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  That evening Ally shut the door behind her still trying to catch her breath from the kiss she had shared with Justin just seconds before on the doorstep.

  “Have a good evening?” Kylie asked breaking Ally’s trance.

  “Ya, it was a good,” Ally said as she plopped down on the couch.

  “Tell me all about your date. What did you do?” Kylie inquired.

  “Well we went to Brio at City Creek. Then we took a little drive up the canyon before the party.”

  “What in the world did you do up the canyon? It’s freezing up there and there is still snow on the ground.”

  “He took me to this overlook and he… Well we just looked at the city lights,” Ally said as she blushed.

  “He kissed you, didn’t he?” Kylie’s concern growing by the minute. It was going to be harder than she thought to get Ally to stop hanging out with Justin and turn her focus back to Tyson.

  “Yes,” Ally said growing with excitement. “We kissed. And then we kissed again and again.”

  Kylie nodded her head not fully listening as Ally expanded on the details of the night. In all reality, she didn’t want to accept that this was really happening. She could tell that Ally was falling for Justin. Maybe her plan to get them to stop dating wasn’t going to be very easy after all.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The days started to fly by quickly as the end of the semester was approaching. Ally spent hardly any time at the apartment, since she was spending most of her time with Justin. Occasionally, Justin was over at their apartment and as a result Kylie did her best to avoid them. She really wanted to be able to give him a shot, even if it was just for Ally’s sake, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about him that wasn’t quite right.

  Mother’s Day arrived and Kylie couldn’t wait to video conference with Tyson. Lately, she talked to Tyson more than she talked to Ally. She wasn’t quite sure how things would go if Tyson asked about Ally. How do you explain to your brother that you talk to him more than you talk to your best friend who lives with you, let alone that she was seriously dating someone else?

  Kylie and her family had been gathered around the living room television talking with Elder Brooks for a while when the conversation started to die down. Kylie could tell Tyson was looking around at all of the people who were there to see him.

  “Where is Ally?” Tyson asked.

  Kylie hesitated while the rest of the family was quiet and waited for her to answer the question. Kylie’s parents knew that Ally was dating someone else, but no one had told Tyson.

  “Umm… She had some family event she had to be at,” Kylie responded, assuming that Ally was indeed spending time with her family on Mother’s Day.

  “Oh, okay.” Tyson changed the subject, but Kylie could tell that Tyson was disappointed. She wished that she could have talked to him about everything that was going on. It made Kylie’s heart ache because she knew that Tyson loved Ally and they were perfect for each other. From the time they were little, whenever Ally had a crush she fell hard and fast. With Justin, it was no different. Except that this time, it really could go somewhere. But she wasn’t going to break Tyson’s heart by telling him that Ally was dating someone else if she didn’t have to.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ally finished her last final of the semester and walked out of the business building with satisfaction. She had done well on all of her finals and she was excited for the summer. Justin had gotten his mission call to Kansas and he had compiled a bucket list of things he wanted to do before he left. He wanted Ally to tag along, and the adventures sounded fun. Bungee jumping, hiking, race car driving, and throwing a party were just a few things that they had already started planning. It almost seemed like Justin going on a mission meant he had to stop having fun. He wanted to live it up now, before he left.

  She hurried home to change for the beginning of summer party that Justin was throwing at his parent's house. Ally always felt a little out of place when she was there. The house was three times as big as the one she grew up in and she was always afraid she was going to break something just by looking at it. She couldn’t believe that Justin was actually going to throw a party there. Well, actually it was his father’s executive assistant that was doing all of the work. She felt bad for the maids who would be cleaning the mess up and making sure the house was up to Mrs. Hawthorne’s standards. That lady scared her.

  Justin had asked Ally to show up early. He wanted her to be there before everyone else arrived. Ally knew before she even got there that it was going to be long night. Parties weren’t her favorite thing and she was the girlfriend of the host. That basically meant that she had to be outgoing and talk to all the right people. She hoped that she would be able to just follow Justin around all night and he could do all of the talking.

  Ally walked up the steep steps to the largest house in the cul-de-sac. She knocked on the door and it only took a few seconds before the Hawthorne’s housekeeper answered the door.

  “Hi Miss Ally. Please come in.”

  “Hey Ally!” Justin hollered as he ran down the stairs. “Come check out the backyard. Kristine did a great job! This party is going to be awesome.”

  The minute Ally stepped through the glass French doors leading out to the backyard, she knew it was going to be a party the guests would be talking about all summer. There was a live band. The porch was decorated with bright colors and pool toys were already floating in the pool. Justin had even taken her advice and surprised her by having a build-your-own burger bar.

  It wasn’t too hard for Ally to follow Justin around for the first part of the party since he insisted on introducing Ally to everyone. Eventually Justin and his friends started to do stupid tricks off the diving board into the pool and Ally couldn’t watch. She decided it was time to check out the burger bar. As she went through the line, she realized that she wished Kylie was here. It hadn’t even occurred to her to invite her. She hadn’t really seen her or talked with her in a few weeks. Ally didn’t know anyone and she wished she had some friends here. Ally found an empty table away from most of loudness and dug into her juicy burger topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and barbeque sauce. She wiped her hands off, and reached to grab her phone. Maybe Kylie would come by if she could get ahold of her.

