The Tale of Your Ordinary Girl

Chapter 18- Ashton

"No, please!" Luciana begs running from me. I laugh and chase her, letting her get a far lead before speeding down the street after her. She makes it to the bookstore and just before she can grab the handle on the door I wrap my arms around her. I pull her back into me. "Blake!"

"Sterling!" I mimic as I open the door.

"Belle?" Melanie, the owner calls, "Is that you?"

"Hey Mel." She calls back. She manages to get out of my grasp and goes to the bookshelf to find the book.

"Find it?" I ask her.

"Found it." She confirms grabbing the worn book. I sit down on the love seat and she curls up next to me. I open the book and we begin reading.

Brring! Her phone goes off.

"Jonathan," Her phone reads, "Go ahead." I tell her closing the book.

"I'll only be a minute." She promises. "Hello? ... John... John, what's wrong? I can't understand you. Slow down. Take a deep breath. ... No, I'm with Ashton. ... I'll be there in five. ... Bye." She hangs up and gives me a guilty look.

"Go." I tell her. "I'll wait at my house."

"I am so sorry." She tells me. I stand up and hug her. "He sounded so distraught. If you had heard him."

"It's okay. He's your best friend." I tell her. Since Cassidy moved away and pretty much cut contact with Luciana, Jonathan was there. He understood better than me. I was always the one doing the leaving. Never the one being left. She hasn't been able to see him that much because of his girlfriend. We can't even double with them.

"I'm so sorry Ash." She whispers kissing my cheek, "I'll see you at your place I guess."

"I'm counting on it." I tell her kissing the top of her head. She makes her way out and heads down the road to meet Jonathan.

~

"Ash," someone calls knocking on my door. I don't move. The door opens and a familiar brunette girl walks to join me.

"Hey." I greet her.

"I'm sorry." She tells me resting her head on my shoulder.

"Don't be." I tell her. "How is he?"

"Heart broken." She sighs.

"What happened?"

"She dumped him for a newer model."

"She always was a b-"

"Rat I know." She says curling up next to me glaring at me for almost saying what I did. I shoot her an apologetic grin. We stare at the town from my roof as the sun is setting. She rests her head on my shoulder as my arm pulls her closer to me. "You should have seen him. He was miserable."

"Why?" I ask, "She wasn't even that pretty."

"Well if you're not into tall skinny blonde model types." I hear her retort under her breath.

"I'm not." I whisper to her. "I'm more for the quiet nerdy brunettes with their nose buried in books and eyes that light up when she gets a chance to read her favorite book with me."

She blushes as she buries her face in my shoulder. "Jonathan and I are going to hang out tomorrow afternoon, do you mind?" She looks up at me, her innocent eyes shining.

"A church thing, or just a regular thing?"

"Both, the kids are having a carnival of sorts, I'm doing a story book costume booth. Then we're going to grab some lunch. You're welcome to join us."

"I've got plans tomorrow, but are we still on for our date?"

"Nothing's going to stop me." She promises. She looks out to the dark sky as the stars begin to peak through. She yawns quietly as she nestles closer to me and her breathing slows.

"Night, Luce." I tell her as I scoop her up and carefully crawl back into my room through my window. I lay her on the bed and remove her shoes before pulling my comforter over her. I kiss her forehead before grabbing my pajamas and heading to the guest bedroom to sleep.