Dysphoria

Chapter 2

HEY GUYS I'M BACK, AND THIS STORY IS FINALLY STARTING. SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT BUT I AM FINALLY OVER MY WRITERS BLOCK AND I'M SO EXCITED. I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS AS MUCH AS YOU LIKED FALLING, I'M ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK, I HAVE BIG PLANS. 

CHAPTER 2

I slowly opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to light first. I stretched my arms and legs before sitting up in my bed. I thought about last night’s events and still could not believe Ashton’s unfortunate story. 

There were so many unanswered questions that I had, and hopefully he would show up tonight and allow me to ask. Who am I kidding? After his short, but meaningful episode, he’ll probably never show his face in that bar again.

His face. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. There was just something about it. Even with his messy hair and watering eyes, he was still breathtaking.

I just couldn’t wrap my head around how Emma, or anyone for that matter, could do something like that to Ashton. And with his lifelong best friend. It just disgusted me.

I finally stopped my mind from running on about him any longer and got out of bed. I grabbed a bowl for cereal, but quickly found there was not one box of cereal left. As if on cue, my stomach growled.

“Guess it’s time to go food shopping,” I sighed to myself. 

I quickly changed, not bothering to do my hair or makeup and began walking to the grocery store.

Even though I probably needed more than just a couple boxes of cereal, that’s all I really cared about at the moment. Plus, food shopping while you’re hungry is never a good idea.

I got myself a shopping cart and began to fill it with way more boxes than I needed, when my sweatshirt was pulled on.

I turned around to find a little girl, maybe one or two years old, smiling up at me.

“Hi,” I smiled down at her.

She hid her face in her hands. 

“I’m so sorry,” a woman said as she ran up to me.

“It’s okay,” I said, “she’s adorable.”

“Thank you,” she beamed, looking at her daughter. “You look away for one second and she’s gone.”

I laughed along with the mother, who seemed to be around my age. She probably had it hard, balancing school and a child. I suddenly felt bad for her.

“Well it was nice meeting you, but we have to run,” she said goodbye after picking up her daughter.

I pushed my cart full of cereal to the checkout counters and headed home.

By the time I actually ate my cereal, it was around lunch time.

I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on school work until it was time to get ready for work.

I put a bit more effort into the way I looked than I usually did. I couldn’t help but hope things with Ashton’s girlfriend didn’t work out. I know its selfish and wrong, but a man like that deserves better, and selfishly, I hoped I could be the one to give him better, but I knew better than to hope for a relationship with a man who was still in one. 

Finally, it was time to go to work. My stomach had butterflies. I was nervous. I really wanted Ashton to show tonight, even if it was to tell me things had worked out and everything was better. I needed closure to the story, or at least closure to us. I know that there isn’t an ‘us’, but I felt bad for pushing too hard for details and causing his little breakdown. 

Before I left my apartment, I grabbed the ring from my dresser and put it in my pocket, just in case he showed. Just in case he wanted it back.

As usual, Ryan was there before me, already half way done with the cleaning.

“Ryan, you’re making me look bad,” I teased.

“Maybe you should get here a little earlier than,” he shrugged, playing along.

“I’m already fifteen minutes early! I swear you must get here like an hour early every time you work,” I rolled my eyes.

“And so what if I do?” he laughed.

I laughed as well, before going to the back room to put my stuff away.

“Do you think Prince Charming is going to show?” Ryan asked when I re-entered the room.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. His nickname bothered me slightly, but I let it go. Yes, Ryan met Ashton, but he didn’t hear his story. From a far, he probably just looked like a man with a drunk temper who stormed out.

The bell on the door rung, causing me and Ryan to look up from our conversation. The first customer of the night; Ashton.

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