Beneath the Ink (An Ashley Purdy Fan Fiction)

1~ Why Did I Ever Like You?

Why does he hate me? Why does he hate me?

That's the question that won't leave me alone.

Usually, when someone hates you, you're supposed to hate them back, right?

So, why don't I hate him?

Because you love him.

Shut up, conscience.

I hear someone pounding on the door of my house and I groan. "Alana! Alana! Wake up!" Max yells. I get up from the couch and walk down the short hallway that leads to the front door.

"What?" I ask. She holds up horror movies and Walmart bags and smiles. "Movie night!" I smile jump up and down. I grab one of the Walmart bags, thank God it's the one with candy, and I run to the living room. I sit down on the couch and cross my legs.

I look at Max and she smiles while setting everything on the floor in front of me.. "So, I've been meaning to ask you this, but like, what's up with the big glasses?" she asks while plopping down on the couch.

"It's the only ones I can afford," I mumble, not really wanting to answer and hoping that she didn't hear that. "What?! Why didn't you tell me?!" she exclaims.

Shit, she did.

"Because you're always buying stuff for me! I just want to do something on my own," I reply.

She sighs and then grabs the Walmart bag from my hands. She pulls out a thing of Reese's and hands me one.

"So, we're going out to dinner tomorrow. I mean, Andy and the guys and their girlfriends. Actually, Andy asked if you could come with. Wait, no, begged if you could come with," she says. I raise my brows and stop nibbling on the candy for a moment.

I point to myself and then say, "Me?"

She nods. "Yep. I think everyone's taken a liking to you," she says. Yeah, everyone except for Ashley.

"Um, Max, can I...can I tell you something?" I manage out while staring at the blank TV screen.

"Sure," she says while looking at me.

"Um, I don't think I can go," I say after a while of silence. "Why not? Of course you can!"

"No...I can't. Actually, I don't want to."

I return my attention towards her and she gaping at me. "Dude, something's seriously wrong. You know I said dinner, right? You usually would jump at the mention of food!"

"Yeah, I just don't want to go."

"Why not?" Ugh! That's the only thing I hate about Max. To everyone else, she can sense when they don't want to talk about stuff but with me, she's an interrogation officer.

"Because I don't want to! Do I have to have a reason for everything?!" I exclaim. She flinches but looks back to me.

"Yes! That's you, Alana! You always have to have a reason for everything!" she yells back.

I groan and throw my head back on the couch.

"Why don't you want to go?!" she demands. I groan again. "Alana!"

"Because he hates me!" I blurt out while sitting up and looking at her. I feel like the waterworks were gonna come any minute not.

"Who does?" she says softly.

"Ashley," I answer. She furrows her brows in confusion and then a few minutes later, it hits her. She widens her eyes and grins at me.

"You like him!" she exclaims. "Oh my God! Alana, this is huge!"