• Roxy •
That Friday night, my mom decided that she would take Ashton, Ryann, and I out for dinner. I was about as far from excited about it as I could possibly be.
After Ashton had come home with his bloody nose, Ryann had just about bitten my head off. She yelled at me and blamed me for it, like I had told Ashton to go up and convince that guy to punch him. I guess I should be used to it. Every time something bad happens, I'm the one who gets blamed for it.
Ashton sat in the back seat next to me while Ryann sat in the passenger seat next to my mom, just like the day we had driven back from the airport. I leaned my head against the cool window, trying to soothe my aching head. It felt like I had a second heart beating in my head, except this one was creating a dull pain in my skull.
"Can you turn down the music, please?" I mumbled to Ryann, who was blasting the radio once again. I wasn't sure if it was the volume or the terrible music that was making my headache worse.
"What's your deal, Roxy?" She replied, not even bothering to turn around and look at me. "It's not even that loud."
"Turn it off," I snapped, angrier and more demanding. I could feel one of moods coming on again and there was no stopping it at this point. When I get angry, it pretty much ruins the rest of my night.
"Jesus," Ryann sighed to herself, but she turned the volume down slightly. I put my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands.
I felt a hand reach over and squeeze my knee. I glanced up to see Ashton grinning at me and gave him a weak little smile. "You okay?" He asked quietly.
"I'll be fine," I replied. There's that damn word again. I can barely even say it without clenching my teeth.
Ashton's hand moved from my knee to my back, rubbing in a calming circular motion. It didn't help my headache, but it felt nice.
It felt good to have someone care for once.
He continued to rub my back until we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. My mom and Ryann got out and started walking towards the front doors, but I unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled my knees up to my chest. My head was throbbing by now.
"Roxy, are you gonna be okay?" I heard Ashton's voice ask. I had assumed he'd already gotten out.
I didn't move my head from where it was buried in my knees, but I held up a weak thumbs-up. I was used to having random aches and pains — it was a symptom of the depression. Sometimes it was my back or my stomach, but I got headaches more often than anything else.
"Shit, I forgot to take my pill this morning," I muttered to myself. That explains it.
"I can go get your mom and tell her you don't feel well, if you want," Ashton said, his voice gentle and just slightly over a whisper.
I shook my head slowly. "She would just tell me to get a grip and walk it off," I replied.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked. I felt his hand on my back again and heard him move closer to me on the car seat.
I lifted my head to place my chin on my folded arms. "Nah," I replied. "I can deal with it. C'mon, let's go inside."
"You sure?" He asked. He stared at me intensely, studying my every movement to see if I was really good to go. I probably wasn't, but I didn't just want to sit here and I thought the cold air might help a little bit.
"Yeah," I replied, pushing my door open. I walked up to the front door with Ashton following behind me. He jogged up a little to hold the door for me. Jesus, Ashton, can you stop being so charming for, like, two seconds?
