Wonderful Surprise

"Yo, Ali! Your purse is singing Dirty Little Secret!" Ashley called from behind the counter of the 70's style restaurant she and Alex worked at. "Do you want me to answer it or let I keep singing?"

"Go ahead and answer it." Alex said with a sigh. "I'm on break."

"Alex's phone, from Alex's purse. This is the cute, funny, inelegant answering machine. Who the hell is this?" Ashley said in a sexy voice. She paused, nodded her head, then giggled. "Hey Ali it's the extremely handsome Bash Brother."

"Fulton?" Alex said with a smile, knowing it was actually Portman. She took the phone from Ashley. "Hey."

"Fulton my ass." Portman replied on the other line. " So what are you doing tonight?"
"Working." Alex replied wrinkling her nose. A habit she had picked up from Connie. "Why you have some sort of plan to teleport over from Chicago and take me to the movie or something?"

"Sort of." He answered as the door chime rang. Ashley looked up and her mouth gaped open. Surprised Alex turned towards the door to see Collin and Portman standing there both wearing huge smiles.

"You Spooges! Oh my god Portman when did you get here?" Alex asked giving him a hug. She wondered if his feeling for her had changed.

"Last night." Portman replied with a smile. "You look like one of those GOGO Dancers from Austin Powers."

"That's the point." Ashley said rolling her eyes. She came up beside Alex and put her arm around her. "Now how do you know my girl here?"

"I'm Dean Portman." He replied. "I'm one of the Ducks."

"Oh no flipping way." Ashley said sarcastically. "You're the new friend that took my place."

"Yeah, that would be him." Alex replied with a laugh and Ashley made a fake hurt look. Alex hugged her. "I still love you. But at the moment our break is over and it looks like the baseball team is coming in."

Sure enough as soon as Collin and Portman sat down a group of sweaty boys entered. They cat called both Ashley and Alex while one of the boys tried to smack all of them.

"Yo, Alex! What's shaking Baby?" One of them called. He was blond had a good build and looked a lot like Adam.

"Screw off Billy." Alex said rolling her eyes as she took menus to the two waiting boys. Portman noticed most of the baseball team watching her. Only one was trying to advert their eyes.

"Here you are boys." She said handing them a menu. "I bet Collin will get a large Chocolate milk shake and Portman will get a cheeseburger, fries and a mountain dew."

"Why did you give us menus if you already knew?" Collin asked handing them back to her.

"Who knows you two may live a little and get something new." Alex teased as she wrote down the order then yelled back to the person in the kitchen. "YO Andy? You got the frezzer fixed yet?"

"Yeah right me fix something." Andy said rolling his eyes as he leaned is head out of the kitchen door. He had a chubby face and his eyes were hidden by large glasses. Alex rolled her eyes and handed him the order. Then she turned to Ashley. "Wish me luck. I might actually smack one this time."

"I'll be right behind you." Ashley said as she glared over at the baseball boys. Ashley was going threw a purple phase. Her black hair was tipped in a dark purple along with her short bangs. She had dark freckles across her nose that gave her an innocent look. She looked like Magenta from Sky High.

"So boys what can I get you from our menu?" Alex asked adding from our menu when one of the boys started to open his mouth. The boy snapped his fingers and the rest laughed.

"You know you and Violet should wear cloths like this more often." Billy said pulling on Alex's skirt. "All the dark, baggy cloths are such a turn off. But you both look even hotter in these outfits."

"That's why I wear dark and baggy cloths." Alex replied after Billy got pulverized by one of his team mates. "It turns you off. Now order or get out."

"Cheeseballs." Billy replied. "For all of us and a bottle of code red and Pepsi."

"Coming right up." Alex replied as she handed the order to Ashley. Ashley gave her a sympathetic look and motioned towards Collin and Portman's table.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked.

"When we need you I'll call." Ashley replied and Alex sat down next to Portman and as she did the baseball team became oddly quit.

"I have to ask." She said turning towards him. "When did you change my ring tone?"

"On the plane when you went to sit with Adam." Portman replied with a smile. "I thought you'd like it."

"Who wouldn't like All American Rejects." Alex replied. She couldn't believe he was actually there in Iowa with her. she had planed to visit him next week so maybe she'd go back with him.

"SO what do you do for fun around here?" Portman asked leaning back in the booth and easily slipping his arm on the back of where Alex was sitting.

"Your looking at it." Collin said with a yawn. Portman gapped at him.

"Your joking right?" Portman asked holding back laughter.

"What do you expect. Your in the middle of no where. Not even the Neighboring towns know we exist." Alex said with a laugh. She yawned and looked back at the baseball boys who were watching her and Portman closely. "We could put on a party here. Is that ok Ashley?"

