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It wasn’t too long before Ash exited the bathroom, looking exceptionally gorgeous. Her grey eyes were lined in black, her eyelashes looking extra-long and thick. Her eyeshadow was grey blended with a silvery white, playing off the God angle. She wore a sparkly white shirt and torn-up jeans. God was grungy; who knew?
Her blonde head wore no beanie, for once, letting her hair fall free. She’d wear her signature Converse, too. Her usual style, just a bit more glammed-up. Just a bit…more. More beautiful.
I couldn’t stop staring, even after Kelsey handed her the other sticker, which she carefully set on her right breast. I should not be looking there, but I couldn’t help it. I’d touched those breasts not too long ago, and I desperately wanted to touch them again.
Hell, I’d seen them, too. I’d seen every inch of her.
Did she not know how crazy she drove me?
“Well?” Kelsey asked, turning to face me as she hooked an arm around Ash’s neck. Together, they were a sitcom version of God and the Devil, light and dark, good and bad. “How do we look?”
Ash’s unique, gorgeous stare looked at me, patiently waiting for me to say something. To get ahold of my tongue and stop my mind from wandering to places it shouldn’t. What the hell was I supposed to say? She already knew she affected me like no other, and to see her all dressed up to go to a party I wasn’t allowed to accompany them to was just insult to injury. Salt to the open wound.
It wasn’t fair was what it was. Totally not fair.
“You look amazing,” I said, staring at Ash. “Are you sure I can’t come?”
“Nope.” Kelsey answered for her, “We got this, dude. Take it easy tonight. Watch some porn with the speakers on. Do whatever it is guys do when they’re alone.” She turned her head to Ash, whispering, “I honestly have no idea what they do. They’re like aliens. Sexy and cute, but still aliens.”
I felt my cheeks redden. Even after being in her vicinity for almost a day, I still wasn’t used to the things Kelsey said. She had no filter, for sure. I chose not to address the porn bit, instead asking, “Where are you guys even going?”
“Stanton,” Ash said. “Nowhere in Hillcrest, so you don’t have to worry about us running into anyone.” Though she spoke no names, I knew who she was referring to: Sawyer. Whether it was Ash’s idea or Kelsey’s to go to a party at Stanton, I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that Ash was going to be too far from me.
This wasn’t going to work, but I couldn’t exactly force them to stay here. They were each adults, able to make their own decisions…and their own mistakes. I hoped Ash wouldn’t make any mistakes tonight, and I prayed that nothing bad would happen to her.
Still, I knew better than to leave that up to chance. Once they were gone, I had a call to make.
“Just…please,” I said, “when you get there, text me the address. Just so I know where you are, in case something happens.”
Kelsey moved her arm off Ash, rolling her eyes as she said, “Yes, Dad. Will do.” She grabbed her phone and put it in her back pocket. “Come on, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” She took Ash’s hand in hers and tugged her toward the door.
I watched them go, feeling an emptiness inside once they were gone. I waited a moment before moving to lock the deadbolt in the door; a habit I’d started after that night. It was hard to feel safe when you never knew what lurked around the corner.
I moved to sit on my bed, pulling out my phone. Best give him a heads-up, I suppose, in case he was busy. I knew it was wrong, but I wished he’d be with another girl, something to show that he wasn’t so serious about Ash. But, of course, he wouldn’t be. Travis was just as serious about Ash as I was, and it sucked.
Dialing his number, I waited for him to pick up.
“Declan,” Travis’s voice broke through the phone, and I felt my jaw clench involuntarily. We might’ve been working together when it came to Ash, but I still wasn’t a fan. Not after what he did. Forgiveness didn’t come easy, and sometimes it never came at all. “Is something wrong?”
Yes, because I’d never call him normally. We weren’t friends anymore. At this point, I wasn’t certain whether we ever were friends.
“Ash’s friend came over,” I said.
“Yes, I’m aware.”
How the hell he was already aware of it, I didn’t know. We didn’t see him today on campus, unless he was stalking her. Which I wouldn’t put past him. “They’re going to some party in Stanton,” I muttered, my free hand clenching into a fist. The sleeve yanked up, revealing my scar. I tried not to look at it. “I told them to text me the address when they get there—”
“Smart, but they don’t need to.”
I got up, starting to pace. “Why?” Turned out, I shouldn’t have asked.
“Because” was all he said for a moment. Then, “If your window was on the west side of the building, you’d be able to see why.”
My feet halted, and I shook my head. “You’re outside? You’ve been watching?” It really shouldn’t surprise me, but it did.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” Travis said. “I’ll follow them to the party, keep my distance. They won’t even know I’m there.” How in the world he thought he could blend in—at a costume party, with all those tattoos—I had no idea. But it was better than me going and facing Ash’s wrath.
“If you see anyone suspicious—”
