I had to blink twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Ashton Hart was here. At my school.
When I finally gave up on trying to believe that I wasn't seeing straight, I laid my head down resting between my legs finally accepting Ashton was here. In my school.
I refused to life my gaze up. I didn't even know what to say or do. He was still standing there looking at me while I tried not to give him the slightest glance. This was awkward.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, still not lifting my gaze up at him.
Most people would say I'm stubborn, but I had my pride. Pride that was more valuable than a walking terd bag. Much more valuable.
"I go here now." he replied, giving me his low voice that any girl would find sexy. Except me. I'll admit, his low voice was perfectly matched with his looks, but I'm not fazed by that. I've had plenty of experiences like this.
"When did you even start going here?" I finally lifted my head to stare at him. "How long have you been attending this school?" I added.
He opens his mouth to say something, but Mitch comes over wrapping his arm around Ashton's neck.
"Sup new kid," He looks at me and bows, "Robin." I roll my eyes and get my earphones out to start walking home. Luckily, some of the throbbing pain in my legs had gone away during my resting, not all of it. But I would be leaving this conversation in a heartbeat.
But then something stopped me and I arched an eyebrow at Mitch and Ashton.
"New kid?" I questioned and Ashton nodded his head. I wanted to puke.
The new kid was Ashton. My target was Ashton. I had to make this dick bag fall for me in two months. I had to get a kiss from him, two dates, and he had to ask me to be his girlfriend.
Abso-fucking-lutely not. I would rather swallow the puke that would escape from my throat if I even had any. Then again, there wouldn't be any puke.
I had only had water today and the only food item I had was a protein bar. It was absolutely disgusting, but it was better than making cereal and eating all that sugar I tried to lose. Since I hadn't been going to the gym lately, starving myself was the other solution.
I held the imaginary puke I wish I had to get me out of this mess and breathed in normally.
"So you both coming to my Halloween party?"
I shook my head, as much as I love extremely loud music blasting in my ears, no I'm not being sarcastic, I would stay away from Mitch's parties. Mostly people there were drunk or getting laid.
Those were basically parties to me. Getting drunk and arrested or swiping your v-card to the cash register. Two people had left the school because they got pregnant, and kept getting harassed because of it. Parties were honestly stupid if you ask me.
But I'm just saying this because I'm opinionated. I have nothing against a no-strings attached relationship or a "fuck buddies" relationship. I'm just saying I wouldn't go to a party just to lose my virginity.
Something I wish I still had. That, and dignity if in being honest.
"Aw, that's a shame." Mitch says, disappointed. I shoot a nervous smile at him and plugged my earphones in my ears.
"Hart?"
Mitch faces Ashton and he shrugs. "I'm kind of being forced to by the other guys and specifically you." Ashton arched an eyebrow at Mitch when he said you.
"Well have fun."
I plug my earphones in my phone and begin walking away from them while the music blasts in my ears.
"Hey Banks!" Yells Mitch and I turn around groaning.
"What?" I snap, taking one earphone out.
"See you there." He winks and walks away and I'm left standing there with a blank expression.
When I graduate, I'm moving to Switzerland. Hopefully I'll never have to see or look at Mitch ever again. Oh that would be like Paradise.
I roll my eyes and plug my earphones back into my ears and continue walking. As I'm walking, a text from Blaze pops up at the top of my phone and I click on it.
"Hey, need anything?"
"What makes you think I need something?"
I raised an eyebrow at her reply.
"You never text me at this time unless there's an emergency or you need something."
"Taking notes I see."
"Jotting them down, always."
"Well, I need a place to stay."
"Why is that?"
"Jason got a DUI with Stephanie in the car and now he and Stephanie are at the police station."
I shook my head. Blaze never called her parents, parents. She always used their names because of how much she hated them. Her dad was an alcoholic and her mom always fought with her dad. Her parents were screwed up and manipulative.
If I was Blaze, I wouldn't even say my parents named either.
"Can't you still stay at your house?"
"Long story, don't wanna talk about it right now."
"Uh okay? I'm walking to my house right now; I'll meet you there."
"Alright, I'll explain everything when I'm more comfortable talking about it later."
"Sounds good."
I completely understood why Blaze wouldn't straight up tell me. She had trust issues, but also opened up to those who she trusted. It had to be something serious and bad if Blaze refused to tell me. It was the only logical reason.
I found myself wishing I had some trust in people, problem was my mind set has always been "every man for themselves" and "trust no one." I lived that way. The only true person you can trust is yourself, I mean yourself isn't going to judge you. Not usually for me.
I put my music back on and jogged to my house. I passed cars, people on bikes, some on scooters, others walking or jogging like me, and some people with motorcycles. Man I would do anything to get a motorcycle or to even ride one.
As I jogged, the breeze hit me, feeling at home with myself and my body. I stopped when I saw the gym I usually went to, but Blaze was probably already waiting for me at my house.
I may be a bitch, but I'm a pretty selfless person. Usually. I can be loyal to those I know who are loyal and trustworthy back, like Blaze. She was one of the few people I trusted.
