He brings a hand to my hair and pushes it behind my ear, letting his fingers linger. They trace my ear and down to my neck. I lean my head over to give him better access. He gives me his sexy smile and he knows exactly what I’m doing.
“Are sure you want to play with fire?” He asks, dragging his fingers to my collarbone.
“Bring it.” I challenge. His eyes burn bright with lust.
“It’s a shame, that I won the beer pong. You have to do what I want, and this is not it.” He says, cocky. The guys laugh.
“I’ll do her.” Someone says. Asher turns on him.
“No one is touching her, got it?” He says in a cold tone.
“Just because you don’t want me, doesn’t me I can’t be with someone else.” I say.
“Fine. Go for it. Pick one.” He says, challenging me. How the hell did it come to this?
“Okay.”
Jesus, Charleigh, back down. Instead, I turn to face the other boys. I’ve known all of them since third grade. I go with Joe. He has always been more respectful out of the bunch.
I grab Joe by the collar and pull him in for a kiss. Joe deepens the kiss. It’s not bad, but not great. I try to get enthusiastic with it, but I just can’t. I finally pull away and Asher looks like he is going to laugh.
“Wow.” Joe says. I smile at him. Asher starts laughing out loud and I frown at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“That was seriously pathetic.” He says. The other guys laugh.
“You looked like you were sucking her whole face.” He says to Joe. Joe turns red with embarrassment.
“Joe, that was an amazing kiss. I’m looking forward too many more.” I say, trying to make Joe feel better. His face lights up and I give a smug look to Asher.
“Whatever.” Asher says, still laughing.
“You think you can do better?” Joe asks, still hurt over Asher making fun of him.
“Oh, I know I can.” He says, cocky.
“Nope, no way, this is not turning into some contest!” I exclaim.
“Eh, what the hell.” Asher pulls me in and smoothly catches my lips in the most amazing, mind blowing kiss ever.
I swear there are fireworks. What started out as a challenge has now turned into an extremely passionate kiss. The world falls away and it’s just Ash and me. When he pulls away slightly, he is breathing hard and confusion is on his face.
We stare at each other in silence until the world crashes in on us. There are cheers from people all around us. Ash shakes his head and let’s go of me.
“You’re welcome.” He says, bringing back his cocky smirk, but there is something in his eyes. He was just as affected as I was.
“Dang! That was hot!” Trix says, coming up behind me.
“It was okay, I’ve had better.” Ash says, being the asshole again.
“Me too.” I say, glaring. He chuckles.
“Keep telling yourself that.” He says, condescending.
“Asheeee, come here.” Natalie slurs. He gives out a frustrated sigh and I laugh.
“Have fun babysitting.” I say and walk away from him before I slap him.
I glance over my shoulder and he is still staring at me. I flip him off and he just smirks. God, I’m starting to hate that smirk. It’s sexy, but so damn annoying.
There is a loud crash from somewhere in the house and Asher takes off towards it. I make my way to the kitchen with Trix in tow.
“You want another drink?” She asks. I shake my head.
“I’m done, I think I’m going to call it a night.” I say. I’m starting to get a headache.
“No, you can’t go!” She exclaims.
“Yeah, bitch, you can’t go, yet.” Natalie says, stumbling into the kitchen with her friends. Oh no….
“What do you want, Natalie?” I ask, annoyed.
“Who do you think you are? You are such a slut, kissing two guys tonight….”
“Natalie, shut up.” Trix says.
“No, you shut up you fucking weirdo.” Natalie slurs. I see red.
“Natalie, back away.” I warn. I am not in the mood for her drunk ass.
“What are you going to do about it, you fucking loser.”
“What is your problem?” I ask.
“You. You and your fucking presence. You are a has-been and always will be. Hell, your own mother hates you. You are probably doing all her boyfriend’s too. You are both whores.” She spews out. Trix gasps.
“Your own father left your pathetic ass. Nobody likes you. Asher just pities you.”
Normally, I would come back with something, but I can’t speak. She hit me hard.
“I can’t believe I was ever friends with someone like you. You can’t even sing. You’re so ugly that people give you pity fucks.” She laughs at her own joke. Luckily, silence follows. Her friends are looking down.
“What? You guys think she is something, let me tell you a little secret. Her slut of a mother is the reason that Asher’s parents got a divorce.”
“What? You don’t know anything!” I exclaim. Please, tell me it isn’t true.
“Oh, you didn’t know? My parents told me. Your mother fucked Asher’s dad! Asher’s mom walked in on them doing it on your kitchen counter.” She says, laughing.
My whole world crashes around me. Is it true? No, they were best friends. My mom is a terrible person, but she wouldn’t do that to Tammy, would she?
I’m starting to hyperventilate because deep down it makes sense. Why Tammy stopped coming around, why she would hardly look at me, and Asher…. is that why he started treating me like shit? Why does he hate me for something my mom did?
“Oh shit, you didn’t know! Fucking hilarious! Too bad, your mom couldn’t keep Asher’s dad happy, he could have been your stepbrother!” She laughs, hysterically.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!” Asher roars from the doorway. Natalie visibly pales.
