Is This Love?

The Bus Stop (Ash)

(Ashley, aka Ash, pictured)

Ash's pov:

First day of school and I barely slept. I was up all night with the nightmare in my head and the cuts fresh on my arm. When Mia came to wake me up I was already ready to go. Even though I could tell that she was surprised, she never asked any questions. Since she had to be at work early and her husband, Jack, had worked late and he was asleep, I had to take the bus. It didn't bother me to much but I missed being able to walk like I would from the orphanage. 

"Ashley, are you sure you'll be okay? I can get that senior girl down the street to drive you, if that would make you feel better. I have her mom's number. Here let me go call her." She began to walk from my room to the living room where her cell phone was.

"No, Mia, I'll be fine I promise," I assured her. 

"Okay, Ashley," she sounded tired.

  I wonder if I kept her awake, I think to myself. "You'll get off the bus the same place you get on and it'll be the same bus," her voice broke me from my thoughts. I grabbed my back pack and headed out the front door giving a small wave to  sleepily little Amelia, my new little sister.  I walked down to the end of the road where Mia had shown me where the bus stop was. I pulled out my phone and realized that it was only 7:00 and my bus wouldn't be here for another 30 minutes. So I sat down on my jacket and pulled out the latest  book I was reading. First Love by James Patterson. It's the second time I've read it but it's still as good as it was the first time.  As I read my mind jumps into the book and I am clueless to everything that is happening around me. 

"Hey. You new here?" I hear a voice ask.

"Um hi. Yeah, Mia and Jack just adopted me the other day," I reply not wanting to look up and see the owner of the voice.

"Oh so you're the crazy girl. Well, Crazy, my name is Alexander and I live down the street," he has a sweet voice and I was too busy listening to notice he had sat down next to me. 

"Um yeah. My name is Ashley and I'm not crazy," I had heard that word used to describe me that it barely hurt anymore, except when it came from him it stung. I just met him. He's a totally stranger. I haven't even found the courage to look at him yet, I think to myself.

 "Well, here's the bus. You can sit next to me," he says as I finally look up at him. He was just as beautiful as what I imagined when I first heard his voice. Why would someone like him be talking to someone like me, I asked myself before taking his outstretched hand. He helped me up and we got on the bus.

"Um do you mind to sit on the inside?" I asked begging and pleading with my eyes for him to say it wasn't a problem. Luckily he saw the look in my eyes and told me that he didn't mind. I trusted him automatically, something I haven't done since I was eight.