Ashes in March

Chapter 7: Absolutely

It's been two weeks, I know. Don't hate me.

Here's a longer chapter to appease you.

*bows and creeps slowly out of the room*

***

I seriously debated whether or not I should actually call Jack. Did I want to risk him giving me that look? Did I want to risk him asking me how I'm doing? No, I didn't. But Ash actually picked up the phone and called Jack himself.

"Come on, March. It's just coffee," he says, staring at a mountain of bills in front him.

Where are his parents? Why aren't they looking at the bills? Why aren't they here taking care of their 16 year old daughter? Why is a just-barely-an-adult taking care of a teenager and a house and me? But I feel like that's his off-limits question, Where are your parents? Just like mine is What the fuck is wrong with me?

"I don't like coffee," I debate, half-heartedly. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"I bought you a large iced coffee yesterday and you drank it in 5 minutes."

"I'm busy?" I say. He shakes his head.

"You can do better than that."

I sigh, defeated. "I can't, Ash," I plead, beg him. "I can't."

Ash stares at me, hard, from my place on the couch and presses his lips into a line.

"You can, Ro. You just don't want to," he says not gentle but stern. I furrow my brows and wrap my arms around my folded legs.

There is a beat of silence where Ash turns back to the account statements in front of him and I say, "You sound tired of me."

Ash grunts exasperatedly and runs his hands down his face. "I'm not tired of you, March. I just think that you should get coffee with the guy," he growls. He looks back at me, at the hurt crease in my mouth and sighs.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out nasty," he says quietly and gestures to the papers strewn across the table. "All these bills are due at the end of December and I'm trying to figure out..." he trails off and sighs again. "I'm sorry, Ro. I just think it could be good for you."

I place my chin on top of my knees. "How do you know what's good for me?"

Ash blinks at me, his mouth twisted in thought. He then stands up and snatches my phone off the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Jack."

"What?" I shriek and vault off the couch. "Give me my phone."

Ash raises it above his head so I can't snatch it from his hands. "No."

"Ash, please. Don't call him." I claw at his arms desperately.

"H... I... J..." he says, scrolling through my contacts, a wicked smile on his face.

"Ashley Collins. Give me my phone right now," I shout, pounding on his chest. He smiles and hands the phone to me.

"Fine. Here."

"You can't just call someone without..." I begin to say but a sound halts my words.

"Rowena? Is that you?" I hear a muffled voice coming from the wretched piece of metal in my hand. I glare at Ash something so fierce, his head should have caught fire. He only grins in response.