Evan Thompson. The most annoying, egotistical, woman hating man I know. Or, boy I know, I

guess. Hes only seventeen- or maybe eighteen, I'm not really sure. Actually, I don't really care.

You see, I'm Jenny Howard, best friend of Mandie Thompson. Mandie is Evan's little sister, they're only a year apart but, thankfully, she isn't anything like her older brother.

Mandie and I have been friends since we were five, when I threw a ball over her fence and then tried to climb after it. Well, if you want to get technical, I fell over the fence, and ended up busting my knee, then I started crying. A six year old Evan is the one who found me, and he brought me inside his house, where his mother fixed me up. Mandie came in a few minutes later, then started crying when she saw I was crying.

Truthfully, at first I was better friends with Evan than I was with Mandie. I was a huge tomboy, and Mandie most definitely wasn't. So, I hung out with Evan and his older brother, Trent, a lot. But as we got older, I started hanging out more and more with Mandie.

By the time we were ten, Mandie, Evan, and I were always together. Then Evan started learning that some girls didn't like to ride bikes, or play soccer, or roll around in mud. Real girls. And he started dating them. Then it was like I didn't exist.

I'm not really sure what happened to Evan during his eighth grade year, but suddenly, he wasdifferent. He hated girls. Most of the time he wouldn't even look at them.

But I would take that over how he is now. Now, he was a senior in high school, at the top of the food chain, and used girls for one thing and one thing only.

I bet you can guess what that is.

And his best friend, Nick, wasn't any better. Well, he is now, but he wasn't then. Actually, it was kind of ironic. Trent, Mandie and Evan's older brother, Trent, was Nick's older brother. Well, I always thought it was kind of funny.

Anyway, the only reason I am even telling you this was because of one thing. One very important thing. My parents just told me that they were going away on business. For a year. In England. And I had a choice. I could either go with them and spend my Junior year in school thousands of miles away from all of my friend, or I could live, for the next year, with my best friend. it's a no brainer, right? Well, that option also consisted of Evan.

As in, living with Evan. In the same house. Like I said, not a great set of options, but I made up my mind. I was moving in with Mandie.

"Hello, Amy." My mother said, smiling at Mandie's mom as she opened the front door of her house.

Amy smiled at us brightly, pulling my mom in for a hug. "Ellen! I'm going to miss you so much when you're gone! I mean, we haven't really been apart since I moved in all of those years ago, and now you're going to be gone! When are you leaving?"

My mom smiled at Amy, so used to her constant chatter that it didn't even faze her. "In just a few minutes. I was just bringing the rest of Jenny's things over." She held up a duffle bag, matching the other that was on my own shoulder. I had brought the rest of my things over the week before.

"Oh!" Amy said, quickly taking the bag from my mother and looking at her with tears in her emerald eyes. "Well, I'm really going to miss you! Make sure you call me!" She said, turning and walking away quickly. I knew she wanted to give me privacy to say good-bye, something I had been doing for the last week.

But my mother pulled me against her anyway, kissing my forehead. "I love you." She told me, "Be good. Don't give them any problems. Promise?"

"I promise mom." I said softly, hugging her back. It was hard to imagine her gone. For an entire year, I wouldn't be coming home to my mother. We wouldn't even be in the same time zone. A few more minutes of hugging, and then mom was gone.

"Ah, moving in, huh?" A slimy voice said from behind me. A voice I knew all to well. I turned around , an instant glare on my face.

"You already know that answer to that, Evan." I snapped, grabbing my duffle bag and walking further into the house quickly, hoping he wouldn't follow me.

But of course, he did. "Yes, I do." He agreed, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "And, I'm just thinking it a way to get closer to me. Did you miss me not being right beside you?" He mocked.

I rolled my eyes. Two years ago, when Amy re-married, Evan, Mandie, and Trent had moved into a bigger house with their step-dad, Nathan, and their new step-sister, Kaitlin. Which meant they were no longer my neighbors.

"That's it." I agreed, the sarcasm dripping from my voice. "I love being around jerks."

Evan didn't say a word, but I knew he was still behind me as I walked up the stairs. I ignored him, walking towards the first bedroom and throwing my things inside. This had actually been Evan's room only a few weeks ago, but they had let him move downstairs, into Trent's old room, when they learned I was staying. Trent had moved away two years ago, he was going to college a few hours away. And Kaitlin, who was the same age as Trent and Mandie's step-sister , was going to college a couple of days away.

But their rooms had been left untouched, since they came home every once and awhile. But, since I was staying here, Amy had called Trent and he had said it was fine to let Evan have his room. He said he would just stay in Kaitlin's when they came home.

That was something I didn't mention, isn't it? After their parents got married, Trent and Kaitlin had started dating. It was a huge thing, everyone thought it was so horrible. I didn't, actually I didn't think it was wrong at all. I mean, they were step-siblings. And they hadn't been step-siblings long before they started dating, only like a week or something. So really, they weren't related at all. And look now, two years later, hundreds of miles away from each other, and they were still going strong.

"What have you done to my room?" Evan asked, gazing around at my room in horror.

I rolled my eyes. When I had got the room, Amy told me I could do whatever I wanted to it. Evan had left the walls a black color, with old posters he didn't want still on it. I had changed it, painting three

of the walls a royal purple, and one wall white. I was planning on making the white wall a graffiti wall,

just writing thoughts on it, having everyone that came in write something. Mandie already started it,

writing her favorite quote and then signing her name.

"It's my room, Evan." I reminded him, taking out some of my clothes and putting them in my dresser.

Evan stared at the white wall, a frown on his face. "Why is one wall white?"

"None of your business." I snapped, grabbing more clothes.

"Whatever." He muttered, flashing his dark blue eyes at me. He ran a hand through his shaggy, dark brown hair, then sent me a smirk that made most of the girls in the school fall to the floor. "Well, if you want anyfun, you know where my room is."

"Drop dead." I snapped, glaring with my clothes still in my hand.

Evan just chuckled, then finally left. I went back to unpacking the rest of my things, silently fuming. Mandie walked in a few moment later. She squealed, running into my room. "Jenny! I'm so gladyou're here!" She beamed, jumping on my bed. I shook my head slightly, a small smile on my lips.

"Hey, Mandie." I greeted my best friend.

"Hi!" She said, her eyes bright. "So, your parents are gone? I'm sorry. Maybe we can have a party or something ,to get your mind off of it. I know! Evan knows about parties, that's like all her does. We can ask him and go-except today is Sunday and we have school tomorrow. I guess we can wait until next Friday- and that's only if he will tell us. I mean, usually we can find out ourselves, but Evan's been on this kick lately about me not going to any with his friends-"

I started laughing. I was used to Mandie's constant chatter, but sometimes it still got to me. "Mandie! It's fine, I don't want to go to a party."

Now she looked at me, confusion in her dark blue eyes. "Why not?"

"Uh, because every time we go to a party, you get drunk, and I end up carrying you home and making sure you don't get caught." I reminded her grimly. "Oh, and then I have to watch Evan make out

with some random girl that he'll never call again."

Mandie gave me a small half smile. "And why would you care about Evan and his girl habits?"

I glared. Mandie had this strange thought that Evan and I would be perfect together- something that would never happen. Never. "Give it up." I told her.

Mandie just giggled, then stood up off of my bed. "Okay. Fine. No party." I didn't believe her for a second.

"Mandie, I'm serious. I don't want to go to a party." I warned her.

She looked at me, her eyes sparkling. "Right. Not going out to a party." She was walking out of

the room when she called the next sentence over her shoulder. "You never said we couldn't bring a party

here."

I threw a shoe at her.