Picturing Different

by Nikki Kwiatkowski

  Tripp hated begging his dad for money, but he knew the deal. As long as he did well in school and on the team, his father would give him anything he asked for.

  Ronan grunted. “Just put it on the Amazon credit card when you order it.”

  Tripp wanted to hug his dad, but decided against it. He wasn’t much for affection. “Thanks, dad. Really.”

  Tripp stood to leave his father’s office, knowing that he was getting antsy to get back to work. Just when he was at the doorway, “Tripp?” He turned back to face his dad. With a somber look on his face, “I just don’t want your friends using you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Tripp laughed. “Trust me, that’s not the case with this one.” He coolly threw his hands to his side. “Besides, I’m not even invited to her party.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “You look surprisingly upbeat,” Emory pointed out.

  She closed the car door and waited with Ashlyn in her car before the bell rang to start heading to classes.

  “I started working on a new project. It’s something different,” Ashlyn announced excitedly.

  “Wow! That’s great. I’m proud of you. So, you’re okay?”

  Ashlyn didn’t look Emory in the eyes. She still had to talk with Eric. What he did was unfathomable. That camera meant everything to her, and he treated it like garbage. It was garbage now. The best magician couldn’t attempt to repair the thing.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” It was a lie, but she was holding it together.

  Emory quickly changed the subject to Ashlyn’s birthday party Saturday. Party was the wrong word. It wouldn’t be a wild and out-of-control high school party like the movies led you to believe. It was really just her friends and family coming by to visit and grab a bite to eat. Ashlyn didn’t think it was a big deal, and wasn’t at all enthused about being the center of attention for one day.

  “Guess what I got you,” Emory jumped up and down enthusiastically as they began making their way through the parking lot.

  Ashlyn couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t want to guess. I want to be surprised.”

  “Oh, you’ll definitely be surprised.” Emory refrained from adding that it wasn’t the gift that would surprise Ashlyn.

  “Not if you keep mentioning it the rest of the week.” Ashlyn patted the pocket of her jeans. “Ugh. Go on ahead. I left my phone on the charger in my car.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you at lunch,” Ashlyn told Emory, giving her a quick half hug.

  She rushed back to her car, despite having plenty of time to make it to her first period. She grabbed her phone and just as she was about to slip it into her pocket, she saw that she had a new text.

  Tripp: Hope you’re feeling better today! Looking forward to seeing you.

  Ashlyn couldn’t help but notice that his texts were bordering on bold and flirtatious, but could also be considered thoughtful and friendly. She wasn’t entirely sure where he was, and she needed to deal with Eric once and for all before the idea of another relationship crossed her mind.

  Just as she passed through another row of cars, “I mean what was he thinking?! Can you believe that?!”

  Ashlyn paused and looked in the direction of the overdramatic shouting. It was Rachel and one other girl, Melody. Melody looked terrified by her outburst but went along with it.

  “He’s such a player. You can do so much better,” Melody insisted.

  “When he broke up with me, he said he was dating someone else! Who does that?! I don’t know where he came from, but he can go back for all I care,” Rachel continued, ranting away. It was likely she’d scream about it to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, that meant that Ashlyn was caught in her web. “Ash,” she gasped as soon as she saw Ashlyn a few feet away. “I can’t believe you and Emory didn’t tell me what a jerk Tripp is!”

  Ashlyn’s eyes widened in shock. How was this her fault?

  “Tripp Scott is nothing but a player. He told me yesterday that we weren’t dating, and he was seeing someone else! How can you be friends with someone like that?!”

  “Umm, I’m sorry?” Ashlyn didn’t know what else to say. Rachel’s meltdown was a little concerning. Also, it’s not like she and Tripp could have been dating long enough to garner such a strong emotional reaction.

  Suddenly Rachel calmed down. “No, I’m sorry,” she whined. “I shouldn’t be yelling at you. I’m just really upset.”

  Ashlyn didn’t know the correct protocol for this type of meeting. She and Rachel weren’t friends. She had no real knowledge of her relationship with Tripp. She had no desire to console her over something that seemed so trivial to her.

  “You’re going to be fine, Rachel. There are so many other guys out there,” Ashlyn finally said.

  “He was just so hot.” After thinking a moment more. “You know what though, you’re right. Ugh! I’m going to be head cheerleader next year. I deserve more than just some baseball player.”

  Just like that, the pretend tears went away. Ashlyn knew they were pretend because not a spec of Rachel’s makeup was out of place.

  Ashlyn still had her phone in her hand, on Tripp’s message. If she had thought about replying, Rachel did a pretty good job of changing her mind.

  As she continued to make her way to first period, she thought about why Rachel had been so upset. Tripp really was something else. Any time that she thought he might be challenging her preconceptions of him, he proved her first thoughts right. The fact that a flirt like Rachel called him a player said something.

  A curious part of her wondered about the girl that he had moved on to. Rachel seemed perfect for him, at least as far as looks were concerned. She wasn’t exactly the brightest when it came to much outside of cheerleading. Tripp on the other hand was very smart, much better at science than Ashlyn, though she’d never admit that to him. She had to assume that he’d go for someone that he could have a stimulating conversation with.

