The Tale of Your Ordinary Girl

Chapter 14- Ashton

"Hello?" Luciana snaps. A tone she only uses on me. I feel special.

"Where are you?" I ask her.

"Ashton, I went home..." She says

"What?" I ask her, "You were supposed to wait for me."

"It's not my fault you were at the Chocolate Shoppe locking lips with some blonde." She says.

"Were we or were we not supposed to head home together?"

"So I'm supposed to sit around and wait for who knows how long for you to finish making out with a blonde so we can go home?" She asks me angrily.

"It would've been nice to know I could've gone home." I retort picking up my things to walk home.

"My life doesn't revolve around you believe it or not Ashton Blake." She says.

"We'll right now it does. We're supposed to be hanging out. Least you could do is play your part."

"My parents aren't making me hang out with you, yours are making you hang out with me." She answers, "My father knows I'm not hanging out with you. I was home five minutes ago my father knows I'm not with you."

Crap. So much for my cover up.

"I am sick of you thinking it's okay to leave me alone. Thinking it's okay to walk all over me, like I owe it to you." Luciana spews,

Right now, your wasting my time, so you owe me whatever minutes you're using up.

"I don't owe you anything. If anything, it's the other way around."

I don't owe you a dime. Hanging with you is a waste of my time too.

"The first few times you ditched me for Miss Blonde and Perfect and her crew,"

Uh it's Clare. And that crew you're speaking of is her few friends. And they're gone after we walk out.

"I covered for you. Pretended that I was with you." She pauses and takes a deep breath.

"No one asked you to cover for me." I tel her

"But I'm done wasting my time on you. I'm done covering your tracks. Find another door mat." She tells me before hanging up the phone, I am so thankful it's not a land line.

I open my house door. "Ashton, is that you honey?" My mom asks.

"No, just a robber with a key," I call back taking off my jacket and shoes. Putting the jacket on the rack, my shoes in the basket.

"How is Luciana?" My mom asks as I sit at the counter and grab an apple. My mom washes it before handing it back to me.

"She's fine." I tell her. She's also extremely frustrated with me, "We had fun today." If we hadn't been arguing the whole time.

"Why don't you go work on your homework, I'll call you when dinners ready." She says sending me off on my own.

~~

"Ash, dinners ready." My mom says knocking on my door. "Come on down."

"Be right there." I call back. I close the computer and head downstairs. Mom and dad already sitting at the table. Dinner already served out.

"How is Luciana?" My father asks as we begin to eat dinner.

"She's good, we walked around downtown. Then I walked her home." I tell them. As long as she doesn't tell them differently, we'll be okay.

The doorbell sounds as my father and I begin clearing the table.

"Luciana, hello dear." My mother says, great she's here. "Come in dear."

"Actually, I can't." Luciana answers, "Could I speak to you and Mr. Blake really quick? It'll only take a second of your time."

"Of course dear. Wait here." She says, she comes into the kitchen. Out of pure curiosity I walk into the foyer. Luciana stands at the door, I notice Jonathan standing at the end of the driveway.

"What are you doing here Luciana?" I ask her coolly.

"Waiting to speak to your parents." She answers impassively.

"About me and what a jerk I've been right?" I ask her the feigned humor ever present in my voice.

"Ashton if you wait in the living room." My father tells me. I let out a huff before walking away. Luciana looks over her shoulder. I head to my fathers office, it has a great view of the front lawn, Jonathan still waiting outside for Luciana. "You wanted to speak to us?" My father asks her.

"Is there anyway to get out of spending my Fridays and Saturdays with Ashton?" She asks, ouch, harsh much? "Ashton and I don't actually hang out during those outings. He always walks off with a couple girls and I get left behind, I was just wondering if we had to keep doing them?"

"But he told us he was enjoying them he got him around 530 telling us what a magnificent time he had with you," my mother says. "There's got to be some mistake."

"Our son wouldn't lie to us." My father argues. Thanks for sticking up for me mom and dad.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but it can't keep wasting my weekends getting ditched for blondes and brunettes in high cut low cut tops and mini skirts." She tells my parents. "I'm sorry, but I am no longer meeting your son on the weekends. Have a good evening." I hear the door close and lean against the wall. Here comes the fireworks.

"Ashton, a word please," my father says.

"I'm in your office." I tell him.

"Is what she says true?" My mother asks me.

"Why does it matter?" I ask them, "It's not like you care either way."

"Why did you drag her into this?" My mother asks, "if you weren't going to hang out with her, why did you drag her along?"

"Would you rather I tell you I'm going to hang out with a girl you've never met and were spending the weekend walking around downtown just so you don't get mad at me for breaking the deal?"

"Why did it have to come from her?" My father asks me.

"You never cared before? Why did you start caring now?"

"Son we've always cared."

"No dad, you haven't. Or not to the point I've noticed."

"Your grounded. Aside from school and the job at the diner, you're to be at home." My father says, "You'll be expected home by 530. And on days you work no later than 845. Car privileges will be revoked until further notice."

"That's not fair." I tell him. "How am I supposed to get from home to school to work without the car?"

"Your mother or I will drop you off at school in the morning, you can walk to your job from school, and your mother or I will pick you up after work."

"Fine." I answer rolling my eyes and heading upstairs. Tomorrow, the last day of freedom before punishment reigns down on me.