Ashley Cooper's Arc

Chapter 27 of 37

The diner was warm and half empty. Ashley picked at her fries while Mike sipped coffee. She should have felt lighter. She had told the truth. But her mind kept circling back to one moment, and it made no sense. "I have to tell you something," Ashley said. "And you're going to hate it." Mike raised an eyebrow. "Worse than everything else this week?" "I can't stop thinking about your aunt." The words came out fast. "Not because she scared me. Because when she kissed me, something in me woke up. I finally understood what I want. And it's her." Mike set his cup down hard. Coffee slopped over the rim. "My aunt? Ashley, she's ancient. She tried to trap you in that creepy house." "I know how it sounds." Ashley pressed her bone hand flat on the table. "But she's the first person who ever made me feel it. I've never even met a girl who might want me back. I don't have anyone else. Only her." Mike rubbed his face. His mustache twitched. "I punched her into a wall. She probably wants us both in jail." "Then let me fix it. Take me back." "No." Mike shook his head. "No way." Ashley leaned forward. "You said we'd figure out where I actually want to go. This is where I want to go. I'm asking you as my friend." Mike stared at her for a long moment. The word friend landed. His shoulders dropped. "You really mean this," he said quietly. "More than anything I've ever said." Mike threw money on the table. "If she comes at us, I'm driving off and never stopping." They drove back through the dark. The mansion rose up, tall and gray. Ashley climbed the steps and knocked before Mike could change his mind. Her heart slammed. The door creaked open. Mike's aunt stood there in a black dress, her gray hair loose around a pale, withered face. A dark bruise marked her cheek where Mike had hit her. Her wide eyes moved from Mike to Ashley, then narrowed. "You," she said. Her voice was thin and cold. "You came back to my house after he struck me." "I came back for you," Ashley said. "Not him. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I want to be with you." The old woman's face did not soften. She looked Ashley up and down. Then she laughed, dry and sharp. "Child, I kissed you to spite my nephew. I have no interest in you." She glanced at her bruised cheek. "And you brought the boy who did this back to my door. You are not welcome. Either of you." The door slammed. Ashley stood on the cold steps, hand still raised. Mike touched her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go." Ashley walked back to the car in silence. She had finally chased what she wanted, and been rejected flat. But something had shifted. She knew now what she was. She just had to find a girl who would actually want her back.