Ashley POV "That doesn't make sense," Tyler said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Jayden told me that you guys don't like each other, and you can't even stand him. So tell me why?" "I just..." I was trying to find the right words. And yet, my mind was a mess, so I had no choice but to follow the second commanding voice, which was the heart and feelings of the wolf inside me. "If you were me," I started gingerly, "would you let the son of your parents' best friend lose sight of his childhood dreams? I have known Jayden pretty much my whole life - we grew up together, spent every vacation together, and celebrated everything from birthdays, life, and death together. He can be a jerk at times, you could say, but he was always there for me when no one else was. You might think that my family's wealth and good name earn me friends wherever I go, but it's the opposite. It wasn't. All my life, I have always felt like I lived by myself." To tell you the truth, I had not intended fo
Ashley POV Being stared at by him, I swallowed hard, so I cautiously unzipped my jacket and hung it on the chair, and placed my backpack under the chair. Feeling uncomfortable just sitting there, I got up to my feet while smoothing my hair with a hair tie and poked my head into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked. Jean, who was giving instructions to Jackson, stopped and looked at me over Jackson's shoulder. "No, you don't have to worry. You can just sit with the others." Well, frankly, I would not have minded sitting down and just observing their activities if it was not for Miles' lurking gaze as if I were his prey. But since I couldn't say that, I just smiled sheepishly. "I'm not used to being around so many guys," I told them. "Don't you have any cousins or brothers?" "No one." My smile slackened a little. "It's a small family." "By the way, how long are you going to stay here?" asked Jackson. He had already started washing vegetables in the sink.
Ashley POV"Wh-what?"Then I looked down at the tiny silver band of gold metal between Miles's fingers. I could not believe what was exactly going on. How could Jayden's ring be in his hand?"It was a simple question." He cut me off before I could reply. "And don't try to lie to me. I can see through that kind of shit." He sneered at me, his voice full of accusation. What was wrong with him anyway?"How did you know?" I asked while gripping the handles of my duffel bag and laptop bag. "Did he tell you?""Not really," he answered dryly. "I happened to overhear his argument with his parents a while ago, about his intention to cancel his 'marriage'. Though to be fair I'm not sure who he had to marry against his will..." Miles stared sharply at my now ring-less finger. "I briefly saw the ring on your finger yesterday at the stadium and at the healing center when you were with him. It makes perfect sense given the two of you's strange relationship and the timing of the accident, as if it w
Ashley POVI was putting on my shoes when a door almost slammed into my face. My bad, it had become a bad habit, but as I dodged, I could not help but yelp in surprise. Jean came stepping out of the bathroom, strangely wearing a jacket and looking at me with a quizzical gaze."I was just wondering if maybe I could help carry these things," he told me, then he gestured towards some canvas bags lying on the shelf. "Those are Jayden's favorite shoes. You should probably bring them too since he buys them all himself." Then I simply gave him a nod.In the elevator going down, Jean and I stood as I texted David to pick me up. But as the two of us walked out of the building carrying Jayden's belongings, Jean unexpectedly asked if he could carry more, an offer which of course I politely turned down. Shortly after, I already spotted David who was outside waiting for me."Thank you for your help," I said to Jean and David after they finished loading the luggage into the trunk. "I had no idea ho
Ashley POVWith my eyes wide open and my mouth agape. I just could not believe my eyes or my ears - to tell you the truth this whole situation made zero damn sense. The day was still as clear as the sky, and Jayden seemed so cool and casual that he let Blair kiss him. I had even hinted, if not outright told him, that Blair was someone he was very much in love with before the accident happened. In fact, I had tried to make the ring - my ring - seem as if Jayden had chosen it for Blair before the case of amnesia. You could say that I had told Jayden that she was his future fiancée, and Blair was still wearing the necklace that was the graduation gift I had bought for Jayden.So, what the hell was he doing?Then Jayden pulled himself away from Blair, paying her no mind as Jayden glanced at the healer. For a few moments, I watched Blair's frozen expression. She looked even more dumbfounded than me. However, it was not long before her eyes soon became teary as Jayden muttered a loud order.
Ashley POV On the way back to Jayden's room, I did not find Clark, although that might as well have been the case. The pain in my head was slowly getting the best of me, creeping up from the back of my skull. Over the past twenty-four hours too much had happened to me. Not only dealing with his cheating, the sudden shock, then even more shocking surprises, the lack of sleep, a school day full of battle plans, a dinner with the band 'BHB' that led to a threat that gave me a heart attack, Jayden's ridiculously rude attitude, and now, like the cherry on top of the cake, I had most likely become the enemy of the most famous model and actress in the whole city, Blair freaking Anderson, despite my best efforts. What a hell of a shitty life. Before walking into Jayden's room, I sucked in a deep breath. It took all the strength I had left to ignore the pain in my head and the soreness in my legs and instead, I tried to crack a smile as best as I could. "Sorry," I said to the healer again,
Ashley POV"What's going on?" A male voice whispered almost directly behind me. I had no idea that Jayden had stood up and started to approach me, and I almost bumped into him out of sheer surprise. Instantly I was shocked to see his shadowy form, though luckily my reflexes were fast enough to keep him out of harm's way."Do you always have to punch things?" he asked in an irritated tone after he had successfully dodged my fist."Don't you know any better than sneaking up on me?" I retorted. "I gave you a nosebleed when we attended a Halloween event a few years ago with our parents and you freaked me out."Then, he furrowed his brow. "I don't remember that," he stated.There was a slight waver in his tone, but it was enough for me to understand that the constant dread of not being able to remember something was eating away at him again. I pursed my lips, reprimanding myself for my lack of tactfulness, then shook my head. "I have the pictures, I guess. I can show them to you later.""W
Ashley POV"Where's your jacket?" I was suddenly astonished when I saw Jayden wearing only the clothes that I had packed for him. The temperature outside was very cold, probably below zero degrees Celsius, and his skin looked very pale due to the chilly air."I wonder," he said. Both of our breaths came out in white gusts. "Amnesia, you know."I let out a sigh, "I would offer mine," I started, "but it might be a bit small.""No, keep it," Jayden said in a rather calm tone. "I don't want you to catch a cold because of me."I snorted, despite the fact that I could feel my heartbeat picking up. However, it was probably just because I was exercising, an action that I was trying to convince myself to do more often. "What a gentleman.""Anything for you," he said sarcastically, even with a slight smile that disguised the impact of his tone.Even if I realized that it was just the most ordinary and light-hearted joke, nevertheless I could not help but smile. And even though it should have fe