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CHAPTER TWO —

"So am I one of the girls now?"

"Yep, one of the girls,"

      Wren sat at the kitchen counter, munching on cereal while chatting with his Aunt Karen. The kitchen was filled with the warm morning light, casting a cozy glow over their conversation.

      "I'm so happy you're home, Wren. But please promise me, no trouble?" Aunt Karen pleaded, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and concern.

       Wren sighed dramatically, dropping his spoon into the bowl with a theatrical clatter. "Aww, that's gonna be too hard," he said sarcastically, his lips curling into a pout.

       Aunt Karen gave him a stern look, and he quickly held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. No trouble. I know. I'm on probation for six months or I go back to juvie for a year." He nodded, the seriousness of his situation briefly flickering in his eyes.

      Aunt Karen's expression softened into a smile. "Good. What are your plans today? I know Mike is going to have some of the boys over," she said, her voice lightening the mood.

        Wren took another spoonful of cereal, chewed thoughtfully, and shrugged. "I don't know..." he trailed off, an idea suddenly sparking in his mind. A smirk spread across his face. "Do you know where Max lives by chance?"

       Aunt Karen nodded, curious. "She lives on Old Cherry Road. Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

       Wren shrugged again, trying to appear nonchalant. "Don't know. Seems like a cool girl," he replied casually.

        Aunt Karen nodded in understanding just as the phone started ringing, breaking the moment. She turned to answer it, leaving Wren to his thoughts and his cereal, a mischievous glint in his eye.

       "Hello, this is the Wheelers," Karen responded as she answered the ringing phone. After a brief pause, she called out, "Yeah, just a sec. Mike! Phone!"

      "Okay!" Mike shouted back from the basement, the sound of his voice muffled by the distance. Wren turned around at the counter, a smirk playing on his lips.

       "Who is it, Aunt Karen?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

        Karen covered the mouthpiece of the telephone. "Jane. His girlfriend," she replied.

        Wren's eyes widened with mischief. "Give me that phone," he chuckled, extending his hand.

Before Karen could stop him, Wren had the phone in his grasp. "Hey! El, how's it going?" Wren greeted cheerfully.

On the other end, El furrowed her eyebrows, confusion evident in her voice. "Wren? Where's Mike?" she asked.

Wren laughed. "I'm here. I'm on the line from the basement. Wren, stop eavesdropping and go away," Mike's voice interjected sternly from the basement extension.

Wren groaned theatrically. "Ugh, you're no fun, Cuz. Maybe Max will be more fun. I'm gonna go to her house," he announced, slamming the phone back onto the wall cradle before anyone could respond.

In a flash, Wren rushed over to the door, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his jean jacket. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he stepped outside, the morning air crisp and invigorating. He walked briskly, heading toward Old Cherry Road with a determined stride, eager to see what kind of excitement the day would bring.

As Wren approached Old Cherry Road, he realized with a start that he didn't know Max's house number. He sighed, closing his eyes and concentrating, trying to visualize Max and somehow retrieve the information.

Suddenly, a voice in his head whispered, "489 Old Cherry Road." He opened his eyes, feeling a slight trickle of blood from his nose, which he quickly wiped away.

Looking around, he spotted the house and saw a guy heading to his car. "Hey! Is this where Max Mayfield lives?" Wren called out.

The guy, who had a douchey demeanor, rolled his eyes as he glanced at Wren. "Who are you?" he asked.

Wren glared back. "Mike Wheeler's cousin. Who are you?" he retorted.

The guy scoffed. "Max's step-brother, Billy. She's inside, going on about how she has nothing to do today." With that, Billy got into his car and sped off, leaving Wren to mutter under his breath, "Douchebag."

As Wren walked up to the door and raised his hand to knock, the door suddenly flew open, revealing Max with her skateboard under her arm. "What the hell are you doing here? You a stalker too?" she demanded, brushing past him.

Wren chuckled softly and followed her. "Something like that. Wanted to hang out. Mike and his friends are hanging out today. Got nothing else to do," he shrugged.

Max stopped and spun around, giving him a scrutinizing look. "Look, if you like me or whatever, it's not happening. I am dating Lucas," she stated firmly.

Wren raised his hands in surrender. "Good for him. I have my eyes on someone else. I just wanna be friends," he explained.

Max stared at him for a moment, her expression softening before she sighed. "Okay, whatever. You know how to skateboard?" she asked.

Wren shook his head, a playful grin on his face. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p'.

"I'll teach you," she smiled, her demeanor brightening.

Wren's grin widened as he followed Max, ready for whatever the day had in store.

       Wren glided his feet across the ground, attempting to do a flip in the air on his skateboard. He miscalculated, fell off, and landed hard on his back. "Hey, you okay?" Max rushed over, extending her hand to help him up.

       Wren took her hand and she helped him to his feet. As he steadied himself, he noticed El approaching with a skateboard in her hands. "I'm fine, but El's walking over to us right now," he informed Max.

        Max furrowed her eyebrows and turned to see El stopping in front of them. "Hi," El said softly, handing Max her board.

       "Sup," Wren grinned, only to receive a playful smack on the arm from Max. "Hi?" Max responded, her tone curious and slightly wary.

       "Can we talk?" El asked, her gaze fixed on Max.

        Wren blew a raspberry, feeling the tension. "Well, this has been fun... I'll go," he said, saluting them and starting to walk away. However, El quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

        "You, too," she stated firmly.

