In Between ➣ Cash Baker ✔️

03. Luna

"Babe!" My dear friend Ashley Thompson shouted from down the hall. She had resulted in calling me babe and I had gone along with it since it was her way of showing love.

"Hey, Ash," I smiled at her as we met up at my locker. Ashley has been my friend since we started middle school. Now, we're juniors in high school at the mere age of 16 just getting back from winter break.

"Ooh, you dyed your hair again," Ashley played with the ends of my french braided white hair. I'd been dying it for quite some time. I just didn't like the brown and Auntie Jen helped me dye it the first day of high school for a fresh start. Up until I was a freshman, I'd been known as the girl with the dead mom and dying my hair white was my way of coping with that, I guess.

"Yup, did it a few days ago. The brown was starting to show through," I told Ashley. We turned our heads at the sound of laughter and I caught sight of his blue eyes looking at me.

"Woah," Ashley smacked my arm. "Cash Baker?" She giggled.

"What about him?" I scoffed, lugging my backpack onto my shoulder.

"You looked at him," Ashley's eyes widened.

"So?" I laughed, slightly scared of my friend right now. "Am I not allowed to do that?" I asked in which Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Of course you can," Ashley groaned. "But you know kids like him don't fit with kids like us," Ashley gestured between the two of us. I knew exactly what she was talking about even though I hated it.

Cash was considered a good boy. He got good grades, hung out with good people, did good deeds. Ashley and I on the other hand, were the opposite. We skipped school, drank occasionally, smoked only a few times, and Ashley's grades were down the drain. Mine were decent though, B's and a few C's. I dont want to be stereotyped or anything, but the way you dress at this school showed who you were.

Ashley and I were the kids wearing ripped jeans, Doc Marten's and band tees. Cash's friend group dressed like they woke up loving their lives. In other words, I was the bad girl and he was the good guy. The opposites. I was the moon and he was the sun. And the sun and the moon don't cross paths.

"Hello?" Ashley waved her hand in front of my eyes. "We skipping today?" She asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in the print room in a little bit," I nodded and Ashley took the hint, heading down the hall. Sophomore year Ashley and I discovered that the print room was rarely ever used by teachers. Students only used the printer in the room if they needed to print something last minute, which was not very often.

When the bell rang, I headed for the print room, making sure no one was around before shutting myself inside. I made my way to the window which was already open, a sign that Ashley had already left. I was about to leave when I heard the door open. I jumped down from the window and watched someone walk in, turning the lights on.

"Luna?" His voice made my heart pound in a way no one has ever done before.

"Cash?" I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at the laptop in his hand. "What are you doing here?" I asked, tossing my backpack through the window and listening to it hit a stick on the ground, snapping it.

"I have study hall right now and Ms. Murphy let's me do my studying in here. What are you doing here?" Cash explained and I sat on th windowsill, pulling my legs up.

"Leaving," I answered and Cash nodded.

"Alright," he smiled after some time. "Have fun," I waited a moment before jumping down from the window and walking over to where Cash was sitting at one of the tables by the printer.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, sitting next Cash who opened his laptop.

"Of course," he smiled again.

"Why are you so nice to people?" I questioned and watched Cash's gaze soften. He looked from the table back to my eyes and back at the table.

"Because," he sighed, reaching my gaze again. "I never want anyone to feel the way I felt," he answered and I knew exactly what he meant. Satisfied with his answer, I got out of the chair and walked back to the window.

"Hey, Luna?" Cash called out and I turned my head, waiting for him to answer. "Have a good day," he smiled wide and I bit my lip to bite back my own lips turning upwards.

"Yeah, you too," I watched Cash nod and turn his gaze to his laptop before jumping down a few feet, letting my shoes hit the ground.

"Took you long enough," Ashley whispered and I rolled my eyes, grabbing my backpack. "Where we going today, Ms. Hayes?"

"The spot?" I asked and Ashley nodded, linking arms with me as we took the short walk through the woods and out to the spot.

The "spot" was a place Ashley and I discovered the second time we snuck out. The first time Ashley had gotten too scared and made us climb back through the window. The spot consisted of a stream of water and a large rock Ashley and I would sit on and talk. Or we'd just look around at all the trees. It was hidden in the woods and we'd usually come here to drink without Auntie Jen knowing.

As we sat on the large rock, I thought about what Cash had said. He never wanted anyone to feel the way he felt and I thought about the fact that I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Cash's mom had died from an illness when he was 13. I remember he came into school the next day with disheveled hair and mismatched clothes. Everyone was making fun of him for how he dressed but none of them knew the reason why. But I did, and I never made fun of him.

"So, what took you so long?" Ashley nudged me out of my thoughts and I turned to face the girl with blonde hair, dyed blue at the ends and piercing green eyes.

"A teacher walked in and I had to play it cool," I lied, shrugging my shoulders. I could tell by the smile on Ashley's lips that she knew I was laughing.

"You like him," she teased and I groaned, laying back against the smooth material of the rock.

"Shut up," I smacked Ashley's arm and she just laughed. "Besides, even if I did, nothing would happen between us. Cash doesn't want his reputation of being a good boy to be destroyed by me," I explained and Ashley sent a sympathetic, closed mouth smile.

"I'm sorry, babe," I sat up and Ashley draped her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her. "But Cash is too nice to care if you destroy him," I sent Ashley a look and she continued. "Trust me, Luna that boy likes you and he won't care if you mess up his reputation."

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I LOVE ASHLEY

i wanted the main character to have a loving bestfriend and that's who ashley is