Thirteen Reasons Why Author Jay Asher Novels & Stories

Chapter 41: The Roots of Influence Nai Asher didn’t reveal her past easily. It took three more mentoring sessions late evenings in her Red Hook studio, surrounded by half-finished models and strong black tea before she finally opened the door to her own history. We had been reviewing final tweaks for the exhibition when she suddenly set her notes aside and looked at me with those piercing, steady eyes. “You keep asking why I fight so hard for young curators like you,” she said quietly. “I think it’s time you understood where that fire comes from.”

Jay, he try sneaking a peek at the side in an attempt to sight the shooter Closing his eyes Jay sigh in relief “They are gone” “They? So there are more than one of them?” state Asher “Probably,” Jay “Who exactly are you?” Asher It was Asher's turn to close his eyes, he needed time to absorb, this whole situation is too much for a social introvert like him. For a person who only knows the distance between home and school, the outside world is far from one galaxy. Dodging bullets, gunshot, assassination and stuff were the things he saw in movies aside from not knowing he also did not want to experience.

I lay and contemplated this, then my eyelids started feeling heavy, and I found myself dozing off and dreaming about blood and bent necks. A voice wakes me up, and I inch my eyes open to see Asher sitting on the foot of my bed with his back to me. “... you’re all I have now. Yeah, I have my mom, but my dad has broken her so much that she sees his death as a tragedy instead of her freedom.” He says, then sits forward.

My knees grow weak, and I collapse on the swivel chair, willing my heart to slow down. Asher was probably here because of a business concern. Because of what I recall, he was rich, and his father owned one of the most successful conglomerate companies. No doubt he was in charge of a few of them now. It was a no-brainer that he would have to come over to New York since they have a couple of branches here. It's been years, six years to be exact, he could have possibly come here in search of me. I’m fine and Melody will be fine… like we've always been.

That I shouldn’t date Joseph because he wanted the job. But his face remained a blank slate. I pressed, “If you can give me just one non-Dylan reason why I shouldn’t date Joseph, I’ll listen to you.” He watched me. The silence between us stretched. For a brief moment, I let my heart fly. Say it, I begged in my mind. Just say you like me. “He hurt you. Repeatedly,” Asher said, falling back on his same old reasons. “You shouldn’t need me to remind you of that.”

And especially how relaxed he behaved all the time, made it even more difficult. He patted the empty seat beside him, gesturing me to sit beside him. As if! I couldn’t help but scoff at his audacity. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way about him. My heart belonged to Jake, the one who made me forget my own name whenever I was with him. Yet, here at school, Asher had become a constant distraction. His relentless attempts to get close were puzzling. Why me? I was neither popular nor particularly beautiful. I had no family backing me up, struggled with depression, and had even lost my wolf. I was just an ordinary girl trying to make it through each day. So why did he focus on me?

the Chief added. As the Chief's words sank in, Asher felt a strong sense of purpose wash over him. This was it, his chance to help bring families back together who were suffering from the pain of missing loved ones. However, for him, it was a lot more personal. He was haunted by the memories of his sister, Emily, who had disappeared when she was just ten. She had vanished without a trace, leaving a huge emptiness and so many questions behind. At fourteen, Asher felt powerless that day and the trauma of losing her had left a lasting mark on him. He could still hear Emily’s terrified screams in his mind, a constant reminder that he hadn’t been able to protect her.

Asher took his drawing and looked closely, it was pink and looked at Haya's different drawings. "Well, are you great at drawing?" Asher was covering his eyes. "Of course not. "Before, I also painted." Asher said that. "Eh, really? Why not this time?" Haya asked as she looked at Asher. Asher was in the chair and leaned closer to Haya. "I've lost my motivation and I'm also apathetic. I feel like no one sees me and my actions don't matter." Asher said sadly. As he said this he remembered the past…

That was the trick, Asher returned back to himself. He heaved a sigh of relief as he reduced the flow of the shower. The council of elders were difficult people, people who never listened to the voice of reasoning. Asher knew it was only a matter of time before he is summoned once again. He needed to come up with better ways to convince them other than her being pregnant. Finally, he switched off the shower, stepping out of the bathroom with water still dripping off his body. He was glad his erection had died down. He couldn’t have gone to Kara and Beth was surely not an option.

"That's rich, coming from the perfect Alpha heir." "Perfect?" Asher's expression darkened. "I've spent my entire life trying to be perfect because it was expected. The responsible one. The strategic one. The one who never lets emotions interfere with duty." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "And then there was you, this girl who'd lost everything but still found ways to be kind, to be honest. You wrote letters to your dead parents, for God's sake. That kind of raw emotion terrified me."