Chapter seven

With clenched jaws, she pushed Alex. He lost his balance and landed on his butt. 

"Hey!" He yelled. He stood up to his feet and lurched at Ashley. Henry stepped in to separate them. 

"Let me go! I'm gonna teach him a lesson" Ashley fumed. 

"Shut your mouth you bitch!" Claire snapped. Ashley broke free from Henry's hold and she charged at Claire, but Alex pushed her back and she landed on the floor. A fight broke out between them. 

"Fight! Fight!" Their classmates cheered. 

"What's going on here?" Mrs Jones voice stopped them. They were all so engrossed in the fight that they didn't notice when she walked in.

"You're fighting?" Mrs Jones uttered in disbelief. She wasn't suprised about Alex, or Henry or even Claire, but the new girl? 

"To the detention class, the four of you" She sterned. 

"He's the one at fault, he tore my mathematics note" Ashley protested. 

"You tore it yourself!" Alex fired back. 

"Keep quiet! To the detention class now! And Ashley, see me after your detention. You have detention for two hours"

"Two hours!" she thought. 

Ashley squeezed her face. She didn't like the idea of detention on bit and to crown it all, Alex and Claire too. Though she disliked the idea, her mind was at ease because Henry was coming along. 

After they left, Mrs Jones asked, "What happened?"

"Alex tore Ashley's mathematics note" Annabelle explained. 

"It was Ashley's fault. He was about to give it back, but she dragged it from him and it tore. How's that Alex fault?" Monica supported Alex. 

"That's a lie" another person said. 

"That's enough! Let's get started"

***

As they walked through the hallway, Ashley stopped at the entrance of the music studio. She could feel it, there was something strange about it.

She could hear whispers, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Curiously, she placed her hand on the doorknob. Her hand trembled slightly. Deep down, she was afraid, afraid of what she might find behind the door. 

The others had walked far ahead of her, but she stood in front of the music studio, her hand still placed on the metal doorknob. 

"DON'T!" A voice echoed. She felt a shiver run down her spine. Her whole body quivered as she took a step backward, her eyes scanning around in fear. 

"Hey, it's this way" Henry's voice distracted her. He was walking with Alex and Claire until he noticed that Ashley wasn't with them. 

Still engulfed in fear, Ashley tried to move, but her legs wobbled. 

"Are you okay?" Henry asked in a concerned tone. 

"I'm fine" She faked a smile as she walked towards him. Despite her situation, her stomach tingled in excitement at the sound of his voice. 

"Need some help?" He asked as she now stood beside him. 

"No, I'm fine" She said. She was turning scarlet again. His sweet scent filled the air as they headed to the detention class. 

Ashley's attention was focused on Henry. She just couldn't take her eyes off him for some reason. 

Henry pushed the door open and they strolled in. Alex was seated at the back with Claire beside him. 

Henry slumped against one of the chairs in the front row. Ashley stood still, uncertain of where to sit. 

She didn't want to sit beside Henry because of the way she was feeling. His voice alone could make her blush and her heart quiver. 

At last, she sat in the middle. She stole quick glances at Henry who was resting his head on the table. She quickly cautioned herself and slowly lowered her head to the table in front of her. 

It was so silent, a pin drop could be heard. Ashely's thought drifted back to what happened earlier. She was starting to over think it. 

Suddenly, she came up with an idea. She could just ask Henry if he heard anything. Her eyes darted towards his direction, but he was asleep. 

"Damn, he looks so cute even when he's sleeping" Her inner mind cooed. She didn't want to disturb him so she decided to ask him later. 

Turning to the back, Alex and Claire too were asleep. 

"Are they really allowed to sleep in detention?" Ashely asked no one in particular in a low tone. 

Her eyes scanned the nooks and crannies of the the too. She became bored. This was why she hated detention. You're not allowed to do anything except wait for it to be over. 

She sighed continuously like a depressed soul. She glanced at her wristwatch. They still had one more hour to go. She groaned within.

