Without Me

Good Guy

1995
Ashley 16

Two weeks Ashley had been in Detroit only two weeks, and she wanted to go back home. The thing she missed the most was Miss Charles and her ability to find ways of stopping her from giving up. It wasn't that her new family were awful, it was that they didn't understand Ashley the way her old one had. She couldn't complain it wasn't like she was being made to go to high school or anything, it had been her choice, but since her education in England ended at sixteen she didn't see the point in going through it all again for two extra years in a different country.

''You should count yourself lucky you got a roof under your head girl,'' Ashley couldn't help but roll her eyes at her new 'dad,' who was the furthest she would ever get from a father figure in her life. That was saying something coming from a girl who's never had one.

''Toby don't say that she's just homesick,'' Sarah jumped in for her husband as she set the plate of that night's dinner on the table. Ashley smiled up in thanks to the woman, who gave a faint smile back, but Ashley could see the hurt in the woman's eyes. It seemed to say that the comment she just made would come back to haunt her later.

''Too homesick to meet the rest of the family tomorrow. It's fucking Thanksgiving Sarah,'' Toby bit out, the veins clearly popping out of his neck as anger overwhelmed him.

''A holiday I don't celebrate,'' Ashley pointed out, which she instantly regretted as it just made Toby angrier.

''Well learn to celebrate it or I'll give you to some other family,'' Toby shouted and Ashley couldn't take it anymore. She pushed her chair back, causing a deafening screech to fill the room as wood scratched against wood.

''I'm capable of doing that on my own thank you very much,'' before she'd even really thought of the consequence she was already halfway down the street. Her body snuggled up in her coat and her walkman on full blast to drown out everything around her.

Sarah had tried to stop her and for the most part, Ashley felt the woman was successful until Toby wrenched her off near enough knocking Ashley over in the action. She felt bad for leaving Sarah alone with the man, but there was nothing she could do, a small sixteen-year-old, who'd worked at the hip-hop shop for all of two weeks, couldn't do anything.

***

The further she walked, the more she came to the conclusion that hanging around 8 mile at night wasn't the best thing to do. So taking it upon herself to find some sort of safe place, Ashley took herself to the hip-hop shop. Blaze the guy who owned it and graciously employed her was the type of person that would let her stay no questions asked.

''Nah they suck man, now this is who ya really wanna be listening to,'' Blaze raised a hand to Ashley, not stopping in his conversation with a group of men, who were all a lot older than her. She acknowledged him too, signalling she was going to be in the little break room they had, he just nodded and went back to his conversation.

Ashley had started to doze off when the door to the room she was in crept open. Two familiar voices then started to talk. They were whispering, which either meant they knew she was sleeping and wanted to be quiet, or they were discussing something in private. Her question was answered when she felt her shoulder being nudged.

''Yo kid you met slim yet,'' Ashley blinked her eyes open. She was met by the sight of Blaze leaning on the back of her chair and the guy who'd picked her up from the airport two weeks ago.

''Yeah, Marshall right?'' Blaze looked down at her a questionable look on his face.

''First name terms, that's big for you man.''

''Not really, she's Sarah's new kid the one I said I had to pick up at the airport. Proof went with me, I told ya about it,'' there was silence as Blaze seemed to mull over the information, racking his brain to see if he could remember the conversation happening.

''Must have forgotten, sorry man. Anyway, Ash watcha doing here, you don't work Wednesdays?'' Blaze asked, taking a seat in the chair opposite her, while Marshall stayed standing his arms folded as he lent against the door frame.

''Toby's an arse. Just because I don't wanna meet the rest of the family for Thanksgiving he thinks I'm some sort of ungrateful child. I don't even celebrate Thanksgiving, I'm English. Although you do only celebrate it because of us. That not the point, the point is I walked out and the only safe place I thought of was here,'' Ashley explained, watching the stern expression change to one of sympathy appear on Marshalls features.

''This isn't safe kid, let me tell ya that,'' Marshall pointed out unfolding his arms to approach where she was sat.

''I'm not a kid,'' she mocked through gritted teeth, ''and why not?''She added standing up, despite the height difference, Marshall was very much overwhelmed by the confidence in the teenager.

''A record shop on 8 mile is the safest place you think of. Where the fuck do you think you are?''

''Not home, that's for sure,'' she mumbled pushing past him and out of the door. She could hear him shouting after her, but instead of listening to him, she just put her headphones back on and made sure the volume on the Walkman was high enough to drown him out.

Perhaps if it hadn't been so loud Ashley would have definitely heard him warn her about crossing the road. If she had heard him it was safe to say that everything that happened next wouldn't have ever happened. If someone were to go back in time to stop Ashley from crossing the road, then a friendship that would last years wouldn't have ever happened.

She felt the pain take over her body before then hearing the loud bang erupt in her ears. Then she creamed and to her, it felt like time had stopped because it took her body forever to fall and collapse onto the hard concrete. The hard concrete which never hit her, instead a pair of arms wrapped around her body, resting her head in their lap.

''Hey don't think about it ok,'' it was Marshall, his voice wasn't clear, in fact, he sounded like he was talking to her underwater in a swimming pool.

''Whaa, what happened?'' her voice shook in both pain and shock as to what had happened. Ashley could hardly hear her own voice over the loud unnecessary ringing in her ears.

''You've just got a little injury you're going to be fine, just focus and keep talking to me ok,'' Ashley nodded, the pain radiating from her leg getting worse by the second.

''It hurts,'' she cried out as she felt a hand move towards where the pain was.

''Sorry sweetheart, some people are just absolute pricks,'' the voice was of another man, one she didn't recognise.

''This is Derek, he's called an ambulance ok,'' Ashley nodded, feeling the pad of Marshall's thumb wipe away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

''I'm also gonna make sure you get the shit ya need and I'll also make sure the guy who did this shit ain't no bother to anyone,'' Derek added.

''He's a drug dealer in case ya hadn't noticed,'' it wasn't really a joke, but the tone Marshall used made her laugh.

''The ambulance is here Mathers, I'll meet you at the hospital. You'll be ok girl,'' Ashley let out a weak smile as the man patted her non-painful leg before getting up and leaving.

The next twenty minutes consisted of Ashley being surrounded by medical staff as they treated her leg the best they could at the scene before getting her into the ambulance.

The whole ride to the hospital Marshall was holding tightly onto her hand while the other wiped the odd tear off her face. Ashley couldn't help but think two weeks ago she thought she'd never see the guy again, but there he was, comforting her and he knew absolutely nothing about her at all.

Thank you all for the votes and comments. I can't tell you how much it means to me. That's on all of my stories btw.
Although I am pretty amazed at how I got 9k on this. I love all you guys so much. Thank you 💕