“Asher…I was just….” Natalie stutters. She cowers to him.
“SHUT UP!” He yells at her again. Her friends pull her away. She is starting to cry.
Once they leave the kitchen, Trix puts a hand on my arm. I shrug it off and walk up to Asher.
“Is it true?” I ask, tears in my eyes.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He says, avoiding my gaze.
“Please, tell me it isn’t.” I beg.
He looks at me and I see the truth in his gaze. I put my hand on his arm. He jerks it away like it’s burning him.
“Get away from me.” He demands and stalks out of the kitchen.
“What the hell?” Trix mumbles.
“I don’t know what just happened.” I say, still in shock.
“I can’t believe my mother would do that.” I whisper.
Trix gives me a sympathetic look and I turn towards the counter. I grab a bottle of vodka and pour some in a cup.
“What some?” I ask.
“I thought you were done.”
“Not yet.” I say, then proceed to drown this night away.
“Charleigh, take it easy.” She says as I reach for more.
I know she is right, but I’m too upset to think straight. I have so much hate for my mother. I can’t believe she did that, but then again, it’s not that surprising. She always wanted what other people had.
My heart hurts for the betrayal Tammy must have felt. I can’t believe she can even stand to live next to us. I’m so going to confront my mom on this one. She is the most deceitful, most hateful person I’ve ever met!
The alcohol is not helping my emotions. I’m getting crazy mad. I’m furious at Natalie for airing our dirty laundry out in front of everyone. I feel so ashamed being related to my mom. I feel angry at Asher for not telling me and explaining why he hates me so much. I’m angry at Michael for leaving me. I’m angry at my mother for everything….
“Charleigh? Are you okay?” Trix asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“You are kind of spaced out. Maybe you should drink so
me water now.”
“Yeah, I think you are right.” She hands me a glass of water and I chug it down.
I walk into the front room intent on finding Asher, but he is nowhere to be found. People are whispering to each other and I know the gossip is spreading like wildfire. They start staring at me and my face turns red. I try to hold my head up high.
I head straight for the door. I’m done. I make my way across the lawns towards my house, but the sight before me stops me in my tracks.
Tim’s car is in the driveway.
They are home……
Chapter Twelve
My first reaction is to run back into the party, but I’m done with those people as well. I don’t know where to go…. the tree house. I start to head that way when a shrill voice rings out into the night.
“CHARLEIGH!!” My mom yells from our front door.
I see her standing there with her arms crossed. She is pissed. Now I definitely do not want to go in there. Plus, I’ve been drinking…a lot.
“GET IN HERE NOW!” She screams.
“Hey, look, it’s the ho that screwed Asher’s dad!” A party goer says coming out of the house. I flinch. I notice a few people are filing out of the house. That means, Asher is shutting the party down. He must be as upset about it as I am.
I do not want people seeing or hearing my mother right now. I hurry to the house and let her grab my arm. She drags me into the house, slamming the door behind her. I stumble over my own feet.
“Jesus, your drunk, aren’t you?” She asks, disgusted.
“What do you want?”
“Where the hell is Michael?” She asks.
“Gone on business.”
“Are you lying to me?” She stares me down.
“No.”
“Why is it all over social media that he is in rehab?” Shit.
“You know how the media is. It’s a bunch of crap!” She slaps me hard. It’s not the first time.
“Do not lie to me!”
“Like you lie to me!”
“What the hell are talking about?”
“You lied about the reason for Tammy’s divorce!” She looks stunned.
“What, you didn’t think I would find out?” I say, tears streaming down my face.
“What does it have to do with you?”
“She was your best friend!” I cry out.
“What the hell is going on?” Tim asks.
“Stay the fuck out of it, Tiny Tim.” I yell at him. The look on his face has me backing away.
“Cindy, why don’t I handle this? You both have been drinking tonight.”
“You are right. I’m going to bed. I will talk to her tomorrow when she is sane.”
“Me? You’re the one that fucked her best friend’s husband and now everyone at my school knows!”
She rolls her eyes.
“It’s not my fault she couldn’t keep her husband satisfied. He was cheating on her long before me.” She says, like that justifies anything.
I look at her with so much disgust on my face that she actually looks away from me.
That’s right, you should be ashamed of yourself.
“Okay ladies just settle down. Cindy, go to bed, I’ll deal with Charleigh.”
“Okay, baby.” She says and I watch her walk away from me.
She is going to leave me with this bastard. Tim’s eyes follow my mom as she disappears from sight.
“I missed you, Charleigh.” He says with a grin.
“Stay away from me.” I sob out.
I stumble away from him and hit the wall. He stalks towards me. Before he can reach me, I fling my arm out and punch him in the nose. Blood spurts everywhere.
“Shit!” He exclaims.
I try to run past him, but he jerks my arm and I’m thrown into the wall. My head hits hard and I see stars. He lets go to wipe some blood away with his hand. I push as hard as I can past him and reach the front door.
Before I can open it, he yanks me against him. His hand is wrapped around my mouth. I bite down. He jerks his hand away.
“YOU BITCH!” He screams at me.
