*Hazel's Pov*
I brought the walkie talkie up to my mouth and spoke into it. "Asher, are these walkie talkies really necessary?" I asked as I crouched behind a bush with Athena.
"Don't call me that! Call me by my code name." He replied back.
I rolled my eyes. "Sorry. Master Muffinman, are these walkie talkies really necessary?"
"Yes they are. Now stop getting distracted and get ready to engage, Princess Popsicle Stick and Goddess of Wisdom. Over and out." He was really going spy mode on this, huh.
I turned to Athena and signaled to her. She nodded and we quickly jumped over the white fence at Claire's house. We crawled to the window and as Athena slung her backpack off her shoulders, she began taking out her hiking equipment.
"Strap me up well, okay? I don't wanna break any bones." I chuckled nervously.
"Don't worry, girl. I always had to do this stuff when I'd go hiking so I'm pretty good at it." She took out the harness and strapped me up. She attached the rope on the harness to a tree branch sticking out next to the window and handed me the camera.
"Okay, I think we're all good. Pull me up." She slowly pulled on the rope, lifting me up to the window. Once I was at a good level, I looked down and gave her a thumbs up.
"Good luck!" She whisper-yelled to me before crouching behind the tree.
I put the camera on the windowsill and made sure to level myself just a bit below the window so I wouldn't be seen. The camera wasn't big, so I knew Claire and my dad wouldn't see it.
I checked the time quickly on my phone and started rolling the camera. It was ten pm which was the time that my dad and Claire usually strolled into her room for...um...you know.
Right on time! The door was aggressively opened and slammed against the wall. In came Claire and my dad-bleugh-making out. They started taking off their clothes and that's when I looked away and stared at something better, which to be honest could've been anything. Wow my shoes looked really nice from here...
A thousand years later (or at least that's what it felt like), I heard some....noises that signaled they were done. I waited a few minutes longer, really taking in what I was doing. I was recording my dad doing it with some other girl so that I could show it to my family, my mom. Was I doing the right thing? I shook the thought off and decided that the footage I got was enough.
I didn't want them to be able to hear me so I couldn't yell out to Athena. I grabbed my walkie talkie and whispered into it. "Athena, er, Goddess of Wisdom, I'm done. Pull me down, over and out."
I felt myself get lowered but before my feet could touch the ground, I was swooped up by a pair of arms. I turned to see that they were Asher's.
I looked at him with a startled look. "Asher! What are you doing? Where's Athena?" I whisper-yelled while frantically looking around.
"Relax, Princess," he said lazily, "She's in the car. I convinced her to let me have the job of catching you by telling her she'd be a wayyyy better getaway driver than me. We all know that's a lie but-"
"No, she probably would be better." I laughed as Asher frowned at my comment. "Now let's go before we get caught."
He unattached the rope from the branch and carried me to the car right before setting me down and opening the door for me. I crawled into the back seat with Asher following me.
"I could've walked here myself, you know." I smiled at Asher.
"Of course you could've, but it's fun to hold you." He smiled back. My heart almost leaped out at the way he said that. I couldn't stop staring at him until Athena spoke.
"So you did it?" She asked. I held the camera up and shook it to show her that I got the footage.
"Alright." She said as she pressed on the gas and we drove away.
I looked down at the camera and fidgeted with it in my hands. The thoughts started flooding back.
Are you trying to hurt your family? How's your mom going to react to her boyfriend cheating on her? Your brothers? Everyone's gonna think it's your fault because you're showing this to them. Why not just let your family be unaware of the situation and let them be happy? Why not bear it so they don't have to? You're breaking your family again. This is a mistake. You're being selfish. You're being-
"Hey." Asher said gently lifting my chin to look up at him. "You're doing the right thing."
"Am I? I'm just gonna hurt everyone and it'll all be my fault." I felt my eyes start glistening so I looked back at the camera.
"Your dad's the one that's hurting them. You're just stopping it before it can get worse. You're preventing a hurt even worse." Asher stroked my cheek softly.
I looked up at him again and smiled through my forming tears. "Thank you." We looked at each other for another second before I pulled him into a bear hug.
He was surprised at first but quickly wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and slowly fell asleep in his embrace.
~~~~~~~
"Hazel." I heard a whisper and felt someone softly nudging me.
