Silk and Leather

Part 32: Ash's passion (Lysa's POV part)

I felt upset, cold and my heart was in agony for I had lost the one person who knew the real me. Ash N Burns, at first I thought of him as a run of the mill bad boy who girls wanted to flock towards and yet.... he didn't appear like he was that sort of person. Out of the group he hung out with, he was by far the most quiet and isolated and his strength was almost unmatched whenever a fight broke out. However he didn't mean to hurt anyone willingly, instead he'd render them unable to fight with least amount of damage.

Girls from his class would always say how he's focused on his work in class, to me I found it sickening that a person who stuck around a group of bullies was an advanced student. There was another problem in that this group of bullies weren't like the typical sort, they used blackmail, mind-games and if the point hadn't got through then Max the leader would send Ash to "settle" the situation. Each time Ash held this sad expression on his face, it was like he was in a self conflict over either losing his friends or hurting people, due to his loyalty he chose the former.

Then there was after his accident, first time I saw that walking scorched body it almost drained the air out of my lungs. To think a person could survive such damage to themselves was simply mind boggling, some felt sorry for him whilst others took this as an opportunity for payback. Name calling and glaring gazes forced him to be cut off from all forms of friendship or even conversation. It was soon after he stood up against his former friends did I realize some of the damage effecting his mind.

He'd lose his temper lashing out if he felt cornered, so much so he didn't just render those who fought him unable to do so any further, but even broke a bone or two. During his suspension I found myself becoming more curious on who was really behind that burn scarred face, those eyes alone portrayed so much pain and sorrow.

It's been over a year since that fateful Spring where he opened up to me, first I thought being his friend would be the morally good thing I could do and yet the more I saw his personality, the interaction with his Grandparents and how he coped with the loss of not only his parents but his younger twin sisters also. It shocked me when I first heard of what happened in detail, then my heart was drawn towards him seeing how emotionally torn the effects had left him.

Ash may of been a minor part in the bully circle but deep down he was kind and gentle, although a bit of a thrill seeker with all these points being proven during our two weeks of Summer vacation trip.

Speaking of that, when he confessed at the same time I did I found myself beaming red and funnily enough Ash was more red then me. He actually looked kind of cute, almost every little thing reflected his personality from working hard, a passionate interest in motorcycles, comics and music. But above all his love towards me, it wasn't like most young love for it felt pure. He acted like it was required of him to treat me respectfully, to me it was a little frustrating at times that he wouldn't take charge.

But he wasn't always reckless for numerous times he'd hold the facial expression of deep thought, however it was swift and decisive also. In a way it was like he never acted unless given an order or instruction. Later did I find out from his Grandma that he feared losing someone else, that was evident by his Grandpa's passing for he'd sealed himself off from the outside world.

Dammit just thinking about him makes packing even harder, when I told him of my Mum's promotion oversea's he had all right to be mad, I could tell even by looking at him that he was resisting the urge to lash out violently. I'd seen him heartbroken once after a dumb drunken mistake of mine which resulted in him having a heart attack from stress, anger and pushing his body to the limits. At times I felt like he hated being a lone survivor of that fire.

I can't really blame him for he'd cheated death three times over a span of under five years, but to think I was the reason for him having a heart attack hurt me more then anything else. At first glance he appeared to have a body of iron to survive what happened but he was also fragile as glass underneath.... Fact was I loved him with all my heart, he even bought me the Sylvannas outfit when I couldn't. That by itself hurt as I began to pack it into my suitcase even if my Mum disliked it, I want something to remember him by.