Bring Out The Best In Me

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“Taylor, is that you?” My mother’s voice said and she appeared at the stairs. I sighed and turned around to face her.

“Jesus, what happened to your nose?!” She ran over to me and cupped my face, checking my nose out. I clutched it and winced. A slight touch and it hurt like hell.

“I walked into a door, well Ash opened the door and my nose...well, it was there...” I tried to explain.

My mom tsk,tsk,tsk-ed while I walked upstairs to my room. I ran into my bathroom and gasped when I looked into the mirror.

My nose was a dark shade of red. I poked it. “Ouch.”

What the hell is wrong with Ash?! I sighed, irritated.

I walked into my bedroom, to my bag, grabbed my refill pad out and a pencil and started drawing stick figures of him.

Then I drew a piano on top of his head. A punch bag hitting him in the face. A car running over him.

“Ashton, I hate you!” I shouted.

I even stomped my foot to get the full effect.

For the next few days I didn’t hear from Sam, and when the weekend ended I found myself looking for him on Monday.

“Hey, have you seen Sam?” I asked Liam, one of Sam’s best friends. Liam shrugged and turned away to talk to his friends.

I sighed, feeling completely ignored. I went to class and sat down beside Lauren. Her eyes widened when she saw me and she passed me a note.

-You ok?

I scribbled my answer, which was ‘talk to you at lunch,’ and passed it to her before the teacher turned around.

Then Ash walked into the classroom and my eyes snapped onto his face. Even though I was looking at him, he avoided my eyes and just sat down at the back of the classroom.

I sighed.

**2 years ago**

I ran across the street over to Ash’s house. He did a no-show at school for 3 days now, and Sarah was just..not looking like herself at all. Though she tried hard with putting on make-up but everybody knew that her eyeliner wasn’t smudged because she rubbed her eyes by accident...

I rang the doorbell.

“Hey Taylor, come inside.” Ash’s dad greeted me, and I stepped through the door. After he closed the door, I asked him where Ash was.

“He’s upstairs in his room, but...well, he’ll tell you. Go ahead and talk to him, love.” Ash dad smiled sincerely and I ran upstairs.

“Ash?” I knocked on his door. I didn’t usually do that but I felt different. I felt like...I wanted to...I blushed at the thought of me and Ash kissing. Through all this, I’ve realised that I’m in love with Ash.

I knocked again and he opened the door.

I grinned and adjusted my hair and Ash sighed. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. I waited a little for him to beckon me inside but he didn’t so I just walked right in.

“I came here to talk to you about Sarah-“ I stopped abruptly and gasped. Boxes were everywhere and his shelves and bookcases were bare. His wardrobe empty.

“Ash?” I looked at him, indicating that I wanted an explanation.

He sighed and sat down on his bed.

“I’m moving.”

“For the summer?” I asked, hopeful.

“For...probably forever. I can’t raise a kid, not when I’m one myself. I just can’t, Taylor.”

“You don’t have to...”

“I’m going to my Aunt for a while...”

“No, please stay!” 

Ash had a pained expression on his face. “Tay, I can’t.”

I threw my arms around him and squeezed him. “Please don’t leave, stay. Stay for me!”

Ash didn’t hug me back. He slowly and gently shook me off him and didn’t even meet my eyes.

“You’re such a coward!” I shouted. “All this time I thought that- I actually can’t believe that I love-“ I stopped myself and wiped the tears out of my eyes.

“Go and leave, you coward. And don’t ever come back.” I started walking towards the door when Ash stopped me by grabbing my hand.

“We’re still best friends-“ he whispered.

“A real best friend wouldn’t leave me.” I snatched my hand back and shot him an evil glare before I walked out the door.

“Taylor, I have to leave, I’m sorry.” I heard Ash say as I walked down the stairs. “I’m sorry!”

I made sure the door slammed after me.