FIRST GLANCE

Craig POV

My messed up life had finally been going on track again. I was back with Ashley, the band and I were hotter than ever, and my rep from last year was almost nonexistent. One morning Ashley came up to me at my locker.

"Hey, Craig did you hear that new CD out, it's incredible. I mean, the tone of…" Ashley continued to talk as I looked beyond her shoulder. There was the most gorgeous back of a head I had ever seen. As the girl walked down the hall, all of the guys checked her out. Her long red hair flowed out from behind her. Who was this girl, and how could I meet her?

LATER…

I walked into my house after school, and saw Joey talking to Angie.

"Angie, Sophie is only going to be staying here for a short time, okay? Now, I know it's going to be different…"

"Joey, not one of Angie's little friends again?" I interrupted.

"Not exactly…" he said.

"A girlfriend?" I asked.

"No…" he replied.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me and I turned around. It was the hot red head from this morning. I looked her up and down. She was a tight waistcoat with a pair of jeans and high heels. She brushed her long hair off her shoulders and I noticed her…figure. She was curvy like an hourglass; she looked like an angel. An incredibly sexy angel.

"Um, Craig this is Sophie. She's going to be staying with us. Her dad is an old friend of mine, and he had an emergency and needed to leave town for a month or so." He said.

"Um…" I said.

I was at a loss for words. This girl was going to be living with me? I dropped back to reality as I realized what Ashley would think. Crap.

"Hi." She said.

We shook hands and Joey stepped between us and took me aside.

"Craig, I don't want you to get any ideas. You're back with Ashley, Sophie is staying in Angie's room." Joey said firmly.

"I know, I know. I'm totally cool with it." I replied, regaining my senses.

Sophie bit her lip, as she walked past us, heading to the garage. I watched her for a minute, hypnotized. I sat on the couch with my head in my hands, trying to think of a way to make this sound okay to Ashley. Suddenly, I remembered.

"My band!" I said.

I went after her, only to discover that Spinner and Jimmy already had met Sophie and were buttering her up. They were laughing in a private huddle, both Jimmy and Spinner vying for her attention. Sophie twirled a piece of her hair and they both laughed at something she said. Sophie turned around and saw me.

"Great, you guys are staying for dinner. I'll cook and you guys can practice." She said.

She gave a last flirty glance to Jimmy and Spinner and went back inside.

"Man, you are so lucky! Sophie's living with you?" Spinner asked.

"Craig, it's going to be hot. Showers, underwear all over the place. It's like a dream come true." Jimmy said.

I rolled my eyes.

"I have Ash now. Sophie is not a big deal. I'll just get used to her." I said.

"Ashley's great and everything, but she cannot even compare to Sophie." Spinner said.

I sighed and picked up my guitar.

"Can we practice now?" I asked.

Jimmy and Spinner backed off. The thing was, I wasn't cool with Sophie staying here. She was a hottie, and I really did not need temptation right now.

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Ashley POV

As I was walking to Craig's for dinner, I thought about how happy I was that we were back. Craig was genuinely sorry for last year, and he changed. Nothing could tear us apart now. We had all of the bad luck we possibly could get. I knocked on Craig's door and he answered.

"Ashley? I mean, um, hey." He said.

"Craig, are you okay? You seem kind of nervous or something." I said.

I looked over his shoulder. There was a girl with red hair sitting at the table with all of the guys from the band around her. They were all enjoying a meal she probably made. I raised my eyebrows at Craig.

"Who is that?" I asked.

The girl came over and held out her hand.

"Hi. I'm Sophie." She said.

As she got closer, I saw that she was gorgeous, of course.

"I'm Ashley. Craig's girlfriend." I said coldly.

"Um, Ashley, Sophie is going to be staying here for a month." Craig said nervously.

I froze. This girl was going to be living with Craig? My heart sank. How could I compete with her? She was going to be living with him, having pajama parties, and taking showers here. What was I supposed to do?

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Jimmy POV

After Ashley had given Sophie the cold shoulder, Sophie went back to the table looking disappointed. I took this as my chance to win her over.

"Sophie, don't worry about it. Ashley can be like that to everyone." I said gently.

Sophie looked at me and smiled.

"Thanks." She said.

"But let's not bore ourselves with Ashley." I said, putting my arm around her shoulder.

Sophie leaned closer into me. I saw Spinner's jealous glare and smirked.

"Yeah. Let's talk about the fact that Jimmy hasn't gone on a date in a year." Spinner said.

Sophie looked at me and bit her lip.

"Well, I've just been waiting for the one I was meant to be with." I said.

"That's so sweet Jimmy." Sophie said.

I smiled at her then gave Spinner a look. He frowned. I guess he was thinking of a way to win Sophie. It was a war now, and I had only won a battle.