Ashley rushed down to Mr. Andy's office; his reaction was the least of her worries.
She didn't have a plan.
She didn't know what to say.
She just ran as her legs took her.
The walk to the office felt longer than usual, and her heart kept pounding.
All she could think of was Mr. Andy.
When she finally arrived in front of the office, she took a deep breath.
Now or never, she hoped to just go in and tell him how she felt.
**Deep breath**
As soon as she opened the door, Ashley froze.
Was she dreaming?
In the corner stood Mr. Andy and Lily.
They were hugging in what seemed like a romantic way.
Ashley felt like she dipped her feet in ice water.
She took a few steps back, still watching the two in disbelief, struggling to breathe.
Her eyes blinked continually before she ran away in tears.
***
Andy felt a presence at the door.
Immediately, he stepped out to check who it was.
"Wait. Lily…"
On getting to the door, he spotted a female silhouette disappearing into a corner.
He didn't see her face but sensed it was Ashley.
So he ran after her.
***
Ashley wanted to die.
She ran without any direction as her heart shattered into a million pieces.
She felt her knees buckle as she got weaker and weaker.
Ahhhh…
Ashley screamed as she was about to stop running when she noticed Mr. Andy, who was running after her.
No, no, no. She started to run again.
Truth be told...
Ashley had no idea when she ran into a restricted area leading into a forest from the school's field.
But Mr. Andy was still hot on her trail, "Ashley, Ashley."
What was that?
A pit?
Ashley realised the hole in front of her too late because of the tears she had on her eyes.
She was about to run off into the pit when she felt a hand dragging her back.
"What are you doing? Do you really want to die? Jezz, why were you running so much, and gosh, you're fast," Mr. Andy said, trying to catch his breath.
He looked into Ashley's eyes and it was full of tears that streamed down her welling with tears.
Her eyes were blood red, and her teeth chattered.
"What's happening? Why are you crying?" Mr. Andy asked.
Ashley couldn't hold it any longer…
She immediately burst into tears, falling to the ground, while Mr Andy stared at her in utter surprise.
He was about to lift her in comfort when she shouted,
"Don't touch me! You want to know why I was running, right?" She stood up, giving him a hostile glare.
"I was running because of you. I saw you and Miss Lily in your office when you were" Ashely couldn't continue as she cried uncontrollably.
"Ashley, it's not what you think. You know Lily and I are friends. I was comforting her, and it was just a hug." Mr. Andy tried to defend himself.
"Just a hug? Didn't you ever think of how much it would have affected me?" Ashley said it in rage.
Affect her? Mr. Andy struggled to understand her words.
"Ashley, what are you saying? Why will it affect you? It's your imagination picking on you. Let's go back now." He held her hand to take her back, but she withdrew it immediately.
"It's not my imagination, Mr. Andy. She has no right to be near you like that," Ashley replied.
Mr Andy soon noticed the scary look in her eyes and the tone in which she spoke to him.
He became worried and, at the same time, scared at her intrusive behaviour.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Ashley? You're confusing me."
"Isn't it quite obvious already? Stop acting like you're oblivious when you know how much I love you. So then, why did you hug her? You shouldn't have done that, Mr. Andy. Why did you hug her like that?" Ashley said.
Hearing those words from Ashley's mouth sent an electrifying jolt through his body.
He froze in one spot as everything became clearer and sank in.
"Mr. Andy, please open your eyes to see the truth in front of you." She walked closer to him, held his hands, and continued...
"I love you, Mr. Andy. I really do love you." With that, she held his face and leaned closer to him.
There were no awkward pauses, no second thoughts, and no worries as her lips brushed his softly, delicately, like butterfly wings.
Just long enough that he could inhale her breath and feel the warmth of her skin.
What?
Mr Andy tried to push her away…
But she held on to him even tighter, and soon Andy gave in to the temptation.
He returned the energy and soon they were locked in a deep kiss.
Ashley felt like she was in a movie…
The birds sang and the trees danced from the howling of the wind.
He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her closer while she held him by the collar as the kissing intensified.
Ashley slowly pulled her lips out.
She opened her eyes to see that Mr. Andy's eyes were still closed, and they both felt each other's breath.
Ashley stared at Mr Andy, who looked like he was lost in thoughts, till he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Ashley, who gave him a shy smile.
It was the best kiss she ever had.
Ashley expected him to smile back at her…
But the next thing Andy did shocked her to the core.
Andy pushed her to the floor.
Ashley hit the cold, hard floor, still in shock.
Mr Andy stared at her with anger.
What was wrong?
"Why would you...?"
Before she could finish her sentence,
Mr. Andy stormed away.
She watched him leave, unable to say a word.
No, she wanted to know... Did something happen?
Ashley ran after him but couldn't keep up.
She got to his office but couldn't find him.
Where is he?
Ashley searched all corners of the school, but she couldn't find him.
"Where did he go? Where do I search?" were the questions Ashley asked herself.