Lucky Me

by B. B. Donnelly

  “Just lay down here.” He gestures to his bed. My eyes fly to his.

  “To sleep. I promise.” He insists.

  “Yeah, I know.” I say. He gives a knowing look. I roll my eyes.

  I lay down on his bed and he grabs the comforter from the floor. He tosses it over me. He then lays down on top of it.

  “Asher…”

  “Go to sleep.” He says, but I ignore him.

  “I’m sorry about my mom. I didn’t know.”

  “Charleigh, I don’t want to talk about it.” He says, anger in his tone.

  “Okay, but I…”

  “Charleigh…” He warns.

  “Fine.” I huff out. I turn on my side and close my eyes. Before I know it, an alarm is going off. I groan.

  “Rise and shine.” He says.

  It’s four in the morning. I get off the bed and follow him out of his room. We go downstairs and the house is a disaster.

  “Your mom is going to kill you.” I mumble.

  “You forget I have a cleaning service at my disposal.” He says, sleepily. I give out a short laugh.

  We walk out the back door and through the gate. I use the code on our back door and we quietly walk into the house. I use the back staircase to reach my room. My door is wide open, and my room is trashed. I withhold a gasp and Asher grabs my hand reassuring me.

  He gestures for me to get going. I grab a duffle bag and throw in as many clothes as I can. I reach my bathroom and shove in my makeup and toiletries. I reenter my bedroom and Asher has my song book in his hand. I take it from him and shove it in the bag.

  “That everything?” He asks.

  “I think so.” I say, but my eyes linger on my keyboard.

  He follows my gaze. Before I know it, he is unhooking it and hands me the plug in and the accessories. He hefts up the keyboard on his shoulder.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Thank you.” I whisper. He nods and gestures for me to hurry.

  We silently make our way downstairs, but just as we reach the backdoor the lights turn on.

  “Where the fuck do you think you are going?” Tim asks.

  His nose looks swollen and his eyes are black. I did that. I notice Ash set the keyboard down on the ground.

  “Hey, what’s the problem?” Asher asks. Tim just now notices Asher.

  “Oh hey…um, what are you guys up to?” He says, uncomfortable.

  “Charleigh, is going to stay with me tonight.” Asher says, staring at Tim.

  “I don’t think…” Tim starts.

  “Oh, come on, man, you know what its like to be young. We just want some alone time.” Asher says, putting an arm around my waist, pulling me into him.

  Tim stares at me and I stare right back. I don’t think we are fooling him.

  “I don’t think your mom will approve.”

  “I don’t give a damn.” I say.

  “Look, it’s late, we are going to go. Charleigh will be in touch.” Asher says.

  “Charleigh, I won’t allow it.”

  “What’s wrong, Tim, can’t stand the thought of someone else touching me?” I taunt. Asher stiffens besides me. Tim’s mouth gapes open.

  “I’m going to let him do everything that you have ever dreamed of doing to me.” I hiss at him with hate. Asher pulls me towards the door, and I give the shocked Tim a smile.

  “Bye Tiny Tim.” I say and his face has so much rage on it, it would terrify me if I didn’t have Ash beside me.

  Asher picks up the keyboard and we leave. We are walking to his house, when he looks at me.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You just made it ten times worse for yourself. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you.”

  “Fuck him and everyone else. I’m so tired of this life.” I say, exhausted. He gives me a look of pity.

  “Just get some sleep and we’ll figure things out tomorrow.”

  He takes my stuff to the guest room and I collapse on the bed. I sleep for what seems like only a few hours. I hear voices downstairs and then I hear a vacuum cleaner. Sounds like the cleaning service is here. I snuggle back down into the covers and fall asleep.

  The next thing I know, Asher is sitting on the bed, looking down at me.

  “What’s up?” I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “We have a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The police are downstairs. They are insisting that you have to go home.”

  “What! Why?”

  “You are underaged and Tim reported you as a runaway...”

  “That motherfucker!!”