"Nuggjsm." I mumbled back.
"Hazel. Hazel." It was getting louder and I kept getting nudged.
I opened my eyes and found myself being cradled by Asher in his car.
Woah. Woah. "Woah!"
I felt my cheeks turn a darker shade and I couldn't stop myself from feeling flustered.
"Hazel, you okay? You look like you have a fever." Asher said and I blushed even more.
"No, no no no I'm okay. I'm okay." I looked around. "Where are we?"
"We're having a quick food break at Sunset Sally's Diner." Athena interjected from the front seat. She looked at me from the rear view mirror and winked at me. I felt goosebumps when I realized why she was winking.
I was still in Asher's arms. But I wasn't just in his arms in a normal hug like when I fell asleep. I was in his lap with his arms around me. I could feel my entire face on fire and I looked up at him.
He noticed me looking and smiled. When he noticed the heatwave in my face his mouth made an "o" shape and he went red too. I didn't know whether to eject myself from him or stay there and bask in his warmth.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do either cause Athena made us get out of the car to enter the diner. I awkwardly got up from his lap and got out of the car with him following.
The bell on the door rang when we entered and we were greeted by the smell of milkshakes and burgers. I slid into a booth in the corner and Asher slid into the same side as me. Athena sat opposite of us.
A waiter came up with a notepad and pencil. "Hi, I'll be your waiter today. Are you guys ready to order?" I recognized him as Ilian from math. Dang, did all the waiters here go to Glenwood High? I wondered.
"I'll have a strawberry milkshake, cheeseburger, and fries." I said as I handed over the menu. I didn't need to look at it anymore cause I knew it by now.
"I'll have the same thing except a chocolate milkshake instead." said Asher.
"I'll have mango lemonade with chili cheese fries." Athena ordered last.
The waiter went away and entered the kitchen to give our orders. I put my head down on the table and closed my eyes. I couldn't help but yawn.
"Hey, Sleepyhead. Stay up until our food gets here." Asher said and rubbed my back.
"Humnhgh." When I was sleepy, I spoke this language called gibberish.
He grabbed my shoulders and lifted my head up from the table. I went limp from sleepiness and my head ended up on his shoulder. At the contact, we both tensed up.
My eyes widened when I caught Athena giving me an evil smirk. The type that teases you when you have a moment with a special someone. Not that Asher's a special one! Not that he's not special! He is special. Very special. But not special like that.
My vision was going out due to me falling asleep. I softened up and my head continued to rest comfortably on his shoulder.
"Night, Princess. I'll wake you up when the food gets here." Asher said in a soft husky voice.
And he did.
I opened my eyes when I heard cheering and felt something a bit heavy on my head. I lifted my head off of Asher's shoulder.
"Nooooo! You ruined my fry tower!" He frowned and angrily took a sip of his milkshake.
"You made a fry tower on my head?! I probably have crumbs and salt all in my hair now! Man that's one heck of a way to wake someone up." I mumbled.
"Would you guys stop quarreling?! I'm trying to enjoy my food. Man, right in front of my salad." Athena shook her head, disappointedly.
"I thought you got chili cheese fries." I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
"I did, but that cute waiter also offered me their salad special while you were knocked out and I couldn't say no. It's actually really good!" She took a bite and smiled. "So now I have chili cheese fries and salad."
I shook my head and chuckled. How did I become friends with two crazy dorks? We talked about a bunch of random stuff until we finished eating.
"You ready to go make a change for the better?" Athena asked as she put her jacket on to leave.
I looked down at my hands on the table.
Asher put his hand on top of mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be okay." He smiled warmly and my insides turned to jello.
I smiled and nodded. "I'm ready."
A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry for taking so long to update like alwaysssss. I've just been kinda going through something at home so I hope you guys understand why I haven't been motivated. Hopefully I can try to update faster. Do you think Hazel's making the right decision? How do you think her family will react? What did you think about the Ashzel/Hasher moments this chapter? It's good that he's there for her. Also y'all know darn well I gave Athena a salad just for that line. I hope you liked this chapter! Make sure to follow for notifications and announcements! Please keep reading and vote! Thank you!! By my lovelies!!!â¤â¤â¤
---Your author, Gen