Lie and Tie
Thirteen
Ashley’s POV
I got back to my apartment at some awfully early hour the next morning. I walked in and saw Trisha asleep on the couch. I walked over and saw her phone was lit up displaying a new message. It was from Tyler and it said, “Don’t forget to text me when she gets back.” I took the battery out of her phone and pocketed it before placing the phone right back where it was. Then I slipped into my bedroom and hid the battery before changing and getting into bed. What seemed like minutes later I was being awoken by a not so happy Trisha. I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it as she started reprimanding me instantly, “How could you do this to me!? No phone, no note, no clues, no nothing! I was worried sick! What if something had happened to you!? I looked for you everywhere. Tyler called in a bunch of the guys who were all just as worried and we were all looking for you, all friggin’ day yesterday! Why would you do this!? Where did you go!?” she was almost crying as she threw herself onto my bed.
“Trisha,” I started nervously, afraid she would burst and start yelling again, “Look, I’m sorry but I just didn’t want to be harassed with calls or anything or be tempted to turn my phone on and see all the calls and texts. I just needed to clear my mind and get a glimpse of some new scenery.”
“Well where did you end up?”
“Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t know the name of the town. What I do know is that the town was on Northern Maine and Jake Jesser lives there.”
“Jake Jesser!? You ran into Jake!? Why didn’t he call me!?”
“Because he didn’t know why I was there Trish!”
She sighed and looked at me before shaking her head, “This isn’t like you. You’ve never done this even after past break ups you’ve never done this. I think you made the wrong decision. You know, Tyler’s playing sucks. They almost scratched him last game. He just can’t pull himself together to have a decent game. They cut his ice time nearly in half. We all know he isn’t alright. Why can’t you just see you two were perfect for each other?”
“Who’s side are you on!? You’re my best friend!”
“I’m on yours and I get why you broke up with him. What he did was wrong and he was being an ass for playing you like that. But by saying that I think you two are perfect together, I’m only trying to help your side out more by helping you realize. I’m not trying to support him.” I nodded understanding what she meant.
“Let me shower so we can get to school.” I moved passed her and into my bathroom. When I came out I threw on http://www.polyvore.com/red_black/set?id=93910761.
We left my apartment and went down to my car. As I was driving us to class Trisha was getting more and more angry with her phone.
“Have you seen my charger? I think my phone died.”
“No I haven’t sorry. And I would offer you mine but we have different phones.”
“Ugh I probably left it at my place last night. I’ll have to charge it when I get back from class.”
***
When class was over I dropped Trisha off at her place before heading home to mine. I sulked up all my stairs and didn’t even stop to say hello to Mrs. Robinson. A few minutes later I walked right back out of my apartment and stomped back down the stairs and to my car. I drove until I came to Maggie’s.
As I sat parked in front of the store I looked to my left and saw the spot where I had first met Tyler. It felt like I was in a movie and watching the whole scene take place as my head gave me a view of what it must have looked like from here. I remembered him coming in that day and asking for my hours and then coming out to find him waiting by his car for me. I remember first meeting Marshall and Freddy and his teammates. Memory after memory of us came flooding back to me as I sat there staring at the spot where a small patch of ice had once been. I thought of how his family was coming down in a few days, expecting to meet me. I thought back to all the times where I had fallen asleep against him and he had carried me to bed. All the times where he would come in and kiss me from behind before swinging onto my couch and cuddling up to me. Every time he had placed his head in my lap, given me a kiss, held my hand, or told me I was beautiful seemed to flash through my mind.
At this point I was sobbing uncontrollably in my car at about eight at night. I couldn’t stop the memories from coming though and I couldn’t stop staring at that spot.
Next, came the memories of his lies. These turned my tears from drops of sorrow and love to anger and hate. All the times he had come home with a bruise on his face or a fat lip and told me he had walked into something, slipped, or gotten too rough with his friends. All the ‘business trips’ he went on, all the nights with the boys when he was really playing a home game. All the lying and deceiving. One lame excuse after another melded together in my mind and formed a massive monster that was eating me from the inside out. Every moment where I turned off the radio or television or walked away or changed the topic because hockey came up started to taunt me. They were telling me I was blind, calling me a fool, for not being able to see it all before. The monster was growing bigger and I couldn’t handle the pain anymore.
I started crying even harder as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. The memories ceased their return once I had looked away from our meeting place. I sat there wallowing in my own misery before calming myself enough to drive. As I put my key in the ignition I turned my radio on. It was a sports talk show and they were talking about the Bruins’ game tomorrow night. I pulled out of the parking spot and for the first time I didn’t change the channel.
