Everything's gonna be okay
Reading Scarlett's message I can't help but feel confused. Last night I witnessed a full-blown meltdown and today she's insistent everything is okay. Maybe she did snap last night. I'm all for optimism but I heard how poor the odds of success were, that downfall won't be healthy.
"Ashton." Dad knocks on the door, a white envelope in hand.
Groaning, I fall onto my bed. "Make them stop. I'm never going to read one." All those stupid letters do is ruin my mood and after this week I didn't even think it was possible to be more pissed off. One look at that and I'm proven wrong.
I don't care about what my father has to say. I don't care if that letter is his final dying words, I hope he rots in hell.
Dad grimaces, shoving the letter in his pocket. "I know, but it's my job to make sure you at least know."
No secrets.
He stands there for a second before awkwardly resting on the edge of my bed. "You seem to be in somewhat better spirits."
"I am." Until I saw that freaking letter.
"Would the time you came home last night have anything to do with that?"
It wasn't even that late. "Yeah, I saw Scarlett."
"Did you two... talk?" He tries to readjust himself before settling on the same position.
"If by talk you mean me following her through town before accidentally ending up at her parents' grave site. Listen to her basically have a breakdown and get caught. Then, yeah, we talked." I offer nonchalantly.
Looking back, I'm surprised no one called the cops on me.
He just stares at me, "Wow... that's umm... that's..."
"Embarrassing. Awkward. Humiliating."
Dad begins to laugh, "Completely mortifying."
The laughter grows and I can't help but join in. It was the first time something like that's ever happened but honestly, I don't mind. As we calm down, I shrug. "No, we talked after and everything is okay now." More than okay, actually. "Just took me being a complete idiot to make it happen."
Dad shakes his head fondly, "I've had far too many interactions like that.''
I wait for him to continue and just when I think he's about to leave, he leans back against the headboard.
"You probably don't remember this but after I met your mother, I began to do check-ins every few days since you lived in a rougher area." I nod, vaguely remembering some of his visits. "Well, maybe three months into this ritual, you were so sick your mom had just barely opened the door to greet me. You ran to the door and ended up getting sick from trying to be so active. Your poor mom was obviously headed down the same path you were, so I decided to help."
It takes a moment, but I remember that day. I also vaguely remember police cars showing up later on. "What did you do?"
He grimaces, "Well, obviously I was rather fond of your mom, so I decided to make some of Abuela's homemade chicken noddle soup and pick up some more medicine. She had mentioned almost being out of it."
"You brought me a match box car too." I recall, I think it's one of my drawers.
He nods, "And flowers for your mom. But as soon as I got to the house, I chickened out. I couldn't go up to the door and explain the reason for me being there. I don't do well with explaining myself."
"Especially to pretty, single mothers." I smirk.
"Especially." He grins, "So I sat outside for over an hour, trying to find the guts to walk up to the door. Eventually, I made it up to the door, put my fist up to the door to knock and then she walks by. In a panic, I dive into the bushes, making a ton of noise while somehow managing to save the soup."
Oh my God.
"Just as I'm trying to get back onto my feet, my phone rings. It's your mom and I have to answer, because the ringing will be noticeable, and I never ignored one of her calls. So I pick up and she goes 'Mark, there's someone in my bushes.'"
Why is this the best story I've ever heard?
"I try my hardest to talk her out of her panic, ensuring no one was out there. She demands I come over and look. As I'm trying to find the words to explain where I am, she cuts me off and insists that if I can't show up, she'll just call the cops. She hangs up and before I can even get up and make it back to the door, sirens wail down the road." He pauses to remember the situation.
He still seems embarrassed.
"To spare you a long story involving a friend tackling me to the ground, the soup still somehow intact, explaining myself to your mom and keeping you in place while you threw up on the sidewalk because you just couldn't wait inside. I ended up staying over because you insisted on having me around and my collogues referred to me as the stalker for years."
"God, I remember I used to wait by the door for you to come by."
He smiles wistfully, "You'd race outside and throw yourself on me before your mom could even get to the door. I miss those days."
"I could start doing that again, but I don't think you could handle it, old man." I try to joke but I know what he means. He misses the old us. Nights staying up watching reruns of games and finding new ways to form mom's food into something edible.
"Who are you calling old?" He demands just as his knee pops.
I stand corrected. We sit there for a while as the silence turns stifling, neither of us sure of what to say.
"One time, I pissed Scarlett off so badly she ignored me, so I said the word Boo for five minutes, during class, just so she would yell at me. I fell on my ass and everyone thought I was crazy." I say randomly.