  “Ally!”

  Ally looked up to see three of Tyson’s friends from his high school football team heading toward her.

  “Hey guys,” Ally said as they each gave her a hug. “How are you doing?”

  “Just happy that this semester is over… Jackson over here almost didn’t pass any of his classes,” one of Tyson’s friends answered.

  Ally laughed, “Of course it would be Jackson who barely squeaked by.”

  “How is Tyson doing?”

  “He is doing really good. He loves Mexico,” Ally responded.

  “That’s good,” Jackson piped in. “So, I have to ask, are you strictly waiting for Tyson? Or are you dating anyone?”

  “Calling dibs on Ally a year ago, doesn’t mean she is going date you of all people,” one of his friends stated.

  “You called dibs on dating me?” Ally questioned with surprise.

  “Who called dibs on you?” Justin asked as he slid his arm around Ally’s waist and pulled her close even though he was still dripping wet from his recent dive in the pool.

  “Hey Justin, these are...um some of my friends from high school,” Ally said.

  “Who called dibs on you?” Justin pressed.

  “It’s no big deal, Justin. They were just joking around,” Ally insisted.

  “Ya,” Jackson said. “We were just reminiscing about who would get to date Ally once Tyson wasn’t around. But it looks like you got to her first, so I think we will go get some food. It was good to see you, Ally.”

  “You too,” Ally replied, wishing that Justin hadn’t scared off the only people she knew at the party.

  Jackson turned to Justin, “Great party.�
�

  Once they were out of earshot, Justin asked, “Who are they? And who is Tyson?”

  “They are friends. And Tyson is a guy I used to date... You already knew that I was in a serious relationship before I started dating you.”

  “Were those guys on your high school football team?”

  “Yes? Why?” Ally asked, wondering if Justin was beginning to figure out who Tyson really was.

  “Was this Tyson on the football team?”

  Ally nodded her head.

  Justin paused. “What position did he play?”

  “Defensive back,” Ally hesitated, seeing Justin’s hand clench into a fist.

  “You dated Tyson Brooks? And you didn’t tell me? I can’t believe you lied to me,” Justin said his voice rising slightly.

  “I didn’t lie. Plus, I didn’t think that you really wanted to hear about my old boyfriend,” Ally retorted.

  “Well you didn’t tell me the truth!” A few heads were turning toward their conversation.

  “Justin, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal? I can’t believe that you would ever date someone like Tyson. I can’t believe that you would date someone who tried to ruin my chances at being a quarterback. How could I fall for someone like you?”

  “Justin…”

  He cut her off. “Ally, I…. I don’t think this is going to work out anymore. I think you should leave.”

  Justin walked away and Ally felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes. She noticed the people quickly looking away as she looked around the backyard. She made her way into the house and out the front door, praying the tears would wait until she made it to her car.

  Ally opened the door very quietly and hoped that no one was in the living room. She slipped through the door and turned her back to the living room just in case there was someone there. She shut the door softly hoping she could slip into her room without being seen. She had tried to wait for the red, puffy eyes to go away but it was hot in the car.

  “It’s pretty early for you to be sneaking in, don’t you think?” Kylie asked, startling Ally.

  “Um… as a matter of fact, yes,” Ally said as she scooted toward the hallway keeping her back to Kylie.

  “Is something wrong?” Kylie asked.

  Ally was so close. “Nope. Just going to my room.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” Kylie said as she blocked the hallway. “Why does it look you have been crying?”

  “Because,” Ally responded.

  “Because?”

  Ally nodded her head, afraid that if she spoke the tears would start falling again. How were there still tears left to be cried?

  Dread filled Kylie’s voice, “What did Justin do?”

  “We… um… broke up.” The tears started rolling.

  “Ally, I’m sorry,” Kylie said. Getting Ally and Justin to break up was easier than Kylie thought. It happened without intervention, although she would have preferred Ally doing the breaking up. Even though they had drifted apart over the last few months, she really hated seeing Ally hurt. “What happened?”

  “Some guys from the high school football team were at the party and then Justin found out about Tyson and then Justin said it was over. I guess you were right. I should have told Justin when we first started dating. Then maybe this wouldn’t suck so much,” Ally squeaked out before a round of sobs came.

  Kylie led Ally to the couch and let Ally cry it out.

  “Ugh, I feel a headache coming on,” Ally groaned once she calmed down. “I’m going to go to bed.”

  “Ally?” Kylie called out before Ally headed down the hallway.

  “Ya?”

  “Just remember these two things… Justin doesn’t know what he is missing out on and there is someone even better out there.”

  With a half-smile, Ally said, “Thanks, Ky.”

