Rooming With Ash

Rooming With Ash: Chapter 7

"No, Asia. We're only buying things that are on the list," Phoebe said, snatching the mochi ice-cream from Asia's hands. "Cereals, breads, eggs, lunch meats, and fruits. If you want all the extra stuff then you have to use your own money to do it."

Asia's eyebrows drew together pleadingly. "It's just one box!" she cried. "Come on, Phoebe! You need to learn how to treat yourself every now and then."

"We don't have enough to last us all summer if we blow it all on treating ourselves," Phoebe said with a laugh. "But if you want to treat us, feel free."

"Pshh, as if!" Asia scoffed.

Phoebe groaned. "That's what I thought," she muttered. "So I'm going to go and return this and I'll pick up bread on the way back too. Can you guys start getting the fruits? Jack told me that the consensus was lots of oranges, lots of bananas, a handful of mangoes, and a stingy amount of grapes."

I nodded, giving Phoebe a fake salute. "Yes ma'am," I replied.

She rolled her eyes but still smiled at me before leaving to make her way to the ice-cream section.

"Hey, can you two actually do the fruits?" Marissa asked me and Asia. "I want to go and see if they have any fancy Hawaiian cereals. I'll be back though."

"Ooh, can you also check and see if they have any Reese's Puffs while you're at it?" Asia asked. "Those are my favorite."

Marissa nodded, giving Asia a thumbs up. "I'll keep you posted."

She headed off to the cereal section of the shop, leaving just Asia and myself to do the fruits. I held the cart as Asia walked beside me, a bounce in her step that hadn't been there this morning.

"Hey, Asia, I want to ask you something," I said.

She looked over at me with a cautious expression, the seemingly ever-present crease etched into her brow. "If this is about Marissa again, Keira, I swear I'll–"

"It isn't." I held my hands up in surrender, not wanting to hear how she was planning on ending that sentence. I was fairly sure Asia would never actually do anything violent though since she could barely kill a spider (I'd seen her pick one up with her bare hands and literally carry it outside so that people wouldn't step on it), but she was a Gemini, and one could really never be too sure around a Gemini.

Asia narrowed her eyes slightly, watching for any signs of a lie in my face, before she finally relaxed and her shoulders un-tensed. "Okay," she said. "What's up?"

"I'm just curious," I began. "Why didn't you want to switch with me? And live with Ash, I mean."

She frowned. "I told you, Keira, I didn't want to live next to Jaime."

"Okay, yes, you did tell me that, but come on, Asia. You and I both know that's some bullshit."

Asia looked at me from the corner of her eye and I could see a small smirk playing at her lips. "Was I really that obvious?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and she had her answer.

"You weren't obvious per se," I told her. "I just know you well enough to know that something as trivial as him having sex wouldn't be enough to mess you up that much. You already know Jaime gets girls and it's never seemed to tear you up before."

She laughed, nodding her head at me. "Okay, that's a fair point."

"So what was the real reason?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I wanted you to stay roommates with Ash."

I stopped pushing the cart and turned to glare full on at Asia. She wanted me to what? Why would she care about something like that? Something that didn't even affect her – that she could see was tearing me up to deal with!