Page 14 of Ashley & the A-Listers

“Ice cream?” she asked. “Inthecar?” That drop on her knee spilled through her mind again.

He winked at her over the top of the car. “You get special privileges.”

Ashley was unsure of why the ice cream swirled in her stomach at that point, but she got in.

She was extremely careful not to lose a single drop as Dylan started the car and directed them out of the lot. He merged with traffic easily and she was content to sit in the passenger seat as he turned on Chemical Imbalance, a rock band they’d both been obsessed with since they were fifteen.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Well, if you’re so concerned about presenting, why don’t we get some tests?” he asked.

Ashley blinked. Why had that never occurred to her?

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, why not? We don’t have to take them now, we can just—have them on hand,” he elaborated.

“That’s a great idea,” she admitted. “Guess that’s why I keep you around after all.”

“Yeah, that and I’m your perpetual ride,” he groused.

“Onward, my faithful steed,” she declared, brandishing her almost empty cone like a sword.

“Please don’t launch ice cream at my windshield,” he begged.

“I won’t, I won’t,” she said, choking down the last of the grass and cherry and crunching the cone.

By the time she was done they were pulling up at a local drugstore. Her nerves fluttered erratically.

“You good?” he asked, glancing down at her as she rounded the car. He struck her as…hot,in that moment. With his chestnut hair swooping across his forehead like that, taller and dressed in their favorite band’s tee and his usual jeans. What had happened to awkward, gangly Dylan?

Her cheeks flushedagain, and she hated it. “Yeah, lead the way,” she responded. In that moment she was thankful for the heavy bangs and many layers to her equally dark hair to hide her cheeks.

She and Dylan had been friends foryears.Best friends, and nothing more. What they had was special, and she wanted it to stay that way.

Walking into the drugstore felt forbidden, but Dylan confidently made his way to the counter, and requested two hormone tests for them.

Tests were free, so all they had to do was check their IDs before bagging them and handing them over.

“Well, that was easy,” Ashley declared as they stepped outside.

“Told you,” he said. “Do you wanna take them now, or wait?”

Her stomach squirmed with nerves. “I don’t know.” What if she didn’t like the result?

“Hey,” he said, and she glanced up from her side of the car, meeting his gaze across the top.

“I’ll still be your friend even if you are a boring beta,” he promised.

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Same, dipshit.”

He crooked a grin at her and then ducked into the car, and Ashley followed suit.

“We can wait,” he decided . “Here, why don’t you just take yours home?” He dug his own out of the bag before handing the plastic over. “We can always get more if it doesn’t detect anything.”

“Thanks,” she said, frowning down at the logo through the plastic bag.

“Ready for home?” he asked.

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