1A.N.: Thanks to the few of you who reviewed. Hopefully, more people didn't review because, kept experiencing errors. I guess I'll find out . . .

CHAPTER 2

SECRET

SPENCER P.O.V.

Driving around in Ashley's car with her is the most fun I have experienced since we moved here. Basically, since we moved her a month ago, I've just been sitting around and watching tv and talking to my friends from back home . . . I mean, back in Ohio.

The radio's on practically full blast and coming from its speakers is a song I've never heard before. Actually, most of the music Ashley's been playing are strangers to my ears. They're not too bad, either. Ashley's got great taste in music . . .

"So," Ashley says, breaking me out of my trance, "Where to next?"

It was now 5 and we'd been driving around since about 2:30. Ashley had brought me to many different music stores that had met her standards and we also stopped at this coffeehouse to get some lunch. The whole day was amazing, but I still didn't know much about the city, so where we should go next, I don't know.

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. Where do you wanna go?"

Ashley looked at me and said, "Well, we've seen basically everything worth seeing in L.A. Wanna tell me where you live and I'll just drive you home?"

I definitely wasn't ready to go home. I was having so much fun just being around Ashley. So I told her just that.

"I'm not really ready to go home yet . . . "

A huge smile became plastered on Ashley's face and she said, "That's cool. Wanna head back to my place and just listen to music or something?"

I nodded and said, "That sounds good," as Ashley turned left at the next stoplight and we were headed toward her house.

ASHLEY P.O.V.

Once in my driveway, I looked over at Spencer who seemed to be in awe at the size of my house. "You live here?", she asked. I replied, "Yep, just me, mom and #4"

The two of us get out of the car and walk up to my door. When I unlock it, we both walk inside and I figure I might as well give her a tour of the house, which paused briefly in the kitchen, long enough for us to grab some food that I snuck into the kitchen while my mom was away. She didn't think that soda was an acceptable beverage. Whatever, so Spencer and I went up to my room and just watched tv.

Both laying on my bed, Spencer and I had settled on watching the Real World: Austin.

Feet kicking in the air, stomach on my bed, Spencer watched the show intently and then I spoke up. "That's how I want my life," I said.

She scoffed and said, "Austin's way too dramatic. Real World: Hawaii, that would work."

"Okay, didn't one of them O.D.?", I pointed out.

"Yeah . . . besides that," She said.

Sitting up, I decided to find out more about the girl in front of me, as opposed to Danny and Melinda who were currently on my television. "So, did you leave a boy back home?"

Scrunching her face a little, she said, "Um, no one special. You?"

I thought, "Yeah . . . me? Have a boyfriend? That's hysterical," but instead, I just said, "No." Well, actually, I continued with, "One should only hit and run. Boys are way too much trouble."

She shrugged and said, "Aiden's cute." Those were two words that I could've dealt without hearing.

Throwing myself back onto my pile of pillows, I raised my voice an octave and said, "Aiden? What? You've so dropped in cool points."

Spencer scoffed and sitting up, said, "What? Okay, well, what kind of guy do you like? The bad boy? The Skater? Oh, wait, no. You like the tortured poets!" So, Spencer definitely did not hit the nail on the head.

I sat up, quickly, and said, "No, they all suck. They all think, 'Hello' means, 'Put your hands all over me and testosterone me'," as I lightly tapped her shoulder with my hand.

"No, it's the kiss. I so hate the kiss, "she continued, "They try to suffocate you with their tongues? Ew."

Well, she had a point there. "I know, I know," I agreed. "And all they do is sit around and talk about themselves forever."

"And you have to sit there smiling and nodding . . . "

"...like you care . . . ," I chimed in, finishing the sentence with her.

Then I said, "I know. It's a good thing they're not the only choice."

I may have taken it too far when I said that. Especially being that when I looked down, my hand was lying on top of Spencers. I glanced at her and took note of the fact that she was inspecting my room with her eyes until they fell on a picture of me and a friend, who just happened to be a girl, giggling, on my night table. Clearly uncomfortable, Spencer cleared her throat and I moved my hand. I guess I may have overstepped my boundaries.

SPENCER P.O.V.

The ride home, although only 5 minutes, seemed to last forever. The only words uttered were directions. "Left, right at the next stop light, make a left onto the next block." I have to admit that Ashley had freaked me out. I was probably just blowing this out of proportion. Ashley seemed to be the sarcastic type of girl, maybe that's all that her statement meant. And her hand being on mine? That could have just been a huge coincidence. Well, then how come, when she spoke up in the car to let me know that we were at my house and I was apparently zoned out, I said my goodbyes and rushed off into my house without looking back?

Once inside, I announced my presence and walked into the kitchen to see my dad and brothers in there.

Glen, smiling said to my dad, "Okay, admit it. She's your favorite."

Hugging me, my dad said, "Okay, she's my favorite." Then looking at me, he said, "You're late. I heard you made a new friend."

Glen must've told him. Probably bragging about how hott she is, being as every female that wasn't a family member or had two heads was hott to Glen.

Glen confirmed my thoughts when he said, "Yeah, and she is smoking hott. Was she checking me out?"

Disgusted, I said, "No, why would she?"

Then of course, annoying me once again, Glen replied, "Because, I was making thatstar point guard look like my bi-."

"Glen!", my dad cut him off, "Knock it off."

Realizing my mother was late, my dad began to name a list of excuses that my mother would probably have. Of course, changing the subject didn't stop Glen from talking about Ashley. "Will you tell your friend I'm thinking about asking her to the dance after the game?"

At an attempt to save my breath later on, I said, "She wouldn't go with you."

Clay, being the thoughtful brother, said, "Don't you think you should talk to her first?"

Glen said, "Why? She's hott. I'm hott. It'd be hott." Ugh, Glen can be such a pig.

That's the time that my mother decided to walk in and prove my father to be correct with why she was late. My parents discussed their first days at work in a new city and a new state and then we all sat down to dinner. After praying, we all had a nice family meal. Then, I went up to my room, did some surfing online and went to sleep, rather early, might I add. I'm just so weirded out over this thing with Ashley. Hopefully, tomorrow, I won't have to see too much of her.