The Boy Next Door

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Olly has called around again; he's upset," Mum said. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

I turned on my bed to face her, hugging my pillow tightly as a tear slid over my nose. My words choked my throat, "Upset? He has no reason to be upset. He is a liar, and I never want to see him again."

"Now, Ashley, that's a bit extreme. Whatever it is, I'm sure you can work it out."

"No, there is no point," I mumbled, squeezing harder as my stomach panged.

I hadn't eaten since breakfast and barely ate at the party; marshmallows and jello shots weren't exactly substantial, and it was way past lunchtime. I had left Alex's house in a hurry and said nothing to mum on the way home. Olly went, Kyle disappeared, and the girls had no idea what to say.

I didn't want to see or talk to either of them, and I wished I could get both of them out of my head.

"You should talk to him," Mum continued, shuffling everything into a neater pile on my desk.

"No, I shouldn't."

"Olly won't be around for long, and I doubt you will want to say goodbye on these terms."

I sat up, narrowed my eyes and held the black cased pillow on my lap, "What?"

Mum straightened her posture and placed my Avril CD on the top of the pile. She swallowed hard and blinked rapidly.

"Holy shit, you knew, didn't you?" I stood, throwing my pillow aside. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Now, Ashley, let me explain."

"No, there is nothing to explain. You knew all along, and you let me fall for him knowing he was fucking leaving."

"Watch your language, young lady," Mum threatened, pointing her finger at me. "I was only protecting you."

"Protecting me from what, heartbreak? You didn't do a very good job," I shouted. "No wonder you have been so forgiving lately. I knew something wasn't right. You knew this was coming. You knew Olly would break my heart, and guess what, you have to."

"Ashley, calm down."

"Get out. Get out of my room," I shrieked, stamping my foot and thumping the air beside me.

Mum didn't move; I'd shaken her to the core. Usually, I would have felt guilty for such an episode, but I didn't in the slightest. I'd had my limits pushed, and something was different like a switch had clicked; I didn't care anymore. If no one cared about me and could lie so easily, even if it was to protect me or not, I no longer had time for them. I just never expected to be adding mum to the list.

"Ashley, we need to talk about this. You acting like this isn't like you."

I flared my nostrils and ground my back teeth. "If you won't get out, then I will." I grabbed my phone and stormed out past her.

"Ashley," she yelled, but the front door slamming masked it.

I didn't look back or glance at Olly's house. I speedily walked down the street with no destination in mind. Anywhere else but there.

*

Walking around blockbuster, I'd exhausted every shelf. It was empty for a Sunday; the town was usually heaving all weekend.

I trailed my finger along the boxes, Get Over It, Save the last dance, Mean Girls, and A Cinderella story, all of which I had watched.

"There isn't a lot out, is there?" a girl's voice said, and I turned towards her.

"Mila," I smiled, hugging her.

"Hey stranger, how are you? Where have you been? I've texted you over the summer, but you never replied."