(I like this chapter for various of reasons and I feel you guys will too:) See you at the end)

"Strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the future." -Proverb 31:25

Chapter 17

~

I never thought I'd sleep so much. I thought it was becoming a problem, but Aspen didn't seem to mind.

I found myself in the chair, laying on Aspen still, almost like some giant baby. I was so tiny compared to his built body. I had both my hands over his chest in a fist and I had a blanket over me and Aspen had his right hand on my back and the other behind his head watching what sounded like old football game highlights, and I didn't move watching it with him.

After five minutes of me just sitting there, he finally noticed I was awake.

"Sleep good?" He asked down at me. I still didn't move.

"Hmhuh," I said through my lips. "What time is it?" He checked his watch.

"1:06pm," he told me. I closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so tired," I apologized. "I bet you're sick of it."

"I'm actually not," he said truthfully. "I don't mind."

"Really?"

"Hmhuh. I understand you're tired. We're on an odd schedule. Times are different upstate. Did you forget?" I honestly never thought about it.

"I didn't even think about that," I kept watching tv. "That's probably why I'm hungry." I felt him look down at me.

"You are?" He asked. I didn't look at him.

"Yeah....Are you?" He didn't say anything so I looked up at him and he was giving me a smile.....his vampire like teeth showing.

"Of course I am," he answered. "When am I NOT not ready for food? I'm a guy. I laughed looking away from him. "What do you want?" I laid there really thinking about it.

"You know what? I'm craving something..."

"What's that?"

"Pizza," I shrugged. "I want pizza, but I never knew a hotel that had pizza for room service." Aspen didn't say anything as he picked up a catalogue from the coffee table beside him and sat up, and I sat beside him in the chair, on my knees.

"Sorry Amanda, but you gotta add this to your 'hotels that don't have pizza for room service' list," he smiled. I sighed smiling hanging off the couch chair thing, my shirt rising up a little, showing my tiny belly button.

"But I'm craving it Aspen-" I begged upside down. He was looking down at me laughing. "I need this pizza." He was quiet for a second.

"Then let's get some!" He suggested. I rose back up from the side of the chair.

"Get some? But where?"

"Down the street. Look-" we both got up and headed over to the window to see it still raining, but not as bad as this morning and there was a small pizza place in this row of stores like a small outlet.

"We could walk there," I shrugged my right shoulder. "It's not too bad."

"It's not," Aspen glanced at me from the corner of his eye. He handed me his marron jacket. I blushed, taking it with a smile.

"But....don't I need to change?" I asked him. We both looked down at my clothes. I wore my t-shirt and shorts from bed and he shrugged.

"You look pretty to me. We're just coming right back," he had a point. I looked to the side biting my bottom lip being indecisive. Aspen smiled at me and went over to his bag and took out his cowboy hat, putting it on, and he opened his arm out.

"See? People are going to have the attention on me than you. They'll be looking at my hat than your 'mixed matched' outfit," he used quotation marks. I chuckled.

"Thank you Aspen," I nodded smiling.

"Come on Amanda.... You're fine." I looked up at him and I found myself in shorts, white converse, my t-shirt and his jacket, in the elevator.

"Scared?" I asked him with a grin. He narrowed his eyes at me playfully.

"Very funny....." He replied. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes," he finally admitted seriously looking in front of him. I busted out laughing.

We went out the elevator and the front desk mangers smiled at us. I waved for curtesy and Aspen nodded.

"You know, you don't look bad with that hat on," I complimented. "It fits you."

"Thanks. I'm beginning to like it too," he tilted it at me as the automatic doors opened. I blushed chuckling.

When we made it outside it wasn't raining hard. Just light sprinkles to where I didn't even need the hood of Aspen's jacket over my head.

"It's kinda cool out here," I commented hugging my arms. "Are you cold?" Aspen was wearing his short sleeved shirt but he seemed fine under those muscle.

"Yeah, it feels great out here to me. Perfect weather for football." I gasped playfully.

"Ew! But it's wet and rainy. With rain comes with mud and with mud comes dirtiness," we walked over to the sidewalk.

