Stuck with You

by Alexandra Moody

  I pressed pause on the show and turned to Clary. She was stretching her arms above her head, and I caught sight of the smallest slither of skin under her top. I quickly averted my eyes. The last thing she needed today was me checking her out.

  “I can’t believe it’s dinner already,” she said, as she rolled off the bed and stood up.

  “That’s the magic of crazy documentaries. They really make the time fly.”

  She laughed and nodded. “Yeah, they do.”

  I closed my laptop and started toward the door. Clary followed me but touched my arm, stopping me before I could leave. Her eyes were warm but serious as I turned to her.

  “Thanks for being my official moping buddy today,” she said, tucking a stray hair behind one ear. “I think you were right. I was doing it all wrong.”

  Her gratitude made my heart swell and I smiled at her. “I’m glad I could help.”

  She tentatively returned my smile before gesturing toward the door. “So, dinner?”

  “Dinner,” I agreed.

  She walked past me and opened the door to the corridor. As I slowly trailed after her, I couldn’t help but feel like perhaps we’d made progress today. I was pretty sure I still annoyed the crap out of her. But maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to like it.

  13

  Clary

  “The world is officially ending!”

  I was still half asleep and had barely managed to answer Zoey’s call. I immediately wished I’d let it go to voicemail. The sound of her alarmed voice wasn’t exactly how I wanted to start my morning. I groaned as I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced at the time. It was seven in the morning, and I couldn’t understand why she’d ever think it was okay to call me so early. I liked to start my days slowly, and unless coffee was involved, I barely functioned before 8:00 A.M.

  I’d stayed up late last night finishing the documentary I started watching with Aiden. I still couldn’t believe he’d hung out with me all day yesterday just because I was sad. I knew it was lockdown, and he probably didn’t have anything better to do, but it still meant a lot to me that he’d taken the time to make sure I was okay.

  I’d been annoyed with him for intruding at first. All I’d wanted was to be alone, but as the day went on, I began to appreciate him being there with me. He didn’t push me to talk about how I was feeling or expect me to suddenly feel better. He simply allowed me to process my sadness and distracted me from it a little bit. I found I was actually kind of glad I didn’t have to do that all alone.

  It was funny. I was still sad about my parents being stuck overseas, but I felt like I was coming to terms with the situation after sleeping on it again last night. There was nothing I could do to fix the problem, and I had to trust they would be okay. Crying about it in my room wasn’t going to do anything other than make me sadder. Today was going to be different.

  “Didn’t you hear me? The world is ending!” Zoey repeated.

  My stomach dipped as I wondered whether there was a more serious tone than usual to the alarm in Zoey’s voice. Perhaps she wasn’t just being her normal dramatic self. Was something really wrong? Could there be more news on the virus that I’d missed? I jerked up in bed, my heart racing, as I considered what it could mean for my family.

  “What are you talking about, Zo?”

  “Have you checked your emails this morning?”

  “Of course, I haven’t checked my emails.” Until my best friend had called me, I was still happily asleep. “So, what is it?”

  “You’re not going to believe this.” Her voice sounded solemn, and the worry churning in my gut grew more pronounced.

  “What?”

  “School is shut for the rest of the year, and we’re going to finish our senior year online.”

  “Oh.” My body relaxed at her words. She’d worked me up into a total state of worry, but her news wasn’t nearly as terrible as I’d imagined.

  I wasn’t surprised the school closures were continuing, given everything going on in the world. The fact my last day of high school had come and gone without me even realizing was still hard to accept though. I was never going back to school, and it took a moment for reality to sink in. The last semester of my senior year was meant to be amazing. It was what we’d been working so hard for, and the fact it had finished via email was completely anticlimactic.

  “Oh?” Zoey replied. “That’s all you can say?”

  “Sorry, Zo. I was just processing. That’s such bad news.”

  “And that’s not even the worst part…” she continued. “They’ve canceled the prom!”

  “They have?” That was also kind of unsurprising, seeing as we couldn’t go to school. I found the news that our senior year was canceled far more difficult to stomach than losing the prom, but I knew better than to say that to Zoey. She’d been looking forward to our senior prom ever since we started high school.

  “They have!” she said. “As soon as I saw the email, I knew I had to call you straightaway. I’m in total shock.”

  I felt like I was handling this a whole lot better than Zoey. Mostly because she’d prefaced her announcement with the fact the world was ending. But, also, she tended to be more optimistic than me, and given the direction the pandemic was heading, I’d had a feeling this year might not end the way we wanted. Still, losing these life milestones was hard, and I couldn’t deny how disappointed I felt.

  “Prom would have been one of the last times we’d all be together at school,” I murmured.

  “I know. It was going to be such a fun night. And we’d bought our dresses and everything.”

  Everything was a bit of a stretch. I might have bought a dress, but I’d been missing one key ingredient to make the prom night of my dreams: a date. There just weren’t any guys at school I was interested in though. A couple had asked me to go with them, but I’d gently turned them down. It didn’t seem fair to go to the dance with a guy I didn’t like that way.

