Imperfect

"Look how cute these shoes are that I want," Ashton said as her and Emma sat at the kitchen table, flipping through magazines. "They'd really match this new shade of lip gloss I bought."

"What kind of loser matches her lip gloss to her shoes," Emma scoffed.

"Someone who doesn't wear the same old sneakers every day," Ashton retorted.

"Well excuse me for not being a girly daffodil like you," Emma smirked.

"Hey girls," Freddie said, walking into the kitchen. "You excited for our barbecue tonight?"

"Yeah dad, we've been up all morning talking about it," Emma said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm going to choose to ignore the sarcasm behind that," Freddie said. "Now help me out and go to the backyard and hose the mud off the patio."
"Why me?" Emma moaned. "Can't Ashton do it?
"I don't want to hear her complain about getting dirty again," Freddie said. "You don't care about that stuff."
"Can I take the car over to Quincy's once I'm done?" Emma asked.

"Do you have to see your boyfriend every day?" Freddie moaned.

"You never cared when I saw Quincy before," Emma pointed out.

"Fine, fine, you can go over there after," Freddie gave in. "Just go clean off the patio."
"Awesome, thanks dad," Emma grinned as she headed out the back door.

"So what are you up to, sweetie?" Freddie asked Ashton.

"Well…daddy?" Ashton said, getting up and stepping in front of her father.

Freddie sighed. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if it would be okay if I invited someone to our barbecue tonight," Ashton said.

"Who?" Freddie asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Um, this-this guy I've kind of been seeing," Ashton mumbled.
"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "You've been seeing a boy and I didn't know about it?"
"Well it-it's just been a couple of dates, I didn't want you to freak out!" Ashton said quickly.

"Freak out? I wouldn't have freaked out!" Freddie sputtered as Sam walked into the kitchen. "Sam! Are you aware that our daughter here has been on a couple of dates with some boy!"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah?" Freddie repeated. "You mean you knew of this and didn't tell you!"

"Well I didn't want to freak you out until she found out if it was serious," Sam said simply.
"Okay, that's it!" Freddie said firmly. "From now on I want to be kept in the dating loop! I don't care if you go on one date or ten; I want to know!"

"See, this freak out is kind of what we're talking about," Sam smirked, patting his shoulder.

"Well daddy, a great way for you to be kept in this loop would be for him to come to the barbecue tonight," Ashton said.

"Ashton, this is a family barbecue!" Freddie said. "You can't just bring boys!"

"Quincy's gonna be here," Sam said.

"Yes, but Gibby's practically-"

"Don't you dare!" Sam snapped.

"Daddy please?" Ashton begged. "Jeff is so nice!"

"Oh his name's Jeff," Freddie scoffed.

"Please daddy?" Ashton said again, batting her eyelashes.

Freddie sighed. "Alright! You can have Jeff come over tonight."

"Thank you, daddy!" Ashton beamed, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

Just then the family heard the front door open and a second later Quincy walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," he greeted everyone. "Emma around?"

"Yeah, she's hosing off the back patio for the barbecue tonight," Freddie said.

"Oh right," Quincy nodded. "My dad bought a new belt for that…"

"Why?" Sam frowned.

"Who knows," Quincy shrugged.

"Well, anyway, Emma was going to take my car and go over to your place once she was done with the patio," Freddie said. "But since you're here, I'm gonna take it and go pick up some hamburger buns at the grocery store. Sam, you wanna come?"

"Can't, I have to take Tyler to the sporting goods store to buy new football cleats," Sam replied just as the back door opened and Emma returned, covered in mud.

"Patio's clean!" she announced.

"Thank you," Freddie said. "But now you tracked all the mud from out there in here."
"Oh," Emma frowned, looking at the muddy footprints behind her. "I'll get to that. Or Quincy will!"

"Ha," Quincy smirked, rolling his eyes. "Like that will happen."

"Well somebody better have it cleaned up by the time we get back," Sam warned.

"That's right," Freddie nodded. "Oh, and Uncle Spencer is supposed to be coming by in a little bit with charcoal from the grill. He's going to try to get you guys to let him test it out, but don't! I don't want the house burning down."