"Exactly. Ain't nothin' wrong with that," he smiled. I laughed.

"Omg really?" I questioned. He nodded coolly. "Wow," I smiled.

I was walking along the side of the sidewalk on its curb trying not to fall off the edge into an endless puddle that looked like a mini river. Aspen was watching out for me with a soft smile and I was hiding my smile trying to concentrate. Thinking I was doing good, I almost slipped, but Aspen caught my hand and swung me back up, upright. I laughed for him 'saving my life' and he chuckled too.

"Thanks," I giggled as we still held hands.

"I'm always here for you," he smiled.

I blushed and shrugged and I looked back down as he held my hand on the curb and I almost slipped again and I looked at him chuckling and he shook his head.

"So.... What did you do on rainy days like this?" I asked Aspen still looking down at my balanced steps. He still held my hand shrugging, looking in front me forcing a frown and back down at my feet.

"Nothing much. Stay at home or go to a friends house. My best friend stays down the street from me."

"Really?" I glanced at him.

"Yup. He's name is Levi. You should meet him when we go down. It'll be cool. He's funny," Aspen suggested. I smiled at him.

"Funnier than you?" I asked sarcastically, even though Aspen was pretty funny himself.

"Yes.... Funnier than YOU," he pointed to me with his other hand. I laughed as I jumped down the curb. We looked at each other as we retrieved our hands and he looked off to the side and back at me and back at to the side.

"Hey look, pizza," he pointed.

"Omg, I can taste it already!" I squealed. He chuckled.

"Come on, we gotta cross the street!" We weren't at a light which meant we didn't have a cross walk, so we just had to wing it.

"Okay.... We'll be able to pass when no cars come by," Aspen looked both ways.

"Well obviously!" I laughed. He did too.

"Just making sure you know the plan!" He backed up. I just laughed. Suddenly I got a drop to the eye, and I looked up to see it was beginning to rain....Forreal.

"Ah Aspen?" I smiled.

"Yes?" He continued to look back and forth for the all clear.

"It's beginning to rain again..." And right when I said that, it began to rain just a little harder and I placed the hood over my head laughing.

"Aw man! We better hurry up!" Aspen held out his hand again and I took it looking up at him smiling and we look back to the street and after this final car passed, we'll be able to do it.

"After this one," I said breathing hard, being anxious.

"One..." Aspen whispered.

"Two..." I said after him.

The car passed and we both looked at each other....

"Three!" We jumped out into the street into a puddle, and I got my legs wet and we ran across holding hands as I held my hood so it wouldn't fall off and we laughed when we faced a GIANT jump to the curb and we both slipped hanging onto each other forearms for support.

"Hahaha!" I laughed as many cars zoomed by. "That was unexpected."

"I know right. Let's get inside before we be soaked," Aspen looked up. We went inside the small pizza place and a lady greeted us.

"Hi! Pouring isn't?" She asked us when we walked in. I took Aspen's hood off and he took of his hat, messing with hair.

Cute.

"Not yet, but it's about to be," he commented.

"Yeah," I nodded with a smile.

"Well, I guess a little rain is always good. What would you like?" Aspen looked at me as he still played with his hair. I looked at him, hiding my lips in my mouth.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" I asked him.

"Classic," he nodded grinning.

"Same," I said back. We both turned to the cashier.

"Can we have 1 small-" Aspen began, but I butt in,

"LARGE!" I covered my mouth with my hand and Aspen paused a second and laughed than corrected,

"Can we have a LARGE pepperoni pizza please?" The girl chuckled to herself typing it in.

"Is that all?" She asked us. I smiled at her and I saw some drinks in a fridge and I walked over to it. I wanted one so I just stared at Aspen standing by it like a little kid wanting to be approved by their parents. He licked his lips looking down at the ground and back up at me smiling.

"Haha, is there something in there you want?" Aspen asked me. I shrugged.

"Well.... I'll get one if YOU get one," I gestured. He chuckled.

"Nice steal. Pass me Dr.P." I chuckled as I got him one and I got myself a Sprite. I walked over back to them.

