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Andy

Morning.

"There's a brand new morning, rising clear, and sweet, and free."
- New World Coming by Disa

I wake up early the next morning in my own bed, still wearing my damn jeans and shirt from the night before. My stomach is churning from what I can assume was the small amount of alcohol I consumed. Thanks, Jinxx.

Rolling onto my back, I look over to my left and Andy is still asleep, undoubtedly exhausted. He hadn't rested much since we left California, and was a bit restless. I couldn't fight the grateful smile that adorned my lips as I reached out to brush a strand of hair from his eyes. He is so much more than I deserve, and I am eternally grateful to have him in my life.

Deciding to let him sleep, I got up quietly as I could, and selected a dress from my closet. I made my way to the bathroom to change, and freshen up to my abilities, since the power is still out. I combed through the tangle of dried mermaid locks, and applied some light makeup before putting on my dress. It's a surprisingly warm full length gown, light mint green, with a white feather pattern on it.

It bared more of the skin of my shoulder and collarbones than I would like, since today is no 'frolic in the spring meadows' kind of day. Eh, I'll put a blouse on with it.

I don't know what to make of the previous evening. The memories are coming back to me the more I work the groggy exhaustion out of my system. The exchange was strange and uncomfortable for the most part. I'm not sure if it's because I sat through two stories about graphic deaths, or if I was just generally uncomfortable with the situation as a whole.

I still can't quite figure out Jinxx and Jake's opinion of me. I think they like me, and are maybe happy to have me around, or maybe they're just trying to figure out why I am around at all. Jinxx seemed pretty welcoming, going as far as to share a drink and some private stories after a few minutes of being around each other. He strikes me as a very timid, cautious person, while still being a humorous, good-friend type.

Wrapping up my makeup, I head back to my room to select a blouse to go with my dress. Andy is still passed out, which reminded me that Ashley may or may not be around. I'll check on him soon.

Dread filled me when I realized I'd be confronting him alone if I went to the guest room. We don't have a good record of getting along when left alone.

I took my time finishing up, part of me trying to be late as possible so I could skip it, but with it being as early in the morning as it is, I can't avoid it, because I'm not leaving for another hour.

Finally, I force myself from the comfort of my room to walk past my parents' room to the the guest room at the end. I'm standing in front of it, and hesitantly raise my hand to knock on the door quietly. I hear a swift burst of movement and assume he is awake. That notion was confirmed when the door flew open.

He leaned in the doorway with judge eyes, and no shirt, exposing all the unusual tattoos that adorn his back and stomach.

“I came to check on you.” I say, stating the obvious.

“Okay.” He simply responds, hesitating a moment longer before adding “Do you need anything else?”

I shook my head, crossing my arms, watching his fleeing glances. “No. I was just checking in to see if you came back last night, or if you'd fled the state.”

He pursed his lips and nodded “Fair enough... I considered it, but I still wound up here.”

“Well I'm glad you're here.”

“No, you're not.” He chuckled shortly, “Save the hospitality crap, we both know you're miserable with me here.”

I had some witty responses, but I was left speechless. His smile widened to be more genuine, “Anyways, you should go to your worship session. The less time we spend around one another, the better. Right?”

“You don't even want to try being friends?” I sighed, ignoring his question. “It'd make it a lot easier on all parties involved if we were, or at least pretended to be.”

“Easier on them, sure. But on us? We have to put on that show, and don't you think you do enough for those clowns as it is?”

I look at him in confusion, “What do you mean? Jake, CC, and Jinxx?”

“You know what I mean.” He narrows his eyes, “You play the sweet girlfriend/fun, loving best friend role around them to hide how depressed you are inside because of Andy. He brought this on you, and maybe that makes you brave or weak, but you won't admit it, even to yourself.”

I feel a twinge of anger starting to burn inside me. He has no right to pick my brain, then pretend to know more on the matter.

“You know, you've gotten into a lot of trouble because of him... Are you sure you want to get into more?”

He stared me down for a moment longer before closing the door quietly.

I felt pretty irritated by the time I got downstairs for breakfast. I fumed over my Cheerios in silence.

“What's up, Hun?” My Dad asked, walking into the kitchen that morning. “You looked bummed.”

“A little bit.” I admitted in embarrassment, remembering our last exchange the previous morning. He looked cheerful enough, but it could just as easily be a fad.

“How was your meeting with CC?” He inquired curiously, and immediately I knew what he was trying to do. I gave him an authentic smile “It was great, actually. I missed him.”

He made an awkward expression and frowned “You two aren't like... You know?...”

I stared at him for a few moments before responding. “No.” I deadpanned, “Just good friends.”

I guess I hadn't thought about the side effects of having an older guy as one of my closest friends. Just because he's a dude, the automatic assumption is that we're an item of some sort.

