Picturing Different

by Nikki Kwiatkowski

  Despite Eric insisting that she’d get bored and change her mind by the start of spring break, she left that conversation feeling lighter and just a little relieved.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Oh, I hope they made up,” Rachel sympathetically mentioned to some girl next to her.

  Tripp’s ears instantly perked up, and he found himself inserting into the conversation. Pretending not to care, “What do you mean?” He was aware that Eric and Ashlyn probably had a fight last Friday night, but what could Rachel possibly know about it.

  She turned to Tripp, eager to talk to him. “Last night, at dinner, when I went to the bathroom,” she began speaking in slow and shortened bursts like she was telling a horror story. “She was crying.”

  That hit Tripp in the gut. Ashlyn seemed fine, from the little he could tell, when she was at the table. Then she went to the bathroom and Ellis said she was sick. Looking up at her walking back to her table of friends, she didn’t look sick.

  “We talked a little,” Rachel went on. “I told her that I saw Eric taking another girl home, but that was after I already saw her crying. I mean, they’ve been together since, like, freshman year. I’m sure they made up. She looks happy, I think,” she continued to ramble.

  Tripp stood and excused himself to throw his food away. Suddenly he had lost his appetite.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Tripp looked at the selfie that Deacon had sent some time ago once again. It included Ellis, Emory, and Ashlyn all crammed on a couch with video game controllers in their hands.

  He was excited to be visiting his grandparents in Georgia, but if he could have been anywhere else, that would have been it.

  After seeing Ashlyn and Eric at lunch the other week, and listening to Rachel rant about them, he imagined whatever tiff they were in had ended; however, he wasn’t going to lie, he was ecstatic to see that she was hanging out with her friends instead.

  Eliza hovered over her son on the couch for a moment before making her presence known. “It’s the brunette isn’t it?”

  Tripp dropped his phone in shock and turned around. “Geez, mom. Don’t scare me like that.”

  Eliza came around the couch and leaned on the side. “She’s cute.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  Eliza laughed, fully knowing that her son didn’t want to talk to her about girls. “Can you help grandpa set the table in a few minutes?”

  “Yeah. I’m just going to text Deacon back.”

  Eliza patted Tripp on the head like a child. “No rush.”

  Tripp: Looks like you guys are having a good time!

  Deacon: We would be if Emory would shut up about Ash’s break-up or whatever.

  Tripp stiffened and read that text what felt like a hundred times. He had a million questions for Deacon but decided against digging for information.

  He hadn’t text Ashlyn over the spring break and she hadn’t text him. It was only Wednesday, but that was five days since he had seen her in class. He told himself not to bother her, to play it cool, but after that text from Deacon, his willpower was shot.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “I’m just saying,” Emory stressed. “If you told him that the two of you needed a break that’s not the same thing.”

  Ashlyn groaned and patiently waited for the next game to load up.

  “You should have said that you wanted to break up, like you’re done, for good. Saying you need a break just means that eventually you’ll come around,” Emory went on.

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure what I want. I know I don’t like the way he’s been acting. I thought that he might change if–”

  Emory tossed her controller down and fell into the sofa dramatically. “He’s not going to change, and seriously Ash, do you even want him to?”

  Ashlyn reached for her phone to check the message that had just come in.

  Tripp: Hey! Long time. How’s your break going?

  Emory shot up and narrowed her eyes. “Who is that?”

  “No one,” Ashlyn quickly responded.

  “Oh yeah? Well for no one, you sure are smiling,” Emory teased.

  “Agh! I can’t take it anymore,” Ellis groaned. “Deacon let’s go out to the pool.”

  Emory waited for the two guys to leave. “It’s Tripp, isn’t it.”

  “Yes,” Ashlyn sighed.

  “Just so you know, your eyes lit up as soon as you saw the text.”

  Ashlyn threw her phone down without replying. “We’re just friends. He’s already been on dates with Rachel and he sat with her at lunch last week.”

  “First of all, I don’t know about these dates you’re referring to, but he sat with Ellis and Deacon at lunch because Abby and Rachel kept hounding them at dinner after the game that night. Just ask him if he’s seeing her,” Emory casually advised.

  “I can’t do that,” Ashlyn gasped. “Then he’ll think that I like him, or I’m interested in seeing if he’s single.”

  Emory’s brow shot up. “But you do like him, and you want to know if he’s single.”

  “I don’t want him to know that, and I need to figure me out first.”

  Emory respected that. “Enough boy talk. Someone has a birthday party next weekend,” Emory squealed.

  It was something Ashlyn didn’t care to talk about, but her mom had insisted on doing a small get-together. Was seventeen even that big of a deal? Sixteen you could drive. Eighteen you could vote. Seventeen was just stuck there in the middle.

  Ashlyn apologized for leaving so early, but if she was going to have three paintings to put in the art show, she needed to buckle down. She was halfway done with the one that Tripp almost saw, and today she felt particularly motivated to finish it.

  Ashlyn: Sorry for the delay. I’m home now. Painting.

  Tripp: Please send a picture!

  Ashlyn smiled. There was no way that Tripp could see the painting, at least not right now. She still had a few weeks until the school’s art show. That didn’t give her a lot of time to get herself together.

