Secondhand Life

Chapter 15

February 2010, four years ago

Ash's P.O.V.

I had just gotten my lunch taken away from me and smacked against the head with Maria's bony hand. "T-that's mine." I had said shivering in fear reaching for my lunchbox. ,Not anymore." Maria had said opening my lunch bag to find a sandwich, a small piece of apple pie, chips and juice.

"Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich? I think you can do better tomorrow, Ashy."

My inside anger fired up inside of me. "Give it back Maria!" I shouted as loud as I could making teachers and other students turn around. My homeroom teacher came over to Maria and took the lunch from her. "Here you go Ash." He said. "Miss Westen you can come with me." he said pulling Maria by the arm to the principles office. The one mistake that teacher made was not taking Maria's friends with her. They backed me up against the wall around the hall and beat me until I couldn't move. One tall blonde girl opened my lunch bag, and smashed the peanut butter jelly sandwich in my face. "That's what you get for getting our friend in trouble." A lanky brunet whispered to me. I sat in the middle of the hallway crying until someone heard me. "Is anyone there? A-are you okay?" Said a boy my age with blonde spiky hair and bright blue eyes. "Yes... No, I don't know." I said wiping jelly off my face. I looked at the jelly in my hands and imagined it as blood, then I started to cry. "I don't know why they would do this to a pretty girl like you." The young boy had said. I stopped crying and looked up at him. He stared at me then bent down to wipe the rest of the peanut butter off my face with a tissue from his pocket. "W-what's your name?" I asked. "Jackson Grey." He said helping me stand on my feet only for me to fall down again. Then I remembered that they kicked me in my legs on repeat, resulting in me not being able to walk. "I'll try to help." Jackson said putting his arm around my shoulder and helped me walk to the girls bathroom where I washed off my face while he stood outside the door making sure no one else followed me in. After I had came out of the bathroom Jackson was still there to my surprise and was standing with two sandwiches in his hands. "D-do you want one?" he asked me. "Sure t-thanks." I said taking the sandwich and looked at him for a long time. His light grey sweater and torn jeans made him look a lot better than me. I knew that torn jeans were considered cool but my torn leggings made me look poor which wasn't true, I just didn't fancy shopping all that much.

After we had finished our sandwiches Jackson and I awkwardly stood and stared at our feet only to be saved by the bell. "T-thanks." I said with my eyes not leaving the floor. "No problem, I'll see you around then?" He asked. I shook my head yes and we parted ways. Day after day the same situation would repeat over and over. Jackson saving me day after day. Until one month something happened.

"Ash... Ashly." I had never heard someone say my real name in years except for my teachers and my parents when they were really mad at me. "I'm transferring schools tomorrow...
I don't know when I'll see you again but I wanted to give you this." He handed me a flyer. "F-fighting classes?" I asked confused. "I'm not gonna be able to protect you anymore but I want you to be able to protect yourself. I take the same class at you. It's every Saturday morning at eleven. There's no charge and it's also fun. Do you think you'll join?" I paused for a moment then nodded. It's the only way I'd ever be able to see him after today was over.

June 2012, two years after Ash and Jackson started learning how to fight.

"Jackson Grey wins!" The referee shouted at the national Minneapolis competition.

"Oh my god if he wins his next match, we all go to Washington D.C. to regionals!" Janice yelled with wide eyes. She bit her nails nervously as she watched Jackson get ready for his last match.

"Ready, set, fight!" The ref shouted. Jackson was up against a junior body builder, but even though his competitions mussels looked bigger, Jacksons height is what really made the other boy look small. Within thirty seconds after the match started Jackson had already tumbled him onto the floor and was now trying to fight back from his strength for just ten more seconds.

"Nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... ZERO! Jackson Grey wins again leading his team to the championship in Washington D.C. on July thirteenth!"

Our whole team clapped as loud as they could, some even cried. "Jackson that was amazing!" I said running over to him. He smiled and hugged me so tight I couldn't breathe. "All thanks to you Ash." He said letting me go. I smiled and laughed, but I wonder what I really did to help him win.

*****

We were having a team dinner at the Global Market. Just as I had finished eating Jackson grabbed me by the arm to come get ice cream with him. "I insist!" I kept saying. "Let me buy it for you, you won the competition for us after all." He shook his head laughing wickedly. "No Ashly, I actually didn't want to buy ice cream. I just need to talk to you... in private." I paused but shook my head. "You could've just said so silly." Once we were in the alley between the ice cream building and the noodle place he took a deep breath. "Ash we've known each other for a few years and... and after all the training we've done, the things we've saved each other from, I've really come to like you, no, I love you." He said combing his hair with his hands. I hugged him close and sighed. "I-I'm sorry Jackson. I can't feel that way a-about you right now. We're only twelve and I feel like we are too young to be together in that kind of way. Will you wait for me?" I said with a shaken breath. He sighed. "I'm moving to England straight after the competition. If I wouldn't have won that last match I found be leaving in three weeks only. I would've been okay with going in three weeks but then I thought about you and I knew if I won that match I'd get to spend another two months with you. That's how you helped me win Ash... it's always been you. Will you wait for me until I come back from England? No matter how long it takes?" He asked staring into my eyes. "Of course I will."

Championship day July 13th 2012

"And Ashly Marlin wins!" the ref shouted lifting my arm up in the middle of the air. Jackson smiled along with the rest of my team. "Next up, Diana Sen!" I ran back to the rest of my team only to trip over a mat into Jacksons arms. "U-uhh hehe." I trailed off. Jackson kissed my forehead and set me down into the chair beside him. "You did great out there you know." I nodded. "All because of you."

*****

"Minneapolis Fight Team takes second place!" The announcer yelled into the microphone. We were all happy we got second place, hell we were even lucky enough to get here. Our teams smiles lit up the whole room and I swear that was the happiest we have ever been. We all chatted as we walked down the stairs to our cars on the way back to the hotel when Jackson pulled me aside again. "I'm leaving tomorrow." He said with sadness in his eyes. "I'd like to see you at the airport tomorrow at eight in the morning one hour before my flight leaves. Will you be there?" I only returned the same sad glance. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

*****
As I entered the airport that morning at seven fifteen I saw that Jackson was already there crying on an empty bench. I rushed over to him and made him look at me. "W-what's wrong?" I asked him pushing the hair away from his face. He seemed surprised I was there an hour early and his cheeks were all red along with his eyes and nose. "I-I don't think I'm ever g-going to see you a-again." He said with his lips quivering. "Why do you think that?" I asked looking at the tears coming down his thin built up face. "I-I'm meeting the girl my parents set up for me to marry. B-by the time I'd b-be able to come back I'd a-already be married. I'm so sad because now I'll never get a chance with you." he said crying harder and there was only one thing I could say.

"I'll wait for you, Jackson."