"Kelly always told me, you can't have pizza without soda," I shrugged placing it on the counter.

"She's right about that." Aspen paid for our pizza and the girl gave us a ready box and she gave me the bag with our soda.

"Be careful out there guys. I think the rain is picking up," the girl warned us with a smile. Aspen and I turned around and sure enough, the rain actually looked like RAIN.

"Aw man, well, at least we got food. Ready Amanda?" He asked looking down at me.

"Yup," I hid my smile in my mouth. I waved to the girl and she chuckled waving back and Aspen placed his hat back on his head and I placed the hood over my head.

"Alright. We gotta have a plan before we get out there," Aspen said playfully acting like some type of spy. I laughed.

"A plan? Our plan is to the cross the street and NOT end up as flat as this pizza!" I exclaimed. He really laughed.

"Right. Hang onto my arm," he told me. I nodded. We walked out the door and it was actually raining harder than we thought.

"Omg!" I squealed. "This looks really bad!"

"Don't worry!" Aspen calmed me as we both laughed. "We'll make it! Come on!"

We ran over to the sidewalk and I slid a bit, but Aspen pulled me back onto the curb and we looked at each other as I basically almost died. We looked both ways seeing past each other left and right and away and back past each other again to cross the street and at the same time, not even purposely, we both looked at each other and yelled,

"GO!"

I hung onto Aspen's arm running across the street and this car was coming by waayy too fast and Aspen jumped back and so did I with a, "Ah!" But laughed it off as we continued across the street like we almost didn't get ran over and we made it to the safety of the side walk.

"Let's get the hotel, quick!" Aspen told me.

"Let's go!" We ran all the way to the hotel, splashing in puddles, our legs getting soaked, my clothes drenched, and his as well.

When we made it under the roof of the hotel; Aspen and I paused and took deep breaths, trying to calm ourselves.

"I....." I had to breathe. "Never ran....that fast....in my life..." I smiled with my hand over my heart taking the hood off my head.

"To be honest..." Aspen caught his breathe. I looked at him as I leaned with my butt on the hotel, hunched over. "I could've ran faster....but you were slowing me down..." A smile creeping across his face. I gasped at him and laughed as he smiled at me too.

"If I wasn't so tired....I'd give you that analysis Aspen..." I held my head back not looking at him. He seemed perplexed.

"What analysis?" He asked me concerned. I quickly looked back at him and I said,

"Would you rather be slapped or punched in the FACE!" He busted out laughing and I did too by his laugh and I couldn't help but still get all bubbly by his left dimple.

I wish I could kiss it.

"Come on. We gotta get out of these went clothes," he told me.

"Haha. Okay," I agreed.  

We walked into the hotel, pass the staff and up the elevator and we made it to our room and we placed the food on the dresser by the TV.

"Omg it smells so good," I mini-clapped. "I don't even know the last time I had pizza."

"I ate it last week," Aspen said like it wasn't a big deal. I pushed him.

"Nobody cares what you did!" I playfully yelled at him.

"Hahaha! Don't hate on me because I had pizza," he laughed.

"I'm not hating, I just don't like you!" I squinted my eyes at him. He laughed even harder.

I went over to my bag and looked for a shirt to wear since my clothes were soaked but I had a major problem.

"What...?" I whispered amongst myself. I felt Aspen look at me and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and you know what I saw.

'Every. Freakin. Time,' I had to think trying not to go crazy while Aspen had his shirt off.

"Something wrong?" Aspen asked me seriously shirtless. I shook my head as I heard him come over.

"Oh no," I forced a chuckle. "I'm fine. I just...ran out of clean clothes," I said quietly. I saw Aspen shape his head awkwardly to the side and he walked over to his backpack.

"Don't worry, I think I have some spare clothes," he didn't look at me digging in his backpack. I stared at him at first and my inner self got the best of me.

