"It would be better if we didn't have anything to do with each other, Sky. I'm sorry for spreading that pointless rumour to begin with, and I'm sorry for ever getting involved with you."
That was the last thing Ash said to me before the winter break.
That was the last thing he said to me, and that was two months ago.
Not much happened over the break apart from I spent time with Lila, Harry and James doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things like archery and sheep herding.
Although, when laser tag was mentioned, I couldn't bring myself to agree to it.
However, it appeared that Thorn had completely vanished off the face of the earth as he didn't reply to any messages and his Instagram was almost completely dead. The only thing assuring us that he was still alive was how he changed his profile picture a week or so ago.
Following the incident at the prom, James had been spending some of his time with me, Lila and Harry and the rest of it with Ashs' gang, but even the most clueless person could tell nothing was the same.
Alec and Cole were closer than they were before and both had changed for the better, meaning that they weren't quite as harsh as the were before.
James and Ash weren't as friendly as they used to be, but you could see both of them trying.
However, the most noticeable difference was with Ash; he was like a completely different person. You never caught him shamelessly flirting and he didn't skip as many classes as he used to, yet the biggest difference?
He wasn't the cocky idiot he was two months ago.
There was so much tension between us and any time we accidentally made eye contact, it would feel as if a bullet had hit me.
Although, there was one positive. James and I had managed to talk things out and we were on good terms, but I never missed the sorrowful glint in his eye when I would lean against him or hug him particularly hard.
I wanted to like him. I really did. And I knew the reason why I didn't was ridiculous.
It was all because of Ash.
I was throwing away a relationship with James just because I had some useless crush on the guy who used to bully me and make me feel like shit for years. The logic was nonexistent, but isn't that what happens with love?
Anyway, today was 11th February, and I was momentarily walking towards the sports hall.
Scarlett was by my side, ranting about how Lila looked unbelievably adorable in her blue jumper and black jeans. Hearing her talk about my best friend like that was a little strange, but Scar has been with me through some bad shit, so I could deal with it.
"Riv, are you even paying any attention to me?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course." Awkwardly laughing, I tried to recall what she had just said.
"So you heard me when I said I'm thinking about asking Lila out?"
"You're WHAT?"
"Thought so. Anyway, as I was saying, we've been on five dates now and I'm pretty sure she's interested in me. I mean, have you seen this gorgeous face?"
She sniggered once she saw how I was still trying to comprehend the information.
"Don't flatter yourself so much. Anyway, she's interested in you. Jesus Christ, neither of you shut up about the other one. Just ask her out. She'll say yes."
Scarlett sighed, eyes glistening with happiness. "Thank you Riv. I know it's not easy when two of your friends date, so thanks for being okay with it."
I laughed softly, smiling after. "No problem, Scar. Just make sure you treat her right. I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you hurt her.
Scarlett rolled her eyes, unimpressed at my lack of trust in her. "You know I will. But we should get going, the bell is about to go and we're like three minutes away from the sports hall."
Panicking, we went dashing towards the building, afraid to get our souls sucked out if we were late to Mr Sheldons class.
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After running seven laps around the entire school field, I was choking and gasping for breath. My cheeks were bright red and my chest was heaving, desperate to pull in as much oxygen as possible.
I looked around, noticing that most people were in a similar state to me.
Apart from Ash.
Of course he would somehow managed to look like a Greek god after running almost two miles. His hair was wet with sweat and his vest was sticking to his body, but apart from the slight pink hue on his cheeks and the deep breaths he was taking, he could have just walked out of a modelling magazine.
Fucking dick can't even look ugly when he's been running for twenty minutes.
My new life goal is to make him look slightly less attractive, even if only for one second.
Pulling a hand through my messy hair, I sighed, thankful that my heartbeat was slowing down slightly.
"Well done class! Non of you fainted or threw up, that's an achievement. You need to work on your times though you bunch of weaklings. Anyway, get going. You stink."
Mr Sheldons positive words of encouragement were enough to get my numb legs moving, glad that I hadn't fainted, but I couldn't promise I wouldn't throw up once I was inside.
