arms on them as she loses herself in thought.

I gape at her when I put two and two together. "Do you like Jackson?" I ask after a few seconds of staring at her.

"What? Gross! No!" she denies hastily as her eyes look from me to Winona and back.

Winona snorts as she examines our friend. "Yes you do!" she confirms and Cass tries to hold her stance but breaks a few seconds later. She lets out a heavy sigh as she waves her hands around. 

"Okay, I do, but I don't want him to know!" she announces as she lays down on the floor, putting her hands over her face.

"Why not? You have a huge chance! You guys are really good friends," I attempt to convince her. It's a little difficult seeing as I just told her about his expressed interest in Vivica.

"If he doesn't like me back, it will be so awkward!" she complains. "I mean, the friendship will be ruined!"

"I doubt it!" I ward off her worries. "You've been friends for so long. I doubt a little bit of romantic attraction will completely ruin things, whether it's requited or not." Me and Maddox, on the other hand... I shake the thought from my mind and focus on Cassidy. This is about her crush.

"Yes it will! I know how Jackson is when he doesn't like someone back. He puts distance between them and he starts to hate them," she explains with a growing frown.

"Just ask him out on a date," I encourage her. "Make it seem like a joke. See where things go."

"No!" she denies immediately with a look of pure bewilderment at the concept.

"Come on, do it!" I insist with a light nudge.

"Ask Maddox on a date!" she counters and I scoff immediately.

"No way!" I shake my head.

"You're being a hypocrite!" she retorts defensively.

"It's different with Maddox," I tell her.

"Oh, really? How?" she asks, sitting back up immediately.

"It's—I—," I began stuttering. He's a jerk? He'd laugh in my face if I seriously ask him on a date? 

"You two are such wimps," Winona scoffs as she put down her phone. "How are you going to have a crush but refuse to ask them out? How are you two going to get anywhere?"

"It's not that easy," Cassidy waves her off.

"Yes it is," Winona rejoices confidently.

"No, it isn't!" Cassidy snaps with a shake of her head.

Winona narrows her eyes before she gets up. Cassidy and I look at each other before scurrying out of the room to follow her. She hops down the steps and into the living room. Isaac is relaxing on the couch on his laptop on his knees. "Hey, Isaac, I have a question," she starts, which makes my mouth drop.

"What is it?" Isaac asks, looking up from his computer for a moment.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she blurts and I can see where this is going. I wonder if Cass can. I'd look and check but that'd mean taking my eyes off of the prospective couple a few feet away.

He looks taken back. "Uh, no," he hesitates. I look from him to Winona and make a quiet 'hm' noise. I can see them together. He's only a year older than Win, who is graduating this year. 

"Are you interested in anyone?" she continues to pry.

"No," he responds. "If you're doing this to make fun of me—."

"Go on a date with me," Winona suggests without skipping a beat. I cringe a little at her boldness. 

"Come again?" he asks, tilting his ear towards her.

"I like you. You're cute, and you're kind of funny," Winona explains in one breath. "Next Saturday, go on a date with me."

"Uh," Isaac starts. He glances at his sister, who looks frozen in place with wide eyes. "Okay."

"Great," Winona nods before walking back up the steps. Cassidy gapes at me before following our daring friend up the stairs. I trail behind them with wide eyes. "What's your excuse now?"

"Uh," Cassidy stutters as she stares at the floor of the hallway.

"You have to ask Jackson out now, Cassidy," Winona demands. Cassidy nods her head, feeling lost in thought. I slunk to the back of the trio but Winona turns her attention to me. "And you have to ask Maddox out." When she sees that I'm about to come up with a reason as to why I can't, she shakes her head. "No excuses."

When we arrive in Cassidy's room, none of us said anything. We simply sit there in complete silence.

+ + +

It's three in the morning and we're sitting in Cassidy's room, talking about nothing in particular when the red head raises a good question. "Why do you like Maddox?" she asks with a deeply curious look on her face.

I stare back at her and give a short shrug. "I don't know. He's cute. I guess he's funny in his own weird way. In a way that I can't really understand, I enjoy bickering with him. He makes me smile. And believe it or not, he can be nice. I don't know. I guess I just do," I mutter, feeling a bit stupid as I listed the reasons.

"Maddox? Nice? A gentleman?" Winona snorts. "What planet are you living on?"

