"Look deeper into nature and then you will understand everything better. "- Albert Einstein.
Ashley's POV
When Lucas decided to drop me home first before dropping off Cam, I knew then that something wasn't right. Even when he came for me from the party saying that Cam wanted to leave, I knew that something had ensued.
So when I headed for bed, I decided to send Cam a text. 'How are you?', I ask.
I know for sure, she won't reply now but leaving her this message is the best for when she's okay by tomorrow to reply.
I send Grayson a message too.
"I'm back from the party." I text.
"So... how was it?" He quickly replies.
"It was okay."
"Anything new?"
Was there something new? Definitely. So I text, "Yeah!"
"What's it? I'm all ears."
I smile broadly as I say, "I found a new friend."
"Nice! What's her name?"
Wait! He thought it would be a girl. Does that mean I'm bad at making male friends?"It's not a her, it's a him."
"Oh! I see."
What do I say?
"Yeah!"
He doesn't say anything after a minute so I text again.
"So.. what were you doing while I was away?"
He replies, "I was just playing video games with Cole."
"So who won?"
"I did."
He did? Wow!
"Are you sure? I can call Cole to ask, you know."
"Lol. You can call him if you want, he'll tell you the same."
So he actually won! I can't believe this.
"Okay, I won't. It's not like I have his number anyway."
"I can give it to you if you want."
The heck! Is he teasing me?
"Lol, It's okay."
A minute or two passes before he sends another text message, "School starts in a few days. Are you happy to be back?"
Nu-uh!
"Definitely not." I text as a reply.
"Haha, why?"
Well....
"School was never an interesting place for me."
"That's new to me, I guess.
"I do have my days, though."
"I thought you'd be a lover of school."
"I know right, but that isn't the case. So you love school?"
"I guess I do."
"Good for you."
"Lol. I can see you do not like school."
"Hihi... I really do not"
And that was how he called, claiming to want to know my reasons for disliking school.
-
School officially re-opens today. It's been three days since the party. The next day Cam texted me telling me she was okay. I knew she wasn't, so I asked her to accompany me to get ice cream and she gladly agreed. It was as we munched on the ice cream carelessly and childishly did her spirit seemed to lift and her old self came back. I knew if I tried to pry now that she was a tad okay, she would recoil, so I didn't ask her anything. She would talk about it when she's okay to talk. If not, then she won't.
Grayson picks me up for school. He's decided that it's his responsibility from now onwards. Not that I could argue against it, anyway. I'm enjoying it, every bit.
Right after I finished putting on clothes for school, he texted saying that he just left home and was on his way to my place. So as quickly as I could, I went downstairs and had my breakfast. Wouldn't want him waiting for me. Or would we?
When he finally arrived, I bid my confused parents and Dylan goodbye. Lucas was still in his room- he's been locked up in his room ever since the party. I go outside to find Gray leaning against his car as he waits. He straightens and smiles when he notices me and I couldn't help but return it. When I get in front of him, he hugs me lightly before pulling away.
"Good morning." I greet.
"Good morning." He replies.
"How was your sleep?"
"It was amazing," I mutter shyly.
He opens the front door for me and I mutter a 'Thank you' before taking my seat but what I wasn't expecting was to see another girl in the backseat. A brunette to be precise.
"Omg! You guys are so cute." She mutters as she pats her cheek, smiling like she's meeting her star crush for the first time.
I smile and look at her closely in the rearview mirror. Just then her face strikes my memory and I remember her at once. It's her, that brunette that saved me from embarrassing myself that one time Cam forced me to speak to Grayson. I vividly remember her. Who's she to him?
"Omg! You're so pretty." She continues to gush. "You're his girlfriend. You're Ashley right?"
"Yeah." I nod my head shyly and she squeals.
"My cousin here wouldn't stop talking about you. It's either Ashley this, or Ashley that. Damn! He's so whipped."
Grayson then clears his throat, "That's my Cousin, Yvette."Â I could see a tinge of pink running along his neck as he introduced her.
"Okay," I say bluntly. I mean, what do I say?
"You can call me Yvie." She blurts.
"Nice name." I compliment and she smiles wildly.
"Thanks."
