The Country Mile

9. Well, See What Had Happened Was...

~It's a long one... Strap in bitches!~

"Keep your bedroom door open, missy," My grandpa spoke, eyeing both me and Ashton as I smiled towards George; his glasses sat lowly on his nose as he seemed to read the paper all over again for the third time today. My mom smirked at me, which I ignored and gripped Ashton's hand and pulled him along.

"I will, don't worry," I laughed at Ashton's tight posture, his shoulders now tight, and he oddly seemed taller as he thanked my grandparents for dinner before we walked upstairs; my hand immediately leaving his at I opened my bedroom door. 

Thankfully, I cleaned it just yesterday of moving boxes and since I arrived, I decorated the room a bit more to my style; warm white christmas lights lit the room, photos of my mom and I, and a few past pets or memories, sat on the vanity next to a few white lilies.

Patting the spot next to me on my bed as I sat upon my blankets Indian style, Ashton was clearly uncomfortable. Laughing, I reached out and tugged on his hand. "I thought you like being in girls beds,"

Red kissed his cheeks. "Yeah, but usually we're naked and their mom and grandparents aren't downstairs,"

I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon Ashton," I practically whined, wanting ever so desperately to know what was wrong with my best friend - she's ignored every text, call, and DM I have sent her, only opening them and never replying. Ashton ran a hand though his locks, and pinched the bridge of his nose, his pools of honey now closed.

"Mismatched..." He started off with my newly acquired nickname. "I'm- I'm not the most... Smartest person to exist,"

"Clearly," I chuckled. Ashton rested his chin in his hand, his elbow sitting on his knee.

"I mean it," He sighed. "I am a real jackass sometimes, ya' know thinking with the downstairs and not the upstairs... But I want you to know, this is not one of those times," Everyone at GHS knew of Ashton's playboy tendencies, how he'd flirt as if it was a second nature, the girls would fall, and the next day she'd be heartbroken while Ashton only worried about Friday's football game. "And Clara, she's sensitive... Always had been, in fact when we were five-"

"As much as I would love to hear that story, you're getting off topic," I added; he smirked and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Right," A slight chuckle. Another deep breath. "Okay, let's start from the beginning I guess..."

*

Shock hammered through my bones.

Grace and Clara used to be best friends since Pre-K -no wonder they knew how to get on each other's bad sides- always did they hang out, had joint birthday parties, and everything else that best, best, best friends did; no wonder I never felt like I had a normal childhood. Never did I do any of that kind of stuff.

Ashton then continued to explain what I was so inclined to hear: their falling out. It all happened one day after school last year, Grace and Clara were having a sleepover -Grace had to only be fifteen, Ashton sixteen- and Clara asked Grace to retrieve a few snacks from the kitchen while Clara started up the movie.

"And I knew Grace had a crush on me, she frequently flirted with me, tried to sit next to me any chance she got, and whenever she was over, she always somehow found her way out to the barn when I happened to be out there. Well, I was in the kitchen that night heating up a quick snack when Grace came into the kitchen."

Tears pooled in those honey brown eyes, dark brows furrowed, and he bit his lip before sighing and continuing. I leaned forward and I was about to hold my hands out, offer him so comfort, but I didn't know him that well... 

Would he even want my comfort?

"She and I talked for only a mere minute or two when she suddenly took me by complete surprise and kissed me; I pushed her away at first because one, she just willingingly took my first kiss away from me and two, she was Clara's best friend for God's sake! I remember I told her to stop, to go back to Clara, and forget what happened when she suddenly jammed her phone in my face." 

Grabbing a tissue, I wiped the few tears that suddenly fell from Ashton's dark honey eyes as my heart started to ache for him. I couldn't help but feel at fault - I wanted to know so badly, I didn't even think how it might affect anyone else; just like usual.

"Ash," I whispered as he tried to blink away the pools of tears, and taking a chance, I moved my hands to cup his cheeks for comfort. I tried to meet his eyes he so deliberately moved away from mine. After a silent minute, Ashton moved my hands from his face and into his own, intertwining our fingers.

"I didn't know at the time till I looked at her phone, but she-" He took a deep breath, tightening his hold on my hands as if to make sure he was still here. "Had, let's just say, sexually explicit context of me that was taken in many places- bathroom at school and mall, and that crazy bitch even somehow got a video of myself while I was in the shower... She snuck into my damn room at night, Adella," Ashton laughed dryly, his hands tightening on my hands. "S-she blackmailed me that night to have sex with her, I was still a virgin."

It hurt too much to hear.

Anger gnawed at every bone in my body.

"Adella!" My mother called up the stairs, startling both Ashton and I from our deep conversation. "It's seven thirty,"

"'Kay!" I yelled back, my shoulders relaxing once I heard her quietly conversing with Susan and George; looking back to Ashton and handing him a few more tissues, I leaned towards him and tightly hugged him. His warmth and rainy day cologne danced itself around me. "I'm so sorry Ashton," I whispered into his ear even though I knew it wouldn't help. "So, so, so sorry."

After a few minutes of pulling himself together, we pulled apart. Besides the red in his eyes, you couldn't even tell he had just poured his heart out; his false smile broken.

"Now you know, or at least some of it..." I could piece the rest together myself; Clara found out, dumped her best friend, and now she was scared to let anyone near her brother again. Understanding this made me feel less like a shitty friend and more of a best friend, secrets shouldn't be used for blackmail. Within the next few minutes, I pulled on a pair of jeans after I sent Ashton downstairs and made him promise not to leave just yet, grabbed my bookbag, and ran downstairs.

"Mom," I called out as I slipped on a pair of flats, Ashton with his keys in hand looked at me in confusion as my mom stepped inside the kitchen. Today she looked tired, of what - I didn't know. "I need to run some homework over to Clara's, she was sick today,"

"Hon," Her green eyes sized up Ashton before returning to mine. "It's already seven thirty... Can't Ashton take it to her?"

"No, mom." Standing up, I took her hand and pleaded with my eyes. "It's from Mr.Rob's-" She groaned. "And we start the study guide tomorrow, she needs my help."

Two moments of silence.

"Fine... But you better be home before ten,"

*&*

All chapters and future ones will be UNEDITED until further notice!