Ash

Chapter 40

Ashton's POV

I woke up around 4 this morning and I couldn't go back to sleep. I decided I would go upstairs and clean my room. My eyes widened as I saw the blood from last night. I'm gonna have to get a new floor. The carpet is definitely stained. Maybe I'll just get tile. I don't know. For the time being, I'm gonna bleach it and get the blood out at least. It bothers me seeing it now. I tiptoed back down the stairs and got the bleach from under the counter, then brought it back upstairs and began to clean my carpet. My nose began to burn a little and I started coughing. Enough bleach then.

I bit my lip as I put the lid back on the bottle. I decided I would go ahead and get dressed since it's only 5. I went in my closet and pulled out a pair of acid washed jeans with tears in the knees, a red sweater, and my black Doc Martens. I grabbed some clean undergarments from my dresser and a pair of socks, and then laid everything out on my bed. Shower time. After closing and locking my bathroom door, I opened the cabinet and got out a towel so I could dry off before. My phone was plugged into the charger, so I went ahead and connected it to the Bluetooth speaker and pressed 'shuffle' on my playlist. "Rise Above This" by Seether began to play through the speaker as I turned the water on. Once the water was steaming, I climbed in. I immediately had to bite back the urge to scream. It's not because the water is too hot, it's the fact that I still have recent cuts on my arms. It burns. I took a deep breath as I tried to ignore the pain. Once 4 songs had played, I exited the shower and turned the water off. I paused my music, unplugged my phone, turned the speaker off, and wrapped myself in the towel. My bedroom door wouldn't lock, but it still closed. For that I was thankful. As I was about to close the door, Erik entered the room.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said as he gave me a kiss. I smiled and looked up at him, "Good morning, handsome." He took in my attire and blushed when he realized I was only in a towel. "I'll be outside the door."

He's such a great guy. I closed the door as he stepped out and then I got dressed. The sweater hurt a little bit, but I don't want everyone to know other than my friends and family. Anyone else can cause drama. Once I was dressed, I tucked my phone in my pocket and opened the door. "So, you ready for today?" I whispered softly to Erik, to which he smiled and nodded. I intertwined our fingers and we headed down the stairs. I decided to make breakfast for everyone. The smell of eggs and sausage drifted through the house and within seconds I had 4 people in front of me asking for breakfast. I laughed, "You gotta wait. I ain't done yet. Eggs and sausage are just the beginning. Go play the Xbox. One is in the living room, but there's one in the basement too!" Off they went. Penny groggily walked into the kitchen and sat at the island, patiently waiting. She checked her phone and then looked over at me, "Can I use your room? I need to change into something different since we're going out today." I yawned, "Sure, you can borrow some of my stuff, too, if you need it."

Once breakfast was done, I made everyone a plate and set them on the island, along with a glass of orange juice. I cooked eggs. grits, sausage, biscuits, bacon, hash browns, and I made some gravy for anyone who wants it on their biscuits. I sent a message to the group chat and then sent an individual one to Sam since I haven't added her in yet. Within seconds I had everyone lined up and grabbing their plate and glass and heading into the living room. I smiled as Erik waited beside me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. Penny thanked me for breakfast and followed the rest of the crowd.

After everyone ate their breakfast I received a chorus of thank you's. I checked my phone and saw that it was only 7:30. "Listen up! It's 7:30 and we gotta get to the mall by 9 so we can get all the shopping done, have lunch, then get back here and start wrapping things! Hop to it!" Everyone got up and started getting ready. The girls went upstairs to my room and the guest room to get ready, while the boys went down to the basement. Since Penny was already dressed we just sat on the couch and waited for everyone. I bit my lip and turned to Penny, "What do you think of Sam?" She thought for a second before speaking, "She's okay. I don't know her as well as you do, obviously, but I can tell that she means a lot to you and you mean a lot to her as well. Ash, I'm not gonna be mean to her. You know me. I don't automatically trust her one hundred percent, but I do have some faith in her. If I didn't then I wouldn't be nice to her. Just be careful, okay?" I smiled and gave her a big hug. Just then Sam sat down next to me.