thirty one
"Ashton, please," I said quickly as I stood before him. He had always been so much taller than me, this caused him to feel as if I were a little girl who needed his rescue. My mind shifted to his soft eyes which seemed to be staring into mine as he shifted in his fall jacket. "Luke took some girl home and left me stranded," I groaned as I remember the girl he met with earlier this week. The two of them seemed to be hitting it off, I had found out her name was Juliet. It was such a beautiful name for a girl, I almost envied it. I didn't know much about her, other than that she and Luke shared an A.P. Anatomy class, the same class I had taken last year.
"Not unless you come over," He insisted as he stood firmly with his arms crossed. I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts and noticed Ashton was leaning against his truck with an almost fully smoked cigarette between his lips. I was shocked he didn't care enough to wait until he got home, knowing that if he was caught smoking on school grounds, he'd be suspended.
"I really need a ride home, my Dad wants me to meet him at the hospital," Ashton smirked and let out a careless chuckle as he removed the cigarette from his plump lips. He dropped it onto the cold concrete beneath us and squished it under the sole of his shoe.
"I don't care, I gave you my terms," He stood over me with no expression in his eyes.
He was serious.
It was time to take charge the only way I knew how.
"Ash," I pouted as I grasped the collar of his denim jacket gently. "Please," I whispered softly as I tilted my head slightly and pulled him closer to me. He shifted his stance as he grew more and more uncomfortable.
"Cut it out," he mumbled as he tried to back away. Before he could even flinch, my cold fingers slowly trailed down to his waist, lifting his shirt only slightly to make an effort to touch his bare skin, knowing how crazy it would make him. I then proceeded to make my way back up to his neck. He rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky as he tried to stand his ground. He swiftly licked his lips as he tried to ignore me.
"What do you mean? I'm just asking you for a ride?" I said innocently as I bit my lip with a smirk. While keeping my fingers locked behind his neck, I began to tug slightly at the roots of his hair.
"Shannon," he said firmly. His eyes quickly met mine as he started to glare at me intently.
"Yes, Ashton?" I asked as I batted my eyelashes. I could tell he was about to break, his fists were clenched and he would gulp at every sentence that came out of my mouth.
"Ashton!" A familiar voice rang through my ears.
My eyes quickly widened as well as his. Ashton quickly grabbed my waist and lifted me off of the ground a few inches, I gasped as he set me down beside him. I was shocked he was able to pick me up so effortlessly.
Suddenly, Calum appeared from behind the back of Ashton's truck. My eyes widened as I stared down at my feet. "So I heard you'll be at the party?" He said as he leaned up against the trunk with his arms folded over his chest. My eyes focused on the way he was dressed. He seemed comfortable in his thick gray sweater and a rough pair of black, ripped skinny jeans. It was actually rather different from his normal fashion.
"Yeah," Ashton mumbled as he distanced himself away from me.
"Alright cool, what are you doing tonight? Mikey and I wanna grab some pizza," He chuckled as he pushed himself off of the car. Ashton quickly looked at me and sighed in annoyance. I was starting to think I actually won this little argument.
"Nothing," He said quickly as he turned to face Calum. "I'll text you."
"It's Shannon, right?" Calum questioned as he pointed at me. His eyes were squinted in confusion. He was probably wondering why the hell someone like Ashton would be talking to someone like myself.
"Yes," I looked up and smiled politely. He looked at Ashton, and then back at me. He repeated that a few times before Ashton's booming voice chimed in.
"Relax, she just needed a ride home," Ashton scuffed. Calum smirked and nodded his head. "So it's just Mikey, you and I right?"
Calum looked at me one last time before smirking intently. I wanted to roll my eyes, I knew exactly what was about to happen.
"Well, how about you bring her along too? We could use some eye candy," Calum's grin grew wider and wider as he spoke. He finished his sentence with a wink towards myself as I mentally slapped my own forehead. I knew it. Ashton's fists clenched as he tried to get over the comment. Calum knew exactly what he was doing. Whether or not he suspected Ashton and me of being anything more than just a hookup, he knew Ashton was protective of what was his.
"I actually have plans," I quickly mumbled to try and resolve the situation.
"Well, then clear your schedule, sweetie," he insisted before turning around and walking away. Ashton rolled his eyes and quickly got into the driver's seat. I kept my head hanging low as I walked around to my side of the truck. Once inside, Ashton started the engine and quickly put the car in reverse. We continued down the road in silence as he continued to be uncontrollably mad for some reason. I could tell he was bothered because of the irritated glare in his eyes. He quickly took a sharp turn down his street and pulled into his driveway.
I knew I hadn't won this one.