Ashley who had been listening to the conversation quickly busied herself with the milkshake machine. Then she turned after a moment of silence. "Oh you were talking to me?"

"Unless Andy all of the sudden went by Ashley then yes." Alex replied. "Would your parents mind if we partied her tonight?"

"Considering that Billy, Josh and Ray are working tonight I'm sure they'll approve." Ashley said then laughed as Billy, the boy who was betting everyone up and another boy turned around and started to complain.

"Who would you invite?" Ashley asked bringing Collin his milkshake and sitting down next to him.

"The triplets, the twins, Collin, Brad, Portman, you, Andy and the rest of the group." Alex replied.

"Triplets?" Portman asked confused.

"Yeah after what happened with Krissy they disowned her and they call themselves triplets now. Kassy now goes by Sassy." Collin replied with a sigh. "Krissy is living with our dad. Oh and She's not going to Eden Hall and neither is Michael."

"Man I hated that kid." Portman replied.

"Only because he hung on Alex most of the time." Collin replied ducked as both Alex and Portman went after him.

"Yo Ash. Here's the hamburger and fries." Andy said bringing the plate to the counter. When Ashley got the plate Andy added. "Get back to work. I need help back here."

"Yeah yeah, I'm a coming." She said dropping Portman's plate in front of him and rolled her eyes at Alex. Andy never bossed Alex around but he always seemed to boss Ashley around.

"Remember to call me if you need me." Alex said sympathetically.

"Will do." Ashley replied taking hold of Collin's arm. "Come on white stuff. You can help fix the freezer considering you helped break it."

"Well next time don't lock me in there." Collin protested but let himself be pulled away from the table.

"She locked him into the freezer?" Portman asked in amazement

"Well they were both in there." Alex said quietly. "Just don't let Ray hear that. He's Ashley's older brother."

Ray turned at the sound of his name. Portman could see the resemblance then. Both Ray and Ashley had black hair, green eyes and freckles scattered across their nose.

"Wow if they didn't look so much alike I wouldn't have known they were related. They're so different." Portman said when Ray turned back around.

"You think I'm like my sisters?" Alex asked with a laugh.

"You're an exception." Portman said laughing as well. He smiled at her, opened his mouth to say something, and was interrupted by Alex's cell phone.

Alex laughed and picked up the phone. "What...You called me on my phone when you could have just called me from the kitchen?"

"I told you I'd call you when we needed ya." Ashley laughed coming out of the kitchen and hung up her phone. Alex hung up hers as well then got up from her seat. She took a fray from Andy along with Ashley and they took them to the baseball boys.

"Here are your cheese balls." Alex said placing the tray down in front of Billy." Remember that even though you don't have to pay they still do."

"I remember Alex." Billy said passing the plates around and handing Alex a 20. "Do you have any…"

"Here." Alex interrupted him placing the ranch bottle in front of him.

"Are you sure you don't want to ditch that Adam kid and date me?" Billy joked. "I've been told that I look a lot like him. Plus you know me all to well."

"You'll have to wait in line." Alex replied back. "Plus I'd never date you considering I know you all to well."

"Ashley stifled her laughter as she took a cheese ball from Ray's plate. Ray rolled his eyes then handed his sister a hand full so that she'd leave the table.

"Why do you put up with that crap?" Billy asked him.

"She's my baby sister. "Ray replied. "I'd do almost anything for her."

At the party Alex introduced Portman to all her friends but she watched him closely when one of the girls asked him to dance. Every tome he'd look around to find Alec then smiled at her reaction.

"So Portman." Ashley said when she finally got to dance with him. "When are you going to asked Ali out?"

"She and I are only friends." Portman replied. "And she's with Banks."

Ashley rolled her eyes and brought him closer to her when he looked over at Alex. "Don't kid yourself. You two where made for each other. After she came back to Iowa she was back to her old self. The way she was when Duane was alive. There were only four boys she'd talk about. Her cousin Charlie, her best friend Fulton, her boyfriend Adam, and the cute bash brother Portman."

"Yeah I was always her favorite." Portman replied with a smile then pushed away from Ashley. He had actually cam to Iowa to tell Alex that he wasn't going to Eden Hall with her next year. He had decided to stay with his family considering he'd been gone all last year. He had missed his family terribly. Sighing he caught Alex's eyes and walked over to her.

"I'm exhausted." He said. "Is there any place where I can crash?"

"Yeah." Alex replied handing Billy her drink. "I'll take you my place. I have a spare bed in my room. You can sleep there."

"Roxie would be ok with that?" He asked.

"Portman, out of all the boys from the Ducks there are only three boys she'd trust in my room. "Alex said rolling her eyes. "You, Fulton and Charlie."

Portman smiled and the left for the Conway's house.