Always a Friend

Chapter 54

After school, Ashton took me to one of the clinics in town so that they could X-ray my finger. They confirmed what the nurse had suspected: It was broken, and I'd have to wear a splint for the next three weeks. It wouldn't go with my dress for the dance in a few weeks. That was the least of my problems; I had to go home and try to come up with an elaborate lie about what happened to my finger at school. Then, pray the school didn't call Mom with the truth about what really happened. I knew I shouldn't care about telling her that Rhys broke my finger, but I didn't want any more drama, and he probably did get suspended from school for it. 

Ashton asked me if my finger felt any better. I glanced down at the metal splint and the tape wrapped around it to hold it in place. I told him the throbbing wasn't as bad as before, but it still hurt a little bit. That's when I did the wrong thing and mentioned I didn't know what I would tell Mom about what happened to my finger. Ashton told me I needed to tell her the truth. Like a concerned parent, I knew she'd be marching into school demanding to know what happened. If she were so worried about my well-being, she wouldn't have left me alone so much. Ashton started mumbling something about Rhys, which let me know he was getting pissed again, and I didn't want him in a bad mood. I glanced out the corner of my eye as he gripped the steering wheel and motioned his hands back and forth. I reached over and touched his leg, hoping to help calm him down. Without taking his eyes off the road, he lowered his hand and placed it on mine. "Can we stop talking about Rhys and my finger for a little bit?" 

"Of course." A faint smile appeared. "Are you still in the mood for some coffee? We can get it to go." He pulled into the Sweet Escape parking lot. "If not, say the word, and we'll leave right now." He circled the parking lot. 

"Coffee sounds wonderful. Maybe a sweet treat, too?" I smiled, trying to bat my eyelashes at him. I knew I looked ridiculous, but it was too late to stop. 

"Sweet treat?" His brow furrowed while a big smile appeared, letting me know I would get that snack. "I'll come help you out of the car." He was out of the car and walked around the back before I could respond. He opened the car door, offering me his hand. "Don't hit your finger." 

"I'm fine." I grabbed his hand, swung my feet out of the car, and exited. "I appreciate you helping me though." I raised on my tiptoes and kissed him. 

"Maybe...I should help you more often." He winked, pulling me to the side, and closed my door. 

"Bitch! You got Rhys suspended!" Claudia screamed off in the distance. 

"Just ignore her," Ashton whispered, pulling me closer to his side. "Maybe, a bird will shit on her head."

I hit myself in the mouth with the splint, trying to cover up my laughter. "Ow..." I rubbed my upper lip with my three fingers, trying not to hit it with the splint again. 

"Hey! I'm talking to you, Bitch!" 

My body spun around, my splint slamming into something, sending a jolt up my arm. I yanked my hand away and cradled it, unable to speak for a few seconds. When the throbbing subsided after a couple of minutes. "What the fuck!" I raised my head, glaring at Claudia. Her eyes were cold, showing no sympathy or compassion. "He got himself suspended. You're defending someone that hurts girls?" I raised an eyebrow, shocked that she would even consider defending a guy who abuses girls. She blinked her eyes a couple of times as the anger made way for confusion. The confused look in her eyes gave it away that she couldn't believe she was trying to stick up for him. 

"When he comes back to school, make sure to stay away from him." She stepped to the side, bumping into my shoulder and knocking me back a couple of steps. She glanced over her shoulder, curled her lip in disgust, and disappeared around the corner of Sweet Escape. Right then and there, I decided I didn't want to go in there. Ashton gave me the key to his car and said he'd be back with coffee and cookies. I hurried back to the car before anyone else from school decided to harass me about Rhys getting suspended for breaking my finger.