As Sam and Freddie left the kitchen, Ashton turned to Emma. "You really should clean that mud up before somebody else steps in it and makes a mess. Plus I just got a pedicure; I don't want to risk getting mud on my nails. I really love this shade of pink."

"Jeez, Princess, do you hear yourself?" Emma said, grabbing a roll of paper towels. "You're so high maintenance."

"Eh, my dad's the same way after he gets a pedicure," Quincy pointed out. He watched as Emma began to scrub up the mud. "Okay…do you want me to help?"

"No, no I've got it," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I know how much you hate getting mud on you too."

"Well…yeah," Quincy agreed.

"I'm surrounded by prisses," Emma mumbled.

"Hey, you guys, guess what?" Ashton said. "Dad said I could invite Jeff over here for the barbecue!"

"Nice," Quincy grinned. "So are you guys getting serious now?"

"Maybe a little," Ashton smiled.

"Ugh, I hate that Jeff guy," Emma said. "He's such a loser."
"He's not a loser," Quincy said. "He's in the pottery club with me!"

"Yeah, and notice how I don't tell people about that," Emma smirked as she finished cleaning up the mud. "Alright, that's done. Come on, Quincy, let's go watch T.V. or something."

"You're still covered in mud!" Quincy laughed. "You're not going to shower first?"

"I'll get to that eventually," Emma said.

"You are so weird," Quincy grinned.

"Well then fine, we don't have to make out until my parents get home," Emma shrugged.

"I meant weird in a very good way!" Quincy said quickly.

"Uh-huh," Emma said, rolling her eyes as she headed out of the room.

"Wait!" Quincy called after her as he followed. "So is this make-out session still on?"

….

"Come on, just let me grill one burger!" Spencer begged later that evening.

"No!" Sam said firmly. "Last time you used our grill you set my hammock on fire! I have to take my afternoon naps on the grass now thanks to you!"

"Hey," Freddie said, coming over to the two. "Do you know if this Jeff kid is here yet? I want some lemonade but I don't want to drink such a sissy drink if the boy I need to be intimidating is around."

"Who's Jeff?" Spencer asked.

"Eh, some boy Ashton's been seeing," Sam explained.

"Without telling me, I might add," Freddie said. "So is he here or not?"

"Ashton said he should be here soon," Sam told him.

"He was supposed to be here at eight," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "I've got to say, tardiness isn't exactly winning him brownie points right now."

"He's running late because he was helping his grandma fix her wheelchair," Sam smirked.

"Oh," Freddie frowned. "Well…that-that can still be done on a schedule."

"Mom!" Ashton called from the house. "Daddy! Jeff just pulled into the driveway! Come and meet him."

"Alright, we're coming!" Sam called back. She turned to Spencer. "Seriously, stay away from my grill!"

"But I won't set anything on fire!"

"Ha!" Sam scoffed.

Her and Freddie retreated into the house where Ashton was just opening the front door.

"Don't embarrass her," Sam whispered to her husband.

"I won't," Freddie assured her.

"Then stop trying to show off your biceps!" she hissed.

"Well the kid needs to know what he's up against if he does anything!"

"Hi, Jeff!" Ashton smiled as she let a young man with neatly trimmed dark hair and tucked collar shirt into the house. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks for having me," Jeff replied. "I'm so sorry I'm late. But like I said, grandma needed her wheelchair."
"That's okay," Ashton told him, leading him over to her parents. "Anyway, mom, dad? This is Jeff."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Benson," Jeff said at once, extending his hand to them. "Thank you for having me over today."

"Yeah, um, no problem," Sam said, a bit taken aback by the boy's properness.

"I hope you don't mind, but I brought you a little gift to thank you for your hospitality," Jeff said, handing them a box of chocolates. "They're Persian."

"Whoa! Persian chocolates!" Sam exclaimed, taking the box. "And they're not expired! Sweet!"

She quickly took off the lid and began popping the chocolate into her mouth.

"Um…well thanks, Jeff," Freddie said. "But before we get too cozy here, I'd just like to maybe take a few minutes to get to-"

"Oh, this is for you, sir," Jeff said, handing Freddie a large stack of papers.

