A/N: This is kinda of a experimental thing, to see if people like this story. So reveiw please so I know if I should keep this story going. Thanks.

OH! When there are "***" things its in Gus's POV, but most the story is in Andee's.

Happy reading! ^.^

Chapter 1

"Gus! Put me down!" I shouted when he threw me over his shoulder.

"Okay."

I screamed when I entered his pool and again when he jumped in right next to me.

"Gus, you're a jerk." I laughed.

"Aw, you don't mean it. Plus it was the only way to get you in." I rolled my eyes, and started swimming toward the steps to get out, but Gus was faster and blocked my way.

"No. You're staying in." He looked very serious.

"Fine, I'll stay in." I broke into a backstroke.

Gus and me have been friends for as long as I can remember, since first grade, now were in tenth. We live right across the street from each other, in the Southern part of California. Its summer break now, we've been out of school for only two days. We're practically inseparable during the summer.

We swam around in the pool for about thirty minutes.

"See it wasn't that bad." He gloated.

"I know."

"Let's go to the beach,"

We live right next to the beach; it's actually behind my backyard. It's cool.

I pretended I was thinking about it, but really, I was going to say the same thing. We always have the same ideas, strange, I know. "Mmm… okay."

"Yes!" He punched his fists in the air and then we ran out his back gate across the street to my backyard.

My mom was sitting in a chair on the patio, "Hey, Patty!" Gus called to her.

"Hey, kiddos, what are you doing?"

"We're going down to the beach." I called; Gus was already half way to the water.

"Be careful, Andee, You too, Gus!" She yelled after us.

I caught up to Gus; I've always been a fast runner. "Will do!" We shouted at the same time.

We ran right into the water and started kicking water at each other, normal routine. Then we raced to the buoy, Gus won, like always. He's the fastest swimmer I've ever seen. He has swimming competitions that I always go to and cheer him on. Along with fifty other girls who think, he's the hottest guy in the world. Seriously, you should hear some of the things they say about him, it's disgusting. I mean he's not bad looking, I admit it, but I can't think of him that way, it's just weird. We're like siblings.

We stayed by the buoy for a little while.

"Hey, Andee?" Gus said as we swam around the buoy. He sounded uncomfortable.

"Yeah?"

"Uh," He paused, "Christina asked me if I wanted to go bowling with her and I don't know what to say."

I stopped swimming and hung onto the buoy. "When did she ask you?"

"Yesterday. She gave me her number, again, and told me to call her." He stopped swimming once he was in front of me and floated on his back. Christina always worries that he loses her number cause he never calls her or texts her.

"Well, do you want to go?"

"No." He took a deep breath, "Well, kinda."

"Then go!" I laughed because I knew he wouldn't be able to see me smile. He stopped floating and grabbed onto the buoy.

"You won't be mad?" He looked at me then looked down.

"No. I know you have other friends besides me. I'll just hangout with Jen and Tiff the day you go."

"Okay. I'll call when we go back to my house. Figure out when."

"Ok, race ya back to the shore!" I took off swimming, but he was ahead of me in like thirty seconds.

We were both panting when we crawled onto the shore. I fell on my back and let the sun warm me up, Gus did the same.

"I just hope she doesn't think this means we're going to be boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Oh, yeah. That would just be terrible. The hottest girl in school being your girlfriend." I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes.

"She's not the hottest." He said defensively.

"Really? Then who is?"

"I don't know." He muttered.

I opened my eyes to look at the sun; it was getting lower in the sky. It was probably around five or six thirty.

"Whatever. When do you want to go back to your house and call her?"

"In about an hour, I guess. I want something to eat though. I'm starved." Must be six, he always gets hungry around then.

"Alrighty lets go get some grub." I took off running. "Race ya!"

"You always win anyway!" Nevertheless, he was already running, trying to get ahead of me.

We ran straight into the kitchen where my mom was finishing cooking some chicken.