"When was this? Last month."
"No." I laugh, "That was back in November."
He joins me and we bounce stories back and forth, in a fit of tears by the end of the afternoon.
*****
Sweetheart
We need to talk but please don't touch my upper back.
Reading her text as I walk into school, I'm even more confused. This is the second text she's sent me all weekend and it's not any less cryptic than the one I got Saturday. At least she's talking to me.
Leaning against her locker, I just wait. Eventually, the rest of my friends begin to trickle in, all wearing grim faces.
"What the hell is up with you?" Stella questions, eyeing me up.
"Nothing much, just happy to be here." I shrug, I'm not telling them anything. Not that I have much to share but they don't deserve to know. They chose to stay away so stay away.
She glares at me before grabbing her boyfriend, "James, what's he hiding?"
"Why do you assume I'd know?" He questions completely dumb founded.
"You're a guy, you just know these things."
He looks like he wants to question her logic but thinks better of it, giving me a half assed once over. "I don't know, he looks happy."
"Why are you happy? Your girlfriend has had a horrible weekend and you choose now to be happy." She jabs a finger into my chest and while Stella is a solid 5'1, I take a step back.
"Yes, I'm happy." If you'd actually talk to your friends, you would understand why.
She stares at me for an uncomfortably long time before I'm punched in the gut. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't very pleasant.
"What the actual fuck was that for?" I demand, almost dropping the iced coffee I have for Scarlett.
"Who were you with this weekend?"
"No one." I snap, finally understanding what she's implying. "Do you really think I'd cheat on Scarlett?"
She just sits there, unsure of how to respond. What the hell, did she really think that lowly of me?
"James, please take your girlfriend away before I flip my shit." Now isn't the time or place to fight.
He pulls her back, unsure of what to say. No one really seems sure of what to do so we sit in silence.
"Ashton, I'm so-" Stella starts but I catch sight of a tall, lanky kid walking our way above the crowd.
"Save it." I seethe just as my two favorite people come into view.
"Good morning." Scarlett sings, hugging me with a genuine smile on her face that I haven't seen in so long.
Forgetting all about Stella's accusation, I peck her forehead. "Good morning."
Sage hugs Ella while everyone, including myself, waits for an explanation. What the hell happened this weekend to make them so happy?
"Are you okay?" Gabe questions, dramatically pressing a hand to Scarlett's forehead.
"We're completely fine." She assures everyone.
She informs them of how badly last Friday went and while I'm still just as confused as I was before, I tune it out. My favorite people are back. They're happy and smiling and okay.
That's all that matters.
"Okay then, have you heard the news?" James asks, trying to hide the fact Stella hasn't said much today.
The sibling duo share a look, "What news?"
"You're twitter famous." Ella cries, shoving her phone in Scarlett's face.
Oh, shit, I forgot about my tweet.
Friday I was so happy after dropping Scarlett off, I posted a few pictures of us at sporting events throughout the year. In my defense, I was happy and after our conversation who in their right mind wouldn't be.
The bell rings and she's yet to say anything about it, holding me in place while everyone else walks to class. Let the lecture begin.
"I missed you." She offers, looking up at me with soft eyes.
"Of course, you did. That's what all the ladies say." I smirk just to piss her off.
In return my nose is flicked rather harshly before she walks off.
Chasing after her, I throw an arm around her. "Can I tell you a secret?" I ask, purposely grazing her skin.
"What?"
"I love you." I reply honestly.
She tries to fight it but a smile returns to her face. "I love you, but Twitter, really?"
I shrug, "What can I say, I was in a pretty good mood." plus, she doesn't have twitter so if she got mad, it would be a delayed response.
"You're such a dork."
Very true, "But I'm your dork."
*****
"Ashton, can we talk to you?" Ella asks, approaching my truck while they wait on Scarlett to walk out.
"Sure."
Stella clears her throat. "I'm sorry for what I accused you of, you're honestly that last person I would ever think of doing such a thing."
"Then why would you accuse me of it?"
"Because it happened last time and even though you're definitely not Bennett, it was just concerning to see you so happy and cheerful." She explains solemnly.
I... did not know that. "Scarlett's never mentioned that before."
"She never will, it wasn't very pretty, we only found out because Gabe accidentally told us."
Just when I thought it was impossible to hate someone even more, I get proven wrong. "But I'm not him or anyone else."
"We know that."
