Ashley ✓

Twelve | Password

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SOTC: Academia by Sia

"Ashley, are you awake?"

The next evening, I propped myself up with my hands on the bed where I had lied awake. I looked at Sienna, who had whisper-yelled it from the door.

"Yeah," I whispered back as I looked at the alarm clock reading 12 A.M.

"Here, come on," she whispered back.

I rose from the bed and followed her from the doorway to Fedor's room.

Sienna opened it.

Inside was that same beige, soccer-themed room. Once again, Fedor sat at the end of his bed. His legs were propped up so his arms could wrap around his knees and his hands could join, speaking to someone.

No other than Mustafa Fadahunsi.

Did God really have to make me face him so soon after that apology?

"Alright, she's here!" Sienna whisper-yelled, and Fedor and Mustafa ceased their conversation to whip their heads to us.

I expected Fedor to look at me first, but it was Mustafa's eyes stealing the win. No clenched jaw accompanied this. In fact, it seemed his face softened.

"Yo, Ashley," Fedor called out when he saw me, too.

Sienna and I sat on the bed.

"So have you talked to Francesca yet?" Fedor sharply whispered to Sienna, eyes wide.

"Nah bro, I forgot," she replied.

Fedor's jaw dropped. "AGAIN?"

Sienna struck her hands against his lips with a hard SMACK!

"Shut the hell up!" she whisper-yelled through her teeth. "Mom's gonna hear you, bro."

Fedor rubbed his mouth, scowling.

"Like I say, Sienna be a mean girl," Mustafa commented, typing away on his phone then putting it down.

Fedor took his hand off his mouth. "Ashley, were your siblings nice?"

Sienna and Mustafa whipped their heads to him.

"Sorry," he mumbled straight afterward. "I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's fine," I assured him, shrugging. "I don't have any siblings that I know of."

"Da—" Fedor started before he was interrupted by Sienna.

"Someone memorize this code for me. I'm tryna win this game against this bitch who thinks she's fucking smarter than me and all that. Quick before it locks out!" Sienna showed it to Fedor and Mustafa, and I managed to catch a good enough glance.

"Fuck it, I ain't gonna remember that," Mustafa immediately goes.

Sienna's jaw dropped. "Really?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "No one's gonna memorize that many numbers at one time."

"Okay, it's locked now!" Sienna threw her butterfly braids behind her shoulder, looking at Fedor. "Did you memorize the code?"

Fedor cleared his throat, rattling off in confidence, "It's two, eight.. fi— no, four and then a three—"

"Two, eight, five, three, six, seven, two, four, one, two, eight. The first, third, and seven letters are underlined."

Fedor and Mustafa whipped their heads to me, their sockets over-displaying their eyes. Sienna hesitantly typed my numbers in before a BING! Rang out from her phone.

"No freaking way, dawg." Sienna displayed the correct password identical to my words, her jaw on the floor.

"How long did you look at that?" Fedor exclaimed to me, his breath chopping up his words.

I shrugged, crossing my legs. "Two seconds, maybe."

"Damn girl."

I turned to Mustafa as the words flowed from his mouth, something tugging up his lips that induced an almost bubbly sensation throughout me.

That was a smile.

Teaser for next chapter: Ashley offers an insight into her villain backstory.