"No it's fine. I mean, I can just-"

"Nah I have something," Aspen pulled out a red shirt. "I don't even care for this," he came back over to me. I stood up slowly. He chuckled as if he was nervous, but knowing him, he probably was just happy to help. "It may be a little big but....no one wants to wear dirty clothes...or...wet," he shrugged. I chuckled taking it.

"Thanks....Aspen..." I looked up at him. He looked down at me and smiled and I did too and I blushed looking down at the ground trying not to smile too big.

"I'll be...right back..." I told him grabbing some leggings.

"Right....right..." He nodded. I smiled turning away quickly into the bathroom and when I 'safely' made it inside and closed the door, I rest the back of my body on the door and leaned on it.

"Omg," I wanted to melt. "Aspen is LENDING ME his shirt! HIS SHIRT!" I whispered-yelled. "He wore this SOMETIME in his life....and now I'M about to!" After I noticed how loud I was on that last part, I quickly closed my mouth and looked at the door PRAYING he didn't hear me and I finally just took my damp clothes, put on the oversized shirt and black leggings and I came out to find Aspen in basketball shorts and what I call a 'guy tank.'

Holy.

Freakin.

Crap.

"Sorry I didn't have anything smaller," he said to me when I placed my wet clothes in the closet to dry.

"No no, it's totally fine. I guess I just need to find a place to wash my clothes," I forced a chuckle.

"Well when we get down to Richmond and I get my car hopefully tomorrow, you can wash them at my place. It won't take long," he offered me.

I looked at him when he said that to me it reminded me I DIDN'T want to leave Aspen, but just thinking that I'll see my parents tomorrow makes me anxious, but I wouldn't mind stalling so I wouldn't have to leave him so soon.

After all, that's what friends are suppose to think, right?

"Oh ok, cool." I stared at him for minute and he stared at me back, but I had to break the silence before I died by how hot he was.

"So you ready for pizza?" I asked him perking up. "It smells extremely good." He smiled.

"Course. Should I say grace?" He asked me as I sat in the rolley chair and he sat on the bed.

"Please," I smiled at him. He chuckled bowing his head and I did also.

"Father, we want to thank You for...this beautiful box of pizza-" he said so seriously. I had to laugh. "That....this Italian crust, imported pepperoni, and melted cheese will nourish our bodies...." I couldn't stop chucking. "While You nourish the soul. We thank for being with us on our journey and you continue to be with us....as...Amanda is my best friend...." I opened one eye as he already had one open on me. "And....You protect her as we travel to her parents tomorrow..." He closed his eye and I did too quickly and he finished with, "In Jesus's name I pray...amen."

"Amen." I looked at him as he looked at me and I sat up straight, sitting criss cross in the business chair.

"So is it pizza time??" I asked him.

"It's pizza time," he nodded at me licking his lips in a cool way. I chuckled as I opened the box and we hovered over it.

"Whoa..." I said with wide eyes. "I don't know if this actually looks THAT good or-"

"-We're just really hungry," he finished for me. I took a piece first and he got the piece beside it and I took a bite as he looked at me when he did. Suddenly I just pretended to fall out in the chair as my mouth was bursting with flavor.

"OMG..." I sighed. "This. Is. Too. Good." Aspen laughed.

"I know right. Pizza is always the answer," he concluded.

"And you are right about that my friend," I nodded. We sat there in an awkward silence pretending to watch TV...or at least I was, so I decided to strike up a conversation.

"Well...just for the record I'm happy to cherish this moment with you eating pizza," I smiled at him, holding it up like a cheers. He laughed.

"Thank you. Thank you," he joined me. I chuckled as we both took our separate bite.

I went for a second piece of my side of the pepperoni and Aspen smiled at me as he was already half way done with his second one.

"Well what do you want to talk about?" He asked me. "Tell me about junior year and how'd it go," he smiled sitting on the floor. I fake grown tiredly with my head back.

"Tiring! At first I thought it hard, but by October I noticed it was just memorization like most school these days. By that, I ended up passing all my classes. I made all A's but one stupid B in AP physics and like, oh my gosh I was so mad, but I guess it was all right, I mean, I could've done better," I shrugged taking a bite of my pizza. He drunk his Dr.Pepper listening.

