Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I try to remember where I am.
My first thought is that I'm at Stellas because I'm currently wrapped in a black comforter. However, the smell of mint tells me how wrong I am. sitting up, I try to register the fact I still in Ashtons room.
What time is it?
Getting up, I grab my phone before sitting back down, reading a message from my brother.
Sage
You were sleeping so I left you there, Ash has clothes for you
Try to behave
Oh, no. Finally checking the time to be seven a.m. I spent the night at Ashtons, in his bed, with him, while wearing his clothes.
And I slept the entire time.
"Morning." Ashton whispers, entering the room with a coffee mug.
Smiling as I take in his bed head, I snag the coffee. "Good morning."
"You seem well rested." He offers, sitting down besides me.
I chug the coffee, nodding in response. I haven't felt this energized in months. I think I slept for over 12 hours.
"Is there an actual reason you sleep better with me?" Ashton asks, seeming somewhat unsure about my reaction.
Downing the rest of my cup, I plan Sages death. Someone was a little chatty when they picked Saffron up.
"I told you yesterday, I trust you more than I trust anyone else." I admit, focusing on my fingers in embarrassment. This is the truth, I have no shame in facing him. "I meant that in every physical way possible."
There is no one else I'd rather be with, all of my worries and fear dissolve when I'm around him. "Besides, I like the way you smell. It calms me."
If we're being honest, I might as well say everything. Even though I feel like now is the perfect time to disaster before he laughs.
"And how do I smell, Sweetheart?" He questions smugly.
"Like mint."
And now it's time for me to leave the room.
Going to get up, Ashton cuts me off, pulling my legs. Laying flat on the bed, I watch as he crawls over me. Our faces are centimeters apart and I'm dying for him to just kiss me but he stops. Using my hands, I crash our lips together, hoping that's an obvious enough yes for him.
His lips work their way down my neck, giving in to my silent pleas. I giggle as he kisses my collarbone, I stop as he pulls away. Taking in his hesitation, my heart warms. I've never had someone care so much about my feelings in a situation like this before.
"It's ok." I whisper, tracing his cheek.
He kisses my skin again lazily. I giggle but it's cute short as his tongue brushes over my skin, tugging on his hair to keep from reacting.
As he nibbles his teeth against my skin, there's no holding my moan back. I've never felt like this before, ever. I need more. roaming my hands across his body, he gets the picture and pulls his shirt off.
Finally.
He continues to kiss me slowly and I shove him off of me, leering over him as I kiss him feverishly. Moving down his neck, I skip over what I've pegged to be his sensitive area. His grip tightens at my teasing, giving me another idea.
In one swift motion, I yank my shirt off, exposing my chest. For once, I'm happy I slept in a bra.
He stares at me in shock, causing me to smirk. Bingo.
Slowly, I lean down to kiss him, using a finger to close his mouth. My lips brush across both of his eyelids, following the path my fingers have taken numerous times as they move to his cheekbones and down his neck. Amused by his sudden lack of patience, I kiss the spot just below his neck.
He moans, running his fingers through my hair and down my skin, igniting a trail of fire in his wake.
The doorhandles giggles, announcing Ronnies arrival. "Ashy, it's time to get ready!"She calls through the door, stopping us. I don't relax until her footsteps disappear back down the hall.
Oh my God.
Hiding myself in Ashtons chest, I laugh. We just did that.
"I think I'm going to shower." I whisper as my adrenalin crashes.
Lips press against my forehead, "Good idea."
Running to his bathroom, I try to ignore the wild beating of my heart.
*****
The water runs over me as I still try to collect my breath, my body humming. What the hell did I just do?
After lathering myself up in his soap and rinsing off with the pleasure of knowing I smell like Ashton, I get out and see what I have to wear. Fresh underwear, a restitched jean skirt and that's it. How wonderful.
Thinking about what I'm going to do while I brush my teeth offers a solid distraction from my thoughts. I could wear the same shirt I did yesterday but I don't need rumors of a one night stand going around. That leaves me with one other choice.
"Hey, Ash!" I holler through the door.
"Yeah!" He calls back.
"Do you have an old shirt and some scissors I could use?"
I don't get a reply, instead I hear rummaging through drawers before there's a knock on the door. I reach my hand out and take them from him, although, I don't know why I bother trying to hide my body. He's already seen me in a bra.
