5. Audrey

CHAPTER 5

Audrey

Audrey

Made it.

Parker

Good. Glad to hear it.

What are you up to?

Not much. Just finished a workout. You?

Ella’s freaking out because Cam’s here.

The frat guy? I thought you said she liked him.

She does, she just won’t admit it.

He’s totally down bad for her.

Crying at the gym.

Is that the Taylor Swift song?

… Yes. Have you been listening?

You do realize how often you sing her music, yeah?

Oh.

It’s pretty good. My mom likes it, too. We’ve been listening to her newest album all week.

Pretty good? Gasp. That’s my queen you’re talking about. She’s amazing.

What’s your favorite album?

Lover. Hands down. That’s not even a question.

Parker

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

Audrey

What sort of question is that?

I dunno. Mom’s insisting eggnog is the best. I think that stuff is nasty.

Hmmmmm.

Do NOT tell me you like eggnog, Audrey Rose. I will defriend you.

*GASP*. You could never.

You’re right.

Because you’re stuck with me, Rosie Girl.

For the record, my favorite is a hot toddy. Sutton says hot apple cider is the clear choice.

Also, she says hi.

Audrey

I wish you had come. This place is boring without you.

Parker

Break will be over before you know it, and then you’re stuck with me, Rosie.

I don’t think I’d quite call it *stuck*…

I happen to like hanging out with you, you know.

Spoken like a true friend.

Ha ha. You like hanging out with me too. Admit it.

Of course. Why else would I ask you to have dinner with me every night?

Audrey

Favorite holiday movie. Go.

Parker

Do I have any parameters?

No. We’re just debating what to watch tonight. James and Adam keep arguing.

James and Adam?

Cam’s best friends. The three of us are the single ones up here. The couples ditched us.

Couples, huh?

Well, I basically caught Ella and Cam making out. So even if they haven’t said they were official yet, they’re as good as together.

Hmmm. And what are these James and Adams’s last names?

You’re sounding like an overprotective brother right now.

Not your brother.

Just your friend. Looking out for you is what I do.

Right.

Last names, Rosie.

*eyeroll* James Erikson is the quarterback of the football team. Adam Prince is apparently the heir of some giant corporation.

Alright. They’re good guys?

Yes. Now tell me your favorite holiday movie.

Home Alone.

What’s yours?

The Santa Clause 2.

Not the original one?

Nah. I love a good love story.

I remember that. You always did.

Alright. Movie’s starting. Talk to you later.

Parker

You know, I’m only a few hours drive from you.

Audrey

How many?

Less than five.

Parker, you can’t drive five hours just to see your friend.

But what about my *best* friend?

Oh, I have the title again?

You know it was always yours.

Hmmmm… Do I?

Gotta go. Everyone’s going skiing.

What about you? You going to go on a few runs?

Maybe. I’m pretty good on my feet, you know?

I’d pay to see that.

Haha. Shut up. Talk to you later.

Have fun, Rosie Girl.

Parker

I was serious, you know. If you want, I’ll drive up there.

You don’t have to do that. Besides, the trip is almost over.

I’ll see you in two weeks, remember?

We’ll be back on campus before you know it.

Fine.

Audrey

Driving home now.

Parker

Be safe. Who’s taking the first shift?

Me.

Watch the road. The weather’s been bad. Not sure if they’ve plowed yet.

I’ll be careful. Promise.

Parker

Merry Christmas, Audrey Rose.

Audrey

Merry Christmas, Parker Phillip.

What are the Ashfords up to today?

Opened presents this morning. Now Mom, Ella, and I are watching old Christmas cartoons.

Fun. I’m about to go work out.

On Christmas? What is wrong with you? You’re supposed to be drinking hot chocolate and opening presents.

Or eggnog. You know. Since you love it so much.

…

I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that to me.

I gotta stay in shape. Season starts soon, after all. We’ll go straight into regular practices when we get back to school.

Right. I almost forgot.

You gonna come to my games, Rosie Girl?

Are you gonna come to my performances?

Definitely. Wouldn’t miss a single one.

Audrey

Ella ditched me to drive back to campus early with Cam.

*sniffles* Can’t believe my twin ditched me for a guy.

So you’re driving back alone?

Probably, yeah. It’ll be fine. It’s not too far, anyway.

I don’t like it.

Well, it’s not like you can drive here and come with me.

Why not?

…

Parker. I don’t need you to come here just so you can drive with me.

Besides, you have to be back at school early for practice.

Parker.

???

Fine. But I’m calling you, and you’re going to talk to me on the phone the whole time.

What about my Taylor Swift jam session? You’re robbing me of that.

Fine.

But I expect you to call me and check in.

J anuary

Fidgeting with the phone in my lap, I typed out a text to Parker.

Audrey

Leaving my house now. ETA 3:00 PM.

Parker

Drive safe.

See you soon, Rosie.

My cheeks flushed, even if he wasn’t around to see it. We’d gone from being strangers to friends who got dinner a few times a week to texting each other every minute of break. It wasn’t like we were even talking about important things, either. It was just mundane questions as we got to know each other again. Like it was important to both of us to catch up on every detail we’d missed over the past decade.