"I said sometimes," I remind her. "But he gave me a jacket when I was cold, and he pays for me whenever we hang out." When I saw Winona's doubtful look, I continue, "he gives me rides to and from school every day; it's probably because he passes my house on his route, but he doesn't have to stop and get me. He skips breakfast to pick me up, too."

"It's because he's a good kisser, isn't it?" Cassidy wonders, allowing her eyebrows to jump on her forehead. I groan quietly as I cover my face with my hands.

"She's not denying it!" Winona gasps loudly as she rests her head back on Cassidy's bed.

"Shut up, you guys," I mutter with a shake of my head.

"You should tell him," Winona suggests with a shrug.

"Not everyone's as bold as you, Winona," Cassidy answers for me with a roll of her eyes.

"How about I call him with a blocked number and you change your voice and tell him how you feel?" Winona proposes with a mischievous look on her face.

I scoff in response to that. "Yeah, okay," I sarcastically retort. "I'm already asking him on a date, isn't that enough?"

Cassidy starts mumbling unhappily about how she's not going to be able to ask Jackson out when Winona starts laughing. I look at her and she smirks widely before shoving her phone at me. When she sees that I'm not moving to take it, she shakes it a little. I see that it's ringing and vaguely recognize the strand of digits. 

"Take the phone!" Winona whispers to me as she tosses it into my lap. 

"Are you kidding me, Winona?" I breathe as I put the phone to my ear. A few seconds later, my question is answered, not by Winona, but by the familiar voice that enters the line. Winona leans over, pulls the phone from my face, and presses the speaker button.

"What?" Maddox says into the phone. His voice sounds deeper and huskier than usual, which leads me to believe that we woke him up. "I know this is Cassidy, Winona, or Olive."

I clear my throat and prepare to change my voice. "Guess again," I try to sound a bit more feminine.

"What do you want?" he asks, not even fooled by my voice changing techniques. "It's three in the morning. What can you possibly want from me?"

I stare at Winona and attempt to wordlessly ask her what I should say. Cassidy has her face buried in her knees because obviously this is a hilarious situation. "You have five seconds to respond before I hang up." Deciding to speak so he won't hang up on me, I open my mouth and feel words coming out. It takes me a second to realize that they aren't exactly English. Cassidy is now keeled over in laughter; she doesn't even try to muffle it. "What?" Maddox asks once I spew the fluid Spanish through the phone.

I immediately hang up and join in on the laughter. "What did you say to him?" Winona asks me.

"I said, 'Grandma, I'm not hungry. I don't want another plate,'" I explain through barks of laughter.

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and I check and find that it's from Maddox. Was that you? Instead of responding, I laugh even louder and show the girls the message.

And I get another text. I'm blocking your numbers.

"He's blocking our numbers," I relay to the girls through another burst of giggles.

"Oh, he always says that! He never does it," Winona explains in a breathless state.

For some reason, everything is funnier at three in the morning.

+ + +

The following day, when it's time for me to leave, I'm surprised to see Maddox's car in the driveway. I'm all dressed in my work uniform and ready for the day to be over. The other girls sit in the living room with Isaac, who had awkwardly walked in and sat down beside Winona. I stand at the door and wave at everyone before ducking out of the house.

"Did you block my number?" I asks Maddox once I get into the car. The grin on my face is infectious because the corners of his mouth perk up just enough to be noticeable.

"Not yet," he responds as he starts in the direction of my job. "So, uh, what'd you guys do?"

"We talked," I summarize.

"About?" he presses.

"Gossip, guys, stuff," I list.

"Guys?" Maddox wonders and I chuckle.

"Yes, Maddox, we talked about guys," I confirm his curiosity.

"What about guys?" he continues to ask.

"Why does it matter to you?" I question as I turn to look at him.

"It doesn't," he concurs once he senses my teasing.

"Then why are you asking?" I wonder, which gets a flat look from him.

"Because I just want to make conversation. You don't have to tell me if it's such a big deal," he concludes. I shrug and fall into silence after that. I don't know what else to say. As we approach Burger King, Maddox opens his big mouth again. "You still owe me an explanation, you know?"

"For?" I prompt him.

"Taking kissing me when I was drunk and you were not," he recounts in short. I want to ask why that even came to his mind but decide against it.

