X

Chapter 8: Date

Ashley's P.O.V
My heart raced as the time clicked by, I checked in the mirror, several times. Making sure my hair was done perfectly, my dress didn't have any creasing, my make up was done right. Then my mothers voice rang.

"Ashley! Isaac is here!" She said. I started down the stairs, noticing his nice black Flannel and jeans, he wore nice black dress shoes and a silver watch on his wrist, flowers in his hand.

"Woah..." He said, staring at me.

"What? Is there something on my dress?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise and nervousness. This would be my first date.

"No... You look... Amazing..." He said, stepping into the doorway. I wore a black dress with a yellow overcoat and black heeled shoes with a pearl necklace and a silver bracelet.

"Oh... Thank you." I said, trying to hide the fact that my cheeks were really red.

"These are for you." Isaac said, handing me the flowers with a smile.

"Thank you so much!" I said, taking them into the kitchen. I set them into a vase and heard my mom.

"You know, she hasn't gone on a date yet in her life? A senior! And hasn't gone on a date!" She said. I rushed back into the doorway, taking Isaacs hand.

"Alright mom! Sorry to break up your little discussion! But we need to go!" I said, slightly embarrassed by her words.

"I'll have her back by nine!" Isaac said.

"Alright, be good! And have fun!" My mother said. Together we walked over to his PT Cruiser. Isaac opened my door, gesturing me in.

"Thanks." I said, getting in, the interior was modified. Leather seats and a jacked radio. He hopped into the drivers seat and jammed the key into the ignition. The radio roared to life, bringing music at full volume into the car. Let it go by James bay filled the car.

"Sorry." He said, turning the radio down.

"No, it's okay. I love this song!" I said, touching the top of his hand, turning the knob. He looked at me with a smile and pulled out of the driveway. He drove us out of town and onto the country road.

"So, you have never dated a guy before?" He asked.

"No... I have been waiting for the right one... My entire life, my father has been telling me that I'm worth more than anything in the world, and I need to wait, find the right one. The one that's going to treat me right."

"What makes me different?..."

"You know, I don't know. I just feel like you are a good guy..."

"Well, we will see!" He drove us into Litchfield and out past the town. He drove down a long country road.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You will see." He said with a wink. I was a little nervous, feeling the butterflies fluttering inside me. He pulled up to a wooden cabin, the lights illuminating the now dim night. He parked the car, turning the key. Unbuckling, he hopped out. I did the same, following him up to the door. He clicked the lock and escorted me into the cabin, where a table with candles, two plates, both having seasoned chicken, rice and corn.

"Did you make all of this?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, I had some help from my mother." He glanced out of the window that sat beyond the table. "Oh! Follow me! I need to show you something!" He said, taking my hand. He led me out to the dock and to the ledge. A beautiful pink sky painted its way through the small puffy clouds that seemed to just float by. I glanced at the water, that seemed almost to reflect the pink sky against it. "Isn't this amazing?" I glanced over at him, his eyes burning with excitement.

"Yes, but why did you bring me out here?" I asked, curious to why it was so important to him.

"I brought you out here because this is where my dad and I used to fish... He would... Take my tiny hands, wrap them around the pole and together, we would cast the rod into this very lake. On nights like these, we would come out here and just talk and laugh..." He explained, now staring into the glistening water.

"That's cute... What happened?"

"He died of Cancer when I was nine years old... He was my everything. My rock, the person I could go to with anything, don't get me wrong. My mother is an amazing woman, but there is just some sort of bond that you can only grasp with your father..." He said, tears filling his eyes. I walked over to him, wiping the tear from his eye with my thumb. He was now staring back into my eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry... I try not to cry because-"

"Isaac, it's okay to cry... Crying is a beautiful thing, and it takes courage to cry... I'm sorry about your father. You know, my father left me when I was around the age of three... He never left me a note, he just left me to fend for myself." I said, wrapping my arms around him. He hugged me back, sniffling on my shoulder.

"Jerome is in jail..." He said, the words ringing in my head.

"Why?" I whispered.

"They think he murdered his mother..."

"And why would he ever do that?"

"He wouldn't... That's the case... There is a murder in our town, the same one that killed those two kids in our grade... I know this because Jerome showed me the messages." I took a step back and looked into his eyes with shock.

"Why didn't he show them the messages?"

"He doesn't know who they are from..." This got me thinking. "You know what, let's go back in and just enjoy our meal. We can talk about things later, okay?"

"Alright." I said, smiling, trying to reassure him. Together we walked back up to the cabin and enjoyed our meal.