  “I don’t know what I can do…”

  “Shit!” I say.

  “Charleigh, you have to tell them about the abuse.”

  “I….”

  “Charleigh, it’s the only way.”

  “I can’t!” I exclaim.

  “Why not? What have they ever done for you? Why are you protecting them?”

  “I’m not, Asher! I’m protecting myself!”

  “Jesus, Charleigh, you’re not! You are sacrificing yourself! I will protect you!”

  “You hate me!” I exclaim.

  “I’ll still protect you!” He shakes his head when he see my face. I push past him and grab my unpacked bags.

  I make my way downstairs and see the police waiting on me. Tim and my mom are standing there.

  My mom runs to me with tears in her eyes. I can tell they are forced. She is so good at putting on a show.

  “My baby! I was so worried about you!” She exclaims, throwing her arms around me. Tim gives me a sadistic smirk.

  Asher comes into the room.

  “Arrest him, officers! He kidnapped my baby!” My mom says, dramatically. The officers look at each other.

  “He didn’t kidnap me. I came here willingly.” I say. The officers nod, realizing that I was probably just staying with my boyfriend.

  “Apparently, it was all a misunderstanding.” One officer says. The other officer recognizes Asher.

  “Do you mind if I get your autograph? My daughter is a huge fan.” He says. Asher nods. His eyes never leave mine as he signs a piece of paper.

  “Thanks, Asher.” I say as my mom grips my arm tight, leading me to the door.

  “Take care.” He says, watching me leave.

  “I’ll try.” I whisper….

  Chapter Thirteen

  I feel like I entered a twilight zone. My mom is acting like everything is fine. She is sucking up to me and being nice. I don’t know what she is up too, but it’s freaking me out. Tim is even staying away from me. He doesn’t say much and is keeping his distance. I watch him warily. I guess I’m waiting for the ball to drop.

  I literally put a dresser in front of my bedroom door last night and barely slept. I’m exhausted, but I would rather be tired then be off guard. I grab my bag and push the dresser to the side. I rush out the door without seeing my mom or Tim. Today is Monday and I have to go to school. I wonder how Asher will treat me. Will he be his indifferent self, or will he show he cares?

  I drive into the parking lot and see Asher with Natalie hanging all over him. Well, I guess that answers it. I try not to let it bother me, but my heart aches. He watches me as I walk across the parking lot to the school. Natalie glares at me.

  Trix meets me at my locker.

  “Hey.” She says, slowly.

  “Hey.”

  “So, about the party….”

  “Pretty big reveal.” I state.

  “Is it true?” She asks.

  “I believe so. Asher will not talk to me about it, but I guess it makes sense.”

  “That sucks.”

  “I know, but my mom is a shitty person. I like Tammy and I hate that she was hurt by my mom and her husband.”

  “I feel like I should tell you that Natalie is calling you a whore. That you are just like your mother.”

  “That nothing new.” I say with a shrug and grab
my books.

  I slam my locker shut and turn around. Natalie and Asher are walking down the hall, hand in hand. I shake my head. I just don’t get it. She is the one that embarrassed us. How can he even stand to be around her?

  “So, you think you can hang out sometime this week?” Trix asks.

  “I’m not sure. I’m going to be busy with some contracts I’m helping The Orphans out with since Michael is busy.”

  “We all know he is in rehab, Charleigh.” I flinch at that.

  “How?”

  “Did your mom not tell you about the press release she did?”

  “WHAT?”

  “Yeah, she confirmed that her nephew was in rehab on some trashy tabloid.”

  “Damn her!!!!”

  “I’m sorry…”

  “It’s not your fault. I swear Trix… I hate her.” I mutter.

  She pats me on the shoulder. We walk down the hallway towards our first classes. We separate and go down our designated halls. I’m almost to my class when Natalie’s voice stops me.

  “Oh, look who it is… the nasty little whore.” She says, spitefully. Asher is no where around. I look for him.

  “He isn’t here. Charleigh, I’m warning you, keep your slutty hands away from Ash.”

