"Thanks again." I hung up on Harper and swung my feet out of the hammock. Getting out was always harder than falling in since the tips of my toes couldn't touch and my butt sunk deeper.

The white fabric swayed under my shifting weight, the dappled shadows of the backyard's trees mocking me as I grunted and swung until sliding out.

Without face-planting. Success.

Heading into my bedroom before Harper arrived, I stopped at the open door. Pushing it further showed I wasn't alone.

A girl, my age or younger, stood in my room with her arms crossed and eyes scrutinizing every yellow and white detail. Turning, her brown eyes stared as if I'd entered her room. Black ripped-knee jeans, a tight shirt with a glittery rainbow stretched across her chest, plain brown hair, and straight bangs—she looked normal, but who was she and why was she here?

My eyebrows raised. "Can I help you?"

"This isn't Jake's room?"

She blinked like I was the visitor. It was my freaking room in my family's house! How had she gotten in here? More importantly, how quickly was she leaving?

"Does this look like it would be his room?" I waved at the yellow and white daisy-decorated space. The only traces of football were pictures of me, Harper, and Jake, or me and Logan, certainly not dozens of trophies with my name carved on them.

My brother would also not frame a picture of his sister and her boyfriend... Not without devil horns drawn on Logan or a spear stabbing between his jersey numbers.

At her continued silence, I went for the obvious, "Or smell like it?"

"No." She giggled. "I guess not. I'll just wait here."

Narrowing my eyes, my internal bullshit meter cranked up to its 'potential stalker' notch. "What's your name?"

"Manda." Her megawatt smile was too big, too bright, too...friendly.

"If you're here for Jake—" Thankfully, familiar heavy footsteps climbed the stairs. "That's him."

Hair damp hopefully from a post-practice shower, my brother stopped in the hallway. "Mom said you had someone over. I thought—Oh. Hey?" His eyes took in Manda behind me, who burst into giggles like the oral equivalent of a glitter bomb.

"Who's your friend?" Jake started forming his predatory smirk.

Gross. "She's not—"

"Manda." She damn near galloped toward him, brushing me aside and nudging my back into the wall. Sidled up to Jake, she placed her hand on the railing and arched her back, batting desperate googley eyes.

Double gross.

Unfortunately, I guessed he'd rebounded as quickly as Harper since his eyes raked shamelessly over the girl. When she whimpered, my organs vomited on themselves.

Infinitely gross.

"Did you need something?" I narrowed my eyes with an unspoken message—Take out the trash on your way out.

"Dinner." His eyes remained fixated on Manda. "Mom wasn't sure if you were staying but does your friend want to join us?"

"No, I'm—"

"Oh, wow, I'd love to," she gushed when I clamped my hands on her shoulders, steered her around the pile of hormones that was my brother, and guided her down the stairs.

"Nope, nope, nope," I muttered through gritted teeth and practically shoved her out the door.

"Jake?" She turned, eyes still gazing at him with interest. "It was so nice—"

Slam!

Whatever this fangirling was, it wasn't happening. For good measure, I locked the door.

"Ellie?"

While Jake's feet thundered closer, I whirled around on one heel. "Seriously, keep your fangirls out of my room!"

Now I had to check that she hadn't taken any souvenirs like clothing, hair, or DNA samples.

"Sorry, never seen her before." His expression didn't look apologetic. "She was cute."

"Cute? How is this cute?" I pointed at the nearest window, where Manda parted the bushed and peered inside. Nose on the glass, hands shading her eyes, squinting with no shame. "We're not a zoo exhibit."

Although, an appropriate analogy with Jake's hygiene and mating patterns.

"That's a little creepy," he admitted while, ironically, scratching his head. "Let's go in the kitchen, so she'll take the hint."

"A little creepy? She was in my bedroom." I followed Jake like his miniature shadow, glaring at Mom prepping dinner. "Mom."

"What's all this yelling for? Are you hangry?" She whirled around, holding a knife and an uncut apple. "Do you want some apple slices?"

"Yes." "No."

My idiot brother and I responded as the garage door opened and Dad entered.

"Evening everyone." At the kitchen standoff of Jake and I facing Mom, he stopped and let the door shut behind him. After a wary visual inventory, Dad's gaze settled somewhere behind us. "Why is some girl in the yard looking in the window?"

Because she couldn't take a hint.

Mom blurred the more I glared, narrowing my eyes as thin as possible while still seeing out of them. "Why did you let in some random girl?"

"Who, Manda?" Her demeanor sounded innocent, but her eyes averted while she went back to chopping the apple. "Lovely girl. Said she's close friends with you."

"And you believed her?" I crossed my arms. "Have you ever seen me bring her home?"