"Patty, you read my mind! I was just hoping you were making chicken." Gus loves my mom. Sometimes he slips and calls her mom, but she never minds, he is like a son to her.

"I made it just because I know you like it." We sat at the table and she served us.

"Thanks Mom." I said

"Thanks Patty." Gus said.

"No problem."

"When is dad going to be home?" I said.

"He said he had to work late, so around nine or ten."

"Ok. We're going to go back over to Gus's when were done eating." I said, and then I decided I wanted to pick on him, "He has a date." He flushed.

"Really? Who with?"

"Christina Moore." He answered.

"Oh, she's a nice girl."

"Yeah, but I have to call and see when she wants to go."

"Where are you going?"

"Bowling, I think."

"Well have fun," She turned and walked into the kitchen to clean.

He turned and glared at me. "You suck."

"You were going to tell her sooner or later. Plus, this is pay back for throwing me in the pool." I returned his glare and then went back to eating my chicken.

"When are your parents going to get home? It's, like, seven already." I asked when we were in his room getting ready to call Christina.

"I don't know." He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts. I walked over and lay down on his bed, while he twirled around in his desk chair.

"You should call them first, then." He turned and looked at me.

"Why?"

"Uh, duh, knowing when your parents get home might help with our sleeping arrangements. Your house or mine?"

"Fine." He dialed in his mother's number and was off the phone in a minute. "Not til three or four in the morning." He was upset.

"Your house it is!" I looked into his eyes, "Gus, don't be mad at them. It's their job." I soothed him. His parents invented this super-high-tech security system and they go around selling them, sometimes when their gone for weeks, Gus, and Jake come and stay with me.

"I know, it's just… this is the third time in a row, Andee. And Jake can't stay at Paul's forever." Jake is his little brother. "And who knows if their even going to be here tomorrow, they said the same thing yesterday, and yet-"

I interrupted, "Jake isn't a problem, my mom wouldn't mind watching Jake, and if they didn't do this, Gus, you wouldn't have everything you have." I paused, and then grinned big, "Don't you like hanging with me 24/7?"

"Of course I like being with you!"

"So then quit whining! They'll be back when they get back. Now, let's get you a date."

"Your right, like always. Thanks."

"What are best friends for?"

"What do I say?" he looked down at his phone that had Christina's number on its screen.

"You've done this before…. Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't know." He mumbled.

"Yeah. You. Do."

"Okay! I like Christina; other girls were just dates,"

"Are you saying you want Christina to be your girlfriend? At the buoy-"

"I only said that, because I didn't think you wanted to hear what I really felt."

I rolled my eyes, "Just say what you say to other girls, it's really no different."

"Okay…" He pushed the green button and I could hear the rings from the bed.

"Hello?" Chimed a high and squeaky girl voice.

"Hey Christina. It's Gus."

"Hey! So do you want to go bowling?" I could practically see her jumping up and down at the fact that he called her finally.

"Yeah, I was just calling to see when you wanted to go."

"Tomorrow? Around seven?"

"Perfect. I'll pick you up then."

"Ok. Bye!" He hung up.

"She talks loud; I heard your whole conversation without even trying." I said.

"Be nice. I can't believe I'm going on a date with Christina."

"When did you start liking her? I thought you never called her because you didn't like her."

"I've liked her for about a month now, I never called her because I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Rejection."

I laughed, "Your kidding right?"

"No."

"Seriously?! Girls love you. Why would they reject you?"

"They do? They love me?" He sounded smug.

"Yes. Jeez, smug much?" Why was I getting so irritated with him?

"Sorry. Subject change! So are we really staying over here again?" He always says subject change when he's going to change the subject. Well he does with me.

"Yes. Patty gets mad at my dad when he works late so they'll be arguing. Your house." I sounded pouty. I didn't mean too.

"Oh, okay. I have practice tomorrow, at noon. Are you coming?"

I was thinking about saying I'll think about it, but I love watching him swim. "Yeah, we driving or walking?"