Mom came downstairs soon after, wearing a nice pair of white dress pants and a blazer over a pale blue blouse. I complimented her on her appearance, a comment she returned, before I excused myself to go to my room. Being alone in a room with just my parents had become a stressful feat as of recent. It has become harder than necessary to be around them without an argument of some kind breaking out.

Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day, then. School is a sea of new faces to surround myself with. However, I know there's a mob of sorts waiting eagerly for my return.

I climb the stairs to my room, and shut the door behind me. I look to the bed, and he's still sound asleep. Now I'm brought to the realization: how did I get home last night? My last memory was falling asleep in his old room at his parents' house, a good fifteen minute trek from my house.

Judging from his immense exhaustion, I'd guess I was carried. I frown, because he shouldn't have to lug my ass home... But I'm also amused that he did so without complaint.

I walk towards the full body mirror and reach for a necklace from my jewelry box. The Polaroid snapshot of 16 year old And and Ashley catches my eye. I tug it free of the mirror frame and study it carefully. There something unusually off putting about Ashley that I can't quite place.

His brown eyes are the same, though perhaps happier. His hair is a little longer, still a mixture of dark brown and black. I study it a little longer before I notice Ashley's tattooed fingers. I can't make out what they say, but there's five clear letters adorning each finger.

Strange, because the Ashley I've come to know doesn't have finger tattoos at all. Perhaps they were removed at some point.

I tuck the photo back into the corner of my mirror and finish putting on my jewelry until Andy wakes up. He's groggy and grumpy when he opens his eyes, flopping around on the mattress like an angered fish while groping around for the comforter. When he finally catches the edge of it, he pulls it up to his chin, sighing contently.

I smile to suppress the burst of laughter pressing against my lips. Say what you want, he's adorably dorky.

I let him sleep, at least, until my Dad came pounding on my door a half hour later asking if I was ready.

He groaned, and sat upright, looking like that angered Donald Duck meme. Hang on, let me grab a photo.





There, see the similarity?

He rubbed his eyes as he adjusted to the dim room. He spotted me near the window and mustered up a sleepy smile.

“I'm exhausted.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Ten.” I reply.

He groans and lies back down. “I pushed myself too far... I'm exhausted.”

“That confirms my suspicion, then.”

“What suspicion?” He peeks up at me from the mattress.

“Well, I woke up in my bed, and I know I fell asleep in yours, which led me to believe my sleeping ass was packed home.”

“I have no clue who did that.” He breathed innocently.

“Ah, you're adorable.” I smiled at him, earning myself a sleepy smile in return.

“I love you.” He repeated his words from last night, and I halted my actions.

“Do you really mean that?” I ask quietly.

“Of course. Why wouldn't I?”

That loving feeling of happiness and belonging washed over me again, and I beam at him. “I love you, too... But as much as I love you, you need to drag your ass out of bed if you're planning on attending church with me.”

He buried his face in the fluffy purple pillows on my bed and groaned loudly in protest, but eventually, summoned the energy to pull himself up off the mattress reluctantly.

“You're lucky I love you, bitch.”

I grinned at him as he fumed in annoyance, going to dig through his pile of belongings for something to wear.

“I am.“ I agree with a grin.

“It's too damn cold for this shit.” He grumbled as he peeled off his torn band shirt in favor of a simple white t-shirt. He fumbled around with a few different jackets before just putting on his signature Prophet vest.

“You sure get cold a lot for someone who has no body temperature.” I snickered, poking at his ribs enthusiastically while he shot me a 'knock it off' look.

“Shut up.” He mumbles, narrowing his eyes, but smiling.

“Ash! Are you almost ready?” My Dad's obnoxious pounding on the door destroyed the cute moment of bonding.

“Yes!” I reply, grabbing my purse and throwing on a jacket over my dress. “I'll meet you downstairs.” I tell Andy as I flee my room.

Notes

Things are developing nicely! I'm so excited for more of what's bothering Ashley to come into story :D Unfortunately, that story arc alone is gonna take a good long while to clear up, but it's tied in nicely to past events. *wink wink*

Some quick story stats:
Current page count: 523
Current word count: 193,712
We're nearing 200,000 words! 0,0
Shoutouts!

- Batsy's Robin
- Cannible Cat

Comments

I just want to say, I am here to support you no matter what you do <3

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/12/20

Oh gosh, I'm getting weird vibes towards this "sketchy" part of town.

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
5/8/19

I am absolutely in love with this book!

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/30/19

Poor Ashley. Poor Andy. Poor Asheen. Wow, what a story! :)

Merelan Merelan
4/29/19

I am conspiring so many theories about this book my head hurts... lol... anyway, great chapter as usual! Can't wait to read what happens next

Mezzy18 Mezzy18
4/25/19