In Between ➣ Cash Baker ✔️

11. Luna

"Careful."

"What?"

"Your smile. You look like you're about to fall in love." Ashley nudged me and I peeled my eyes off of Cash. We were sitting in the cafeteria the next day and I hadn't noticed I had been staring at Cash since we walked into the door.

"I'm not falling love," I sighed. Ashley squinted her eyes and edged closer to me in order to detect if I was lying. After a moment, she leaned back and hummed.

"Bullshit," she concluded. "You're in love with him and he's in love with you and it's like a goddamn tragedy because you look at him and see the sun and he looks at you and sees the stars and you both think the other is just looking at the ground," Ashley inhaled deeply to catch her breath. I payed no attention to her however, I simply stared ahead.

"You're staring at him again," Ashley deadpanned.

"I'm not," I replied. "Simply just gazed over in a direction and he was there."

"Then why is that look on your face?"

"What?" I asked while Ashley smiled smugly. "What look?"

"You look a certain way when you see him," she informed me. "You look at him and it's like you're staring at some sort of moon."

"And?"

Ashley looked over at Cash and back at me, "you love the moon."

The bell rang meaning we all had to head back to class. I got up without replying back to Ashley and walked out of the cafeteria.

"You coming to the spot?" She asked as we exiting the cafeteria along with everyone else.

"I think I'm just going to head to class." There was a look of shock on Ashley's face but she didn't question it.

"Hey, Luna!" I turned to see Cash waving at me from a few feet away. I frantically turned back to Ashley, my backpack falling off my arms.

"On second thought, let's go," I spoke. I didn't waste another second dragging Ashley down the hall and into the bathroom. We stayed there silently while everyone else headed to class. Ashley pulled out a tube of mascara and began to apply it over her eye lashes.

"What was that all about?" She asked nonchalantly, her lips parted as she stayed concentrated on the mirror.

"Nothing," I answered back, slumping against the wall.

"You completely ignored Cash out there," Ashley responses. She slipped the tube back into her backpack and we listened for the bell to ring before leaving the bathroom and making our way to the window in the print room.

"I did not ignore him," I spoke once we were in the woods.

"Yeah and I'm not your best friend," Ashley retorted. I rolled my eyes at her and tossed my backpack to the ground. Ashley hopped onto the rock while I stayed where I was, leaning gently against the tree. I took a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it before inhaling the contents.

"My dad showed up last night." I spoke as if it was no big deal, but I knew it was. It was a big enough deal for Ashley to jump off the rock, nearly face planting.

"Your dad? Showed up? At your house?"

"That's what I said isn't it?" I deadpanned. Ashley came over and I handed her my cigarette. She took a drag before flicking it to the ground and making sure the flame was out.

"I can't believe he showed up," Ashley shook her head. "What'd he want?"

I stayed quiet for a minute. "He wants me, Ash." I sniffled and watched Ashley as her eyes studied my face, brows furrowed. "I overheard him talking to my aunt last night. He wants me to move in with him in New Hampshire. I don't want to, Ash. I don't want to go with him." I choke out and Ashley didn't waste another second wrapping her arms around me. We stood there for a while, clinging to each other.

"He's not going to take you," Ashley spoke when we pulled away. She kept a firm grip on my arms with her hands.

"But he's—"

"No, Luna," Ashley shook her head. "He won't take you away." She let go of my arms and they fell limp by my side. "But that doesn't explain why you ignored Cash." Ashley changed the subject, heading back over to the rock. I sat next to her on the hard stone, eyes glossy.

"I don't want to get attached. What if I get attached and then I have to move away? I'll already be leaving you and my aunt. The two people who have stuck by me. And I'd have to leave Cash too?" I looked over at Ashley who's eyes were trained on the sky.

"Luna you're fucked," Ashley laughed. She looked back at me and my eyebrows furrowed. "You're utterly fucked. Your life is a mess! You can never catch a break and I can't remember the last time you were genuinely happy."

"But actually I do remember." Ashley continued before I could protest. "I remember when you were happy. The day after Cash's baseball practice when you went with him and his friends to get frozen yogurt. I had stopped by your house and was talking to your aunt when you got home. You closed the front door behind you and slid down it until your butt hit the floor. You had the dumbest smile on your lips and you looked ecstatic."

"Luna, you need to fight. You need to keep fighting because Cash makes you happy. I don't care if you won't admit it but I know that he makes you the happiest." I felt hit tears staining my cheeks but I didn't care. I tackled Ashley in a hug and squeezed her as hard as I could.

"I love you, Ash," I whispered and she laughed loudly.

"I love you too, dummy."

—-

short chapter because i didn't know how to end it