“Hey, I’m not going out with him. You’re actually going out with her. Do you still like me?” I asked.
“No,” He replied.
“You’re telling me the truth?”
“Yes.” He stood very straight.
“What if I leaned in and kissed you right now? Would you fight it?” I asked.
“Yes.” He hadn’t moved. He was like one of those soldiers in Great Britain that never moved. You could moon them and they wouldn’t have cracked a smile.
“Okay.” I leaned in and gave him one of the biggest kisses ever. It wasn’t the greatest feeling, but I had to test him, if he did still like me, I was going to make him tell Annie. Man, I feel like a totally sleaze. I’ve got to stop talking to Lena. She must be rubbing off on me. If you had come up to me before the football game and told me I was going to do all of this crazy stuff, I would have laughed in your face. “You didn’t fight me!” I said.
“So?” He answered.
“So you still like me.”
“No I don’t,” He objected.
“Then why did you let me kiss you?”
“I’m a guy,” He stated.
“Not all guys are as horny as you,” I retorted.
“I got a free kiss out of it. I don’t actually like you. You’re just easy.”
“You’re such a scum! What happened to you? You used to be so nice!” I answered.
“I grew up. And I’m not a scum. I like Annie, but she’s just a cheerleader. She’s bound to be easy,” He answered.
“I’m so glad that you stopped hanging out with us. It really made everyone a lot happier. Annie is my friend and there’s no way that you’re going to hurt her! “
“You can’t stop me,” He said.
“Says who?”
“Says me. You’re still attracted to me, and if I tell Adam that you came onto me…Hey, I could just lie and say you and I were ‘intimate.’ He wouldn’t be too happy about that would he?” Tom smirked.
“Yeah, and I could tell the whole school, that we did sleep together,” I answered.
“How would that hurt me?” He asked.
“Let’s just say that everyone will find out you have a dysfunction ‘down there’ and that wouldn’t look too good either,” I threatened.
“What?” Tom’s jaw dropped. I was a little shocked at what I had said myself. I’m never that crude, but desperate times…
“You heard me. Now beat it you leech!” I yelled.
“Don’t be too proud of yourself. Annie won’t listen to you. Go ahead and try. I can guarantee you, she’ll get mad at you and come running to me.”
“Whatever.” I walked off and ran over to Annie.
“Where’s Tom?” Annie asked.
“You have to dump him, he’s a jerk,” I informed her.
“What?”
“I used to like him, and he used to like me. He and I were walking earlier today, and we almost kissed,” I answered.
“You almost kissed. How could you do that to me?” Annie looked hurt.
“I didn’t know you guys were going out at the time, and I was kind of lonely. So…Well, I kissed him to see if he still liked me after I found out you and him were going out. He didn’t even put up a fight,” I explained.
“What?” Annie got really angry.
“No, don’t get mad. You need to break up with him. He’s no good. He thinks that you’re easy,” I informed her.
“You skank!” She slapped me. I sat there in shock. “I thought we were friends.” She ran off towards Tom.
Okay, so that didn’t go over very well. Tom was right. Darn it. Maybe I hadn’t handled it that well. Okay, okay. I handled it as badly as humanly possible. I put my head in my hands. What a mess. I just wasn’t any good at this.
“Ash, are you okay?” Betty came up to me and asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“We’re going to go home. Do you want a ride?” Betty motioned to Jack starting up his car.
“No, I’m just going to sit here for a little while. It’s kind of relaxing.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later. You’re sure you’re okay?” She asked me one more time.
“Yes.” I laughed. “Go on ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Betty hopped into the passenger seat. I watched as they drove off.
“Ashley?” Who was it now?
“Yes?” It was Keri and Ben.
“What are you still doing here? The park is kind of empty. Want to come home with us?” Ben asked.
“I’m good thanks.” I shrugged.
“Are you…”
“I’m fine. I’ll see you guys later. Now just go. I need to think,” I told them.
“Okay. If you’re sure.” Ben and Keri drove off too. I looked over at the basketball court to see if Tina was still there with that guy. Sure enough, there she was pretending that she sucked at the sport. I knew better. Tina had gone to state competitions because she was so good.
“Ashley!” She saw me looking and walked over to me. The guy followed.
“Hi, are you having fun?” I pretended I was in a good mood.
“The best. This guy really knows how to play!” She laughed.
“Good.” I looked over at him. He had bleached hair and was fairly tall.
“Hi,” He said.
“Hey. What’s your name?” I waved.
“Hank,” He answered.
“You’re Hank?” I asked. Jeez, this was a small world.
“Yeah?” He looked confused.
“Is Adam staying with you?” I asked.
“Who wants to know?” He suddenly turned serious.
“I’m Ashley. He and I are really close,” I clarified.
“You’re Ashley!” He smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. Adam couldn’t make it today.”
“I can see that. He totally stood me up.” I sighed.
“I was supposed to tell you for him, but I couldn’t find you. It was hard for me to determine which gorgeous girl was Ashley. Besides, time kind of flew by with Tina here.” He nudged Tina, which sent her into a fit of giggles.