What the hell was I thinking?
The shirt is a faded olive green color with the words Fremont baseball on it. After measuring, I cut the bottom so it hangs just above my skirt.
Hoping for the best, I braid my hair back, I have no makeup or contacts. Well looks like I won't be looking cute for the rest of the day I decide, cupping some water in my hands to take my medicine. Taking one more look in the mirror I focus on the hickey fresh on my collarbone. Considering how I get them, I definitely don't mind hickeys.
I go back into the room, not even thinking about knocking until I'm already opening the door. He could be changing or something. Turns out, I'm in the clear because he's not even in the room.
I stand around awkwardly for a moment, wondering what to do when I notice the bed's a mess. I make it to pass time, the black sheets all messed up. A soft voice startles me.
"Scar?" Ronnie stands by the door, a shy smile in place.
"Yeah?" I reply, kinda embarrassed from earlier. It's not like she knew what we were doing.
"Can you help me get ready?"
A smile breaks out on my face. "Of course!"
I'm halfway through braiding her hair back when Ashton appears in the doorway. I try to stifle a laugh at the jacket he has on, zipped all the way up to his chin. Since the weather is supposed to be hot today, I wonder how long he'll last.
He stares at me, a smile on his face that makes me flip him off. Ronnie slaps him in the stomach to get his attention, showing off her outfit. A similar green shirt and skirt to my own, with her own pair of converse to go with it. Somehow it's different when someone who's not your sister wants to dress up like you.
Especially on a day like today where I look hideous.
Grabbing an apple, we head to the car. Ashton and I don't say anything and I can't decide if it's because Ronnie's in the car or that things are awkward between us.
We drop Ronnie off and park by the locker rooms before speaking.
"On the count of three, tell me how noticeable it is." He says and before I can understand what he means, the jacket is thrown off. "Holy shit, that was hot." He begins fanning himself.
I look over at his neck and drop my apple. "Fuck."
"What?" Ashton asks, pulling the mirror down to see.
He has three on his neck. Three. One's definitely more prominent but you'd have to be blind to miss the other two. He repeats my phrase as he counts them.
Despite the panic, I feel a small surge of satisfaction rise within me. He looks hot. Well, hotter.
Ashton panics, trying to rub them off but that only irritates the skin.
"I'll cover them up." He promises, reaching back to get his jacket from the backseat.
I pull it from him, "You'll die of a heatstroke if you have that thing on all day."
"I don't mind."
I roll my eyes knowing he won't listen to anything I say. Reaching into my backpack, I pull out a pair of scissors. Very carefully, I cut the neck of my shirt, revealing my collarbone.
"Look, now we match." I tell him zipping my bag back up.
"Why would you do that?" Ashton cries, staring at my shirt like it's a murder weapon.
I move to the middle seat, pulling his face down to mine knowing it would shut him up. "I'm ok with people seeing this. Now let's get to class before we're late."
He turns the car off, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
I smile, "I like knowing you did that. I really don't care who sees it."
His face shifts through something unreadable as he presses a kiss to my cheek before resting his forehead against mine. I stare into his eyes, watching as they flicker between my own eyes and my lips. Almost in a silent debate.
My fingers run through his hair as I contemplate closing the space between us but we're disrupted before anything can happen. A few of Ashton's teammates hoot as they pass by, one slapping the hood of the car. Thankfully, our friends aren't among them.
Imagine what they're all gonna say when they see us.
I begin to regret my decision when we stop by my locker, giving plenty of people the opportunity to stare. Unlike last time more whispers are targeted at me, making my skin crawl. Ashton senses how uncomfortable I am, his usual arm over my shoulder is now around my waist with a protective grip.
Only seven class periods to go. Thankfully I sent a warning text to Ella and Stella so when they see us they don't say anything. They stare but I don't blame them, everyone else is too.
*****
I'm walking to fourth period alone since Ashton had to finish his test. I know I should wait for him but I don't. Stopping to change my books, someone leans up my locker, the door slamming shut.
"Can I help you?" I ask the guy, a senior I've never talked to before leering over me, now in my personal space.
He smiles, making me feel sick. "I was wondering if you were free Saturday night?"
"I'm not." I deadpan, turning to leave. I can get my stuff after lunch.
He grabs my arm, forcing me to look back at him. I really should've waited. "Why not?"
