Falling For Asher

3

~*~

Any traces of homecoming are gone by Monday morning. The neon flyers and banners have finally been taken down. Prevention posters filling the previous spots instead.

The halls are quiet as I carry a stack of portfolios to the art room. My current class is a free period used to study or to catch up on homework. I had nothing to catch up on, which is why my teacher had me doing this. I don't mind at all.

The art room is almost hidden in another building, along with two of the classrooms used for yearbook and photography. The old gym is downstairs, although no one uses it anymore.

I knock while juggling the crate in my arms.

I hear shuffling, the painted pale blue door with a quote in white paint creaks open. The art teacher is a young woman with curly blonde hair and an interesting style.

"Hey sweetie, you can set them down right over here." She leads me to the front table.

My arms fall at my side, reminding me of how unfit I am. This is an advanced art class, only holding six students. They all seem to be concentrated with their work.

"There's another box of canvases that she wanted me to bring," I tell her.

She nods, looking towards the back of the room. "Anderson!"

I freeze when Asher glances up from his drawing, taking his earbuds out. "Yeah?" He asks, his dark hair falling right above his eyes.

"Do you mind grabbing some supplies that just came in?" She asks.

He nods, watching me curiously as he stands. "Sure."

I look away, making my way without checking to see if he is following. By the sound of his footsteps, I'm assured that he is.

I push the doors open, crossing my arms as the air hits my skin. After our short conversation, I assumed that we would go back to ignoring each other. We seem to do better that way anyway.

I feel him beside me, our arms brushing each other lightly. I tense immediately, instinctively moving away.

"There's the Zoey I know." He laughs.

I keep my lips pressed together, aware of my promise from two years ago.

Asher doesn't back down, bumping his arm against my shoulder. Our height difference is by a few inches, me being shorter.

"Even if you tell me off, I'll be satisfied."

I sigh, giving in. "You've always been stubborn."

He holds the door open for me, as well enter the empty library.

"Not true." I watch as he picks up a box with ease.

I give him a pointed look, reminding him of all the times where he was persistent. "I could name a few times."

He grins, pushing the door open as we both carry a box. I struggle more than Asher does which explains a lot. Considering that he works out and I don't.

"It never got us in trouble," He says smugly.

I answer with a scoff. "You don't remember getting us both sick and grounded for persisting that eating a tub of ice cream would be fun?"

He chuckles at the memory, "Alright, you got me there."

We make it to the art room, setting the boxes down. The teacher thanks me again and I say goodbye to Asher before leaving.

The bell for lunch rings shortly after I have gathered my things from the classroom. I spot Melissa in the hall as I make my way into the cafeteria.

"Hey Zo," She says, joining me.

I give her a smile as we get in line before the rest of the buildings are allowed out. Seniors are allowed to get to the cafeteria five minutes before everyone else. It may not seem like much, but the lines get full in the blink of an eye.

As soon as we get our food we join Paige and James at our usual table. It's near the middle, where most of the cheerleaders and football players sit.

The seating here is as stereotypical as it gets in high school. Although there a lot of people who belong to no group that sits wherever they want. Me being one of those.

I have never been one to try to fit into a group. My friends have a sport or club that they are in but it has never gotten in between us.

Somehow they start a conversation about movies. Paige seems to know just about everything single movie that is considered a classic.

"I still can't believe you guys haven't watched The Breakfast Club." She pouts. "It's a rule in life to watch it at least a hundred times."

Mel scrunches her nose. "I watched a few minutes of it and got bored." She shrugs.

I bite my lip to hold in a laugh as Paige gasps. "You can't judge an entire movie without watching it."

She definitely has a point.

I let them argue, James and I watch in amusement while eating our lunch.

I look around the cafeteria discreetly, my eyes landing on the table in front of us. Asher sits with his friends and a few girls who attempted to flirt with each of them.

I shake my head, hiding a smile. His head lifts, our eyes connecting for a few seconds until I break eye contact. I noticed his lips tilting up already.

I glance at Melissa and end up reminiscing on what happened at her sixteenth birthday party. The reason why things between us three are so strained. Or non-existent because she avoids him at all costs. And because I'm her friend, I agreed to also stay away.

There's always a part of me that wonders if I'm doing the correct thing. James and Paige weren't as close to Asher as I was. She gave them a different story which I found odd.

Her reasoning was that I needed to know what kind of person he is. I still find it hard to believe, the Asher I knew wasn't like what she described.

I'm pulled away from my thoughts with a question about which restaurant has the best fries. That leads to even more of a mess because none of us agree on one.