I Told the Stars about You

Chapter 23: Jealousy

*A/N: Sorry for the slow update. I've been trying to revise and correct some grammatical errors and small issues with the plot as well as the fact that I've been calling Aiden, Ryan, for the past couple of chapters. So, apologies. Aiden is Asher's best friend and Ryan is someone random from the basketball team who Asher met when he went to Rose's birthday party at Jason's house :) Thank you so much for your patience with the updates and thank you to everyone voting and reading the chapters. You have no idea how much I appreciate every one of you xxx

I hope you're all doing okay mentally, and if you're not, consider giving yourself a break and some self-care. You deserve it!! *

"It's really fucking freezing" I say, looking out onto the school's basketball field.

Aiden and I have been here for a whole hour and the temperature hasn't risen a single degree. Rubbing my hands together, I mull over why I even agreed to this. Why I asked for it. Why, a week ago, I thought it was a good idea to leave time I could possibly be spending with Rose to train for a basketball match. 

It seems like such a small, inconsequential thing; doing basketball. I almost wondered if it would feel lacking to train with Aiden again, considering it had been over a year since I we had our daily training routine to keep up with the goals coach had for us. Funnily enough, she always looked out for me. When Cassie passed away and I walked up to her during recess to tell her I wasn't playing anymore, she didn't even question it. No, Jess simply nodded slightly, patted me on the back and told me to feel free to come to any practice I wanted, despite not signing up. 

I never came to a practice. 

Now, somehow I'm doing four hours of daily training to catch up with anyone else that could want that scholarship.

I'm just an hour in, and my muscles are screaming in protest.

"What, you can't keep up?" Aiden, the idiot, turns around to face me and starts running backwards. "I thought you were stronger than this." The fake concern is evident in his voice, and I immediately know he wants to pull something out of me. 

Three... Two... One...

"Or maybe its just been all the lounging around you've been doing with Rose"

I let out a humourless laugh. "I know what you're trying to do. And it's not happening. I'm not talking to you about her"

He levels me with an unamused glare, says, "You are no fun." 

I'm almost convinced he's going to drop it but his mouth pulls up into a smirk. 

"Her, on the other hand..." 

I snarl in warning, grit out, "Don't"

"What? I thought it wasn't serious?"

I take a deep breath, try to keep up with his running speed- which, may I add, he's speeding up since this conversation.

"It's not" 

His face tells me he doesn't believe a single word I'm saying.

"Come on, Ash. You seriously think I'm that dumb?"

I stay quiet, so he continues. "I see the way you look at her. I saw you kiss her and I've never seen you kiss a girl like that"

"I should consider it weird that you've seen me make out with people." I put a pause in for dramatic effect and let out a sarcastic sigh, "Oh my God, you're not secretly in love with me, are you?"

Aiden doesn't take the bait.

"You look at her like she's your entire fucking world. That doesn't look like something 'not serious' to me"