I snuck into the girls changing rooms, making sure no teachers were passing by when I did, and instantly stumbled towards the showers. Shutting the door, I pulled my shirt, shorts and boxers off, marvelling in the feeling of the scorching hot water against my skin.
The heat hurt, but it felt so good that I couldn't bring myself to cool it down.
"Riv? You in there?" Brooke's voice rang through the tiled cubicle, the sound reverberating and making it impossible to know exactly where she was.
"Uh, yeah. Everything okay?"
She chuckled before replying. "Yep, everything's good. Although, I thought I should let you know that Ashy boy just asked for you to meet him in the parking lot once you're done."
My heart jumped.
"What? Why? It's only fourth period, we still have maths?" Twisting the knob, the room fell silent apart from the occasional drip of water falling from my body. I grabbed the towel from the shelf beside the shower head and wrapped it around my waist before opening the door.
Brooke's eyes scanned over my torso before she gave me a smug smile. "I don't know what he wants but what I do know is that if you weren't gay, I'd totally be trying to get with you."
I sniggered, dabbing my face with another smaller towel before ruffling it through my hair. "Sorry babes, love you too."
After giving each other a smile, I walked back through into the main room where most of the girls had already left. I got changed quickly, sliding the red long-sleeved crop top on easily but finding it difficult to pull up the jeans because of the lack of drying.
Once I was done, I swiftly made my way outside, shivering due to the cold February air. The world seemed bare without the leaves on the trees, but it would only be a month or two before they were back.
As I was walking towards the parking lot, I started doubting myself. Why did Ash want to talk to me? Especially now that the silence had become somewhat normal.
The whole area was now in view, around eighty cars parked in random places across the entire lot, but I couldn't see Ash anywhere.
However, when I felt someone grab my wrist, I yelped and slapped whoever it was across the face.
"O-ow! Jesus, Sky. Calm down." I peeped over my shoulder and saw Ash, his hand pressed against his face where I just hit him.
"Oh sorry! I- I thought you were some perv guy wanting to beat me up or some shit." Rushing forward, I removed his hand and looked at the bright red mark across his cheek. "Not that I'm saying you're not a perv."
He winced when I brushed my thumb across his cheek, and my immediate response was to reach up and press my lips against the hot skin. I didn't think much about it until I moved away again.
Ash was blushing softly, a shy smile pulling at his lips that soon turned into a kind chuckle. I laughed along with him, the mass of tension that had been with us for two months lightening as we stood there together.
"You're probably confused as to why I asked you to meet me here, correct?" I nodded in response.
"Well, I would tell you, but that would spoil the surprise."
I gave him a quizzical look. "Surprise? What do you mean?"
A clicking noise erupted from the vibrant red Lamborghini beside us, but when he pulled the side door up, all I could do was stare in shock.
"What? No way. I'm not getting in that. I'll break it!" Ash rolled his eyes before grabbing me by the waist and pulling me up against him.
"Get in the car, Sky. If you manage to break something, we can just blame it on me."
He sat me down in the plush leather seat, fastened the seatbelt, and gently pushed the door close. I blinked a few times, not quite registering that this was happening, when I suddenly realised this meant we were skipping class.
Ash climbed in beside me and quickly got the car started, revving the engine. He looked over at me, smirking, before backing out of the space and driving straight towards the exit.
"You need to chill, Sky. I'm not gonna drive you off a cliff."
Scoffing, I focused my attention to the world outside, watching how everything blurred as we drove past.
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"Ash. I swear to god if you don't feed me in five seconds I'm going to-"
"Okay, okay! We're here."
After almost an hour in the car, I was getting angsty because of hunger. I had eaten two hours ago but that was too long for my constantly starving stomach.
He switched the ignition off and pushed the door open, making his way over to mine and helping me out before I had chance to refuse.
As soon as I was out of the car, I looked around, finally taking in the beautiful scenery. There was a small oak wood building with fairy lights going all the way around the edge of the roof and wisteria vines hanging over the brightly illuminated door. All kinds of different trees were scattered around, making it seem as if it was in the middle of a forest.
