Asher and her father have just moved to Riverdale from the sunny state of California. Despite living on the south side, she will be attending Riverdale High due to Southside High being shut down. She prefers being alone and doesn't generally open up...
We found ourselves at an old campground near Sweetwater River, and Sweet Pea parked his bike there. We followed a small path that lead through the woods, and I told him about the events that had unfolded between Mrs. Berlin and I earlier. He just listened, nodding in agreement every once and awhile and reassuring me that I wasn't overreacting and that covering my tattoo was unnecessary.
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I was now seated on a large, moss covered rock, watching Sweet Pea as he stood a few feet away from me, skipping rocks across the slow moving river. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill up my lungs. I lifted my face towards the sky, basking in the small amount of sun that had made its way through the thick canopy of trees. Sweet Pea was right; I did feel better now that I'd talked about it. The peacefulness I felt from the sounds of birds chirping and rushing water had calmed the nerves that I had developed from the craziness surrounding Riverdale High. I was distracted from my blissful state, however, when I felt a large hand fall on my head and rustle my hair.
"What the hell?" I giggled, opening my eyes and looking at Sweet Pea. He just smiled and nudged my legs with his hand, signaling for me to make space for him. I did, and he hopped up on the rock, taking a seat next to me. He just looked around at our surroundings, taking everything in and admiring it.
"This place is pretty beautiful" he cooed softly after a moment. I just smiled and nodded. I've never seen this side of him before. He always put on such a hard facade, so I never realized he had such a soft side. I liked it; this was the real Sweet Pea.
"So, what happened here?" I asked, lightly brushing my fingers across the fresh bruise under his eye. He winced at my touch, but didn't back away.
"Just a little misunderstanding" he replied coolly, shrugging as if it were no big deal.
"Right" I scoffed sarcastically, raising my eyebrows and smirking at him. Anyone elses version of a misunderstanding ended in an apology, not a fist fight. He just looked at me, a hint of a smile showing at the corner of his mouth.
"You know," he began "for how beautiful as this place is, I can't seem to stop looking at you." Wait, did that seriously just come out of his mouth? Was the big, bad, Serpent sitting beside me calling me beautiful?
I blushed and looked down, but his large hand cupped my face and forced me to look at him.We were both still for a moment, just sitting there and listening to the sounds of nature, but I found myself looking at his soft, pink lips as he started to lean closer. There was no way that this was actually happening right now. I closed my eyes and held my breath, not daring to move a muscle; however, when I felt his lips softly brush against mine, leaned in and closed the gap completely, unable to stop myself from doing so. He was gentle at first, but he quickly deepened the kiss once he realized that I wanted it just as much as he did. His mouth fit perfectly with mine; I was in complete bliss, and I didn't want it to stop.
He slowly moved his hand from my cheek down to my neck, causing me to shiver. Suddenly, flashes of an empty hall and Jax started flashing through my mind. Sweet Peas hand no longer felt soft on my neck, but tough and hard like Jax's had felt when he choked me. I couldn't breathe. I opened my eyes, pushed away from him harshly, and jumped off of the rock. I couldn't control my breathing, and I was shaking violently.
"Are you alright?" He exclaimed, a worried look covering his face. I tried to respond, but I couldn't speak. I was starting to feel dizzy as I reached the climax of my anxiety attack.
"Did I do something wrong?" He questioned, taking a cautious step towards me.
"No!" I choked out, shaking my head frantically. "I'm sorry, I just— I'm sorry". No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't articulate how I was feeling. And frankly, I didn't really know what I was feeling. I obviously liked him, and I definitely enjoyed the kiss we shared, but the moment he touched my neck, it triggered something in me, uncovering the horrible memories of Jax that I had been attempting to erase from my mind.
"I need to leave" I stammered, finally finding a way to form a full sentence.
"Asher, wait—" Sweet Pea called after me, but I was already scurrying back up the path that we came from, stumbling over various tree roots and loose rocks. I ran past his bike and out of the campground and didn't stop. I had no idea where I was going, but I just needed to get far away from here. I felt awful leaving him back there without a proper explanation, but I couldn't control myself. What the hell has gotten into me?