"Well, no..." Her eyes widened. "But she seemed to know a lot about you and Jake."

So comforting. I groaned and took a slow breath. "Let me put it this way, I don't have any friends."

"Sure don't." Jake's laugh earned him my fingers pinching his side. "Oww. Back off. I didn't let her in."

"You encouraged her, making those smirky, disgusting sex eyes." I glared at Mom again. "No one but Harper or Logan is allowed in my bedroom from now on."

"No one but Harper," Dad corrected with a frown.

And they wondered why I didn't bring Logan here more often. My boyfriend's restraint was double the size of mine, agonizingly, making Dad's distrust unwarranted.

"You too, Jake, none of this baloney shenanigans with girls and parties now that you're single. If I get any indication that you're back to your sleeping around shit, we'll take your car away."

Baloney what? Was he...disciplining the golden child? And why wasn't I recording this time-space continuum breach?

Jake and I stood, frozen with our mouths open. His fists tightened, his face wrenched in a scowl, and a vein popped out of his neck.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the rational end, a wide grin threatened to split my face in half.

About fucking time he lived with accountability.

"In fact." Dad cleared his throat, then wagged his open hand's index finger at Jake. "You should stay single for a long time like Ellie did. Focus on football, school, and USC."

"But—"

Dad's finger wagged faster. "Plus, that project car isn't going to build itself. So, I expect you here tonight and every night until it's finished."

Was this...Was I dreaming? After years of being the recipient of Dad's stubbornness, watching my brother squirm was so satisfying.

"But—" Jake's whine widened my grin until my cheeks felt pinched.

"But nothing." Dad's voice reached nuclear warning level with a single, emphasized finger point. "No girls in the house...except Harper."

Why was she exempt?

I must've worn the question on my expression, which was on Mom's too because Dad sighed and shifted his sullen gaze to me. "She's your only friend and hates him. Figured it was obvious."

It was, but Harper probably wouldn't appreciate this Harrison family anointed status. More like take it as her being punished too.

"Fine," Jake muttered, his eyes narrowed and mouth corners downturned. "No girls in the house but Harper."

Jake and Harper in the house, together, alone, and him most likely ending up in a body bag, kept my grin in place. I didn't have much time to imagine it, since the doorbell rang, followed by obnoxious pounding.

"If Manda's still here, she's your problem," I warned my brother. Releasing a frustrated huff, I stomped to the front door and flipped it open. "Listen, you man-hungry bitch—"

I stopped at the bright blue eyes and sun-streaked blonde hair bleeding into faded red tips.

"I've been called worse." Harper's eyes sparkled and her lips curled into a smirk. "Although, from you, this might be a first."

"Hi. So sorry," I stepped aside and let her enter. "We had a, umm, rodent infestation problem."

"You mean glitter tits over here?" She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, where Manda rushed down our driveway, fortunately away from our house, with her hand covering her mouth. "You're welcome."

"What did you do?" My eyes widened at the rasping sobs Manda released into our cul-de-sac. Each sounded like a bark of drama.

"Nothing that a little lip gloss for whiny, needy bitches didn't fix." Harper held up a roll of duct tape.

Taking it from her, my shoulders shook with threatened laughter—it really shouldn't be funny—and I covered my mouth. "Where did you get this?"

"Hardware store. You should see the weird shit living in my car trunk." She plucked the duct tape back, stowed it in her purse, and led me upstairs. "Rainbow jugs was snooping in your bushes, so, this way, she can't peep and tell. Screamed like a priss when ripping it off."

"You're terrible." Above her butt twitching in my face, a large bag bounced on her back. "Please tell me there's no dildos in there."

"Dildo distribution system is once per customer." Pausing at the top of the steps, she lifted an index finger. "But nope, your personal appearance fairy Godmother has arrived. I've got my work cut out to get this—" Her finger swirled around my head. "—into 'fuck me' shape."

"Not quite the look I'm going for," I grumbled, although honestly, I had no idea what. "I just need something that won't embarrass Logan. Like not walking in with my skirt tucked in my underwear."

"Can we please aim for higher than minimal standards? We both know whatever rejects lost their chance with Adonis will be visually clawing you into shreds." Grasping my shoulders, she steered me into the bathroom. "Shower first. I'll give you some stuff to rehydrate your split ends."

"What my what?"

"Use this." She slapped a plastic bottle into my palm. As my hand reached for the door handle, her eyes narrowed on my jeans-covered legs, "Need any other ladyscaping help, Sasquatch?"

"No." I slammed the door in her face.

***

"Please tell me Manda's the first stalker this round," Harper said as her fingers picked over my head. "Because I don't know any Manda at school. And I don't care enough to ward off the desperate vaginas for your sake."

