The next morning, Jess was gone. I felt all levels of hell from my head to my stomach to my feet. I puked one last time and slid my brown sunglasses in place. The pounding in my forehead practically vibrated the lenses. I had no intentions of seeing or talking to a single person. I dreaded the car ride back to Arlis. If Ashley knew where Jess stayed last night, she would be royally pissed on the ride home.
“Hey Alex, you wanna ride with us.” I looked at Gentry standing by his Tahoe. I glanced quickly over to Jess's truck. His face held a twisted frown that broadcasted the level of his frustration. Ashley caught my attention as she jerked Katie Rae inside the cab. I guess that was her tyrannical move to keep Katie Rae away from Buzz, and score a second win by keeping me out of the truck. Grabbing my duffle bag, I walked over to the Tahoe. I wanted no part of her drama this morning.
Jess watched me climb in the back seat. After this trip, he would make me talk. Maybe it was time to put a stop to Ashley Cartwright the only way I knew would work. I needed to tell Jess the truth. My stomach felt sicker just thinking about it.
Chapter 21
When I was sixteen…
Two days after the trip, Natalie and I sat in a booth at Jeeter’s working on chemistry equations. She kept an irritated look in my direction, showing off her new haircut. While I was on the camping trip from hell, Natalie got a black, chin length bob with fire engine red highlights.
“Pay attention,” she grumbled.
“What?”
“I’m starting to think you’re the dumbass, not him.”
I couldn’t focus. My mind stayed a complete, warped mess. Once I got back to Arlis, I tried to delay the inevitable as long as possible. I avoided every attempt Jess made to get us alone to talk. I half expected him to show up at midnight, tapping on my bedroom window, giving no opportunity for me to yell back with my father down the hall.
Hearing the bell tingle, I glanced up to see my favorite person walk through the door. My body physically shuttered at the mere presence of her smug face. The slits of the snake’s eyes settled on our back booth. She wore a tight, white tank top and pink shorts. Her shiny blond hair stood high on top of her head in a perky pony tail and matching pink bow. Ashley’s tan legs walked at a determined pace back to the booth, stopping in front of me.
“I thought I would find you here,” a sneering smile formed on her lips.
“Can I help you with something? We’re fresh out of vodka.”
“That’s more your thing, not mine. I just came to give you a little bit of advice.”
She rested a hand on the booth ledge, right behind my head. I heard the fake nails click against the metal. Ashley leaned in close to my face.
“You need to understand somethin’,” she said in low voice. “Everyone just feels sorry for you. You should hear them when you’re not around. Especially Jess,” she smirked at his name. “You humiliated him on the trip after he felt obligated to bring you. We all know why he drags you around everywhere. Dr. Mason found you like some nasty, abandoned puppy livin’ in your car. Eatin’ left over trash.”
Ashley leaned in a little closer, to the point I smelled her strawberry lip gloss. “You should stop embarrassin’ yourself and stop embarrassin’ Jess. The Masons don’t mind givin’ to charity, but no one wants to see it hangin’ around them every day. Are we clear?”
My heart beat fast, like the time I drank three cans of Red Bull.
“I’m glad we agree.” she smirked with an evil grin on her shiny lips. “Oh, and no need to thank me for the advice. Consider it a donation to a needy cause.”
The next few moments flashed in slow motion. I’m not sure what triggered the first step. Ashley turned to walk away. My arm slithered out and grabbed her bouncy ponytail. The hair felt silky in my fingers. I yanked hard, pulling her backwards toward the booth.
“You…you,” she growled, “bitch!”
My fingers stayed in a tight grasp, but Ashley pivoted around, slapping me across the jaw. I jumped from my seat and dove at that smug face. We tumbled into a table, knocking it over on the floor. I slapped her back hard against her pretty cheek, hoping it left a hand size bruise.
Charging forward, Ashley slammed my body against the booth divider. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I curled my fingers into a tight fist. With my full body weight, I hurled a punch aimed at the center of her face. Blood sprayed down the white tank top as I made contact with her nose.
The sound of hitting her flesh gave me satisfaction chills. It felt good; better than a box of crystal tea glasses smashing into a stained glass window.
Blood covered my fist, but I swung at her again. Ashley ducked and grabbed onto my legs. I lost my balance, falling down on the cement floor. She yanked a chuck of my red hair. Digging my nails into her arm, I scratched long, bloody marks in her skin until she let go.
I pinned her small body to the floor. Her flawless skin was caked in blood. Tears ran down her cheeks, smearing mascara under those long, stupid lashes. She blinked at me, begging for mercy. I didn’t care. I smiled an evil grin at her bleeding face.
Pulling back, I punched her square in the nose a second time. She tried to jab me in the neck, but I hit her again in the side. I continued to punch anything I could reach with my fists. All of sudden, my body lifted from the floor, sliding away from Ashley.
“Let me go!”
“That’s enough, Alex,” Caroline said.
As the room came back into focus, I realized Caroline had one side of my body and Natalie held the other. It took both of them to stop me from beating every bit of stuffing out of Ashley.
“Natalie, go get some ice and towels,” she said. “And give some to Mr. Landry.”
Shit, it was Wednesday. Mr. Landry always got a banana split on Wednesday. The older man bent down next to Ashley. She was completely covered in blood. The tight, white tank top was now cherry red; her hair yanked down and pulled in every direction. Even from ten feet away, the bloody claw marks glowed from her perfect skin.
Reaching up, I touched my throbbing face checking for damage. Sticky blood caked my fingertips from my busted lip. I looked around at the rest of the diner. Tables and chairs were tossed everywhere. The floor was a mess of blood-coated straws and hair.
My father walked in the door, making the bell tingle. Shit, someone already called him. I hated Arlis! The emotions played transparent across his face; shock to horror to disappointment. He didn’t utter a single word in my direction as he gave a lengthy apology to Caroline. He finally spoke, only to order me to the truck.
The drive home was painfully, quiet. His hands squeezed the steering wheel in a tight grasp as we drove in silence. My heart beat out of control, waiting for him to calm down.
“Alexandra,” my full name came out of his clenched jaw. “I need you to tell me what happened. You’re still grounded, but I need to understand why you did this.”
Absolutely, under no circumstance, could I tell my father why this happened. I just shrugged from my side of the truck.
“You need to talk to me. Why did you attack Ashley today?”
What had come over me? Why was today different? My mind tried to rationalize, but I knew it was plain simple. I flat-out had enough of Ashley Cartwright. I should be given an award for keeping my temper in check all these months. Unfortunately, my father could never find out the truth. No child wants a parent to know they have been bullied for being poor and homeless.
“Is it Jess? I know those two have been pretty close lately. Did you get jealous?”
“No Dad! It wasn’t about him. I can’t believe you even asked that.”