_ _
We get to school and we park in the parking lot. We all descend from the car as we make our way towards the building, I could see how the students watched us, specifically me. They looked at me weirdly, but I'm used to this. It's their lifestyle anyway.
I promise I'm not going to freak out.
Grayson places my hand in his as we walk along the corridors. I was about to pull my hand out of his- due to glaring gazes-but then I suddenly remembered Lucas and Dylan's words of advice. So I don't. Students halt immediately when they see our hands but it's okay right?! Okay so maybe I'm freaking out.
Yvie leaves us for her locker whilst Grayson follows me to my locker. He doesn't still let go of my hand when we arrive at my locker. I look up at him and motion to our hands that were stuck like glue.
He blushes, "Sorry." And let go of my hand.
I put in my locker combination open my locker, pick up my stuff, and shut it. I lock it and we head for his.
Soon enough we found ourselves in class. We enter the class, and he walks me to my seat. I sit and he lowers his head to mine, I wonder what is happening but before I can ask or react, I feel his lips brush my cheek.
He p...pecked my cheek!
In the sight of everyone.
He pulls away and my heart does this flip. Was that a public display of affection? Never thought he would be a PDA kind of guy. Who would have known?
Confidently he pulls away, shoots me a grin, and heads for his seat.
Third Person's POV
Miserable would be an understatement of how Lucas felt these few days. He'd tried calling Cam but she never picked up. So he decided to let her be. Finally, today school resumed. He'd be able to see her although she wouldn't want to probably see him.
In class, all he could do was get lost in her laughter and smiles. She was okay, with no traces of sadness yet why did he feel so miserable?
He's been meaning to ask her what, 'I can't like you' means but she's been avoiding him so he hasn't the gotten chance to ask. He's decided to let her know, that he would rather be her friend done mean or be nothing at all to her. Right now, all he needed was a chance.
During lunch, he tried to make conversation with her and surprisingly she replied to him and acted like nothing ever happened between them. He was glad, to say the least. This was better, they could still go back to being the way they were. It wouldn't be easy but he would try.
Soon enough, school hours came to an end it was time for all the students to go back home.
Lucas was on his way towards his parked car when he heard his name being yelled from afar. He turns only to be faced with a running Cam. To say he looked taken aback would be an understatement. Although she looked like she would faint from all the running, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed that she was coming towards him. She wasn't ignoring him anymore.
That must be a good sign, right? It's got to be a good sign.
"Hey!" She pants for breath once she gets nearer.
"Cam!" He acknowledges.
"Can we talk?" She asks motioning towards his car, once her breath steadies.
"Yeah! Sure."
She enters the passenger's seat and he does the same, in the driver's seat.
"I'm sorry." She looks him in the eye whilst saying, "For everything. For ignoring you and for hurting you, for giving you an ultimatum between friendship or nothing."
"It's okay. I was planning on telling you that we could still be friends. This doesn't have to change anything."
"Lucas, I can't be your friend."
He goes into panic mode immediately. "Why?"
"Because I like you. I like you back, in the same way you like me."
"But you said.."
"I know, but then I had my reasons. Now, I feel like the reasons aren't worth it anymore. I thought I could pretend and hide the way I felt about you but then after saying those hurtful things, I was so miserable, it was swallowing me up. So, I thought everything through."
"You were miserable?"
"Yeah," She smiles sadly.
"But you weren't looking like it, rather you seemed happy today."
"Yeah, that's because I decided to tell you my stupid reasons and get both of us out of our misery."
He lets out a breath, "Okay. So when you said you can't like me, what did you mean?"
"Honestly, I felt like if I liked you back, my friendship with Ashley might end."
"How? Why?"
"When you first came down here, I mean when you moved to this place. I was kinda starstruck and she would sometimes tell me of how I can't like you. And I know it's just her own way of looking out for me."
"Why would she even say that?"
"I never had been really serious with all these crushes I've had. I feel like, she thought it was just a one-moment thing for me. I thought so too, I didn't know it would become more."
"So are you going to talk to her about this? About how you feel, I'm sure she'll understand. She's not so complicated."
"But what if she doesn't understand and probably doesn't like the idea of us."
"Just talk to her first, Okay."
"Okay. Thanks!" She leans in to hug him, and he wraps his arms around her, breathing in her scent and smiling.
*******
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