He hauls off and punches me. The momentum throws me on the floor. He grabs my legs, pulling me towards him. I start kicking with all of my might. He tries to straddle my body, but I bring my knee up hard, nailing him in the balls. He yelps out in pain. I scramble away and get to my feet. I yank the front door open and run for my life.
I don’t know where to go, but I just run. I run blindly until I’m standing in front of Asher’s bedroom. I let out a relieved cry when I see the ladder laying on the ground. I push it up and it clangs against the wall. I pray it’s stable as I scurry up it. I’m so thankful that his window is open. I collapse in his bedroom. I lay on the floor gasping for air. My adrenaline is starting to go away. I cry at the injustice of my life.
I hear some voices downstairs and I pray that no one comes up here. Hopefully, Ash will just pass out downstairs. I pull myself up and walk around his room, trying to think.
What am I going to do?
My thoughts go out the window when I notice that his room hasn’t changed. I walk over to his dresser and the mirror above it has pictures of all three of us when we were younger stuck in the frame. I smile at one in particular. We look so happy.
There are more of us as a band and some where we are performing. I know Tammy took them. My mother would never come to a performance. I give out a sad sigh and trace Ash’s younger face. There are more pictures of just Michael and Ash. Ash’s face is so cold. The smiling face of his youth is long gone. This was after the divorce. My heart breaks for what my mother did to Tammy and what she did to their family.
The voices are still downstairs, but now there is music playing. It’s not as loud and I’m glad that there are still a few people partying. If everyone left, then I would have to face Asher. I grab one of the pillows from his bed and his comforter. I lie them down on the ground and wrap myself up in a cocoon that smells like him. The floor is hard, but it could be worse.
Before I know it, I find myself drifting off and nightmares of monsters chasing me….
“Natalie! I said not tonight!” Asher’s voice says as he walks into the room.
He turns on the lights and I hold still. In an instant, I know he saw me. He turns off the lights and turns towards the door.
“Natalie, go home.”
“Please, Asher, I need you so bad.” She whines. Don’t laugh….
“You have been throwing up for over an hour. There is no way, I’m kissing you or doing anything else tonight.”
“Come on, Asher, I can make it so good for you!”
“Seriously, get out of my house.” Asher demands.
“Fuck you.” She slurs out.
“Not tonight!” He says.
I hear the door shut and I risk peeking. I’m alone in the room. I hear Asher talking to Natalie and their voices fade away. He must be escorting her out. I hear voices downstairs and then I hear the front door open and shut. Silence follows. Now we are alone…
I tense up when I hear his footsteps coming towards the door. I stay still as the door opens.
“She’s gone. You can get up.” He says. I turn over and stare at him.
“What the hell happened to your face?” He asks. I touch my cheek. It’s tender.
I don’t say anything. I stare at his handsome, concerned face and enjoy his compassion for the brief amount of time he allows it.
“Charleigh?” He asks, coming closer to me. I stand up. He pushes my hair over my shoulder and tilts my head.
“Let me get some ice.” He says, leaving me.
I sit back down on my makeshift bed on the floor. I criss cross my legs and try to think about what I’m going to say. He knows the situation so I might as well be honest.
When he returns, I’m lying on my back on the floor, throwing a tennis ball I found under his bed. He hands me the ice pack and I sit back up. I throw the ball at his face which he catches with one hand. I rol
l my eyes and put the ice pack to my cheek. The coldness hurts at first, but then starts numbing the pain. I sigh in relief. He hands me some meds and a bottle of water.
“What’s going on, Charleigh? Who did this? Was it someone from the party?” He asks.
I shake my head and laugh.
“I wish.” I mutter. He looks perplexed.
“They came home early. My mom and I got into it and Tim stepped in.” I say with a shrug.
“He hit you?”
“It’s not the first time, Ash, you know that.”
“Did he do anything else?”
“No, I got away before anything else could happen.”
“I want details on what happened tonight.” So, I tell him. I have never seen him so pissed in his life.
“What happened the day I found you outside?”
“That I do not want to talk about.” I say.
He gets up from where he was lounging on his bed and sits next to me on the floor.
“Please, Charleigh, I need to know.”
“Trust me, you don’t.”
“You have to do something.”
“I have two more weeks until my birthday. I’ll figure something out. Besides, I still have to finish high school.” I say.
“Stay here.” He says with so much passion in his voice. My eyes meet his.
“I don’t….”
“I’ll sleep in the guest room.” He states.
Do I really want to be around Asher this much? I just don’t know if I have any other choice.
“I’ll sleep in the guest room.” I state. He nods.
“I have to go and get my stuff.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll just wait until they are asleep.” I say.
“I’m coming with you.” He demands.
“Fine. Let’s give it a couple hours.”
“Why don’t you lay down and rest? I will wake you in a few hours.” He says. I nod and he gets up. He reaches a hand towards me. I look at him in confusion.
“You are not sleeping on the floor.” He says with a smile.
Tonight, I have witnessed the old Ash. I give him my hand and he helps me up. I start towards his door, but he stops me.
Lucky Me Page 11