Ink Stains

Chapter 5

A/N: Please remember to comment and vote if you like this story :) I've written about ten chapters that are this length so far. So, prepare for five more if you're following!

Asher and I kept distant, barely even acknowledging each other’s existence.

He took charge of the project, gaining communication with our other group partners. Asher seemed to do everything by himself, making it clear that he did not require my help.

I found myself in a constant state of self-pitying and cringing at my own stupidity. To this day, I still have no idea why I decided to just jump in his car and take off into the sunset. It was out of character and unrealistic by so many measures.

My friends chattered away at lunch, complaining about the upcoming homecoming dance. Meanwhile, I wrote on my arm:

That’s the thing about life; it isn’t always realistic. You can live a fantasy and watch it transform into a nightmare.

I tried to tell them about all that had happened a few nights prior, but they simply thought it was another one of my desperate attempts to get feedback on my fairytales.

Nobody knew about that night except for Asher and me at our school. Everybody continued about their ways without a second thought, without a glance to the dark corner that contained the remnants of my pride. The rest was torn way when I put trust in genius-boy. Some people have such fantastic, innovative minds but fail to understand the fragileness of the human heart.

Asher caught my eye as he barreled through the lunch room, looking more disgruntled than he did when he originally arrived at my house. I tried to send anger through my gaze, but truthfully, I wasn’t angry. I was disappointed out of my mind, humiliated and depressed. His expression was blank, his eyes glazed over.

Sansa finally took notice of me, and then reached forward to touch my arm briefly. I flinched, nearly yelping in the process. My two best friends gave me strange looks. “Are you okay?” Sansa inquired, concern lacing through her voice.

Valerie tried to look sympathetic, but got caught up in checking her nails. “You look upset,” she commented.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. Thankfully, Asher had left the lunchroom with a couple of acquaintances. I repressed a sigh of relief. “I’m fine.”

They exchanged looks once more, and then continued on with their lives.

I was left behind for the second time that week, unacknowledged and ignored. To them, I was a liability. The one they had to take care of constantly. I let the thought seep in, that I may only be a nuisance and nothing else.

--

I got a call from Janet a couple days later. She practically begged me to show up to the video project despite Asher’s pleads to kick me out of the group.

“He’s trying to control everything by himself. Seriously, Asher won’t even let Ben or I say anything,” Janet whined, her shrill was even shriller through the phone. “Please, just show up for the video. Asher might listen to you.”

I contemplated the idea of communicating with Asher for the first time in nearly a week. In my mind, he didn’t deserve a second of my time. Asher was one of the reasons I was spiraling down and down more. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to disappear, replaced by grief. “Fine,” I said quietly. “I’ll go for you and Ben. Maybe you can help me resist the urge to kill him.”

“He is kinda a jerk, isn’t he?” Janet giggled too innocently.

“You have no idea.”

I wasn’t surprised to find out that Asher had planned to film the video only two weeks into the project. We had an entire month, yet he probably wanted to be the very first one done with the project. Typical.