"What are these?" Freddie frowned.

" A copy of my current high school transcript, a complete background check and my full medical history, as well as my résumé and a list of references," Jeff explained. "I have five sisters and I've seen my dad deal with a lot of their boyfriends, so I thought I'd save you the trouble. I also included answers to some of the most common questions he asks them, such as 'what are your intentions with my daughter' and 'what are your life goals'."
"I-I-Wow," Freddie said, flipping through the pages, clearly impressed. "This-This is great, Jeff! Well, everything certainly seems to be in order here. Hey! You even scented the pages!"

"Yes sir, with ocean breeze scent," Jeff nodded.

"A very nice touch," Freddie smiled.

"Um…okay, well, come on, Jeff, let's go out back," Ashton said, taking his hand. "You can get something to eat."

"Oh, hold on Ashton, I need to ask your parents if it's okay if I accompany you out there," Jeff said.

"Oh your fine," Freddie said. "Go ahead."

"Thank you very much," Jeff smiled.

"I love that guy!" Freddie said once the two were out of earshot. "Sam, look at all this! He's the captain of the school chess team, he has no cavities, he has an IQ of 155-"

"Eh, he seems weird," Sam shrugged.

"He is not weird!" Freddie gasped. "You know what it is? We're just not used to proper gentlemen around this place! Clearly we've been holding Quincy to too low of standards."

"Hey, Freddie?" Quincy himself said, coming into the house. "My dad wants to know if he can use that inflatable pool dolphin to-"

"Quincy!" Freddie said loudly. "Just the person I was looking for! So I'll be expecting your résumé on my desk on Monday?"

"For what?" Quincy frowned.

"For what?" Freddie repeated, shaking his head. "Oh Quincy…Quincy, Quincy, Quincy."

"Dude," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Will you just-"

She was cut off, though, as a loud blast sounded, and a second later Spencer staggered into the house, his eyebrows singed and a large burn mark on his shirt.

"So, um, I might have melted your grill a little bit…"

….

"These hamburgers are simply marvelous," Jeff said later that evening as him, Ashton, Quincy and Emma sat around the patio table.

"Simply marvelous," Emma mimicked under her breath, earning her a glare from her twin.

"I'm glad you like them," Ashton smiled. "Hey, I'm gonna go run into the house to get another soda. Do you want one?"

"Oh no, a young woman should never have to fetch drinks for her date," Jeff said quickly, standing up. "You just sit here and keep looking beautiful and I'll bring you your beverage."

"But it's fine, I don't-"

"I won't take no for an answer," Jeff smiled. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Hey," Emma said to Quincy as Jeff headed away from the table. "How come you never have a problem with me getting my own drinks?"

"Um, if I pulled the line he just did, you'd punch me," Quincy said.

"Eh, good point," Emma nodded.

"So?" Ashton grinned. "Isn't he great?"

"Um, isn't he a little old fashioned?" Emma asked.

"Well what's wrong with that?" Ashton shrugged. "Besides, daddy loves him."

"Yeah, that guy is totally killing my rep as the golden boyfriend around here!" Quincy nodded. "Your dad wants my résumé now!"

"God," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "You see what your dumb boyfriend is doing, Ashton?"

"Jeff is not dumb!" Ashton defended.

"Well yeah, of course you don't think so," Emma grinned. "You probably love the fact that he treats you like some delicate little princess."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, he totally waits on your hand and foot!" Emma said. "And not the way daddy does for mom. He's actually doing this stuff because he thinks you need him to."

"No, he's just being a gentleman," Ashton snapped.

"Okay, well, whatever," Emma shrugged. "I'm gonna go try to convince Uncle Spencer to set off some of the fireworks I took from mom's stash. I could use a show."

"And I guess I'm going to go try to make sure this doesn't end with another explosion," Quincy said, getting to his feet and following his girlfriend.

"I have your drink," Jeff said, returning to the table and setting a cup in front of Ashton.

"Thanks," Ashton smiled. "But, um, you really didn't have to do that. I could've got it."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jeff said. "I mean there's mud piles everywhere out here from all that rain last night. I'd hate for you to step in one. You hate dirt, right?"

