My Best Friend?

Chapter 2

Ashton's POV

I felt really bad about leaving Emma hanging like that, but I didn't want to have to explain why I didn't like Alex. Saying "I hate your boyfriend because he's dating you and I'm not" isn't exactly something you should do when it's your best friend you'd be saying it to. But I really do like her, and Alex is the worst boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. He's way too jealous, especially of me, but I mean.. He probably just feels threatened because I'm the one guy she's really close to besides her brother, and I'm a good looking guy so..

I smiled when I finally saw Em standing by her locker.. And Alex was next to her, but so was everyone else. She was laughing about something Sam probably said, because her boyfriend is definitely not that humorous. I walked up to her and she smiled before holding her hands out to do our morning hello. I took her hands and held them up so we could spin around, and then I let go of one so I could spin her out and then back into me, and then we bumped our hips together. Kind of, because I'm so much taller than her.

"Morning," she said.

"Good morning."

"You okay? You left pretty quickly yesterday-"

"He was at your house?" Alex asked her.

"Yeah? He's always at my house."

"I don't think-"

"We're best friends, Alex, and we have been for years. Just friends."

And suddenly some lyrics from a song me and the guys wrote came to my mind: stuck in the friend-zone again and again. More true than I could ever imagine.

"I know that, I just-"

"Everyone else was there too, not just me," I clarified for him. He nodded and I knew that that's what he needed to hear. Damn me and my incessant need to make everyone happy.

"Can I borrow your sweatshirt?" I heard Em as Alex.

"Why?"

"Because I'm cold."

I glanced at her and noticed her rubbing her arms to try and warm them up.

"You should have brought one."

Okay, let's get this straight. Her boyfriend is a total dick. And it's not like she's wearing a tank top and Daisy Duke shorts, no. She's wearing jeans, converse, and a Nirvana t-shirt.

"I can't just use yours? And besides, I was going to, but then you texted me and told me to get here so I forgot it," she snapped.

"Uh, here Em," I said, handing her my gray hoodie.

"Thanks Ash," she smiled and put it on, sighing with relief since it was already warm. "The school is always so freaking cold."

"And yet you forgot a sweatshirt," Alex laughed harshly.

"Do you want me to hit you?" she glared. He glared back and just leaned against the wall. I would gladly hit him for Emma, it really wouldn't damage my morals or anything.

"Michael, I don't understand exactly what you're trying to do," Sam said.

I turned my attention to them and started laughing. Michael was tracing the lines of Sam's hands. "He just wanted to hold your hand."

"What, I didn't.. that's not what I was.. I was just..." he stuttered while removing his hand.

Sam blushed and ran a hand through her newly dyed, blonde hair. "So what are we doing after school?"

"We could go to my house and swim or something," Em offered.

"Um-"

"Alex, don't say anything about how you don't want that happening. Tell me later or something."