For The Love of Ash

by Taylor Lavati

  "Are you thinking of transferring to a better school?"

  "No, I like my school," I told her, my mouthful. I knew my bad manners grated on her nerves, but truthfully, that's why I did it.

  "Isn't that disappointing," she mumbled, shaking her head as she took another small bite of the sandwich. "You know, your grandfather and I would be happy to take care of Ash so you can focus and go to a better school." I looked angrily from her to Ash, who stared at me with widening eyes and a scared look on his face.

  "I don't think that's wise," I answered with snark. "Where is said grandfather, anyway?" She glared right back at me but didn't miss a beat.

  "He's golfing with his friends." I knew the lie the second it rolled off her alcoholic tongue. That was her go to. "Asher, tell me about your studies." She turned her attention from me to him, which I didn't like. I felt like a mama bear, ready to pounce if she attacked him.

  "I like school. I have cool teachers and stuff."

  "That's all? What's your favorite subject?"

  "Gym. I love Mr. Wilson."

  "Do you? What about a real subject?"

  "Gym is real. I help Luke in the beginning of class and demonstrate for him. He needs me to help him all the time. I learn a lot."

  "You're on a first name basis with your teacher. Margaret, do you know about this?" She clutched her hand to her chest, appalled. Shit. I didn't even know how to get out of this. It did sound bad.

  "Of course, I do. Luke is a friend of mine. He's only allowed to call Mr. Wilson Luke outside of school," I told her, playing cool.

  "Well, this just seems severely inappropriate."

  "It's not. I can assure you."

  "Are you having sex—"

  "Jesus Christ, can you not in front of him?" I stood up and banged my hand on the table. It didn't thump like I hoped, and instead my palm throbbed. "And to answer your completely rude question, no."

  "Well, that is a relief."

  "I think it's time we go," I said as I walked around the table and got Asher. He didn't look upset at all by our sudden departure. He grabbed a little sandwich and took my hand.

  "You are required to visit once a month."

  "And I upheld that by being here today. It's not my fault you basically forced us to leave with your rude remarks and demeaning nature." I stomped through the hallway, Ash in tow.

  "Margaret, you can be sure that your grandfather will hear about this."

  "I don't care anymore. I'm a great mom. I don't need you guys."

  "Mom?" She snickered, laughing from behind as she followed us to the front door. "You're a child! You don't know how to raise him."

  "I'm doing a hell of a lot better than you did with Mom."

  "Your mother was an angel!"

  "Goodbye, Margo." I pulled open the door, walked through, and then slammed it behind us. The sad thing was, this was normal for our visits. I wished that I could just drop Asher off and run, but that wasn't fair to him.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Maggie

  My leg was jiggling. My heart was racing. We were second to present today, and honestly, I wished that we were first. I just wanted to get this stupid thing over with.

  Suddenly, a piece of paper was launched onto my desk and landed right on the piece of paper I was doodling on. I smiled at Luke behind me even though he couldn't see me.

  Stop freaking out, beautiful girl. We're going to do fine. Plus you're making me want to reach over my desk and kiss your neck until you moan in front of all these people.

  I folded the piece of paper and tucked it into my pocket. I didn't want to pass it backwards because I wanted to keep it forever. It didn't help my nerves much, but I liked knowing that he was trying to make me feel better.

  "Mr. Wilson and Ms. Larken, please come up and present chapter seven," Dr Atwater said from his squishy chair behind the podium. He was looking tired lately, and I prayed that he'd pass out during our presentation.

  I read from my notecards first. I could tell that my voice was coming out jittery. A few times I had to stop and take a breath because I forgot and ended up getting choked up on my dry throat. Luke chuckled behind me once when I choked on some spit, but not in a mean way.

  "Does anyone know the negative effects positive punishment has?" Luke asked, taking over for me. I blushed and looked down at the ugly brown and white tiled floor while Luke saved me. I pushed out a breath.

