"Sweetheart, you've been staring at that rubric for thirty minutes."
Ashton attempts to pull the paper from my hand, our friends looking at me like I've gone crazy. My eye twitches as I scan the requirements for the hundredth time, no exaggeration needed. Ms. Miller's college project has been fairly easy for everyone else, especially Ashton considering he has a school and scholarship already taken care of.
I, on the other hand, have no idea what I'm going to do. As of right now, the entire prospect of college is ridiculous. I can't go anywhere further than Nashville because I can't live on campus. Not that it matters, I can't afford to even be that far away from home, not that I'll be good enough to get in anyways.
I'm doomed.
I know I could just lie and get it over with but even entertaining the thought of being able to attend one of those schools is foolish. I need to be realistic with my life, that's one thing I actually agreed with my therapist on.
He gently pries the paper from my hands then proceeds to rip it in half. I slap his stomach, reaching for the pieces. "What did you do that for?"
He pulls my face up to his, the rubric long forgotten. "I'll get you a copy of mine later, right now you need to forget about it and breathe."
I take a few deep breaths, hating to admit that I feel better. He kisses me before handing me my fork and people say I'm a mother hen. I take a bite out of my pasta noticing the gaping looks of my friends.
"What?" I ask through a mouthful of food.
Ella and Stella's eyes jump from me to Ashton so quickly it makes me dizzy, their minds working in overdrive.
Oh, boy.
"No." Zev starts, a small smile on his face.
"Fucking." Gabe says in mild disbelief, dropping his phone on the floor.
"Way." James finishes, his eyes wide.
"Are you two dating?" Ella and Stella ask together, their jaws dropped.
I don't say anything, Ashton running his hand over the thigh I have hanging over his. I take another bite of pasta, his upper lip quirking up and down. They take our silence as confirmation.
"How long?" James asks, the only one in the group not completely losing his mind.
I look over at Ashton who's no longer fighting the smirk, he winks at me. I roll my eyes, ignoring the tingling feeling that really hasn't gone away.
"One week." He says, a huge smile on his face.
It's crazy to think it's been a week since the first baseball game, and our time in the parking lot. It's also arguably been the best week of my life. I haven't smiled this much in ages. I didn't tell anyone in the hopes of not making it a big deal. Besides, there's not much change in how we act.
"You've got to be kidding me?" Gabe laughs, scratching his chin.
"Welcome to reality." Sage says, eating a carrot that Ella dropped.
Ok, when I said I didn't tell anyone that definitely didn't mean my siblings. Especially Sage, he was Ashton's friend before I was so it's only right to know he was ok with it. He was more than alright with it, before I could even get the words out of my mouth he screamed "Finally!"
"You knew!" Ella shrieks, hitting Sages shoulder.
Sage tries to steal another carrot but Ella pulls the bag back. "Don't blame me," He protests, "take that up with her."
Two very angry pair of eyes land on me, thanks Sage. I shrug, "I just kinda figured it was obvious."
For me it was noticeable but perhaps that's just because my palms get sweaty every time I see him, which is often. On the outside I'm still capable of acting normal but on the inside I'm a jumbled mess of nerves and shit. In my defense I wanted to keep a panic like this from happening.
"No, it wasn't." Stella shouts, chucking a piece of bread at me. I don't think they appreciate being stuck on the dark.
There's an awkward silence while my friends process the information before Gabe props his feet on the table, a smug smile on his face. "Now that months of waiting are over I suppose a congratulations are in order. Also, James and Zev owe me fifty bucks. Ella and Stella owe me fifteen."
I knew they bet on us.
I look at the table, uncomfortable with the whistles my friends let out. A kiss is pressed to my cheek, "Come on, Sweetheart."
He nudges me with his nose and eventually I look over at Ashton, a second, lingering kiss placed on my lips. Feeling better as we break apart I grab his fries, throwing them at the other half of the table, all recording the kiss we just shared.
What a bunch of assholes.
"On a serious note," Zev says, posting his video to Snapchat. "Mom's letting me go a camping out on our property and I want you guys to come. Elliot has asked for the boys to go so just bring the little ones as well."
