ASHLEY.  "Hi, Darren, " I greet the guy that sits behind the wheel with a smile, and he only responds from his seat; not bothering to turn around to check who it is.  I know he knows who I am, but my point is that... The guy is so damn shy! "Evening, Ashley, " he responds in a voice that I barely heard, but caught it anyway, and decide not to say any further thing.  "Why are you beside me?" I cock my brows at Lucy who's perched beside me, and she glares at me in a way that says, 'Keep your damn voice low. ' Shifting closer to her, and leaning my head towards her, I say, "I'm pretty sure you were at front when you guys came, so why are you here now? Are you shy?" I tease her, and she rolls her eyes before shifting her gaze away from me; her arms crossed against her chest.  A laugh rips through my throat as I lean against the glass; a soft s

ASHLEY.  "We are here, " Sinclair announces from his seat, and I raise my head to stare at the view of my house ahead.  Guilt eats me up from the inside, knowing that I should be here with Vincent, but I just had to be a fúcking bitch to him.  I know he's just trying to protect him, but that overwhelms me most of the time, and now, I said something I shouldn't have.  "He will be fine, little Greene. You don't have to worry about him. " Sinclair says, turning in his seat to come into my view, and I nod with a sigh.  I know he will be fine, but that doesn't make me less worried about him. Not does it make me feel any less guilty?  "Come on, you should head inside. " He says, jerking his head towards the direction of my home, and I stare up at the building before moving my gaze back to him; my brain regis

ASHLEY.  Sinclair has this that makes me want to jump me right here, and there. But thankfully, for the both of us; I'm able to control myself, look away, and walk up the stairs, and down to my room.  Shutting the door behind me; I lean against the frame with my hand against my chest. The echoes of my heart pounding wildly against my chest so sound in my ears.  That man is barely doing anything, and I'm like this.  Shaking Sinclair's thoughts off my mind; I strip down my clothes, and stride to the bathroom to get ready for school. Where I have to see Quinn, and Dave. Again.  My hatred for those two grows with each passing day, and even when I try to forget about them— they somehow find a way to make that NOT happen.  Stepping under the shower; I shut my eyes as the cold water runs down my body, calming down my nerves, but d

ASHLEY.  I smooth my hands down the material of my skirt, as I stand before the full-length mirror; my reflection staring back at me.  Letting out a deep breath, I grab my backpack, and head out of the room, shutting my door.  Walking down the stairs, I can hear the distant echoes of Sinclair's, and Vincent's voices with their laughs, which makes me wonder what the hell they are talking about, for Vincent to be laughing that loud.  Probably girls, and stuff. The thought has my heart clenching, but I don't allow myself to dwell too much into it as I finally take the last stair.  "I'm off to school, " I speak as I stride towards the refrigerator, and grab an apple, taking a bite, and turning back in my stand to come into view with a smiling Sinclair. God, don't look at me like that.  Vincent is turned the other way, messing around

ASHLEY.  Now, I finally get it! This explains why he's been acting so fucking weird all day. The stares, and the refusal to look away. He knew what he was doing, and God! If I don't hate this man more than I already do.  "Mr Corey, I don't think, " I turn back to my maths teacher, only to be silenced with a raise of his hand. "He told me you were gonna refuse. " He says, and I lean back against my seat, a scoff flipping through my parted lips.  He told him that I was going to refuse? What the hell is wrong with this boy? What more does he want from me?! "Now, I don't know what issues you've got between each other, but I suggest you settle them, Ashley. Because this is not the time to think about those, this is the time to think about the fact that someone's success lies in your hands. Someone's dream, and career. " And our of the hundreds of students in Westwood high, that person just