The next two days went by like a bolt of lightning. Before I knew it, it was already friday afternoon. Thursday was a normal 1,3,5 day: Ashton and I got started on our art project, I got a 100% on a history test, and chemistry was easy as usual, with the help of Nick.
It had been a pretty ordinary day in English, as well. Class went on how it usually should, before I knew it we were all packing up to leave. Thats when I remembered I had tutoring today.
It didn't really bother me that much, to be completelty honest. It used to terrify me, but after Wednesday, I don't know. Things seemed different about Ashton, in a good way of course. Like, I could actually have a full on converation with him without ending up getting stared down by those brilliant hazel eyes of his.
"Have a good weekend, class. No homework." Mr. Perkins said as we all filed out of the room.
"Text me tonight?" I said to Jessie. "And then tomorrow we can all get read for the party!"
"Ahh I'm so excited!" Jessie said happily. She looked around me and smiled. "Hey look, there's your man."
I turned and saw Nick standing alone in the middle of the courtyard. Jessie called out to him, which I wish she hadn't. I really had to go meet Ashton.Nick looked up and smiled as our eyes met. He quickly walked over to us.
"Mind if I walk you to your car?" He asked. Even though I knew I shouldn't, I said of course.
"Alrighty then," Jessie said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She walked away, and I motioned Nick to walk with me to the back parking lot.
"You excited for tomorrow?" he asked as we walked down the steps.
"Yes totally!" I said as I scanned the area for Ashton's car. I finally spotted it, and a dark clothed figure standing by it. "Hey, my car's over there." I said.
"Aw, I was enjoying this walk with you." He said. I made a playful frowny face at him, and gave him a hug. He wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
"See you tommorrow," I said, almost stuttering. Well then, I wasn't ready for that.
"Goodbye!" Nick said. I switched my direction, and walked slowly to Ashton's car, looking back to Nick's direction every now and then to make sure he didn't see me get into the pick up truck. I looked back over to Ashton, to see his blazing eyes staring into me.
"Hello." I greeted casually.
"Hi." He said back, throwing his cigarrette bud in the dirt. He got into the driver's seat, almost pulling away without me even in the car. "Well okay then," I said, hoisting myself onto the passenger seat. I looked over to see a very unordinary look on his face, like he was angry at something. "You alright?"
Ashton didn't reply for a couple seconds. He shook his head, as if to shake off whatever he was thinking about, and his muscles relaxed a little. "Yeah, sorry," finally spoke. "I'm good."
We drove in silence the rest of the way to hs house. We pulled up to the trailer, the heat already beating down on us. I sighed, because I didn't know if he was really fine.
"Yes, I'm fine." He said, as if he completely read my mind. I looked over to him, and he smiled. "C'mon. I'm SO excited to do geometry."
I chuckled and followed him into the trailer, already sweating. "Gram's working." He said, taking out a water bottle from the little fridge near the front of the trailer. He tossed it to me, and I nodded my thank you.
We sat down, the usual spot. "Okay so," Ashton said, resting his head on his hands as his elbow was propped up on the coffee table. "I really don't feel like doing math right now."
"Well, I'm not getting college credits to listen to you play the box thing." I laughed. Although, I wish I was.
"But it was so hard today!" Ashton groaned. "Like what the hell is a polygon?"
I laughed and asked him to take out his notes. I spent the next hour trying to explain it to him. Key word "trying."
"When do you have a test on this?" I asked.
"Like, 2 weeks," Ashton replied. "Can't we just finish this next time?"
I thought about it, and sighed. It was already 6, anyways. I only had half an hour left here. I sighed, but agreed. I took a sip of the water bottle Ashton had given me earlier.
"I know, this heat sucks." Ashton said, the fact that I was sweating my butt off was probably very obvious.
"How do you deal with it?" I asked.
"I guess I just got used to it," Ashton replied. "And all the trapped heat is great for at night because it gets hella cold outside."
I nodded, not sure what to say next.
"Where are you in the book?" I asked.
"Chapter 8."
"Why are you so ahead?" I groaned.
"Haven't we been over this?" Ashton laughed. "I like the book."
"It's starting to get really confusing again." I remarked. Thank God we didn't have to read anything for homework over the weekend.
"Whats so confusing?" Ashton asked. "Dasiy's a bitch, end of story."
"What do you have against Daisy?" I asked.
"Everything!" Ashton said, throwing his hands up in frustration. "She's so blinded by the fact that Gatsby loves her, and she just left him! Like fucking trash-" He was about to get into a full on screaming mode, but he seemed to stop himself.
"Sorry." He said at almost a whisper.
What the heck was going on. I was so confused by his sudden change of mood that I didn't know what to say.
"I have a question." He said after the room had gone silent for a while.
"What's up?" I replied.
"Well, um," he said, looking down at his fumbling hands. "I was just gonna say that tomorrow is Halloween and if you didn't have any plans you could always come over if you wanted to." he didn't look me in the eyes until after he said it.