  The class clapped at the end of our presentation. No amount of note-taking could have prepared me for speaking in front of the class. I just sucked at it. It would never be my forte, but I had to learn to live with it.

  I sat down in my seat, and as Luke walked by my desk, he stopped. He bent down and kissed me on the lips in front of everyone. I doubted I would ever stop getting chills when he touched me. I didn't think my heart could handle a lifetime of kisses.

  On Saturday, Asher and I went to pick up my car. It was a nicer garage right on the border near New Canaan. Instead of gas smells and greasy hands, the men inside the shop had on clean jumpsuits and were smiling ear to ear. It felt a little Twilight Zone-ish, but I ignored the weirdness.

  Asher held my hand, like he did the entire walk from the bus stop, and grabbed the door for the both of us. I smiled down at his gesture and kissed the top of his head.

  "Ma'am, what can we do for you?"

  "I'm here to pick up my car. It's a Honda Accord." He was genuine as he smiled at me and then looked down at the computer screen. He clicked away. I saw the reflection of the blue screen in his glasses as he pulled up my bill.

  "You're Luke's friend." The man nodded to himself as he spoke aloud. "Your total is two hundred dollars even." My brows furrowed because I expected the bill to be over five hundred. I had Googled the parts that needed to be fixed, and those alone cost two hundred.

  "Are you sure? That seems low," I said despite the fact that I only had three hundred in my bank account. My plan was to put half on my credit card and half on my debit, but apparently something else was going on.

  "The Wilsons are buddies of mine, especially Luke. I always give him a deal." I still looked at him like he was lying, squinting my eyes, but I couldn't do anything. I didn't have the money to give anyway.

  I dropped Asher's hand and rummaged through my purse to pull the card out of my wallet. He swiped it and typed on the computer. He whistled a Luke Bryan song, and despite the fact that I didn't even know the name, it made me smile.

  "You are all set," he said with a final click. He reached behind him and pulled my keys off a wooden rung, one of many that were hanging. He handed it over, and I smiled, thankful to get my car back. "It's around the corner if you go just outside the door. You should see it 'cause it's right in front."

  "Thanks so much," I told him. I met his eyes and tried to convey how thankful I was that he had helped me out. I knew there was some sort of deal, but either way, I appreciated it.

  Asher ran to the car as I unlocked it with a beep, and I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed Luke's number. He answered on the second ring.

  "Hey, Sunny." His voice always made my stomach twist in such a euphoric way. It was like honey dripping from his tongue and falling right into my mouth. Sweet and sexy. I had to remember why I was calling.

  "What did you do?"

  "You're going to have to elaborate since I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "The car. How much did it actually cost?" I started the car, and the air conditioner blew straight in my face, smelling like sawdust. I coughed and shut it off, flipping it to heat, while Asher laughed from the back seat.

  "What's going on over there?" I could hear the humor in his voice. I didn't answer, waiting for him to tell me what I owed him. "Maggie, he's a family friend. I don't even know what you paid, but I'm sure it was enough. Can you trust me?"

  "I looked up the parts online. I know he gave me too good of a deal. Which makes me think you paid for it."

  "I didn't. I promise."

  "Do
you really promise?"

  "Yes—Lindsay, go away!" he said in the background. "Seriously, why are you even here? I'll come down in a second! Seriously?" He paused and then came back on the phone. "Mag, I gotta go. I'll pick you and Ash up at noon."

  "Wait, I have—" But the line went dead before I could object. He didn't have to come now that I had a car.

  "Is Luke coming to my game?" Ash asked with hope in his voice.

  "He'll come by to pick us up at noon."

  "Yes! I hope I play really really well. Do you think he'll think I'm good?"

  "I already know he thinks you are."

  "True…"

  Right on time, Luke showed up to bring us to the game. His truck was much nicer than my car, and I wondered how much it cost him. I didn't know much about his family, other than he had a ton of sisters and lived with his parents in New Canaan, which pretty much alluded to the fact that he was a rich boy.

