Dirt

I was kinda nervous as I put on my cardigan. Zee's mom and stepfather were supposed to come over and I was almost a wreck about it. I just wanted everything to go well. I remembered Zee's face when I told him Pop's plan. He seemed confused and asked what I thought his motives were.

"Well...I think it's a combination of different things." He asked if I thought Pop was gonna try to get back together with his mom. I laughed really hard. "Not at all. I think he really does want to show her that she can be comfortable with you spending time with us. You know, that we care about you and all that sappy shit. But in the same breath, I also thinks he wants her to know that if she had trusted him to tell him about you in the beginning, then things could have gone differently."

"So, to sum up," Zacky told me with a smile, "he's invited my parents to ease my mom's tension, and to stick it to her." I laughed and told him that it sounded about right.

There's a knock on my door, and when I give the okay to come in, Zacky's standing in my doorway. He looked just as worried as I felt. This was pretty nerve wracking. As I looked at him, I realized this was probably way harder for him than it was for me, and I suddenly had this urge to protect him. Maybe I was getting this sister thing down pat. I gestured for him to come inside and gave him a reassuring smile. "You looked completely freaked out. Nervous, much?" He told me that I had no idea. "Are they here yet?"

Zack shook his head. "Not yet. They'll be here in a few. Your dad sent me up to see if you were ready."

"You know," I said thoughtfully, "you could call him by his name if you wanted." He looked surprised by my statement. We both knew I was talking about Pop. "I mean, when you're with me you refer to him as 'my father', and when you're with him, you don't refer to him at all. He's your dad, too. And I'm not trying to push you into spending all your Christmases here, I'm just saying that if you wanted to, it wouldn't be so bad if you called him Ted."

"That's his real name?" I nodded and he chuckled. "I had no clue. You don't think he'd be pissed that I call him Ted and not Axel?" he asked tentatively. I shook my head and started to tell him no when the doorbell rang. We both gave each other one last supportive glance as we left my room to answer the door.

Zacky's mom was beautiful. She was short, probably about 5'4", with long curly dark hair, and Zacky's piercing green eyes. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I could see why my dad would fall for her. She smiled warmly at her son, then turned her beautiful eyes on me. She took me in from head to toe. I wondered what she was seeing. She knew about my mother, and I'm sure she had seen her once or twice, so how did seeing me make her feel? I had a brief second to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea before she spoke.

"Oh, my God, you're beautiful," she said softly. She put one hand on the side of my face and smiled. "You look just like your mother. She was always the most beautiful girl in town. She broke so many hearts. I bet you follow in her footsteps, eh?"

I laughed lightly. "Not really, but thank you. Please come in." She thanks me, and as she steps inside I see a tall man coming up the porch steps with what looks like two pie tins in his hands. His sandy brown hair was thinning on top, but his coffee colored eyes were warm and he had a nice smile. All in all he was very handsome. Zee introduced me to his mother, and his step father, Richard.

After the introductions we headed into the kitchen where my dad was setting the table. He looked up as we approached and seemed to freeze in place when he locked eyes with Katrina, Zee's mom. They both gave each other a knowing smile before Pop shook hands with Richard and introduced himself. We all stood there looking at each other awkwardly before I suggested they sit down at the table while I serve the dinner.

As I was pulling the roast from the oven, the doorbell rang. I asked Pop if he was expecting anyone else and he shook his head no. Zacky, at least, was smart enough to look sheepish. I narrowed my eyes at him before going over to answer the door. There stood Jimmy and Matt, all excited for dinner. "Um...hey guys," I said quietly, "what brings you by?"

"We're here for dinner!" Jimmy tells me excitedly. "We came to support our friends. And I really just wanted to eat something you had cooked. You are a bad ass cook."

I looked over at Matt. He shrugged. "I'm with Jimbo on the cooking thing. Besides, I figured this might be a little weird for you and you could use all the support you could get." He seemed completely unapologetic to be standing in my doorway. "That's what friends do, right?"

I smirked but nodded anyway, and let them inside. To be honest, I was almost relieved that they were there. They were neutral parties in the whole situation. Like Switzerland. They could serve as a buffer between both sides. I hoped their presence would make the whole dinner a little less awkward.

