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My services are a hundred bucks I know that seeuy here I’m worth it I promise I take fifty dollars up front and fifty after You don’t pay the post fee if you don’t get the guy (it’s never happened) I’ll give you instructions later on how to pay What I need you to do is decide if you want to continue If so, I really need you to think about which of those girls you are and let et a personalized plan of action, so I need to know about who you are and a little about the guy No names Make up some kind of code nauy can only take so much) I don’t need to know his date of birth, hair color and favorite thing to do on a first date or anything I’ basics here

Hope to hear from you soon

Hook-up Doctor

Pushing out of my chair, I pulled a t-shirt over uitar One clean shirt later, I was out the door, jogging down the stairs, and hoping to make it out of the house before—

“Sebastian Dale Hawkins! Where are you going? I told you Roger was coht He really wants to

My molared ather “Courtney’s Dance Studio” shirt Yes, ht dance, but not the sleazy kind If I had a dollar for every time someone made a wise crack about it, I wouldn’t need to be The Hook-up Doctor at all

“Ma, why does he want tofor a daddy” IShe uy and we had to play house After seventeen years, I was pretty sick of it

“Because he’s a nice guy? Because we’re in a serious relationship, and you’re ht be the one” My et her way Or, hell,I’d file that bit of infor I could use as The Hook-up Doctor

I had to say, she knehat she was doing My et what they want, I obviously learned from the best But after a while, I also learned how to say no to her “I can’t You knoould, but I have this project I have to work on with Aspen I’ht now”

“Why are you going there? I know she’d rather be over here than snacking on tofu burgers at her house”

It’s hard to bullshit a bull-shitter By the way Mo what I tried to sell her “I’ ” She gaveeyes that made it hard to lie to her

“Next time?” she pleaded

“Sure” I let the lie roll off uy What was the point? The four husbands before him weren’t the one, and I doubted he was either Still, I pulled her into a hug, because I knew she’d just let uy and I lovelike a mama’s boy

After a quick squeeze, she finally let ht before the last week of school Going out with your friends would have been a ” My mom winked at me

I’m an idiot

I pulled on my Vans and slipped out It took me about thirty seconds to walk two doors down to Aspen’s Her house was the only one on the block painted a different color Her front door was orange Who would do that?

I raised my hand to knock, but her mom pulled it open before my fist came in contact with the door And here was the very person ould have an orange front door

“Co,” she whispered, and I fought soe “Sneak up stairs Aspen is in her room—unless, you need to be centered? I’m sure Phil wouldn’t mind if you joined him” She smiled all hopeful-like and I really hated to deflate her excite centered

With a shake of one to herHer rooate was always unlocked Aspen has begged me a million times to hike the side of thethe front door I think her parents embarrassed her, and I could see why, but it always felt too Dawson’s Creek for me The fact that I knew a show that had been off the air for years, well enough to know clih her as too Dawson/Pacey-like, er hell no I blaht have to start rethinking the Spider shui or cli a damn trellis

Aspen’s door was half open, so instead of knocking, I slipped it open slowly, pulled sorabbed her shoulders “Boo!”

“Ahh!” She jumped, slammed her laptop closed and whirled around, her honey-brown ponytail flying out and alave me that pissed-off Aspen look, and I kneas screwed “What the hell, Sebastian! You scared the crap out of me”

Yeah, I kneas a punk, but I couldn’t help it I laughed “That was classic You looked like you were going to pee your pants” She punched hed louder

“Shut up” She leaned backward against her desk, with a hand on her laptop

“Don’t pout, Woodstock You can’t help that I’m stealthy as a ninja”

She pushed past ers my way as she picked up her cell phone off the bedside table I ignored her dirty looks and flopped down on her bed, kicking my feet up on the purple comforter “We should probably wait a few , and your et me to do it, too I’m sure she wouldn’t let you escape quite as easily as she did me”

“See! That’s why I tell you to come in theAll you had to do is climb that lazy butt of yours up the side of the house, let me know you were here, and then I could have snuck out Now she’ll be watching for me” Aspen sat down at the foot of her bed She was a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, but when she leaned over to tie her shoes, I caught a gliht above her jeans that hadfor the first time what she’d look like if she decided to show a little ain

I didn’t like her because—well, I didn’t really do the whole “like” thing I did the fun thing, and I didn’t think Aspen would be down for that There ay too many chicks in the proverbial sea to ruin a friendship for a sliver of skin, anyway “Oh, I see So I have to scale your house, and you get to sneak out the front door?”