Ella steps forward, "We're also sorry for bossing you around this past week. You ended up doing the right thing and we shouldn't have pushed you so hard."
I want to yell at them, I have a whole week, more like a whole six months of pent up arguments I'd like to share, but I don't. I know they don't have malicious intents. They're just trying to do what's best and they're still learning.
What matters is that they love the Rhodes.
"It's okay, really."
We all have room to grow.
*****
"Scarlett, you need to go home." I insist, taking in her red, puffy eyes.
"Nope, take me to the grocery store, McClain." She orders, pulling down the mirror to fix herself.
Sighing, I head to the store. I'm glad therapy went so well but it's okay to rest, she needs it.
After running around the store for over an hour, we manage to make it back to the house. Miraculously everyone is taking a nap at the same time, so we unload the groceries and start dinner.
And by we, I mean Scarlett because she has a system for everything. The groceries are all put away in a specific order and she prepares certain food before others to keep some from getting cold.
"What do you think you want to study in college?" I ask through a mouthful of bacon bits. I know she finished her college project, but we haven't talked about it yet.
"I don't know, art therapy interests me." She admits softly.
That's perfect for her. I honestly couldn't picture her doing anything else besides using her gifts to help people like her.
"But what about you, that's a decision you have to make first." She nudges me.
I sigh, please don't remind me. "Physical therapy is a safer path but honestly, business might just be calling my name."
She raises an eyebrow. "Why the interest?"
"I can't rely on football forever. Anything could happen at any given minute and I can't afford to not be prepared." I like the thought process involved with it, all the analyzing.
"Look at you, being all responsible and stuff." She teases with a flick of my nose as she begins to mix the mashed potatoes.
"I plan on having people who depend on me, I need to be on top of the ball." I explain, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her face turns pink as she focuses on the bowl, "Tell me more, Charming."
Gladly.
"Well, I'll have a house that's absolutely gorgeous. A few dogs, haven't really decided on the breeds yet. A couple nice cars." The picture, while still vague, begins to form in my mind.
"What else, Mister McClain." She challenges.
Oh, here comes the fun part. "Well, there'll be a Mrs. McClain."
The mixing stops, "Oh." Moving, I wrap my arms around her. "Tell me about her."
"She's absolutely stunning, by far the hottest wife in the NFL." I begin, knowing how uncomfortable I'm making her. "Everything from our house to our cars will be picked out by her."
"Don't you want a say in anything?" She asks roughly.
I smile, kissing her cheek. "I'll add my input from time to time but she's so stubborn that I'd much rather let her have her way. Plus, they always say happy wife, happy life."
I have a feeling I already know the decisions she'll make but I'm always open to a surprise.
Scarlett stays quiet but I can feel how wildly her heart is pounding. "What else do you see?"
That's the golden question if I do say so myself.
Resting my chin on her shoulder, I can't stop from smiling like a fool. "Well, since I'm looking maybe eight years into the future, we'll have a teenager who will keep us on our toes."
Saffron will definitely be a handful in her teenage years, I can see it now.
"I see the beginning of a family, maybe a baby already on the way." I continue, boldly tracing her stomach.
She tenses and I brace myself for the hit, but it never comes. "How many children do you plan on having?"
"As many as my beautiful wife will give me. Like I said, she makes all the decisions." I'm not the one pushing them out of me.
We sit there in silence and as the seconds tick by, I become desperate for her to say something. Lightning fast, she goes to turn and we collide, potatoes flying everywhere.
"Aw shit." She mutters while trying to hide the fact she's crying.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I ask, keeping her in place.
Was it something I said because I can take it back.
"Nothing." She lies and I just stare at her, this isn't something I'm just going to forget about. She purses her lips together as I place her on the countertop, "It's just that this is such a fun thing to think about, but we can't really know what's going to happen."
She's scared and when Scarlett's scared her only reaction is to shove people away. That's not happening anymore. Kissing the palm of her hand, I move closer to her. "Scarlett, we both know nothing in life is guaranteed. A year ago, I never would've thought I'd be here with someone as wonderful as you. But this is my reality."
Shit, old Ashton would've been repulsed by my new life. And I could be so wrong, we could break up in a few years or go through a time period of not talking to each other. We may even end up hating one another but I just know it won't end like that.
"You are my reality and you're my future." I add, drying the tears away.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you included Saffron." She manages to explain and I'm so confused.
"Of course, I included Saffron. Our life wouldn't be complete without that little hellion and the boys would visit all the time." I assure her as I remove some potato from her hair, I assumed that part was implied.
