Forever Young

Chapter 2

ASH'S POV

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"Big wheels keep on turning, carry me home to see m-" slam!

Well there went another iphone.... Oh well, dad was loaded, I'd just buy a new one later.

I sat up slowly, trying to avoid a head rush... Last night sucked. The air conditioning went out in my mothers apartment downtown and the hot Alabama weather just about killed me. I'd barely gotten any sleep. It all started with the anouncements the day before.. I mean at first it was just another day. I drove to school, talked to my friends, went to first period, said the pledge in the same monotonous voice as everyone else, and listened to the lunch menu for the day - which always seemed to include either runny mashed potatoes or greasy fried unknown objects. Then, after the prayer that they aren't technically supposed to say, there was a small sentence about a certain former student returning from the big city to our humble little town in Alabama. Apperently Dakota Black was comming back from NYC to our tiny little town, Moskow, on Wednesday. Ironic right? For those who dont know, in Alabama, its never just hot. You melt in to the side-walk its so friggin' hot. Therefore, naming our town after a cold Russian city was just pain cruel to those of us who hate the god-forsaken humid heat.

Suffice to say a sleepless night was inevitable.

Basically the beginning of my story consists of 4 parts. 1) My parents split when i was nine. 2) My dad took everything and left my mother with nothing. Not that my mother wanted anything. She grew up in relative poverty and had grown to love providing for herself. She had an apartment downtown in a city a few miles east of Moskow. 3) My dad owned the Mansion on the Hill, as the citizens of Moskow called it. The biggest house and richest man in the county. 4) I lived with my father but visited my mother every weekend to stay sane.

And thats how i ended up there, in the hundred degree heat of an august in Alabama, with no damn air-conditioning. Something about it being broken...whatever. It was even-satan-is-sweating-buckets hot. And that was with two fans blowing on me all night and wearing nothing but boxer shorts. I finally passed out from exhuastion around 4:00. Then bam its 6:30 and time to get up so i could drive my sorry ass to school. I took a shower, put on some shorts and a white t-shirt. I grabbed my keys and was about to walk out the door when I remembered I had forgotten to brush my teeth. Shit. Ah, well ill just chew some gum.

I know what youre thinking... Ew, right? Well what can i say, I'm a guy? Yeah... That's the only excuse I've got, but it tends to work.

When I got to school I went straight to my locker.

"AWKWARD KOALA!!!!!" is all I heard before I was attacked. I was glad Theo was small... He jumped on my back but did not successfully tackle me.

"Dude, really?" He scowled and jumped down. Then he punched my arm and I gave him a look.

He smirked, said "dude, really" in a mockingly feminine tone, and I rolled my eyes. He was small, but damn was he strong. Theo was my best friend. He was 5'5. But his personality made up for his lack of size. He was insane and adorable as  all the girls seemed to put it. I personally didn't see the cuteness of a short muscley dude, but then again I didn't understand much of the female mind. All i saw was a mop of brown hair, a hairless boy's face, and big round green eyes. He looked like a litte kid. I was just starting to pity him then when i remembered that his girlfriend was Andy Franks, the most coveted girl in school. She was this fiesty redhead with feirce brown eyes and a nasty wicked smile. She was only sweet to Theo and thats what made them the it couple, i guess. i had never understood highschool trends and cliques and gossip. I always had, and still do, prefer to mind my own business and let other people mind theirs. 

Apperently Theo had been talking to me, but all I'd heard was, "....nasty hickey and dude it was awesome!"

"Wait what? All i heard was something about a hickey and im just praying for your sake that that was a love bite given by Andy..."

"Who else? I mean come on Ash, im not the brightest crayon in the box, but im not stupid. Andy is the best thing that has ever happened to me, man. "

"Aww!! Babe..." Andy practically screamed making it obvious she was "accidently overhearing" as she liked to call it. Theo turned to her and hugged her tiny frame. He was lucky she was practically a migit.... Andy turned to glare at me just then, as if she could read my thoughts and somehow knew what I was thinking.

Then she said "See you later." And dragged Theo away from me. He turned and winked at me. I couldn't help but smile at his goofy boyish grin. 

Then I heard it. What you say? Thats just it. Everything around me got quiet. Like frozen in time or something. I turned back around. And thats when I saw her. Well technically I guess I heard her boots first.

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

Big black combat boots with gold studs up the sides, long curved legs leading up to her tiny highwaisted jean shorts, a tight white tank pulled tight across her chest, a thin gold chain laying on her colourbone and a thick black band on her wrist.

Her face was the best part of her though... She was pale but in a pretty way. She had high cheekbones and a slightly rounded face, pink plush lips, a cutely crooked nose and large brown eyes. Her long dark blonde hair bouced in its curls behind her as she walked, seemingly in slow motion.

I starred with his mouth hanging slightly open. At least I wasn't alone. I was vaguely aware of a few other unfortunate souls caught in her trap.

She would do that to you.

Dakota.

She kept walking...

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

Right towards me...

I'm screwed was the only thing running through my mind.

She smiled, "Hello Ashley."

...Damn my stupid girls name.....