  I laugh at her threat.

  “You are pathetic, Natalie. Absolutely pathetic.” I walk off chuckling.

  I enter the classroom and I feel eyes staring at me. My classmates are whispering behind their hands and looking over at me. Damn Natalie and damn my mother for this.

  It’s finally lunch and I raise my head high. I walk into the cafeteria and see Natalie sitting on Asher’s lap. They are laughing with their little group of friends. I march right up to them. There is an empty seat across from Asher and Natalie. I set my lunch down and plop into the sit.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Natalie asks, shock written on her face.

  “Eating. I know it’s a foreign concept to you.”

  “You can’t sit here!” She is turning purple.

  “Why not?” I ask.

  She sputters. I take a bite out of my apple and stare at her.

  “Ash, tell her to go away!” She whines. Asher looks at me, wondering what I’m doing.

  “ASHER!” She yells. He pushes her into a seat and stands up.

  “Quit being such a whiny bitch.” He says to her and walks off. Natalie stares after him with her mouth open.

  I laugh.

  “I second that.” I say with a grin.

  “You……BITCH!” She yells out at me before racing after Asher.

  The others at the table don’t say a word to me and I eat my lunch at their table in silence for a few minutes. No one knows how to act.

  “Charleigh, you’re in my calculus class. Do you know if we have a quiz tomorrow?” Erin asks me. She used to be my friend a long time ago and we talked at the party briefly.

  “I think it’s next Tuesday.” I reply and just like that conversations start back up.

  Some are directed towards me asking me how Michael is doing, others are not. There isn’t any hostility which I’m thankful for. Maybe I have been misjudging my old friends. I never gave them a chance.

  After lunch, my classes slowly drag until it’s music class. I walk in and take my seat in the front. I pull out my notes for the song and look over them. Asher walks in and I glance up. Natalie is following behind with tears in her eyes. She walks past her normal seat and up the stairs. I watch as she plops down in a seat not far from where I used to sit. Asher sits down beside me.

  “What happened to your girlfriend?” I ask.

  “She wasn’t my girlfriend. I don’t do relationships.” He states.

  I glance back at her and she is glaring at us.

  “She is pissed.” I say, stating the obvious.

  “She was getting clingy and I don’t appreciate what she did at the party.” I wasn’t expecting his honesty.

  “Yeah, that was shitty. I…”

  “Don’t go there.” He shuts me off. I nod and look back down.

  “We have enough here to start incorporating the class.” He says, pointing towards my notes.

  “I agree.” Our heads are close as we discuss where the class should come in.

  “Are we the main singers?” I ask.

  “It’s your song, Charleigh, you should sing it.”

  “It’s our song, now.” I say and our eyes meet. I smile at him.

  He stares at me for a moment before nodding. The way he is looking at me is doing something to me. I’m so confused. I search his eyes for answers, but soon he closes me off. He cools his expression and I’m iced out. I give out a sigh. Why can’t he just let go and let me see the real him?

  “Okay, class, Asher, Charleigh, you ready to put us to work?” He asks. We start explaining the different aspects of the song and where the class needs to come in.

  “Mr. Brown, with all due respect, I think we should get to tryout for the soloist parts.” Natalie says from her seat.

  “Who would like to try out?” A few of the girl’s hands shoot up and I roll my eyes. Of course, the chance to sing a romantic duet with Asher Stewart is too hard to resist.

  “Fine.” Mr. Brown says, trying to be fair.

  “I’ll be the judge if you don’t mind.” Asher says. Mr. Brown nods. I can tell he is perturbed. He wants to get to practicing, and this is taking too much time.

  “I don’t understand why we have to do this. I wrote the song.” I say.

  “I agree with Charleigh.” A boy mutters. I’m surprised at the murmurs of agreement I hear.

  “Does anyone want to tryout for the male’s solo?” Mr. Brown asks. The guys all shake their heads.

  “Okay, fine. Miss Snow, you want to go first? Asher, do you mind?” Mr. Brown asks and by Asher’s face, he definitely does mind.

