“My girlfriend was panicking, and I thought she could use some reinforcements.” He shrugs, grinning like his explanation is the most logical conclusion to come to at five-thirty in the morning.
“Girlfriend?” three voices say at once. Ashlie’s smiling, Hunter nods with approval, and I, well, I’m speechlessly slack-jawed, staring at Chase as he quirks his eyebrow back at me.
“Besides…” Chase continues. “…I think the better question is why they weretogetherat the ass crack of dawn.” Ashlie’s smile falls, and Hunter kicks at the ground, suddenly fascinated with the cracks etched into the sidewalk.
“We were just hanging out and fell asleep…” Hunter says, glancing at Ashlie. His face is unreadable, and Ashlie looks everywhere except at me.
“Uh-huh,” Chase says suspiciously. “And that hickey there on your neck is just what? A mosquito bite?” He points right at Ashlie’s collarbone. Her eyes widen, and she tries to cover up with her jacket.
“Spill it!” I gasp, looking between her and Hunter.
“Can we not do this here?” Ashlie whines, bouncing her knees. Her eyebrows knit together, the slightest quiver taking hold of her upper lip. She’s about to break down, and to spare her the embarrassment, I let it go.
“Yeah. Okay. Give me a ride home?” I ask.
She nods and ambles over to wait in her car.
“What? Wait.” Chase turns to me. “You have the entire day off. I was thinking we could spend it together…”
“That’s what you get for being a snitch.” Hunter snorts.
“Hey, why don’t you go wait in the car?” Chase grabs his keys from his pocket and tosses them at Hunter, nodding toward the black crossover parked next to Ashlie’s. Hunter takes the hint and strolls toward the car, and as soon as he gets there, Chase turns back to me. His hands circle my waist, drawing me into him before he captures my lips in an embrace. “I really can’t take you home?”
“I think Ashlie needs me right now…” I say, remembering the tortured look in her eyes.
“Okay. I get it. I should probably check on Hunter too. But I called you my girlfriend…” He bites his lip. “Is that okay?”
“I’ll let you know when you pick me up for our date,” I say, kissing him quickly and stepping backward toward Ashlie’s red hatchback. “Crystal Beach. Three o’clock.” A goofy grin slides across his face, and if this is all a dream, I think I’ll be okay with it lasting a little bit longer.
Ashlie backs out of the space before I can click my seatbelt in,quietly navigating the familiar streets of my neighborhood. Pulling up to my house, she shifts into park and lets out a shaky breath. I look over to see tears free-falling down her cheeks, leaving wet marks on her jacket as they flow. Whatever is going on is big.
“We broke up,” Ashlie says, voice shaking while we sit in my driveway talking about Bryan. “We had a fight last night about him coming here with his parents next week. He kept telling me what he thought I needed to do instead of listening to what I was saying, and I went off.”
“I’m sorry, Ash,” I say, rubbing her back. “What did you tell him?”
“That I didn’t want to have his ashy babies.”
I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to keep a serious look in my eyes while I hide my smile. “Oh, no…”
“It’s okay, you can laugh. Hunter laughed, too, when he heard me say it. I don’t even know why I’m so upset. Bryan and I haven’t been on the same page in so long. But after two years together, I thought we’d figure it out.”
“So you broke up with your boyfriend and went over to Hunter’s place…?”
“I was already over there because we’re friends now…werefriends… I don’t even know anymore. I…messed everything up.” Tears flow freely from her eyes as she sobs, all traces of her bubbly personality overcome with grief.
“Messed it up how, Ash? I’m confused.”
She shakes her head. “I know this is a really shitty ‘best friend’ answer, but I don’t want to talk about it. Ever.”
My mind swims with possible answers for what she got into with Hunter last night, but I let it go for her sake. “Do you want to come in? We could have a girl’s day with junk food and trashy TV.”
“No, girl. I think I gotta put my big girl shoes on for this one. I should get home anyway. Mom’s been blowing up my phone all night.”
I point at her. “Okay, but you call me if you need me. I’ll check on you tomorrow?”
She nods and shoos me out of her car, swiping at her cheeks as she checks her face in the rear-view mirror.
After hanging my bag by the door, I start searching. My feet sink into the plush beige carpet in my living room as I stoop to clear the rummaged chaos I left in my panic this morning. I find my phone wedged between the cushion and back of the sofa, with the missed message from Patti and a good morning text from Chase sent two minutes ago. Scenes from last night flow through my mind, and a smile spreads across my face.