“Gorgeous girl?” I asked.
“He said that you were the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.” He quoted Adam.
“What? Adam said all of that? I think you’re exaggerating what he said. Adam doesn’t talk like that.” I laughed.
“You’re calling me a liar? He said that. I told you exact quotes.” Hank defended himself jokingly.
“Well, obviously he was exaggerating my looks because you couldn’t find me,” I teased.
“No, I’d say he was just about right.”
“…” I tried to say something, but nothing came out. Was Hank coming onto me? What, was I suddenly a hunk-magnet? What was going on?
“Well, Tina, would you like me to drive you ladies home?” Hank offered.
“No, I’ve got a ride. I better go anyway. I’ll see you later.” Tina ran off.
“Spunky thing isn’t she?” Hank watched her run off.
“She certainly is,” I agreed, afraid of the awkwardness that might follow. “She’s the most hyper, happy, and outgoing person I know.”
“Well, she’s definitely an original person.” He sat down on a swing.
“Did Adam really say all of that?” I sat down on the swing next to him.
“Yeah, he did. I didn’t know how he could think all of this heavy-duty stuff about one girl, but now I can see what he meant.”
“Yeah?” I looked over at him. He was giving me this look. It was this heated look that practically was begging me to jump him. He leaned in towards me, “So, why do you think you’re trying to kiss me if you know that I’m somewhat already taken?” I asked leaning backwards.
“I wasn’t trying to kiss you,” He said.
“Oh, you weren’t?”
“No I wasn’t.” He started to swing.
“Then what we
re you doing?”
“I was going to tie my shoe,” He replied.
“Yeah right!” I said sarcastically.
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“No, I don’t believe you. I also don’t believe that I’m so hot that three guys want me at the same time. In reality, one of them just wanted me because he thought I was easy. So why are you trying so hard?”
“Is it so hard to believe that I find you irresistible?” He tried to give me an alluring look.
“Yes. Now I know you’ve got a mission. You have other reasons. What are they?”
“I don’t have any!” He stood up. “You are high maintenance.”
“What?” I froze. “Who said that I was high maintenance?”
“Nobody. I was just kidding.” Hank was uneasy.
“Who said that? Did Adam tell you that?”
“No…I…”
“If he did, tell me. I knew he didn’t think of me as a potential girlfriend. He sent you to get me to like you didn’t he? Once I did I’d be out of his hair.” That gorgeous hair…“And you just are supposed to seduce me. As soon as I lean in to kiss you, he’ll catch us and never forgive me. That’s his way of getting out of having to date me without it being his fault!” I totally freaked out.
“Whoa! It was just a comment. Sit down and start swinging now.” Hank’s voice bellowed over mine, and I did as he said. “I never meant to make you that mad. Adam did say that, but he only said that because he was mad at you at the time. You probably say the same kind of stuff about him all the time don’t you?”
“No.”
“Oh, come on. Not even once?” He nudged me as he sat back down on his swing.
“Okay, maybe once. But, just once,” I admitted.
“I knew it.” Hank chuckled.
“Don’t rub it in.” I frowned.
“Oh, I’m not. You’re just funny that’s all.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Adam’s the best guy you’ll ever meet, and you don’t even realize it.”
“I do too. He’s the best. I couldn’t imagine myself with a better guy,” I disagreed.
“Then why aren’t you dating him?”
“Because I don’t want us to end up hating each other,” I answered, twirling a strand of my hair.
“Won’t you just end up hating each other if you don’t? You’ll both hurt each other by dating other people and stop being friends. Why don’t you just try it?” He asked.
“I see.”
“You see what?” Hank raised his eyebrows.
“I see why Adam sent you now. He wanted you to convince me to go out with him.”
“You’re so stuck on the thought that I was sent by him, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” I said.
“Why?”
“Because there’s no other reason for why you’re hanging out with me.”
“Could it just be because I like hanging out with you?” he asked
“No. That’s not it.”
“Okay. You obviously don’t believe me. You’re not going to anytime soon, are you?” Hank shook his head.
“No, I don’t believe you, and I won’t believe you.” I smiled. “Why else would you be practically begging me to do out with Adam?”
“Because I don’t want to see him heartbroken,” He answered.
“Please! He doesn’t like me that much.” I snorted.
“Yes he does. He likes you so much he can’t think of anything else. Whenever I hang out with him, all he can talk about is you. To tell you the truth I really didn’t like you until I met you.”
“How honest of you,” I retorted.
“Well, I thought I’d be honest from the beginning. You really should let Adam know where you stand,” Hank said.
“He does know where we stand.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Hank stood up.
“Yes, he does.” I shook my head again.
“No, he doesn’t. You just keep leading him on. You really don’t get it, do you? He’s falling in love with you.”
“What?” My mouth went dry. There’s no way he liked me that much. I knew that I had fallen for him, but that’s why I hadn’t talked to him for a while. I was scared that I might tell him that I liked him that much. Then where would we be if he didn’t feel the same? Where would we be if he did?