  Natalie flaunts down to the front. All her tears are gone and there is determination in her face. Asher grabs the guitar and starts strumming the melody. Anger starts simmering to the surface.

  This is bullshit. This is my song. My duet with Asher. Asher starts singing and Natalie joins in. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. I can tell Mr. Brown agrees and that makes me relax. His face is polite and pleasant, but it’s not excited.

  There is no chemistry between them. Asher barely looks at her. Natalie stares at him with longing that makes me almost feel sorry for her. When the song ends, Natalie gives me a victory smile. There is no doubt in her mind that she was the winner.

  “Beat that.” She says, smugly to me. I just stare at her as she passes.

  A few other girls try but can hardly get through it without losing it. I guess being that close to Asher is too much for them to bear.

  “Next.” Mr. Brown says, but looks at me expectedly.

  I get up and sit on the stool next to Asher. Asher starts strumming the instrumental beginning and I close my eyes. When I hear it the note, I open my eyes and begin singing. When he starts singing his part, I consume myself in the song. I pull from the emotions in his voice and my heart.

  The emotions are raw, and I make eye contact with Asher. We always watch each other when we sing. We play off each other. It’s the only time our feelings are exposed. Our voices mingle together in perfect harmony. They don’t fight, they complement each other.

  When we finish, we stare at each other and smile. It was perfection.

  The class breaks out into applause.

  “Asher, who do you pick?” Mr. Brown asks, already knowing the answer.

  “I think it’s obvious.” Asher says. Natalie starts to stand up.

  “Charleigh.” He says and I watch as she sits back down, embarrassed. Some of the guys start laughing at her. She crosses her arms, pissed.

  “Okay, let’s get started.” Mr. Brown says, relieved to get to work.

  Asher and I start telling Mr. Brown what we think, and he agrees. He starts organizing the class and they start working on their parts.

  Asher’s
phone starts ringing. He glances down and tells Mr. Brown it’s important. Asher answers and then listens for a second. He grabs my hand and pulls me out into the hallway. I look at him questioningly. He mouths Liz. He puts the phone on speaker.

  “Okay Liz, you are on speaker and Charleigh is with me.”

  “Okay, well, we have a problem. The statement Charleigh’s mom gave screwed us. We have to get you guys on the radio and all social media outlets right away. I talked to Michael and he is okay with using him as a platform on addiction. It’s the best I can do at the moment. Can you guys leave right away? You will do a remote interview with the radio station.” She says.

  We look at each other and I nod. I will do anything for Michael.

  “Yeah, we will call to let you know when we are home.” Asher says.

  He hangs up and we go back into the classroom. We talk to Mr. Brown and tell him we have to leave for an emergency. He doesn’t even hesitate. Our classmates look at us curiously and even more so when we gather up our stuff. Natalie gives me a hateful look when it’s obvious we are leaving together. Asher doesn’t spare her a glance.

  “I’ll follow you home.” I say.

  He jumps into his car and we head out. I pull into my driveway and walk over to Asher’s house just as he is getting out of the car. I follow him and we enter the kitchen.

  “Charleigh, are you sure about this?” He asks.

  “Of course.”

  “This will change everything.” He says, worried.

  “I’m ready.” I say with confidence. He nods and dials up Liz.

  “Liz, we are home. We are ready.” He says.

  The radio station hosts comes on speaker and tells us we are going live for our interview in two minutes. I take a deep breath. Asher squeezes my hand and I see unveiled compassion for me.

  “For Michael.” I whisper.

  “And for you.” He whispers back.

  Our eyes connect and I see that something that was missing. Asher does care, there is no doubt about it, but he is trying to hide it. Why? I don’t have time to ponder it because the countdown begins.

  “And we are live in five, four, three, two, one… Hey everyone, we have a special treat for you today! I have with me Asher Stewart from The Orphans!!” The radio announcer begins.

  “Hey, guys!” Asher says, cheerfully.