Teegan pulls me out of my bed at five in the morning, throwing my running shoes at me.
“Get up lazy ass” she says flicking my lights on and off.
“What the hell?” I groan looking at her.
“It’s workout time.” She smiles then tells me to be down stairs in five minutes or she will make out with Asher in front of me. Scrambling up I dress in shorts and a tank thrown my hair up and race down the stairs because I really do believe she would go over to Asher.
“Great now I know your motivation” she smiles. We stretch and fill up some water bottles then head out. We jog down the sidewalk and over to the woods that surround this part of town, once we reach the woods Teegan speeds up making me speed up, which gives me a stitch in my side.
“Slow down,” I pant from behind her. Turning she starts to jog backwards,
“Are you seriously that unfit?” she asks in disbelief, “I don’t know Emery I think I can get used to Asher’s hands on my..”
“Fine” I shout and push myself to move up beside her, “you’re a bitch,” I moan making her howl out a laugh.
“Come on Emery the more you run the more Asher will want to chase.” She laughs speeding up again.
My lungs burn as we run back up to my house; the sun has finally risen, and is scorching the earth already. I am lagging behind Teegan a bit until I spot her looking at something across the street, turning my head I see Asher sitting on his porch and nearly fall down. He is never up at this hour, anything before noon and he is like a vampire, Teegan gives him a little finger wave then turns to jog backwards again.
“Did you see that Emery? He likes me.”
She laughs and I race up behind her jumping on her back just as we enter my garden. Her laughter grows as she flips me over in one swift motion landing me on my back. Jumping up I face her, my breathing hard but every part of me wants to rip her in half for waving at him. We circle each other like two MMA fighters in a cage, lunging I grab her around the neck she drops to the ground and my sweaty arms slip off of her, sweeping her legs she knocks me down then straddles me, grabbing my wrists and pinning me down.
“Now that’s more like it Emery, I’m glad I came back here” she smiles climbing off of me, holding her hand out I grip it and she pulls me up wrapping her arm around my neck, “don’t look now but lover boy is watching.”
We walk into the house closing the door I spin to spy out of the small window. I see Asher standing on his porch staring at my house. Every fiber of my body wants to go to him and get my friend back reaching for the door handle I open it slowly. Teegan slams it closed before I can step outside.
“No Emery he has to come to you.”
She pushes me away from the door and up the stairs into her room. I watch her pull one of her bags open taking out a weird looking contraption.
“Here lie down,” she says pointing to the floor, glad to be off my feet I lay down as she straps something to my feet then pulls the ropes tying one bit to the door telling me to hold the other two parts.
“Now pull the left one down,” she says and I do resulting in my left leg raising. She tells me to suck in my stomach and pull one arm then the other. I look stupid and feel even worse, with her hand on my stomach shouting at me when I forget to ‘suck it in’ she makes me do one hundred of these running in the air moves and after I want to cry, my stomach is in bits.
“I feel like I did a million sit-ups,” I moan rolling onto my side.
“Yeah? Awesome right,” she smiles taking my place on the floor, I watch as she air runs for about five minutes before stopping and smiling, “five hundred” she says.
“I’m going for a shower,” I moan crawling across the hall to my room.
“No pain no gain,” she shouts after me.
Turning the shower on I stand under the flow of the water washing the work out off my body, after a few minutes I start to feel better, a little sore but definitely better. Climbing out of the shower I wrap a towel around myself then lay on my bed, my phone chimes from the nightstand. Grabbing it I read the text from Asher.
Are you okay Emery? I really miss you
Xxx Ash.
My fingers hover over the reply button, I want to desperately see him to be the way we should be, deciding I need to give him a break I send a quick reply.
I’m fine Ash, you hurt me and
I need time xxx Emery.
I don’t get anymore reply’s so get dressed and find Teegan already eating breakfast. My eyebrows rise when I see her plate full of eggs, bacon, and sausages.
“Wow I am speechless,” I say grabbing a bowel for my cereal.
“Made you some too” she points her fork to the plate on the counter beside her. Taking a seat I lift some eggs into my mouth.
