A Smoke Show and a Slug

The door swung open and out walked the embodiment of mid.

Joey Granger.

Aynsley narrowed her eyes, arms crossed tight over her chest. He looked exactly like she expected; a deer caught in headlights, if a deer was a short, skinny loser with NPC energy. His dark, messy hair, that dumb, awkward stance, the way his gaze darted between her and Madison like he was trying to figure out how he’d ended up in this situation. He looked nervous. Good. He should be.

Madison, of course, beamed like he was Prince Charming.

"Hey, babe!"

Aynsley made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. She could barely believe any of this was happening. Why was she even there, outside Joey Granger's house, that early in the morning? Madison had insisted. She wanted Aynsley to give him a chance, insisting that Aynsley would get it if she gave him a chance.

Yeah. No.

Joey stepped onto the porch, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets. Aynsley took in the full picture and barely stopped herself from cringing. She and Madison looked amazing, like always. Aynsley’s outfit was sharp and put together: beige shorts that showed off her legs, black knee-high socks with a sleek white stripe, a fitted plaid sweater hugging her frame.

Madison had gone for full bombshell: a short skirt, a tight, low-cut top, the kind of look that turned heads.

And Joey?

Joey looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and thrown on whatever was on his floor. He wasn’t disgusting, she’d seen worse, but he was… meh. Just jeans and a hoodie, nothing that said he was worth their time. He wasn’t built, wasn’t stylish, wasn’t rich. He was just there. And Madison, one of the hottest girls in school, was wasting her time on him.

Embarrassing.

"Um. Hey." Joey’s voice was uncertain. Weak. His eyes were down, his cheeks red.

Aynsley rolled her eyes, "Are you seriously just going to stand there?"

Madison shot her a warning look, "Ayns..."

"What?" Aynsley said, flipping her dyed brown hair over her shoulder, "We’re going to be late if Mr. Lapdance just stands there gawking."

Joey shuffled his feet like an idiot, then finally stepped off the porch, falling into step between them. Aynsley kept her arms crossed, walking just slightly ahead. She could already tell this was going to be the longest walk of her life.

"So…" Joey said.

Aynsley sighed, "Oh my god, just spit it out."

"I, um…" He cleared his throat, "So, you guys have been friends for a long time?"

Madison looped her arm around his, smiling at him with a smile that he didn't deserve, "Since middle school."

Joey nodded like that was interesting. It wasn’t.

Aynsley side-eyed Madison, "Yeah. Since before she lost her standards."

Madison stiffened, "Aynsley."

"What?" Aynsley asked, raising an eyebrow, feigning ignorance, "He knows as well as you do. I mean, people are talking. We already went over this last night, remember?"

Madison’s jaw tightened.

Aynsley turned to Joey, looking him up and down, "Have you even ever had a girlfriend before this?"

Joey blinked, caught off guard, "Uh..."

"I’ll take that as a no," Aynsley said, smirking, "And now suddenly you’re with Madison Ashford? The Madison Ashford?" She snorted, "She's a smoke show, and you're a slug! Like that’s believable."

Madison clenched her teeth, "That’s enough."

"No, I don’t think it is," Aynsley snapped, "I mean, just look at this. We’re walking to school with Joey freaking Granger. He doesn’t even belong here. This is, like, charity work. And I get it, Mads, I do. You always have to be the best at everything, right? So maybe this is some 'makeover project' for you, a little 'nerd-to-boyfriend experiment,'" her voice dripped with mock sympathy, "But I've got to be real with you: this is fucking embarrassing."

Madison’s lips trembled.

Aynsley pressed harder, "You’re better than this. Or at least, you used to be."

Madison’s grip on Joey’s arm tightened, but her face crumpled, eyes welling with tears. She blinked fast, like she was trying to stop it, but it was too late.

Aynsley barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Seriously?

Then, suddenly, Joey stepped forward, right between them. His face was red, his jaw clenched, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Aynsley had only ever seen Joey Granger play the placid wallflower. This was different, this was something new.

He took a deep breath. Then:

“Um, actually, Aynsley...”