But we hadn’t talked on the phone. And despite his offering, I’d refused to let him visit. Refused to let him drive me back to school. Because I needed some barrier between us. Something to keep my little crush from blossoming into a full flame.

He was stoking the fire, being thoughtful, caring, and protective. When I thought about how he’d growled at Duke, protecting me from my ex-boyfriend, it made all those old feelings come back.

My best friend, he’d called me. You know it was always yours. My heart melted at those words. But did I really believe him? That he’d never had another best friend in all the years we’d lost contact? I’d had Ella, after all. And life had moved on.

Now that he was back in my life, though, it felt like everything was different.

I jammed to Taylor Swift on my drive—mostly my favorite album, Lover, though I loved all of her work equally—and tried not to let my thoughts be clouded by Parker Maxwell.

That was easier said than done, however.

I just needed to remind myself that we were best friends, and there was no way we’d ever be anything more than that.

Audrey

Made it.

Staring up at the pink sorority house with my bag in my hands, I gnawed on my lower lip. It was crazy to think that I was starting the spring semester of my junior year. After this, I’d only have one year left at Castleton. I loved this place, loved my school, and as much as I couldn’t wait for the next chapter in my life, I knew I’d miss this, too.

“Ro!” My sister grinned, leaning against a railing. “You made it.”

I stuck my tongue out after her. “Only after being ditched. Hope it was worth it.”

“It was great.” Ella sighed, a dreamy look on her face.

God, it was so unfair that she was getting laid regularly, and I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been kissed. I scrunched up my face, realizing it was probably Duke. Ugh. What I wouldn’t do to forget that his lips had ever touched mine.

Maybe what I needed was a hookup. That would solve my problem, wouldn’t it? Give me my confidence back. I didn’t need to love someone to sleep with them, right?

It seemed like it had worked out for Ella. Even if she was toeing a line she shouldn’t cross, dating the fraternity president that she’d been paired up with.

Joining her on the porch, I hugged my twin before following her inside, heading upstairs to dump my stuff in the bedroom we used to share. Ever since she’d moved into the presidential suite, I’d had mine to myself.

I had to admit it was a little lonely. But I was making do. At least, I was hoping I’d get used to it. Luckily, Ella was only a floor away from me. It was hard to imagine that one day, I’d go from spending every moment with my twin to hardly seeing her.

Thankfully, we had another year and a half of college left.

“So, what’s the plan for the night?” I asked, dropping my bag onto the floor. Ella sat on the bed that used to be hers, though I’d covered it in plain sheets. Not that anyone slept there. I normally just used it to lay out my outfits. “Do you and Cam have plans?”

She blushed. “I was thinking we could do something, actually. Spend some time together before the semester starts, and we’re both so busy we forget to even eat or sleep.”

“Only you, Ells.” I rolled my eyes, sitting across from her. “There’s no way I could ever forget to sleep.”

Ella laughed. “Are you excited for the semester? The spring musical is creeping up on us.”

I nodded. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but I can’t wait. What about you? How are the costume designs coming?” She’d been working on them over break, taking her sketchbook to the ski lodge and working on them as her boyfriend stared at her like a puppy dog.

It was adorable, really, even if she’d ditched me and spent every night in his bed.

“Good. I still can’t believe of all the proposals submitted they picked mine.”

“I can. Because you’re seriously talented, Ella. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my twin, and we share one hundred percent of our DNA.”

It was my twin’s turn to roll her eyes.

We were identical, down to our blonde hair and height. The only easy way to tell the difference was our hair—I had straight across bangs—and the slight hue variations in our eyes. They were both blue, but mine were a deeper hue that appeared almost violet in some lights.

I collapsed backward on my bed. “Do you ever feel like you’re going to blink, and it’ll all be over?” Staring up at the ceiling, I heard the mattress creak next to me and felt the dip as Ella lay at my side.

We didn’t fit on a twin-sized bed—not well, anyway—but sometimes it felt good to cuddle up next to my sister. Hug her. I didn’t need to tell her how much she meant to me—we both knew it was more than words—but I liked to, anyway.

“It’s going to be weird when we graduate, isn’t it? Then I won’t get to do this with you every day.”

Ella wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean?”

I turned to face her. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to move in with you and Cameron post-graduation.”

She bit her lip. “I guess not.” I noticed that she didn’t deny that she wanted to live with him. Guess that meant it was serious. “Still. We’ve got time.”

Sighing, I turned over, reaching for my phone but realizing I’d left it in my purse when I’d walked in. Getting up, I went to retrieve it, noticing a bunch of unread texts. My parents—just checking in to make sure I’d arrived safely, and then a few from Parker.

Parker

Welcome back, Rosie Girl.

Hope the drive went well.

What are you doing tonight?

Audrey

Smooth.

I’m hanging out with Ella. It’s girl’s night in and we’re watching a movie.

Alright. Have fun.

Night.

Ella and I ended up snuggling up in her bed—it was bigger than mine, after all—and watching a movie until we fell asleep.

My dreams that night definitely did not feature Parker riding in on a white horse with a sword in his arm to save me from an evil dragon. Maybe I’d been watching too many fairytales.

That was probably it. There was no other reason why I’d be dreaming about my best friend like that.

Not a single one.