"When?"
He checks his phone, "The weekend after spring break."
The tickets Sage bought me for the concert are the same weekend. Everyone starts to reply, Sage sends me a hopeful glance. He's wanted to go camping since 8th grade. Ashton hasn't said anything yet, waiting for me to reply.
I can always see if he wants to go with me.
After the bell, Ashton walks me to class, swinging our hands back and forth for the first entire school to see. I take it hiding our relationship is completely behind us.
"So what does my girlfriend have planned for today?"
I smile, loving how those words sound coming from his mouth. "Saffron has her first karate class today then after the twins game I have to take Silver to the doctor for a checkup."
I used to do important doctors visits that didn't line up with doomsday during the day but Dave warned me any absences from me or the others would be viewed negatively. Thankfully our pediatrician is understanding.
He lets out a low whistle, "Sounds like your plate is full."
"It is." As always.
"Do you think maybe I could come over after your done with everything?" He asks, stopping outside of my classroom.
I tap my cheek, ignoring the herd of butterflies in my stomach. "I suppose."
He wraps his hands around my waist, "That didn't sound very convincing, Sweetheart." He smirks, his eyes shining with amusement, the heard of butterflies become a frenzied swarm.
For the love of God, this needs to disappear.
"Well you see, Charming," I link my fingers behind his neck, "it's going to be a very late night."
I'm not lying, by the time I get done with everything it will be close to nine.
Ashton moves me to the lockers, the cool metal creates goosebumps on my arms. He leans down, "I could always spend the night."
Clever boy.
I rub my lips together, "I could be persuaded."
He rubs slow circles on my hips, kissing me quickly. "How bout now?"
I raise my shoulders, "I don't know, I am pretty tired." The next kiss makes my toes curl.
Ashton pulls apart, his gray eyes full of concern. "Did you sleep ok last night?"
Warmth spreads through me, it's nice knowing someone cares about something as mundane as my sleep. I twist the hair at the nape of his neck, "I'll sleep better tonight."
He brushes my hair from my face, "So is that a yes."
Like I could possibly say no to him, I nod. The warning bell rings, Ashton shows no sign of moving. "Go, you're going to be late."
He nuzzles his face into my neck, "And your point is."
My eyes flutter as he breath hits my skin. "My point is," I push him off of me, "you'll see me in 45 minutes."
He sneaks one more kiss before hurrying down the hallway. I laugh as he runs into a couple of freshmen, even though I know he's an idiot my heart hurts watching him go.
I turn to go to class, running smack dab into Avery. I'm expecting a rude remark but her usual glare is gone. A small smile on her face as she walks down the hall.
*****
My afternoon isn't running as smoothly as I wanted.
Saffron loves karate, running around like a maniac. I think the discipline will be good for her and me. In the last five seconds of class she falls into the floor and gets a bloody lip.
I spend ten minutes cleaning her up and calming her down, making us late to the twins game. And, of course, Sterling is pitching.
And he's already struck six batters out.
Silver is catching, their twin telepathy coming in handy. Watching them is crazy because they have full arguments about which pitch to throw using just their eyes. The game goes into extra innings, making us late for the doctors appointment. The doctor doesn't have the best news.
Silver's grown on the weight chart but he's still classified as underweight. While we lived with Karen she had the doctor strengthen his ADHD medicine, so she could better handle him. He lost so much weight in such a short amount of time, even after a year of trying to rebuild what he lost I'm going to have to end up shoving little Debbie's down his throat to get him fattened up.
I'm driving home, trying to remind myself to breathe when a tire pops. Saffron screams at the noise and I instantly go into panic mode. I pull to the side of the road and hit my head on the steering wheel repeatedly. You've got to be kidding me?
I leave Silver with Saffron, taking Sterling with me to hold a flashlight. Sure enough, our back right tire is flat.
One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi
"What do we do now?" Sterling asks, kicking the tire.
