Melanie, however, had different plans.
She shrieked and sat quickly up, making me bounce on the mattress beside her. "Laura just texted me," she squealed. "Asher was watching you all through the event."
I closed my eyes and pretended to be in a deep slumber. Melanie shook my shoulders-she knew better than to fall for my ruse.
"Whatever, Elle," she stated. "I told you: Asher's into you."
"More like he thinks I'm odd, you know, like some weird circus freak people can't help but stare at," I said, trying to joke instead of letting on that I was intrigued. In reality, my heart fluttered and danced inside my chest.
I opened my eyes to see Melanie roll her eyes as she typed a quick response to Laura.
"Elle," she said, "you really are loony. You have Maddox, the hometown hottie following you around everywhere you go like a lost puppy dog and now Asher watching your every move. You must be magical or something.
"Seriously, though, Elle," she continued, "you're so pretty-it's not crazy to think two guys would be interested in you."
I sighed and sat slowly up beside her. "Like I've already told you a million times: Maddox and I are only friends. As for Asher...well, I don't know about him yet," I replied.
"Well, whatever's going on, I think you need to follow your heart and not that wild mind of yours," she said. She threw her phone down beside her on the bed.
"Sure," I said, wanting the conversation to be over.
Seeming satisfied that she'd just won the conversation, Melanie lay back on the bed and fell asleep. As my eyes drifted slowly shut, I couldn't help but wonder if Melanie was right. Did I have some strange effect on Asher?
I wasn't sure, but I did know one thing: he sure did have an effect on me.
Chapter 5
The next Monday at school, everyone was buzzing about the upcoming Fall Harvest Dance that would be taking place at the end of October. The dance, held around homecoming, was a fun way to incorporate Halloween, homecoming, and the changing of the seasons into one exciting night. They dance committee had scattered decorations around the school and flyers had been posted on practically every wall and nearly every locker
I tore one off my locker, wadded it up, and threw it into my backpack. We'd all been participating in the Fall Harvest since middle school, so I wasn't sure why we still needed flyers to remind us of what was a beloved yearly tradition.
I heard someone calling my name in the hall, so I closed my locker and spun around. The last bell of the day had already rung, and most students were talking and laughing on their way out of the building.
The new kid, Asher, jogged his way toward me. "Elle, what are you doing right now?" Asher asked, as he ran up beside me. He was new to Shady Oaks and had only moved to town before the end of the last school year. I was taken aback and stood frozen in place.
Every girl in the school wanted Asher, even the seniors. He had hair dark as night and piercing blue eyes that were enough to mesmerize you with a single glance. He was like the perfect combination of fire and ice, and I could only imagine how cool it would be to be burned by his touch.
I even caught myself blushing a few times when I'd looked at him, even though I knew he'd never be interested in someone like me. I was sure he thought of me as a friend and nothing more. The night of the party played through my mind, and I couldn't help but shudder as I remembered how tantalizing it had felt when I'd caught him staring at me.
"I have plans with Maddox," I said with a smile. "We're going to get burgers and then I promised I'd help him clean up his truck.
"We both have practice after school," I added. "I run cross country, and he plays baseball." I wasn't sure why I'd felt the need to share so much information with him.
Maddox and I had been fixing up his truck since we were ten years old. It was an old Ford junker that barely ran and had more dents and scrapes than you could count, but it was ours. We had more fun in that truck than most people did with their expensive toys and gadgets.
"Okay," Asher said. "Maybe you and I could go get burgers sometime?" he asked sheepishly. His eyes darted quickly from my eyes to the ground.
Had he just asked me out on a date? Surely not. I wasn't anything special. Sure, I had an okay face, and I kept my body in shape by running cross country, but I wasn't anything like the other girls at school who'd spent all of their free time trying on makeup and clothes. No, I was more of the kind of girl guys like Asher hung out with rather than dated.
"Sure...as friends?" I asked. The words had slipped out before I knew what I was saying. I cringed at how nerdy I must've sounded.