  She took her phone and zoomed in so that all Tripp would see is a blur of blue and black.

  Tripp: The school colors. Interesting. I guess that’s all you’re going to give me.

  Ashlyn: For now.

  While Ashlyn didn’t know what her other two paintings would be, she knew this one would be the hardest. If she did submit the full limit, her other two would probably be landscapes; those were generally her specialty.

  After days of silence, all the remaining days of spring break, Tripp text Ashlyn. He even sent pictures of his time in Georgia. There was one that he sent of himself and his little brother on the beach. Ashlyn could have done without seeing that one. It kept her awake and restless every night thereafter.

  While she wished that Tripp and his family would have remained in Raymere Grove during the break, and perhaps their paths would have crossed, she took pleasure in knowing that he was in an entirely different state, nowhere near Rachel either.

  Chapter 16

  “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” Tripp said excitedly when he took his seat next to Ashlyn in science.

  Ashlyn was a little ticked. After texting Tripp the rest of the break nearly nonstop like they had early on, for a brief moment she had forgotten about Rachel; however, Tripp, Deacon, and Ellis sat with Abby, Rachel, and several other cheerleaders at lunch yet again.

  “Yeah,” was all she responded.

  Tripp watched her carefully. Her lips were tight, and she looked tense. Just as he was about to say something else, the bell rang for class to begin. They wouldn’t be able to have a normal conversation, but since they sat at the back of the room, it never kept them from sharing a few whispers here and there.

  “Well, I hope everyone had a relaxing spring break,” Mrs. Cohen began, taking out her attendance sheet.

  “You never told me if you finished your painting,” Tripp whispered quietly. He scooted his chair a little closer to Ashlyn, only for her to lean farther away fro
m him. So, he was indeed the problem. He rolled his eyes wondering what it could be now.

  “Yes, Tripp,” Mrs. Cohen acknowledged as soon as Tripp’s hand flew up.

  “I’m really not…” he paused and made a gagging noise. “I think I need to go to the nurse.”

  Ashlyn gave her full attention to Tripp. His voice was unrecognizable from a few minutes prior, and his face looked like he was about to throw up.

  Mrs. Cohen paused with the notes she was just about to begin and waved Tripp up, already writing out a nurse’s pass.

  Ashlyn didn’t buy for one second that Tripp was legitimately sick, but whatever he was doing didn’t concern her. With him not sitting right next to her, she’d be able to focus and take her notes in peace and quiet.

  “Ash,” Mrs. Cohen called out. The smirk on Tripp’s face when he turned was all Ashlyn needed to know for what was coming next. “See to it that he makes it to the nurse okay…Or restroom. Whatever comes first,” she said, not asked, with much concern.

  Ashlyn tried to hide her annoyance while walking to the front of the room, but Tripp was well-aware that she wasn’t happy about his little stunt.

  Tripp chuckled as soon as the door closed behind them and Ashlyn started in the direction to the nurse. She spun around and glared at him, forcing his laughter to fade.

  “Forget it. I’m not missing class for this,” she scoffed and headed back to their room.

  Tripp stepped in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, you are.”

  He looked at her with such intensity that made her knees go weak. As much as she knew she should go back to class, her curiosity was too much. She needed to know what this was about.

  Ashlyn shook Tripp’s hand from her shoulder and turned, back in the direction of the nurse’s office. Tripp’s steps were slow; he didn’t seem to be in a rush. He also wasn’t even sick, so there was that.

  After watching Ashlyn stroll beside him for a second more, “What’s wrong now?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Clearly. That’s why you’ve barely said more than a few words to me.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it, I had so much fun talking to you over the break, but now in person…”

  Ashlyn clenched her eyes and took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just have a lot going on. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  She could be friends with Tripp. What she couldn’t do was get jealous of him and another girl. It was easy to tell herself that, but hard when it came to actually doing.

  Tripp paused and leaned back against some lockers in one of the more remote hallways. Ashlyn didn’t seem to mind that they were taking the scenic route. He didn’t say anything, just watched her through hooded eyes as she grew increasingly uncomfortable.

  He gave her a nod to his left and she came closer, until she was pressing her back on the locker next to him.

  “That’s sweet of you to apologize, but I want to know the cause. Why me? You seemed happy and full of laughter at lunch.”

  Ashlyn let out a snort. “How would you know?” She sucked in a breath and stopped breathing as soon as the words came out. She let her eyes fall to the floor, praying that Tripp was an idiot jock who wouldn’t read into that comment, but she knew better.

  “Ash,” he began. His voice was so low and rough. Something about it sent prickles across her skin. “Are you upset that we didn’t sit with you and Emory at lunch?”

  Ashlyn tried her best to pretend that his idea was absurd, and possibly change the subject. “No. You guys can sit wherever you want. It’s difficult enough for Emory as Ellis’ twin. A little space between those two is a good thing.”

  Tripp wasn’t going to let her off easy. “Is it that we sat with those girls?”

