Before she could stop herself, Sadie reached out and slapped Tony across the face. The action took him off- guard and caused the color in Sadie's face to immediately fade. Nobody, not even the people he got along with, had ever touched him in a threatening way. Nobody was that stupid. He was Tony McAllister, for crying out loud!
Tony snapped his teeth together and lifted his arm. He would teach her not to slap him around. If anyone was going to do the slapping, it would sure as hell be him.
Sadie turned her face, hoping her long hair would absorb any of the blow he was about to inflict on her. She scrunched her nose and pushed her lips together in order to prevent herself from whimpering. But after a long moment, she realized the smack had yet to come.
She opened her green eyes in order to find out why and felt herself suddenly struggle to breathe.
Chapter 11
It was Asher. Asher was standing in front of her, gripping onto Tony's wrist, preventing him from striking Sadie in any way. She couldn't see the expression on his face, but it was easy for Sadie to recognize that Asher's body was tense and prepared, as though he was ready to start fighting Tony if need be.
What Sadie could see was the expression on Tony's face. His brow was pushed down, nearly overlapping his beige eyes, and his lips were pulled tightly into a scowl. No doubt he was surprised to find Asher at Ernie's after hearing a rumor about him doing his ex in a supply closet during detention. And even more so, to see Asher here right now, in front of Sadie, defending her. It just instilled in Tony that the rumors about Sadie and Asher were true, and that definitely did not sit right with him. Bros before hos, right? At least that's what he thought.
"Well, well, well, Asher," Tony said, and though he had hoped the tone seemed calm and conversational, it was strained and slightly dark. He dropped his hand and Asher released it, though his body was still tense, as though he couldn't quite predict if Tony was going to try and strike in some way to surprise him and Sadie. Both Asher and Sadie knew Tony well enough to know that Tony was upset, and when Tony was upset, he had one hell of a temper. "I wish I could say that I'm surprised to see you here in front of Sadie, facing me. But I've heard the rumors, and, quite frankly, I'm not."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Asher said, and for some strange reason, his words sounded sincere enough for Sadie to believe him.
"You don't?" Tony asked, placing his hands on his hips. If Asher wasn't as tall as Tony, he might have been towering over him because Asher was lean in stature while Tony was wide. They both, however, towered over
Sadie due to her five foot five frame. "You don't?" Tony arched a brow, his tone disbelieving, and he glanced over Asher's shoulder to look at Sadie before looking back at Asher. "See, I really don't believe you Asher because I've heard from a few good sources that you and Sadie screwed in the supply closet during your detention."
"That's ridiculous," Asher said. "And even if it wasn't, it would be absolutely none of your business."
"None of my business?" Tony asked in complete disbelief. "Of course, it's my business. She's my ex- girlfriend."
"Ex, meaning it's none of your business," Sadie said, standing on her toes to look Tony in the eye.
"You shut up," Tony said, taking a threatening step forward.
Asher threw his arm out in a manner of protection, not even flinching at Tony's movement. "Back off," he told Tony icily, and though Tony regarded Asher as nothing more than some scrawny kid who couldn't hold his own, Asher could make his words sting if he so chose to.
Tony stopped, looking back over at the man who he once considered friend. "So what is this then, Asher?" Tony asked, furrowing his brow once more. "Are you all of a sudden close to my ex-girlfriend because of some revelation you had over in detention? Do you like sloppy seconds? Is that it? Or did she come on to you? You do know she has a thing for us bad boys; she likes the danger and all."
"The only danger you've ever faced was high cholesterol," Sadie snapped.
Asher pressed his lips together in order to prevent himself from laughing or even smiling. Such a reaction might cause Tony to get even more upset with the two of them, and it was hard to decipher what would happen if such a thing were to happen.
"You stupid bitch!" Tony said, his beige eyes flaring gold as he jutted his finger at Sadie over Asher's shoulder. "It's that smart mouth of yours, you know that? Your mouth. Maybe that's why the two of you get along so well together, because you both have smart mouths. Those things could get you into trouble, you know?"
