Falling For Asher

8

~*~

The gym is currently being used by the cheerleaders to practice in. The rain kept me from having to walk home so I've been here for the past half hour. One of my friends is still being a b-

I glance up to see James sitting beside me. He had a meet and agreed to drive me, but we wanted to wait for those two to finish. Melissa actually lives closer to me so she would be the only to drop me off. And James would take Paige home.

For obvious reasons, he offered to take me and I'm not arguing with that.

The bleachers are put away to give them space to practice. It's uncomfortable and my legs ache but it's better than walking in the pouring rain.

"How was it?" I ask, remembering how he got stuck with helping the theatre kids.

His dirty blonde hair is hidden beneath his hood. A tired look on his face.

I don't catch his murmured words, simply laughing at his glare. My smile fades when I notice Melissa's eyes on me. Lunch was awkward between her not acknowledging me and making our friends feel like they have to take sides.

I sigh inaudibly, dropping my eyes to the ground. "I need your words of wisdom."

When I don't receive a response, I lift my head to look at James. His attention is trained on one of the girls on the team, the same one that was flirting with him at the party. Her cheeks are pink as she bites her lip to hide a smile.

I nudge his causing him to raise an eyebrow in question. "Yes?"

"What was that?" I ask incredulously.

"Scarlett?"

I nod, waiting for him to brush me off.

This time he smiles and shrugs. "We're talking." He tells me.

I lift my head quickly, "What about Melissa?" I ask warily. "I mean, are you sure your feelings for her-"

James cuts me off with his hand over my mouth. I frown, my brows tensing as he chuckles.

"I thought I liked her because of the kiss we shared during the summer." He notices my confusion. "It was nothing, to me it was because we became close and I thought we could ease into a relationship." He explains.

I listen, not having much of a choice.

"I realized that it was pure infatuation, and messing with our friendship would ruin it all."

James pulls his hand away, wiping it on his pants. I roll my eyes but am filled with relief. Happy to know that he has met someone even if it's in the beginning stages.

I lean my head back on the wall to look at him better. "As long as you're happy."

He lays his head against mine, complaining about how tired he is. I could go for a nap, just seeing them do the same routine repeatedly makes me feel tired.

The rain slows down just enough for us to leave before practice is over. We're both uncomfortable from sitting on the hard floor. Paige jogs towards us with Scarlett, letting her and James talk.

She pulls me aside, "Melissa says she's sorry." Her lips are pressed in a tight line.

I roll my eyes, of course, she did. "She has my number," I tell her. "I want to hear it from her."

Paige nods, with a light scoff. "She's being childish, give her time."

I agree with a forced smile, seeing Mel with a deep frown. Yet she made snide remarks all day and made sure to leave me out of every conversation.

It's confusing, knowing that I'm not imagining her actions. It would suck to not have her by my side after how much we've been through. And I just want to know what I can do to make things right.

"Zoey, let's go," James calls out.

I pick up my bag and follow him out. The skies are dark and it's drizzling when we step outside. The parking lot is basically empty at this point.

The drive is anything but quiet, James makes me laugh and forget about everything else.

When I push the front door open I expect Candice to greet me. It's quiet, all of the lights off except the one in their bedroom. My dads' car isn't in the driveway so I know he's not here.

After changing into comfortable clothes I stand in front of her door. Knocking a few times, she could be taking a nap although that's not usual for her.

I turn to leave but pause at the sound of sobbing coming from their bathroom. The door is locked and I panic, knocking a few more times.

There's shuffling behind the door before it's pulled open. Candice has red puffy eyes, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Wh-"

"I can't have kids." She manages to get out before covering her mouth with a whimper.

My face drops, trying to process her words. "What?" I gasp.

She enters the room, grabbing some papers before turning to me. I take them from her hands, reading a lot of technical terms. I get the basics though, she's infertile.

"I can't give you a sibling, Zoey."

I breathe in to calm down, chewing on my bottom lip. "That's fine.." I say lightly.

She shakes her head, sitting at the edge of the bed with her head in her hands.

I walk slowly, not being the best at comforting people. The bed shifts when I sit with a good amount of space between us. She must be heartbroken and I feel so useless.

"I'm not too informed on this topic, but there are other options. Right?" I ask quietly.

She nods, wiping her eyes before sighing and staring blankly at the wall. "I just feel devastated because we've been trying for years and your father was convinced it was his fault," she takes a deep breath before continuing. "He got checked and everything was fine. I'm so selfish." She mutters.

"It was me all along yet I was so against seeing a doctor because it would make it real."

The hum of cars driving by crates some kind of white noise. I bring myself to reality, my heart aching painfully.

Candice stands up abruptly, retying her hair and wiping under her eyes. "We'll be okay," She murmurs, almost to herself more than to me.

I give her a sympathetic smile, nodding at her positive words.

I'm ushered out of the room while she showers and gets it together. I offered to cook dinner so that she could rest and not worry about it. It was worth the try but she didn't want my dad to think anything was wrong.

I sit on my bed with my phone in hand, searching on what options are available for Candice. Instead of studying for a test I have tomorrow in History class.

There are too many words I'm unfamiliar with and I feel a headache coming on with how much I read. I understood getting a surrogate, and adoption. Apparently, those aren't the only alternatives.

I hear the front door open and close seconds later. My dads' voice is faint from my bedroom. I toss my phone on the bed, trudging down the stairs. The kitchen smells amazing, my stomach grumbling as a reminder that I haven't eaten yet.

"Hey dad," I say, leaning over the counter.

He finishes greeting Candice, her eyes glistening with a genuine smile. Dad kisses my forehead before telling us that he has to change out of his clothes.

Dinner is good and we watch a singing competition in the living room afterward. Despite knowing the news, I don't let it affect my mood. Candice seems to be holding it together and I can only hope that dad supports her through it.

Not that he wouldn't, I have never seen a person so in love like the two of them are with each other. It would be amazing to have what they have in the future.

Someday.