leave him // a.i {au}

04

hi, just so you know I've changed this story into third person, I went and edited the previous chapters to fit but nothing else has changed so there's no need to go back and retread. enjoy xx zoe

flashback

Ashton was now pacing in his kitchen because Stevie was on her way over. Nothing was going to happen between them but working on Ashton's biology project but he was still scared shitless.

In biology class, she had kept sitting down next to him. He wasn't sure why all of a sudden she was doing so, but it boosted his confidence.

"What are you doing?" his younger brother Harry asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Nothing!" Ashton snapped as a heard was knock at the door. "Now do whatever you were going to do in here and then stay in your room!" Ashton was supposed to babysitting Harry and his sister Lauren while his mom was at work. He was also not supposed to have any visitors.

Ashton opened the door to reveal Stevie dressed in patterned leggings and what he guessed was a sports bra under a zip up hoodie, a bit of her toned stomach showing. "Hey, sorry I didn't have time to change. I came right from practice."

"It's fine," he smiled as he motioned for her to come inside. They took seats at the kitchen table, where Ashton had his poster board set out along with the biology text book and a notebook.

"Good start," she smiled, setting her red backpack down on the floor next to her chair.

"Yeah," he chuckled, as she scooted her chair closer to Ashton's. As she leaned over him to grab the textbook, he could smell her flowery perfume overtaking his senses.

"Sorry," she said as she plopped back onto her chair. She flipped through the book until she found the page she wanted. "Ok, so you want to diagram it like this," she pointed to a figure in the book. "Do you have a permanent marker?"

"Yeah, somewhere I think." He stood up, stumbling over his feet. Ashton mentally face palmed himself as he made his way down the hall to his mom's office space. He dug through her drawer and finally found a marker. He made my way back to the kitchen where Stevie was now talking to Harry.

"What are you doing?" Ashton snapped at his brother.

Harry shrugged. "I got thirsty," he held up a glass of water.

"He was just telling me about that football video game. I think my brother plays it, but I can't for the life of me remember the name."

"FIFA," Harry said rolling his eyes. "I'm gonna go play it now," he sauntered off.

"Sorry about that, I told him to stay in his room," Ashton apologized for Harry interrupting.

"It's totally ok, he seems nice. Did you find the marker?" she asked and he handed it to her. She began to draw various lines on the poster board and Ashton watched, entranced by her concentration.

They worked for an hour and a half, almost completing Ashton's project. Stevie did most of the work, Ashton only giving her the needed information. She seemed so carefree and willing to help him. He wanted to know more about her, he wanted to know everything.

"Hey, so I was wondering if you wanted to come see my gymnastics meet? It's on Thursday night, but if you're busy that's ok." She was standing up and grabbing her backpack to sling over her shoulder.

"Uh, I work right after school, what time is it at?" Ashton couldn't believe that she wanted him to go to her meet. He had never been to a sporting event for school, probably because he had little to no school spirit.

"Seven," she smiled.

"I get done at 6:30, so perfect," he told her and began to walk her to the front door. "Thanks for helping me. I don't think I could've finished it without you," Ashton told her honestly. He had been dreading this project for so long, but Stevie made it enjoyable.

"It was nothing. I'll see you tomorrow?" She placed her hand on his arm, sending goosebumps throughout his body. Ashton nodded, unable to speak from their contact.

"Was that your girlfriend?" Harry asked as Ashton passed by his room, the door open. He was playing video games, the controller gripped tightly in his small hands.

"No," Ashton snapped. "And don't tell mom she was here either." He slammed the door to his room, frustrated that Harry had come downstairs. Stevie had seemed fine with it, but it still bothered him. He liked her and didn't want that getting out and ruining the friendship he was developing with her.

***

Ashton got lost finding the right gym where the gymnastics meet was. He wandered nervously inside, finding the bleachers filled with students and adults. There was equipment set up around the gym floor. He found a seat, a bit off to the side and looked around for Stevie. He found her next to the bar wearing a purple and silver leotard, her hair pulled into a tight bun on her head. She looked so captivating that Ashton couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She caught his eye and smiled, waving to him. Ashton gave her a little wave back, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

The meet started and he watched as the teams competed on various events that he had no idea the names of. They could all move in ways that Ashton didn't think possible, but it was very interesting to watch. Once it was done, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to wait to talk to Stevie or just leave. She was talking with her coach and teammates, so he decided it was best to leave.

"Ashton!" he heard Stevie call as he was exiting the gym. Ashton knew it was her because he would recognize her voice anywhere, it was already committed to his memory. He stopped walking and turned to find her jogging across the gym. "I'm so happy you could make it," she smiled, surprising Ashton by wrapping her arms around him. He responded by loosely hugging her back.

"It was cool. I really enjoyed it," he told her when she let go.

"I have to get back to the team. We always do a bonding thing after meets, but I wanted to thank you for coming," she said, waving to him as she rushed back to the girls waiting for her on the other end of the gym. Ashton couldn't help but watch her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his skinny jeans.