I throw my hair in a ponytail, "I'm gonna teach you how to change a flat tire, Sterlz"
It takes 30 minutes and a lot of swearing but I manage to change the tire with only a minor mishap. When we finally get home, I have to lug a sleeping Saffron into the house.
"What the hell happened to you?" Sage asks, moving from the kitchen stove top. Thankfully he made spaghetti for dinner so I don't have to worry about feeding everyone.
"We got a flat tire" I mutter, closing to door behind me.
"What?" Sage and Ashton yell, startling Saffron awake. I glare at them, placing her at the kitchen table. Stupid boys.
"How did you get home?" Sage questions.
"I changed the tire on the side of the road."
Sage starts scooping bowls of food and handing them out, "That explains the shirt."
I glance down at my now ruined blouse, black marks standing out against the white. I just bought this too.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Ashton asks, trying to hug me.
I duck around him, I smell like rubber and dirt. "RJ."
His dad's a mechanic and when the time came for someone to teach me how to drive RJ volunteered. He knew I hated driving but he made sure I understood everything about a car: tire pressure, oil levels and changing flats.
I run a list of everything that has to be done.
"Saffron needs to eat and finish her school work, I'll put her to bed after I get cleaned up. Sterling needs to ice and Silver needs to eat two servings of dinner. Then they are to do homework. Sage, you too." I order as I head upstairs, knowing he probably hasn't opened his backpack.
After a scrubbing my body red, I change into one of Ashton's shirts and a pair of Nike pros. Collecting Saffron to bathe her, getting the leftover blood from her lip off. She insists on being read three chapters and of course, like the pushover I am, I oblige. After that, I help Silver with his algebra homework, color Sterling's biology poster and edit Sage's English essay.
I send the twins and Sage to bed since it's almost 11. Normally I have Sage help with cleaning up but he has a test first period tomorrow that he needs to ace. Ashton helps do the dishes, ignoring my constant protests. Eventually I force him to go shower since he's still dirty from practice.
I swap the laundry and pick up random messes before heading to my room.
Halfway through my pre cal homework, Ashton knocks on my door. I'm too tired to even get flustered over the fact he's not wearing a shirt. He sets down a bowl of pasta and my stomach growls.
I finish my pre cal and move over to history, "Sweetheart, you need to eat." He tries to reason with me.
I ignore him, halfway through the second question when my stomach growls again. Traitor.
Ashton takes my textbook from me, shoving the bowl into my hands. "Eat." I scarf the food down in record time. "When was the last time you ate?"
I reach for my textbook, "Lunch."
He throws my school work on the ground, ignoring my protests. "That's not healthy."
I shrug weakly, "I'm an image of perfect health." I never eat before the others when we're scattered around like tonight.
Ashton only shakes his head, getting up to turn the lights off. Now that I've eaten, I have a proper chance to admire him. It's unnatural how beautiful he is, there's no other way to describe him. Not in a classical way but a rugged beauty that I've never seen replicated.
"You can wear on of the shirts I have of yours." I offer to fill the silence, not breaking eye contact with him.
He smirks, reaching for my lamp. "I'm good."
At least I offered. I grab the bowl and go to get up but Ashton pulls me back down. "Where do you think you're going?"
"The dish needs to go in the kitchen." I protest, trying to get back up.
He sets the bowl down and takes my glasses from me. "You can take it in the morning."
"But ants."
I'm forced to lay down, my head on Ashton's chest. His heart beat becomes a lullaby, soothing the stress from my day away. "Right now you need to relax."
Sighing, I think about my day, one thing bothering me more than anything else. "I ruined a brand new shirt."
Ashton's laugh shakes me, "It's a real bummer." At least he understands. "You looked kinda hot in it."
I stand corrected, annoyed, I pinch a piece of soft skin. Mr. Arrogant isn't needed at midnight.
"Can I tell you a secret?" He whispers, the close proximity of his lips doing the opposite of relaxing me. With a nod of my head, he continues, "You look really hot right now."
My face flushes instantly against his chest, the heat giving away just how deeply his words affect me. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep." My voice isn't as stern as I want it to be, too distracted by Ashton running his fingers through my hair.