I looked over at Ash, my eyes wide with excitement. "We're going in there?"
"Yep. It's one of my dads restaurants, but he only let's you go into this specific one if you booked six months in advance."
"So you're telling me your dad owns a bunch of fancy ass restaurants and you booked six months in advance?" To say I was shocked would be an understatement; I didn't realise his family was rich.
"Yes to the first point but no to the six months one. Since I'm the son of the owner, they kinda let me go in whenever." He laughed awkwardly, a slight pink hue on his cheeks.
"Ah, that figures. Well, let's go inside! I'm gonna faint if I don't eat." I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door, looking around in awe as soon as we were inside.
It gave off the same vibes as the outside since many large plants were dotted around the room, but what differentiated it was the small wooden chairs and benches around large tables. There were small vases of lavender on each table along with silver cutlery, all perfectly placed.
Many couples and families were seated around, but there was a section in the far right that was unoccupied.
"Ah! Minj- I mean Ash! Welcome back. I see you've brought this young man with you? Would you like a table by the window or on the deck?" One of the many waitress greeted us with a carefree bright smile, but her stained shirt and messy bun said otherwise.
When Ash gestured to me I presumed he wanted me to choose, so I began stumbling over my words. "Oh! Erm. By the window please, it's too cold outside."
She giggled and nodded before guiding us over to a table in the empty corner of the room beside a large glass panel looking out into the mass of trees. "I'll be back in a moment to take your order."
She pulled my chair out and I smiled appreciatively, causing her to blush softly.
Meanwhile, Ash was sitting down opposite me, mentally shooting daggers at the kind woman. "Thank you, Lisa. I'll call you over when we're ready."
Ash gave her a sickly smile and she took the hint, hurrying towards the entrance to greet the next couple who had just walked in.
I pouted when he looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed. "No need to get jealous, Ashy. Remember that I'm not into girls."
He grumbled under his breath before answering. "Yeah well she was clearly into you. Did you not see her slide her number into your glass?"
He reached into the glass and pulled out a small piece of paper with ten digits written in small font. I mumbled under my breath, embarrassed that he was right.
"Oh shut up. Even if I was bi, do you really think I'd be paying any attention to her when you're right in front of me?"
"I- wait what?"
Red spread over my cheeks and I tried to subtly hide it with my hands. "Nothing. Doesn't matter."
Ash leant over the table so that he was less than ten centimetres away, resulting in my heartbeat skyrocketing and my leg bouncing under the table.
"Oh really? Because I think you just called me attractive."
"It's not like you haven't heard it before!"
"I've never heard it from someone I really wanted to say it before."
Unsure of how to reply, I just stared down at the table and poked the silver fork that was slightly lopsided back into place. However, when Ash handed me a menu I took it carefully, presuming that even the small booklet cost more than I was worth.
"You can have anything, I'm paying."
I scanned over the menu, not recognising most of the foods - they were all too high class for someone like me. Although, Ash looked completely at home in the fancy building. Even his black leather jacket seemed professional beside my red cropped shirt.
"Erm... could I have the Caesar salad and some fries please?" Ash chuckled when I directed my question towards him but nodded nonetheless.
It only took a few seconds for Lisa to return, a small spiral bound notepad in her pale hands. "What would you like today?"
"I'll ha-"
"Two salads, two fries, one garlic bread and two raspberry lemonades." Ash cut me off, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, giving off a cold aura.
Lisa looked taken aback for a moment before stuttering an answer. "O-of course, sir. I'll prepare them n-now."
"Thank you, Lisa." She half smiled and walked off, leaving me and Ash alone once again.
Scoffing, I placed my palms against the table and leant over, not impressed by how he was treating her. "Why did you even ask me to come here with you?"
We locked gaze for a moment, his brown-green eyes staring straight into mine with an unwavering passion.
"I have something I need to tell you, Sky. But I don't know how the hell you're going to react."
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And I oop-
So Ash took him out for dinner and sksk I wish someone would do this for me uwu
Things are going to be coming to a close soon though, so be prepared for the end!
Love to all my readers â¡
- Storm ð¹