  After changing into her favorite pajamas, Ally climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her head. As she willed her headache to go away, a couple of tears squeezed out. She took a deep breath and pulled herself up on her knees. As she prayed, she felt the peace envelope her. Quickly she fell asleep, knowing that everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning, Kylie was surprised to find Ally up and about acting as if everything was okay.

  “Want a waffle?” Ally asked.

  “Sure?” Kylie asked with a questioning look at Ally.

  “What?”

  “I’m trying to figure out if you are just putting on a face that you are okay or if you really are okay.”

  Ally shrugged and poured some batter on the waffle maker. “I think I’m okay. Tyson will always be a part of my life as my friend and my best friend’s brother. If Justin can’t handle that, then I guess this is for the better.”

  Kylie smiled. “Good for you. I’ll whip up some homemade syrup for these waffles to celebrate this special occasion.”

  The morning was everything Kylie had hoped college would be. For the first time since they had started college over a year ago, it seemed as if they really were best friends again. They headed out for an afternoon of shopping and were determined to shop ‘til they dropped, except Kylie had a group project to work on that evening.

  When Kylie pulled into the driveway of the apartment that evening with a tub of ice cream and a Redbox movie, she was surprised to find Justin’s car there. Not wanting to interrupt, she drove around for about an hour. Her ice cream was melting by the second. Once Justin’s car was no longer there, she angrily shoved the ice cream in the freezer and hoped that she would be able to salvage part of it. Kylie kept telling herself that Justin was leaving soon and Tyson would be home before Justin got home from his mission. She could do this. Just a little bit longer until Justin wasn’t around anymore.

  Later that night, Kylie pulled the ice cream out of the freezer after it had re-frozen. After a little taste test, she decided that it wasn’t ruined.

  Ally slid up next to Kylie. “Can I have some?”

  “Ya, I guess so,” Kylie said, passing the tub to Ally. “So… I guess everything is okay between you and Justin?”

  “Mhmmm,” Ally mumbled as she quickly licked some ice cream that slipped down the side of her cone.

  “Did he suddenly change his mind about Tyson?”

  Ally hesitated. “Well, I don’t think that he likes Tyson any better than he did before, but he apologized for overreacting. He realizes that Tyson was my high school boyfriend and Tyson will always be a part of my past. But he also realizes how lucky he is to have me in his life now and the future we have together. He kept saying that he had made a mistake. It was actually really sweet... But enough about me, I hear you have a date tomorrow?”

  “Ya, I do. We are going out for lunch,” Kylie smiled.

  “That’s so exciting,” Ally gushed.

  Kylies laughed nervously. She had been on a date before. But this was only her second date since high school. She was trying to ignore the butterflies that appeared when she thought about her upcoming date.

  “You are going to have a great time,” Ally stressed.

  Avoiding the subject, Kylie asked, “Still up for watching a movie?”

  “Of course.” Kylie was relieved that Ally dropped the subject.

  Kylie tried to pay attention to the movie, but the news of Justin once again being in the picture made the night a bit of a downer.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kylie slid into the booth at Chili’s with her date, Jacob. He was kind and had been a perfect gentleman since he picked her up. She was grateful that Ally had helped her pick out an outfit and even let her borrow one of her shirts.

  Once the chips and salsa had arrived and their orders had been placed, Kylie looked around the restaurant surprised at how empty it was. Sure, it was only lunch time, but it was literally dead. As she was dipping a chip in the salsa, she almost dropped it when she heard his laugh.

  “Seriously? She used to date Tyson
?”

  “Yep,” Justin said. “Who would have ever thought I would be taking something Tyson loved again. Being quarterback was one thing. But his girl? I really won this time.”

  “Nice,” said the guy who was talking to Justin. “But don’t you have a bigger problem? Won’t Tyson be getting home before you?”

  “I’m going to ask Ally to wait for me.”

  “Seriously? I mean I know that Ally is pretty, but she isn’t exactly the size 2, blonde, drop-dead gorgeous, comes from a wealthy family type of girl you usually go for.”

  “Ya, I’m serious. She may not look like the girl I thought I would marry, but she makes up for it with smarts. Once I graduate and take over my dad’s business, she is going to make the best personal assistant. She will make sure everything is organized and will be perfect host for parties and gatherings. It might be an adjustment at first for her to live up to the expectations, but she will end up fitting in well.”

  “Hmmm, ya, I guess I can see that. Do you really think she wants to just be your assistant? Isn’t she going to school to be an accountant?”

  “Yeah, but I think I could convince her to do anything I want. And maybe we’ll have a kid or two that she can focus on instead of working. Then being my assistant would seem more like just fulfilling the duties of being a wife.”

  “Well, it seems like you have it all worked out, except for one tiny detail, Tyson still gets home before you? How do you know she won’t go back to him?”

  “Well, that’s another thing I love about Ally. She is committed. Once she sees the diamond and promises to wait for me, she will. That is just how she is. Plus, once we are married, I won’t have to worry about her having an affair, like most of the wealthy, size 2, blonde married women tend to do.”

  “I need to find a girl with commitment like that. I feel like everyone we know is cheating on someone lately,” the guy said seriously.