His other hand brushes my face, causing me to pick my head up to look at him. "I've never really understood just how much you do."
Immediately, I lower my eyes, uncomfortable to be talking about this. Tonight was nothing compared to some days. "It's not a big deal."
In an instant I'm pulled up, our faces a lot closer than before. I'm unsettled by how serious his eyes are, almost glowing in the dark. "Yes, it is. You're pretty fucking amazing and you deserve all the praise in the universe."
Happiness flutters throughout me, no one's ever really said that to me. My fingers push Ashton's hair out his face, still damp from his shower. "I'll take a kiss instead."
My favorite smirk appears as his lips meet mine, giving me a firm kiss before pulling away. I can't help but pout by how short it is, I'm not that tired.
He rubs my back, kissing my forehead. "Good night, Sweetheart."
*****
I'm woken up with a slew of kisses to my face.
"Good Morning." I whisper, turning onto my stomach so Ashton can no longer reach me. I need more sleep.
"Scarlett." He shakes me slightly, "You need to wake up."
That's a matter of opinion. I feel sleep welcoming me back into its arms when something wet splashes me. I screech, flinging the soaking sheets off of me. They make a slapping noise as they hit the wood floor.
Oh, he did not.
My entire body is drenched in water, I glare at Ashton who's trying to hold back laughter. I'm gonna kill him. I notice he's standing on top of my sheet so I yank it forward, knocking him onto his ass. Whoops.
I straddle his torso, slapping his chest. "That wasn't very nice."
His hands find their spot on my hips and I realize how bad of a position this is. I forgot we were a couple. An idea comes to mind. I lean down, my lips hovering over his neck. How do I want to play this?
He strokes lazy circles onto my skin, someone's cocky. I press my lips right below his jaw, copying what he's done to me I nibble slightly on the skin. This stills his hands.
Bingo. I stop, leaving him alone in my bedroom floor as I get ready for the day.
I don't say anything to Ashton all morning, I was still angry but I also didn't have the time.
It's my morning to make breakfast, then Sterling can't find his glasses. Silver throws up and when I try to make him stay home he assures me it's because he ate too quickly. Sage overslept for the first time ever, a sure sign he's getting sick, trudging downstairs in sweatpants and a jacket to hide his chills. It's burning up outside.
I know he won't miss practice, baseball's first priority.
Ashton stays silent, helping whenever he gets the chance, which is rarely. My siblings and I in a routine we know by heart.
Sage volunteers to pick up Ronnie, leaving Ashton and I alone in his truck.
I finish my homework on our way to go get coffee, Ashton's way of apologizing for the water, singing along to "She Will Be Loved." I glance up at a stoplight to find him recording me.
"Stoppp!" I cry, flinging a hand out. I sound like a dying whale.
He laughs, turning his attention back to the road. Once we get to school go to get out of the truck, I need to print something off for class. Ashton locks the door, pulling me back to him.
"You are a very busy person Sweetheart." He says, resting his forehead on mine.
"So I've been told, it's a good thing we managed to get to school early." I tease, flicking his nose as I try to leave, only slightly annoyed that I could've slept a little longer.
He holds me in place, "I believe we had unfinished business this morning."
My heart rate picks up, "I don't-"
He kisses me, ending any retort I have. I can always print my paper out at lunch. "We have thirty minutes till the bell rings, do you want to nap?"
Part of me wants to say no but a yawn escapes, answering for me. Ashton readjusts himself, leaning his back against the door and throwing a leg on the bench. I lean back, playing with the hand he throws across my chest.
Eventually we walk into school, no longer able to say we're early.
"So about the camping trip?" Ashton asks, linking his pinky through my belt loop.
Please don't tell me you want to go. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to a concert with me instead? It would be in the city and we probably would have to stay the night. If you want to go camping I understand."
I fidget with my straw waiting for a reply, he doesn't like my type of music.
"As long as I'm with you I'm happy."
*****
And it's finally happened... it only took 45 chapters and a whole lot waiting but it happened! Don't worry things aren't gonna stay happy for long!
Xo-Mo