We sat on my bed, her behind me and fingers raking through my hair. Two long legs bracketed mine. From this position, we had to look like grooming monkeys.

"Yeah. As much as I hate Jake's version of dating, they're getting bolder. I'll be so glad once I'm not living with Mister Eligible Bachelor." I stared straight ahead as she gripped at my scalp. "How was your date last night?"

"Nonexistent."

"Sorry, is it tonight?" Guilt tugged my chest at the idea I'd pulled her away from a hot date.

"My ass is not dating anyone." Bitterness fanned over my back with her exhale. "We're not all meant for Prince Charming like the one who'd better appreciate my efforts tonight."

"I appreciate you." I smiled, even though she couldn't see me. "And I'll never stop wishing for you to find love."

"Love?" She choked on the word. "Keep dreaming. My life is anything but a love story—wait, hold the fuck up."

My cheeks were hot as I glanced over my shoulder. Harper's eyes were wide, and her glossy pink mouth rounded. "You're in love with Adonis?"

"Logan." Blushing hotter, his name passing over my lips made me smile. "And yeah. I am."

"Love." She spoke like it was a foreign word, or tasted bad. "L-O-V-E, true love?"

"I think so?" I looked away from her doubtful eyes. "He's funny, honest, and sweet, knows everything about me. When I ran him through the wringer on his past with girls, he was open and forthcoming."

At the risk of being a horrible person, those girls meant nothing to him. He treated me like I was the only one who mattered, which was all that should've mattered to me, but my feelings were bubbling up like an overfilled pasta pot on high heat.

"I think about him all the time, the best hour of my day is when I see him again, and the worst hour is when we have to say goodbye. Once he leaves, it's like he's taken a piece of me with him, and I just... What?"

Her eyebrows arched higher as more mushy word vomit tumbled from my mouth, her expression as doubtful as if I'd said I'd decided to major in underwater basketweaving.

"Are you dickmatized?"

"Am I what?" From someone whose favorite subject was English, sometimes, I swore she made these words up.

"Dickmatized. Hypnotized by dick. Sex. Good or...uhh, first-time with nothing to compare it against. Pleasure can add confusing feelings—"

"No. Because we've done stuff, but still not...it." Blushing, I reached back and took her hand. "Which he's so patient and caring about. He asks permission, he's gentle, holding back because he doesn't want to trigger anything. I... never would have thought he'd be like that, but he is, and I...love him for that too."

Frozen, she stared for ten heartbeats until a twitch flinched her left eye. Snapping her mouth shut, a sad smile appeared before she grabbed my head and steered me back forward. "I'm happy for you."

Her whisper was so faint, I wouldn't have heard unless she was right behind me, but it still made me grin like an idiot.

Folding my hair into a high pile of curls, she twisted and pinned them with what felt like a thousand bobby pins. Her magic shampoo made my hair glossy and smooth, and I was absolutely in love with what she'd done...right until her monsoon of hairspray created a crispy helmet.

"Last pin since you won't let me pull out some strands to frame your face."

"No thanks." I stuck with my earlier opinion and reiterated, "If any hairs hang around my neck or shoulders, I'll spend the entire night swatting at them like I've walked into a swarm of bees."

"You said that already." She retracked her legs and swung them over the bed. Unlike mine, her feet touched the floor. "A few short ones will fall out around your forehead and ears though."

"I can live with that. Oh wow. I love it!" My hair was gorgeous. I glanced in the mirror, then scooted off my bed. "Thank you so much."

"Thank me when you come home tonight with my efforts destroyed." Her eyes sparkled as I stepped into my dress' short, cute, flirty comfort. "I want an evidence picture of it looking frazzled like a bird's nest so I know I did my job."

"I don't think my parents would appreciate that." I patted the stiff, crunchy mound. "Or Jake."

One eyebrow arched. "What's Mister Cesspool of Syphilis doing tonight?"

"Staying home and working on that stupid junker car. You should've seen how mad he was when Dad curfewed him. Besides, I think you chased off his best prospect for company tonight." Smiling, I stepped into my shoes and spun. "What do you think?"

"Easy access." Her eyes darted over my short skirt. "Logan will blow a nut."

That wasn't—A weird, strangled sound choked in my throat. Coughing, I steadied myself against my closet door frame. My face flamed as I recovered normal breathing. "What are you doing tonight?"

"You might want to check the garage when you get home." She grinned wickedly, pulling the duct tape from her purse. "In case I get any ideas of taping your dickhead brother to that heap of metal yard art."

"You wouldn't..."

I stopped my own words. She absolutely would.