Chapter 4

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Fez and Lexi had been going through their rough patch recently. After his niece's passing, things had been tense at home. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but he was used to the domestic bliss that Fez and Lexi had cultivated for him over the years.

Even on Lexi's worst college day back in the day, she managed to come home and smile brightly and hug Ash before asking him about his day.

These days she hid in the guestroom, and gave him a pat on the cheek, before retreating back into hiding.

Although Fez had asked him to keep an eye on Lexi, he decided maybe dating would keep his mind off the whole situation.

He hadn't gone to school, letting Lexi and Fez tutor him from home over the years, but he found some friends from the basketball court that happened to go to East Highland high.

They would often introduce him to people they knew, and take him to high school parties, where he was known as the grumpy badass mysterious bad boy.

Little did they know that while 11-12 year old Ash was a motherfuckin G, 18 year old Ash liked to drink afternoon coffee and watch soap dramas with Lexi.

One of his homeboys introduced him to a cute girl last week, hitting it off with her at a party before getting her number.

Although Penelope and him had been talking more and more at the bar, he couldn't imagine if she wanted something more than friendship.

Sure, they had a chemistry that he couldn't explain. Yeah they talked about all the books they had in common. And of course, he had new knowledge of what her favorite soda and brand of candy she liked.

But they were just friends, much to his disappointment.

The girl he was taking on a date wasn't very interesting. She was overly flirty and liked to hook her arm on his without warning. He was never a very touchy kid. That still hasn't really changed.

It had taken years to warm up to being affectionate with Lexi, the woman that kind of raised him with Fez. How can some girl he barely knew make him feel comfortable to touch?

Or maybe she was the wrong girl that he wanted touches from.

He didn't say anything though, keeping his serious demeanor as they walked to the nearest movie theater. Fez had let him borrow his car for the date. She talked the entire way to the theater, spewing some bullshit that he really didn't care about.

They had nothing in common. Or maybe they didn't have the same characteristics. Fez and Lexi didn't have anything in common. But they were both cut from the same cloth. They shared the same soul.

In the back of his mind, he knew he just wasn't interested in her. He was interested in a shy, sweet girl with a cute smile and strawberry hair.

Lucy, his date, had been walking, talking about her friends. He had been nodding, trying to listen to her as he looked around.

He likes to do that sometimes. Old habits die hard. He wanted to make sure they were safe. From what, fuck if he knew.

His eyes darted towards the other side of the street, seeing a small park with some benches and a field of green shining under the still sunny sky.

Lucy's voice had become muffled when he squinted, watching a certain small figure lie on the grass, with a blanket underneath her and a book in her hands. He could spot Penelope from a mile away. Her hair was splattered over the blanket, watching as she flipped a page, not paying attention to her surroundings.

His eyes darted back to his date, calling his name over and over again, "Ash? Ash!"

"Uhm my bad, my bad. What'd I miss?" Ash looked over at her as she rolled her eyes.

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