I got back to my apartment at some awfully early hour the next morning. I walked in and saw Trisha asleep on the couch. I walked over and saw her phone was lit up displaying a new message. It was from Tyler and it said, “Don’t forget to text me when she gets back.” I took the battery out of her phone and pocketed it before placing the phone right back where it was. Then I slipped into my bedroom and hid the battery before changing and getting into bed. What seemed like minutes later I was being awoken by a not so happy Trisha. I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it as she started reprimanding me instantly, “How could you do this to me!? No phone, no note, no clues, no nothing! I was worried sick! What if something had happened to you!? I looked for you everywhere. Tyler called in a bunch of the guys who were all just as worried and we were all looking for you, all friggin’ day yesterday! Why would you do this!? Where did you go!?” she was almost crying as she threw herself onto my bed.
“Trisha,” I started nervously, afraid she would burst and start yelling again, “Look, I’m sorry but I just didn’t want to be harassed with calls or anything or be tempted to turn my phone on and see all the calls and texts. I just needed to clear my mind and get a glimpse of some new scenery.”
“Well where did you end up?”
“Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t know the name of the town. What I do know is that the town was on Northern Maine and Jake Jesser lives there.”
“Jake Jesser!? You ran into Jake!? Why didn’t he call me!?”
“Because he didn’t know why I was there Trish!”
She sighed and looked at me before shaking her head, “This isn’t like you. You’ve never done this even after past break ups you’ve never done this. I think you made the wrong decision. You know, Tyler’s playing sucks. They almost scratched him last game. He just can’t pull himself together to have a decent game. They cut his ice time nearly in half. We all know he isn’t alright. Why can’t you just see you two were perfect for each other?”
“Who’s side are you on!? You’re my best friend!”
“I’m on yours and I get why you broke up with him. What he did was wrong and he was being an ass for playing you like that. But by saying that I think you two are perfect together, I’m only trying to help your side out more by helping you realize. I’m not trying to support him.” I nodded understanding what she meant.
“Let me shower so we can get to school.” I moved passed her and into my bathroom. When I came out I threw on http://www.polyvore.com/red_black/set?id=93910761.
We left my apartment and went down to my car. As I was driving us to class Trisha was getting more and more angry with her phone.
“Have you seen my charger? I think my phone died.”
“No I haven’t sorry. And I would offer you mine but we have different phones.”
“Ugh I probably left it at my place last night. I’ll have to charge it when I get back from class.”
***
When class was over I dropped Trisha off at her place before heading home to mine. I sulked up all my stairs and didn’t even stop to say hello to Mrs. Robinson. A few minutes later I walked right back out of my apartment and stomped back down the stairs and to my car. I drove until I came to Maggie’s.
As I sat parked in front of the store I looked to my left and saw the spot where I had first met Tyler. It felt like I was in a movie and watching the whole scene take place as my head gave me a view of what it must have looked like from here. I remembered him coming in that day and asking for my hours and then coming out to find him waiting by his car for me. I remember first meeting Marshall and Freddy and his teammates. Memory after memory of us came flooding back to me as I sat there staring at the spot where a small patch of ice had once been. I thought of how his family was coming down in a few days, expecting to meet me. I thought back to all the times where I had fallen asleep against him and he had carried me to bed. All the times where he would come in and kiss me from behind before swinging onto my couch and cuddling up to me. Every time he had placed his head in my lap, given me a kiss, held my hand, or told me I was beautiful seemed to flash through my mind.
At this point I was sobbing uncontrollably in my car at about eight at night. I couldn’t stop the memories from coming though and I couldn’t stop staring at that spot.
Next, came the memories of his lies. These turned my tears from drops of sorrow and love to anger and hate. All the times he had come home with a bruise on his face or a fat lip and told me he had walked into something, slipped, or gotten too rough with his friends. All the ‘business trips’ he went on, all the nights with the boys when he was really playing a home game. All the lying and deceiving. One lame excuse after another melded together in my mind and formed a massive monster that was eating me from the inside out. Every moment where I turned off the radio or television or walked away or changed the topic because hockey came up started to taunt me. They were telling me I was blind, calling me a fool, for not being able to see it all before. The monster was growing bigger and I couldn’t handle the pain anymore.
I started crying even harder as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. The memories ceased their return once I had looked away from our meeting place. I sat there wallowing in my own misery before calming myself enough to drive. As I put my key in the ignition I turned my radio on. It was a sports talk show and they were talking about the Bruins’ game tomorrow night. I pulled out of the parking spot and for the first time I didn’t change the channel.
Notes
Hey Everyone!Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all enjoy the update!
About what I posted last chapter (the whole "Option A" and "Option B" thing) that is just somethng abut the structure of the story. I promise you it will not affect the storyline. So don't worry about if you are choosing the fate of anyone in this story. SO if everyone could just comment either "Option A" or "Option B" that would be amazing :)
Love!
-E
11/8/13