So many different emotions flash across her face before she utters four words that hurt me. "I won't be alone."
She still assumes the worst for herself.
"You'll never be alone, Scarlett." Not for as long as I can help it.
We stay in the kitchen, hugging away the worries.
*****
"So are you finally going to tell me what made you feel so much better?" I ask, lounging on her bed later that evening.
She tenses before hesitantly resting on the edge of the bed. "Okay, don't freak."
I snort, "What'd you do? Sell your soul to the devil."
"More like an angel." She grimaces, "I've told you about Carmen and Emmanuel."
I've heard a story or two and none of them match the serious expression she's wearing right now.
"Well, Friday night after you dropped me off Uncle John was waiting on me. He took me back home, to Oak Hill, and we ended up at their house." She starts, fidgeting with the ring around her neck.
"That's awesome, you haven't seen them in what, like two years?" I recall.
"Yeah, it was awesome. I told them about everything that's been going on and we managed to come up with a solution."
Her voice dies off and I wait for her to continue, "A solution?"
"More like an arrangement."
"How so?" Is there something I'm just not understanding or what?
"They promised to help me keep custody and to keep Bennett away." She says and I just blink.
"Okay, that makes sense." If you're high.
She rolls her eyes, "They do this for tons of people who need help. They helped RJ go to college since his parents couldn't afford it. They helped my parents when they were our age and now it's just my turn to be a part of it."
The pieces all click into place, wait a second... "You mean to tell me you joined a gang?"
She makes a face, "No, I joined a group of people who look out for each other."
"So, a gang?" Jesus Christ, I thought she was supposed to be the responsible one here. "Scarlett, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? That's single handedly the stupi-"
"Finish that, I dare you." She cuts me off with a piercing glare.
Gulping, I lay back down. Wrong choice of words but still, does she not understand how bad that decision is.
"I'm only going to say this once so listen. I joined a group that offered to make my problems go away. I will not be out hustling drugs or doing anything illegal because they don't do that and I'm not stupid." She emphasizes the last part and I avert my gaze.
"No, you're not. I'm sorry."
"I agreed to a small list of terms and that's it. I'm okay. My family is okay. That's all I give a damn about and if I'm being honest, it felt like my parents were the ones who wanted me to do it." She explains.
"How so?" I genuinely ask.
She gnaws on her lip, "John literally refused to view it as on option until I finally went to that graveyard and spoke. Then, he just out of the blue reversed the one decision he was serious about. Plus, they were me. They had different reasons but at one point in time, they had to make the same call I did."
Damn, maybe it's best to just stay quiet some time. It would save me a lot of arguments. "Then it was meant to happen, but, if you don't mind me asking, what did you agree to?"
"To let people help." She smiles and I'm ready to throw a party. God, if that's all it took then she should've joined months ago. "And to go back home way more often. I hope you like Italian food because RJ's mom has invited us over every Sunday for the next three months."
She wants me to go with her. "As long as RJ isn't there count me in."
I'm shoved off the bed.
Laughing my ass off, I manage to climb back up. Pulling her up to me, I clear my throat. "Thank you for telling me."
She looks up, "Of course, we tell each other everything."
Right, that reminds me of the stack of letters I have building up for me. However, that thought is shoved away by the warning I got Monday. "Hey, Scar?" She hums, "Why couldn't I touch your back?"
"Oh, I... sorta did a thing."
"What thing?" Pull a muscle?
"I got a tattoo, you wanna see it?" She asks hesitantly.
Of course, I want to see it, that's kick ass. "Please."
She rolls her eyes, pulling her shirt up just as the bedroom door opens.
"Dude, cover up." Sterling orders.
"Yeah, shouldn't Ashton be doing that for you?" Silver adds.
Scarlett doesn't even flinch, pulling her shirt back down. "Is there a reason you're harassing me?"
I swear they have a recorder in here just so they know when to interrupt.
"We want cookies."
Scarlett perks up, "Double chocolate chunk?"
They shrug, "As long as you make them, we don't care."
She goes to stand up, but I hold her in place, "But I want to see."
"You've seen her naked before." Silver cuts in.
I glare at him, "The tattoo, you brat, I already have the other stuff memorized."
That earns me three glares and a slap up the head. They deserve it for barging in unannounced.
Scarlett leans down to kiss me, "You'll see it, later, once everyone else is asleep."
And with that she runs downstairs after her brothers.
What a tease.
*****
Someone give me motivation to do homework.
SOS... so tired
But I love this chapter