I Like You, Again

Prologue

"Ashton," Max began trying to keep her tears from coming out. She had to do this, if she wanted what was best for her.

When Max talked to him using his full name it was always something serious. He knew what was she was gonna say. This couldn't be happening to him. He needed to apologize right away. "Max, I'm so-"

"Ashton, let me speak." Max said in a serious tone. "Maybe, this isn't working," she said with a hurt look in her eyes. She had really wanted her relationship with Ash to work out because she loved him. "You weren't ready to actually be in a relationship. And I totally respect that. I rushed you, and I'm sorry. I hope that this doesn't change anything, I still want us to be friends." She was trying to act strong but it's hard to act strong when you're giving up on someone you love.

Friends, she just wanted them to be friends. Ash couldn't be friends with her, not when he still had these strong feelings for her.

Ash knew Max was trying to act strong just by looking at her clenched fists. He knew every little thing she did to show her emotions. She was sad and it was all his fault. Ash had heard her voice crack at the end.

Ash couldn't believe it. She had sort of broke up with him in her own way. Not using the "I want us to breakup" line or "it's not you its me...", she used the Max way. Which was getting right go the point.

He knew this was bound to happen. He didn't know a thing about being in a relationship, but he was willing to try for her. But it was too late. He had screwed everything.

"Max." Ash quietly whispered. This was all his fault.

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"Ash," he turned around and saw Max's friends, Danielle and Emma standing near his locker.

"Hey?" He asked confused. Emma and Danielle barely talked to him. He tried many times to make small talk but they would just shut him off.

"Umm...We just wanted to pick up Max's stuff." Emma said politely.

"Her stuff?" Ash asked annoyed.

"Yeah, her stuff that she left in your locker all the time." Danielle said a bit nervous.

He had practically shared a locker with her, but he didn't mind. He loved the sweet lemon smell that Max always left everywhere she went. So every time he opened his locker he would smell her scent would be there and it would make him get a tingly feeling.

Ash thought of all the things Max had put in his locker. Her cute notes she would write for him when she was going to stay after school. Her picture of her and him outside camp. And her blue pen, the pen he had given her the day she forgot to bring one. She had kept it and hadn't returned it to him, not that he minded. She had called it her lucky pen, because he had given it to her.

"Why can't she come herself?" Ash asked rudely.

"Well, she's sick." Emma said a bit too quick. "Yeah, she has this terrible cough." Danielle added. But both of them sounded very nervous.

"She's sick? She sounded okay yesterday!" Ash got his phone out and quickly dialed Max's phone number. It only took two rings before someone answered. "Max!" He almost yelled into the phone.

"Sir, I think you got the wrong number. There is no Max here." A male voice said across the phone with a French accent.

"What do you mean there's no Max? This is her phone number." Ash asked annoyed. Was Max asking someone to answer the phone for her so she wouldn't talk to him?