"And smacking around girls isn't?" Asher asked, cocking a brow and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, well that's none of your business," Tony snapped. "What happened to you, Asher? We used to be friends. We used to have a loyal bond between each other. Loyalty, you remember that? Obviously not since you're standing in front of me rather than by my side. Bros before hos, remember? Does the fact that you're screwing each other have something to do with this? Is she really that good of a screw, Asher, because I know you and I know how well you get around."
"Hey, screw you, Tony," Asher growled, and though Sadie couldn't see his eyes, she was sure the warmth brown hardened into a darker color. "Loyalty goes both ways, if I'm not mistaken. When was the last time you talked to me, huh? You heard these rumors about me and Sadie, and instead of coming to me about them, you automatically assume they're right. Where's the loyalty in that? Don't talk to me about loyalty when the only person you are loyal to is yourself."
"So this is it then?" Tony asked, glancing at Sadie before returning his eyes over to Asher. "This is it? You're choosing to defend her rather than your friend since elementary school. You know Asher, I know all about you. I know all about your problems. You always came to my house to spend time with me when you didn't want to be at home. And you're going to throw all of that, our friendship, away from some slut?"
"Watch your mouth," Asher said dangerously. "She's not a slut."
"Don't defend her like you know her," Tony said, shaking his head as though he was dismissing the whole notion that someone like Asher knew who someone like Sadie was. "She lives in a better neighborhood than we do, has a good family, gets good grades, goes to school every day, doesn't do drugs, doesn't sleep around. She's not like us. She's a whole different species. You could never begin to understand her world and she could never understand ours. You can't fit into hers and though she may try, she can't fit into our world.
"We know girls like her, Asher. The ones who try and hang out with us in order to slum around. They revel in the unfamiliar and we provide them with that. But do you actually think that she would choose to stay at such a point in her life, in our world? She broke up with me, didn't she?" He raised his brows, trying to emphasize his point. "If the two of you got together, you wouldn't be accepted anywhere. Her friends would laugh, your friends would laugh, nobody would take you seriously. A relationship between the two of you would never work. You really want to throw away what we had for all these years over some girl like her, some girl who would never love you and some girl you never would?"
Asher didn't say anything, but his eyes remained fixated on the man in front of him. Despite the strength difference between the two, Asher could be quite intimidating, using merely his eyes as his weapon of choice. And he still stood in front of Sadie, his body rigid, unwilling to move away from her. He wasn't sure what Tony would to her if he did, if Tony would do anything. It was always hard to predict when it came to the twenty-one-year old.
Suddenly, Tony's look turned into one of pure disgust as he regarded someone he had once called friend. "God, one screw and you're already whipped?" he asked, his temper changing from one extreme to another in mere seconds. "If I had known she was that good, I would have demanded she give it to me whether she wanted to or not."
"If you ever lay a hand on her, I swear to God I will snap your neck," Asher said through gritted teeth.
"Is that a threat?" Tony asked, his voice suddenly low and distinc
t.
"No," Asher snapped. "It's a goddamn promise."
"I'd like to see you try," Tony muttered, clenching his hands into fists by his sides.
"Push me," Asher said expectantly. "Go on and push me. See what happens."
"Oh, you'll find out sooner or later," Tony said darkly, his eyes narrowing dangerously in Asher's direction. "And that, my friend, is a promise." He glanced over at Sadie, and despite the shiver that slid down her spine, she managed to match his stare with her own. "You're a goddamn pussy, Asher. That's all you'll ever be. A goddamn pussy."
"I'm not a pussy," Asher said. "Only pussies hit girls and... using that logic, you would be the pussy, Tony. Not me."
For a moment, Sadie thought Tony was going to do something to Asher, but after a moment, Tony glanced away from the two of them, sighing through his nose. "I'm sorry it had to turn out this way," he murmured, his tone now calm. He shrugged his shoulders as though things had happened beyond his control, and then, without another word, walked away, leaving Asher and Sadie alone together.