"God! I think I'm gonna die if I don't so something" She thought. 

Looking around again, her eyes landed on a marker lying few tables away from her. She stretched her arms to get it and a mischievous smile curled on her lips. 

Now, she didn't dare make any sound. She tiptoed to where Alex was seated. His head was resting on the table and Claire was facing the other side so that gave her a go ahead to carry on with her plan. He was breathing peacefully as he slept. 

Not taking her eyes off Claire for fear that she might wake up, she brought her face closer to Alex. She pressed her lips together to suppress her laughter. 

As she was about to draw something on his face, his eyes flickered open startling the hell out of her. 

His green eyes widened in surprise and he gripped her hand. 

"What are you doing?" He asked in a cold voice. 

Ashley was speechless. His green eyes pierced hers and she gulped. 

She quickly got a hold of herself and replied, "Nothing, I was just trying to.. " She stopped biting her lower lips because she knew she wasn't going to say anything reasonable. 

He brought his face closer to hers and their lips were inches apart. 

"You were trying to do what?" He glared at her, then his eyes shifted from her face to the marker in her hand.

A look of anger crossed his face at the sight of the marker. 

"I was trying to draw something on your face……My way of payback" She said, trying to sound confident though she was kinda embarrassed that he caught her in the act. 

That didn't seem to go down well with Alex. 

"Let go of my hand" She said in a low tone, but he won't let go. He studied her face, from her eyebrows to her deep blue eyes, then her curly hair. 

That feeling enveloped him again. The exact same way he felt when he was in junior high school. He could picture her face in his head, the way she smiled, the way she walked, but she had her eyes on someone else. 

"Let go, will you?" Ashley snapped, waking Henry and Claire from their sleep. 

Alex was so engrossed in his feelings, he was oblivious of what Ashley was saying. Why was she making him feel this way? He hated her gut, he hated that she embarrassed him, he hated that she was daring, but that didn't change the way he felt.

Seeing that Alex wasn't ready to let go of Ashely's hand, Henry stood up and walked towards them.

He realesed Ashley's hand from Alex's grip. Ashley felt her heartbeat increase as Henry's hand brushed against hers. 

Claire shot Ashley a dirty look. She didn't like that Alex gripped Ashley's hand. Alex wasn't pleased either about Henry's reaction. It seemed like the same thing was repeating itself. 

Rolling his eyes, he placed his head on the table. 

Ashley was still bored so she decided to sit with Henry. They chatted happily while Alex stole quick glances at them. He wasn't pleased one bit. 

Noticing his sour mood, Claire said, "Don't worry babe, we'll find a way to deal with her". She placed her hand on Alex's shoulder but he shrugged it off. 

Claire was a bit hurt by his action. The thought of Alex gripping Ashley's hand irritated her the more. She felt like slapping Ashley, pushing her roughly to the floor, or even beating her up.

Yeah, she was the jealous type. She was starting to get angry. She wished the detention would end soon. 

After a while, the door creaked and Mrs Jones peered in. 

"Detention is over. Ashely I want you in my office now" She said before leaving. 

Ashley drew in a deep breath. 

"Do you know her office?" Henry asked. 

"No" Ashley replied. 

"I'll take you" he offered. 

"Thanks" Ashley smiled and she could feel her cheeks heating up.

Alex was irritated. He stood up and tucked his hand in his pockets. He shoved Ashley, who was standing at the entrance aside, but Henry held her shoulders to prevent her from loosing her balance. 

"Asshole!" she spat and Claire shot her a deadly glare as she made her way out of the detention room. 

Henry led her to Mrs Jones office. 

"I'll wait for you here" He said. 

"No, just go back to class instead. I'll come on my own" Ashley disagreed.

"I insist" he maintained and Ashley shrugged. Deep down, she was excited. 

She pushed the door open and strolled in. 

Resting his back on the wall, Henry thought of Alex. He drew in a deep breath. He missed him, but he didn't want to admit it.