Taming My Player

Stalking

We need to talk. -Riley

The message made my blood run cold. For some reason, the message made me really nervous. I didn't trust him. Maybe it was my subconscious or maybe it was just me worrying over Ash's reaction to him. I would go talk to him because I needed to find out what had happened, but I decided I should probably ask Meagan if she minded coming with me. The thought of someone else being there while I confronted Riley made me feel more at ease. I decided to text Riley back and tell him to meet me after breakfast at the coffee shop downstairs in my dorm building.

I began to slowly get out of bed deciding I needed to get to breakfast because I wanted to see if I could find Meagan and ask her to come with me. Walking over to the mirror in my bathroom I gasped. I looked horrible. Bruises and scrapes were lining my face and arms. Tears welled in my eyes. Why did someone do this to me? The lack of knowledge of who did this to me made me terrified. I had never been so afraid in my life. Someone at Hollows had beaten me and made me lose my memory. That person was walking around Hollows undetected because no one was telling me the truth. I didn't know who to believe. The fact that the person that hurt me could be Ash, Reed, or Riley really scared me. Who do I trust?

I sighed and rinsed my face with soapy water. The soap stung my open scratches on my face reminding me they were there. I dried off my face and threw my hair into a bun. When I had first come to Hollows I had really wanted to start over and show people a really put-together and fun-loving Jaiden. Instead, after the hospital incident, Hollows got a weary and beaten Jaiden. I stayed in Ash's shirt, but I just put on some baggy sweatpants. I grabbed a sweatshirt knowing it would be cold outside.

"That's as good as it's getting," I said quietly to my reflection.

I grabbed my key, which was sitting on my kitchen counter, and walked out the door. Locking the door, I leaned down and slipped the key into my shoe. The walk over to the cafeteria was nice but a little chilly. It was one of the first times I could actually look around Hollows. The other times I had been with someone and things were going on. Looking around the campus I smiled. The trees were bare but the staff had put Christmas lights on them, so that they didn't look depressing. The pathway that people walk on had words printed on it with directions and arrows. I stood in the middle of the campus which was a large area that had grass which I was sure would be full of people during the spring. Only the hardcore athletes were practising in the middle. Other students, hugging their jackets close, were quickly walking around on the pavements trying to get to the cafeteria or to class. No one really payed attention to me most likely because I put my hair in front of my face to shield from the nosy eyes of onlookers. I heard a guy talking in the middle of the field with guys throwing the football. The voice sounded familiar, and I looked up to see it was Ash.

He stopped throwing the football with a guy I didn't recognize. Ash walked away over to his athletic bag. He dropped down into a squat beside it, and he began to look through it searching for something. The other boy Ash had deserted made his way to stand behind Ash. I was curious to see what Ash was looking for. I walked closer to him making sure to be quiet and undetected.

"Dude, what the hell! Why do you keep looking at your phone," asked the other boy.

"Dylan, I already told you. That girl might need something, and I want to make sure I get it to her if she needs it," replied Ash.

My heart picked up. He was talking about me! Ash cared about me. He couldn't be the one lying I knew he couldn't be if he was this worried over me.

"Why do you even care? You have never been like this before," the boy, Dylan, questioned.

Nothing was said for a while. I looked over confused to Ash. His back, which was to me, was tense. He seemed to be lost in thought. My breath got caught in my throat at his response.