His Little Puppet

13 | sing

"Are you crazy?!" Asher shouted pulling me on the boat. He wrapped a towel around my cold body and hugged me tightly. Theo and Kayla were behind watching me with a worried look. I stared back at the water. I don't know what's wrong with me.

I'm crazy, right? I actually wanted to drown myself. I wanted to end all the pain, but how am I supposed to end it all and I don't feel any pain.

Not from my mother not from Jonas. It's like I'm totally okay with the fact that I was almost assaulted eleven months ago.

My wet hair stuck to my face as Asher led me into an empty cabin, locking the door. He ran his hands through his wet hair. Kayla shouldn't have called him. "What was that Leah? You almost drowned!" I shouted. I looked at him with a blank expression. His eyes filled with concern and anger. "And you don't even look like you care! You have a life that's worth living and your playing with it like it's a game!"

"You see these!" I pointed to the scars on my body. "I don't want to live with the reminder that I was almost raped!" I screamed. Tears welling in my eyes. "How am I suppose to live with this and all of it was my fault. I was a stupid bitchy teenager who only wanted attention from men! And I got it! I got what I deserved when he carved his knife into my skin!" I was sobbing at this point. I covered my face in my hands and the only sound in the room was my loud sobs. I felt the warmth of Asher when he hugged me. I cried into his shoulder and he just hugged me rubbing my back, trying to calm me down.

"Leah. You shouldn't have gone through that." Asher whispered. His fingers ran through my hair as my crying calmed down. "Thank you for saying that," I whispered. Asher watched me with soft eyes as I wiped my own eyes, now red from all the crying.

"Can we not talk about this?" I waved my hand around while sniffing. "Are you sure your okay? I can take you home." Asher asked. "Yeah." Liar. "You guys came out here to have fun and I don't want to stop that." I blinked rapidly getting up from the cushioned seat. "Okay. No drinking and no more swimming." Asher noted before we exited the cabin. We made it onto the deck where we saw Theo dancing with a half-drunk blonde.

"Hey! Where's Kayla?" I shouted over the loud music to Theo. "Hi! Where's who?'

"Kayla!" I shouted back. Theo grabbed my hand and pulled me to a less noisy part of the boat. "She's in a bathroom. She said she wasn't feeling good." I nodded my head and made my back to the cabin.

The boat speed increased as the tried the driver tried to make it to land before sunset. I knocked on a bathroom door. I heard a strained 'come in.' Kayla was hunched over the toilet seat emptying the contents from her stomach. I kneeled beside her pulling back her damp blonde hair.

I didn't see Kayla drink a lot to the point she vomited. She only had two could of her crazy alcohol mixture and that was it. Perhaps she was seasick.

She flushed the toilet when she was through and sat on the toilet pulling her hair behind her ears. "I've been vomiting for a few days know. It won't stop. I just don't know what's happening." She mumbled.

I looked at her with calculating eyes. It could be Gallbladder, stomach flu, food poisoning, or pregnancy.

Oh no...

"Kayla? Are you sure you're not pregnant?" She shook her head, her blonde hair flying around her. "No. I'm sure. I'm a virgin." She whispered. I was surprised. Kayla didn't look like the type to be a virgin. She was so wild, a social butterfly and a drinker.

"Don't be surprised, doll. I'm just not prepared to give my womanhood to someone who I know isn't going to be the right guy." She played with her fingers and I sighed leaning back against the cold cabin wall. "I wish I was like you when I lost my virginity. I was a sex-craved teenager. I didn't care who I had sex with but know I do."

Back then, I went to parties every other night and got drunk. I was wasted I got alcohol poisoning. I somehow managed to keep my grades up and party every day. I, of course, avoided my screaming mother when she found me past out on the living room floor in the middle of the night.

Kayla got up, moving a little dizzy before she balanced herself. "I'm fine." We walked out of the cabin by the time we made it back on the deck, the crowd was smaller. The boat had reached a small island and people went on the beach. Theo and Asher sat on the bow railings, waiting on us.

"Hey, guys. The bonfire is gonna start-up in a few. Here are your bags." Theo said handing us our beach bags. Asher was staring at me. Just staring at me with a neutral expression on his face. If I didn't know him I'd think he's a creep.

Then I realized. Both Asher's and Theo's hands were bruised as if they were in a fight with someone. What had happened in the little time I went to look for Kayla?

Theo and Kayla came off the boat heading to the beach. While I stayed back and spoke to Asher. "What happened when I was gone?" He looked straight ahead and shrugged. "I punched someone. Repeatedly."

"I can see that," I replied grabbing his hands and looking at his busted knuckles. I frowned at the wound and looked back up at him. "Why? Who did you punch?"

He licked his lips and stared at me. "Coby. He was speaking garbage about you, so I fixed him." He started grabbing my cheeks and pulling me close to him.

"You know that I care for you right and that I would harm anyone who thinks that they can harm you in any way." My eyes softened at the confession.

His whole possessive demeanor disappeared. It disappeared from the night in the ice cream shop. He cared for me. The boy who threatened to put a gun to my head cares for me.

We are friends. Friends that kiss a lot. I thought Asher was a narcissistic, hot asshole, turns out he's not.

I blinked at him trying to find words, but all I moved my lips nothing came out. "Come on. " Asher said leading me off the boat.

•°•°•

I stared up at the night sky counting the stars that littered the sky.

Yes, I was counting freaking stars. The bonfire was in front of me giving me heat as I sipped the sprite from my cup. I laughed as I saw theo trying to dance to some reggaeton playing on the loudspeakers.

"Leah!" Asher grabbed my hand and led me away from the bonfire. "Why are taking me? " He led me behind a huge rock. I was surprised when I saw a blanket laid out with a picnic basket.

"Wow. This is impressive. I didn't see you as a romantic type." I pushed my hair behind my ears and crouched down on the blanket. "Well, then there are somethings that you don't know about me," Asher replied taking a seat beside me. He took out A container of fruits and I smiled. "Is this a date?" I questioned raising a brow. He shrugged taking a strawberry from the container popping it into his mouth. "Maybe."

Asher watched me as I eat the grapes. I ignored him and continued eating the fruits. Once I was finished I looked at him with scrutinizing eyes. "Can I hear you sing?"

My mind went back to the conversation we had in the car. Theo said Asher can sing and this is his chance to prove it.

He hesitated for a while before he came closer to me, laying down and positioning me to lay on his chest.

Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called, "Yellow"
So then I took my turn
Oh, what a thing to have done
And it was all yellow

His chest vibrated and his voice was soft and velvety. I sounded good real good. I smiled to myself as I listened to him sing the lyrics as I stare up at his face.

I leaned closer about to kiss him when we heard a scream, Asher and I looked at each other before quickly getting up and running back to the bonfire.

________________________