Page 34 of Now and Forever
"What are you doing here by yourself?" Ashford asked, flashing her a smile that he probably thought was charming. He leaned back, his arm casually draped over the back of the couch, inching closer to her. "Normally, you're glued to Gaige's side."
"And normally you're glued to various girls," Golden replied, forcing a polite smile.
"You know it," Ashford agreed shamelessly, his eyes lingering on her longer than she liked. "But I saw you here and couldn't let you sit all alone.
Golden resisted the urge to dry heave. "That's sweet of you."
"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you," he continued, leaning in even closer. "I've always thought you were different from all the other girls in school. In a good way, of course."
"Thanks," Golden muttered, looking around her for anyone she recognized to save her from this moment. "That's nice to hear."
The music on the speakers changed to something so loud it made the floors vibrate under the force of the bass.
"Why don't we get out of here?" Ashford yelled, leaning in closer to her. He pointed to the stairs and she knew from the look in his eyes he meant more than talking.
Golden's mind raced for a way to decline that wouldn't set off his infamous fragile ego. She shook her head. "I'm waiting for someone," she lied.
Ashford's expression faltered for a moment before he plastered on another smile. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, and she had to fight not to recoil.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, her voice tight.
As Ashford finally stood up, Golden let out the breath she'd been holding. She glanced around the room, looking for any sort of escape route. She was seriously considering her earlier thought of sneaking off to Gaige's room.
Just as she was about to make her move, Ashford, who was still talking to some nearby students a few feet in front of her, bumped into her. Golden's soda slipped from her grasp, but with quick reflexes, Ashford caught it mid-air with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Careful there," he said, in an annoying tone that made her want to kick him. Slowly, he handed back her drink.
"Uh, thanks," Golden muttered, taking a sip of the drink just so she could have an excuse to not look at the guy.
Ashford nodded and finally walked away. She watched him disappear into the crowd before sinking back onto the couch, her mind racing. A few seconds later, a few girls she recognized from her elective classes approached and sat down next to her. They all started chatting about the latest gossip and the upcoming summer plans, taking Golden's thoughts away from the annoying scene with Ashford. It wasn't until her head began to feel heavy that she felt something was wrong. Her vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness swept over her.
"Are you okay?" one of the girls asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm not sure," Golden replied, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears. "I just feel...awful."
The overwhelming sense of fatigue washing over her scared her; she could hardly keep her head up.
"You don't look so good," a familiar voice said next to her. A guy's voice.
Slowly, Golden turned and frowned at Ashford kneeling next to her. Why was he back?
"I'll take her to one of the spare bedrooms," he informed the other girls.
Golden could feel his hands on her shoulder and around her back and shuddered at the proprietary feeling. No! She did not want him touching her or taking her anywhere.
"I'm gonna go get Gaige," one girl said. Was that Marisa or the other girl? Golden didn't know but she thanked the girl in her head.
Drearily she looked at Ashford's face and noticed the panic on it but when she blinked again, he was gone and it was Carter Serrano kneeling down beside her, his face full of worry.
He was saying something to her but she wasn't hearing it. The next thing she knew she was watching the ceiling pass her by and guessed she was in Carter's arms. Was he taking her to the guest bedrooms?
"Where the fuck…" The deep familiar voice of Gaige filled her senses and relief flooded her like a tidal wave. Golden could hardly feel her body being transferred from one boy to the other because she was so focused on trying to stay awake and listen to what they were saying.
"…found Ashford trying to take her…I think…told him to run."
"Come on, sweetheart…tell…he's dead,” Gaige growled.
Nothing made sense. It felt as if her soul was slipping away and no one was noticing.