  Zoey had no qualms about accepting any old invitation though and had agreed to go with the first guy who asked her. Admittedly, the first guy who asked her was a super cute one who played on the basketball team, so it wasn’t all that surprising.

  She let out a long sigh. “What are we going to do?”

  “There’s not much we can do if it’s canceled.”

  “I know, but I’d been planning my makeup for months…”

  Zoey had been showing me her ideas for ages, and I hated to think of all her effort going to waste. “Maybe there will be another event you can wear your prom look for?”

  She let out a little gasp, and the usual enthusiasm returned to her voice as she replied. “That’s it! Well, sort of. I’ll do a tutorial of the look to put up on YouTube. That way all my hard work won’t be for nothing.”

  “Your followers will love that,” I said with a smile. The people who watched her videos all genuinely seemed to love Zoey’s authentic content. I was sure there were plenty of viewers out there who’d also had their proms canceled and could relate.

  “Okay, now I’m excited. Maybe all is not lost, after all.”

  “Maybe,” I agreed. It sure felt like we were losing a lot these days though. I might not have been as sad about prom being called off as Zoey was, but it was yet another thing we were missing out on because of the pandemic. It was probably silly, but the part I found hardest was the thought that my parents would never see me all dressed up for prom.

  “How are you feeling today?” Zoey’s tone was gentle, and I sometimes wondered if she could read my mind. I’d called and told her about my parents’ news last night, and she helped me talk through my feelings about it. As much as my best friend was flighty and fun, she was also amazing at being supportive when I needed her.

  “I’m still worried about my parents, but I know there’s nothing I can do about their situation.”

  “I wish I could fix this for you or at least just give you a massive hug,” she replied. “The prom being canceled doesn’t seem
all that important in comparison.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s a big deal that prom is canceled, and I can’t believe we’re never going to hang out at school ever again.”

  “I know,” Zoey agreed. She sounded as hopeless as I felt. We couldn’t let these speed bumps upend our lives though. We had to make the best of it.

  “Okay, I spent all of yesterday feeling mopey and sad, and I don’t want either of us to go through that today,” I said. “I think you should go do your tutorial. That way, I can watch it and try it out for myself.”

  Zoey started clapping. “Yes, finally!” she squealed. “If I’d known it was going to take enforced lockdown to get you to try my makeup looks, I would have thrown you in a room and locked you in there way before now.”

  I chuckled. “Well, I need a lockdown hobby, and it’s probably time I used some of that makeup you’re always giving me.” She pretty much handed me a new product every week. It was lucky the stuff she gave me was sent to her for free by makeup companies, or I would have felt really bad for never using it.

  “Yeah, it is!” she exclaimed. “Okay, I’m going to start filming right now. Yay, I can’t wait.” She hung up the phone without waiting for a goodbye.

  I laughed under my breath and put down my phone. “Bye, Zo.”

  To my surprise, I actually followed through on my promise and attempted Zoey’s makeup tutorial. This was what lockdown did to you—you got so bored you were willing to give just about anything a try. Plus, having spent all day yesterday watching a documentary, I wasn’t sure I could handle another day in front of a screen.

  I didn’t have my best friend’s ability with a makeup brush, but I was quite pleased with the look when I was finally done. I was sitting on the floor by the large mirror in my room, and I smiled at my reflection. Zoey had called her makeup tutorial Prom, Midnight Glam—and the name seemed to fit the look she’d created to a tee. My cheeks had a subtle highlight on them and the mascara framing my eyes made them pop. A dusting of glittery, deep-navy eye shadow really completed the look. If it weren’t for the pajamas I was wearing, I would have genuinely appeared ready for prom.

  I sighed as I took in my outfit. It would have been nice to change into something that complimented my makeup so I could send Zoey a pic. I didn’t have anything even slightly appropriate with me though. I hadn’t packed one nice dress when I’d come to the Moores’ house. Aiden had rushed me so much that my daily dress code was now a mismatch of the random sweats and loungewear I’d thrown in my suitcase at the last minute. I really needed some more clothes, especially now it looked like I’d be here for a while.

  With that in mind, I went to find Aiden. I didn’t bother searching for Jade because I knew she was at the hospital today, as always. I approached Aiden’s bedroom door cautiously, my stomach fluttering with apprehension. I’d only entered his bedroom once, and the last time had ended disastrously. I wasn’t sure I was ready to go in there again so soon.

  It didn’t help that he’d been so kind to me yesterday. He’d gone out of his way to support me when I’d been struggling to cope with the news about my parents, and I didn’t know how to feel about it. I was beginning to see a sweeter side to him. For so long, I’d thought he was nothing more than a player, but there was definitely more to Aiden than I’d given him credit for, and it left me feeling confused.

  As I stood outside his door, I almost decided to turn around and walk back to my room. Aiden the flirt was easy enough to deal with. But this kinder version of Aiden was an unknown quantity. As I glanced down at my old sweatpants, I knew I couldn’t hesitate any longer. I needed proper clothing if I was going to be staying here. So, with a long, drawn-out sigh, I knocked.

  Aiden responded immediately. “Yeah?”