  The rink was forty-five minutes straight to the north across the New York border. Luke held my hand on the black leather console between us the entire ride. Asher wouldn't stop blabbering on about some new twist move that Luke was teaching him before and after gym class.

  "I've been trying to get Finn to come, but his practices are so long," Luke said as I stared out the window.

  "Who's Finn?" I asked him.

  "Finn is Luke's friend that plays on the Rangers," Asher explained. I turned in my seat and saw a duh expression on his face. I smiled at him, wrinkling up my nose. I looked over at Luke and felt content for the first time I think in my entire life.

  We sat on the bleachers with Janet and her husband, Michael. It was the first time I met him, since he didn't make an appearance at the Halloween party. He and Janet were flirty; yet it appeared fake to me.

  "Asher is only nine, and he's been doing really great," Janet told her husband. He was on the other side of her, so I had to lean forward to see him.

  Michael was quiet, and I wasn't sure if it was me or if he was just closed off to everyone. He didn't even talk to Luke, which I thought was strange. Janet put her hand on his knee, and he interlaced his fingers with hers. But he never looked at her or payed attention to her at all.

  The ref blew the first whistle, and I stood up from my seat. It was only the first week in November, but it was chilly. Of course it didn't help that this was an outdoor rink. I had my mittens and hat on, but my nose still felt like it was about to break off. The warmers did nothing to keep me toasty.

  I started to pace on the top bleachers. Luke looked up at me and pursed his lips, but I just ignored him. Asher hopped onto the ice as the right wing for the second line.

  "Go Ash!" I yelled. I doubted that he could hear me, but I knew if he could, he would appreciate my yelling. A few heads turned to see me, but like Luke, I ignored them.

  By halftime it was still a 0-0 game. Asher was playing well, but he was too timid. It was almost like he was nervous about something. I'd never seen him play so safe, and I think the coach was a bit confused, too.

  They huddled at their bench, both teams in a big bunch while the coaches yelled and drew on their white boards. Ash's back was to me. I could only just see the back of his jersey and the little strands of brown hair that were already starting to poke out from beneath his helmet.

  A horn blared; and the team put their hands in the middle and shouted, "Win!" Surprisingly, Asher skated with Eric and Samuel to the middle of the ice. He was going to be first line for the second half. On the one hand, I was excited for him; on the other, I was scared that the competition would be too much.

  Asher looked up at me, or at least I thought it was me, and nodded. It wasn't anything obvious. He just bowed his head. I waved back and nodded too, clutching my hands to my chest.

  "He's going to be fine." Luke's arm wrapped around my shoulders, and he tugged me towards him. It made me stop pacing and focus on Ash. I was bouncing and breathing heat into my hands to stop the nervous butterflies from making me puke.

  The whistle blew, the puck dropped, and our center, Eric, contained the puck and passed it backwards to the left defenseman. I heard one of the boys yell something, and then Ash and Sam switched spots, Ash going to the left wing position.

  The defenseman skated forward past the blue line while handling the puck with the back of his stick. Asher slowed down at the red and then sped up fast to make it to the blue so he was in line with Eric.

  Just before he glided over the blue line, the defenseman passed to Eric in a quick pass that hit Eric's stick with a slap. I didn't realize it, but I was holding my breath so much that my vision spotted.

  It was like slow motion as Eric peeked to the left, saw Ash, and then passed the puck to him. It floated across the ice, going behind the Cardinals' defenseman and landing right on the back side of Asher's stick.

  He caught it and spun to his right so he had a better angle against the goalie. It was the goalie's stick side. Asher skated forward for just a second and then flipped the puck to the front of his stick.

  He carried the puck backwards and then shot it forwards, using his right leg for momentum. The puck lifted just a foot off the ground and soared into the back of the net.

  I screamed. "Yeah! Go Ash!"

