Being Ashlyn

Chapter 13

The next day in school, Ashlyn strode through the hallway with a purpose. She had to find a certain cheerleader and she had to find her now. Once she spotted three blonde heads among the other students, she quickly head towards that direction.

Miranda and her two sidekicks had a crooked smile on each of their faces when they saw Ashlyn from a far. "Hi freak." Miranda said once Ashlyn was in front of her. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I really don't know how that baton suddenly slipped out of my hand. I'm such a klutz sometimes." Miranda feigned innocence while her two sidekicks snickered. "It was truly an accident. Right Heather? Right Carla?" Both her sidekicks nodded.

"Listen here, Barbie." Ashlyn spat. "I don't know what is going on in your brainless head but you better stop it right now because you are seriously one messed up person."

A frown replaced Miranda's smug look. "And what if I don't?" She challenged.

Ashlyn crossed her arms. "Then you better prepare yourself for the worst because you messed with the wrong person and there's nothing I do better than revenge."

"Is that a threat?" Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Let me tell you something, freak. Don't you dare say that to me again because you're on my territory. Empire High is mine and I rule this school. I am the Queen Bee!" She growled.

"Too bad for you then!" Ashlyn laughed bitterly. "In case you haven't noticed, you're not the only one who's capable of ruling this school. After all, I am the Ice Queen." She smirked before heading to her first lesson.

******

"I didn't expect the competition to be so easy!" Freda squealed.

"I know right! I could spell every single word they threw at me!" Wilma clapped her hands like a retarded seal.

"You guys are so going to win the spelling bee competition!" Becky added.

They talked on and on and soon Ashlyn tuned out from the boring conversation and just sat silently, slurping her milkshake. They've been talking about the same thing throughout lunch time so it's no surprise that Ashlyn found it weird when they suddenly stopped talking. Ashlyn looked at her friends who had their eyes wide opened and their mouths forming an 'O'. But the strange thing was, they weren't staring at her. They were staring at something beside her. Or more accurately, someone beside her.

"Hey Ash!" Levi chirped.

"Since when did you sat beside me?" Ashlyn asked incredulously.

"Just recently." He shrugged. "What's that?" He took Ashlyn's milkshake and took a sip. "Mmm! It tastes like strawberry, mango and... a little bit of Ashlyn." He teased.

"Ewww...now I have your saliva on my straw!" Ashlyn snatched back her cup. "Who said you can drink my milkshake? Get your own drink!" She grunted.

Levi clutched his chest as if he was heartbroken. "How could you say that after I saved your life yesterday?"

"Saved my life?" Ashlyn scoffed. "All you did was put a band aid on my forehead. It's not like I was dying or anything."

"I thought we had something special." Levi wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

Ashlyn sighed. "Just because I forgave you doesn't mean we're friends, Levi. So don't think that you can seat at our table whenever you want."

"Oh yeah? Then what does it mean?" He asked.

"It just means that I don't hate you anymore." Ashlyn shrugged. "That's all."

"Well, at least there's a progress in our relationship." He grinned.

"What relationship? There isn't any form of 'relationship' between us." Ashlyn made air quotation marks with her fingers.

"Then we just have to change that." He scooted his chair closer to Ashlyn. "Give me your number."

"What?" She leaned away from Levi. "Why the hell should I give you my number?"

"So I can call you. Duh!" He rolled his eyes. "That way we could know each other better." He handed Ashlyn his cell phone. "Come on. Dial your number in."

"Are you crazy?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not giving you my number."

Levi sighed. "Fine. I could just ask Jaime for it anyway." He scanned the cafeteria until his eyes landed on Jaime who was sitting at the opposite side of the room. "Hey Jaime-"

Ashlyn covered his mouth with her hands. "What are you doing?" She hissed.

He pulled Ashlyn's hands away from him. "I was gonna ask him for your number of course."

"And you want the whole cafeteria to hear you?" She frowned.

"Hey, it's your choice you know." He held up his hands in mock surrender. "We can let the whole school know that I want your number or you could just give me your number."

Ashlyn remained silent, thinking of the possible outcomes. If she let the whole school know, the gossips and rumours about Levi and her will be twice as much. Not to mention the fact that Levi's fan girls would chase her with pitchforks. But if she gave him her number, that annoying guy would never stop bothering her.

"Ash?" Levi waved his phone in front of her face.

Ashlyn exhaled a frustrated breath. "Fine." She grumbled and punched in her number into Levi's phone. There was no point in giving him the wrong number because he would definitely ask Jaime for the real ones once he found out Ashlyn gave him a fake cell phone number anyway.

"Wasn't that so much easier?" He smiled, satisfied.

Ashlyn crossed his arms. "Whatever." He may have her number but she wasn't planning on answering his calls at all. "I'm not-"She stopped when she saw Miranda approaching them from the corner of her eye.

"Hi Levi!" Miranda drawled.

Levi turned to Miranda with his eyebrows drawn together. "Errmm...hi Miranda."

Miranda giggled. "So I was wondering if you could help me with my Calculus homework since you're so good on that subject."

"Now?" Levi glanced back at Ashlyn. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

Miranda pouted. "Awww...please Levi." She twirled her hair with her fingers. "I really need it done before lunch."

Levi ran his fingers through his brown hair. "Okay." He sighed.

"Great!" Miranda beamed, pulling Levi away and wrapping her arms around him. She even shot Ashlyn a victory smirk.

Before leaving, Levi put his pinky and thumb up to the side of his face and mouthed out the words, "I'll call you later."

Ashlyn shook her head in amusement seeing Levi's reluctant face as he was dragged away by the Queen Bitch.

"Oh. My. God!"Wilma said, startling Ashlyn.

Ashlyn whipped her head towards her friends, almost forgetting their presence a while ago. A blush crept on her cheeks, realising that her friends had heard her talk with Levi.

"What?" Ashlyn asked nonchalantly.

"Levi Hudson just asked for your number!" Freda squealed. "The Levi Hudson."

"So?" Ashlyn shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"How are you not freaking out?" Freda's hand flew up in the air in frustration.

"It's just Levi." Ashlyn said matter-of-factly. "He's just a normal human being."

"Pffft." Becky scoffed. "Yeah, a human being with insanely good looks."

"And did you see how Miranda was looking at you?" Wilma asked. "She was fuming when she saw Levi talking to you. She looked as if she's going to murder you in your sleep or something."

"Seems like I found her weak spot." Ashlyn nodded.

"Really?" Becky asked. "What's her weak spot?"

Ashlyn smirked. "Levi."