Shoot Me Now

The Photo

Ash refused to look at me all night. He had had a permanent scowl on his face and didn't even bother talking to his own girlfriend.

Had my kiss with Mason affected him that much?

Even though Ash had treated me like complete shit for the past few weeks I couldn't help but feel a tiny ounce of guilt. I didn't want to feel it but it was there nonetheless. Why was I thinking about Ash when I had Mason to worry about? Mason had been in high spirits all night. There was no doubt I enjoyed that kiss but did I really want anything more. I didn't want to lead him along only to screw him over in the end. He was a genuine friend and I didn't want to ruin that.

"Stop tossing and turning so much!" Marissa whispered loudly.

I had almost forgot she was there. Her gigantic blow bed took up almost the entire tent so I had to cramp up on the side. When I had complained to my mother, Marissa had used the excuse of having a bad back.

I was so tempted to shave of her eyebrows whilst she slept.

Sleep was basically impossible with all these thoughts rushing through my head. I decided that being in a confined space wasn't helping so I unzipped my tent and escaped.

It was late so everyone was probably fast asleep. I tried to be extra careful not to wake anyone up when I crept past the other tents. My mother would not be open to me wondering around at this time of night. All I wanted was some peace and quiet near the lake. Maybe have a quiet chat with some of the fishes. Fish were excellent listeners after all.

It seemed like someone had the same idea as me, as I spotted a shadow in the distance as I approached the lake. I almost turned away and walked back, but I decided to proceed anyway. If I was quiet enough I could just sit there and blend into the night. As I got closer the figure was looking more and more like Ash, and I was regretting my decision with every step.

Unfortunately my efforts of being stealth failed when I some how managed to stack and fall. Good old clumsy Dotty.

There was still hope. Maybe Ash didn't hear me. I stayed absolutely still and did what I knew best...played dead.

For the first time in my life I think it actually worked, as I couldn't hear footsteps approaching. The problem lay with what to do next. How long did I have to play dead for? I was afraid that if I moved a muscle, he would notice.

It felt like I was laying there for hours when in reality it was probably only a few minutes but nonetheless I had to get out of there. I way laying face first on the ground which was far from comfortable. I decided the best course of action was to roll. When I was younger I was a star gymnast and had mastered the famous log roll. I counted down from three and then proceeded to roll. I wasn't quite sure which direction I was rolling in but hoped the ground would lead the way.

Everything was going to plan until a hard obstacle crossed my path. I prayed it was just a rock or something.

"What on earth are you doing Dotty?"

Dammit!

I rolled back so I was on my back. Ash was towering above me, looking confused and amused. He reached out to lend me a hand up.

I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. "Oh you know, just going for a midnight roll."

He smiled slightly. "You never cease to amaze me."

He seemed to be in better spirits. "Does this mean you don't hate me?" I was slightly scared of him earlier; he looked like he wanted to punch someone. Mason had been confused with Ash's hostility but I pretended it was because Ash saw me as his little niece. It felt so incestuous saying that.

Ash sighed and sat back down. "I could never hate you Dotty."

I smiled at his words and perched next to him. "You looked like you wanted to kill me earlier."

"I wanted to kill Mason. I just hated seeing another guy with his hands on you." He turned and looked straight at me with a dark look in his eyes. "In my head, you're mine."

I was taken back by his words. This was probably the first time I'd heard Ash be honest with me about how he felt towards me. "But do you want me, you have Marissa. You love Marissa."

He placed his arm on my thigh. Everything inside of me sighed at his warm, gentle touch "I want to be the guy kissing you. Hell I want to do a lot more than kiss you...".

I wanted to yell- then kiss me you idiot!

Ash had a power over me whether I liked it or not and in that moment I probably would have let him do anything to me. However I was not a push over and couldn't just let him get away with treating me like shit for the past few weeks. "Well you sure have changed your tune. You string me along, forgot about me and now you want to kiss me?" I felt my eyes tearing up, but I promised myself I wouldn't cry for him ever again.

"I'm a fucking dickhead, I know."

"At least we can agree on something." I turned away from him and focused my eyes forward. I couldn't stand to see the guilt on his face.

"Dotty, I don't deserve you. I always want what I can't have and you... you are someone that I'll never have."

"You had me Ash, you fucking had me, and just threw me away like I was nothing." My heart began to pound as I began to let my emotions get the better of me.

"I needed you to hate me."

I turned back to him in confusion. "Why!"

"Because it was the only way that kept me away from you and it was the only way Marissa wouldn't suspect anything."

Marissa? Where the hell did Marissa come into this? "Why would Marissa suspect anything?"

Everything he was saying was confusing me to no other end but his words made my heart race and my breath short. He had just admitted that the only way he could keep his hands off of me was to make me hate him. Truthful Ash was a bit too much to handle right now but I wanted to hear everything. When Ash remained mute, I shoved him slightly. "Just tell me for gods sake."

I was confused when Ash pulled out his phone and began searching for something. It all became clear when he held up his phone to my face. My eyes widened and horrible feeling emerged at the pit of my stomach.

In front of me, was a clear photo of Ash and me. Only it wasn't a regular a photo, it was taken from outside my window. It was taken when Ash was on top of me, with his lips glued to mine...

I looked up at Ash nervously. "Did...Marissa?"

When he nodded, all I wanted to do was scream.

A/N: dun dun dun! So Marissa knows, what do you guys make of that? Hopefully you're starting to understand Ash's behavior better now.

I'm so pleased that I was able to update way sooner than any of you probably expected. To make up for being a shitty author, I'm going to try and upload 1-2 (maybe 3 if you're lucky) chapters a week.

If you haven't already, remember to vote J Thanks for sticking with me

Who do you guys prefer Mason or Ash?