Manipulative || A.I.

Double-Cross

Ashton's POV-

As they just floated in the water after their bodies release, he felt it to be the perfect time to ask her what she was doing for New Years Eve, since she had never given him an answer the last few times he had asked. And he wanted a difinitive answer.

He didn't expect her to tell him she had made plans with Luke mere minutes before their small interlude. They guy she swore she was not interested in as other than a friend. 

"So you're going with Luke?" He had to repeat just to confirm. 

"Yeah, like I just said," she floated on the water naked, his hand rested on the small of her back and his thumb traced a small circle. He was surprised at how carefree she was being about being fully exposed in a public pool. The shock had stemmed from her actually taking her clothes off and jumping into the pool with him. Well he pulled her in but, still.  

"You're going with the guy you keep trying to tell me is just your friend?" he was getting angrier as he continued to ask the questions. It was a slow burn turning into a wildfire inside. He didn't know why he was feeling such a rage coursing through him but he couldn't cool himself down. 

"He is just my friend. God Ashton. Why are you so hooked on the idea that Luke and I have something?" She moved out of her relaxed state, breaking his contact with her and she bobbed in the water as her hair fanned out around her. 

She was something else. Something else that he was not used to. And it made him uncomfortable not knowing.

"I gotta go," He reached over to the tiled floor, grabbed his shorts, tossed them on in the pool, climbed out leaving her there as he made his way to the elevator. People hollered at him for being soaked running around the lobby but those people quickly shut up when he turned and looked at them.

When it dinged, arriving at his floor, he turned to see Luke was sitting by his door and before Luke could finish whatever he had said, Ashton threw the strongest punch of his life. 

He watched one of his best friends hit the floor hard and not get back up. Ashton kept his fists balled waiting for Luke to sit up. 

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!" he heard a voice behind him. Turning, he saw Sarah running over to them, in just her bra and underwear, tossing the rest of her stuff to the side and getting down on her knees to examine the knocked out boy. 

"He knew! He knew I wanted to take you, Sarah! And he did this just to piss me off" he tried to speak calmly, but it came out in hisses and sneers. 

"So that gave you permission to knock him unconscious?!" She began to gently slap Luke's cheek to get him to come to. 

He didn't know what to say. She was right. What had gotten into him? Why would he punch his friend, to the point of making him pass out, over a girl he was only using for sex?

"You are despicable," she spat standing up to face him. Looking into her eyes he was hurt. He saw her hurt, and it emanated into him. Her eyes were red and her face was almost matching. She pushed his chest with the tips of her fingers, "I am not yours. I will never be yours. You don't even want me to be yours. You had no reason to do this to your friend. Did you expect this to impress me or turn me on? Huh?" 

With every sentence she was pushing him harder and harder. It hurt more than he expected it to. Her eyes were now not only heated, but tears were falling down her cheeks and she was unphased by it as she continued to speak. 

"How do these young girls think you're this amazing guy, who loves his band mates, and his family and friends, when you just knocked one out and you didn't even know part of your family existed until four days ago? I hope they all get the rudest awakening and your image is destroyed. Maybe then you will learn how to be a real human being," She spat and he realized she had pushed him up against a wall.