  The entire section of the away team, us, stood up and clapped, whistled, and cheered for the first goal of the game. The first line skated to Ash and surrounded him, hugging in a huddle before they skated over to the bench.

  I was still yelling for the Lions when Asher jumped onto the bench and sat down. He pulled his water bottle from under the seat and squirted some through his helmet into his mouth. Coach walked over to him and patted him on the back, saying something that I was too far away to lip-read.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Luke

  I fell in love Maggie right then and there. I didn't even question myself as I looked over at this woman who was so passionate about her brother that I actually felt my chest constrict. I knew it had to be love.

  I had known that I liked her. There was no question in my mind. But as she yelled and continued to cheer for Asher, I realized that she was it for me. I tried to see if there was something different about her, but it was just my own viewpoint.

  Her nose was bright red like Rudolph, a little runny from being in the cold so long. But I knew even if I offered to bring her inside, she would never leave him. The smile on her face as she watched Asher skate around the ice could only be described as proud. I wished that someone had looked at me like that just once in my life.

  After the game, Maggie and I ran into the warm up hut and sat by the roaring fire in the middle of the large open room. It was actually really nice in there.

  It was a cabin, with a small kitchen and snack bar that only served hotdogs, hamburgers, coffee, and hot chocolate. In the middle of the room were brown circular couches with two stone fireplaces on either side.

  I left Maggie sitting directly in front of the stone fireplace with Janet and her husband, Frank. I ordered two hot chocolates, all for just three dollars, and then sat beside her while I handed her one cup.

  I tuned out because, truthfully, Janet was completely different with Frank around than she was without him. It was like she was putting on a show for us. I saw Asher come out from the locker room with two boys flanking him.

  "Hey, it's the boy of the night!" Maggie said as she called him over.

  "I scored. Did you see it?" He looked up at me as he dropped his heavy bag on the floor.

  "Of course, I did." I handed him the cup of hot chocolate as he wedged between Maggie and me in front of the fire. His hair was wet with sweat, and he smelled like dirty socks that were used to wipe your armpits after running a marathon.

  "What do you think about going out tonight?" Maggie said as she ran her hand through his hair, pushing it back and to the side so it was out of his face.

  "Can we get ice cream?" Asher begged.

  "Ice cream? It's freezing cold outside."

  "Please," he whine
d, and I saw Maggie's face change almost instantly.

  "Fine. Let's go." Asher and I high-fived and then raced to the car. I let him win.

  The ice cream shop was vacant. Although I wouldn't expect it to be busy at five on a Saturday night in November. Asher ran to the window and started pointing to different flavors. Maggie pulled him back so he wouldn't smudge up the glass.

  "Can I have a cup with one scoop of rainbow sherbet and one scoop of Reese's Pieces? Oh, and can there be chocolate and whipped cream, too?"

  "What do you say?" Maggie asked.

  "Please." He grinned from ear to ear as he watched the ice-cream lady scoop.

  "Can I get you two anything?"

  "I'll have a strawberry milkshake, please," Maggie said.

  "And I'll have chocolate soft serve on a waffle cone. Thanks."

  When the ice-cream lady handed over our treats, I pulled out my wallet and handed her a twenty. She typed into the cash register, and the drawer shot open with a ding. I told her to keep the change, and she widened her eyes, smiling.

  I turned around to see Maggie and Asher sitting in the corner booth. Each booth was a different color, from orange to yellow to pink to green. The floor was tiled in bright colors that matched the booths. It was like Willy Wonka's factory.

  "To Asher and his first goal!" I said as I raised my ice cream cone.

  "To Ash." He smiled and held up his cup. We all clinked our ice creams together and giggled as we ate in silence. I was on edge. I didn't want the day to be over.

  "Do you want to go out to eat tonight?" I asked Maggie, looking across the orange table.

  "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

  "Anything you want."

  "I can call Lisa to see if she can watch Ash."

  "He can come if he wants," I told her. I would never expect Maggie to choose between the two of us. I wouldn't want her to.