"I want to walk. Is that ok?"

"I want to walk too. So, yeah. Let's go tell Patty we're staying here tonight."

"I'm going to stay here and swim. I feel tense."

"Okay, I'll join you when I get back." I don't know how we got so irritated with each other so fast.

We walked to the backyard together, and then I ran to the gate and to my house while he jumped in the pool.

***

I watched her run out the gate and across the street. She's always been an amazing runner; running is to her as swimming is to me. It's natural.

I can't believe she got mad at me so quickly, I didn't mean to sound smug, but I didn't know girls loved me. She's the only girl I really ever paid attention to.

However, that's going to have to change if Christina and I have a relationship. That means I'll have to split my time between them. This is going to be hard.

I heard the gate shut, but Andee didn't get in the pool right away. I lifted my head slightly in mid stroke and saw her watching me swim. She does that a lot.

She looks so pretty when the sun is setting. Her skin glows and her blonde hair sparkles, her baby blue eyes turn a subtle green.

She smiled a little, took off her shorts, and then started running toward the pool.

Canon ball.

***

He'd kill me if he knew I was thinking this but, he looks beautiful when he swims. It just looks so natural when he does it.

I stood there watching him for a couple of minutes, then ran and did a canon ball.

"Less tense?" I asked, smiling, when he swam up to me. I wasn't irritated anymore, but I didn't know if he was still.

His blue eyes sparkled. "Way."

"I wasn't gone that long, you untense quickly." I laughed at my grammar.

"Well you stood there watching me for, like five minutes." He splashed me with water.

"I didn't know you saw me." I dived under water before he could see me blush. When I thought I was done blushing, I came back up.

We swam in silence for a couple of minutes, thinking quietly to ourselves.

When I went home, my mom was talking to Kyle, my older brother. He's at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He wants to be an engineer. My mom said that he said he misses us all, and he's going to come visit us sometime this summer.

"Gus. Guess what."

"What?"

"Kyle is going to come and visit sometime this summer!"

"That's great! How long has he been gone now?"

"Two years. I've missed him so much."

"Yeah… I'm done swimming. Are you?"

"Yeah," I climbed out of the pool with Gus right behind me. We went inside and went to our rooms.

Yes. I have my very own room at Gus's house. His house had three extra rooms and for my tenth birthday, his parents said I got my very own place in their house. I have clothes over here and random things from my house.

After I got out of my swimming suit, I walked down the hall to Gus's room. He was still in swimming trunks, just dry ones, and hadn't put a shirt on, but he probably won't.

"Knock, knock." I said before walking in.

"Hey." He said while looking down at his phone.

"When do you need to sleep?"

"It's only eight-thirty. I'll probably have to get to bed by ten." He didn't look up from his phone.

"Did someone text you?"

He looked up. "Christina," He smiled.

"While we were swimming?"

"Yeah, I texted her back and told I was swimming with you."

"Gus! Don't tell her you're with me. She'll be mad."

"What? She has to get used to you being around, Andee. You're my best friend. Plus, everyone already knows we spent a lot of time together. It hasn't changed. It won't change."

"Well, yeah. But not the day before your going to go on a date with her."

His phone went off. I read it over his shoulder.

'You two spend a lot of time together, don't you?'

"I told you she would be mad." I gloated.

"You don't know if she's mad or not!"

"Ask her…" He started texting.

'Well, yeah. She's my best friend. Are you mad?'

We didn't talk anymore; we just read the conversation over the phone.

'No… Well, a little.'

I threw a victory smile in his direction.

He sighed and rolled his eyes then went back to texting.

'Why?'

'Well, I really like you, and you're always with Andee. I feel like I might never get any time with you.' He smiled tenderly at what she said, which made me want to punch him in the gut. I wonder why?

'I really like you too. Andee and I are just friends. I can make time for you.'

Then something hit me. I've never been second place to Gus, with everyone else I've been second place. Would that change because of Christina?

