Friday at lunch:

"Hey Ashley!" Aiden yells when I get to the cafeteria. I go over to him and he looks me up and down before I sit.

"’Sup dude?" I say. He holds out his fist for me to pound. I punch his arm instead.

"Hey! What’d you do that for." Aiden says skeptically.

"I just felt like it. Never let your guard down!" I tell him as I scarf down a chicken sandwich.

"Dang, you can really pack it in! I’ve never seen a girl eat like that before." Aiden says.

"Thmnx mnn!" I mumble with food still in my mouth.

"What?" Aiden drawls.

"Nofthing. ts not imprtnt." I says stuffing a brownie in my mouth.

Spence comes up to our end of the table and Aiden gives Chance this look. Yuck! He’s totally checking her out! I choke when Spencer says my name. She wants to know if i will go to the library with her. I quickly oblige.

"But i thought we were gonna play poker. We’re beating the pants off Chance and Andy. You can’t quit on me." Aiden whines.

"Sorry, I just got a better hand." I say getting up to put my tray where the trays go.

We walk down to the library lugging our heavy bookbags. When we get there we go to a corner and sit on the floor behing a shelf.

"Sorry about Tuesday. My family is usually good when i have company." I appologize for Kyla and my mom and Mimi.

"It’s ok. They were probably mad cause your dad was late." Spence says. Her house is too crazy! At least we’ll have a good time at my house. No one ever notices me anyway.

I knew the dad issue was bound to come up. I guess I better explain. "My dad doesn’t live with us. He talked to my mom the day after I was born and split. She hasn’t seen or spoken to him since."

"Oh. I’m sorry." Spence says. Ouch that’s harsh!

"No. It’s ok. I don’t care. If he doesn’t want me then I don’t want him. There’s no use crying over something I’ve never had." I say. I really don’t give a rat’s flea about him. As far as I’m concerned I have no dad.