Chapter 59: Asher
The ceiling fan creaks above me like it’s contemplating its own mortality.
I’ve been lying here for… a while. Not asleep. Just still. Half–lidded, one arm across my stomach, listening to the house breathe. My mind drifts without direction. Nothingness is underrated.
The silence is nice while it lasts.
Then the front door bursts open like it owes Tyler money. I hear the familiar, chaotic rhythm of him entering a room: shoes scuffing tile, keys landing somewhere with a clatter, fridge yanked open like he’s been starved for weeks.
The stairs groan under his weight. He’s not stomping per se, he just doesn’t know how to not stomp.
And then the pause. The hesitation outside my door. I don’t need to look I can hear it. The way the carpet shifts under his feet. He’s not going to his
room.
–
He’s coming to mine.
“Come in,” I say.
The doorknob turns immediately, like he was mid–knock.
“Yoooo,” Tyler grins, stepping in. “What the hell? I had my hand up. You’re freaky, man.”
“You’re not exactly subtle,” I mutter, not moving from my bed.
He flops into my computer chair, spinning once before letting it drift back and forth. “Still. It’s like a superpower. I swear, I barely made a sound.”
“You breathe like a racehorse. I heard the fridge open.”
He laughs. “Okay, that’s fair.”
I glance at him, then close my eyes again. “You trying to make noise or just existing?”
“Bit of both,” he says. “Maybe I should join the army. Learn some of that ghost walk stuff.”
“Please don’t.”
He laughs louder. “Yeah, I’d probably get kicked out within the week. I’d trip over my own boots during basic.”
“You wouldn’t even make it to basic.”
He grins, taking it in stride. There’s something comforting about our rhythm, even if it’s always a little lopsided. He throws things at the wall to see what sticks; I watch the wall and wait to see if it cracks.
“So,” I say, “you gonna tell me why you’re in here?”
“Right,” he says, snapping upright like he remembered his mission. “I came to ask what you’re packing.”
I arch an eyebrow. “You’re packing based on me?”
He shrugs. “Well, yeah. You’re always ready. I figure if I pack what you’re packing, I’m set.”
“Clothes. Toothbrush. Phone charger. It’s not like we’re going overseas.”
“Fair,” he says. “And if I forget anything, we’re, like, what – eight minutes from here?”
“Ten. If you drive like a normal person.”
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Chapter 59: Asher
He gives me a look. “I do not drive like a normal person. I drive like a legend.”
“Your bumper says otherwise.”
–
He smirks, spinning halfway in the chair again. I watch him for a few seconds. Something’s off. Not obvious enough to spot the slight deflation in his shoulders, the way he’s not filling the room the way he usually does.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He hesitates, then waves a hand. “It’s nothing.”
I don’t move. Just wait.
After a few seconds, he exhales sharply. “Okay, fine. I had a small fight with Penny.”
I sit up slowly. “What happened?”
not to anyone else – but I’ve known him long
“It wasn’t, like, a big fight,” he starts. “Just… there are these girls – you probably remember them
–
Zoe and Rebecca?”
I nod. I definitely know them.
“Well, Penny doesn’t like them. She says they’ve been mean to her or whatever, but honestly, lately they’ve been really nice. Like, they apologized to her today. Straight–up walked up and said sorry.”
I stay quiet, watching him.
“And she just… shut it down. Said they were lying. Like, she didn’t even give them a chance. I don’t get it.”
“Is there a possibility they were lying?” I ask.
He looks genuinely confused. “No? They’re super nice. They’re always nice to me.”
I sigh, resting my forearms on my knees. “Tyler. Girls can be… different around other girls. Especially ones they see as competition.”
He frowns, still not buying it. “But Penny said they’ve been awful to her before. Now they’re apologizing. Isn’t that good?”
I look at him. “What do you think changed?”
He blinks. “What do you mean?”
“They’ve been awful to her for a year. You said that. Now they’re suddenly nice. What changed?”
He shifts in his seat. “I don’t know. Maybe they just realized they were being harsh.”
I stare at him. “Or maybe it’s because you started hanging out with them. Maybe they’re nice to you, so now they want to be nice to Penny.”
He doesn’t answer.
I don’t press further. It’s not my job to convince him, Penny’s his girlfriend. This is his mess to figure out.
But it grates. Because I know that look Penny gets when she’s shrinking herself just to keep the peace. I’ve seen it too many times.
“So what happened?” I ask again.
He sighs. “I got frustrated. Told her she should give them a chance. That she was being too harsh. Then I left her before her next class. I was just… over it.”
Of course he was.
“But she texted later. Said sorry. I told her again, just give them a shot. She said okay.”
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Chapter 59: Asher
He nods like that’s the end of it. Like an apology wrapped a bow on the whole thing and now everyone’s healed.
“You think that fixes it?” I ask.
“She said okay,” he shrugs.
“Right,” I say, and lean back on my bed.
He doesn’t notice the edge in my voice. Or maybe he does and ignores it.
He stands, stretching. “Anyway, I should go start packing. I’ll see you down there.”
I nod, watching as he leaves the room. The door clicks shut behind him.
I stay seated for a while.
–
Something about all of this the way Penny’s voice sounded after the dinner, how quiet she was compared to her usual sparkle – doesn’t sit right. And the way Tyler just shrugs it all off, the way he always assumes things bounce back without leaving bruises… it makes my stomach turn.
I reach for my duffel bag. Start folding clothes with automatic precision. Stack two pairs of jeans, five shirts, boxers, socks. Toothbrush. Deodorant. Phone charger.
Routine calms me. That and knowing where everything is, what it’s for, how long it will last. It’s easier than people. Than feelings.
My fingers hesitate over the folded t–shirt at the bottom of the drawer. The one I gave her.
She looked so small in it. So soft. That cut on her cheek is healing, but I still see it when I close my eyes. And that faint bruise on her arm from the guy at auditions. The one I scared off.
I wasn’t done with him. I’ll find out who he is.
I shove the shirt into the bag and zip it closed.
Living under the same roof as her is going to be… something.
But I’m not sure if I’m more afraid of what she’ll do to me
–
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or what I’ll do if I ever see her cry again.
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