Ch. 9: Awkward Moments & Breakups

The last twenty minutes have been the longest twenty minutes in my entire life. After Asher read about my mom's case, we haven't spoken since. It is kind of to be expected, though. I can't exactly blame him for not wanting to make eye contact with me right now. Finding out someone's mother was murdered takes 1st place in the most awkward and uncomfortable situations in the history of time. He probably has no idea what to say. After a half hour of sitting in complete silence has passed, I feel like I am going to lose my freaking mind if someone doesn't say something. Looking over at Asher, who has been staring at the door for God knows how long, I realize I am going to have to be the one to clear the air.

"Look, Asher..." I am interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. Perfect timing. I grab it and see that Char is calling me. Frowning, I decide to answer. Char wouldn't be calling me if it weren't important. My mind immediately drifts to Char going to break up with Lucas, and I answer in a hurry.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kay! It's Char. Ugh, I don't even know why I said that. Of course, you knew it was me. Duh! Caller ID," she rambles.

"Char! What's wrong?" I ask, interrupting her rambling.

"Right. Sorry. Hope I didn't interrupt anything when I called," she teases. I roll my eyes. I can just imagine her smirking and wiggling her eyebrows on the other end of the call.

"Char, seriously, what's wrong?" I ask, hoping she would get to the point. The girl is a freaking chatterbox!

"Noah's car got a flat tire on our way to the pizza place. We are about ten minutes down the road, I think. Noah asked me to call and ask Asher if he could bring a spare tire. He forgot to replace the last spare he had in his car, so we are desperate. Since I didn't have Asher's number, I called you to ask," she says.

"Hold on a sec, let me check." I say into the phone, before looking over at Asher. He gives me a confused look. "Noah has a flat and wants to know if you could drive out and bring a spare?" I relay the information to him. He nods, getting up to put on his shoes and grab his keys. I bring the phone back to my ear and tell Char he's on his way. I ask her to drop a pin of her location before hanging up.

"So, are you coming or what?" I look over at the door where Asher is. I quickly grab my phone and keys but stop for a second.

"Hey Asher?" He turns back around to face me. "We're good right? You know after earlier..." I trail off, not really knowing what to say. He seems to understand.

"I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're concerned about. It's not my business," he reassures me. I smile and feel relieved. I don't like having to put my trust in Asher, but I push aside my fears. I just have to take his word for it. We walk down the stairs and out the front door. I smile when Asher opens the passenger door for me.

"What? Why can't I ride in the back? Dang, I was so looking forward to the full chauffeur experience." I joke. Asher laughs and shakes his head at me.

"Just get in the damn car, Davis," he replies, while still smiling.

"Oh my god! Is that a smile?" The smile quickly drops from his face and his cheeks flush the tiniest bit. Damn, maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut.

I really wish he would smile more. He is so freaking attractive when he does. Well, maybe not. I don't need any further reminders on how good looking the boy standing next to me is.

I laugh, and slide into the seat. Asher closes my door before jogging around to the driver's side. I look over at him, as he starts the car.

"I hope you know this is going to affect the rating I give you at the end." I tease. He chuckles.

"Shut up, Makayla," he says. The audacity! I laugh to myself as we drive. Mental reminder to thank Charlotte for breaking up the awkward silence.

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After about ten minutes of driving, Asher pulls up behind Noah's car on the side of the road. Char waves me over once I get out of the car. While Noah goes to help Asher get his spare tire out of the car, Char pulls me off to the side.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your study date but thank you so much for coming. We seriously owe you both," she exclaims.

"First of all, it wasn't a study date. I also didn't really do anything. Asher drove and had the spare tire. I'm just here for moral support." I reply.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever you say, Makayla. I saw how nervous he got when he saw you. Trust me, it was a date. It was in his mind, at least," she argues.

"Okay, I'm not having this argument. If you say it was a date, I'm going to let you believe that." I say, just to shut her up.

"So, we were on a date then?" I whip my head around and Asher is standing there, along with Noah. Honestly, I'm not even surprised at this point. This boy is always around at the worst possible moment.

"No! Char said, and then I was just trying, ugh! Forget it. It was NOT a date, is what I'm trying to say." I spit out.

"Sure, sweetheart, but if you wanted to go out with me, all you had to do was ask," he winks at me, as he walks away with the tire. Okay. Cocky Asher is back. I was starting to miss him. Not. Asher and I might be starting to become civil with one another, but that is it. I am not about to be another one in a long line of girls who have fallen for Asher Thomas's charm.

"I don't know about you, but watching Noah change that tire is oddly hot to me." Char remarks, breaking me out of my daze.

"Wait, what?" I question her logic.

"I'm serious! It says a lot about a guy who is good with his hands." Char says, then winks at me. I can't help but laugh at that. Eventually Char joins in, and we are laughing hysterically. Count on Char to always crack me up.

"What's got you girls laughing so hard?" Noah chimes in, walking over to us. Char and I look at each other and immediately start laughing again. Noah only smiles as Char laughs. Char has the kind of laugh that is contagious, so it takes me a moment to calm down and quiet the laughter. Asher walks over and stands next to me, our arms brushing slightly. I tense up, not liking the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. I slightly move to the side, trying not to make it obvious that his presence beside me has me feeling unsettled. If Asher notices, he doesn't say anything.

