How To Live

Chapter Eleven

I spend the night on Wesley's couch and wake up early to the sound of someone clattering around in the kitchen. I rub my bleary eyes and yawn, stretching out of my cramped position and looking at my phone to see five missed calls from my Father. Nothing from my Mother, I doubt she even noticed that I didn't make it home last night.

I don't remember passing out on the couch, but I guess the exhaustion of yesterdays events finally caught up with me. I get up quietly and walk into the kitchen, surprised to see Wesley's Mom hunched over the kitchen sink with a cup of coffee clutched in her hand.

Well, I am not exactly surprised to see her, I know she lives here, but I am surprised to see what she looks like. She is beautiful, with long brown hair the same colour as Wesley's, curling down her back.

She turns and glares at me. Her eyes are rimmed with smudged black makeup and they rake over me, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Well, well, look what Wesley dragged home, the Mayor's perfect daughter. How far you must have fallen from your pedestal last night." She chuckles to herself and takes a sip of coffee, her eyes never once leaving mine. "I'm sure you don't usually associate with people like my son, he doesn't exactly have a golden reputation dear. I hope you know just what you've gotten yourself into." She warns me and I swallow hard, trying to push aside her judgmental comments.

"My name is Ashton, and Wesley and I are just friends. He needs help with extra credit for college over the summer so I'm tutoring him." I tell her with a fake bravado.

To be honest, Wesley's Mom is super intimidating and she makes me feel tiny, like I'm not worth even her time.

"Yeah right." She scoffs and places her mug down on the edge of the sink. "Wesley got accepted into college weeks ago. He certainly does not need tutoring." She laughs and shakes her head taking a step towards me. "There is no denying that lying little rat is my son. He's just like his father, will tell a woman anything just to get into her pants. You're no different sweetheart, trust me he is using you." She smiles at my obvious expression of confusion and discomfort before stalking out of the kitchen and disappearing into a room with a slam of the door.

I stand in the kitchen, my head spinning.

Has Wesley really been lying to me? Does he actually need tutoring or is his Mom right? Is he just playing me in some sort of game with the attempt to eventually get me into his bed? I shake my head as I realise that if that was his intention, he had very nearly succeeded last night. Here I was in his trailer a wall away from his room where he probably expected me to end up with him last night. Maybe I am being used, maybe he is exactly the kind of guy everyone says he is.

My stomach churns and I make my way towards the door of the trailer quickly, I need to get out of this place right now. As I reach for the handle the door flies open and I jump back with a cry of surprise as it almost hits me in the face.

"Oh shit! I am so sorry are you okay?" I am met with wide blue eyes and long straight dark hair as Jenna Marshal stands on the outside of the door.

Of course she wouldn't knock, god knows what kind of benefits arrangement she and Wesley have going on. He probably called her over to today to get whatever he thought he was going to get out of me last night.

"I'm fine." I mutter and attempt to push past her outside.

"Your name is Ashton right?" Jenna calls nervously and I stop to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm the stuck up Mayor's daughter who actually thought Wesley might possibly have a sliver of decency inside of him. We didn't sleep together and I was wrong so laugh it up and have a great time in there with him." I exclaim and her eyes widen and she looks taken aback, but I don't care. I am so sick and tired of being judged by people like Wesley's Mom and Jenna who know absolutely nothing about me.