Asher's Heart

Extra #2

A/N - The conversation referenced here is at the end of Chapter 17 and most of this chapter is Asher's POV of Chapter 18. Hope you enjoy it!

PRESENT

(Asher)

I had messed up again.

Why did I keep doing this?

I groaned and slumped my upper body on the kitchen counter.

"What did you do this time?" Ashton said from a couple stools down. He was stuffing his mouth with pizza and speaking at the same time as if he had no care in this world.

I straightened up and leaned my head on my palm, my elbow on the counter and sighed.

How could this person look so much like me and be so different? Sometimes I envied his carefree personality but then I really looked at him yeah... no.

"I bet you broke Ellie's heart again," he chewed loudly, bits of pizza flying from his mouth. What did girls see in him? I'd be forever confused.

I shot him a glare. "I hope you choke on that pizza, you disgusting pig," I retorted.

But honestly, Anderson would first need to care about me enough for me to break her heart in any way.

The things I said to her last time we talked to- more like screamed at- each other, the stuff she said to me, kept running around in my head. She looked so serious. Was she really done with me? For real this time?

I shook the thought away. Nah, she had said those exact words to me about a million times before. She always came back. Always.

But could this be the time she finally stopped?

The clicking of heels on the floor brought me back to reality.

"Boys, I need you to do something," my mom said and we both turned to her.

"What's up?" Ashton asked after swallowing, knowing better than to be on anything but his best behavior in front of her.

"I need you to help Ellie get her stuff here," she said.

That perked my attention. "Why?"

She looked directly at me. "Her dad is going out of town and she's going to be living with us. Hopefully for a few weeks," she said, squeezing her hands in front of her. She was barely able to control her excitement. My mother probably loved Ellie more than she loved Ashton and me. Combined. She was always saying how she always wanted a daughter and instead got two wild sons.

"When do we have to go?" I asked. I was not so sure about Anderson living with us. Especially, not after the conversation we had yesterday. Her living under the same roof as me meant all the more chances of me fucking up.

She checked her watch. "Right about now," she said. "I need to buy some things for Ellie's new room. So, you better hurry up," she left.

I jumped off the stool.

Ashton was looking at me weirdly. I knew that look. Something was going on in his mind and it wasn't going to be good.

"What you looking at, dipshit?" I asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled and slid off the stool.

I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't say anything as I followed him.

****

Anderson's back was turned when we reached her.

Her bright smile when she turned left a bitter taste in my mouth. How I wished she looked at me that way. Just once.