All That Matters

Chapter 3

All That Matters Chapter 3, a romance fiction |

When you're looking for a friend, don't look for perfection, just look for friendship.

-Unknown

I stood outside in the parking lot with steam literally coming out of my ears and probably scaring everyone else around me. Obviously I only seemed to get more irritated since the day started. Someone out there must have had it for me.

Wayne left me, purposely.

He decided to give some of his friends a ride home and left me standing out there on the sidewalk. Just as I was getting out of the school to find him in the parking lot, I saw the car driving away, music blasting and a bunch of people inside.

At any other time, I wouldn't have minded. I probably could have taken the bus home or caught a ride with one of my friends, that was if they were still in the vicinity but both the bus and my friends were already gone.

Oh, and it was thirty degrees outside. Did he expect me to walk? Was he crazy? Why did he have to be so immature some- no, most of the time? Ugh. There were days when I felt as if I was the older and more responsible one. How dare he just leave his sister like that?

I was probably turning red still standing there, hugging myself as if that would warm me up. You can imagine just how much I didn't want anyone messing with me, even a little. Unfortunately I never missed the fact that it was always what I didn't want to happen that manifested.

"Hey, Ash, what time are you working tonight?" Derek was suddenly in front of me with his friends. It had to be them of all people.

I didn't mind his friends that much because they usually left me alone, for the most part. Darius was probably my favorite of the bunch. Derek, however, was around too much for me to deal with. Every time I thought and hoped he wasn't around, there he magically would show up with that stupid grin of his that apparently made the girls in our class swoon. I swore if I had the ability, I would make him a mute. The guy was always around and he knew how to drive me crazy. Sometimes I disliked the fact that I had an older brother that had many guy friends who could annoy the hell out of me.

"If you are, can you get me a steak to go?" Derek added on.

I was so going to kill him. I would make him regret everything he ever said to me. Why couldn't he just be nice to me? Why couldn't he be the nice guy across the street?

"Make sure it's well done, all right?"

Now that he was standing in front me, I wanted to slap him. I really did.

But I didn't. Like I said, bad-ass Ashley was taking some time off.

I should have though. I was sure I would have felt a lot better, especially considering how nippy it was outside.

Then he suddenly smiled, as if he could manage to charm me. "I'm just playing."

I really wanted to erase that goofy smile off his face. My fingers were twitching.

"Why are you still here, anyway?" He asked before looking around the lot finally taking in the fact that Wayne had left me and that the buses were already gone. "Ah." He said as he looked back at me again and smirked. "Looks like big bro forgot about you. So I guess I should offer give you a ride home?"

The nerve. How dare he even ask me that? I scoffed, letting him know just how appealed I was at the idea. "I'd rather die."

Derek just laughed.

It was that laugh, again. Only this time I didn't cringe. I shivered.

"Ash, we live right across the street from each other. It's freezing out here and you won't let me take you home?" He asked incredulously.