Run. Just Run.

Chapter 37

"Well, here's the living room, the dining room, the kitchen is through that door," the woman says without taking a breath. "I've got a room available if you want it! What are your names, by the way? Mine is Tina. Tina Von Stanton."

"I'm Jacob." James says, not wanting to even acknowledge Ashley.

"And my name is Asher." Ashley says as she steps around James, holding out her hand to shake. "Nice to meet you." If James wasn't gonna be nice to her, she'd just try to be nicer to other people than him. She'd show him what he's missing out on.

Tina shakes Ashley's hand eagerly. "The room is straight up the stairs and first door on the left, it's $25, the same price as the motels in town, but here we serve you breakfast! And breakfast is typically served at 7, but you can come get it anytime in the morning." She says, satisfied that she's summed up just about everything.

James nods and numbly takes out $25 from his wallet, still trying to catch up with everything that she'd said. Ashley starts walking up the stairs, and he follows. When he goes into the room, he sees Ashley staring.

"Oh no." James sighs. "It's a queen bed."

Now normally they wouldn't have a problem with it, but after everything that's happened in the past few hours, they don't even want to share the same room, much less the same bed. But they slowly come to realize that they have to, so James plops down on one side of the bed.

"I'm going to sleep early tonight." He mumbles at Ashley. "Do whatever you want."

"Of course I will! I can do anything I want!" Ashley retorts, immediately wishing she hadn't said it. She's still mad at James, but she shouldn't have snapped like that.

"Yeah, you obviously can." James snaps back, imagining her telling Danny she loved him. "Anything you want." And without caring at all about me, he adds in his head.

"I know." Ashley says, for some reason trying to have the last word. Seems like everything is a battle between them today.

"Just don't touch me when we're sleeping." James says with a hint of anger.

She watches as he rolls over, and falls asleep facing the wall. She can't even look at him asleep. She used to find watching him when he slept so cute, now it's just awful. He is an awful person. Leading her on like he had. I love you. Like really, really love you. Those words had meant so much to her, and then they'd been interrupted before she could respond. Then right after that, he acted like he didn't like her at all. What was wrong with him?!?

Ashley lays down on the bed, far away from James. She rolls over so her back is facing James as well. Why does he have to be a player? Why couldn't he be the sweet, caring boy she thought he was? Why...

Ashley drifts off to sleep, her mind full of nagging questions. She can't believe the kind of person James really is. Had he always been like this, and she just hadn't known? Ugh. Too many questions. And not a single answer.