About halfway through dinner I realized that I hadn't needed to worry at all. Everyone was getting along great. Pop and Richard discussed everything from bikes to the economy, and I got to hear some pretty awesome stories about Zacky's childhood. He must have been a crazy kid. It sure sounded like he gave his parents hell.

Matt managed to sit next to me at the table and he kept 'accidentally' touching my hand with his. It was very distracting, and it sent tiny electric shivers up my arm. Every time he did it I would turn to catch his eye, and he would give me a sly dimpled grin. It made me want to roll my eyes and kiss him at the same time. Damn him and his sexiness!

After everyone finished eating I volunteered to clear the table. I told the group to go sit in the living room and relax. Not only did this give Zee more time with his parents and Pop, but it also left me alone with my thoughts. I knew this night was really about Zacky, but I couldn't help thinking about Matt and my feelings for him. Almost as if I had summoned him with my mind, Matt was standing in the kitchen behind me. I knew it without even turning around to look at him.

"So I've been wondering if you had opened my present to you." He was almost hesitant as he came over to lean against the counter next to the sink. "That was kind of dumb. You don't have to answer that. It's none of my business."

I looked up into his hazel eyes and I wanted to relent. I had the urge to grab his face and kiss him senseless. Either he needed to stop looking at me that way, or I needed to get a grip on my hormones. "Honestly, I haven't opened it. At first I wasn't going to, you know cause I was mad. But then all this happened with Zacky, and I kind of just forgot about it. And I'm sorry. That's rude of me. You took the time to go pick something out, and I could have at least opened it. Do you want it back?"

"Hell no, you're not giving that shit back," Jimmy said from the doorway. "He drug our asses to the store to go shopping for you, and it was the most excruciating thing I've ever done. I'm telling you, he took three painstaking hours picking that stupid present out for you, so you better go upstairs and open that damned gift."

I knew he was kidding, but I couldn't help but laugh. It was one of the funniest things I'd ever heard. Aside from that time Jimmy intimidated Harrison at the rally, he was not one to order people around and make demands. "Yes, sir. Right after everyone goes home. I'll run right up there and open that gift."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and stomped over to the sink. He shut off the water, then grabbed Matt's and my hands. He was muttering and cursing under his breath as he drug us up the stairs to my room. He shoved the two of us inside and closed the door behind us. He spotted the box on the corner of my dresser and pointed at it. He told me in his sternest voice to open that shit now. And then he left. He just turned on his heel and left the room.

"Wow, that wasn't weird or anything," Matt said quietly.

It was interesting to see the timid side of Matt. He was usually so confident and self assured. I kind of liked seeing that he had a little self doubt just like everybody else. He told me once again that I didn't have to open the present if I didn't want, but I waved the thought away. I picked the small box off of my dresser and sat down on the edge of my bed with it. I couldn't look up at Matt while I opened it, so I quickly tore open the paper and opened the box. It was a watch. It was silver and black, and beautiful without being overly girlie. I absolutely love it. I looked up into his eyes. "It's beautiful Matt, really. I don't think I can accept it. It's too much." I tried to raise it up to give it to him, but he shook his head.

"No, no. I got it for you. It's for your birthday." He sat down on the bed next to me and took my hand in his. "Ash...I know you're still mad at me, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. Even if nothing else ever happens with us, and we stay friends, I just wanted you to know that."

Damn him again! How could I be mad at him when he was all sad and sincere? I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for my present. It's one of the best gifts I've ever been given." Then he was giving me that look again. The one that made me feel like I was being hunted. It thrilled me to my core. He started to slowly lean his head in towards mine. He was going to kiss me, and I was going to let him.

Unfortunately, no such luck. My door swings open and Jimmy and Zacky are standing on the other side with huge grins. "Dude, what do you think you're doing with my sister?" Zack asks with a smirk. Even though I'm relieved that we got interrupted, because I wasn't sure I wanted to go there with Matt, I was still contemplating killing Zee. "We're leaving Matt." He walked over to me and pulled me in for a hug. "Thanks for tonight Ash. Even though I don't have a choice, I'm glad you're my sister."

Matt did the same and as we were hugging goodbye, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "The next time I see you, we're picking up where we left off."

I honestly didn't think I could wait.