Kissing in July

Chapter 20

I call Summer later, asking if she's okay. She's not, obviously. She drove herself to the hospital immediately.

I managed to ask Cody to drive me to the prison, so I can see Ashton. He nods, yeah, he can take me.

He drops me off and asks if I want him to tag along.

"No," I say. "I can do this. I'll call you when I'm finished."

I walk up to the lady at the counter and she hooks me up at a window with a telephone.

She calls Ashton out, and my heart pumps heavily through my chest.

He appears, and I bite the inside of my lip. He then takes a seat across from me and I pick up the phone.

He does the same.

"You have five minutes," the lady says.

"Ashton..." Is all I say.

"Hey, Hailey," he replies, kind of gruff and tired.

"Umm...I heard about everything...you're gonna be in jail for a while, huh? Not that you don't deserve it."

He frowns. "Hailey, I'm so sorry--"

I lose my temper right then. "Don't start this bullshit with me, Ashton! You're a liar! Nothing you say can make me feel better. I just can't believe you could do this to me. And Blare."

He gulps. "Hailey, about Blare--"

"What the hell about her? You betrayed her like you did the rest of us."

Ashton's brow furrows and he says sternly, "Hailey, shut the hell up and let me talk! I need to tell you something about Blare."

I shut up

"I was the one who made her kill herself."

"What?!" I shriek.

He nods. "Yeah. I raped her and...yeah..."

He goes silent.

I close my eyes for a moment. "Ashton, listen, I hate to do this, but I need to shut you out of my life. Forever."

"No, don't, I can make this work. I love--"

"No. You don't love me and you never did. And I don't love you either." I swallow and my eyes begin to burn. "Goodbye, Ashton."

I slam the phone back onto its place in the wall, and leave, not paying attention to Ashton screaming through the window. He deserved this.

But I didn't.