Page 90 of Best Friends for Never

Parker:What other weird stuff have they made up about you?

Me:If you haven’t heard it, I’m not repeating it.

Me:Tell me again why you need to cancel?

Parker:First of all, boooo!

Parker:Second, I promised Axel I’d go to his house before I made plans with you, and I figured you didn’t want to come.

Me:Who said I didn’t?

Parker:Because you hate him?

Me:I don’t hate Axel.

Me:I just don’t particularly like the big fella.

Parker:See? I wasn’t wrong.

Me:But I wouldn’t mind being where you are.

Parker:You...want to go to Axel’s with me?

Do I want to go and sit at Axel’s dinner table so he can warn me away from Parker or frown at me the entire night? I’d rather eat a spoonful of Vegemite, and that shit is disgusting.

But do I want to spend time with Parker? Yes. A million times yes.

And I’ll endure anything for an hour or two, just to make it happen, even if it’s going to be pure torture.

Me:Are you inviting me?

Parker:Noel Carter, will you do me the honor of being my guest to tonight’s dinner at Axel Cooke’s?

Me:You’re inviting me to be a guest someplace you don’t even know if I’m welcome at?

Parker:Noel!

I laugh, easily able to picture her stomping her foot with a hard stare.

Me:I’m kidding, I’m kidding.

Me:Yes, I’ll come.

Parker:Yay!

Parker:Dinner starts at seven.

Parker:Oh, and bring some red wine. It’s Axel’s favorite. Maybe it’ll be enough to push you into his good graces.

I stand in front of a robin’s-egg blue door, wine bottle in hand and ready to knock.

There’s screeching coming from somewhere inside and the sounds of feet pattering against the floor.

Whatever I’m about to walk into, I have a feeling it’s going to be chaos.

I suck in a deep breath, then knock.

Not ten seconds later, the door flies open, and my eyes go down, down, down to the three identical little girls staring up at me with wide brown eyes.

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