Can't Let You Go

Chapter 2

I didn't think I was obvious, but Zayan had recognized my crush from the start. Fortunately, he'd begun to observe signs that it was being reciprocated as Valentine's Day neared that second year.

"Honey," Zayan gushed in a whisper to me one day, "I think Ash is going to get you a Valentine's present!"

"Really?! Should I get him one?" I nearly clapped my hands in joy.

"No way! You know how his fan club is with gifts and how he feels about it. You do not want to get lumped in with them." He waggled his finger at me.

"You're right. So, what should I do?" No one had ever liked me in that way before. I didn't know what to expect.

"Nothing, just give him chances to be alone with you. I'll help." Zayan was always on my side.

Valentine's Day finally arrived and Zayan and I were on our way to meet Ashton by his locker as usual since it was on the way to the cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, there was a group of girls crowded around him. I slowed down and peered around the edge of a bank of lockers to hear what exactly was going on. Ashton was refusing to accept any of their gifts this year. That was new. He usually took whatever was handed to him.

"Sorry, I just don't feel like it's right for me to accept anything," he explained.

I could hear their protests. "No, it's really okay, you can have this." "I made this just for you." "You're the only person I like." When one of them finally asked "Why?" the others joined in and repeated it until he opened his mouth to answer.

He stammered for a few seconds before he blurted, "Because I have a girlfriend."

Tears formed almost instantly in my eyes and Zayan put a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry, Honey. I guess I was wrong." He used the edge of his scarf to dab my eyes.

"It's okay. Nothing has changed. Let's go save him." I took a deep breath and shook my head to clear my thoughts.

Zayan pushed through the crowd. "Excuse us, Ashton has a previous engagement."

Ashton smiled at the sight of us. "There you are, Bae. I've been waiting for you." He grabbed my hand and took off towards the cafeteria.

Ashton was pulling me down the hall, but I turned my head back towards Zayan with a look of shock on my face. I was the girlfriend! This wasn't what I was expecting for Valentine's Day, but I was beyond ecstatic.

I don't know if everyone was really looking at us when we entered the dining space, but it felt like it. Ashton Scott was holding my hand! He walked us to the food line where he let go, naturally. We got our trays and our food just as we did every other day. We sat at the same table, Ashton beside me and Zayan across from me, just as we did every other day. We talked about our classes just as we did every other day. Nothing had changed, but everything had changed. I couldn't stop smiling. Ashton kept casting nervous glances around the room and back at me.

There were a few conversations that were obviously about him. I recognized some of the girls from the locker area crowd dispersed through the room. They were no doubt telling their version of events. I wanted to hold Ashton's hand again, not for affection, but for support. He did not like being the center of attention. I knew if I did that, it would make him feel even more conspicuous so I decided I'd let the ball remain in his court. After school when it was just the three of us, I could see that he was still on edge.

"What's going on?" I asked with concern.

"I'm worried that what I said is going to get back to my parents." He bit one of his fingernails.

"What do you mean?" Zayan asked.

"They didn't really want me to come to art school. I had to promise I wouldn't goof off or get caught up with girls or anything. I'm not allowed to date." He bit another fingernail.

"Bah," Zayan exclaimed. "I'll testify to them that the only way for you to stop all those girls from pestering you was to say that. Problem solved."

"Yeah. Me, too." I wasn't allowed to date either so if the news spread beyond the school walls, I would also need a plausible denial.

None of our parents ever brought it up though and life for the three of us went back to normal. With the slight difference of stolen glances and sitting closer together and other accidental forms of physical contact between Ashton and I. It seemed like the spring semester passed in a matter of days rather than months. Summer vacation was soon upon us and Ashton was preparing to embark on the summer tour his mother always took him on. I went to his house the day he was set to leave.

"I'm really going to miss you." I told him.

"Yeah, it's so boring spending so much time with my Mom. Plus, we're going to all the same places we go every year." He put his hands on his hips.

Impulsively, I slid my arms through the triangles he'd created with his arms and hugged him tightly. He held his breath at first, I'd caught him by surprise, but then he hugged me back. I looked up at his face and my head filled with nonsense.

"Don't forget me while you're gone." I whispered just before I raised up on my toes and kissed his lips quickly. If hugging him was impulsive, kissing him was insane. Then I did it again. And again, but the third time, he kissed me back.

Then he parted his lips, a little too much, and clumsily kissed me more. I moved my arms up so they were over his shoulders and his went around my waist. We may have kissed for thirty seconds or thirty minutes; I have no idea. We kept going, improving as we did, until we heard his mother calling for him. We each broke from the embrace and took a step back as though we'd been electrocuted. His face was red and I suspected mine was too.

"Be right there!" he yelled down the stairs.

We laughed nervously in relief for not having been caught. He picked up his bags and we went down to the waiting car. His mother was already inside.

"I'll call you when we get back. Say goodbye to Zayan for me." He got in and closed the door.

I waved as the car pulled away then floated home. I think I might have lived on a cloud all summer, or at least the rest of the day if I had returned home thirty minutes earlier or later than I had. I didn't though.

I arrived right on time to see a girl about my age being harassed by a couple of guys right outside my house. When I got closer, I recognized her. She was the daughter of one of the cleaning staff. I contemplated calling the police, but knowing my mother, she'd end up firing the girl's mother. That wouldn't be fair, so I didn't make the call.

"Something wrong over here?" was what I settled on saying when I came up even with them.

"Nothing that concerns you, little girl," sneered one of the men.

I grabbed her wrist and started moving backward up the stairs towards the front door. "See, that's where you're wrong though. You're in front of my house bothering one of my friends, so it does concern me." I rang the bell and looked into the camera. The door opened in a matter of seconds and I shoved the girl inside. I stepped in and closed the door behind us.

My nerves were jangly. I think it would have been bad enough having just stood up to two grown men like that, but my system didn't like the extreme swing I just took. I stared wide eyed at the girl.

She's taller than I was and much thinner. Her long black hair hungs in loose curls. Her brown almond shaped eyes were narrowing at me and her full lips were puckering in annoyance. I saw this, but it didn't register.

"I can't believe I just did that!" I exclaimed breathily. "What did they want from you? What would have happened if I hadn't come home just then?"

Instead of being happy or grateful like I expected, she yanked her hand away from me. "No one asked you for help." Her words were harsh. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"