I shrug and ignore the blush that comes to my cheeks. "I'll give you an explanation when I feel like it," I determine when he pulls into a parking spot.

"And when is that going to be?" he questions as he lightly taps on the wheel.

I glance at my imaginary watch before unbuckling my seatbelt. "Well, it looks like I'm going to be late for work."

"You have fifteen minutes," he informs me.

"Well, why do you think I kissed you back?" I question him and he perks up a bit. I guess he didn't think I'd really consider having the conversation.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking," he presses.

"I don't like you, if you think that's what you're thinking," I immediately shut down that option.

"I never said that," he retorts with an amused smile hinting at his lips. "Why are you getting so defensive?"

"Why are you?" I rejoin with my arms crossed across my chest.

"I'm not," he assures me in a calm and relaxed state.

"I'm calm. In fact, I'm as cool as a cucumber," I conclude like an idiot.

"Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Maddox sighs before redirecting the converstion. "I just want to know why."

"Why do you want to know so bad? Is it impossible for two people to fall into a kiss?" I ask him and he laughs.

"It's very possible. But you said it yourself that you're a picky kisser," he reminds me of my own words. "So why pick me?"

I realize he's not going to let this go so I swallow my pride and shrug. His eyes search my face curiously and my best bet is to be somewhat honest. "I guess..." I examine his face, "I think you're cute." His mouth falls open and he searches my face to see if I'm joking. My face only gets hot and my casket is essentially sealed. I reach for the door handle and offer him a businesslike nod. "I'm going to go now. Thanks for the ride. Have a nice day. "

Maddox doesn't speak. He only continues to stare at me with the slightly shocked look on his face. I close the car door and awkwardly walk to the restaurant. I stop when I see Abel's car and I shove my overnight bag into his half-opened window. When I clock into work, I notice the older brother standing at the register, taking a small family's order. I duck behind the counter and into the backroom, where I get to work.

+ + +

I'm on break when Abel jogs over to the table I'm at and plops down. "I couldn't help but notice the horrified look on your face when you walked in earlier. What was it about?" he wonders.

I stare at the chicken nuggets in front of me and frown. "I called your brother cute," I relive the embarrassment.

"To his face?" Abel asks with raised brows. He looks entertained at my expense.

"No, Abel, to his foot," I retort sarcastically with a shake of my head.

"What were you doing to his foot?" he inquires with a wrinkled nose.

"Abel!" I frown. "I didn't mean to call him cute. I just said something I shouldn't have and that was my go-to excuse."

"What'd you say?" he questions me. I give him a short run down of the events that took place in the car and he laughs. "You could've just said you wanted to know what it'd be like!"

"What?" I question him.

"Well, your first kiss was just a peck, right? You could've said you wanted to see what it would be like to have your first real kiss," Abel explains as he steals one of my nuggets with a laugh. "You think too much."

I slap my hand to my head. "I'm so stupid!"

"I know," Abel confirms as he takes another one of my nuggets.

"I need you to do me a favor, Abel," I prepare to ask and he quirks a brow.

"What is it?" he asks through a bite of my dinner.

"A double date," I start to explain. "But don't show up."

"I don't understand," Abel replies once he swallows his mouthful. "What's the point of it being a double date if I don't go?"

"You don't even have to tell Caroline. You just have to beg Maddox to go. When he says yes, he'll ask me to go, too and he'll think that it's his idea. And then when the day comes, don't tell us you're not going to show up until we already get to the location," I explain while waving my hands. That way, I can pretend I asked him on the date for Winona and Cassidy.

"Why?" Abel wonders.

"I need to talk to Maddox," I partially lie. I feel as though he'd get a kick out of watching me struggle to ask his brother on a date. "Alone."

"You can't do it over the phone or something?" he asks hesitantly.

I shake my head. "I'm scared he'll hang up on me if I tell him over the phone. And I want to explain myself outright. If we're in public, it's least likely that he'll embarrass me," I lie some more.

"This is a bad idea," Abel sighs.

"It's next Saturday night, okay?" I insist, ignoring his warnings. Abel looks anxious as he nods. "But you have to tell Maddox about it so he thinks it's his idea. Find a way to convince him. Just do it, Abel."

"Okay, fine. But if he beats me up, it's on you."