  “Ugh. Snap out of it,” she mumbled to herself, hating that she had allowed a single moment of her thoughts to care about Tripp’s dating life.

  Chapter 19

  Ashlyn finished off with a little bit of mascara and stood looking at herself in the mirror. She wore more than her usual amount of school makeup. Her hair was fixed in her classic side fishtail braid, barely extending over her shoulder due to the length of her hair.

  She had also opted to wear a dress. She rarely went places anymore where she got to wear many of her dresses. Unlike some girls, school wasn’t the place for her to wear them. She felt like she had to stay too pretty and neat, which was extremely difficult when it came to art.

  “Are you ready,” her mother called through her room. Ashlyn popped out of her bathroom to see her mother standing in her doorway. “Aww,” Poppy squealed, clasping her hands. “You look so adorable.”

  Ashlyn tried to hide the look of disgust that came to her face from her mother’s comment. Her mother meant well, and it was supposed to be a compliment, but she didn’t know of many seventeen-year-old girls who wanted to be referred to as adorable.

  “Your aunt and uncle are here,” Poppy announced.

  Ashlyn looked at the time on her phone. 2:28. The party was supposed to be from 3:00 to 7:00. Of course, her aunt and uncle had to be early, probably to get first dibs on the snacks.

  “I’ll be down in just a second,” Ashlyn replied.

  Thankfully her friends wouldn’t pick on her for how lame the party would probably be. Her parents tried, but this was something she did not want. She would have been happier just going out for pizza with her girlfriends.

  She was pleasantly surprised to see that Kayla and June were the first to arrive. She didn’t expect any of the guys to show up early; however, she was a little disappointed that Emory hadn’t been the very first person at her door.

  By half past three her main group of friends, with the exception of Emory, were all present, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors. It was a nice
blend of age groups and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “You look like a ghost,” Emory laughed, attempting to break up the awkward silence in the car.

  “I’m a little nervous.” Tripp felt strange admitting that. “I don’t want to upset her on her birthday, you know?”

  Emory flicked her wrist and waved him off. “She should have invited you anyway. You’re part of the group.”

  That felt good to hear. Tripp was thankful that his father had taken a job where he’d be at for years to come. It felt good having friends that he could finish school with, maybe even go to college with, who knew?

  “Can you do me a favor,” Tripp asked as he parked the car on the very crowded street. He reached into the back seat and handed Emory a fairly decent sized box. “Can you put this with the rest of the gifts?”

  Emory looked at him with confusion.

  “I’d rather Ashlyn not know it’s from me. At least not right away,” he said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

  “Nope. Sorry. First the flowers, then the texting. You come into school this confident hotshot, and with her you’re this scared puddle of mush,” Emory pointed out.

  “I never intended to take credit for the flowers. The texting, well…I guess she wasn’t my biggest fan. The anonymity let me get to know her, without her blocking me the second she knew who I was.”

  “For the record, I don’t think she ever hated you,” Emory admitted. “Guys have never been that forward with her, largely in part because she’s dated Eric all through high school. I think you took her by surprise. Then every girl in the school was drooling over you, so that didn’t help the situation much,” Emory scoffed. “Plus, you are a little cocky when it comes to–”

  “Okay, I get it,” Tripp chuckled. Emory wasn’t holding back.

  She shoved the box that Tripp extended towards her back to him. “So be that confident and cocky hotshot when it counts,” she said with a wink and jumped out of his passenger side door.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Once Ashlyn was able to get away from a few girls she knew well from her art class, she found Deacon alone, grabbing a soda from one of the coolers.

  “Hey, happy birthday,” Deacon said when Ashlyn walked up, holding out his hand for a fist bump.

  “Glad you could come.”

  Deacon wasn’t a big talker, which made this both difficult and awkward. She should have gone to find Ellis, but he was talking with a couple girls.

  “I thought Emory might come with you and Ellis, but I haven’t seen her or heard from her,” Ashlyn began. She tried to keep cool and not freak out bombarding Deacon with questions as to where her best friend was.

  Deacon’s expression turned cold. “Yeah, about that,” he hesitated, looking more annoyed by the second. “She was waiting on her ride when we left.”

  Ashlyn was shocked. “What? She didn’t tell me she’s coming with someone.” How could Emory keep something like that from her?

  Deacon seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the topic. “You know Emory. Just don’t be mad at–”

  “Ash,” Daniel called from the front door. “Some more of your friends are here.”

  That had to be Emory! She was the only one that Ashlyn could think of that wasn’t present. She gave a quick smile to Deacon and excitedly rushed to the front door.

  Whatever bits of good and happy emotions she had running through her instantly disappeared when she rounded the corner and saw her dad ushering in her best friend and her unexpected guest.

  Ashlyn felt like the ground was spinning, and at any given moment the world might flip them all upside down.

  “Ash! Happy Birthday,” Emory squealed and rushed to her for a hug.

  “Hey. I’m glad you’re finally here,” Ashlyn managed.