Asher suddenly jerked his eyes back up to mine and took a step closer to me. "No, I was thinking more like a date. When I moved here last year, I never had the chance to get to know you. Now, I'd like that chance." He gave me a half-smirk.
It was true. When Asher had first moved to Shady Oaks, he was sort of a loner, making appearances only at school and nowhere else. His family was the same, too. His dad, who was a local veterinarian, was nice, but never engaged in small talk around town. Asher's mom spent most of her time in their large flower garden framing the outside of their large, two-story brick home nestled just outside of Main Street. You could just see the tip of their black roof from the courthouse on a clear day.
I was sure Asher and I had spoken in passing, but nothing more.
Now, he'd asked me out on a date. Was this a joke?
"Are you sure you want to go on a date with me?" I asked, pointing to myself when I'd said, "me" for emphasis. "I mean, I'm not like the other girls around here."
Asher chuckled and smiled politely. "That's exactly why I want to go on a date with you, Elle, because you are very, very different from the other girls around here. In fact," he whispered in my ear, "you're different from any other girl I've ever met."
His warm breath tickled my ear, sending shivers of joy and confusion course through my body. I wasn't sure what he was talking about. I didn't even know me, but something in his blue eyes and warm smile told me I could trust him. "Okay," was all I could manage to say.
"Great. I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow," Asher added. "Give me your number so I can call you and get your address," he finished.
We exchanged numbers, and then he left. Everything had happened so quickly; it was all a blur. I stood there, frozen in place long after Asher left until I heard my phone buzzing.
I looked at the display to see it was Maddox who was calling me. "Hey, where are you?" he yelled into the phone, as I lifted the device to my ear.
"Sorry, I'll be right out," I said, and I ran toward the front door of the school.
I met Maddox in the parking lot. He was already sitting behind the wheel of his truck. Maddox drove me to school on most days. We'd never really arranged or planned for it, but somehow it just happened. Just like everything else with me and Maddox, it all always seemed to fall right into place.
"What took you so long?" Maddox asked, eyeing me. "Your face is all red. Are you sick?" His hand flung to my forehead like my mother might do.
I smacked his hand away and laughed. "Shut up. I'm not sick. I was just talking to Asher."
Maddox raised his eyebrows and turned to look at me. "Why?" he asked slowly.
I wrinkled my nose, disliking the way Maddox had reacted to Asher's name. "What does it matter?" I asked. I folded my arms across my chest.
"The guy's weird. He doesn't play any sports, he never talks to anyone, he has the hottest girls and guys in school chasing after him, and he doesn't even look their way. The guy’s strange," Maddox finished with a sneer.
"Well, I think he's nice, and we're going out tomorrow," I said, with a huff.
Maddox was my best friend, and I loved him more than anything, but he had the knack for driving me absolutely insane at times, too.
"No, you're not," Maddox said. He shook his head with a laugh and turned his truck on.
"Yes, I am," I deadpanned.
"Seriously?" Maddox as
ked, as he put the truck into gear and tore out of the parking lot.
Maddox had a temper and loved to drive fast. Now that I’d upset him, I was sure he'd drive like a maniac all the way back to our houses.
"What does it matter?" I asked. "You go out with girls that I don't know all the time-who cares if I go out with a guy you don't know?" I hated when Maddox treated me like a little kid. I swear, that boy would always look at me like his five-year-old best friend, but I was growing up and changing, and he needed to accept that.
"Look, I'm not trying to upset you," Maddox said in a soft voice. "I just worry about you. You know I love you, Elle. I just think it's weird that a guy who you don't even know is asking you out." He finished the sentence as he drove into his gravel driveway.
I threw my door open, jumped out of his truck, and stalked toward my yard and away from his. We were neighbors. Our parents had grown up in the town as friends and thought it would be wonderful to move into side-by-side farms. At that particular moment, I detested the thought of being so close to Maddox.
"Where are you going?" Maddox called to me as I swiftly strode to my house.
