Joyride

Chapter Seven

At the end of the day, Ashton drives me home to pick up my car for our next driving lesson. The summer weather seems to finally be cooling off for autumn. The wind has a small bite to it, so we drive with the windows rolled up. Ashton even pulls on a dark hoodie he finds in the boot.

Frankie sometimes catches the bus home with her friends, and today was one of those days. So instead of taking the exit Ashton's place to drop off Frankie, he takes us straight to mine so we can switch cars. However, immediately after we pass Ashton's exit, we get stuck in three lanes of crawling traffic.

'Welcome to yet another aspect of driving,' Ashton sweeps his arms wide. 'The traffic jam.'

'What do you think is holding up all this traffic?'

'That's the beauty of it. You don't know until you're at the front of it. But by then, you're too relieved and tired to bother having a good look at whatever was holding the traffic up.'

'I just hope it wasn't a car accident.'

Ashton's grin drops. 'They usually are.'

'Really?' The niggling anxiety that was already at the back of my mind grows.

'It'll probably be fine though,' Ashton assures me. 'And even if it is an accident, I doubt we'd even know the people involved.'

'Yeah, you're probably right.' I nod, remembering my habit of overthinking situations that really don't need to be. Ashton glances across at me.

'Worried about your parents?'

'No! No... actually, they're the last people that would be the reason for this traffic jam.'

Dad barely leaves the office lately and mum... isn't even in the same state as us.

'I was actually thinking about Frankie. But only because I don't really know where her friend lives.'

'You're worrying about Frankie? The little shit that sits in the back and nags at me until I let her play her own music?' His eyes bulge comically and I laugh.

'She's funny.'

'She's not funny. She just complains all the time.'

'She's honest. I like that.'

'Brutally honest,' he corrects.

I probably like Frankie for her fearlessness in being herself. Even the first time we met, when she looked at my tutoring posters, she was honest. She didn't seem to care if she offended me. I guess I'm envious of that kind of strength.

'Whenever mum goes out, she asks Frankie for her opinion on her outfit. And Frankie never backs down. They get so loud arguing. Sometimes I just wish she'd say, "Yeah mum, you look good." At least then I'd have some peace of mind.'

'But that's probably why your mum goes to Frankie. For the brutal honesty. If she wants someone to tell her she looks good, she could just go to you.'

Ashton nods, watching the traffic crawl forward.

'It just drives me crazy. They can really go at each other for hours.'

'I can't imagine that,' I chuckle. 'My house is usually dead silent.'

'Huh. I guess you don't take after your parents.'

I shoot Ashton a look in disbelief. 'What makes you say that?'

He stares straight out the windshield as traffic begins edging forward again, before coming to another stop.

'Well?' I prompt.

'What was it Stephanie was saying about a conversation between yourself and Ryan during maths?'

'You can't change the subject,' I cross my arms.

He peeks sideways at me before turning back to the road.

'I just figured your parents would be like you. Is that so weird? It's pretty normal for kids to take after their parents.'

I slump back into the chair, gazing out the window and idly hoping for something more interesting to look at than rows upon rows of cars.

'He tried to ask me out again,' I mumble, admitting defeat.

'Again?!'

'In maths.'

'But that's practically public again! Is he an idiot?'

I bark a laugh. 'It's not his fault. Stephanie and Laura told him I'm into grand gestures.'

'Yeah, well... they're not much better. The way they spoke to you in the library was rude. Frankie and I don't even really talk to each other like that.'

'They're not that bad.'

'Billie, I have to be honest with you, I think they are that bad. You should find some new friends.'

I scowl out the windshield. 'I've known them for years. You don't know them at all.'

Ashton pulls his gaze away from the car in front of us and turns to fully face me. His eyes bore into mine and I feel my heart pick up speed.

'Tomorrow, I want you to come sit with me and my friends.'

I gape, struggling to find a way to reject his offer outright.

'I know Stephanie and the rest are difficult, but they can be okay sometimes. Really.'

'Sit with us,' he repeats. 'You'd be more wanted with us than them.'

I gulp in a breath. Sitting with Ashton and his friends would open myself up to that risk again. Mum's face flickers across my mind in a persistant reminder and I grit my teeth.

But Ashton's eyes are so warm, looking straight at me, and it feels so flattering that someone cares so deeply about the way Stephanie and the others treat me. 

A loud beep interrupts us. Ashton and I both jump, startled, looking ahead at the now clear road. Ashton accelerates and finally, we're moving.

'I'll be fine with them. It's okay. Stephanie is just blunt.'

Ashton doesn't respond as he drives us past the assortment of police cars redirecting traffic. It looks like the road up to Mt. Ousley is blocked off. The winding, isolated road is one of the most dangerous roads in the area. An accident up there means the entire road gets blocked off and traffic redirected. There's nowhere to pull over up there either, just more lanes of traffic. A shudder travels across my shoulders.

'It must've been a bad accident up there if we're affected all the way down here,' Ashton says.

The car is silent for another moment.

'But probably no one we know,' he adds as we finally break free from the traffic.