An extremely weird, different, and unordinary feeling bubbled in my stomach. I couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
"Are you asking me to hang out?" I asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," Ashton said casually. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"No no! not at all," I assured. I was about to say yes, but I remembered the party, and Nick. "I'm sorry." I sighed. "I have a party I have to go to."
Ashton looked utterly disappointed, which confused me a little. "Oh," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "With that guy, Nick."
"How do you know his name?" I asked.
"Because he's the biggest fucking douchebag in the entire school." Ashton spat. His mood has diffidently changed for the worst.
"What?" I said, taken bakc by the words that just left Ashton's mouth.
"Yeah um, his reputation with girls isn't the best. Don't think your friends told you about that one." His tone of voice was weird. It was like a mixture of sarcastic and worry.
What the heck was he talking about? How dare he say that about someone he barely even knows?
"Excuse me?" I said, anger bubbling up inside of me. I was not fond of the words he was using against Nick.
Ashton laughed. A cold, heartless laugh. "He's a player, Brooke. All he wants is to get inside your pants and he'll be moving onto someone else before you know it. I bet he's got tons of other girls on the phone, just waiting for their turn to be used by him."
What the hell was he talking about? Nick was one of the most sweetest people I've met at this school.
"Oh really?" I retorted, crossing my arms. "And how do you know this?"
"I have a friend," Ashton responed. "Her name is Leila and he used her last year." His mentioning of the name Leila made me remember what Amanda said about them "hooking up."
By now Ashton's voice had calmed. "But, that was last year. I'm not saying he's still like that but I'm pretty fucking sure he is."
By now I was enraged. Of course Nick wasn't like that! Why was he saying these things about someone he didn't even know?
"Well, you're wrong." I said, standing up. Ashton did the same, his eyes blazing like a forest engulfed in flames. "Don't go believing whatever your little fuck buddies say." The words tasted like sour milk coming out of my mouth. I couldn't believe I just said that to him. But, in the mix of all this, I knew I should have said it.
"What the fuck?" Ashton growled. By now fear was creeping back onto me. "Where did you hear that?"
I decided to push my fear away and face him, giving him a taste of his own medicine. "Oh, the whole school practically knows!" I said. "How is she, by the way?"
By the way Ashton's eyes were lit up with anger and regret and the way the veins on his neck were very prominent, I knew he was getting really mad. "Kay, first of all, I was wasted as fuck last weekend, and second of all she isn't even my friend. I just know last year Nick was a total dick to her and a bunch of other girls. I'm just saying all this because I know I'm right and..."
his voice trailed off. "...I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Well," I said, not convinced at all. "You ARE wrong, and Nick was one of the only people that was actually nice to me when I came to this school. Unlike you."
Ashton was about to say something, but he stopped himself. I looked down at my phone. It was 6:30.
"I'm not driving you." Ashton said, his voice tense.
"Good," I retorted. "I didn't want to be in the same car as you."
"Awesome!" Ashton said sarcastically. With that, I grabbed my bag, and brushed passed him. With one slam of the door, I was out of that stupid trailer.
I heard the door open back up but I didn't look back. "Have fun walking home you bitch!" I heard Ashton's voice behind me.
Those words stung like a million bees. I know I really shouldn't care what he thinks or says about me, but it just really hurt. He didn't know anything about Nick. I know I haven't known Nick that long either, but I am as sure as heck I know more about him than Ashton does.
It didn't occur to me until I reached the enterance to the Strip. I have absoutely no ride home. I decided to walk a little ways in, and find a Starbucks to call my mom from and ask her to pick me up from there. It wasn't until 7:00 that my mom picked me up.
"Are you alright?" My mother asked me as I hopped in her car.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine. We just decided to do work at the Starbucks, and his car is almost out of gas so I just told him you would pick me up." I lied. Not because I wanted to, but because I really didn't want to talk about this anymore.
"Well okay," My mother replied, her eyes on the road. "Dinner should be ready by the time we get home."
I smiled and said thank you. I was silent the rest of the way home.
*Ashton's POV*
"So she called you out about Leila?" Michael asked.
"Yeah," I replied, my back against the wall of Michael's bedroom. "Can you hand me a beer?"
Michael reached under his bed and pulled out a bottle of budlite. I thanked him and took a drink. "But are you really sure Nick or whatever his name is even did that stuff last year?" he asked.
"Yes!" I replied. "Remember? Leila called me at like 3 in the morning, crying because he like hit her or some shit. You were there."
Michael furrowed his eyebrows. Probably trying to remember that night. He was pretty drunk, as I remember, so I didn't expect him to.
"Sounds familiar," he finally said. "So what are you gonna do?"
"Pft. Nothing," I said, taking another drink of the beer. The warm alcohol stung my throat but it felt better than the anger and worry I felt everywhere else on my body. "It's Brooke's issue now." With that, I changed the subject. But in the back of my mind I couldn't help by worry for Brooke. She's so innocent its ridiculous. And I really just dont want to see her get hurt by some guy, like mummy was.