for treating Elly like that,” I said, pleased that she had the decency to look somewhat guilty. “And so would my dad.”
Without waiting for a response, I stalked off towards the school entrance so I could get my shirt out of my car. I couldn’t believe the kind of person Ash had become. And the thing that frustrated me the most was that she couldn’t see it. The Ashton I used to know would never put someone down like that. She’d be the one jumping in to stop it, but now she was the one who started it.
I kicked the chain link fence that enclosed the school and leaned against it, ignoring the looks that I was getting from the other students. Shirtless or not, I still got the looks. They all thought I was someone to be avoided. Little old ladies crossed the street when they saw me coming. Putting a shirt on wouldn’t change that.
“Is there a reason why you don’t have a shirt on?” a voice said from behind me. “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know that Stacey was standing behind me. I’d know her voice anywhere. We’d been friends since middle school and “friends with benefits” for the last year. Stace wanted to take our relationship to the next level, but I wasn’t looking to commit. I mean, there was nothing wrong with Stace. She was a nice looking girl with dark red hair, a cu rvy figure, and tawny brown eyes.
I just didn’t wanna get serious with her or take her out on dates and hold her hand. I cared about her, but I wasn’t in love with her. We worked fine just the way we were.
Besides, ever since Stace and me had started hooking up, Riley had been acting strange. If he’d had an interest in Stace before that, he’d never shown it, but now I could see the way his gaze would linger on her whenever she was close. Maybe it’d taken Stace to be with another guy for him to realize that he liked her. If he had feelings for her, he needed to tell her.
I shot Stace a half-smile as she joined me. “Ashton Summers.”
Stace’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you two have se—”
“No, nothing like that,” I cut her off, trying to ignore the rush I felt from being associated with Ashton and sex. “She just does my head in.”
“That’s a relief, but it still doesn’t explain why you’re not wearing a shirt.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She threw coffee on Elly, so I gave Elly my shirt.”
Stace’s expression darkened. “You’re joking! She can’t be that horrible, can she?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Oh, I can believe it. Ashton’s an insufferable little brat. She goes around acting like she owns the world in her little cheerleading skirt.”
Damn. Ash in her tiny skirt was something I couldn’t ignore. She showed off those long legs of hers knowing very well the effect she had on the male population of the school. Even I wasn’t impervious to it.
“She needs a good kick to the head,” Stace was saying. “I can’t stand her.”
Maybe I was holding onto an image of the little girl I used to know and not wanting to see the reality of who she’d grown into. I was holding out for her, hoping she’d change and prove everyone wrong. That’s why I was so angry. Because I wanted her to be someone she clearly wasn’t.
God, I was such a dumb prick. There was no hope for that girl.
“Yeah, I know,” I said, my insides clenching. “I can’t stand her either.”
As much as I wanted to believe my own words and forget about Ash, deep down a part of me was lying. She was insufferable and a brat, but it was impossible to forget that kiss. Why had I kissed her in the first place? I was trying to tell myself that it was to show her up and make her feel bad about herself, but then why had some pathetic part of me enjoyed it?
I shouldn’t enjoy kissing Ashton Summers. I shouldn’t enjoy the way her body felt against mine. I shouldn’t lie awake in bed at night thinking about doing more to her. If I
Learning to Kill: Stories