To be or not to be? (Book #1)

Chapter 19

Ashley woke up the next morning with a pounding headache, Alex's arm still around her, him sleeping and snoring softly. She tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he held her tight, waking up slightly.

"Don't leave me..." He said, still half-asleep.

"Why not?" Ashley almost whispered, her heart racing. He didn't respond, just fell back asleep, holding onto her and not letting go. Her head was throbbing, and she closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

When she woke up again, Alex was just waking up next to her. It was around noon, and she still had a pounding headache.

"Good morning." Alex said with a small smile. Ashley smiled back, looking at him.

"Good morning." She said back. His arm was still wrapped around her tightly, not letting her move.

"Are you going to let me get up?" Ashley asked, smiling. Alex grinned and shook his head 'no', holding her and snuggling closer. She grinned back, content that she was in his arms.

"You're confusing." She said, her heart racing. She needed to figure him out somehow, and she figured that this was the only way to do it. Alex pulled his head back and looked at her, confused.

"How?" He asked. She gestured to his arms around her.

"You're my best friend. But we cuddle and sleepover and fall asleep together? I am a little confused." She explained. Alex shrugged.

"I thought all best friends did this." He teased, trying to get off the subject where Ashley was headed. He didn't want to have that talk with her right now, not when Tyler was still so fully in the picture. She was confused by him and Tyler, and he didn't want that to play a role in their friendship, or whatever this was. Ashey rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She said, smiling. They both slowly got up, and Ashley went into her bathroom to get some asprin for both of them.

"Thanks" Alex said, as they both took their pain medication to help with their headaches. Ashley nodded.

"Lets get breakfast." She said, and turned her light off as they headed out of her room. They walked downstairs and each got a bowl of cereal, taking them into the family room to eat. They ate in silence for a while, until the doorbell rang. Ashley sighed and stood up. She opened the door to find Tyler there.

"Uh, hi." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at her. She couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat as she looked into his grey eyes.

"Hi." She said, unemotionally.

"So... I just came by to tell you that I'm moving... to Denver... Um... I probably won't see you since we're leaving on Tuesday and I'm skipping school tomorrow." He said. This hit Ashley like a smack in the face.

"When did you find out?" She asked, trying to catch her breath. Tyler looked embarrassed.

"Three weeks ago." He said softly. Anger welled up within Ashley, mixed with sadness.

"And you decided to tell me now?!" She demanded.

"Well we weren't exactly speaking..." Tyler said, looking down.

"So you just decided that you'd become friends with me again and try to get back together with me, then tell me 'oh yeah I'm moving across the country and I'll never see you again'?!" Ashley was angry. Tyler shook his head.

"No, it's not like that. I just wanted to make it better for you. I wanted you to have closure before I left. I didn't want you to be upset anymore and I didn't want you to be hurt anymore." Tyler asked. Alex walked up behind Ashley.