Chapter 41

The rest of the night was quiet. Mom actually came home and had dinner with me for a change. She didn't rush off to be with friends or go on a date. Sitting in the kitchen, eating together, and talking about our days was a nice change of pace. I knew tomorrow I'd be back to eating dinner alone in the living room in front of the TV, watching a movie I'd already seen a million times. Once dinner was over, she disappeared into her office to do some last-minute work before she went to bed. I stayed in the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher, and was about to press start when the doorbell rang. I tossed the towel onto the counter and hollered I'd get the door because Mom would've let them keep ringing the doorbell until they gave up and left.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, barging past me.

"Shh..." I held my finger to my mouth, then pointed toward Mom's office. I motioned her to follow me to the kitchen. "She doesn't know," I whispered over my shoulder, walking down the hall. Once we were both in the kitchen, I started the dishwasher, about to say something to Chloe, when I heard Mom walking down the hall. I pressed my finger to my mouth, then pointed to the doorway.

"Hi, Chloe. I was wondering who was at the door." Mom walked over to the wine rack and grabbed a bottle and opener. Mom opened the bottle, poured herself a big glass, and then carried them both out of the kitchen. "Nice to see you, Chloe."

"You too," Chloe answered back. "Tell me what happened." She stepped closer to the end of the counter, placing her hands on the edge of it. "I don't have much time." She pressed her lips together.

I sighed, closing the refrigerator door. "Fine. Ashton knocked the shit out of Rhys." I handed her a glass of juice.

"That's what I heard, but I want to know why." She took a sip of apple juice. "So..."

I cut her off before she had a chance to finish her sentence. "What do you mean that's what you heard?" I set my glass on the counter. "How did you find out?"

"Uh...Everyone knows."

"Oh, my god. That means Claudia knows." I placed my hand on my forehead and turned to face the sink, leaning on the back of the counter. "Which means she's going to confront me the minute I step out of the car." I dropped my hand, wincing when it slammed against the edge of the counter. I grabbed my wrist, rubbing the side of it. Who did you hear it from?"

She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You heard it from Braedon. Let me guess, Ashton told him?" I turned around, grabbing my apple juice, wishing it was something stronger. Chloe shook her head, yes, sipping her drink. I motioned Chloe to follow me out of the kitchen. She reminded me that she couldn't stay long but wanted to make sure I was all right. Once in my room, I closed the door so we could talk without Mom trying to listen. The minute the door clicked shut, Chloe started rambling off that she had heard what happened in math class, then asked if that was what the fight was about. I propped my pillows against my headboard and scooted back against them while Chloe copied my move.

"Are you okay? Seriously?" She leaned forward, trying to look me in the eye.

I shrugged, still trying to process what had happened. I didn't know how I should be feeling. That was the first time Ashton came to my rescue like that. I mean, he's stood up for me before but never beat the crap out of anyone. So, I wasn't sure how I should be feeling.

"Have you talked to him since this afternoon?" She scooted toward the end of the bed to face me. He told Braedon that he was the one that drove you home this morning. How did you get your car?"

"He didn't take me home. We went to the beach instead and talked. Which is kinda funny because he apologized for not sticking up for me to Claudia."

"Wow..." Her eyes widened with shock. Because Ashton wasn't one for apologies when it came to Claudia. Claudia had him fooled for the longest time.

The next morning came so slowly because I had spent most of the night tossing and turning, thinking about class and having to face Jude and Rhys. I flipped the comforter off me, staring up at my white ceiling. I lay there for a few minutes, then rolled over on my side, staring at my phone on my nightstand next to my drink from last night. The idea of asking Mom to call me in sick crossed my mind, but it could also land me in the doctor's office. I sat up, sliding my feet off the bed, letting my toes brush against the fibers of my plush area rug. I was about to stand up when my phone buzzed. I keep it on vibrate so I won't forget to turn the sound off at school.

"Hey, Chloe." I yawned.

"Didn't sleep much?" She asked, walking to her closet. "Hurry up and go get your shower so you can get to school a few minutes early. I'll bring you some coffee." I could hear the hangers sliding across the bar as she rummaged through her clothes. "Go get ready. I'll see you at school." She ended the video chat. I set my phone back on the nightstand and went to get my shower.

