'Mandatory meeting tonight. Be here at 4.' -Brendan

I walk over to Drew's car, the school day over. He's there talking with Danny. When he sees me, he waves me over.

I walk towards him, putting my phone in my pocket. Drew smiles and plants a light kiss on my lips.

"You guys are seriously too adorable. I feel like I'm watching some cute romantic movie," Danny says, smiling at us.

"You watch romantic movies often?" I ask with a wink.

"Depends on my mood," he shrugs.

Drew punches him in the shoulder. "I always knew you were a sensitive little boy under all that."

"By 'all that,' you mean muscle right?"

"No. I mean flab," Drew rolls his eyes.

After a laugh, entertained by their argument, I remember something.

"Did you guys get Brendan's text?" I ask, parting from Drew to get a look at both of them.

"Yeah," Danny nods.

"Do you guys know what that meeting's all about?" I ask, tiling my head.

"Nope. Probably just some new idea. The magazine comes out in two weeks," Drew suggests.

"Yeah, probably," I nod.

I lean into him, closing my eyes for a moment. I feel like I could fall asleep right now. I'm so tired.

"Well, we have an hour before we've got to be there... I don't want to interrupt your guys' love life, but maybe we could get slushies or something?" Danny suggests.

"No, that sounds great," I reply.

*•*•*

We arrive at the gas station about five minutes later. Together, we head inside. There are flavors lining the wall, all of which look fantastic.

"Any of these looking good?" Drew asks, coming up beside me.

"Oh yeah. All of them," I smile.

"Tough choice you've got, then," Drew winks.

But I end up getting a little of all of them. I take a sip and smile happily.

"That's disgusting," Danny tells me, shaking his head.

"It's fantastic," I take another sip.

"Let me try," Drew takes it from my hand.

"What did you get?" I ask, grabbing his out of his hand as well.

"Raspberry lemonade," Drew says before taking a sip from mine. I drink a little of his, nodding my head in assent. It actually is good.

"Yeah, that's gross." Drew gives mine back.

"You guys are lame," I roll my eyes.

We all head back to the car after paying for our slushies. I get in the back with Drew, Danny in the front to drive.

"I feel abandoned up here," Danny sighs, looking back at us.

"You should," I shrug. "We abandoned you."

We back out of the parking lot and start heading back towards the neighborhoods.

"Do you think Brendan will be mad if we're there early?" Drew asks, turning down the road to Brendan's house.

"No, it's better than late," Danny shrugs.

"Yeah," Drew nods, pulling into the driveway. We pile out of the car and start up towards the house. Drew's got his arm draped over my shoulder to block me from the cold. Danny knocks on the door once we get up the steps.

Brendan stands in the doorway, holding it open for us all to get through. He spares a single glance at Drew and I, and I can tell he's bothered.

We all move towards the couches in the living room and sit down. Brendan on the chair, Drew by me, Danny on the couch.

"We've just got to wait for Missy and Karen to get here," Brendan explains.

"What's the meeting about?" I ask him.

I can see him tense up at the sound of my voice. He takes a moment before answering. He looks at me carefully. "There are some changes that my mom and I think are necessary."

"What kind of a change?" Drew asks, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll tell you when the others get here," Brendan says.

I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time. 3:47. They should be here soon. I let out a long breath and lean back on the couch. I can't help but wonder what kind of change is going to happen. It seems weird to change something up two weeks before the article's due.

"Hey Lili, I forgot to ask, have you told your mom about us?" Drew asks, looking at me curiously.

I can feel Brendan's burning focus on me and for some reason, it makes it hard to speak. I keep my focus on the ground. My words jumble in my head.

"Lili? Are you okay?" Drew asks, a hand on my shoulder.

I nod my head. "Yeah. Yeah, she knows about us."

When I look up, Brendan's looking away. His jaw is tense, and I can see his hands in fists.

"Drew, you remember Darla right? Your first girlfriend?" Brendan asks, looking angry.

"Yeah," Drew answers, looking confused. "What about it?"

"And then LeAnn a week later, while you were still dating Darla?" He continues.

"I wasn't dating them at the same time. LeAnn and I were friends," Drew defends, narrowing his eyes at Brendan.

"And a month later, you moved on to Breanna? Or was is Alexis? Maybe Cheyenne? I seem to get all your past girlfriends mixed up," Brendan says.

