Page 111 of More To Us

"No, but his neighbor does. The lady that lives next door has a leak in her roof and can't afford to get it repaired so my dad and I are gonna go over there tomorrow and fix it. You said you're studying tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, but only in the morning. From the afternoon on, I'll all yours."

"Then I'll make sure to get the roof done in the morning. I'm not gonna miss out on spending time with you. I feel like I never see you anymore."

"You see me every day."

"Yeah, but you keep making me leave earlier every time I come over. Soon you'll be kicking me out five minutes after I get there."

"Don't be crazy. I wouldn't do that. So did you talk to June? Or just Harold?"

"Just Harold. I asked him if any of his other friends need help. He mentioned a few people that need help with yard work, like raking leaves, cleaning out gutters, trimming hedges. When he said it, I was thinking there's gotta be a lot more people his age that need yard work done. So I decided to organize the first annual Wheeler Fall Fix-Up event." He grins like he's proud of himself.

"What's that?"

"It's an event to help seniors get their houses ready for winter. We're focusing on the outside. It'll be mostly yard work, like raking leaves, cleaning gutters, trimming trees, but if someone needs other exterior work done, like a roof repair or fixing a cracked sidewalk, we'll do that too. We'll do whatever they need."

"Austin, that's great. Can I help?"

"I was hoping you would, along with maybe Amber and whoever else you can recruit. I want this to be a big event, so the more people the better. I've already contacted some of the senior centers in town and they're going to give me a list of people that need help."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"I had the idea last week but I didn't start working on it until today. I had to get the okay from my dad first. Wheeler Construction is sponsoring it and donating all the supplies, so I had to make sure he was good with it. But I knew he'd say yes. He put me in charge of stuff like this. He wants me to plan charity events that get our name out there but also help the community."

Austin pulls into the driveway of a one-story house and parks. I lean over and kiss him. "My boyfriend's awesome. I love how you help people."

"I just don't want more old guys falling off ladders." He points to the house. "So this is it. We practice in the basement. The party's on the main level."

Four girls walk up to the door and go inside. I look behind us and see cars parked all up and down the street.

"Are all those cars here for the party?"

"Probably. Dylan only invited a few people, but you know how word spreads. In an hour or so, the place will be packed."

I watch as more girls go into the house. Tall, skinny, hot girls who I'm sure will soon be flirting with my boyfriend.

"You gonna be okay in there?" he asks. "Because if you want to leave, we'll go."

"I'll be fine. But don't get mad if I punch one of your fans." I say it only half-jokingly.

"Let's try to avoid that. If you feel the need to punch someone, let me know and we'll leave. But I'm gonna do all I can to make sure those girls know I'm with you. So don't run off." He grins. "I need you to protect me."

He gets out of the truck and comes around to open my door. He helps me out because it's hard to get out of the truck with a short dress on. I borrowed the red dress Amber was going to loan me when I first moved here. I wanted to look sexy tonight. I admit that's partly because I feel like I have to compete with Austin's female fans. Austin would say it's crazy to even think I have to compete with those girls, but I still feel like I do.

We go inside the house, which is already filled with people. Most of them are just talking and drinking, but a few of the girls have clustered together and are dancing to the music that's pumping through the speakers. There's an old beat-up couch along one of the walls and Van is sitting there making out with some girl on his lap.

Dylan spots us and comes over, a drink in his hand. "You made it," he says to Austin. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."

"I told you I was last night."

"Did you?" He pauses to think. "I don't remember talking to you last night."

"Because you were wasted." Austin points at Dylan's drink. "You gotta lay off the booze, man. You're back in school now, remember?"

"The school year's when I party the most. And now I'm a senior, which is just another reason to party. Soon I'll be done with all this school shit and making real money."

"Have you started looking for jobs?" I ask.

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