Almost instantly, Ashton jumps from the stool and hides behind me, or tries to. I ignore the wimp and look at my wristwatch. It's not even seven-thirty in the evening.
Dad made it home early. But he never comes home before ten. Not on Mondays or Fridays, and especially no on weekends. At least not in the last ten years.
I pinch my wrist. Nope, I'm not dreaming.
"What's that chipmunk doing in my kitchen?" He points at the boy behind me. Ashton tries to hide his body behind me farther. "And why are you all looking at me like that?"
"You are home dad," Kat says.
Dad looks confused. "Of course I am. Isn't this where I live?"
"You're home before ten," mom points out. She sounds almost broken.
Dad rolls his eyes and takes a seat. "The operation was finished early. I thought I'll surprise you guys by coming before dinner, but you know the traffic."
"How did you get in?" Mom asks.
"Spare key." Like old times. But he doesn't say that.
The room falls silent. Mom and Kat seem to forget about Ashton's presence behind me. Hats off to my family for such an amazing first-time expression. I don't turn around to face him. Who knows what he's thinking of our family.
"But you don't seem pleased to see me," dad says.
"It's not like that," I manage to say. "We're just surprised. In a good way. We thought you were feeling sick or something."
"No I'm fine," then he looks at Ashton. "Actually, I was fine until I saw him. Seriously Kiara, isn't one Derek enough for you and the rest of us?"
"Dad! Ashton is just a friend."
"Yes sir," Ashton nods. "I came here to discuss something with Kiara, but then Agnes told me to stay over for dinner."
"Yes I did," mom says and crosses her arms. "Is that a problem now?"
Dad shakes his head and glances at Ashton, his eyebrows furrow. "Ashton, you said?" Ashton warily nods. "As in Ashton Fellan? Son of-"
Ashton rushes. "No sir, I know what you might be thinking, but no, he's my uncle. We-our families are very close you see-" He chuckles nervously.
What was that?
Dad doesn't press him more and glances at us. "Anyway I'm starved, dinner smells good-" He reaches for a plate but mom slaps his hand away. Dad looks annoyed. "Now what was that for?!"
"You were in the hospital the whole day," Mom says.
"Yes, that's where I work. So?"
"So?" Mom glares at him. "So you'll go and shower first before touching anything from the table."
"Okay okay, I'll go and take a shower first," dad sighs dramatically and leaves the kitchen.
"And the rest of us will continue our dinner," she says once he's gone.
"I didn't think your mom had it in her, hats off to her," Ashton mutters.
I smile. "You should see her every morning."
"I won't be surprised. I mean raising a daughter like you-" I cock a brow. "Let's just finish our food before it gets cold. We have a lot to discuss after."
I nod. Bracing myself for whatever's coming next.
Mom waits for dad to come downstairs as the rest of us finish our dinners.
Kat goes out to the pool for a few more laps before going to bed. I take Ashton to my room.
"Leave your bedroom door open," mom shouts after us.
"I know mom!" I hiss. She couldn't be more embarrassing, could she? Ashton chuckles and follows me.
"Sometimes I think she forgets that I do have a boyfriend."
"I'm not surprised. I mean people hardly see you and Derek together," Ashton says. "No one will be surprised if you two have broken up already."
I glare at him. "Our relationship is none of your business."
Ashton raises both hands. "Relax I was just joking, no need to get your knickers twisted."
I ignore the sass and climb up the stairs. "We're not like other couples. Derek and I," I inform him. "We like to keep our relationship private."
"Sure," Ashton says in a mocking tone. "When was the last time you talked to him?"
"Huh?"
"Derek. When was the last time you guys spoke? Or even see each other?"
"I saw him at lunch yesterday, but he couldn't join us because the football team wanted him to have lunch with them," I shrug. "He texted me yesterday afternoon saying they have to practice all afternoon and told me to manage a ride home." I don't know what he has to do with any of it. "That's the last time we had a conversation."
Even though it hurts a little, I know it's important for his new role, to bond with his team and spend more time with practice as the matches will be starting from the end of the month, so I let him be.
Ashton looks like he's in deep thought.
"Everything okay?" I ask him. He looks at me and shakes his heads.
"Everything's fine," he says, but he looks like he's holding something back.
I don't press him and open the door of my room. Ashton steps in and takes in everything in my room. There is nothing special about it. It has a bed, a nightstand, a desk, a bookshelf beside the desk, and a closet with an attached bathroom inside. There's a window opposite my bed. The walls are painted white, there're a few posters of my favorite bands in them, and my High School Survival Theory.
Oh no! He can't see it.
'Too bad, cause he's already reading it.' My brain points.
I jump in front of him and take it down from the wall and throw it inside the closet. I close the doors and lean back against it.
"I'm guessing it wasn't your undergarments hanging on the wall?" Ashton teases amusedly. He walks closer and stops in front of me.
Of course, he read it. "Fuck off."
I push him away. "Just be finished with whatever you came for."
"We'll get back to it. After you tell me what it was."
"I told you this before, Ashton," I say. "Do not try to invade my personal life."
I walk past him to my bed and sit down.
"As you say, Snow."Ashton sits down on the spinning chair and whirls it around a three-sixty degree.