Chapter 12
"Are you crazy?" Asher asked, whipping around to regard Sadie with an unreadable stare. "Why are you down here? I know that when you and Tony were going out, it was okay, but are you crazy? I mean seriously? How could you be so stupid as to come down here by yourself? Your kind doesn't belong down here. You don't fit in. It's dangerous for you to be here."
Sadie watched him as he yelled at her, his words not fully registering because she was watching his mouth simply move. His brown eyes warmed at the sight of her, despite the lecture he was currently giving her. His arms were still crossed over his chest, and his brown hair fell into his face. Sadie noticed that he was wearing the same thing he had been wearing yesterday; a plaid red shirt under a denim jacket, grey Dickies pants, combat boots with a red bandana tied around his boot and - Her eyes caught sight of the ring hanging around his neck. He was still wearing it. She bit her bottom lip gently, trying to hide a smile but failing miserably.
"...are you even listening to me?" Asher asked, throwing his arms out. His eyes managed to catch the attention of Sadie's and he pushed his brow up, indicating he wanted an answer.
"Of course, I am," Sadie snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing away before looking back at Asher's face. "I wouldn't even be down here if I hadn't heard the rumors Tony was talking about; how we supposedly slept together in the supply closet."
Asher's eyes softened as he regarded her, and he felt the left side of his face curve up into a somewhat arrogant grin. The bottoms of his teeth peaked out, sparkling along with the amused glint currently residing in his chocolate colored eyes and lighting them up.
"You know," Asher began, rubbing his chin with his palm, "before Tony said anything, I hadn't heard that one."
Sadie pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes tried to read his, trying to decipher whether or not he was telling the truth. "I don't know if I believe you," she finally told him, her voice soft but firm.
Asher shrugged as though it didn't bother him and looked away. "You don't have to believe me," he told her. "It doesn't matter one way or the other. People like you don't believe people like me."
"Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?" Sadie asked, clearly annoyed.
"Listen, even though I didn't agree with half of what Tony was saying, the other half isn't a lie," Asher told her. "People like you don't belong with people like me. Despite the whole rumor thing, I'm surprised you actually came to the Narrows. Someone like you could have easily gotten eaten alive."
"I know how to protect myself," Sadie said defensively, narrowing her eyes in Asher's direction.
He snorted at this and shook his head. "The only protection someone like you has is their daddy, and as far as I see, you're daddy isn't here," he said.
"You're right," Sadie said bitterly, nodding a couple of times. "He lives in Michigan after leaving my mom when I was in fourth grade." She paused, pressing her lips together, trying to calm her thoughts down in case they jumbled together and she didn't exactly say what she wanted to. "You know what the problem is with people like you? You always think that we're the problem; that people like me who follow the rules and get good grades, who live in good neighborhoods, you think that we automatically discriminate against people like you. But the thing is, you push us away before we even have a chance to get to know each other. You don't want to get to know us so you emphasize the differences between us. That's just an excuse."
"Even so," Asher said, not exactly sure how to feel after being reprimanded by someone like her. "For somebody with a 4.0, you're not very bright for coming down here. Do you realize you could have gotten hurt?"
"If anyone is going to hurt me down here, it's Tony," Sadie said flatly, as though the threat of Tony wasn't that much of a threat at all. "No one else here would touch me because I used to be with Tony."
"Oh, and that's supposed to be reassuring," Asher said in the same flat tone Sadie had used. "Just because Tony's dumb doesn't mean he can't – or won't – hurt you. He's done it before, hasn't he? And the whole fire extinguisher thing, plus the whole rumor that's going around, isn't exactly helping the situation."
"I can take care of myself," Sadie told him.
