A New Beginning

Chapter Eighteen

We drove and we drove. It felt like we were in the car, humming along to songs playing on the radio, for hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. Ashton tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, all laid back and at ease. He turned the volume of the stereo up a bit. I wasn't familiar with the song, but I think I might have heard it somewhere. Maybe it played in a store and my mind just stored it in its memory. I wasn't sure.


I didn't know where we were going. We've drove through town and past the suburbs, I can now only see miles of farmland. It was a straight road for the most part, but it had a sparse amount of bends here and there.


"Ashton, where are we going?" I decided to break the silence--well, the silence aside from the tune coming from the speakers.


"You can call me Ash, if you want," he told me. "And it's a surprise, I think you'll really like it."



You know what I really like, Ash? No--actually, I loved it. I loved his voice; it's deep, smooth, and it just sounds so angelic.


"Okay." I huffed in fake annoyance.


We drove for another half hour or so until Ashton suddenly turned and we were in the parking lot of a little diner. It was the old type of diner with the few gas pumps in the front. No more than ten cars were scattered around the old parking lot.



I loved places like these. The sign up top was in big, curvy neon lights, and I couldn't help the grin that broke out onto my face. Speedy's.


"We're here." He announced before getting out of the car and swiftly making his way to the passenger side. He opened the door and held his arm out, gesturing for me to get out.


We walked inside and through the front door, which lead to the jingling of the bells that hung above our heads. The interior of the diner was decorated with a 90's racing theme. "Wow," I barley spoke above a whisper.


"You like it?" Ashton looked down at me.


"I do..." I trailed off, looking around. In my peripheral view I could see him smile. My god, that smile. It sure was something. He snuck his arm around the small of my back and led me over to the counter. I tried to ignore the goosebumps that exploded all over my body.


We ordered our food and sat down in the corner booth. "These burgers are amazing." I chewed my food slowly, savoring the taste.


"Yeah," He replied. He seems kind if distant all of a sudden.


"Hey, is something wrong?" I asked as my eyebrows pulled together with worry.


"No, nothing at all," he reassured me with a small smile.


By the time we finished eating, the sun was starting to set. We decided to drive back to town as the sky was streaked with oranges, pinks, and purples. It was a nice scenic drive, a house every few acres. The silence was comfortable for the most part, with the radio playing the whole way. To tell you the truth, though, I did want him to say something.


"I had a fun time today," Ashton told me with a smirk as we pulled into the driveway.


"Yeah me too, thanks for the burger," I said, lauging. I looped and unlooped the fabric at the end of my shirt to distract me as a soft shade of pink tinted my cheeks. He gently placed his hand on my right cheek, lightly rubbing it with the pad of his thumb.



He came close to my lips, but instead his lips went to my ear. "Anytime, Sophie." My name rolled of his tongue so smoothly. I knew my ears were red by the way they were burning, and I was thankful for the darkness. He kissed me ever so softly on my cheek. "Good night."



I saw the front door fly open and Troy stepped out. He looked directly at us. "Sophie, Luara wants you in. Say good night to Ash," he called from the doorstep.



"Good night, Ashton," I said, turning my attention back to the boy before me.



"Bye." He smirked down at me and stepped into his car. After watching him pull out of the driveway, I went inside where Troy was waiting for me.



"Did you have to interrupt?" I spat. I was still angry at him for his earlier comment on me being a bitch.



"Not my fault that Laura wanted you in."



"Bull," I told him.



"Okay, look, I wanted to say..." he drifted off, scratching the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but at me.



"Finish your sentences. I swear Troy-"



"I'm sorry."



My eyes snapped up to meet his, and I gawked at him as if he was growing another head. "What?"



"You heard me. I'm sorry for calling you a bitch. I was just pissed at you, and-"



This time I interrupted him. "Don't you dare say sorry to me, Troy," I fumed, glowering at him. "Because you know what? You said it, and it stung. It hurt, okay? I don't need your apologies. I know how you really feel about me. You think I'm a bitch, and even if you try to cover it, that's what I still am to you."



He gaped at me for a second. "Sophie, I didn't mean it when I said it."



"Then why the hell did you say it?" I yelled. "Maybe you should think twice before you say stuff like that, got it? Because you don't know me at all, and you don't know what I've been through."


A tear escaped my eye, "Goodnight," my voice cracked. Troy had this look of sympathy on his face, I just rolled my red and puffy eyes and slowly made my way up the stairs.


------


Thanks to the people still reading this :) eventually the first few chapters will be rewritten but not until later (; BYE ~A