"Well I'm not its biggest fan, but I don't melt if it touches me," Ashton replied just as a fly landed on the table.

"Oh, we should go inside, you don't want a fly to land on you," Jeff said, quickly standing up and taking Ashton's hand.

"It's a fly," Ashton frowned. "It's not going to kill me. They're annoying, that's it."

"Hey, you don't have to act brave for me," Jeff smiled. "Come on, we can go inside and get away from all the gross bugs."

"But I-"

"I bet you want to get out of the heat too," Jeff said. "You probably hate sweating."

"What do you mean?" Ashton asked.

"Well a lot of girls get all worried about the sweat messing up their hair and make-up," Jeff shrugged. "Especially when they're super into that stuff."

"Oh," Ashton said slowly. "Well…what?"

"Come on," Jeff chuckled.

Ashton followed him into the house and into the kitchen.

"Can I get you a glass of water or something?" Jeff asked as he pulled one of the kitchen chairs out for her.

"You just brought me a soda ten seconds ago," Ashton pointed out. "And you're at my house. I should be the one offering you stuff."

"No, no, someone as pretty and sweet as you shouldn't be fussing over anybody," Jeff told her.

"Um, okay, listen Jeff," Ashton said. "Um, I-I know you're just trying to be nice here and everything, but-but you don't have to treat me like some pathetic daffiodil that can't do anything for herself. I mean I know I'm not some big tomboy like Emma, and I am into fashion and make-up and stuff, but that doesn't mean I can't get up and get my own drinks or that I can't stand bugs or dirt. I don't need someone looking out for me."

"Aw, Ashton, that's really nice of you, but you don't have to act brave in front of me," Jeff told her. "I like looking out for you and making sure you don't have to lift a finger."

"Yeah but I don't-"

"Really, it's okay," Jeff said, gently squeezing her hand. "I promise; I'll always treat you like the princess you are."

All man, Ashton thought to herself. I hate it when Emma's right.

…..

Later that evening after nearly everybody had left the Benson house, Ashton was sitting alone at the kitchen table.

"Well, Spencer officially set a new record for the number of fires he started at a gathering," Sam announced, coming in from outside. "It's probably going to take him months to grow back all his hair."

Ashton gave a small, half-hearted smile.

"Hey," Sam said, picking up that something was bothering her daughter. "What's up, Ash? Did Jeff leave?"

"Yeah, he left a half-hour ago," Ashton mumbled.

"Well, um, he seemed…nice," Sam said, sitting down next to her. "And you dad definitely loves him, so you've got his blessing if you decide this is serious with him."

"Yeah, I-I don't think that's gonna happen," Ashton sighed. "I think I'm going to tell Jeff we should just be friends when I see him at school on Monday."

"You are?" Sam said. "How come? I thought you really liked him."

"I did," Ashton nodded. "I mean he's a super nice guy. But it's just…he-he…never mind. Listen, mom? Can-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Sam said. "What is it?"

"Well, I know I'm like, the total opposite of you and Emma," Ashton said. "I'm not good at fighting. I love everything pink. I wear dresses all the time and I hate gross stuff. But-But does that really make me some pathetically weak, girly-girl princess? Someone who can't do anything for herself?"

"What? Ashton, no!" Sam said at once. "Honey, you're not weak. You're not pathetic. Okay, so you are a girly-girl, but that's okay! Being into girly stuff doesn't mean anything! Listen to me. You are one of the strongest, most independent girls I've ever met. I mean it! You don't have to be aggressive and have a hatred for pink to be tough!"

"Really?" Ashton said.

"Really!" Sam nodded. "Look at you, Ashton! You always stand up for yourself and people around you. You don't let anybody push you around and you can take care of yourself. So…So you don't like dirt. Big deal! You obviously just inherited that from your dad! And who cares if you'd rather wear heels than sneakers?"

"You think I'm tough?" Ashton smiled.

"I didn't raise any weak kids," Sam smirked, putting her arm around her.

"Thanks, mom," Ashton said.

"Any time," Sam said, kissing the top of her head. "Anyway, do me a favor and don't tell your dad your kicking Jeff to the curb until tomorrow. It's been a long day and I don't want to listen to him whine all night."