“Did you hear me?” Hank asked.
“Yes.” I whispered. “You’re lying. Why hasn’t he done a ton of romantic gestures if he felt that strongly? He can’t be in love with me. He just can’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because if he is…It’s not true love. We haven’t even gone out. We’re not even out of high school. That’s way too serious. I barely even know him. He barely even knows me. It’s too fast!” I answered.
“Calm down. He never actually told me he’s in love with you, and it’ll be a long time before he does. Chill out.”
“Why did you say that then?” I asked.
“I know he does,” He replied.
“How?”
“The look in his eyes when he talks about you,” He admitted.
“He really likes me?” Butterflies flew all around in my stomach.
“Yes, he really does.” He grabbed my arm and lifted me off my swing. “Come on, it’s time.”
“Time for what?” I asked practically being dragged my Hank.
“The reason that I hung out with you for so long.”
“I knew that you were talking to me for a reason!”
“This was only part of it. I actually did want to hang out with you though.” Hank stopped. “Don’t look yet. Now when you do, I’m going to be gone. Open the front door once you get there, okay?” He asked.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. Hank walked off to reveal…my car? What was it doing here? It was all fixed! I ran up to it in utter shock. Who could have fixed my car? I opened the front door to see an envelope on the dashboard. It had my name written on it in Adam’s handwriting. How could he have known about my car? There’s no way! I opened it up to read what he had written.
Ashley,
You said that you needed to refuel; you must have meant your car! I went over to your house to see if I could put some gas in your car, but it was totaled. I asked your parents if you were going to do anything about it, and they said that you weren’t…I thought that it would be the perfect gift for the perfect girl! I really miss you, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t give it to you in person, but I’m not really supposed to leave the house right now. Hank will give it to you though. Isn’t he great? I hope you like him as much as I do. It would be great if you guys got along. I know that that you don’t want to enter into a relationship right now, and I respect that. I just really like you, and I thought that you could accept this gift as one from a really close friend. We don’t have to go out with each other right now. We can just be friends. I miss you. I hope you miss me too. You said that you wanted to know that I like you that way. Does this prove it? If it doesn’t, than I’m out of ideas! You probably like that romantic stuff, so I wrote a list of all of the things that I like about you. It took me forever. I hope you like it, because I got a cramp in my hand for writing so much! I must’ve made ten drafts.
What I like about you:
Your smile
The way you walk
The smell of your hair
Your soft skin
Your laugh, especially when you snort and aren’t ashamed of it
Your eyes
Your eyebrows when you’re thinking really hard
The way your forehead crinkles when you’re upset
I miss you,
Adam
Chapter 10
The Beach
Before I start going off on the kind of stuff that goes on at the beach, I’m going to address what you just read before. You know, the thing that Adam gave me. I know, I know, you’re thinking that he’s the greatest guy that ever lived. Well, I won’t argue that. I really like him
now…ok, I admit it, the car fixing did help my view of him. Anyway, I haven’t heard from him since then. He hasn’t even been at school. A whole week has gone by, and I haven’t gotten one word from him. I keep calling him, but he’s never answered me back. All I ever get is his voicemail. I just wanted to fill you in. Annie hasn’t talked to me either. She won’t even let me speak to her. All I see her doing is making out with that…that…I’m really low on insults right now. I’m talking about Tom. Okay, now is the time that I go on and on about whatever is going on in my life. I’m supposed to be talking about the kind of stuff that my friends and I do at the beach, but to tell you the truth, I really don’t feel like talking about that right now. Instead, I’ll just jump right into what happened that day at the beach. It all started in the morning.
“Ash! How are you? I didn’t know that you were going to be here today.” Tina waved to me.
“Well, I’m here,” I answered half-heartedly.
“Why are you so glum?” Hank was with Tina.
“I don’t know. I miss Adam. He hasn’t talked to me in a long time.” I was a little too frank with them.
“Oh. Well, do you guys want to go for a walk along the shore, or do you want to go over to the park again,” Hank asked.
“Shore,” Tina said for her and me. Okay…wait a second. Did Hank just totally avoid my question? I think he did!
“But…” I started to speak.
“Are you coming or not?” Hank interrupted me.
“I’m not going until you tell me what’s going on with Adam. I haven’t heard from him, and I’m starting to think that you know something,” I told him.
“Well, I know lots of things. First of all, Tina has a thong on. Second, I like baseball. Lastly, and my favorite, I know that somewhere there is a girl in a bathing suit just waiting for me to come and whisk her away in a car that she buys for me.” Hank smiled as if he was in heaven.
“Hey! I don’t have a thong on…oh…wait…never mind.” Tina said.
“Very funny. I’m serious, what’s going on.” I ignored Tina.
“Going on? I don’t know what you mean, I’ve been doing lots of things lately,” Hank answered.
“What’s going on?” I repeated.
“I’m going to start off towards the shore. I’ll see you guys in a bit.” Tina ran away while she still could.
A Life Like Mine Page 13
