A.B.C. Ominous

Chapter III

Jack got out of the car and grabbed his things. "I am going to be inside," he said in an annoyed tone. The Jack, Ashton met at school was gone. His character had changed completely; he was quiet and not outgoing anymore. It seemed like he did not approve of anything about living at the Alden Manor. "I am going to take a walk," Ashton said, leaving for the fields. "Make sure Amy stays in her area of the house and keeps her distance from me." "I will try my best to keep your mum away from you. It is your mum's home, so I may not be able to keep her from the rooms of the house." "She may be blood, but she is not my mum. She does not deserve that title with me." He was agitated and left in silence into the house. As he shut the door behind him, it slammed making a loud bang. Ashton could see from a far that Jack lived two separate lives at home and school. The countryside was beautiful and perfect to walk through. The longer she was in the fields and further away from the house; it gave her the opportunity to think about the last few weeks. She was sinking into a depression, silently. Every memory and the thought of her loving parents were running through her mind. Soon, she had to sit in the field when her knees went weak. Her eyes were beginning to water, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. Nature was being beautiful and thoughtful giving a breeze of fresh air. At Alden Manor, Jack was hanging out in his room with a cup of tea doing his homework. He had cleaned up and changed into nicer clothing since returning home. Jack got a text from Tom inviting him to a New Year's Eve party. He immediately texted him back, accepting the invitation.

Ashton slipped herself back into the house, without being noticed. That was until she passed Jack's bedroom to get to hers. His door was open, so he could see her passing by. "Hello, Ashton," he said, looking up from his work. Ashton quickly wiped her tears away. She stood in the doorway, while he sat in his window seat across the room with school work in his lap. "Hey," she responded, nervous for some reason. There was an awkward moment before anything was said again. "Do... you... want to go to a New Year's Eve party," he asked, as nervous as Ashton may be a bit more. It was her first time seeing and hearing him not confident. "Sure," she said, confused and surprised. She felt that every time she spoke to him, she was doing it wrong. "Okay, you should be ready at six," he said, the confidence had returned. Ashton left the doorway to go to her room. Ashton had no other clothing other than large t-shirts and baggy pants, along with a single pair of sneakers. She did very little to improve herself for the party. She did have a pair of flat sandals that she changed into. Her hair was a mess like always; tangled and long. She was wearing her large glasses like always. After doing what she wanted to improve herself, she laid down for a nap. William woke her up at six. In the car, Jack sat in the backseat with Ashton. His blue-green eyes kept on looking over at her. He was wearing a nice button up shirt with dark jeans and sneakers. He looked nice, while Ashton knew she was not looking the most beautiful. Most of the car ride was silent. Ashton looked out the window to a gorgeous sky with a glimpse of night appearing.

A half hour later, they were pulled up to a seaside parking lot. "Thank you," Jack said to William as they got out. "Well, over there is where all the young adults hang." Jack was showing off a small cabin up on a hill. The ocean was just a walk down the hill to the beach. Jack continued to walk up the side of the hill. Jack seemed to have gained his joy, happy self once again. Every time he looked back at Ashton a grin was on his face along with his stunning eyes. Ashton only could see out of the corner of her eye, since she was looking up. She felt nothing like Jack; she was out of her comfort zone. She had never been to a party before. They walked into the cabin, which was holding almost its full capacity. Everyone seemed to be having fun and dressed up. Towards the back was a band playing. The cabin was filled with loud music. Ashton was stuck in between a crowd mostly of people she did not know. She had no idea how to move through this kind of crowd, even though everyone else could. Jack remained near her in the crowd, talking to people surrounding him. "Are you doing okay?" he asked Ashton, coming near her. "Good," Ashton said, realizing the only way to be heard was yelling. Tom made his way towards them with a pretty, light brown-haired girl. "Hey, mate," Tom yelled, slapping hands with Jack. Tom looked at Ashton the same way he had the first time they met. Tom said nothing to her and continued to talk to the surrounding people. The pretty girl gave Jack a big hug.