"So, Char and I were headed to 'Just a Slice'. She needs to talk to someone there, but we were going to get a bite to eat after. Do you guys want to come with?" Noah suggests. Asher nods his head at the idea. Char's smile drops, remembering her impending breakup with Lucas. We share a look, and Char nods, letting me know it's okay to tag along. I know she wants to handle this breakup on her own terms, so I make a mental note to just be a shoulder of support when all is said and done. I'll just focus on food. At that thought, my stomach starts to grumble. I didn't even realize I was hungry until now.

Char and Noah head over to Noah's car and get in. Asher and I get into his car, following behind.

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The bell above the door chimes as we walk into 'Just a Slice', the go-to pizza place in our college's town. I slide into a booth, as Asher sits next to me. Char keeps on walking, as she spots Lucas seated in a booth nearby. Not wanting to get involved, I look down, finding my menu to be more interesting. Every now and then, I look up, just to make sure she is all right. The waitress quickly comes up to us, writing down our drink orders before walking away.

"So, did you guys end up finding a case to research?" Noah asks, trying to start some conversation, in his own attempt to not stare over at Char and Lucas. Bless his heart, but that was the worst thing that could have come out of his mouth at this moment. Asher coughs awkwardly.

"So, do we want to split a pizza or are we all getting individual pies?" I ask, avoiding Noah's question completely. Noah looks at me in confusion, but I quickly look back down at my menu. Realizing that I was trying to change the subject, Asher followed suit. Him and Noah started discussing football plays, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I sigh in relief that the focus is off me for a second when I feel Asher's hand brush against my knee. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye and see him smirking. That cheeky little shit. Not letting him have the satisfaction, I scooch away, acting like I'm just trying to get comfortable. I crane my neck, trying to get a look at Char and Lucas a couple of tables down. The conversation looks like it is getting a little heated. Lucas is quietly yelling at Charlotte, while she attempts to diffuse the already tense conversation. I notice Asher frown for a second at my actions, before looking at what has my attention. As Char and Lucas's conversation turns from hushed whispers to full on shouting in the middle of the restaurant, I quickly jump up.

"Lucas, if you would just calm down, we can talk about this outside. There's no reason to draw attention." Char says, getting out of the booth. She tries to grab a hold of Lucas's arm, but he shoves her. Char falls back against the table, hitting her back hard. She flinches in pain. I stand up now, stepping in between her and Liam, with both Asher and Noah by our sides.

"Don't touch me, slut! Showing up here with Noah?? I knew you were fooling around behind my back. I just figured you had at least some decency not to go after one of my teammates," he screams in her face.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Don't you dare talk to her that way! If I see you lay another hand on her, I swear you won't live long enough to see some playing time, you little bitch!" I shout, pushing him away from her.

His face contorts in anger. He lunges at me, ready to swing, but before he makes contact, Asher intervenes, punching him square in the jaw. Lucas falls to the ground; his second-string football player buddies, who were lingering nearby, help him up, as he wipes at the blood dripping from his bottom lip.

"Now, I'm gonna give you two choices. You can either walk your ass out of here or you can take a nice little joy ride in an ambulance because if you so much as try and lay a hand on Makayla or Charlotte again, I will break every bone in your scrawny, little body." Asher says. His tone is cold, lacking any emotion.

"I got 911 on speed dial, Lucas. Just let me know if I should press call?" Noah speaks up, holding his phone. Lucas looks like he is really considering staying here and attempting to fight Asher, but he thinks better of it and turns to leave. Asher is the captain and star player of the football team. It wouldn't be smart of Lucas to piss off someone who holds so much power and influence around campus.

"Have fun with my sloppy seconds," he directs his comment at Noah before walking towards the door. Screw playing nice. I start to chase after him, wanting to make him hurt for the nasty things he said about Charlotte, but two arms wrap around me before I can get too close.

"Easy there, killer. He's not worth it." Asher says, loosening his grip after Lucas is out the door. I whip around to face him, pissed off.

"Why'd you stop me? I could've taken him!" I snap, crossing my arms across my chest.

He only laughs at my comment. "Oh, I know you could've. I was worried about him," he jokes with a smile on his face. I feel my anger deflate, as I can't help but laugh. Asher's right. Lucas isn't worth it. I turn my attention to Char, who is still shaken up. Noah is whispering in her ear, and whatever he says must help. Her face brightens, as she gives a small smile.

"Are you okay, Char?" I ask, concerned. She nods, as I give her a hug.

"Yeah, I knew that wasn't going to be an easy talk, and I knew he wouldn't handle it well. I just didn't think it would escalate that quickly." Char sighs frustrated, running a hand through her long blonde hair, in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I know, but I am so proud of you and how you dealt with it. You deserve so much better than a guy like that." I reassure her. She smiles and nods in agreement.

"Okay, enough talk about Lucas. He's not worth my breath. Can we sit down and order some food? I want to move past this awful breakup, and pizza is a good start!" Char jokes, attempting to lighten the situation. I laugh, throwing my arms around my best friend, as we make our way back to our booth.