  I was too nervous to enter, so I spoke through the closed door. “Um, it’s Clary. I wanted to ask you a favor.”

  The door opened suddenly, and I flinched with surprise. Aiden stood there shirtless, yet again. He’d been wearing one while we watched Netflix together yesterday, but it seemed to be a rare occurrence in this house. I had to wonder if he was always topless because he was too hot or if he did it to simply annoy me. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if it were the latter.

  His expression was gentle at first, but it quickly changed as his gaze landed on my face. “A favor?” He gave me a wolfish smile. I’d briefly forgotten I was wearing makeup, and the way he was looking at me made me uncomfortable. I wished I’d scrubbed it off before coming to find him because the last thing I wanted was for Aiden to think I’d put it on for him.

  I could at least be grateful he wasn’t staring at me with concern in his eyes. I wasn’t sure I could handle Aiden being kind to me right now. I needed things to go back to normal between us, and I needed to remember why I couldn’t stand him. I’d been softening toward him lately, which was something that needed to stop. Aiden was a player, and I refused to be taken in by his charms like every other girl at school.

  I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I need to get some extra clothing, and I wanted to see if you could give me a ride home.”

  His lips twisted in a thoughtful pout, and a calculating look entered his eyes. “I mean, I could, but you live so far away.”

  “It’s a five-minute drive…”

  “And I’m a busy man. I’ll be missing out on valuable Netflix time if I have to take you…”

  “Surely, you want a break. We spent all of yesterday watching Netflix.”

  “And it was great,” he replied. “How about you forget the clothes and spend the day in bed with me again today?”

  “Aiden,” I groaned. “We didn’t spend the day in bed together!”

  “I mean, we kind of did…” His eyes were practically sparkling with delight, and I struggled to ignore the way his words affected me. This is exactly what I wanted, for things between us to go back to normal, but I couldn’t understand why my heart seemed to flutter as we talked. I wasn’t supposed to be enjoying his banter.

  I forged on, trying to act like nothing was bothering me. “Look, it won’t take long, I promise.”

  “You say that, but who knows how long you’ll take, especially if I don’t give you a time limit this time.” He slowly started to smile. “I tell you what. I’ll take you, but you’re going to owe me a favor of your own.”

  “What kind of favor?” My senses tingled with suspicion. He was definitely up to something, but I had no idea what. It couldn’t be anything good.

  “The kind I get to decide in the future.”

  “Why can’t you just ask me for something now?”

  He shrugged. “There’s nothing I want from you right now. Unless you’d like to change into my jersey again?”

  My cheeks heated with embarrassment. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “I suppose you’re not going to reconsider testing out the kiss-a-day theory with me either then…” His grin was wide and alluring. I could easily see why the girls at school fell for it. I refused to be one of them though.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “So, we’re left with a mystery favor then.” He looked far too pleased by the thought.

  “Fine. But the favor can’t involve any football jerseys or kisses.” I quickly added the condition to our agreement.

  “You’re no fun,” he grumbled. “But I think we have a deal.”

  “Yep, it’s a deal.”

  “Should we seal it with a kiss?”

  I rolled my eyes before turning to walk back to my room. “I’ll get my shoes and see you by your truck in five minutes.”

  “See you there,” he agreed.

  Aiden’s devious smile had returned with full force, and I had to wonder what had I just agreed to? And why was a part of me excited to find out?

  14

  Aiden

  I was really struggling to keep my eyes on the road as I drove Clary to her house. I had barely pulled out of the driveway, and already I was finding it highly distracting to hav
e her sitting in the truck next to me. It had to be because of the makeup. She was the most beautiful girl at school on an average day, but when she did her makeup like this, she looked like she didn’t belong in school at all.

  I think it was the eyelashes most of all. They were thick and dark, highlighting her bright blue eyes and making them less innocent and more seductive. I quickly diverted my attention back to the road, scolding myself as I did. Clary wasn’t her normal self right now. She was still struggling with her parents being gone, so I really shouldn’t be checking her out. I was only human though—a very weak human who was infatuated with the girl beside me.

  When I saw her this morning, it had been nearly impossible to resist the urge to pull her into my arms. She was so beautiful and fragile, and all I wanted to do was make her feel better. There was a determined look in her eyes though when she came knocking on my door, and I knew she wouldn’t let me be close with her like I had been the day before. She didn’t want people looking at her with sad eyes and comforting voices, so I’d just treated her as I did every other day.

  Watching Netflix with Clary and actually being able to support and comfort her had meant so much to me. I wanted nothing more than to do it over and over again. It wasn’t what Clary needed right now though. She needed me to return to my usual ways so she could return to hers. That was why I’d asked for the stupid favor. I doubted I’d ever ask her for anything, but I wanted her to feel like everything was normal.

  It sucked her parents were gone, but she needed distracting not babying. And distracting Clary was something I happened to be very good at—even if it did have the side effect of also driving her crazy.

  “So, did you do your makeup for me?” I asked as I turned off our street.

  “Why on Earth would I do that?”

  I shrugged. “To impress me.”

  “You really think you’re so amazing that I’d do my makeup for you? I don’t even bother doing it for guys I do like.”