And that's saying a lot for someone who's secretive and has trust-issues.
I may not tell her my secrets and hide them her, but that doesn't mean I don't trust her. It's me. I can trust myself, but it's my actions that make me think otherwise. Sometimes I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing, I've always had a twisted mind.
One that was messed and screwed up by people. People like my parents and their lack of love and affection, and people like..him.
I tried to forget about it multiple times after past events we experienced, but it seemed almost impossible. After meeting Ashton, he practically brought the guy I tried to forget for two years back from my nightmares.
I knew it wasn't healthy to keep all my emotions inside, but I knew it wasn't also wasn't healthy to depend on people.
It's not good to keep things to yourself nor be dependent on others. More than yourself. My sister had always given me advice and since I hadn't seen her in a year, I realized I needed her advice more than anything. But she was 5,336 miles away at London perusing her dream career.
I opened my door and walked in, immediately looking around for Blaze, but was disappointed to see no Blaze for that matter in my sight.
Sighing, I let myself fall on the couch as I waited for what felt like a millennium. When I checked the clock, only fifteen minutes had past and I couldn't wait any longer.
I was way too impatient for my being.
Finally, the door swung open and in the middle of it was Blaze. I got up and glared at her.
"What took you so fucking long!" I yelled, staring at her straight in the eye.
She sighed and came inside, surprisingly with Parker behind her. I arched an eyebrow at her and Parker. Blaze stood there staring at me while Parker dug his hands in his pockets, looking away.
Something was definitely up.
Between Parker and Blaze, Blaze was much better at lying and hiding something than Parker. She could look someone straight in the Eye, and lie while making it look convincing.
I could spot a liar from a mile away.
The only way I could tell something was off was when she bit her lip in nervousness.
I eyed her, waiting to see her bite her lip and after a couple if seconds she did. I folded my arms and continued staring at Blaze.
"I thought I was only expecting one person."
Gesturing to Blaze by looking at her, and Parker continued looking away. Never facing me nor Blaze.
"As I said, it's a long story that we-," She quickly stopped and cleared her throat, "that I didn't want to talk about."
Parker glanced at her and Blaze looked back at him in return. I sighed.
"You guys can tell me whenever, but for now I got some homework to throw away." I said, grabbing some assignments in my backpack and crunching them into a ball, then throwing them across the room into the trash can. I even surprised myself when I made the shot.
I continued grabbing some paper as Blaze sat herself down on the couch. Parker went into my kitchen, as he always does, and grabbed a bottle of water in the fridge. I sat next to Blaze as she rested her head on my shoulder.
She kept taking large breaths and I saw some sweat coming from her forehead and furrowed my eyebrows.
It was October which was fall. Where we lived was freezing and inside was only a bit warmer. I swiped some sweat off her forehead with the back of my hand and looked over at her.
Don't tell me I'm right.
"Did you run here?" I questioned, hoping my thoughts wouldn't be right.
She sat up, removing her head from my shoulder and shook her head.
"Well your foreheads sweating."
"I'm just nervous." she replied.
I could practically hear the hint of fear so she wasn't wrong, but it wasn't the full truth. She was hiding something and we both knew she couldn't lie to me. I was basically a walking lie detector.
"Shouldn't your palms be sweating," I questioned. "Or your arm pits?" I added.
She furrowed her eyebrows, giving me her confused expression. "I thought your forehead would start sweating from nerves." She lied, while biting her lip.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh huh." I wasn't buying anything she was saying for the most part, she was nervous, but she wasn't exactly telling the whole truth. And I started getting angry because she knew I wasn't believing her.
Parker came over to us and sat on my other side and drank his water, avoiding my contact and Blaze's. Something is definitely up and I was confirmed when I heard Blaze gulp.
Keep in mind, Blaze is never the nervous, uneasy type. So it's weird when she just suddenly acts weird.
I clenched both fists, pushing myself off the couch.
I cleared my throat, "Alright, what's up? I don't want to be pushy or baggy, but you both are acting weird. Especially you Blaze." I looked at Blaze at the end of my sentence.
Parker looked up at me. "How are we acting weird?" He asked. I groaned.
"You guys can tell me whenever and whatever, but when you both start acting eccentric it gets me thinking." I say, clenching both my fists.
Blaze got up. "There's a party happening a few blocks down, Parker and I are going." Blaze asked, changing the subject. Parker got up and went to the door, holding the door handle. "You wanna come?"
I sighed. I wanted to push the conversation and find out what was going on between them, but realized it was better to let them or one of them tell me rather than pushing.
I dropped the conversation we just having and shook my head. "You know how I feel about parties."
Blaze nodded as she and Parker started heading out the door, but then my twisted mind started thinking.
If I was went there with them, I could ask Blaze or Parker about whatever they're hiding while they're drunk. And I knew they would drink their problems away since the situation seems to be serious.
Yes I knew it was wrong to take advantage of someone's state like that, but I had my twisted mind set and the curiosity beaming in my head that told me otherwise.
I sighed as I quickly ran to the door and opened it and yelled out, "Give me two minutes!"