The Hooded Figure

THIRTY SEVEN

You see, I wore flats to the diner because, again, I didn't think I'd be doing much walking. So, when I finally got to the diner, it was 9:00PM and my feet were blistered. I knew that the diner closed at 8:30PM and that they usually cleaned up for another half an hour or so, therefore I was basically praying that someone was still there.

I looked in through the dark window, using my hands to shield the light. There were no lights on inside and the parking lot was deserted aside from one car. I recognized it as Asher's little red Fiat and I smiled. Actually, I almost jumped in glee. I started walking towards his car which was in the far corner of the parking lot, but all of a sudden, his back lights turned on. I realized that he was already in the car and that he was leaving. Having no shame, I ignored the pain in my feet and started running towards his car.

"Ash! Ash, wait!" I cried, hoping that he could hear me. He started reversing and I saw his face as he shifted the gears. "Asher!" His head snapped up and his eyes met mine. He tilted his head in confusion, but smiled slightly. He started driving towards me and I paused to take off my shoes. The gravel hurt my feet, but not nearly as badly as those death traps did.

When Asher pulled up beside me, I got into the passenger's seat. "Hi," was all I could say. What else could I say?

"Hey," he said with a light chuckle that made my skin tingle. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you want the full version, or SparkNotes?" I asked, smiling a little.

"Full," he told me without hesitation. My smile grew. I opened my mouth to tell him, but then I paused.

"How trustworthy are you?" I asked, "like, on a scale of 1 to 10?" Asher laughed at that. He pulled out of the parking lot and started driving towards my house without me even having to ask.

"I'd like to say 10, why?" He questioned, looking over at me with concern.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, but you have to promise to not tell anyone, okay?" I stated, looking at him seriously. A small, devilish smirk slipped onto his lips.

"Alright," he agreed, taking a left. I stuck out my pinky and put it in front of him. He looked at it as if it were a foreign object. "Really?"

"Really," I said seriously as he chuckled. He took one hand off the steering wheel and wrapped his pinky around mine. I felt a shock as soon as his skin touched mine. Not from electricity, but from something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I ignored it and got straight to telling him the story. About how Alexander and Jamie have been messing with me, how the dates have gone, I even threw in some info on Layla and Jade, but by the time I was finished, we had been parked in front of my house for about five minutes.

"Oh and they're my neighbours," I added, frowning as I caught sight of a silhouette in the window across the street, just like last time.

"Permission to speak freely?" He asked formally, making me smile.

"Granted," I replied, feeling a strange tingling sensation spread throughout my body.

"Fuck them," he stated passionately, pausing for a moment, "not literally, obviously, but you know what I mean."

I laughed at him before replying, "I'm with you there. I'm done with that bullshit anyway, I have to study for midterms, especially if I want to go to university."

Asher seemed to sadden at the mention of university. Or the thought of you going away?

I brushed off the thought.

Out of the blue, Ash asked, "can I have your phone number?"

"Of course," I said shamelessly, smiling at him. After giving him my number, I got out of the car and Asher rolled down the window.

"Good night," he said, smiling at me.

I grinned back and replied, "g'night."

I started walking up the steps to my porch when Asher called, "Amy?"

"Yeah?" I turned around, paused on the step.

"You deserve better," he told me, smiling softly before pulling away from the curb and driving off. I felt a pang in my chest, followed by a warm sensation that flooded my body. I frowned for a moment, before breaking out into a small smile. I turned around and unlocked the front door. I had expected to just go up to my room and go to bed, but both of my parents were sitting on the couch.

"Amy Carters, where have you been?" My mother demanded. Suddenly, I was overcome with anger and I balled my fists. By the time I got to bed, I'd surely have nail marks in my palms.

"I went out, I told dad," I said grumpily as I grabbed the railing and started heading up the stairs.

"Get back here!" My dad shouted, making me freeze in place. My dad was a relatively calm guy, so having him yell really shook me up. I looked over at them and headed back down the stairs. "Going out with one guy and coming back with another? What's up with you!"

"Maybe I'm just following in your guys' footprints," I said with a shrug. I knew it was a low blow, but I was hurt and I was tired of hiding it.

"That's not fair," my mom said in a soft voice, trying to soothe me.

"No, you wanna know what's not fair? You guys! I thought dad just liked his frequent visits to the pub and that you were a workaholic, and that's why you guys didn't have time for me, but no, it's because you guys are hanging out with other people! I'm perfectly accepting of your guys' relationship, even more so than a daughter should be, but I never get to see either of you! If you saw your other lovers once or twice a week, I could understand, but all the time? Really?" My voice cracked a little and I realized I was crying. Then I whispered, "am I not worth your time?"

Both my parents were silent for a moment. My dad seemed somewhat stoic, like he didn't know how to process this information, but my mom looked afraid, almost as if she had just realized how this whole affair had affected me.

"Honey, I'm so sor-" I cut her off, I couldn't hear her apology now, I was too emotional.

"Not now mom, I just, I need some time alone," I said as if I haven't had enough time alone. With that, I turned around and jogged up the stairs, wiping away my tears.