The Haywood Boys

16~ Tutoring

Goodbyes have always been hard for me. Especially for the people I love the most. Dad and Larissa left the day after the scavenger hunt. 

"I'm gonna miss you, pine tree" Lar teared up as she playfully pushed my shoulder. 

I grabbed her hand and puled her into a hug. "I'm going to miss you too Harry Larry" I cried into her shoulder. She rubbed my back before she pulled away and gave me a sad smile. "Don't worry I'm coming down to Kansas for Christmas" A teary laugh escaped my lips. 

"Yeah I know, it just seams so far away" she squeezed my hand, that had remained in hers. 

"Bye Lar" I smiled at her, giving her one last hung. 

"Bye Aspen" She smiled and walked a little bit away to give me and my dad privacy. 

I turned to my dad, both of us had tears welling up in our eyes. Without saying a word we wrapped our arms around each other's bodies. 

"I'm going to miss you" I cried into his shoulder. "I know it's only for a week and then you come back, but it just seems like it's so far away" 

"Shh" he stroked my brown hair. "I love you, Aspen" 

"Now boarding flight 626. Now boarding flight 626" The person said over the speaker. 

I looked up at my dad and gave him one last tight hug before letting him go. 

"I love you Kit Kat" he blew me a kiss before walking up to Lar. 

I waved them both goodbye and tears slid down my cheeks. After they were out of my sight I turned around and accidentally ran into someone. 

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry" She said as she tried to clean up her spilt coffee off my shirt. 

"Oh it's okay" I said as we both looked at each other. 

To my surprise, I actually knew this person. She stopped as soon as she realized it was me. She glared down at me. 

"Watch where you're going next time" She spat. 

"Hey you're the one who ran into me and spilled you're coffee on me"  I snapped at her. 

Ignoring my statement, she said, "Why are you here anyway?"

I rolled my eyes at her. She stood with her hand attached to her hip and glared at me. 

"Not that it's any of your business but I just said goodbye to my dad and my best friend.  I could ask you why you're here but I couldn't care less" 

"Ashley!" A female voice yelled which caused both of us to look in that direction. A woman who looked like the slightly older version of Ashley. Ashley did not look happy at all to see this person. "Get over here! These bags are not going to move themselves." She yelled over the crowed airport. 

"Coming mother!" she called back. I would've never thought that would be her mother. Sister, maybe. Mother, no. 

For the first time ever I saw a different side of Ashley. She was vulnerable. She sashayed away and left me standing there. Not that I had expected her to say anything anyway. 

***

"What do you mean you are not dating? You literally kissed in public and don't say that was for the game because you kissed twice!" 

"Well he hasn't exactly asked me to be his girlfriend yet. We just kiss from time to time and sometimes something more" she shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing. 

"Don't shrug like its nothing, Del."  I groaned and fell back from my sitting position on her bed.  

She can't pretend that nothing is happening. She gets all flustered when he's around and sometimes even spaces out starring at him, or stumbles over her words when she's talking to him.