"Home!" I shouted without turning around.
He could work on his stupid truck himself. I was so upset that he didn't think enough of me to consider a guy could actually be interested in me, I didn't want to see him anymore that night.
I made my way up to my bedroom, sat on my bed, and looked out my bedroom window into Maddox's backyard to see him standing over the hood of his truck as he worked on the engine; that truck was always giving him problems.
I'd had enough of Maddox for one night. I plopped down on my soft mattress and closed my eyes.
When I went to bed that night, it was thinking about beautiful blue eyes and endless possibilities.
Chapter 6
"Are you really going on a date with Asher?" Melanie asked, as she watched me get ready.
We were sitting in my bedroom, and I was finishing curling my hair. I glanced at myself in the mirror, checked my light makeup, and was pleased with my skinny jeans and black top.
Melanie, who had been both excited for and jealous of me, demanded that I let her help me get ready. Sometimes, I'd swear she was only my friend because I had a direct link to Maddox, someone whom she'd been crushing on for years. Sadly, though, he never paid her any attention.
"I know," I said, whirling around in my chair. "I don't know why
Asher likes me," I said.
"Oh, be quiet," Melanie said. She giggled and threw a soft pink pillow from my bed at me. "You're beautiful. You just need to dress up more and stop hanging out with Maddox so much. I think he scares off most guys who like you," she teased.
I picked up the pillow she'd thrown, which had landed in my lap, and playfully flung it back at her. "Whatever. Anyway, everyone knows Maddox and I are just friends. We're practically brother and sister," I argued.
"Not that it matters to you, but I think he likes you. I mean like-likes
you," Melanie said, taking in the numerous pictures around my room of my friends. Most of them were pictures with only Maddox and me.
"You're insane," I teased. I stood to put on a pair of black sandals. "He's my best friend."
Before Melanie could make another smart remark, we heard a car pull up in the drive. We exchanged smiles and ran down the stairs and to the front door. Sure enough, it was Asher who had pulled up in a small, Toyota Camry.
"Have fun," Melanie said, waving as she rushed past me on her way to her car which had been parked in my driveway. She threw a flirty smile and gave a wave to Maddox who was sitting on his front porch, throwing a baseball up in the air before she pulled away.
Asher got out of his car and headed toward me. "Wow, you look great," he exclaimed.
"Thanks," I said, blushing as I stood in front of him. "Are you ready?" he asked.
I threw a glance back at Maddox and followed Asher to his car. He opened the passenger's side door for me like a true gentleman and then ran around to his side.
Asher revved the engine, and I watched as Maddox sulked on the porch by himself. I gave him a half-wave as we drove away.
An hour and two plates of nachos later, Asher and I were sitting there, laughing at our history teacher, Mr. Finkle. He was an old man-he had to have been seventy if he was a day-who told wild stories while he taught. He always had chalk dust on his pants, and his hair looked like he'd stuck his finger in a light socket before heading to school each day.
We were sitting at the local Applebee's, the only restaurant in Shady Oaks. It was a Friday night, so everyone was there enjoying appetizers and socializing. I was still laughing at a joke Asher had told about Mr. Finkle when I spotted Maddox and a few guys from his baseball team as they walked through the door. His eyes landed on mine, and he immediately made his way toward us.
Oh, no.
"Hey, guys," Maddox said, as he pulled a chair up to our table.
Neither Asher nor I said a word as the guys all pulled up chairs to join us as if invited.
I mouthed an "I'm sorry," to Asher as Maddox picked a chip up from my plate and began eating.
I was completely mortified and didn't know what to do or say.
"Hey," Maddox said, when I smacked his hand away,
I lowered my eyes at him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"We were hungry after practice and thought we’d come here. You guys don't mind if we hang out, do you?" Maddox winked at Asher.
"Well, we're on a date," Asher tried to argue.
"Oh, cool," Mark, the catcher for the team, added. He stuffed his face with a few more chips.
"Asher, you're new here. What do you do for fun?" Maddox asked, watching Asher carefully.
