Rose Petals

Chapter 7

"Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you." -Unknown

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"Hi mom." I could only guess Ash was pulled into a hug by the way his voice came out breathlessly.

I opened my eyes and lifted my head, pretending I had just woke up. The woman had pulled away from Ash by now and her worried eyes made their way over to me. She looked almost exactly like her son. Black hair and gray eyes. Only her eyes were darker. They had worried wrinkles around them.

She smiled softly at me and took my hand in her small, cold ones. "Thank you for helping my son. I heard what you did from the faculty." Her eyes got teary and I was taken aback. I didn't know what to say. I swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Mom there's no need to cry. I'm fine." Ash sat up more but stopped suddenly wincing.

"You're not fine, just look at you!" He had bruises all over his face, a busted lip, and who knows what else under his clothes. He doesn't deserve this treatment. It's sickening to witness.

His eyes dropped down to his lap. "What would dad think of me if he saw me." He mumbled  loud enough to be heard. The look on his mothers face changed from worried to a small horror.

"Don't think about what he would say! He's not a part of our lives anymore."

"He's still a part of me! I'm his flesh and blood!"

His mother had tears in her eyes. "You're mine too!" Her voice was quiet.

"I'm just gonna step out for a second." I got up quickly and went into the hallway. I leaned against the wall and sighed.

What is so bad about his dad? Hearing about him from multiple people only made me more curious. Why didn't I know about him if everyone else did? Also... Ash being in love with me?

I nearly choked on my saliva when I remembered what he had said to me.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

How could he be in love with me? Maybe I was still asleep and it was just a dream. But why would I dream about something like that? He doesn't show any signs of liking me anyways. It's probably just in my head.

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The door opened about 10 minutes after I left the room. Ashton's mom sighed and looked over at me. She smiled softly and walked over to me.

"I had thought you went home." She said softly. She seemed like an amazing woman.

"I couldn't leave without making sure Ash is okay." I said simply. She nodded in thought. She suddenly smiled brightly at me and stuck out her hand for a handshake.

"My name is Christy. Again, thank you so much for taking care of my son. You mean a lot to him." Her expression looked tired but passionate and so full of heart and warmth. I took her hand in mine and shook it.

"I'm Nate. Nate Silverstone." I smiled warmly and she seemed content.

"I'm sorry you had to witness our argument earlier." She sighed and leaned against the wall, next to me. I swallowed nervously again and muttered a meek 'its alright.'

It was silent after that.

"My son is very fond of you." She spoke, breaking the silence. "You're the first friend he's had in a long time. I'm glad you came into his life." She patted me on the shoulder and walked down the hall. She stopped then turned around to look at me. "Why don't you go visit him?" With that she turned back around and walked away.

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I knocked on the door and heard a faint 'come in.' I opened the door to see Ash up from his bed and packing his things. "What are you doing?" I asked as he paused his motions and looked up.

"Leaving. What does it look like?" He sighed and zipped up his bag. A small wave of panic washed over me.

"Where will you go?" I asked, my voice slightly shaking. He looked at me dead in the eye and was silent. He was reading me like an open book. His face held zero emotion when he answered.

"I'm a burden to my mother and other people so I might as well leave before things get worse." He lugged his backpack over his shoulders and started walking towards the door. I panicked and stood in front of him, blocking the door from his view.

He glared at me. "Nate, move." His voice was stern.

"I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. You can't leave. You won't leave. You can't just leave your mom! Or me!" He looked taken aback with what I said but it went as soon as it came and his face showed anger.

"The hell I can't! I'm my own person I can do what I want!" Ash shot back.

"And then what? When you leave where will you go? What will you do?" He tried going around me but I blocked his path each time.

"I don't know! I'll figure it out as I go. Just move, Nate!" He was getting frustrated every time I moved in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere." I repeated.

"Goddamnit just let me do this!" He tried pushing me out of the way but I held my ground. I'm taller and stronger than him. He got mad at that and started hitting my chest, which it didn't hurt.

"It's my useless life and I can do whatever I want with it! It doesn't matter anyways and it never did nor will it ever! Why do you even care?! I'm a nobody! I don't matter! Nate just get out of my way!" His precious stormy eyes grew damp and he grabbed my shirt.

"Please... let me do this."

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. "You're life is very important." I whispered softly. "Your whole existence is important. You're impossible to replace. If you leave now, everyone around you will hurt. Your mother, your friends, and... me." He gripped my shirt tighter and it was silent for a while. Broken silence.

"I'm sorry." His voice came out quietly.

I didn't know exactly what he meant, but when he said it my emotions took the best of me and I hugged him tighter, and hid my face in his shimmering black hair.

Just to hide the fact that I was also, indeed, crying.