I managed to get ready in record time for how bad my ass was dragging. I grabbed a breakfast bar from the kitchen, hollering bye on my way to the front door. I paused in front of the door, waiting for a response, but nothing in return. I flung the front door open, and sure enough, her car was already gone. I slammed the door behind me, stomping down the front steps, mumbling the entire time. A few steps away from the car, I heard a door creak open. I raised my head, waiting to see if Ashton would say something. I didn't want to look like an idiot just standing here staring off into the distance, so I lowered my head and fumbled with my keys to unlock my car again.

"You doing okay?" Ashton asked.

I opened my door, tossing my book bag into the passenger seat. "Yeah." I turned around, keeping my body between the door and the car. "Oh, my god, Ashton." My eyes locked on his black eye. "Are you..."

He cut me off mid-sentence. "Yeah, I'm fine." He pointed to the black and purple under his eye. "It doesn't really hurt as much this morning." He turned, holding his key fob up to his car, clicking the button; his lights flashed a couple of times, letting him know it was unlocked. He backed up toward his car, turning to face it. "I'll see you in class, Gem. I'm going to go get some coffee. Want to join me?" He walked around his car.

"Uh...Chloe is getting me coffee." I sat down in the driver's seat. "Sorry."

"No problem. I'll see you at school." He opened the driver's side door and sat down in the seat. He turned, waved, and backed out of his driveway.

I closed the driver's side door, staring at the black steering wheel, feeling the sudden urge to beat my head on it for being such a dumbass. I had such a profound amount of guilt for not going with him. I couldn't understand where it was coming from. It was Ashton, we were friends. He didn't seem bothered by the fact I turned down his offer to go with him.

I was amazed I got to school in one piece because of how distracted I was by my thoughts. I parked in the row directly behind Chloe, hoping she saw me pull in. I exited the car, glancing in her direction, waiting for her to get out. I thought about honking the horn but didn't want to alert Jude's friends that I was on the premises. I wasn't mentally ready to deal with them just yet. I stood there scanning the parking lot for any stares and whispers as kids walked past and headed for the school. My delusion of thinking I was going to survive the day came to a screeching halt.

"How did you manage to get Ashton into a fight over you?" Claudia asked, walking up with a few of her friends trailing behind her. They scooted in closer, peeking over Claudia's shoulders. "You know he just did it because he felt sorry for you." She pressed her lips together, glaring.

"Claudia! Get the fuck away from her." Ashton yelled, walking up.

Her eyes flashed to the left. "You aren't my boyfriend, so I don't have to listen to you." She turned back to me, her eyes narrowed even more. Ashton stepped in between Claudia and me, keeping his back to me. I tried peeking around him, but his body somehow moved with mine. I didn't know how to react to the fact, but I wasn't going to read anything into it. He was being a good friend, that's all. He told her again to walk away. She stood on her tiptoes, staring over his shoulder back at me. She pressed her lips together and lowered her feet down.

"You better watch yourself." Claudia huffed, motioning her friends to follow her to the school.

"Are you okay?" Ashton turned around inches from my face. I could see the gold flecks in his electric blue eyes. He raised his hand, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.

"Gemma!" My eyes flicked past Ashton to Chloe and Sarah, walking up to us. "What the hell was that about?" Sarah pointed to Claudia, who was now more than halfway across the parking lot.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "She wanted to know how I got Ashton to get into a fight over me." I waved my hand, trying to play off the comment.  Sarah swapped glances between Ashton and me, the corner of her mouth curling up into a slight smile. I had a feeling what she was thinking, but I didn't want to blurt it out in case I was wrong and embarrass Ashton. I peeked over at Ashton, squinting his eyes as if trying to figure out what was behind Sarah's smirk.

"I'm going to head into school. I'll see you in class, Gem." He turned and waved at a friend walking toward him from a few rows over.  I watched him walk away, my eyes drifting down to his fine ass.

"When are you two going to..." I clamped my hand over Sarah's mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she tilted her head to the side. I removed my hand from her mouth, grabbing my iced latte out of Chloe's hand. "She's in denial," Sarah said, raising her hand, getting ready to block mine.

"Yeah, she is." Chloe took a sip of her iced latte.