Falling For Asher

7

~*~

I walk beside Asher, my laugh becoming louder. "Wait you're serious?" I ask, lifting my head to meet his gaze.

His hands slide into his pockets as he nods with a tight smile. "It was embarrassing."

We reach my locker, I switch my books out and close it. It's still amazing how our conversation at the party two weeks ago has led to us being semi-friends again.

Although we haven't addressed the reason for our fall out. And I'm not looking forward to it either. I push that thought aside for now.

"Did your parents find out?" I ask, his story about the time his crush tried sneaking him into her bedroom.

He nods, hiding a smile. "I was grounded for a week. And she never spoke to me again."

We make our way outside and towards the art room. I decided to join him for my free period since our teachers don't mind. It was a last-minute thing but I made sure to check if I had any work to do first.

His hand holds my shoulder keeping me from walking any further. I look up to question it but follow his eyes to see Melissa approaching us. Her ability to hide her emotions is astounding.

I almost wince at what she must be thinking. Asher tenses when she stands in front of us, mainly towards me.

Her smile doesn't reach her eyes and it's more of a grimace.

"Hey, Zoey." Two simple words are enough to make me uncomfortable.

I try to hide my obvious discomfort, hoping that she won't make a scene. She doesn't even address Asher which isn't at all shocking.

"Hi." I murmur, feeling awkward as hell beneath her stare.

She tosses her hair behind her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as if finding it amusing. She finally looks at the boy beside me, her eyes trailing his body before landing on me. I see her eye twitch briefly until she plasters a fake smile on her face.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, attempting to smile. "See you at lunch?" I ask.

She shrugs, "Maybe." She replies with a wave over her shoulder.

I watch as she retreats leaving us to wonder what just happened. The bell rings and I tug Asher to the art room.

I breathe out a laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "That was..." I trail off.

"Weird?" He says with a side glance.

I nod in agreement, following him to his usual seat in the back. The teacher isn't in the classroom, she apparently shows up halfway through.

While he does his thing, I listen to the playlist he listens to when he draws. One of his earbuds in my right ear, the other in his left one.

The sudden screaming makes me jump, yanking it out of my ear in pain. "How is that music?"

"It's about the lyrics, not the music." He says, looking at me briefly with a laugh.

"That's deep," I mutter, leaning my chin on his shoulder to see what he has been working on. "Holy shit." I gasp in awe.

It's a sketch of a woman's side profile. Her hair falls in long waves over her shoulders, a flower tucked behind her ear.

He smiles, looking over his shoulder at me. "Is that good or should I start over?"

I nudge his shoulder and sit on the stool. "That's amazing, I want to see it when it's complete," I tell him.

"I can do that." He nods, handing me the earbud again.

We go back to doing our own thing. It isn't awkward or weird at all. I read my book and he works on his drawing. The teacher shows up and it gets louder as the class talks to her.

I feel a tap on my arm, pulling away from the book to look at Asher. The music is paused which I hadn't noticed until now.

I shut the book to look at him, "Yes?"

Asher sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. "Do you want me to talk to her?" He lifts a brow, "This is getting old and I-"

The bell rings, shrilling because of how old the system is in this building. I wince, gathering my books and standing up. I help him put away his things before we leave.

"I'll talk to her, you're right though." I say, "It's ultimately up to her, she was pretty hurt after that."

I notice his jaw tense. "I'm sure she was." He mutters.

Before I can question that, he tells me he'll see me around and walks the other way. I continue my way to the cafeteria, preparing to settle this.

Except that it's fifteen minutes into lunch and Melissa still hasn't shown.

"Is she okay?" I ask James and Paige, feeling stressed about it.

They stop eating, with curious looks. "Uh, she thinks you're dating the guy that broke her heart. You tell me." James bluntly states.

I sigh, cursing myself for not telling her sooner. We definitely aren't dating, she wouldn't know that because I'm an idiot and hid it from her.

Lunch is filled with silence from me. My messages to Melissa being opened but not answered. She finally responds at the end of fourth period, asking if she can drive me to work.

It's our chance to talk about things so I agree.

As soon as the bell rings I'm out the door. I saunter to the parking lot, my heart beating against my rib cage.

Her car is easy to spot, parked in the same spot as always. The bright red color standing out amongst silver and white cars.

Melissa stands behind the open door, her sunglasses perched on top of her head.

"Ready?" She asks, not letting me answer before slamming the door shut.

I climb into the passenger side with slow movements. My bag lands somewhere on the floor as I buckle my seatbelt. She starts the car, the radio immediately breaking the silence.

Her hand reaches out to turn it down, pulling out of the driveway. I sit with my hands on my lap, my head leaning against the headrest. I've learned to let her take the lead, she'll when she's ready.

The drive to the mall is silent. It gives us a chance to think although her calm demeanor makes me restless. I play with a loose thread on my shirt, anything to occupy my mind.

We finally arrive, Melissa, pulling into a spot near the entrance. I don't go in for work for another half hour.

A few moments pass until she taps her manicured nails on the steering wheel.

"Were you seeing him behind my back?" Her eyes narrow as she frowns deeply. "Even after what he did?" She mutters in disbelief.

I recoil with wide eyes. "You think I would date him after seeing you so upset?" I retort, "We were never anything other than friends. That's it."

She observes me for a moment, "Obviously," She rolls her eyes. "You're not his type."

I flinch at her harsh tone, my brows tensing. "Okay?" I say, attempting to stay calm.

She's my best friend after all...

"I get it, Zoey, you two were close before I came along and took his attention away from you." I'm still dumbfounded at what she's saying. "I'm not mad, just be careful because he's probably trying to get close to me again." She shrugs as if it isn't a ridiculous accusation.

I blink a couple of times to not say anything that I will regret. What do I say to my delusional best friend who just insulted me?

"Um, nice talk Melissa."

She waves, with a smug expression. "Bye Zo." She says, reapplying her lip gloss.

I stare at her, biting back my own words. That was a waste of time and it annoyed the hell out of me. She could have yelled at me to stay away from him, not degrade me.

I inhale deeply before stepping inside for my shift at the candle store.