Don't let me drown

Fourteen

The room was dark. Sienna lifted her head and saw that a person with curls laid on a madras next to the bed. It was Ashton. His breath was slow and quiet. He faced the bed and she had to admit that his face even was gorgeous whilst sleeping.
"Ashton? You're awake?"
Ashton surprisingly enough opened up his eyes and looked at her with a little smile.
"Hi."
"Hey." She sighed deeply.
"Are you alright?" His voice was raw and a bit raspy.
"Yeah. Guess so. It's just, everything what happened and stuff. It's a bit too much. "
"Need a cuddle?"
Sienna waited for a few seconds, repeating his question inside her head. Could he read her mind or something?
Ashton still looked at her with dark eyes. She slowly nodded her head.
"Come on then." He got up fast and asked if she could make some space for him. His back leaned against the corner of the bed and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and chest. She pushed herself a bit higher up so she laid on his chest and between his legs.
"Thank you Ashton."
"It's alright." He smiled and he kissed he forehead. She dropped her head in his chest which smelled like him and inhaled once.
Before she knew it, she fell asleep.

The next day, Sienna woke up in the same position as she had fallen asleep and she could tell she had been laying like that for a long time. She looked up at Ashton, whose face was very close to hers. She smiled and laid her head at his warm chest again. She loved him so much.
Just when she thought that, there were three short, soft knocks on the door.
"Ashton, breakfast in ten minutes."
It was his mom.
Ashton opened his eyes and looked down at her.
"Goodmorning." He smiled.
"Hi." She smiled back.
"Want to go school?" Sienna's smile immediately disappeared when she heard the question and she looked down.
"I'm sorry." Ashton apologised.
"It's okay."
"Let's go then." Ashton sat up straight and she understood she had to sit up as well. She crawled to the other side of the bed and sat down.
"Oh fuck!" She said and put her hand in front of her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Ashton asked with a serious face.
"My parents! They don't know where I am and.."
"Sssshhh..." Ashton said and he took her hand in his. "I already did."
"You did? But.. How?" She looked confused.
"Well, because your phone was in your bag and your bag probably still was in the forest, I let my mom call school and she asked for the number of your parents. She got it and called your parents, saying that you lost your phone and therefore you couldn't call. She asked if it was okay if you stayed here tonight because Hornsby is quite far away from Richmond, you know."
"Aha."
Ashton already stood next to the bed and Sienna jumped out of bed. "Thank you." She mumbled whilst giving him a tight hug.
"You're welcome girl."
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After getting a drive from Ashton's mom directly to school, they walked inside the school building together. Sienna met all four bullies who were in one corner and laughed at her, but they apparently didn't dare to come closer because of Ashton. Just before the bell rang, Ashton delivered her at her classroom and said goodbye.
"See you later. Meet me at the music room."
"I will." She smiled. Ashton turned around and before going around the corner, he looked over his shoulder once more and smiled.
Sienna felt the butterflies rise inside her stomach but neglected it. She went inside the classroom - where everybody already was - and her maths teacher welcomed her.
"Hi miss White. How are you."
"I'm fine, thank you." Sienna said and looked around. Ah, Mats wasn't at school so she could take his place instead of sitting next to Car. Car sent her a strange look when she sat down there, just like the other classmates. But she didn't care.

In the break, Sienna decided to sit down at some strangers' table.
"Hi. Can I sit here?" She asked the girls.
"Yeah sure!" A girl with a brown ponytail said. "Hi, I'm Ashley. This is Nikita," and she pointed with her index finger to a girl with blonde curls, "this is Joey," and she pointed to a girl with short, orange hair, "and this is Melany." The last girl had blue and green highlights in her dark-blonde hair. She looked a year older than the rest of them.
"What's your name?" Melany asked.
"I'm Sienna." Sienna said.
"Si-eh-nah?" Joey asked.
"No, Sienna, like Sjen-nah."
"Cool name," Ashley complemented.
"So, Sienna," Melany started. "Aren't you this girl that that girl named Carla has as pick point?" Sienna lifted her head and looked at Melany.
"How do you know that?"
"Owh, that's pretty obvious." Joey said.
"Yeah, we see it and hear it." Melany added.
"Owh." Sienna said.
"Whatever." Melany said. "Who is this boyfriend of yours then?"
Sienna frowned.
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah, what's he called again?" Melany said and she looked around in the girl group.
"Ashton." Ashley said.
"Yeah, of course. So, what's up with you two?" Melany asked.
"Uhm, nothing." Sienna said whilst lifting her shoulders.
"Of course there is," Joey laughed.
"No.. We're just.. Friends. Cycle together to school and stuff." Sienna said.
"Sure." Melany said, raising her eyebrows. "Whatever."

"Look look, she's coming," Joey said and she bowed her body towards the other girls.
Sienna turned around to see who it was, but that was pretty obvious. It was Car. But she was alone. Her heels were ticking on the school floor and she lifted her sunglasses.
"So, look who we have here." Car started. "Our little piggy who isn't drunk anymore?"
Sienna lookes Car straight in her eyes.
"What are you talking about," she hissed. The girls at the table were quiet.
"Oh, you know what I'm talking about, piggy." Car laughed evily.
"Listen up." Sienna said and she stood up. Car was higher than she was but that didn't matter. "If you think I'm fat, you're allowed to think that. But I don't care. If you think it's okay to force someone to drink half a liter of some kind of liquor, fine by me, but do it to yourself, don't use others, alright?" She turned around and faced the other girls. "See ya." Then she turned around and walked away, leaving a dumbstruck Car behind. "Fuck you Car." Sienna mumbled whilst walking outside for some fresh air.