  It was an uncomfortable topic for Ashlyn. More than anything, she didn’t want to come across as jealous, although deep down, she was, but only a little bit. The truth was, when it came to Rachel, she couldn’t compete. As hard as it was to try not to look at Tripp right now, one glance and anyone could see that he and Rachel were much better suited.

  “Ash,” he asked when she took impossibly long to answer.

  Ashlyn took Coach Turner’s advice to Ellis, so to speak, and broke away from the locker, now facing Tripp and deciding to be upfront. “You’re free to date whoever you want. I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me that you’re seeing her. I mean we’re friends, right?”

  Tripp’s eyes widened like a deer caught in a set of blinding headlights. He needed to correct her. What made sitting with his friends and a group of girls give her the impression that he was dating one of them?

  Before he corrected her, now that they were on the topic of dating, “Are you and Eric still together?”

  She hadn’t said anything to him about her breakup that Deacon had mentioned, and he had to know, because if she confirmed what he needed to hear, then there was no doubt in his mind that he’d pin her against that locker and show her that he was very much not dating any of those other girls.

  Ashlyn sighed, noting that Tripp skirted around the topic of Rachel. “Technically…”

  Whatever Tripp pretended to feel in the classroom, he legitimately felt with that one word. He held up a hand to silence her from saying anything else. If she had to start her answer like that, then he already knew. It was a yes or no question, and she didn’t say no.

  “Go back to class,” he said with a shrug. “I’m going to head to the nurse, get my pass initialed.” He held up the yellow slip in in hand. “Then I’ll be back.”

  Ashlyn wanted to protest, maybe she should have, but the look on Tripp’s face that he tried so hard to mask, was like an arrow to her heart.

  As she walked back to the classroom, she hated that she couldn’t give Tripp the answer that he wanted…that she wanted. If that answer was so important to him, did that mean that maybe he still had feelings for her?

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Well, that’s new,” Emory gasped as she and Ashlyn approached Ashlyn’s locker at the end of the day.

  Ashlyn was taken aback to see Eric leaning against it, flipping through his phone to pass the time.

  “I’m going to go find Ellis,” Emory groaned. She could not stand to be in Eric’s presence.

  “Hey, babe,” Eric greeted once Ashlyn was a few steps from her locker.

  Babe?

  “Hi, Eric. What’s up?”

  Ashlyn went around him to get to her locker and he took a step to the side to give her some room.

  “I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie tonight,” he coolly mentioned.

  Ashlyn was thankful that the door to her locker masked the shocked and repulsed look that came to her face. “Uh…It’s Monday. It’s a school night.” No. that was the wrong thing to say. She quickly retracted that with, “Besides, we broke up.”

  He laughed. “We didn’t break up. You just needed some time to figure out whatever is wrong with you.”

  Ashlyn closed the door to her locker. In the distance she could see Emory glaring at her. Unfortunately, she was with several of the guys, Tripp included.

  “Nothing is wrong with me. You just don’t care about me anymore, so I don’t know why you’re over here asking me on a date.”

  “Oh, come on, Ash,” he groaned. She felt like she had heard that phrase a thousand times before from him. “Sorry if I said your painting was lame.” Ashlyn was quite surprised that he even remembered that he insulted her painting. “I tell you what,” he began, reaching down to her tote on the ground, and plucking her camera from it. “Why don’t you start by showing me some of your pictures.” He clicked the camera on and began to thumb through the saved images. “You haven’t shown me your photography in…” His words trailed off as he continued to scroll.

  Ashlyn adjusted her backpack and picked up her tote, waiting for Eric to get done going through her pictures. She really had no desire to talk to Eric about her pictures because the only reason he was asking was to try to smooth thing
s over, and after seeing the look on Tripp’s face earlier in the day, she had no intentions on fixing things with Eric.

  He hit the button to scroll past images much harder than Ashlyn would have wanted. “What the hell is this,” he growled.

  Ashlyn rolled her eyes. There couldn’t possibly be anything on her camera to cause him to go into a fit of blinding rage.

  Eric shoved the camera in her face so that she could see the screen. “That?!”

  Ashlyn was confused. It was one of the many pictures she had from this season’s baseball games. “What? That was the most recent game,” Ashlyn said. She didn’t understand why Eric seemed to be losing his cool.

  “You just go to all the games,” he proceeded to yell, drawing a great deal of attention.

  “Yes. Ever since I started going freshman year to see you play, and then with the paper. It’s almost an understanding now that I do that for–”

  “To see me play! That’s why you went! Who’s your excuse now,” he screamed at the top of his lungs waving her camera in the air.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Both Emory and Tripp began to take a step forward. Ellis grabbed his sister by her wrist and Byron was quick to step in front of Tripp and put his hand on Tripp’s chest, lightly pushing him back.

  “No. You do not want to get involved with that,” Byron insisted.

  “Yes. I do,” Tripp growled.

  “No, you don’t,” Emory sighed, feeling defeated. “He won’t physically hurt her, but he’ll pummel you to a bloody mess.”

  “I don’t care,” Tripp insisted, trying to push past Byron, although now Deacon had stepped in as well.

  “The both of you need to stay out of it,” Ellis began. He looked his sister straight in the eye. “She can save herself. You’ll only end up pissing him off further.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Well, who is he?!”