I check over the contents of my chest one last time and then close the lid. One plus to lying in bed all day, it's allowed me plenty of time to stockpile crops in Dragons Reborn. You can't play the full game in the mobile version, but I've been able to harvest crops and make enough cloth to keep me stocked for a while. I tried to con Drew into bringing me his laptop so I could play in bed, but he told me to get my ass downstairs. That option wasn't appealing, so I suffered through.After an hour and dropping my phone on my face twice, I almost gave in yesterday and plugged in the laptop Grant gave me. Every time he's around he pisses me off so I forget to give it back. The only thing stopping me was the fact it's still downstairs in our kitchen and I didn't have the energy to deal with the first floor. Plus, I can't get attached to the design and super-fast speed because I'm definitely giving it back to him. I need to find a box and then it's gone.If I didn't care so much for my p
Less than seven days later and I eat my previous words. The Serenity Spa at Arizona's Camelback Mountain is pretty awesome."It's so hot, but like... not hot," Marissa whines and flips over in her lounge chair.She's not exaggerating. Arizona is hot at the end of June. Even under the large canopy that provides us with shade, the temperature is scorching. My skin feels ready to melt away from my bones like in the ending of that Indiana Jones movie, but I'm not sweating.Still it's Arizona and I'm at a spa. Heat blisters are a small price to pay. I wouldn't be here at all if Aspen hadn't hounded me this week. The cost of airline tickets to Arizona wasn't horrible, but more than I could spend. Aspen offered to pay for my ticket, but I'm not one to accept help for a spa weekend. I'm not sure I'd accept help for much of anything.They were unable to talk me into it until Ryland, decided his wife couldn't fly coach and rented out an entire private plane. There was back-and-forth betw
Aspen clears her throat next to me. "I booked you a body treatment.""You did? Which one?" I looked over the website Aspen sent earlier this week and there wasn't a single option I'd consider affordable. Of course, under normal circumstances I couldn't afford to sit next to the spa. "I can't afford anything right now." I hate making myself sound poor, but it's better than having a huge bill later. If I can't pony up the extra on next month's rent, Drew will have a coronary."Nonsense," Aspen says. "It's on Finn and me."I don't know what to say. Another cost may be no big deal to Aspen, but it's an expensive gift. And Aspen will never understand how much it means to me. I open my mouth to give her a sincere thank you when Marissa beats me to it."Have you noticed how you and Finn now talk like one another? If you get married, you think you'll morph into one single person."Aspen doesn't comment, choosing instead to stare at her best friend with "a what the hell" expression th
I slide my key in the lock and open the door a crack before turning around and waving to Aspen as she hangs half out of the black SUV that picked us up from the airport."See you on Sunday!" she yells before Jake, the driver, honks the horn twice and drives away.Now that we've bonded over a weekend in Arizona, I'll never be able to get out of a girls' brunch again. But for the first time in... forever I'm excited about having a close group of girlfriends. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even get used to hanging out with rich people.My skin would definitely appreciate it. I roll up the sleeves of my sweater and stare at my arm for a few seconds before walking into the house. It tingles and feels so... clean. And smooth. It's the weirdest sensation ever.Mid skin admiration my body bends and the floor reaches out for me. I stick an arm out to catch my fall as the box I tripped over bashes me in the shin."Mother..." I grab a dining room chair and successfully stop myself from f
The early evening sun is out in force today, but it's still nowhere near as warm as the shade in Arizona. The air around me may be bright, happy, and warm, but inside there's a storm brewing. Monday morning at the center is always a bit crazy, especially in the summer.There's normally a mound of paperwork for me to look over. Today is no different. Incident reports from the weekend, new volunteer applications, and every person who walks by my door has to stop at it and tell me what they did over the weekend. I cater to them because listening to what they consider a boring weekend gives me insights into what's going on at home and where they might need more help. It's also better than reading the plea agreements when one of them gets in trouble.I love working at the center, but I'm normally ready to come home and sit in silence at the end of the day. That's not so much the case today when I know what awaits me at home.Grant Moore III.I haven't accepted the fact he now lives
There's another knock and the door swings opens. "It's me," Drew says letting himself into the room."I don't want to see you either."He sets a plate piled high with pasta and garlic bread on my desk. The smell quickly takes over my room. My stomach rumbles. I finished off the bag of carrots while daydreaming but they weren't enough."Where's my ice cream?" I ask not propping my head up to look at the food. If this is his idea of making me give in, he's crazy.He laughs. "Long day at work. I didn't have time to make it to the store." I scowl at him until he continues. "But I promise I'll bring a pint home tomorrow.""And what, you decided to eat in front of me as a new form of torture?""No. I remember sometimes you're so stubborn you don't realize when you're being ridiculous so I brought you this plate of food.""I don't want it." I adjust the covers around me and make sure not to look at the plate."There goes that stubborn thing I mentioned."His comment ticks me
John flicks a piece of his brown hair off his forehead and sits down in the chair across from my desk. His olive green shorts expose his hairy man legs, but the interesting thing is the purple Dragon tattoo circling itself up his calf. I can't bring myself to ask what would possess him to get such a tattoo, but I watch it move as he sits down and positions his legs.Grant definitely doesn't have any random dragons tattooed on him. If I could only fall for a guy like John. Devoted to helping the kids, even if he does receive a small paycheck. He's local. I like his brown hair. Of course those are pieces that pertain to Grant as well...even if I don't want to admit it.But try as I might I can't force feelings for John. Which is a pity. He'd probably get along well with Drew. Of course so does Grant. Drew told me he's on my side over the whole ordeal but four hours after Grant set up the Xbox the two of them were playing side by side on the couch.Grant has continued his quest to m
I gently close my bedroom door so as not to wake anyone still asleep on the floor, but when laughter from the living room makes it up the stairs, I drop the extra effort. I doubt Blake decided today was the day to become a social fourth roommate. It's not often he's caught out of his hideaway on the third floor and he's never spent enough time with us to laugh about something.That leaves one other option. Drew and Grant.Sure enough when I stop in the living room Grant and Drew both sit on the couch. Wireless controllers in hand, both of them lean toward the television, their fingers quickly moving over the buttons. A bright green tank explodes on the television and both guys shout, "Yes!" while high fiving one another.They are both absolute morons.The surprising piece isn't how I'm surrounded by boys who enjoy blowing crap up, but the fact seeing Grant and Drew together no longer makes me want to kick ether of them in the balls. Sure, a small part of me wants to run for the