Chapter 5: The Spark

I pack my bags for the sleepover. My fuzzy slippers have made it to the bottom of my bag. I sneak in Oreos, Doritos, and Pepsi. Brittany will be happy to eat junk food.

"Mom, I'm going over to Brittany's for a sleepover," I say.

"Have fun, sweetie," mom says.

I walk on the secret path towards the Hogan's house. I hear squeaking in the tree nearby.

"Hello, Meeko, " I say.

The dumbass raccoon looks at me. We know each other well. Rocket was an asshole. He's dead now. Meeko's the nicer one. I toss Meeko an oreo from my backpack.

"Don't tell my dad, okay?" I say.

Meeko chirps at me. I guess that's a promise.

"Do you always feed raccoons?" Zander asks.

"None of your business, " I say.

Crap, I don't want to deal with Zander right now. His dumb bitch girlfriend nearly drowned me.

"What's gotten into you?" He asks.

"Zander, leave me alone," I yell.

I'm humiliated that I thought we had a spark between us the other night. How stupid it was to kiss Zander in a game of seven minutes in heaven. It didn't mean anything, did it?

No, of course not. He likes Leslie. Somehow, I push a girl in a pool, and he still ends up with miss-perfect blonde Leslie Thompson.

Girls like Leslie Thompson are lucky. They are beautiful, and they know it. Girls like me weren't meant to be girly. I'm five foot two. I'm short, sweet, and to the point.

"Why do you hate me?" Zander asks.

"I don't hate you. But I don't like you either," I say.

"There's no way in hell I believe that. So, what's your deal?" He asks.

"My deal is, I don't like you. You have a girlfriend, and we're done here," I say.

"Can I walk you to my house at least?" Zander asks.

"No," I reply.

"Ash, you are something, " he says.

"Yeah, right," I reply.

"No, I mean it. You are different," he says.

I stop in my tracks. I turn around and see Zander. His familiar dimples appear again. I don't want to see them. He's so handsome. Fuck, no, he's not. This dumbass is off-limits. I panic and slap Zander in the face.

"Uuggghhh," Zander screams.

"Sorry, I panicked," I say.

"I can see that. But why?" He asks.

I start to feel flustered everywhere. My body has become numb. I can't think, act, or do anything. Zander both intrigues and infuriates me. We would be terrible together. We would be like a wildfire spreading from tree to tree.

"I don't know. I guess I'm embarrassed about the other night," I say.

"You mean the birthday party?" He asks.

"Yeah, I said too much, and we did too much," I reply.

"Ash, it was a game. It didn't mean anything, " he says.

Did it, Zander? Did it really mean nothing to you? Did I mean nothing to you? No way I can say that to him.

"I know that. It's just hard being unlikable me. But that's my problem and not yours, " I say.

"Ash, you're likable. Come on. Let me take you to my house; Brittany is waiting for you. And Kyle is waiting for me," he says.

I walk with Zander. And I notice him. I notice him like a schoolgirl with a crush. This will be the end of me. Luckily, fate brought Leslie. As bitchy as she is, Zander is off-limits with her around, which means my friendship with Brittany is endless. As long as they date, I have a best friend.

I sometimes hate that Brittany comes with rules and strings attached. It makes it hard to be around her. Sometimes, I want to look pretty. Not with make-up, but with a nice new haircut and outfit. Brittany would flip and tell me I'm breaking the rules.

We get to their house, and Brittany looks at me, confused.

"Why are you with Zander?" She asks.

"He was on the secret path, and we walked together, " I reply.

"Got it. Ash, we are in for a night of fun. I have nails, movies, and food plans for us," Brittany says.

Zander and I look at each other. My heart skips a beat, and I blush. Zander notices, and my face gets even redder. I don't know what's come over me. But I need to stuff it down.

"Hey, Brittany, I saw Meeko on the way here. I think it knows that Rocket was murdered. It's out for revenge," I say.

"Girl, you and your family could have your own hill-billy show," Brittany replies.

"Could not," I say.

Brittany and I do our nails. I'm not too fond of nail polish. I only tolerate it for Brittany. We watch old Disney movies and cry when Mufasa dies. We throw popcorn all over each other. Then we hear the tapping code on the door. It's Kyle. That means it's time for sex. Every time there's a sleepover involving Kyle, a gentle tapping at 1 am on Brittany's door means the parents are asleep, and it's time for sex.

"Mind if I go, Ash?" Brittany asks.

"Brit, you ask this every time. Go have fun. I'm going to watch The Last Kingdom on N*****x," I say.

"I don't know why you like that show. Have fun," she replies.

She puts a sexy dress on and hides it shamelessly under a bathrobe.

"Bye, Brit," I wave.

Other girls would be pissed that their best friend ditches them during a sleepover for late-night sex. Not me. I'm happy to be alone. Thirty minutes go by, and still no Brittany.

"Mind if I join you?" Zander asks.

"No, that's fine," I reply.

"Want to watch it in my room. We can watch it on my large tv, " he says.

"Sure," I say.

I've never been to Zander's room before. I don't have siblings, and I have nothing to compare it to. Zander keeps his car clean. I imagine he would do the same for his bedroom.

He opens the door. His room is fairly clean. It has a few piles of clothes lying here and there. It smells like him. He uses Old Spice.

We sit on his bed. I pull out the box of Oreos I brought. And we eat them together.

"Why do you like this show, Ash?" Zander asks.

"It has swords and battles in it. What's not to love, " I say?

"I guess. Leslie would never watch a show like this with me," Zander says.

He looks at me and knows this comment bothers me. But, we both know there was a spark between us at the birthday party.

"Zander, I can't do this anymore," I say, pausing the movie.

"Do what?" He asks.

"The night of the party, did you mean what you said? Did you want to kiss me?" I ask.

God, I feel like an idiot. I'm not used to being in touch with feelings; that's for the other girls. Not me.

"Well, Ash. Yeah, I did, " he says.

"Zander, why am I in your room?" I ask.

"Come on, Ash. Isn't it obvious?" He says.

"No, not really, " I say.

"I wanted to spend some time with you," he says.

"You have a girlfriend, you player," I say, getting off the bed to leave.

"Ash, I don't have a girlfriend. It didn't work out with Leslie. So I didn't bother telling Brittany," he says.

"I don't believe you," I say.

Zander blocks me from leaving the room.

"Wait, Ash. Can you give me one more chance," Zander asks.

"No," I say.

But it's too late. Zander puts his lips on mine. And it's an instant fire. The wildfire ignites, and I can't stop it. You can't fight fire with fire, and putting a fire out is not like me.