Keeping [COMPLETED]

Chapter 15

Asher's POV

Jayden turned and left, but not before I sent my hand flying through the air across his face. It wasn't the same as punching, but It would have to do for then. His eyes started watering, and he left. When the door closed, I tried to steady myself and I ran upstairs and packed a bag of my clothes. I didn't head back downstairs because I had heard the front door open, and my mom call me. I went out my window, onto the mini balcony, and scaled the wall to the ground. I had to get out of there, before I broke down.

Just in case, I took another bottle with me. I walked the woods for at least an hour, until I came up on the school. I had forgotten that, I could cut through the woods for a short cut if I was ever late. I walked to the building and sat down on the steps drinking the wine. I immediately felt the affects. My head went wobbling from side to side, and I started getting a headache. So I drank more. When the bottle ran out, I threw it across the street at the tree that I used to stand under when I was waiting for Lani. I always stood under that same tree, because it had the most darkness, and shade.

I lied back, and stared at the sky. It was a sunny day, and I had gotten drunk. Everything felt good, even though my life sucked. I was sitting on the steps of the school with nothing to care about, and nothing to think about. I wondered if that was what people liked about getting drunk. I started to think that it was my favorite part. I had stayed on the steps the entire day without interruption. I might have thrown up a couple times. After the fourth time I threw up I decided to make my way back home. Slowly. I could start feeling the wine wear off.

Instead of going through the woods again, I went on the street. It had gotten dark, and I hated the dark. I walked faster. When I finally got home, I looked at the number on the intercom and it read 12:36 am. Carmen would be on her hangover then. But I rang the bell anyway.

"What!?" She yelled, making me groan and cover my ears. I felt along the mechanism for the reply button, and took a while to find it. When I did it was hard to hold down the button.

"Open the goddamn gate!" I yelled back. I heard a moan from the opposite end of the intercom. "It's fucking cold out here!" I heard a click from the gate, and I tried pushing through. Instead my hand went through the bars. I tried again, but I failed. I turned around and kicked the trash can on it's side.

"Do you need help?" I heard a voice behind me.

"Oh Damn! Please don't be the jackass!" I turned around and saw Jayden standing there, with his hood up. "No I don't need any help from you! No thank you! N-nope I-I'm all g-good." I stuttered. It freaked me out that I couldn't see his face. His head dropped low and he pushed open the gate for me. I crossed my arms. "I said I don't need your help! Go!" I pushed him as hard as I could on his chest. He just stepped back, hissed, and turned his head away. But he didn't go anywhere. He came closer actually. I kept stepping away, but soon I was against the bricks.

"I never wanted to hurt you." Was all he said. I squinted into his hoody and he turned away again. I glared at him, and turned to leave when I tripped on nothing. Jayden's hand wrapped around my waist, and I got unwanted butterflies. I slapped his hands but they stayed firmly on my sides. "Ash. Let me help you to your house at least. Then Ill do whatever you want me to do." I thought for a minute, and considered my options.

I could walk by myself, and take an hour with him watching me. Or I could walk with Jayden and be rid of him within minutes. I gave an obnoxiously loud groan and agreed. He kept his left hand on my left waist, and took my right hand in his. I let it limp. His hand tightened around my hand as we ascended the stairs. I pulled my hand free, and took a wobbly step forward.

"Goodbye. Jackass." I said quietly, while unlocking the door. Before I could even push open the door, I was swept off my feet. "Noooo." I groaned. I sighed loudly and gave up. I was too exhausted to fight. A few times, I heard groan coming from him. "Your a goddamn asshole. I fucking hate you, you jackass. You little shit!" I spat. The entire way upstairs all I could do was curse at him. When we reached my bedroom. I pushed at him, thinking that he was trying to do something that I didn't want.

"Calm down Ash. Im just putting you to bed."I rolled my eyes. I kept pushing though. I didn't even want to touch him anymore. He put me down on my bed and took a few steps back. He closed the door and that's when I attacked him. I jumped on his back and started hitting him in the chest, face, neck, back, anywhere really that I could reach. I even almost hit him in the dick. "Asher! Stop it!" He went back over to my bed and dropped me. Before I let go, I yanked his hoody off.

