Asphalt Burning [N.H]

4. Unfuckwitable

I'm unfuckwitable
In a world of my own
That's why my shoulder so cold
I'm unfuckwitable
-Unfuckwitable by Zayn

--

River-Mercedes Romano

Since the beginning of the week, I haven't talked to anybody except Alyssa and random strangers when out and about. After practicing with Giovanni and his racers on Tuesday, I was fed up with the group. When I got home that night, much later than I had planned, Ashton was waiting up for me like my father would when I was in high school.

--

I quietly shut the front door, suspecting everybody would be asleep by now. As I set my bag down next to my keys on the small table by the door and walk toward my bedroom almost silently, one of the lamps in my giant living room flicks on, and Ashton's loud mouth fills the silence.

"Are you fucking insane?" His voice rings in my head from how sharply he ended the peace in the penthouse.

Composing myself from the shock of his voice, I close my eyes and rub my temples. I cannot stand another second of being talked to like an idiot. I've had enough of it today.

I snap my head up to face him, standing from his chair and heading toward me. "Are you?! Why the hell are you waiting up like that? What is your problem?"

"You, River!" He shouts again, his arms flying out from his sides and his face painfully close to mine. "You're my problem today! What made you think practicing with Giovanni Torricelli and his guys was a good idea?!"

I scoff in his face, turning on my heel toward my room again. "You're actually crazy. There's nothing wrong with me practicing with other racers."

--

That was the last time Ashton and I spoke directly to each other. We saw each other around the house and at the track two days ago when Alyssa dragged me to practice even though I didn't want to since Ashton was there. He still coached me, except he would tell Alyssa what to tell me, which made her quite annoyed.

Every year around this time, Ashton turns into a ball of rage and stress because he realizes we're only two months out from Nationals, the biggest race of the year. He always works his and our asses off to practice and get ready for prelims in a month and a half. He never, and I mean never, gives us a break or lets us sit on our asses. Now that Giovanni and his racers are in the area, he has more competition and has to work harder to make it to Nationals. Not to mention, but his mother's anniversary of her death is also around the same time as Nationals so that just adds to the mixed emotions.

Usually, when he goes into this work mode, Alyssa and I just leave him be because no matter how much we try to comfort him, he gets through this by himself better than he does with others. We just let him grieve and work his ass off until failure and then do it again because there is genuinely nothing we can do to help him feel better.

Also, with Ashton, he has this thing where he feels the need to be very protective of Alyssa and I even though we are grown women and can handle ourselves. So when we do something he doesn't approve of, such as practice for a few hours with Giovanni and his racers, he acts like our father. I appreciate his effort to keep me and Alyssa safe but sometimes he is just so overbearing, it makes me want to rip his head off.

"Are you gonna sit on your ass all day or are you going to the track and fix your turns?" Ashton leans against my bedroom door frame, interrupting my pre-race ritual.