savior

seventeen

DAY FOURTEEN; SEVENTEEN DAYS TO GO

I woke up on my own the next morning, instead of using an alarm on my phone like usual. It felt good to have a day to sleep in and relax. But I knew I couldn't relax all day. At least, not by myself. In order to learn even more about Ashton, I had to interact with him, and going over to his apartment would be the best way to do that. I had no clue what floor he lived on, though, or even the letter of the room.

For a second, I thought about calling him, but it was ten o'clock in the morning. He could've been sleeping still. If it wasn't for the sunlight peeking through my window, hitting me in the face, I would be, too.

I removed the covers from my body and instantly got cold. The air conditioner must have been set to a lower temperature. I tugged on a comfortable pair of jeans and a baggy tee, throwing my pajamas into the dirty clothes hamper.

It was well into October. As I stared out of the window, I couldn't help but look at all of the scenery in awe. The trees continued to change into more colorful patterns. The view I had was mesmerizing. That was one reason I liked being close to the top floor of the apartment building.

For most of the morning, I sat in the living room watching cartoons. I had eaten some frozen waffles that I found in the fridge, and enjoyed them coated with syrup, just the way I liked it. As I flipped to my favorite show, I drowned myself in a two liter of Pepsi. There was nothing more unhealthy than that.

By eleven-thirty, I was bored and decided that I needed someone to hang out with. I dialed Ashton's number into my phone. He answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey?" he said groggily into the phone. I instantly felt guilty. He was probably still asleep.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" I asked, throwing a hand to my forehead in embarrassment. Sometimes I could be such a loser. "I could call back later." I threw my legs up onto the couch, crossing them. I was about to hang up, but I heard Ashton say something before I could click the button.

He was laughing. I had to admit, he sounded really hot when he just woke up. Oh God, I was beginning to sound just like Anna. "Well, I'm already awake, aren't I?" I heard shuffling on the other line, the sound of his comforter moving as he sat up. "What's goin' on?"

"I'm, uh, well—I'm sitting in front of the television with a giant bottle of soda, being as unhealthy as can be. And I'm super bored, too," I said, sort of fumbling with my words. I heard him chuckle quietly on the other side of the phone call. "Kaitlynn's not here. I've got no one to hang out with."

"Wait. You guys like each other?" he asked, puzzled.

I almost laughed at that. It must have been super evident that Kaitlynn and I previously hated each other. We didn't try to hide it. I didn't think he'd actually catch on. "Was it that obvious that we didn't before?"

"Sort of," he mumbled. "Hey, uh, if you're suggesting that the two of us hang out, then I don't mind. Let me get dressed and we can meet up somewhere, alright?"

"Sure," I answered. Ashton hung up.

So, I sat there for a few minutes, staring at the television as I waited for Ashton to get ready. To be honest, I was kind of excited to be spending the day with him. We didn't have any distractions. We could be together all day. I smiled at the thought. I'd get to learn more about him without having to think about coming home to finish a homework assignment.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Meet me on the roof? ~Ash

I didn't have the energy to reply to him. I didn't even have the energy to get up. The Pepsi I had consumed definitely was not a good desicion. But I got up anyways, in order to get what I wanted. Information. I needed it. It sounded like I was taking advantage of him, but hey, if this thing is going to work, I had to.