I got up slowly and walked out. I felt like I was going to cry.

Gus wouldn't put Christina over me would he? After ten years of friendship? I went to my room, shut the door, sat on my bed with my knees pulled up to my chest, and took deep breaths.

I only got to take two deep breaths before there was a knock at the door.

"Andee? You ok?" Gus's voice was soft.

I got up and opened the door. "Yeah."

"Why'd you leave?" His voice sound hurt.

"I thought I'd let you text her alone."

"You didn't have to leave. You could have just sat on the bed." Yeah, but then I might have ended up crying in front of him.

"Are you done texting her?"

"I can be, if it's upsetting you." He was being truly sincere. This is what I love about Gus, he really cares about me. There's no way he'll put Christina over me. I'm sure of it.

"No, if you want to keep texting her, then go ahead."

"I'll stop." He shut his phone and put it in his pocket. "I'll tell her I fell asleep, tomorrow."

I smiled. "Ok, your choice though."

"Whose room are we going to sleep in tonight?"

"Yours. We slept in mine yesterday."

"Alright. Let's go in there then." I followed him out the door

Even though we each have own rooms in his house we still don't sleep in them without the other. It's kind of redundant, I know, but it's how it's always been, and we're not changing it now.

"I call bed." I said and then plopped down on the floor.

"I guess that's fair, I got bed in your room. But you threw a fit, I'm just more mature." He sat down next to me.

I rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder. "I didn't throw a fit."

"Yes. You did." He rubbed his shoulder where I punched him. "That hurt."

"I didn't even hit you hard." I thought I didn't.

"You're a lot stronger then you think you are, Andee."

"I don't think so, but whatever. What are you going to wear on your date?" I got up off the floor and walked over to his closet, he followed.

"Clothes?"

"What kind of clothes were thinking of?"

"Clean clothes? Oh, wait. Swim trunks and a shirt." That didn't surprise me. He lives in swim trunks from May to August. He has more swim trunks then he has jeans. It's pathetic.

"Wow and a shirt. I thought the only time you wore shirts was during school." I look down at his bare chest.

"Be quiet."

"Sorry. That will look good. Casual, perfect for bowling." I hesitated, and then said, "It's not like you have bad body. You have a perfect body, so you-technically- don't need to wear a shirt."

He blushed. "Thanks; does it bother you that I don't wear a shirt?"

"Why would it? You've never wore a shirt around me. I'm used to it." Plus, we've seen a little more of each other then we have ever wanted to.

He smiled and went to set a bed on the couch in his room. I crawled into the bed.

"Let's play 'Would you rather…'" I suggested.

"Ok, you go first."

"Would you rather… Eat a spider, or be locked in a box full of hornets?"

"Eat a spider at least that would be over fast."

"Okay, I see your point. Your turn."

"Would you rather, swim in a pool full of piranhas, or be trapped on an island with a cougar?"

"Trapped on an island with a cougar."

"Why?"

"Ten piranhas biting you? Or one cougar that would kill you right away? I'd rather die quick so you don't feel the pain."

"Good point."

"Would you rather… Dye your hair hot pink, or wax your whole body?"

"Pink hair. Wax hurts."

I laughed, remembering when he wanted to try waxing his legs. He actually had tears in his eyes. "You would know."

"Yeah. I'm never doing that again." I smiled and then we both yawned.

"Ten o'clock. Bedtime."

"'Night Andee."

"Goodnight Gus."

He got up and turned off the light. Ten minutes later his breathing slowed in pace and he was asleep.

It takes me longer to fall asleep. Normally I can fall asleep in twenty minutes in Gus's bed, but tonight I had a lot on my mind. I looked at the clock on his desk and it read, eleven oh eight.

A/N: Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? Tell me please. And I dont really mind flames, so if you must, go ahead. At least I'll know what I'm doing wrong, right? HA. Wrong, right? Oxymoron. Alright I'm done. Reveiw! :D