I try to pull my arm away but it's no use. "Because I said no. Learn what the word means, asshole."
He leans down close to my face, and before he can say anything else he gets shoved off of me.
"She said no."
Ashton.
He stands in front of me, his bag forgotten on the floor.
The guy holds his hands up, backing away, clearly amused by the situation. "Sorry, man. I just figured I would give it a try since you're liking it so much."
Wrong move, dude. I glance down to find Ashton's balled up fist raising up. No. No. No. No.
No school fights.
I grab his fist and pull it back down. "He's not worth it, Ash."
I would love to punch this asshole too but Ashton has scholarships on the line, the other guy has nothing to lose.
"What's going on here?" Miss Miller calls, her heels clicking down the hall as the bell rings. The crowd we'd gathered quickly dispersing.
Great, now we're toast.
She evaluates the situation, taking in Ashton's fist and the eat shit grin on the other dudes face. She pulls out a piece of paper and sketches something down before handing it to me.
"You two get to class." She turns to the other guy, an evil glint in her eyes. "You can follow me down to the office."
And with that she practically drags him through the hall. Normally I would question why she didn't take us with her but I'm not that stupid.
"Are you ok?" Ashton asks, scanning every inch of my body with wide eyes. I hide my arm behind my back but he eventually finds it.
There's a red mark around my wrist but it'll fade soon.
His eyes go dark, turning to march down the hall. "I should've kicked his ass."
"No, you shouldn't have. You stopped him that's all that matters." I counter, tugging him back to face me. Nothing happened.
I'm pulled into a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry."
Brushing my hand over the nape of his neck, I sigh. "It's not your fault people suck."
I know he's thinking about the fear I had of being called a slut. It's been whispered once or twice and it stung a little but I'm kinda over their opinions anyways.
My family doesn't feel that way. My friends don't feel that way. I certainly don't feel that way so nothing else matters.
An hour later Ashton tells Sage what happened at lunch, our table empty with everyone else finishing up a chem lab. It saves me from taunts and jokes but I didn't want Sage to know about it either.
"I'm gonna kill him!" Sage cries, standing up from the table as I recount what happened earlier. He sits back down seconds later, "Who was he again?"
Ashton shrugs, the movement jostling me from underneath his arm. "Couldn't tell ya, I think he wrestles."
My eyes dart around the cafe to find Avery watching us with a smirk on her face. I can't help but notice she has the captain of the wrestling team seated besides her.
What a bitch.
Ever since her breakup with James, she's been using her singleness to her advantage. Every week or two she chooses a new guy to be her boy-toy before she gets bored and moves on.
*****
After school, I'm walking over to the elementary school to get the little girls. Baseball practice starts today so I'm taking the girls over to my house for a play date while us older ones chat.
"Did you enjoy your walk of shame?"
The hallway is empty but it doesn't take much for me to guess who it is. Avery stands by the doors of the high school, a smirk in place. It's nice not having cheer everyday forcing me to deal with her.
At this point I'm so over her games that I snap, "Is it really the walk of shame when I have no regrets?"
Her smile falters, clearly not expecting that reaction. "You're given a taste of freedom and the true colors come out. What would your mother say if she could see you now?"
I turn on my heel, her words chasing me through the hallway. What would my mother say if she saw I was messing around with a guy I wasn't dating?
Thirty minutes later, Ella and Stella plop on my bed while I go into my closet to change into a pair of Nike Pros, opening my window to hear the little girls play outside as I go. My skirt may have been a size too small in the waist and itchy from sitting in our car for god knows how long.
It really needs to be cleaned out.
I reach for my door as a pain shoots through my lower abdomen. I rest my hands on my knees and count to ten, taking deep breaths. Once I think the pains passed I stand back up. It appears again, twice as strong, causing me to knock a shoe box over as I double over in pain.
"Scarlett?" Ella calls in alarm.
A daunting thought comes to me. Opening my closet door, I run past them into the bathroom. A few seconds later finding out exactly what's wrong. I started my period. La de fucking da. Due to my stress I don't get it every month but when I do I sure feel it.
"At least we know she's not pregnant!" Stella jokes as I lay down.
I throw a pillow at her, "That shouldn't even be a worry at this point."
She snorts, "You keep getting hickeys and it may become one." I flip her off.