  From over Emory’s shoulder Ashlyn watched Tripp casually walk up to the two of them. For a moment, her shock, hurt, and rage took a backseat to admire him. To say he looked incredible was putting it mildly. He looked like he had just come from a photoshoot. His untucked blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows fit him so perfectly, accentuating broad shoulders and a slim waist. His dark-washed tinted jeans had to have been altered for him and him alone. Then there was his stupid dark blonde hair. She could never look at his hair and not recall that day in the library. He had just enough product in it to give the illusion that it was haphazard and messy, although it probably took a good ten minutes to fix.

  “Happy Birthday, Ash,” Tripp quietly greeted her, now standing next to Emory.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I brought a guest,” Emory piped up.

  Ashlyn felt a foreign feeling rush through her. She loved Emory to death, but for once, she really didn’t like her. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling. Jealousy. Crap. She was jealous of her best friend.

  Ashlyn forced herself to put on her best fake smile. “No, the more the merrier right?” Wrong. So wrong.

  “Where’s the table for the gifts,” Emory asked, pretending that everything was cool. She could slap her friend for being such an idiot sometimes. How could Ash think that after all these years she couldn’t read her face?

  Before Ashlyn could answer, Emory saw the table and headed towards it.

  “The invitation said no gifts,” Ashlyn grumbled, a split second forgetting that Tripp was still standing there.

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t get an invitation.”

  Ashlyn looked up and saw his eyes intensely focused on hers. She hoped that he couldn’t tell that she wanted to cry. She had heard what Rachel said earlier in the week; however, Rachel was also crazy dramatic.

  Worst of all, Tripp had kissed her. How could he have kissed her, and continued to be so sweet, and show up to her party, uninvited, with her best friend?

  Ashlyn looked down at the box and then back up to Tripp. The gift didn’t matter. It would have been better had he not gotten her anything, especially now.

  “I had no idea that Emory was bringing you. If I would have known I would have told you to come anyway,” she said, attempting to be nonchalant about something when inside she was screaming, stomping, throwing things. Inside she was Rachel. Just wonderful.

  “But you didn’t.”

  If he was upset with her, he didn’t show it. Now she felt twice as crappy. She hadn’t given her party much thought. Her mother had sent out the invitations, and at the time her friendship with Tripp was uncertain.

  He brushed past her and took the box to the table set up for gifts, all gifts that the invitations said specifically not to bring.

  Just then the doorbell rang again. Ashlyn saw her dad look up from the glass patio doors, but she waved him off and made her way to the door a few feet away.

  If she thought her day couldn’t get any worse, somewhere out there her puppeteer was laughing like a madman.

  “Eric. What are you doing here?”

  Rather than letting Eric inside, Ashlyn stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her so that she and Eric were alone on the front porch.

  “What? I can’t come see my girl on her birthday?”

  Ashlyn was cautious in whether she should point it out, but she had to, regardless of the demonic way Eric was looking at her. “I’m not your girl. You made that perfectly clear when you destroyed my camera.”

  “But we didn’t break up.”

  “After the things you’ve said to me? Eric, I can’t be in a relationship like that. It’s toxic, and I feel miserable,” Ashlyn sighed.

  “It’s always about you isn’t it,” he spat, taking a step forward.

  Ashlyn grew nervous and was just about to reach back for the handle of the door when Eric stepped to the side and opened it himself.

  “I’ll just stay for cake.” He now stood in the open doorway while Ashlyn remained frozen. “Besides, I have a really nice gift for you. I’ll make this right.”

  Ashlyn didn’t see a gift in his hands,
but gift or no gift, it would be best if he wasn’t there, ever.

  “We can see each other later,” she lied, hoping to get him to leave.

  “Ash,” he chuckled. She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or actually amused. “Relax. If you want to argue about this…Well, I’d hate to cause a scene on your birthday.”

  He then made his way inside the house. Ashlyn clenched her fists, attempting to control her fingers that were shaking uncontrollably. Eric had to know after what happened Monday that her friends would be livid to see him there.

  So, this was seventeen. That uneventful birthday between sixteen and eighteen.

  Chapter 20

  “Okay, everyone,” Poppy shouted over the crowded living room and throughout the patio doors. “We’re going to do presents in five minutes.”

  Ashlyn was dreading that part. She was hoping that her mother would allow her to open them later, in the confines of her own room, where no one could see her reactions. One of her aunts and uncles always gave her something that had no relation to anything that she was interested in. Then she had to pretend what an awesome gift it was.

  Poppy came over to Ashlyn. “Your father and I have a very special gift for you!”

  “Can’t wait.” She refrained from telling her mother how much she didn’t want to open gifts in front of everyone.

  “I can’t find your father,” Poppy mentioned, looking from side to side.

  “Maybe he’s on a quick call. I’ll check his office,” Ashlyn told her. She loved her friends but was thankful to get a moment away.

  She had been nervous at first with Eric barging in, but he was at least pretending to be on his best behavior. Emory, Kayla, and June were less than thrilled to have him around, and had even said as much. Surprisingly, the guys were amicable toward him; however, after a few minutes of socializing, Eric hung back in a corner on his phone for the most part.