ʙᴀᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛꜱ| ᴍ. ᴘᴇʀᴇᴢ

six

Ana walked further ahead, the glow of her phone erupting past her face. It was dark outside now and Ash knew they should've gone home ages ago but seeing Maddy there all alone and vulnerable meant he couldn't resist leaving her. He knew his mum would probably beat the shit out of him soon but he had to do this before it was too late.

Maddy and Ash walked side by side, a safe distance between them, safe enough that they weren't anywhere near close to touching each other. Maddy drowned in the sweater Ash insisted on giving her; she repeatedly pulled the sleeves further up as they continued to slip far past her hands.

Neither of them had said a word since they left the ice cream shop yet the silence didn't feel awkward, well not to anyone but Ana who insisted she walk at least 10 feet ahead.

"So, vanilla ice cream, huh?" Ash asked, breaking the silence although he only seemed to make things more awkward. "What about it?" Maddy asked defensively. "Nothing, just wouldn't be my first choice." He shrugged, realising taking the piss out of her favourite ice cream was a shitty way of making her feel better. "And it's kind of basic." He only dug the hole deeper.

"Cunt." Maddy muttered under her breath. "Oh?" Ash laughed. "I'm a cunt?" He raised an eyebrow, egging her on. "Yes, you are." She finally turned to face him. "You are a cunt."

Maddy sniffled, containing herself enough to put her emotions behind her. "My best friend fucked my boyfriend." She let out, causing Ash's eyes to widen but he didn't let her see that. "Yeah because that happens to the best of us." He joked. "That makes sense." She retaliated. "I don't know why she did that." Maddy spoke out of nowhere, unsure as to why she was speaking so honestly. "I mean, I should've known." Her eyes got teary again but she forced them back.

"And how were you supposed to know?" He raised an eyebrow. "What? That she was fucking him behind my back and that she's a shit friend?" She asked rhetorically, obviously agitated. "Exactly." Ash nodded, a small smile on his face. "I mean she's a bitch but you're not responsible for her it's not exactly like it's your fault."

"I know that." Maddy spoke. "Doesn't make it feel any better though." She continued. "The thing is...I don't even give a shit about Nate." Maddy shook her head and Ash's ears perked up at the sound of his name. "It's just fucked up that she knew and still fucked him. Multiple times." Her voice shook slightly, not enough for it to be noticeable but Ash still noticed.

"Well, shit." He laughed, his face returning to normal after realising that's probably not what she'd wanna hear. "Well, fuck her." He shrugged. "I mean, not literally." He received a smile from her in return. "End your friendship, push her away trust me it's the best kind of revenge." He reassured. "Oh really? Better than beating the shit out of her?" Maddy asked.

"No, never." Ash shook his head, laughing. "But you'll regret that shit in the long run, no matter how good it felt in the moment." The conversation took a more serious turn and Ash felt the urge to light a cigarette. Swiftly, he whipped out a cigarette from his pocket, put it between his lips, then lit it with his lighter. He let out a large cloud of smoke before continuing. "Just fucking do what you have to do then get over that shit."

"Not worth wasting your energy on fuckers like that." He shrugged, offering her the cigarette which she reluctantly took, inhaling largely then breathing out. "I probably won't even consider following your advice but thanks." She sent him a small smile, handing back the cigarette before stopping in front of a gate. Ash lifted his hand to wave but changed his mind last second. "Oh, your sweater-" Maddy paused, beginning to pull it off. "No- just give me it tomorrow." He smiled and she nodded in response.

"Can we finally go now?" Ana asked, walking back towards her brother. "Yes okay." He sighed, rubbing his face as the walked back in the direction of their house. "You need to stop being so obvious." Ana advised. "Huh?" Ash breathed out smoke, returning the cigarette back to his lips for another drag. "Girls don't like it when you're obvious." She practically warned. "What makes you say I'm trying to get her to like me?" He asked, eyes squinting at his sister. "Because you're so obvious, God." She rolled her eyes. "If you want a girl to like you you have to be more mysterious and give less of a shit about her."