"Yeah right," Asher said, rolling his eyes. "You good girls think you know everything when you don't know jack shit. Tell me, Sadie, what would you have done if I hadn't come along? I saw that you slapped Tony across the face. And you're supposed to be brilliant? What did you think Tony was going to do after that?"
"So you're saying this is my fault?" Sadie asked, completely shocked at such an insinuation.
"Did I say that?" Asher asked, his tone laced with anger. "All I'm saying is that for someone who went out with Tony for a year and a half, you should have known better. What would you have done if I didn't show up? Would you have let him slap you? And if he did, what would you do then? If you cried, Tony would just laugh in your face. If you left, Tony would still laugh."
"Where is this conversation going?" Sadie asked through gritted teeth, feeling her face flare up with each word Asher said.
"Where do you think it's going?" Asher asked. "You people think you know everything. You didn't come here with any sort of plan. Why'd you come here in the first place? So what if you heard rumors about us?"
"I thought you had spread them," Sadie murmured though her tone was just as biting. "I thought you had told everyone about what happened in the supply closet, only you exaggerated certain aspects of it. I came down here in order to talk to you about it and ask that you desist from spreading false rumors about me."
"Trust me, sweetheart," Asher said dryly though there was something more in his tone that Sadie couldn't identify, and Asher's face didn't give away any sort of clues. "I don't need to spread rumors about me screwing some princess in order to gain props from my friends."
"Right," Sadie said, looking at the cracked cement floor. Though she would never admit it, his words took her by surprise, and it felt as bad as a slap across her face would. "Right." She picked up her head and locked eyes with Asher. "Because screwing someone like me might gain you points but actually being with someone like me might ruin your entire reputation." She ran her fingers through her hair and glanced longingly at her car. She wanted nothing more than to slip behind the wheel and drive – she didn't care where she would go as long as she was going. But her feet remained rooted to the ground, and her lips opened up to ask a question she was keen on knowing the answer to since Tony had left. "What are you going to do now that Tony's disowned you?"
The question took Asher by surprise, and for a moment, Sadie was sure he either wasn't going to answer or he was going to give her one of his smartass retorts. However, he caught her off guard by shrugging his shoulders.
"Nobody stays around long in my life anyways," he told her. "It's not like I expected Tony to." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking over to the only car he didn't recognize, assu
ming it was hers. He wanted her to leave as soon as possible, unsure if Tony was going to come back anytime soon. "And that's the way I like it."
Sadie followed him silently, not protesting that he was telling her without words that she had to leave. "That's sad," she murmured. She was unsure if Asher heard her or not. If he had, he didn't give her any indication of it and didn't respond to it.
Asher stopped when he reached the car and turned to look at the young woman in front of him. His eyes were guarded, the wall he had temporarily let down for her yesterday back up where it should be, guarding who he really was. But as Sadie looked at him, something inside of him flipped. He couldn't tell if it was his heart or his stomach; hell, maybe it was both. Instead of trying to figure it out, he looked away, staring at the street rather than back at Sadie. He heard her get in her car and chose that moment to leave. He needed to, couldn't be around her right then. If he spent any more time around her, his defenses might fall. They were already starting to crack.
Sadie slid into her seat and buckled her seatbelt before starting the car. She sat there, stewing in her thoughts, but refusing to analyze anything at that moment. She rolled down her window, deciding to offer him a ride to wherever he needed to or wanted to be.
But instead of meeting those warm brown eyes of his, she saw his back, walking away and disappearing into the crowd on the sidewalk.
Chapter 13
Monday, 7:01am
Sadie pulled away from the driveway of her home, trying not to think about the fact that she would probably see Asher Boyd today at school. He was the only thing occupying her mind. She felt so silly; it was like she had a schoolgirl crush on this guy she barely even knew. In fact, she would never admit it, but it was hard for her to fall asleep last night because his face stained the contours of her mind and her heart was brimming with excitement. Hell, she didn't even know if Asher would show up today. Wasn't he known for ditching class? Isn't that way he got so many detentions in the first place?
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