Chapter 13: Detention

ADDY

Yesterday, Asher wasn’t there when I stepped out of the shower. I felt a twinge of disappointment, but I shrugged it off and crawled into bed.

Today is her birthday.

Which also means it’s Asher’s birthday.

~Shit.~

My eyes pop open and I bolt out of bed, knocking over a few things in my rush to the bathroom. I get ready in a hurry, swiping on some pink lip gloss and mascara.

First period is biology and Ms. Burn has zero tolerance for tardiness. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and head to the window.

Asher is in his room…asleep.

~No way!~

My heart starts to race and my inner stalker rears its head.

~You want to wish him a happy birthday with a kiss before you leave for school. He won’t wake up now, he has a free period.~

But I’m still mad at him…and it’s kind of creepy.

~You’ve spent so much time with him, though. He flirts with you, hangs around you, drapes his arm over your shoulder... what harm could a little kiss do?~

“~Just one kiss, baby!~” the voice in my head pleads. I huff, dropping my bag from my shoulder.

~Just one kiss...~

I open my window and climb into the tree between our houses, reaching for his windowsill.

~Don’t look down, you’ll freak out!~

I bite my lip hard before finally making it to the other side, climbing in through the open window.

I glance at Asher’s bed to see him sleeping peacefully.

~How can someone look so damn good in the morning?~

I walk over slowly, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Happy birthday, Asher,” I whisper, taking in his handsome face.

~What am I doing!~

~This is so creepy... I need to get out of here before he wakes up and catches me staring.~

I stand up to leave, but suddenly I’m yanked back down. I almost scream, but manage to keep quiet. My breathing becomes ragged and I swallow hard.

~Shit, how am I going to explain this? Hey, Asher! I just came in here to kiss you, but chickened out and gave you a birthday kiss on the cheek instead!~

I cringe, turning in Asher’s arms.

“I was just—” I stop mid-sentence when I see his eyes are still closed.

~Is he still asleep?~

I smile, deciding to take advantage of the situation to study his face a little longer. I notice every tiny detail that makes him so attractive.

His long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, and there’s a small scar just under his left eye.

~How have I never noticed that before?~

“My baby, my woman,” Asher murmurs, still asleep, as he rolls over on top of me.

~Oh my God, what the hell!~

Who is his baby, his woman? Jealousy slams into me and I try to push him off, but his grip only tightens. I’m stuck.

~How am I going to get out of this?~

My watch ticks, reminding me I need to get to school.

~Should I just wake him up?~

Suddenly, he buries his face in my neck, and I swear my heart stops.

~Oh, fuck…~

If I stay, I’ll definitely die from the heat radiating from his body. It’s too tempting.

After a struggle, I manage to pull away and sneak back into my room without waking him.

~That was too close!~ I think to myself as I head to school, my face burning with embarrassment.

~I hope he never finds out.~

***

I bite my lip hard, trying to focus on the math problem in front of me.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, stomping my foot in frustration.

“What?” Kaylee asks, looking up from her own paper.

“I hate math! Why can’t my stupid brain understand this? It can’t be that hard, right?” I complain.

Kaylee just laughs before looking nervous.

“What?” I ask, now curious.

“I can help you,” she offers.

I turn to her, mouth agape. A moment later, I burst into laughter. ~Kaylee, helping me with math?~

“Miss Reina, focus on your work! You’re turning it in when class ends.”

My eyes widen at our teacher’s comment, and I quickly look down at my paper. Then I see Kaylee looking back down at her sheet.

“Psst!” Kaylee raises an eyebrow at me, not looking too offended. She knows why I laughed, after all.

If anyone hates math more than me, it’s definitely Kaylee.

“You hate math more than I do. Why would you want to tutor me now?”

Kaylee giggles nervously, and my curiosity spikes.

“Well, Blake tutored me…”

I gape at her.

“WHAT?” I yell, and every head in the classroom turns to me.

“DETENTION!” Mr. Rockbut yells, pointing at me.

~Oh, come on!~

I huff in annoyance.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse, the door swings open to reveal a very good-looking Asher.

My mouth waters at the sight.

“Asher King, you are not in my class!” Mr. Rockbut grumbles at Asher, but Asher just smirks and looks my way.

My classmates notice and all turn to me for an explanation.

“Unfortunately not, but I’m here for her.” He casually points at me and my teacher looks at me, waiting for an answer.

~Oh, shit!~

“Uh, what?” I quickly look at him, then at Asher, before hiding behind my book.

“Buttercup, we gotta go.” Asher strides toward me with purpose, shoving my stuff into my bag and slinging it over his shoulder. When I don’t rise, he gently takes my hand, pulling me to my feet.

I spot Kaylee out of the corner of my eye, giving me a thumbs-up. Asher leads me toward the door while Mr. Rockbut hollers about our unacceptable behavior. But honestly, I couldn’t care less as we exit, letting the classroom door slam shut behind us.

~How am I ever going to face math class again?~

“Asher?” I question, giving his hand a tug.

“Hmm…”

I let out an exasperated sigh.

~Is he not going to tell me where we’re going?~

“Where are we headed?”

Asher slows his pace slightly.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out!”

I yank my hand away, a bit peeved, before the events of the day flood back into my mind.

~Stupid, stupid... why do I forget things so quickly?~

My cheeks heat up the more I dwell on it.

Asher spins around, catching sight of my flushed face before I can regain my composure.

“Ah, Buttercup remembers her actions this morning, I see. Am I right?”

I jerk my head up to meet his gaze. We’ve stopped in front of a row of lockers.

“H-how... I-I mean...” I can’t form a coherent sentence as he flashes me his signature smirk, stepping closer.

I step back.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” I stammer, praying I misunderstood him.

Asher continues to close the distance and I retreat, until I back into a locker.

~Shit.~

He doesn’t stop, though.

“You sure you don’t recall what I’m referring to, Buttercup?”

His minty breath washes over my face, and I inhale sharply, holding my breath.

“No, heh, sadly not... should we get moving?”

I attempt to push him away, but he’s immovable. His hands find my hips, holding me in place.

“I think I’m owed another kiss on the cheek.”

My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as his words sink in.

~He knows about this morning.~

~Holy freaking crap!~

~I’m screwed.~