A wave of nausea hits me and I close my eyes. This is a fucking bitch to deal with.
Ella returns from my bathroom with a warm rag. "Would you have sex?"
"No." I reply instantly. I may be a lot of things but I'm not having sex with someone I'm not in a committed relationship with. That's the last thing I need in my life right now.
Thankfully they understand I don't want to talk about this morning anymore so Ella changes the subject.
"What are you guys going to do for the project?"
I'd take any other conversation but this.
"You guys already know mine." Stella sighs whistfully.
"Juilliard." Ella and I answer, "Where dreams come true."
Stella flips us off, it's only been her dream since we were ten. Ever since we watched High School Musical Three she's been obsessed. "What about you guys?"
I shrug, not wanting to admit I have no plan. "Right now I have other things to focus on, I'll figure something out."
"The School of Visual Arts." Ella declares, distracting Stella from the pitying look she's giving me.
"Ella, are you for real?" She asks incredulously. I fiddle with my blanket, they would both be so far away.
She avoids her eyes, "Yeah, I'm serious about photography and it's one of the best places."
"What about your parents?"
Ella shrugs, slouching uncomfortably. "Mom's the one who suggested it. Something about it being good for me to go somewhere new."
A realization pulls me out of my self pity. "But that's in New York."
She's never told Sage this, as far as he knows, her plan is still to attend Emory. He's going to be heartbroken that she didn't tell him sooner.
Ella avoids my piercing gaze, looking like she knows what I'm thinking. "I have to be accepted first."
Stella sense the awkwardness and clears her throat. "What do you and Sage want to do for your birthday?"
And here we are, discussing the only other topic I don't want to talk about. This year I'm sure to be swamped with paperwork and finalizing everything but I haven't celebrated my birthday since the accident. It feels wrong to celebrate my life when my parents aren't here.
For Sage, my Irish twin, I try to keep things up beat. We need to do something fun for him, after all, this is his last year of childhood. "Whatever Sage wants to do, 17 is such a boring birthday. It needs to be exciting."
The girls nod in agreement as I put on Gilmore Girls, forgetting all about the homework we have as the tension slowly dissolves.
Three episodes in, a knock sounds at my door before Ashton appears with a plastic bag in hand.
"Hey Stel, James and Sam are waiting downstairs."
She gathers her stuff up and heads out, giving me a wink as she goes. I really need to hit her with another pillow.
"I'm gonna go hang with Sage." Ella excuses herself from the room. Traitor.
I prop myself up in the bed as Ashton shuts the door. "I had an idea." He admits, sitting down on my bed. The motion causes another wave of nausea but I handle it.
"What's that?" I ask, noticing he's definitely showered, mint drifting towards me.
He hands me the bag and I look inside, it's filled with shirts and sweatshirts. The best part is they all smell like him.
"Hopefully these should help you sleep." He scratches the back of his head waiting for a reply.
I stare down at the clothes, no one's ever done something this genuinely nice for me, like, ever. I shift to my knees and give him a hug, "Thank you."
He hugs me back, his hand resting on my lower back. The nice thing about wearing the shirt I cut is that it hangs higher allowing the heating pad to instantly reach my skin. The downside is that the heat and redness is totally noticeable.
Ashton looks down at the heating pad, "Are you ok?"
I sit back down, define ok. "Technically, I'm fine." I say, pulling the covers over me, trying my best to sound cheerful.
"Sweetheart."
Is he really gonna make me tell him? The determined look on his face answers the question for me.
Here goes nothing. "I'm on my period."
I'm expecting horror or even disgust but he jumps up. "Do you need anything? Food?"
I smile weakly, "No thanks, I'll probably throw up if I eat anything." My stomachs churns in agreement.
"What can I do?" He follows up, intent on helping me.
I pat the spot next to me, "You can watch TV with me."
He crawls up and I rest my head on his chest, letting him pick out a show to watch. What we did this morning was fun but it's this stuff that matters the most. I like that we're comfortable with each other.
Around nine, Ashton leaves and I'm convinced I feel better. Able to move around manage and eat some of the soup Sage brings me. However, ten minutes later I'm doubled over my toilet emptying my guts out.
Silly me for wanting to eat.
*****
And this is what I call character development. Also Irish Twins are siblings born a year apart, in this case, or less. Hope you liked this chapter! I might be posting on Wednesday!
XO-Mo