School had been closed for a week because of the protest that happened. Ashley had spent most of her time with Justin which also meant that she had noticed that he was feeling a bit down and she wanted to prevent him from doing anything stupid.
Ashley had barely walked through the front doors of Liberty High before she was called into the counselor's office where the Foundry was sitting.
"Either you tell me that you were the instigator of the riot or you tell me why Clay has been destroying things, and specifically my car."
"I don't know why you expect me to say anything.", she scoffed loudly.
"Well, let me put it like this. If you don't tell me what you know, I will have to assume that you were involved which will have some serious consequences."
"Oh, so now you're threatening me?", she asked with raised eyebrows. "I'm not threatening you, I'm just saying that this information is significant.", he said with a sigh, he knew that she wasn't going to tell him anything. She was way too stubborn.
An awkward silence filled the room as she, for a second, contemplated telling him that it was Clay who was the instigator. She stopped herself though, when she remembered that if she betrayed Clay then she would have nothing left, everyone would leave her.
"You could get expelled, Miss Bennett. You wouldn't get into any colleges and you would probably end up at a fast food restaurant. I've seen your grades and they are spectacular, many colleges crave for students like you and I would hate to see it go to waste.", he said as he leaned back in his chair.
"You know what? Fuck you, I'm not letting you guilt trip me into doing what you want.", Ashley said with a scoff as she rose from the chair and stormed out of his office.
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"What do you mean you're not coming to prom?", Ashley asked as she walked into Clay and Justin's house. "I've been trying for an hour, he's not gonna budge.", Clay said as he ran around trying to find his coat.
"I don't feel like going to a high school dance. You look super pretty though.", Justin said with a small smile as he put down his book on the bed that he was laying on. He had chosen this form fitting dark red dress himself so he was very happy that she was wearing it.
"Are you okay?", she asked as the small lump in her stomach grew. Maybe he was high? "I can literally see the gears turning in your head, my love.", he chuckled. "I'm not on anything, I'm not high, I just don't feel like going out.", he said as he stroked her chin.
"But... it's our last prom before we go to college.", she said quietly. "I'm... worried about you.", she added with a frown. "Yeah, I'm worried about me too, baby."
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After talking with Jess and Ani for bit, Ashley, Charlie, Alex and Clay walked to the bar to get something to drink. As they were ordering drinks, Zach and a girl that she had never seen before walked up to them.
"Hey, guys! What's up?", he greeted excitedly. "We're all at the same table down that-a-way. I ate all the dinner rolls 'cause I gotta get some food in. This is Presmella.", Ashley recognized the way his pupils dilated because she had once looked like that herself. He was high.
"Presmilla.", he corrected with a laugh. "Going to the bathroom to do coke. That is a true story.", he said as he walked away with Presmilla.
"Is she...?"
"Did he bring...?"
"That is definitely a hooker.", Charlie said with a frown.
"Is he alright?", Ashley asked. "Probably not.", Alex shrugged.
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Ashley was leaning against the wall while looking at the other couples slow dancing. Her thoughts got the best of her and she started thinking about how different her life would be right now if Monty was still alive and if Justin continued to date Jess.
She would've never broken up with him if Justin wasn't in the picture and she would've never moved to New York. She would probably been stuck in her hometown with Monty. They would've had kids and those kids were going to grow up with a father that beat their mom so badly that she had to take drugs and drink alcohol to cope. Or she would've killed herself before they got to the point in their relationship where they wanted to have kids, Montgomery had always been too scared to have kids because he was so afraid to turn out like his father.
And he did. He was exactly like his father. He became his own worst nightmare. It was a sad sight to see him shift into his father's ways and habits.
Jess and Justin would've ended up getting married and living a perfect life while Ashley would see their pictures on Instagram and curse herself for being to weak to leave her own relationship.
Little did she know that while she was drowning in her own thoughts, Justin was trying on his suit for the prom.
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Ashley felt a knock on her shoulder and when she turned around, she felt like her prayers had been answered. Justin was standing behind her dressed in a white tuxedo and a big smile on his lips.
"You came!", she gushed as she embraced her boyfriend. The happiness that radiated from Ashley was the exact reason why Justin had finally decided to come even though he really wasn't feeling well.
"I promised you, didn't I?"
When a more upbeat song started playing, all the students gathered on the dance floor, jumping and screaming like never before. Justin was spinning Ashley around and just having a great time. Ashley had never been this happy before. She was graduating, leaving the town that she hated and she had someone that she truly loved and cared for. She was finally complete.
Ashley was having so much fun that she hadn't noticed that Justin had suddenly stopped jumping around. Ashley was having so much fun that she hadn't noticed that Justin had fell to the ground. It was finally when Jessica started screaming her name when she noticed that he wasn't moving.
No. No. No... This wasn't supposed to happen... not now...
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Hello!
I am so so so sorry that I haven't written on this story for over a year, I've had the biggest writers block of the century but I am back now to write the last chapters of this story. Get ready for tears is all I'm saying.
Thank you for being so patient with me.
Don't forget to vote and comment!
-elise
YOU ARE READING
perfect? - montgomery de la cruz
Fanfiction"I was so busy trying to protect you that I couldn't see that I needed to be protected FROM you."