Okay, the overprotective game Maddox was playing had just gotten annoying.
"Maddox, get lost," I hissed.
Maddox threw his hands up in the air in defense and slowly stood. He motioned for the other guys to follow his lead. "All right, we'll leave you two alone. You're still coming to my game tomorrow, aren't you?" Maddox asked me, a sorry look in his eyes.
I could tell he was trying to get under Asher's skin, but it wasn't working. Asher was still smiling and looked as cool and calm as ever.
"Sure. I've never missed a game before," I said with a fake smile. I was going to kill Maddox when I had him alone later.
Maddox saluted us, and he and the guys left our table and sauntered over to where a group of cheerleaders was sitting around a large, round table. I could hear the girls' infectious laughter as the boys sat down and began to flirt with them. My stomach rolled at the sight.
"Are you okay?" Asher asked, having noticed my unease. His blue eyes were dark with worry.
"Sure," I replied, reminding myself who I really was there with. 'Tm just going to kill my best friend later," I added with a laugh.
"Don't let him get to you. I think he's jealous," Asher said, with a smirk.
"Maybe, but not for the reason you're probably thinking. Maddox and I are best friends. He hates when he's not the center of attention. He knows we're hanging out now and it kills him to know he doesn't control everything we do now," I added with a sigh.
"He shouldn't treat you like that if you’re his best friend,” Asher noted, as he began to stand.
My eyes grew wide, and I watched in horror as he took a step away from the table. "What are you going to do?"
'Tm going to talk to Maddox," he said, striding over to his table. I followed him, trying to get him to stop, but Asher wasn't listening. It looked like I had two guys in my life who didn't listen to me.
Asher walked up behind Maddox and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, man, we need to talk," Asher demanded.
Maddox turned slowly to give Asher a nasty smirk. "What about?" he asked, his eyes trailing over to me.
I couldn't react. All I could do was to watch the train wreck as it unfolded in front of me.
"I don't like the fact that you think you can just interrupt our date
. It doesn't bother me, but it clearly bothers Elle. If she's your best friend, you should show her a bit more respect," Asher said, standing tall.
Maddox jumped to his feet. His face flushed red. "You'd better back off," he yelled. People in the restaurant had begun to stare. I could feel their heated eyes on me. "Elle's my best friend. Don't act like you know her. She doesn't need you to defend her."
Asher shoved Maddox, stepping closer to him until they were nose to-nose. "Don't tell me what to do," Asher seethed.
"Stop," I yelled, forcing myself between them. Both boys stopped and watched me with interest. "Neither of you say another word.
"Maddox, you need to calm down before we talk again."
"Asher, take me home," I said, and began to walk toward the exit.
Asher ran back to our table, placed some money down to cover our bill, and then ran out into the parking lot behind me.
"Elle, I'm really sorry," he said, pleading as he rushed up behind me.
I turned to face him, fighting back the tears that had threatened to escape. "I don't want you two fighting," I whimpered.
Asher pulled me in with his strong arms and wrapped them around me. I inhaled his sweet scent of mint and pine as he held me tightly. 'Tm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I promise I won't do that again," he said as he continued to hold me.
I wiped away a tear and smiled up at him. It felt so warm and safe wrapped in his arms. I hadn't ever felt that safe with anyone other than Maddox, and it felt good. "Thank you," I said. "I like you, but you have to learn to get along with Maddox. I know he's a pain, but he's important to me," I added.
"I know. You have my word: no more fighting," Asher said again. "Maddox can be a jerk. He's just mad right now. He'll get over it in a while," I said.
"Well...his loss." Asher smiled again.
"Yep...so, want to go to a baseball game tomorrow?" I asked, with a wink.
The crack of the heavy ball against the metal bat rang through the stands as the crowd erupted into cheers. Our baseball team was leading by four runs, three of which Maddox had, of course, scored for his team. He was showing off, flirting with the girls in the stands. I gritted my teeth and focused my attention back to Asher.
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