Lydia snorted lightly at the claim. She was definitely in denial about Jason, but she wasn't about to admit it. Secretly, she was happy to hear Ava say she was too good for him. It was nice to have a supportive friend, even if they cut down your crush in the process. 
	Her laugh at the 'Hoodie Queen' comment morphed into a gasp as Ava challenged her to the race. 
	"Hey, no fair!" Lydia didn't remember how winded she was until she started running again. "I ran all the way here!"
	The houses on Jason's block were smaller and less uniform than the houses on Ava's block. Several homes had the garage doors wide open, with spaces so packed, they resembled garbage cans spilling over. A small terrier barked at the girls as they ran by, and a middle aged man with a newspaper waved at them in passing. Either that, or he shook his fist. Lydia ran faster when she couldn't decide which.
	 When she could no longer make out the shapes of Ava's temporary tattoos, Lydia decided to throw in the towel. "Okay, Ava! You win!" she yelled to her, waving her arms over her head to obtain her attention. "I give up!" Her face was hot and sticky, her baseball cap was askew, and her skin felt uncomfortably clammy underneath her too-warm clothes.
	She was beginning to reconsider her choice of attire when she froze. No more than three paces away stood a mailbox. A tall, simple, crooked mailbox. A mailbox that happened to have the name "BENNETT" scrawled on the side in red paint.
	Lydia felt a wave of embarrassment crash over her. This was bad for many reasons. It looked way too suspicious that she end the race so close to where Jason lived -- plus she was yelling and making a scene, as if she wanted to make her presence known. The only thing working in her favor was the fact that Jason's motorcycle was gone, as she predicted it would be.
 	Her prediction was wrong.
 	The garage door lifted with a screech of rusted gears and aging metal.  
 	Lydia didn't dare look to see who it was, but the voice confirmed her fears.
 	"Well, if it isn't Lydia Prescott." Jason's eyes gleamed with amusement. He added a bulky bag of garbage to the can near the porch, dropping the lid nosily. The terrier started barking again in the distance.
	"And company," Jason acknowledged Ava with a sly smirk, his combat boots thudding against the asphalt as he approached the end of the Bennett driveway. 
	Lydia felt herself die a little. She wasn't sure if she was glad or horrified Ava was there. She shot a sideways glance in her direction, giving the smallest, stiffest shake of her head. The 'don't-you-dare-embarrass-me' look most friends ignored. 
	"Let me guess," Jason leaned against the already-leaning mailbox, arms folded across his chest. "You ladies were hoping to see my new motorcycle."