The Problems in Life. Book One: Helpless (Completed)

Chapter Fifteen

The ambulance came and took Ash away. I would have went with him, but I have to get home before my parents notice. I can get away with a few hours, but not this long. Derik and I get back in his truck and we drive off.

"I don't know a lot of freshmen," Derik says softly. "Who was she?"

"He," I correct him. Sometimes I mess up and call Ash she, and I hate myself for making the mistake. When other people call Ash she I feel like I should correct them.

"Oh," Derik says. "Oh." The first time he sounded casual, but the second time he sounded like he got it.

"His name is Ash Winters," I tell him. "He's my best friend. He's like a brother to me."

Derik says nothing. Maybe the thought of Ash being a boy, has made him uncomfortable. I know one thing for sure, I don't care if Derik is my first boyfriend, if he doesn't accept Ash then I'm going to dump him.

"Do you mind country music?" Derik asks.

"No," I say. "I don't mind."

' You got me all caught up
The way you look tonight.'

Luke Bryan's voice comes over the radio. I can't help but laugh. I have never told anyone, but I secretly like country music. 

"I wanna feel your heart go tic-tock," I start singing along.

"While the rain from your hair drip-drops," Derik joins me.

"Parked out in the middle of nowhere," we sing together.

We finish singing the song and the next few songs. Derik stops in front of my house, I tell him goodbye and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, before getting out of the truck.

I sneak inside my bedroom window and lay down on the bed. With all of the Ash drama, I totally forgot about the pain between my legs. Wait a minute. My house is totally quite, and my parents aren't out of town.

I go into my parents bedroom, and they're not there. I walk into the kitchen and find my mother cooking breakfast. "Hey mom," I say quietly. "Where's dad?"

"Well," she says and I can tell that she has already got into the wine. "Last night we had a big fight, and your father just decided to pack up and leave. He threw his wedding ring off and said something about never coming back."

I don't think that I've ever really loved my parents. All they ever did was fight. Kendall was the one who raised me, but he's five years older. For some reason, the thought of my father leaving and never coming back, it hurts. Maybe I did love my parents, and maybe I believed that they loved me, and this is sign that one of them didn't.