Nothing To Prove

4 Why Should I Care?

Ashton

"Stacy. Why?" Sam said as I lowered her down. "Do you know someone else who got engaged today?"

Stacy? The name shocked me like a bullet. This couldn't be the same Stacy. There was no way.

"Is this a joke?" I tried to read her face, which blinked at me with equal confusion. I backed away, my pulse steaming in my throat.

I stormed out to the living room.

"Is she your ex or something?" She followed me. "Oh God. Please don't tell me you recently hooked up with her."

I slumped on the couch and put my head in my hands. The chick I picked up at the bar was the same girl Kevin was talking about? Did she know? Was this one of Stacy's games?

"Ashton?" Sam squatted before me, voice careful and small. "Are you tripping on weed?"

Was I? I felt sick. Did Kevin tell her where I worked? Was she sitting there alone on purpose? Was the plan to seduce me so I'd let her move in? What kind of a twisted person would do such a thing? Who the hell did she take me for?

"Hey..." Sam detangled my hand from my hair. Still squatting before me, she traced her finger inside my palm. "Can you feel that? Focus on this feeling, it'll help to ground you if your head is racing right now. It's okay. You're safe."

Her eyes held nothing but concern and attention. Maybe she was just good at pretending. She did have those big, innocent eyes. How would I know she wasn't using it to her advantage?

"Maybe some fresh air?" She shot up and rushed behind the couch, unlocking the patio door. "I'll get you some water, okay? Do you never smoke? I should've asked. I'm sorry...let me get you some water, I'll be right back."

"Jesus, just—can you just give me a moment."

"Sure..." She stood stuck in the middle of the living room, fidgeting like she couldn't find her place. "Do you... want me to leave?"

Was she faking right now? Was any of this real? The longer I stared at her to figure it out, the more she panicked.

"I honestly would feel better if you let me stay a little bit, just so I make sure you're okay? I feel responsible, you know, and...it'd be so selfish to just bounce out here. You're really pale and you're not responding. Would it help if you threw up? Sometimes—"

"No, I'll take you home." I had to talk to Kevin. Confronting Sam could make things a hundred times worse if she had no clue about this.

I couldn't deal with that right now.

"Of course not, I'll Uber!" She said as I got up to put on my sneakers. "Dude, stay home!"

"It's fine. I need the fresh air anyway." I opened the door.

"Okay..." She frowned at the floor, hugging her arms. "Um, do you want to turn the stove off?"

"Fuck." I strode to the kitchen and shut the flame off. The potatoes were ready, but all I wanted now was to throw them in the trash. The whole night was ruined.

~

The ride to Sam's apartment was quiet the entire time. She checked in a couple of times in that same wounded voice. I reassured her I was trying to focus on driving and made up an apology for how my body reacted to weed.

"If I said anything to trigger you or kill the mood, I'm sorry..." She chewed her thumbnail. I was surprised her fingers weren't bleeding yet. "I don't even know why I blurted out about the roommate thing while we were kissing. Maybe I was just trying to convince myself? I don't know. Honestly, I wasn't thinking straight from the way you were, you know...anyway."