"What are you doing?" Drew asks. "Are you jealous?"

"No, I was just confused. I mean, what's your record for keeping a girl before they find out you've switched to another?" Brendan looks angrier than I've ever seen him before.

Drew stands up, walking towards Brendan. "Is this really relevant right now? I have felt something for every girl I've dated."

"Yeah, a desire to not be lonely. And a week later, you find a more desirable girl to not be lonely with," Brendan yells back.

"I don't date a girl because I feel lonely! I date them because I actually like the girl! You have no idea, Brendan."

"I know how you are, Drew. I've known you for a long time," Brendan says.

"I think you've forgotten that I've known you for a long time too. It's not only me. You act like you're into every girl you speak to. You turn on your charm every time you're around a female," Drew says, looking furious.

"I've only ever dated a girl that I've truly ever felt something for. My shortest relationship was two months. It ended when she moved. I have never been the downfall of a relationship. I've never cheated."

"I don't buy it for a second. I see the way you act around girls. You lead them on, making them believe you feel something for them."

"Drew, I want you to remember that you have never lasted in a relationship for longer than a month. How do you think this one's going to end? Any better? No," Brendan says. "Remember the first day you noticed Lili? I asked why you wouldn't hit on a different girl that wanted to out with you. You said this one would be fun."

"Shut up!" I yell, no longer able to take it. Hearing the two friends fight is unlike anything I've ever heard. It's so foreign. I feel like ever since I started dating Drew, the two of them have been on edge around eachother. "I can't stand you two fighting like this. I don't want to hear it anymore!"

"I'm sorry," Drew says, returning back to his seat on the couch. "I'm sorry, Lili. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry..."

I let out a sigh I've been holding in. Drew takes my hand in his. He leans in close to me, his mouth right by my ear.

"I promise, Lili, I promise I want you to be my girlfriend. I really like you. Please believe me," he whispers. He leaves a soft kiss on my cheek.

"I do," I nod my head a little and smile softly.

"What did we miss?" Karen asks, standing in the doorway.

"Intense girlfriend talk," Danny says. I forgot he was here. He probably felt as awkward as I did.

"Why don't we get started?" Drew asks, looking ready to change the subject. I can tell he's truly sorry for getting into that fight in front of me.

"Great idea," Danny nods.

"Alright, well as you all know we're implementing some changes," Brendan says, glancing at me. I tilt my head in curiosity. Maybe a new idea for pictures? New places to hang out? Shelby coming back? No, lets hope not. As long as it's not that, I'm okay.

"What kind of a change?" Missy asks, sitting down beside me.

"Well, it involves a new member," Brendan says, his eyes flickering to me again, as if he's making sure I'm paying attention. It's Shelby isn't it?

"Wait, what?" Danny asks, looking confused.

"Is it someone we know?" Missy asks, looking around.

"No. She's someone my mom picked out," Brendan explains.

"She," Danny smirks.

"Mandy, come in here," Brendan calls.

We all turn our heads towards the hallway. And, about the most beautiful girl I've ever seen walks into the room. She has bleached blonde hair that falls in curls down to her waist. Her grey eyes are surrounded by long and curled eyelashes. She's tall, skinny, and smiles at us all with flashing white teeth. She wears a simple white dress with a grey sweater over it. Compared to my sweatshirt and jeans, hair in a pony tail, and makeup-less face, I look like a garbage can.

Silence surrounds all of us. I feel defensive all of a sudden, having her in the room with my boyfriend. She's so much more beautiful than me and having him look at her make me uncomfortable because no matter how hard I try, I never will be that.

"Everyone meet Mandy Darrman," Brendan says. Mandy smiles and waves at us.

"Hi," she says sweetly. It's already hard to hate her.

"Hi," we all say back in unison.

"What's she gonna be doing? Being our friend or something for the article?" Danny asks.

Brendan's eyes flicker to me once again. He looks away a moment later, regaining his focus. "No, she's actually doing something else..."

"What? There's not really anything else to be done," Drew says.

"Exactly. She's Lili's replacement. She'll be our new photographer and Drew's new fake girlfriend."

*•*•*•*

Hey! If you're liking this book, please go put the book I'm working on, Pour Out Your Heart, into your library! Thanks:)