A/N
This chapter starts out similar to the last one but I promise there is a difference.
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*Charlie's p.o.v.*
Here I am sitting in my 4th hour psychology class across the room from my best friend, Ashton. We used to sit side by side until our teacher changed the seating chart.
"Alright class today we are going to be talking about Social Psychology. Take out your notes.", My psychology teacher, Mr. Hayes, says, "Let's start with attitude formation and change."
He clicks the remote allowing the next slide to appear before speaking again.
"A great deal of research focuses on ways to affect people's attitudes. Advertising uses many different ways to do this.", He states.
"One of the ways advertisers do this is with the mere exposure effect.", he clicks the remote once again revealing a new slide, "the mere exposure effect is the principle that states that the more one is exposed to something, the more one will come to like it. This does not only apply to Advertising, this applies in our everyday lives as well."
"So is love at first sight not real?", One of my classmates and friends, Amberlynne, asks.
"That's not necessarily what I'm saying. I'm just saying that psychologists have found that generally the more you see someone the more you will come to like them. Maybe you already like them when you first see them but the more you see them the more you will like them. So, in other words if you want to get someone to like you just show your face.", he answers.
"So you want us to stalk them?", Amberlynne asks.
"Not necessarily but hey if that's what it takes.", he answers laughing earning a laugh from the rest of the class.
"Hmm the mere exposure effect. That's interesting. Maybe that's what happened with Ashton.", I think to myself.
*flashback to the age of 5*
My parents brought me over to Ashton's house, as they did everyday, when they decided to take us to the park.
"Charlie and Ashton, come here.", my mom called.
"Yes, mommy.", I answered standing in front of her.
"How would you to like to go to the park?", Ashton's mom asked.
We glanced at each other with giant smiles spread across our faces before nodding furiously.
"Ok, let's go.", our parents chuckled.
"I'll race you to the car.", I yelled as I raced out the door.
"Hey, not fair Char, you got a head start.", he pouted when I beat him.
"Don't be such a sore loser, Ash.", I teased as got in the car. Our parents buckled our car seats and we were off.
We ran straight for the sandbox and played with a few other kids. After a few minutes, Ashton and I were building castles in the sand, and one of the other kids threw sand in my eyes.
"Hey, don't do that to her! You're a bully!", Ashton defended me.
"Aww your boyfriends sticking up for you.", he said mockingly to me.
"She's not my girlfriend, girls have cooties.", he defended us both.
I got him to calm down, after a while and we continued to play in the sand until it was time to leave.
As we sat there continuing to play in the sand until our parents told us we had to go home, I had this weird indescribable feeling. A feeling that stuck with me for the rest of the day.
*end of flashback*
I could never figure out what the feeling was or why I felt it, until now. There were clues along the way helping me slowly piece things together but now it has fully clicked.
*flashback to the age of 13*
We were in p.e. playing dodgeball. There were only a few of us left, Ashton, Ashton's friends, Calum, Luke, and Michael, on one side and several kids who bullied me on the other side.
I noticed their team whispering something to each other right before forming evil looks on there faces as they started turning towards me.
I wasn't quite sure what they were going to do next but I knew it couldn't be good.
I noticed anger boil inside of me as they all began releasing their dodge balls, aiming right at my face.
The pain was enough to send me toppling to the cold, hard gym floor in tears. I noticed the way anger continued to boil inside of Ashton until he finally lost it as they all high fived each other.
"WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO HER?! SHE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG TO YOU! JUST LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!", He yelled running towards them with his fists balled.
"Aww look fatty's little boyfriend is coming to her rescue.", one of them snickered.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND. SO WHAT IF WE WERE DATING ANYWAY? SHE'S SMART, BEAUTIFUL, AND KIND, SOMETHING NONE OF YOU WILL EVER BE!", Ashton yelled.
"How can you think she's beautiful? Just looks at her, I mean for starters she's fat", The same person started but Ashton cut them off, not interested in hearing anything else they had to say.
"Weight doesn't define beauty. Beauty is from within and if you can't see that then why don't you just go fuck yourselves.", he said with tears forming in my eyes as he helped me to the nurse's office.
He got sent to the office for what he said, later that day. I felt bad but he told me not to worry about it. "Friends stick up for each other.", he shrugged whenever I would bring it up.
*end of flashback*
I hated the way everyone treated me. I may not be the skinniest or prettiest person but I now that on the inside I'm beautiful and I was and still am thankful for all the times he defended me.
I've never been the most girly girl, I guess that stems from spending all day everyday, since I was a baby, with a boy and never really having that many friends that are girls, but I like being this way.
*flashback to a few weeks prior*
We sat in Ashton's basement playing video games. I sat in a green beanbag chair, on the beige carpeted flooring in Ashton's basement, right next to the matching one he sat in.
I was quite focused on the game but I caught Ashton staring at me quite a few times and when he wasn't I caught myself doing the same.
I noticed the way his nose scrunched up while fake pouting whenever I beat him, I noticed his cute little giggle whenever I would stick my tongue out at him to mock him. I noticed his cute little dimples whenever he smiled at me, I noticed how beautiful his hazel eyes were as they peered back into mine when he caught me staring.
*end of flashback*
One thing that I hadn't noticed till now was that everything I had noticed about him that day was just another thing I had slowly been falling for for the past 17 years.
Hearing Mr. Hayes call Ashton's name quickly snapped me out of my thoughts. Ashton seemed to have been just as distracted as I was just moments before. I wonder what he could be thinking so deeply about.
As class goes on, Mr. Hayes continues to teach, with me only slightly listening. He gives us some information regarding our project and test as the bell rings signaling that class is over.
As I walk towards the door I notice Ashton waiting for me as he usually does before we walk to lunch in comfortable silence.
