Scarlett
"So what did you mean when you said you killed your girlfriend?" I roll over in Asher's bed, after asking him the question that's been nagging me since he dropped the stunning revelation two weeks ago. I need to know if I'm spending my Monday nights lying in bed with a murderer.
"I meant exactly what I said. I killed my girlfriend." He says casually as if he didn't just drop a bomb of the century.
I look at him, taking in his appearance, looking into his eyes, seeing if he really could have killed someone. His splattering of freckles combined with his big brown eyes and hair still dripping from his shower gives him the illusion of being an innocent choirboy. The dim lighting does nothing but back up my observation of his innocence. Although he looks completely innocent and incapable of ever harming anyone, I know first hand how deceiving looks can be.
Damn, I befriended a murderer.
Of course, it would be just my luck that the only friend I made in Boston would be a girlfriend killer. I regret accepting his offer to come in when I dropped him after our meeting. I also regret not telling anyone where I've been for the last three hours. I silently scold myself for being so careless. I should switch topics, so he doesn't feel the urge to make me his next victim.
"How'd you kill her?"
Or I could keep poking the bear.
Asher sighs and the usual playful light he has in his eyes has been replaced with something else. Something darker. Pain? Regret? I can't pinpoint the emotion, but whatever it is, it makes me want to know what happened to his girlfriend. The once light and friendly mood of the room has been replaced with anxiety, both mine and his. Asher's mute, and it scares me because the boy never shuts up.
I'm just about to apologize for being so nosey when Asher finally finds his voice. "It's a long story."
I look over at my phone that reads 11:09. I probably should head back to the dorms. I have class in the morning, but I have a feeling that the story Asher has is more important and more interesting than going to sleep. "I have time."
"Well, you better make yourself comfortable then," Asher flips over onto his back with his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. "You're not from Boston right?"
"Nope. I'm a transplant. I'm from Connecticut."
"Okay so you probably haven't seen it on the news, but about three months ago I killed the love of my life." Asher inhales deeply, preparing himself to tell me the story.
"My best friend Joshua threw this huge unofficial graduation party. My girlfriend Lainey didn't want to go. That Saturday was supposed to be one of our stay at home date nights. She wanted to watch Clueless, and order take out from Lucky Dragon Chinese takeout. Clueless was her favorite movie, so naturally we've seen it a million times, and Chinese was her favorite, so naturally, we've had it a million times. Joshua was my best friend, so I had to be at his party, and I wanted Lainey there with me. I convinced her to come with me to the party by promising that we could watch the movie and get the food the next day."
"She begrudgingly agreed, but on the entire car ride there she told me how she didn't really want to be there. It's like she knew something was going to happen. Her earlier doubts about the party quickly disappeared however once she got into the party. She was having a great time, and so was I. We drank and danced and drank and laughed and- and it was just a really great time. I remember thinking about this was one of the best nights of my life and couldn't wait to have more nights like this with Lainey in college. We both were planning on going to Boston University. Lainey was so incredibly smart. She could have been anything but her heart was set on being a journalist. She wanted to cover groundbreaking stories and expose the corruption in the world, starting with Boston."
