Chapter 19

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

I pull up into my driveway just as Dad and Elise are packing into their limo.

"Dad wait!" I call out. He pops his head out of the limo and runs up to me, crashing me into a hug.

"I'm glad you got here when you did. We were just about to leave."

"I know. I love you."

"Love you too kiddo. I hope to be back before the Grammy's but no promises." I let go of him knowing he has to leave now.

"Okay. See you soon." I walk back to the limo. Standing awkwardly next to him is Elise. I can tell she doesn't know whether she should hug me or not.

I go up to her and embrace her. "Bye Elise."

"Bye Ashley. Thanks for sharing your dad with me." I let out a laugh.

"No problem." She let's go and hops into the limo. I watch as they drive away, wiping a stray tear off my cheek.

I curl my last strand of hair as I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in!" I call. Nina shows up at my bathroom door. "Hey what's up?"

"We have a very upset Quinn waiting downstairs." She says. I let out a laugh, knowing exactly why she's upset.

"You can let her up Nina, thanks." She nods and heads back out of my room. Less than three seconds later a very upset Quinn shows up at my threshold.

"What kind of best friend are you?" She practically yells at me.

"Well I-" She shushes me with a wave of her hand.

"You have a date tonight with friggin Ryan Mellow! And you didn't tell me! I had to find out from Yasmine. How could you?" She asks in a menacing voice. It's not very often I have say I'm afraid of Quinn, but this is defiantly one of those moments.

"I guess it just slipped my mind." I say lightly. She narrows her eyes and I involuntary take a step back.

"Tell. Me. The. Truth." She spits out.

"I was just not wanting to because I knew you would freak out because you were pushing for Drew and I and it's just a friend thing and I don't even like him like that and yeah." I say in one breath. She keeps her eyes narrowed but slowly let's them widen.

"Your forgiven. But mark my words if this happens again you will be hung." I know she's kidding but I can't help but make a mental note to hide all rope like things in my house. "Come on now. You have a date to get to."

"Quinn, Ryan and I agreed it's just as friends."

"Uh huh." She says mindlessly making her way into my closet. She reamerges with a gray dress that I probebly wore once. It's high in the front in the chest area and practically shows off my entire back with it being tied.

"Tada!" Quinn squeals.

"No no no." I say shaking my head. "I'm not wearing that to go out as friends. And I'll get cold. It's a movie theater after all."

And the back is the perfect place for everyone to see my back fat. No way.

"I don't care what you say. Your wearing the dress."

"I'm not wearing the dress." I say stamping my foot.

Quinn narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. "Ashley you are going to wear this if I have to put it on myself." The next thing I see is Quinn lunging at me.

And that is how I found myself wearing the gray dress at the movie theater. I cross my right leg over my left and continue to stare at the passing cars waiting for Ryan to show up.

I wonder if he stood me up.

Wouldn't be a first.

"Ashley, hey!" A male voice says. I look up to Ryan running over to me. "Sorry I'm late, I had to help mom with Jake and Gunner and... well it doesn't actually matter. Anyways you look cute." I nervously look down at my outfit and back up to him.

"Thanks. You look good too." He lets out an easy going laugh and wraps his arm around my waist. I inwardly cringe at his touch on my waist but try to ignore it.

"So what movie are we seeing?" I ask trying to get my mind off his hand.

"Pry." I saw that movie with Dad at some Hollywood premiere a couple weeks ago. "It's supposed to be really good." It wasn't but I don't want to crush his excitement.

"Oh, I've been dying to see that movie." I exclaim, trying to match his excitement.

"Awesome!" We make our way inside and Ryan pays for the tickets. "Do you want any concessions?" As if. "I'm good." I say politely.

"You can't watch a movie and not have popcorn." He says. He orders a large popcorn and two sprites. If he didn't care about my opinion, why did he ask?

Anyways...

If Quinn were here she would be like would you stop worrying about stupid popcorn and enjoy your friggin date with Ryan Mellow!

So that's what I'm going to do.

"Thanks for taking me to this movie Ryan." I say as we take out seats.

"No problem. Hey uh.. are you as nervous as I am right now?"

"Not really, I mean we are here as friends right?" He gives me a look but ultimately ends up nodding.

"Right, friends." He drums his fingers on his thigh in nervous anticipation. "That dress looks really nice on you. In the back. Wait forget I said that." He slams his hand against his face making me let out a giggle.

"It's fine. And thank you."

"Good to know I can still make you laugh." Suddenly the lights dim and the previews end, telling us to silence our phones. "And here we go." He whispers. He lays his hand on my thigh and gently strokes it, sending shivers up my leg and into my spine.

I try and shake out of the feeling and Ryan looks over at me confused. "Are you cold?"

"No I-"

"Here." He shrugs off his leather jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. "I would be cold to if my back were shown like that." He offers me a smile and turns his attention back to the movie.

"That's 57 pieces." Ryan whispers to me.

"Make that 58." I say adding yet another popcorn to the persons head in front of us. We've been doing this for the past half an hour and she hasn't noticed yet. I let out a laugh but quickly cover my mouth when she moves slightly, but nothing falls off.

"Time to make this interesting." Ryan whispers to me. "When is this damn movie going to end! I need to pee!" He shouts loudly. I'm almost appalled, Ryan didn't strike me as the shouting in a movie theater type. "Ah! I.. I think it's coming!" He takes his sprite and squirts it onto the lady in front of us.

"Ah!" She shouts standing up and sending the popcorn flying all over her. "What, what is this?" She shouts angrily.

Ryan and I bark into fits of laughter, grabbing our hurting stomachs from the pain.

"Did you do this?" She asks us. We give her innocent looks.

"We would never." Ryan responds in a sickly sweet voice.

She gives us hateful looks but slides back into her chair. Once she's all settled Ryan gently places another popcorn on her head.

"One."

"Oh my god. That movie was amazing!" Ryan shouts as the lights come back on. I have to admit, watching it again actaully had me realize it wasn't that bad. "What did you think?"

"It was great. I still can't belive Emmitt double crossed everybody. Especially Claire. I thought they were working together."

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" He shouts again earning plenty of weird looks from people standing around, especially the lady that was sitting in front of us.

"Come on." I laugh ushering him to the front of the theater. Once I push the front doors open I'm bombarded with a mass of paperazzi trying to snap my picture. "Where did they come from?" I ask allowed. I didn't tell anyone besides Quinn and Yasmine I would be here and they know better than to spill the beans.

"Who knows. But come on." Ryan leads me to the side of the building and gently pins me against the wall. "Did you have a good time?" He asks me. His face is inches from mine, breath hot on my face.

"Yeah, sure." I answer uncertainly.

"That's good." He whispers wrapping his arms around my waist. Before I know, his lips are on mine. I hear the snapping of cameras around us. Appalled I try and push him away.

"What's wrong with you?" I shout.

"I thought..."

"No, Ryan friends. I-" I look around at all the paperazzi and realize something. "How did the paperazzi know I would be here?" I ask him with a quiver.

"I don't know.. How should I know-"

"You called them here!" I cry out. "You weren't late because of your brothers but because of getting them here." I don't bother to wipe the tears from my face.

"Ashley, I didn't do-"

"Don't lie to me." I snarl.

"Okay Ashley, I can explain."

"I trusted you! I thought we were friends! How could you?" I sob.

He extends his arm to me. "Ashley please let me explain."

"Don't touch me. Your no better than Zack!" I run through the mob of flashing cameras with tears blinding me vision.

************************************
As always thanks for reading and sorry but don't expect another update for a week or so.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net