Missing Sunshine // A.I.

6.

I woke up to the sound of a heart monitor.

Beep... Beep... Beep... It kept going on and on. Representing my sister was still trying. 

"Hi," Ashton says from the opposite side of the couch. 

"No," I say groggily.

"What?" Ashton chuckles.

"It's too early."

"Its 10!"

"You my friend are backing up to the acquaintance zone."

"NEVER!" The next thing I know, Ashton is hitting me with a pillow.

"ASHTON FLETCHER, I SWEAR!" I forget to finish my sentence. I get up, grab a pillow, and begin hitting him with it.

After a pretty intense pillow fight, I go into the bathroom to change. I always had a set of clothes in my backpack for cases like this. I hate hospital bathrooms because they're always colder than Antarctica. So I start getting dressed as quickly as possible.

I walk out of the bathroom, back into my sisters room. Ashton was next to my sister, fixing her covers again, "You know she always talked about wanting an older brother." He looked back at me and pushed his glasses back up on his nose.

He flashed an award winning smile at me, "You really pay attention to her."

"Of coarse," I pause, "After all, she was the only person I cared about." I walk up to the bed and fix her hair a bit.

"Was?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you're my friend now aren't you? Aren't I supposed to care about you or something?" I question, having literally no social skills.

"Yea something like that," he says with sarcasm and laughter in your voice.

"Well it's not my fault, I'm clueless! You're the first friend I've had since second grade. No one else ever bothered me," I sigh.

"I bother you?" He smiles.

"At first you did! Remember, Stalker Irwin?" We just laugh.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," he says.

"What are you getting?" Ash says as we walk into the cafeteria.

"Uh... probably a biscuit. You?"

"Pancakes."

"Pancakes, really?" I say smirking.

"Pancakes are love, pancakes-"

"Don't you dare! Or I will never eat pancakes again!" I laugh covering his mouth.

I keep my hand there till he gives me that "I surrender" look.

We are silent for a minute. "You are so weird," He says while looking at his food.

"You barely figured that out now?" I say sarcastically. "And I thought you were my friend," I smirk. As we get to the cash register,the girl looks at me judgmentally. As if she knows me.

"That will be $18.74."

I start to pull out a twenty dollar bill, but Ashton grabs my hand.

"I'll pay," he says smiling.

"No, you won't. Ash you already paid for dinner last night, I'll pay," He nods and I hand her the twenty. She scoffs for an unknown reason.

After we pay we head to a table. "Okay Jess, if this friendship is going to work we need to get to know each other."

"Well that came out of no where but okay,what kind of things?" I ask. I know I'm probably going to regret this.

"Well we need to tell each other the important and deep stuff," He states while I take a bite of my biscuit

"Uh oh... do we really have to do this?" I say with a sarcastic tone. Ashton scrunches his nose up, mocking my smart ass mood. "Well you already know a lot about me."

"Not really. Here I'll ask a question first," He smiles, dimples and all. Then the impossible happens and his face lights up even more. "Got it, What's your favorite ice cream?"

"Well that might be too personal!" I say sarcastically and laugh while I take a sip of my drink. He gives me serious look and I realize that he's not joking. "Mint chocolate chip."

"No! It's all about rocky road!" Ashton laughs, pretending I just said the worst possible thing in the world. 

"Eww no! I hate all the pecans!"I scrunch my nose and he smiles.

"You've got to be kidding. Is that the only reason you don't like it?" He laughs. I take a minute to swallow the food I previously put in my mouth.

"Yea. I really like the marshmallows in the chocolate!" I give a big grin like an eight year old child.

"Okay, one day we should make Rocky Road ice cream without the pecans. Okay?" he says, putting out his hand to shake on it.

"Sounds good to me," I put my napkin down and shake his hand.

We sit and eat in silence for a moment. The sound of dishes and voices over the intercom keeping the room from being silent. "So whats with your 'I-don't-care-slash-don't-bother-me-or-I'll-hunt-you-down-and-kill-you' act? You're really not like that at all" Ashton takes a big gulp worried that he just said something he shouldn't have.

There was a small silence again. I fought with myself debating whether or not I should tell him. No one knows why, and telling him why and not telling him are both equally scary.

But unless I tell someone, Ashton for that matter who is the only friend I seem to have right now, how am I supposed to change? Maybe I should just go for it. I make myself choose that decision and start, "When I was twelve, Jenna was born. Sure, perfect family, a mom, dad, a sister; but that wasn't the case. My father was tired, Jenna wasn't even a year old but my dad didn't want us anymore. I come home from school one day to see my dad leaving in the family car with a woman who was not my mom. We lived on, my mom worked all the time, I watched Jenna. But a few months passed and my father stopped paying child support. Everything became harder than we thought possible. Then when Jenna turned three, she was diagnosed with cancer. At that point, our lives became a continual avalanche. I started skipping school to help my mom with my sister at the hospital. When I'd walk home people would start bullying me. It didn't help when my once best friend started rumors about me.  She said that I would sleep around and that's why i never went to school. That is why I shut everyone out. The best way to not get hurt, is to not get too close."

Ashton stares at me like at any minute I was going to break. Like I was the most fragile thing in the world. "Oh," He says. His facial expression resembling that of a fangirl who's favorite character just died.

"What's the matter, Fletcher?" I tease, lightening the mood. "Didn't expect a valid story?"

Ash lets out a sad laugh. "Yea, how did you do it? I mean, it's horrible," He runs his hand through his blond curls.

"Ha, you don't say?" I laugh.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I say shocked. I haven't heard that being honestly said to me in a long time.

"For letting me in," He smiles, looking into my eyes.

"When the hell are you not a cheesy loser?" I laugh. Before Ash can react, I grab his last piece of pancakes and put it in my mouth. He looks up at me like I just ended the human race. "Thanks! You know that is really good!" I say with food still in my mouth.

"You ate my pancakes." He said disapprovingly.

_______________________________________

A/N

I'm sorry.