The next morning, Ashton was already gone when I opened the front door to leave for school, which was unlike him. This early, especially because I was heading to get coffee at Sweet Escape before school. I closed the door and walked down the steps to my car, still staring at where Ashton's car should be parked. I unlocked my car, yawning from the lack of sleep last night, the reason for the coffee this morning. I slid down in my seat, propped my phone up on the stand, swiped it on, and clicked the video icon under Chloe's face.
"Are you in your car already?" Chloe squinted, leaning closer to her screen.
"Yeah." I looked around me. "Do you want some coffee from Sweet Escape?"
"I'll meet you there. Give me fifteen minutes to finish getting ready. I was going to head there anyway. See you soon. Love!" She clicked end. I was kind of hoping she'd talk to me on my drive there so I wouldn't be stuck alone with my thoughts of last night. I started the car, backed out of my driveway, and turned up the music to drown out my thoughts.
*****
Chloe pulled up next to me twenty minutes later. She was dancing in her seat, with the radio blaring, and I could hear the song's beat with my windows up. She looked over, still dancing away; I motioned to my smartwatch. She nodded and turned off her vehicle. We both got out of our cars. Chloe glanced over her car's hood, and her brows furrowed instantly. "You okay, Gem?"
"Yeah, why?" Trying to play dumb and failing miserably.
"Well, the bags under your eyes are screaming; look at me. You didn't get much sleep last night, did you? What's on your mind?" She opened the door for us. "Did something happen?"
"Uh...I'm not sure. It was really weird. I'm probably reading too much into it." I waved my hand dismissively. I approached the counter, ordered my iced latte, and stepped aside so Chloe could order. "Ashton came over last night, and he was acting weird. Like I said, I'm probably overthinking things." I turned around and paid for our drinks. They had our drinks ready for us within ten minutes so we could get to school. "I'm probably reading too much into it." I glanced over at Chloe. Her narrow eyes peeked at me over the top of her iced latte.
"What?" I unlocked my car. "You look confused."
"That's because I'm confused as hell. I have no idea what the hell you've been babbling about for the past ten minutes. I'm not a mind reader, Gem. You've got to give me more information than what you have been. First, who are you talking about?" Chloe unlocked her car. "We've got to get going. Tell me when we get to school. Thanks for the coffee!" She slid down in her seat and started her car. I sat there for a few seconds, wondering if I really just had a ten-minute conversation with Chloe and didn't tell her anything. I shook my head in disbelief, started my car, and prayed this wasn't a preview of how my day would go. Twenty minutes later, I pulled in beside Chloe, still sitting in her car, sipping her coffee. I turned off my car, grabbed my stuff, and walked to Chloe's driver-side window. She glanced up before I could tap on her window, held up her pointer finger, and grabbed her things.
"You can tell me what you were babbling about at Sweet Escape on our way to our lockers." She locked her car. "So, what's got you so frazzled."
"I'm not really sure. Ashton came over last night like he wanted to talk to me about something but then ended up leaving in a hurry. It was weird."
"Gem, it's Ashton. I wouldn't read too much into what he does. He's always doing weird things. He's a player." She took another drink of her coffee.
I shook my head in agreement. Everything she just said was true so I couldn't argue with her. It didn't help calm my thoughts, though. Why was he acting weird? There must have been a reason. I told Chloe I'd see her later in the Library for our Free block.
*****
Morning classes were filled with trying to stay focused. Ashton didn't even acknowledge me in Math class this morning like he usually did, proving my point that something was up with him. Rhys was still ignoring flirtatious looks and smiles from some of the girls in class. And this took me by complete surprise because these girls were some of the more popular girls in school. They were part of Claudia's circle of friends and were popular and mean—your typical high school mean girl group. Thank goodness there wasn't a quiz about what Mr. King covered in class today because I would've got a big fat "F" on it.
The more I watched the clocks on the walls, the slower time ticked by. At one point, I could've sworn the second-hand clicks echoed in my ears as I stared at the clock. I didn't know why I was watching the clocks so intently. I didn't have a date tonight or in the near future. Maybe I just wanted the day to hurry up and go by so I could get home. Then again, I didn't know why I wanted to go home; it's not like I could get away from Ashton there, either. Even when I tried to avoid him at home, he'd show up on my doorstep wanting to come in like last night, not saying a word to leave abruptly. Thankfully, English went by fast because Ms. Clark reviewed for tomorrow's test.
Chloe was waiting for me by my locker. "Are you ready to head to the Library?"
I looked down at my English book in my arms. "Yeah, I need to study some more for tomorrow's test, anyway." I turned and motioned her to walk with me down the hall. "Rhys ignored the girl's flirting with him in Math this morning." I weaved through the crowded hall.
" Really? Most guys would eat that shit up."
"I know, right? Wonder if he's got a girlfriend?"
"Who knows...Gemma, what are you up to?"
"Nothing."
Chloe grabbed my arm and turned me around to face her. "Gemma, you can't lie to me."
"I was just wondering, is all. Trust me, I don't want to go out with anyone at the moment. I still have time to find a date for the dance."
Her eyes narrowed as she lowered her head, trying to look me in the eye. "Hmm Mmm..." She raised an eyebrow, letting go of my arm. "Come on, Ava's waiting for us." She started walking to the Library. I stood there for a few minutes, watching the kids rush past me, headed to their next classes, wondering what was wrong with me. Some girls had guys falling at their feet, and I had them running in the opposite direction. "Gem, come on!" Chloe turned and motioned for me to hurry up. We walked into the Library, and I found myself scanning the room for Rhys. I took the seat facing away from the doors, so I wouldn't be tempted to look up whenever someone walked through them. I needed to keep my head clear and focused on studying for tomorrow's English test. I had to face the cold, hard truth: dating wasn't in the cards for me, at least not this year. I might as well give up on finding that date for the dance. Besides, there's nothing wrong with going by yourself or not going. I whispered to Chloe and Ava if they needed to talk to me, to nudge my arm because I was going to put in my earbuds. They nodded, not taking their eyes off what they were working on.
I felt a nudge, followed by a bony elbow in the side. "Ow!" I rubbed my side, glaring at Chloe. I ripped my earbuds out. "What the hell was that for?" I said louder than expected.
"Shh..." Mrs. Harris held her long, skinny finger up to her mouth.
"Sorry," I said, turning back to face Chloe. "Now you got me in trouble. What was so important?" I pressed my lips together.
She motioned her head to the side. "He's been staring at you on and off for the last ten minutes."
"Who?" I looked in her direction and saw Rhys sitting a few tables over from us, sitting in the chair closest to us with his book opened, writing in his notebook. "You're delusional for thinking he's staring at me." I rolled my eyes. "I've got to study for this test."
"Fine, I'll prove that he was staring at you. I'll get up and go find a book. If he looks over here again while I'm gone, then it was you he was staring at." She got out of her chair and walked away with an I told you so kinda look on her face.
I kept my head down, reviewing my notes for tomorrow and writing down a few more. I paused during a sentence, afraid to look up because I felt someone was watching me. I was bound and determined to prove Chloe wrong. I raised my head, and those beautiful blue eyes were staring at me. I could feel the heat from my blushing cheeks spread down my face.
"See...I told you." Chloe sat down next to me.
"No. I'm not going through that again. Two guys dumped me on dates for other girls. I'm not ready to go through that again."
"He's so hot." Chloe peeked over at him.
"Will you stop?" I smacked her arm.
"What? He didn't see me. He's back to writing in his notebook. He likes you." She smiled.
"No, Chloe." I gathered up my stuff for lunch. "I'm not going out on a date with anyone."