         Wren and Max exchanged puzzled looks. "Okay," Wren said, curiosity piqued, as he and Max prepared to listen to whatever El had to say.

Max paced around her bedroom, her agitation palpable, while El recounted the peculiar phone call she had with Mike. Wren leaned casually against the doorframe, his eyes keenly following the conversation.

"And then he said he— he missed me. And then he just hung up," El finished, her voice tinged with confusion and hurt.

Wren scoffed, shaking his head. "What a douche," he muttered under his breath.

El shot him a look of surprise. "Wren!"

Max, equally exasperated, threw her hands up. "Preach it, Wren! He's a piece of shit."

Wren grinned and walked over to stand beside Max. El's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why are you saying that?"

Max stopped pacing, her face set in a frown. "Mike doesn't have jack shit to do today, and his Nana obviously isn't sick," she stated firmly.

Wren nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. "She's right. If Nana was sick, I think I wouldn't be here right now," he said, snapping his fingers to emphasize his point.

Max, filled with frustration, resumed pacing. "I guarantee you, him and Lucas are playing Atari right now," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

El furrowed her eyebrows, still trying to process the information. "But friends don't lie," she insisted, her voice tinged with a mixture of confusion and hope.

Wren chuckled softly, though there was a hint of sadness in his tone. "You're so sweet and innocent," he remarked, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, boyfriends lie. All the time," Max said bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Wren nodded, adding his own experience. "She's right. I can confirm. It's in our DNA. But I've learned not to lie to a lady. Last time, I got a black eye," he said with a rueful grin.

El looked between Max and Wren, her confusion slowly giving way to a steely determination. "So, what do we do now?" she asked, her voice firm.

Max sat on the bed beside El, turning to face her with a serious expression. The room was quiet except for the distant hum of an air conditioner, adding to the tension in the air. "You're going to stop calling him. You're going to ignore his calls. As far as you're concerned, he doesn't exist," Max said firmly, her eyes locking onto El's.

El's eyes widened in surprise, a mix of confusion and disbelief washing over her. "Doesn't exist?" she questioned, her eyebrows furrowing deeply as she tried to grasp the concept.

Wren, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, nodded in agreement. "He treated you like garbage. You're gonna do it back," he said, his voice carrying a tone of conviction and reassurance.

Max nodded emphatically, her determination unwavering. "Exactly! Give him a taste of his own medicine," she stated, her voice firm and resolute, leaving no room for doubt.

El processed this new approach, her expression slowly shifting from confusion to understanding. "Give him the medicine," she repeated slowly, the words feeling foreign yet empowering on her tongue.

Max nodded and hummed in approval, leaning in slightly. "And if he doesn't fix this—sweet, innocent El—if he doesn't explain his idiotic behavior, dump his idiotic ass," Wren exclaimed passionately, his voice rising with intensity as he emphasized each word.

Max grinned at Wren's enthusiastic support, the corners of her mouth lifting in satisfaction, while El's eyes widened further at the bluntness of their advice, the shock mingling with a budding sense of resolve.

"Dump his idiotic ass," El echoed, the phrase coming out stronger, with a hint of determination in her voice.

"Exactly," Wren said, his smile growing more encouraging. "You deserve better than how he's been treating you."

        Max snapped her fingers at Wren, a mischievous spark lighting up her eyes. "Grab your jacket," she instructed, her voice brimming with excitement as she stood up from her bed, her movements filled with newfound energy.

        Wren and El, both intrigued by Max's sudden enthusiasm, echoed in unison, "Where are we going?"

        Max grinned, relishing in the anticipation as she looked between the two. "To have some fun," she declared, her tone lively and infectious. With a swift motion, she reached out and grabbed El's arm, pulling her up from the bed with a playful tug.

       "There's more to life than stupid boys, you know... and maybe there's someone else out there who will treat you better," she said to El, her eyes glancing over at Wren with a knowing wink. Wren felt a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks, but he couldn't help but smile at Max's words.

       El's eyes widened with curiosity, her head tilted slightly as she processed Max's cryptic statement. "Like who?" she asked innocently, her voice tinged with curiosity.

       Max smiled warmly at her, a hint of mystery in her expression. "You'll know when the time comes," she replied enigmatically, leading El out of her room with an air of confidence and purpose.

      As they descended the stairs, Wren's voice broke through the air, breaking the momentary silence. "Am I coming too, or is this just a girls' thing?"

       Max turned around with a playful hum, her grin widening. "Sure, but our girly secrets stay between us. You don't tell your cousin or Dustin," she stated firmly, a playful glint in her eyes.

       Wren smiled, playing along with the charade. "So, am I one of the girls now?" he asked with mock astonishment, placing a hand dramatically over his heart.

       Max nodded with a laugh, her demeanor light and carefree. "Yep, one of the girls," she confirmed, her tone teasing yet affectionate.

      El glanced over at Wren, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You're one of the girls now," she teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

       Wren rolled his eyes playfully, but there was a genuine warmth in his expression. Despite the teasing, he felt a sense of belonging and camaraderie with Max and El that he cherished deeply.

       As they stepped outside into the golden light of the afternoon sun, Wren couldn't help but feel grateful for their friendship and the sense of adventure they brought into his life.

ASH SPEAKS!

wren's one of the girls now guys

spliting this episode into two chapters🤭