leave him // a.i {au}

31

present day

Over the next few days, Kaylee waited for Ashton to call her. She knew he was angry, but had hope that he would change his mind and take her back. She even contemplated calling him herself and telling him what Bailey knew about her.

She was holding her phone in her hands with his contact up, her finger hovering over the call button when a call came in. Her heart leaped in her chest, thinking that it was Ashton. But it wasn't. It was Stevie.

"Hello?" she answered, not feeling in the mood to help with wedding plans.

"Something bad has happened and I think it's all my fault," she said.

"What do you mean?" Kaylee was completely confused, having no idea what her friend was talking about.

"It's Ashton. He's in the hospital," she explained, causing Kaylee to drop her phone out of shock. She was worried, having developed strong feelings for him over the past weeks, even though she never planned to. "Kaylee? Are you still there?"

After a few seconds, Kaylee picked her phone back up. "Yeah," she sighed. "Why is it your fault he's in the hospital? What even happened?"

"Well, he came over and punched Aaron and I...kind of...yelled at him. He was in a terrible mood and in no condition to drive. I shouldn't be so mad at him, he might never wake up." Stevie began to sob.

"Stevie, calm down. I'm on my way over," she said, not letting herself think much about it. She didn't want to think of Ashton never waking up or that he was mad at her the last time she saw him.

***

"Where's Aaron?" Kaylee asked after Stevie explained how Ashton's car was found smashed into an oak tree. She had noticed that there was a different vibe in Stevie's house, as though something had changed or was missing.

"He, uh, he left. When he found out I had visited Ash in the hospital, he flipped. He went on this whole long rant about how he thought I was still in love with him and that he couldn't trust me anymore. Maybe it's for the best," she shrugged. "Maybe he really is an asshole."

"Oh, Stevie," Kaylee said, giving her a hug and rubbing her back. "You've had a few days from hell haven't you?" Stevie nodded into her friend's shoulder. "Can we visit him?"

"Yeah, but only one person is allowed in the room at a time. For awhile, only his mom and Harry and Lauren could visit him but they lifted that yesterday."

"I don't know if I should visit him though. He's mad at me..." Kaylee slowly told her.

"Mad? Why?" Now it was Stevie's turn to be confused.

"He found out that I've been keeping secrets from him."

"Secrets? What kind of secrets?"

"It's a long story," she sighed. "And I'm not sure you want to know."

"Just spit it out, Kaylee. We're best friends, we should be able to be honest with each other."

She sighed again, deciding that she was going to tell Stevie everything. "First of all, Bailey's been threatening me because she's keeping a secret of her own, but if I tell you my secret it won't matter when I tell you hers."

"It honestly doesn't surprise me that she's blackmailing you," she shook her head and waited for Kaylee to continue.

"A couple years ago, we stayed at your house over spring break remember?" Stevie nodded. "I was trying to find a way to get back at you because you stole Aaron from me. It seems so ridiculous now," Kaylee shook her head. "I had told you a couple of times about the cute guy I'd seen around campus and that his name was Aaron. I ran into him at a party, one that you didn't go to because you were sick and we fooled around. He asked me out that night, but then a week later you introduced me to him as your boyfriend. You had to have known it was the same person because I told you when I got home that night. But anyway, I didn't say anything. I just let it go for awhile until we stayed at your house. Aaron had come back with us as well and it seemed like you were spending all of your time with him."

"Kaylee, I honestly had no idea," Stevie said, but a look had crossed her face that told Kaylee she did.

"Let me finish. One day while you were out, I snuck into your room and started snooping for a way to get back at you. You were always such a private person at school, hiding everything about your past. But I found a whole box of things from your past relationship with Ashton. I made it my mission to find him and be with him to make you jealous. It took me forever to find him though and I never meant to develop actual feelings for him. I just wanted to make you feel the way you made me feel. I wanted to steal him away from you and make sure you'd never have him again."

Stevie was stunned. She had no idea that Kaylee could be so deceptive and manipulative. "So you've been using Ashton this whole time? Do you really think I would care if he was with you if you truly loved each other? And if you truly had feelings for Aaron way back when, you should've told me."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now. We have bigger things to worry about."

"What could be bigger than you manipulating a boy that's now in a coma and could die?"

"Aaron is the one that got Bailey pregnant. He cheated on you with your sister."

"God, why is everyone out to get me?"

"Did you ever think because you bring it on yourself? You always presented yourself as perfect and above everyone else. You were the captain and top performer on the gymnastics team while being the valedictorian in both high school and university. You flaunted your money and how you could go out and buy just about anything as well as flaunting your relationship with Aaron."

"Get out," Stevie seethed. No one had ever told her that she was self-righteous or selfish and arrogant, but maybe she was. Maybe she deserved everything that was being handed to her. 

please vote and comment (: xx zoe