The Spill Over

[46] Comfortably Numb.

Song of the chapter is Comfortably Numb by Pink Floydd - an old classic and somehow a very, very calming song ;) Do listen to it x Enjoy chapter 46 of Tuggin' & Pullin' .. :) 

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Ashley and Adam . . . even their names went well together. Having been schoolmates and neighbors for six years before Ashley moved to Oakridge, people would assume the two of them were thick friends. They weren't. In fact, they were quite the opposite. While she was in New York, Ashley avoided Adam with all her willpower while for Adam, she had become just another person in the crowd. They had been close for three years before things changed, these changes triggered by one main cause - high school.

In present time as Ashley sat out in the grounds of Oakridge with the cool night wind ruffling her hair slightly, she couldn't help but feel repulsed at that one incident that went down between her and Adam, a few years back. Even though she was doing everything she could to keep the memory of that incident out of her mind, she couldn't help but think of it right then because of one common emotion that she felt at both times- rejection.

After her talk with David at the beach, the brunette made a beeline towards the commons instead of getting back to her room.

"Hey Ash," a familiar voice sounded from her left.

"Hey, Sean," Ashley deadpanned without needing to look up. "What's up?"

Sean shook his head. "Nothing. I was just . . . why are you sitting out here?"

"Oh, I'm just having the time of my life and enjoying the brilliant weather," she replied, sarcasm evident in her voice. She exhaled loudly before turning to look at Sean. "What are you doing out here?"

"The same thing as you are doing," Sean replied. "Introspecting. Trying to figure out what went wrong and where did it go wrong." He smiled slightly as a surprised expression flitted over the brunette's face. "Yeah. I know you're not 'enjoying' the weather," he said using air quotes.

Ashley stayed silent, not knowing what to reply. "What's wrong?"

"That's not so important right now. I'm not looking like my pet died, you are," Sean looked at her in the eyes. "What's wrong, Ash? Why so glum?"

"Just a couple of unpleasant memories . . ." Ashley admitted finally, trailing off as they came back to her mind. "It just sucks when things don't go our way, doesn't it?"

Sean looked at her curiously. "Is this about what Zac said a while back?" 

"No, not really," she said in a small voice. As soon as she realized what she'd let slip out of her mouth, she wanted to slap herself.

Sean was astounded- had Ashley herself admitted that her mood was in the dumps because of something Zac said? He took a deep breath before speaking up. "Ash, can I ask you something and expect an honest reply?"

Ashley squeezed her eyes shut tight, knowing exactly what was coming. "Sure."

"You've a thing for Zac."

"Are you asking me or telling me what you think?"

"Asking for a conformation," Sean replied immediately. "So . . . do you or don't you?"

The brunette swallowed as her mind went into overdrive, trying to decide whether or not she should let Sean in on her secret. After what seemed like a long while, Ashley finally opened her mouth to speak. "Yeah," she said in a small voice, half hoping that Sean hadn't heard her.

"I know."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Confirming," he replied patiently. "Zac likes you to—"