"I had good mutual friends. I mean I didn't talk in every class but it was alright," I explained. He nodded.

"What was your favorite class?" I sighed taking the pepperoni off and eating it separately.

"I guess my favorite class was algebra 2. Math is easy. I always said if you can count and know your abc's or xyz's, you'll be fine," I shrugged. He laughed.

"I think my favorite class was US History," he explained it. "I like history and the stuff about it." I nodded.

"Why's that?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Some things that happen in history connects with God in someway. Like the holocaust, the Great Depression, even why everyone hates on Israel and the Jews since the beginning of time, and some people were Christians too," he told me. I was surprised.

"Whoa nice. I never thought about it like that," I replied drinking my Sprite. He nodded.

"Yeah many don't, but it's intriguing." I nodded.

"I see what you mean... So you played football?" I asked him. I don't know why I didn't like attention on me.

"Sophomore, junior, and senior year. It was tiring but I don't regret it. I made a lot of friends," he nodded at himself. I smiled.

"Are y'all still friends?" I asked him. "Now that y'all graduated I assume everyone's going their separate ways, huh?" I joked with him. He laughed.

"Not necessarily. My good friend Levi was texting me all throughout while I was in Texas. He's joining the army I think sometime this month though," he told me. I brighten.

"Oh really that's cool. The one that doesn't live far from you right?" I asked for confirmation.

"Yeah him. We met sophomore year. Been close friends since."

"That's good," I looked at Aspen. "The only real friend I had was Vanessa and she was my roommate at the orphanage," I nodded with an awkward smile hiding my lips. "When you're kind of forced to sleep, dress out, and share rooms with someone, y'all minus well befriend," I shrugged. Aspen chuckled.

"Seems legit." I nodded.

"It is," I told him. He kind of stared at me at I went in for a third piece.

"Hey Amanda?" He wanted my full attention. I looked at him. "Are you excited to see your parents tomorrow?" I sighed looking down at my lap as I really didn't know how to answer....

"Well..." I started.

But I'll tell the truth.

"I'm scared. Those papers...." I got up and went to my bag and pulled out my folder. "Says this hasn't been renewed in nine months.....a lot can happen in nine months and what if their not there!" I had to think. I just dropped the papers in front of him and he picked up and studied them as I slung my body back into the black chair.

"I don't know they just didn't renew it, but if I get to that address and their not there? I traveled across the country for nothing and by the time I reach them, I'll have no money. I'll have no where to go," I buried my face in my hands. I felt Aspen look at me but I didn't want to look at him.

"I'll be left with nothing...with nobody," I sniffed. "Like I've always been." Aspen quickly sat on the bed in front of me and he turned the chair to him.

"Hey, that's not true," he whispered.

"Yes it is," I looked at him with watery eyes. "Kelly is gone. I'm not in Texas with Vanessa. I don't have a family...." suddenly I bit my bottom lip and covered my mouth trying not cry as I feel I've done a lot of that lately since I left Texas. "I just....don't want to be alone again." Aspen looked at me and I quickly turned the chair around to look out the cloudy window as I felt the weather was my true emotion.

But it wasn't long before he turned me back around and he was sitting criss cross on the floor and his face was right in front of me, but also below me.

He could reach up and kiss me if he wanted to right now.

"You won't be alone Amanda," he smiled at me, gently placing his hand on my knee. I sniffed.

"But you're going to Texas for college," I reminded him. "You're going to leave me too." He looked away bitting his lip.

"No," he quickly protested. "Who said I was accepted into the school? We won't know in two days," they told me. "I came at a good time." I smiled a little as he wiped my tear from my cheek.

"You're too optimistic for me Aspen," I told him with a quiver in my voice. "Too optimistic." He smiled.

"Well...one of us has to be," he told me softly, rubbing my cheek. I blushed at him.

~

(How cuuute<3 Please vote and comment what YOU think is going to happen to Aspen and Amanda regarding her real parents and I hope I get to see you soon hopefully with another chapter. Thanks for reading and you guys are amazing:)