“You eat like a guy” I tell her, she laughs spitting orange juice all over the counter, “nasty” I laugh with her too. After breakfast we sit on the front porch swing, my eyes are locked on Asher’s bedroom window, wondering what he is doing.
“You really miss him huh?” Teegan asks and I nod.
“Yeah I do, I wish I could rewind time and tell him.”
Just as I finish speaking his front door opens and he steps out onto the porch holding his gym bag over his shoulder. Looking up he nods at me before climbing into his jeep and taking off towards town.
“Don’t worry Emery you’ll get him back” Teegan says, as if she somehow knows this. We sit on the porch for a while, before Teegan becomes restless and starts taping her foot against the railing.
“Shit don’t you do anything around here?” she complains.
“Yeah I usually hang out with my best friend and do stuff with him,” I retort taking my anger out on her.
“Like what?” she huffs at me.
“Well its Tuesday so we go wall climbing at the gym,” I sigh remembering Ash’s bag he threw into the truck. Teegan jumps to her feet smiling.
“That’s awesome let’s go I have always wanted to do that!” she stands looking at me.
“I don’t have ropes, Ash owns all the gear.”
Pulling my arm she ushers me to get the car keys and head to the gym, once we arrive I sigh, relieved that he is still here. Teegan climbs out of the car and saunters her ass all the way inside with a huge smile on her face.
“Keep up buttercup” she yells at me from the door of the gym, stepping inside I see a few familiar faces, the guy behind the counter, Ed comes around grabbing me in a bear hug.
“Hey beautiful it’s been so long” he says setting me back down.
I introduce him to Teegan and let him know we want to climb but have no gear. “Come now my pretty I have everything you need,” he winks at me making Teegan laugh out loud, her deep throaty laugh causes a few guys to turn around and take note of us, including Asher. He watches as we gear up by the wall with Ed taking the reins, I go up first then wait for Teegan.
“Wow that was all kinds of fun!” she smiles reaching me at the top, “so how do we get down?” she asks.
“Now that is the fun part.”
I smile and throw myself off the edge abseiling down the wall to the floor. Teegan shakes her head from the top refusing to come down, grabbing her ropes I shake them, “you scared?” I shout up to her laughing as I do.
“Yes” she shouts back giving me the finger. A few guys offer to go get her but Ash is already half way up and makes his way over to her. She smiles at him then climbs onto his waist facing him, my hands tighten on the rope as I hold it.
“Loosen the rope babe” I hear Ash shout down to me, I really want to pull the rope and make them both fall to their deaths but I don’t, slowly I feed the rope through my hands as the swing down.
“Wow thanks Asher,” Teegan smiles at him as she jumps off his hips.
“You’re welcome,” he smiles back, stomping over my already broken heart. Throwing the ropes away I begin to climb up thinking of all the ways I want to hurt him, get my claws and rip him apart. Be
fore I know it I am on top of the wall with Asher right behind me.
“Hey I was calling you,” he says reaching me, he sits down beside me and we both look out over the gym. “I miss you babe,” he whispers.
“Yeah it looked like it with my cousin wrapped around you,” I snap at him.
“She was scared and I got her for you” he answers, “I know you can’t bring her down by yourself.”
I know he is right but I feel so angry and my blood is boiling, “just leave me alone Asher,” Reaching out he grips my fingers.
“Emery can we at least talk about this?” he begs, pulling my hand away I stand on the edge of the wall.
“We don’t need to talk Asher, I have been so in love with you for years and I can’t do this anymore. I wanted more from you but you broke my heart going with Emily into the pool house, I’m done with you.”
Jumping off the wall I get down in a few seconds pulling off the gear I put it into a pile on the floor and walk away leaving Teegan to follow. Reaching my dad’s car I crank up the air conditioning and the music allowing it to drown out the conversation repeating in my head.
“Emery” Teegan says, climbing into the car. My eyes have tears in them but I ignore her and drive towards the house, she reaches over resting a hand on my knee until I push it away.
“Leave me alone.” I say as I steer the car home, my mind refusing to dismiss Asher’s face as I told him I loved him.
Shock, horror, and pity, that’s what I saw in his eyes.
Tying up loose ends