I froze. Jayden's face had been beaten. His eye was swollen and his lip busted open. His neck was bruised and purple. He had cuts along his left eye. And his nose was red. Had I done that?

"Jayden." I felt the wine wear off fast. I stood up and went to him, but he just put up his hood and turned away. He started walking out the door. I ran in front of it and closed it shut, locking it with my key that I had taken from my desk top. I put the key in my underwear, knowing that wouldn't stop him from getting it back. But it would have slowed him down. I reached up to lift his hood away, but he grabbed my hand. I grabbed his hand with my other and took it away. Before he could stop me again I pulled away the hood.

"Ash." He whined. I pulled him to my bed and sat him down. He tried to put his hood up again, but I smacked his hand, hard. He hissed rubbing where I smacked it. I slowly raised my hand to his face. I had forgotten anything that had happened and I just focused on him. "I didn't come here for pitty." He said harshly.

"Well you didn't have to come here at all! Goddamn Jayden! What is wrong with you?!" I say, trying to keep my voice low for my sisters sake. "Why did you come here? Huh?" I waited for an answer.

"Because I said I'd never leave you. I said I'd never let anyone hurt you." He looked anywhere but me. "Yet I was the one who hurt you."

"So you beat yourself up?"I asked. He looked at me side-eyed. "What. Happened." He turned his body to the side. I sat down in front of him, and when he tried to turn again I put my hand on his arm gently. He still didn't say anything. I sighed loudly, and reached for his zipper. He stood.

"Asher please. Let me go." I stared at him. I got annoyed. There was more under his hoody. I stood and pushed him down once more. I went into my bathroom and took a clean wash cloth, wet it in warm water, and got some soap and a small bowl that had been left in my room. I went back ibto my room, and pulled my desk chair in front of Jayden.

"Let me see." I insisted. He unzipped his hoody slowly, and pulled it off his arms. I gasped. His shirt wasn't even off yet, but his arms were all cuts and bruises. He couldn't look me in the eye. Next his shirt came off. I had to look away. My eyes started getting watery. There was a big slash across his chest, and it wasn't bleeding but it was red and it really looked like it hurt.

"You've seen it. Can I go now?" He asked quietly. I didn't say a word. I just grabbed the washcloth and dipped it once in the warm water. I started on his chest. i gently ran the cloth along his cuts, or anywhere he was bruised. He jumped back a few times, but he soon ended up against my bed post, with no where to go. Each time my hand reached up to him, it shook. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I didn't forgive him for hurting me, but I couldn't let him leave looking like a boxer after 10 rounds back to back.

"Asher." I turned him around. I was almost terrified at what I would've seen on his back. It wasn't as bad as his chest, but it was bad none the less. His head hung low. I thought about who could have done that, and my mind immediately went to the drug dealers.

"They found you." I said. Jayden was silent, but I knew. I put the cloth in the bowl and set it on my nightstand. I went into my bathroom, and open the cabnet under the counter. I dug around for a minute or two, and found what I had been looking for. Over the years, my mom had been giving me money for odd jobs around the house. I had saved up almost a thousand dollars in under two years. I pulled out two hundred and put the rest back. I walked back over to Jayden.

"Take it." I said, holding the money out to him. He shook his head, and crossed his legs. I gently kicked him with my cast, and he looked at me. "Take it. I won't let you get hurt just because of an un paid debt. Believe it or not I still care. If you don't take this money right now, I will feel like I couldn't do anything to help. And since I can, I'm going to. So take the goddamn money Jay!" He flinched at my yelling, and slowly took the money out of my hand.

I pulled the key out of my boxers, and unlocked the door. "You can go." I opened the door, and stepped to the side, not looking at his eyes. He walked past me and stood in the door way. He looked back at me one last time, then left. I closed my door behind him, and locked it again. Giving him that money meant that he could go back home to his family. I though about it. Maybe it was for the best. He always had an intention of leaving, so now he can go quicker. Maybe it was better for the both of us.