Page 5 of Sure, Pal

“Come on, Charlie. Don’t hate on my girlfriend.” I grinned at my little sister.

Charlie folded her arms across her chest, unsmiling. “I’m not. I honestly want to know.”

I shrugged. “Ava’s sweet and hot, and she knows what she wants.”

“Hm.” Charlie still didn’t smile.

“Why did you want to know?”

“I think you’d be better with Sienna. Plus, you like her.”

I raised both eyebrows. “Whoa, Charlie. You better not say anything like that in front of Ava. And of course, I like Sienna. We’ve been friends since we were your age.”

Charlie shrugged. “You flirt with her a lot.”

I laughed out loud. “That’s not flirting. You’re only thirteen, so maybe you don’t understand what flirting is yet.” I reached out to mess up Charlie’s light brown hair.

She smacked my hand away. “I’m smarter than I look, Evan.” Then Charlie turned to head back into the house. “Night,” she called over her shoulder.

I shook my head after the front door closed behind her. Yes, Sienna was awesome. Yes, in a different world, I could see myself with her. But I wasn’t living in that world, and I was damn lucky to have Ava.

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