The Tale of Your Ordinary Girl

Chapter 11- Ashton

How is she always so happy?

"Momma, Daddy!" She greets her parents with a happy smile and runs into their arms.

"Mother. Father." I greet them.

"So here are your tickets," Mr. Sterling tells her handing her a few tickets. "Some money. The Blake's, your mother and I will be at the raffle booths, we'll meet you by the cotton candy stand for dinner later. Now you and Ashton go have fun. We'll see you in three hours."

"Okay daddy." She says taking the money and tickets sticking them in her pocket. She kisses his cheek once more before following me.

The carnivals a bore. Luciana doesn't ride any of the rides with me, she just stands at the end waiting for me to get off. Then there's no conversation between rides, she's just silently walking with me.

"Hi cutie," someone comes and wraps their arm around mine, their friend around my other. Luciana is gone, so I let them drag me around for a while.

"I want that horse, and that stuffed animal." One of the girls I'm with says as I pay for the ride.

"And I won that for her, not you." I look over at the girl, the boy had been referring to, shocked to see Luciana with Jonathan cradling a stuffed dolphin. The ride begins and ends. Jonathan and Luciana make a quick get away. He takes her hand, as both girls latch back onto me. A long day ahead for me.

"Mother, father." I greet my parents with a nod.

"Where were you?" Father asks, "we left you with Luciana we expected you to return together, you were supposed to watch and take care of her."

"I am not her babysitter!" I argue.

Luciana takes something from her father's hand kissing his cheek before walking off with Jonathan, again.

"The Sterlings, your mother and I must discuss a few things, we'll meet you at the table for dinner." My father hands me money to buy everyone's dinner and I storm off to buy our food.

Luciana and Jonathan are sitting across from each other, if I didn't know better id think they were dating.

"This is all your fault you know." I tell her walking over taking all my will power not to throw the food.

"How is it my fault?" She asks sounding so innocent. Let's see, you're no fun at carnivals, you don't ride anything but some dumb carousel, and you don't even try to cover for me when you came back leaving me in a heap of trouble.

"It just is." I tell her bluntly.

"It's not my fault you got in trouble for ditching me for two girls." She says picking up a fry, "That, that was all you." She dips it in her honey mustard.

"You could've covered for me," it's the least she coulda done.

"And lie to my parents face?" She asks me, yes, that would seem to be correct, "yeah, no thanks."

"If you didn't want to get into trouble, you shoulda stayed with her." Jonathan says, "you can't pin this one on her." Oh yes I can. I can pin this on whoever I want to.

"No one asked you Blondie" I growl

"We've come to an agreement," my father begins, "Luciana, we'd like for you and Ashton to spend time together, maybe you could rub off on him." He looks over to me for a split second before looking to her, "Do you mind?"

"I... Uh... I. I don't know if that's a good idea," she stammers, "what if he influences me?" She finishes as if it were a question. They couldn't have picked a better punishment. "Yes sir," Luciana says with a small sigh.

Trust me, if we ever agree on one thing it's that this is a waste of our time.