"Really?" I watch him with disbelief.
"Yeah, I get it. It has something to do with old Kiara and her friends."
I snort. "Old Kiara?"
He crosses his arms behind his back and leans on the chair. "You know the one from the rumors?"
Yeah right.
Grisbee walks in right then and plays with the hem of my pants, eyeing Ashton from the corner of her eyes.
Her majesty doesn't like to wait for the rest of us for dinner. I think she had her dinner something like two hours ago and went wherever she goes all the time. Sometimes I think she's a witch disguised as a cat.
Ashton looks at Grisbee curiously. He smiles and offers her a hand.
My eyes widen. Wrong move. The last time Derek tried that she scratched him. She doesn't like strangers, even if they're cats. Miles never comes within a ten-meter radius around her.
Ashton lets out some kind of noise as he holds out a hand for her. I hold my breath and watch the scene before me. Grisbee hasn't done anything yet. She eyes Ashton's hand for a long time, and then-
I close my eyes. Even though I'm not exactly a big fan of Ashton, I can't watch while my cat murders him.
A minute passes, nothing happens. Then, Grisbee purrs. I open my eyes in surprise. Grisbee raises two paws in his hands and lets him pet her.
That traitor! "There you go good girl," Ashton says and looks at me. "She's a girl, right?"
I nod. I think I lost my voice. What kind of wizardry is this? And here I thought Ashton was capable of charming human females only.
Grisbee rubs her face against his leg when he lets go of her paws before running out of the room.
"What?" Ashton asks, his smile flattens when he sees my pale face.
"Nothing," I shake my head. I must be hallucinating. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Ashton stares like I'm the lab rat of his biology project that he needs to kill next. Except he doesn't have biology in his schedule this year.
"Ashton?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"I wanted to talk about this morning."
"What about this morning?" I ask.
"I was supposed to go with you to your meeting today," He mumbles.
Is he for real?
I roll my eyes and lean closer.
"Yeah, you were," I jab a finger on his chest, only to regret it immediately. His chest is fucking too hard. "You were also supposed to give me a ride to school. I was late today just because of you!"
Ashton opens his mouth. "Y-yeah, I know- It was-just-just you know-"
"I know what?" I ask.
The tips of his ears turn red. "Speak!" I demand.
That catches him off guard. "Okay don't kill me, Please!" Ashton pleads and falls on his knees.
I smirk, I didn't know I was this lucky to see this day. Ashton kneeling in front of me, begging for my mercy.
"I know I was supposed to pick you up this morning, but you see," he draws an index on the floor. "There was this party last night. And I went there and you know- what happened-" he pauses. His eyes plead to me, telling me to read his situation myself.
My smirk broadens. I'm so gonna enjoy torturing him. "You got laid?"
"Hey don't say it like that! That sounds-" he makes a face. "Okay yeah. I did. And then this morning, when I woke up I found myself in a stranger's bed with a girl-"
"Oh cut the details!" I grimace. I don't want to hear the end of it.
"If you say so," Ashton says. "So then I had this bad hangover, I found myself in a stranger's house and it was already twelve. I guessed your meeting ended by then."
"No shit Sherlock," I roll my eyes. "But what does it have to do with me?"
"Well-well you should've called me!" Ashton stomps his foot.
"And?" I raise a brow.
"And I'm sorry to keep you waiting." He finishes. "But you really should've called me. I'm a very light sleeper. I would've woken up by one call."
"Sure I would've called you if I had your number."
Ashton blinks. "We didn't exchange our numbers yesterday?"
I shake my head.
"Then what're we still waiting for?" Ashton gets his phone out and we exchange our numbers.
I save his number on my phone. Ass. I smile. The name suits him perfectly.
Then I look over at him. "Honestly Ashton, I don't think you should come to our meetings."
"But why?" He asks. I glance at his phone. He saves my number as Snow.
It doesn't look like I'm getting rid of that ridiculous nickname anytime soon.
"No one wants to have an outsider ear around," I explain. "I know where your concern is, but I talked to the printing guy, he said he had printed whatever we left for him to print. For all, we know it can be an innocent prank."
"But it's not a prank!"
"And how do you know that?"
"Because I don't think it's going to finish with me. I-I think they're planning something. And they'll do it again."
I snort. "Cause you're the president's son."
Ashton narrows his eyes. "You're not taking my words seriously," he mumbles. "I'm not talking about myself. It can be anyone. And they're using your committee as bait here."
"We'll think about it when it'll happen next time. And clearly, there won't be the next time."
Ashton crosses his arms. "We'll see."
* * * *
'Cheer Queen or Hooker Queen'
The headline says. My eyes fall on the name of the person who wrote it. Miles Stewards.
"What're we going to do now?" Payton asks me. I don't give her an immediate answer.
I feel someone's burning gaze on my back. I turn around and find him leaning against his locker with a satisfied 'told ya so' look on his face.
Owen and Nyako are swallowing up the newspaper in front of him like everyone else in the hallway. They're all reading the same article Luca and Payton shove on my face when I walk into school on the following Monday.
Clearly, Ashton wasn't lying when he said it was not going to finish with just him.
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Thoughts?