Sneak up on Me

Chapter 14

14

"Omigod don't kill me," Ash squeaks, cowering under his raised arms as Shawna looks on with raised eyebrows and an intense look. 

Awkwardly I shuffle my feet and bring my gaze up to meet her's from where it was resting on the floor of the doorstep. 

"Heyyyyy......" I say sheepishly, attempting a weak smile. 

"What's up?"

"Oh nothing much," she replies with a piercing stare, crossing her arms even tighter across her chest. 

"Oh well that's good then," Ash interjects while lowering his arms to his sides and peering curiously at us. Both Shawna and I turn slowly together to give him a bank, disbelieving stare, and he cautiously takes a step backwards, which is when I notice James is no longer behind me. 

"Yeah," she continues, "I wasn't doing anything when I went to your apartment to tell you something and you weren't there. I wasn't doing anything either when I ran all around town looking for you 2 idiots. And I certainly wasn't doing anything when I saw your credit card bill for a plane ticket to England, got one of my own and then flew straight here," she finishes, putting her hands on her hips and glaring down at us. 

I open my mouth to make some sort of excuse, but she sticks out her hand and covers it before I can say a word. 

"I'll deal with you later," she says and takes a step down to that she's only slightly taller than Ash, who is looking up at her with masked fear in his eyes. 

"I'm not scared of you," he says. "I'm a grown man who made a spontaneous decision to go to England, and I don't regret it!"

"Is that so?" She replies.

"Ummm....." Ash stalls, looking around for assistance from me, but finding none. "It... Yes... Yes it is!" He finally spits out, finding his courage, and then apparently losing it again as he raises his arms slightly in defense. 

Shawna tilts her head to the side and looks at him with an expression of part amusement and part consideration before slowly bending, putting her hands on her knees, leaning forward, and shouting right in Ash's face. 

"BOO!!!" She yells, causing Ash to stumble backwards in surprise, and then to turn and run around the corner of the house. But after a second he stumbles back into view, being dragged by the collar by James. 

I look questioningly at him, and he shrugs. 

"I knew that if Ash was as paranoid as you made him out to be then he would try to run. I waited and then caught him," he explains with a smug smile on his face and a defeated Ash hanging from his fist.

Snorting and looking at Ash with an expression of dislike, Shawna grabs my arm tightly, pulls me through the door and then locks it before the boys even know what's going on. 

Almost immediately they begin banging on the door and yelling for us to unlock it and let them in. 

"Who the hell are you to just show up at my house and then lock me out of it?!" James shouts through the mail slot. 

"Yeah?! Who are you?!" Ash yells. "You big ol' s-"

"Shut up!" James reprimands. "You're not helping!"

"But-"

"No you're no-" 

"Just let me say something!" Ash spits and then pushes James off the porch, and the sound of exchanging slaps follows. 

"Idiots," Shawna mutters and begins to pull me towards the stairs.

"Wait, wait, wait," I say and sit down on the floor.