He sprinted through the darkness, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt a surge of panic and confusion. He had no idea where he was or where he was heading. He only knew that he had to keep running. He had to get away from her. He heard a voice behind him, shouting his name. It was Leann, his girlfriend. She sounded furious and betrayed. She sounded like she despised him. “Ash! Ash, where are you? How could you do this to me?”
He glanced over his shoulder, seeing her silhouette in the distance. She was gaining on him, her long black hair flying behind her. He felt a pang of guilt and fear. He loved her, he really did. But he couldn’t explain what was happening. He couldn’t make sense of it himself.
“I… I didn’t do anything? What are you talking about?!” he yelled back, voice laced with anxiety and confusion.
“Don’t play dumb with me…” she snapped. “You… you cheater…” she spat.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t cheat on you, I swear!”
Leann shook her head, and adjusted her infamous black bangs slightly. “Don’t lie to me, Ash. I saw you. I saw you two. How long has this been going on? How long have you two been making a fool of me?” she hissed.
Ashton felt a surge of anger and disbelief. “Me and who?”
Leann rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Oh, yeah, sure. You don’t know who she is. You don’t know anything about her.” She said in a mocking tone. “You know, blonde hair, green eyes…” She trailed off, making a disgusted face. “Ring any bells?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. “Or are you too busy playing dumb to remember?”
Ash stopped running, feeling his legs give out. He turned to face her, hoping to see some sign of doubt or compassion in her eyes. But all he saw was hatred and contempt.
“Leann, listen to me,” he pleaded. “She’s your best friend and my worst enemy. I know she would never date me, and I would never date her!”
Leann shook her head again, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t try to fool me, Ash. Don’t try to play with my feelings anymore.” She said, her voice breaking.
Ash grabbed Leann’s hand and looked into her eyes. “She’s one of your best friends, and one of my worst enemies, Leann!” He said, his voice trembling.
Leann looked at him incredulously, pulling her hand away from him.
“What are you talking about? Who is she?”
Ash felt a surge of hope in his chest. “You don’t know? You don’t recognize her? That’s… that’s Angie! The one who always hated me! The one who always tried to prove she was better than me!”
“Stop acting crazy, because I’m not falling for it!” she roared.
Ash shook his head.
“It’s not crazy, Leann! It’s the truth! Think about it! Why would I cheat on you with Angie? Why would I cheat on you at all? You’re the only one I love!”
He reached for her hand again, hoping she would take it. Seeing no movement on her end, he grabbed hold of her hands, and caressed them gently.
“Please, Leann, please believe me! Please trust me!” He begged, squeezing her hand.
She pushed his hands off her, escaping from his grip. She moved away, scowling at him. “You keep saying that, and I kept believing it. Until now.” Leann took a deep breath. “I always knew. You were faking it the entire time, weren’t you? You’ve always loved her. Since… since – I don’t even know how long!”
“I… I… I don’t know what to say…” he muttered faintly. “Leann, I…”
“And I. Don’t. Care.” she snarled. “It’s over, Ashton. Goodbye.”
Ashton clenched his fists, watching her walk off icily. He felt a mix of anger and pain, but he knew it was too late to say anything. “Leann…” he sighed.
He wanted to go after her, to explain, to make her understand, to make her believe him. But he couldn’t move. He was frozen in place, alone, staring at her desperately, hoping she would come back.
He didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t know what was happening.
He didn’t know who he was anymore.
|•|•|•|
Ash felt a sudden jolt in his body. He blinked and looked around. He was in his bed, in the room he and his brother Jayden shared, in his apartment. It was morning. The sun was shining through the window. He heard the sound of his alarm clock. He realized it was all a dream. A nightmare, rather.
He felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was glad it was over. He was glad it wasn’t real. He reached for his phone, which was on his nightstand. He checked the time. It was 6:00. He checked his messages. He had one from Leann.
“Hey, babe. I miss you. Can’t wait to see you tonight. Love you.”, with a kissing-face emoji at the end.
He stared at the message, feeling nothing. No love. No joy. No excitement.
Only boredom. Indifference. Resentment.
That was when the realization hit him like his iPhone alarm ringtone, loud and annoying, but impossible to ignore.
Ash decided to call Leann and tell her the truth. He knew it would be hard, but he also knew it was the right thing to do. He dialed her number and waited for her to answer.
“Hey, Ash. What’s up?” Leann said, sounding cheerful.
“Hey, Leann. Listen, we need to talk.” Ash said, trying to sound calm.
“Talk? About what?” Leann asked, sensing something was wrong.
“About us, Leann. About our relationship.” Ash said, taking a deep breath.
“Our relationship? What’s wrong with our relationship?” Leann said, feeling a surge of fear and confusion. Behind the line, she was mentally panicking. She knew what he was going to say. She knew he had fallen for Angelina. She knew he had been avoiding the subject for months. She had seen the signs. She knew it was over. But she didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to face it. She didn’t want to lose him.
Ash hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth to say the words he had been dreading to say. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to break her heart. He was about to say something else, when he heard his mother’s voice from downstairs.
“Ash, hurry up! You’re going to be late for school!”
Ash felt a surge of relief and guilt. He had an excuse to postpone the inevitable. He quickly said to Leann: “I’m sorry, Leann. I have to go. I’ll explain everything at school. Bye.”
He hung up before she could reply. He hoped she would forgive him for this. He hoped he would forgive himself.
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