Scarlette
“Girl, have you heard the news?” Macy shouts through the phone.
I hold my cellphone out as her loud screech hurts my hears.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, as I roll over in my bed.
I had spent most of the weekend in bed, watching Netflix and eating my weight in cookies and muffins. My parents had called late last night to tell me that they would be home sometime on Monday. Being alone was my norm, but it still ached to know that I was all by myself in this large house. I could have asked Macy to come over, but she would have talked me into going to some wild party with her. I just didn’t feel up to being out, so walloping in my own self-pity was the plan. Plus, I still hadn’t told Macy about my kiss with Ason. There was even a part of me that wondered if I had dreamed the whole thing. To think that Ason, an Elite, would ever be interested in me, blew my mind. We had hooked up, but there was no ties binding us together. We were both single, but it was complicated.
“Hold on, I will send you the video,” she says, and I hear her rustling around.
“What video?” I ask, pausing the rerun episode of One Tree Hill.
My phone beeps as a message comes through. I click on the video to see Ason standing in a large kitchen, anger plastered over his face. But what catches my eye more than anything is the gorgeous, tall blonde that has her hands all over Ason’s body. I recognize her from school. Her name is Tara and she is a cheerleader. Jealousy mixed with a scathing irritation races through me. I’m so glad that Macy can’t see my face right now. My mouth hangs open and my body heats. Rap music and voices blend together in the background. A guy laughs and a girl whispers about how Tara has been talking all night about hooking up with Ason. My eyes can’t turn away from the video and just when I think I can’t watch anymore, my eyes almost bulge out of my head when Ason expectantly shoves Tara away from himself. Tara scoffs as she starts to cry. I can tell how embarrassed she must be and the crowd around them laughs as she races out of the room. The video ends and I have to stop myself from screaming out with frustration.
“What happened next?” I blurt out, before I remember that Macy is still on the phone. My heart races and I try to tame down the jealousy I feel spiking inside of me.
“From what I hear, Ason left with Gabby right after that. But people are talking...” she trails off.
“What are people saying?” I rush out. Patience is long gone and I am desperate to hear the gossip surrounding Ason.
Knowing I have no business asking anything about Ason doesn’t seem to affect me. I am nothing to him, but still, I can’t help but feel this dire need to know. What happened between us was hot and unexpected, but we didn't have a label.
A light giggle escapes from Macy. “Wow, I’ve never known you to care about school gossip,” she says.
Crap. I need to come up with something so Macy doesn’t start to suspect that I am interested to know things about Ason. He’s savage, cruel, and powerful, but I saw another side to him that keeps me engaged.
“I’m bored,” I respond. “I don’t really care, but now that I’ve seen the video you have me interested.”
“Anyway, the rumor is that Ason has some secret girl. No one knows who she is, but it must be serious if it has Ason turning down getting laid,” she laughs.
I cringe as she mentions Ason hooking up with other girls. It’s not a secret that he and the Elites can get anyone they want, whenever they want, but for some reason, that knowledge elevates me to another level of annoyance and hurt.
“Wow, that’s interesting. Who knew the Elites would ever care for anyone but themselves,” I snap.
My snarky attitude slips out, but I don’t care.
“Well, I wonder who it is. Maybe it’s some model or celebrity?” Macy guesses.
“Maybe,” I mutter.
We talk a few more minutes before I end the call. All I can do the rest of the evening is to wonder who the mystery woman is that has captivated Ason.
Monday morning, I find myself dreading school.
Not only do I have my scheduled tutoring session with Ason, but the school is buzzing over the pep rally that will take place the second half of the day. The baseball team has a big game coming up this weekend and the basketball team is in a tournament in Charleston. The cheerleaders bounce past me as they try and hype up the students in the halls.
I avoid them most of the day, but the excitement in the school is hard to ignore. By the time the pep rally is ready to begin, I take my time putting my books in my locker as everyone else rushes to the large gymnasium.
“Scarlette, let’s see if we can get good seats,” Macy calls out to me.
She’s walking with a few other girls, but I wave her off. “Go ahead. I will meet you there,” I yell back.
Macy smiles and waves as she continues down the hallway. Maybe if I stay behind, I can sneak into the library and hide out while the rest of the school goes to the pep rally.
Realizing that sounds better than watching the cheerleaders and dance teams perform their raunchy routines for the sports teams, I go at a snail's pace finishing up at my locker. Once the halls at clear and silent, I let out a heavy breath. Looking all around, I make sure there isn’t anyone around to catch me as I turn in the opposite direction of the gymnasium and toward the library. Feeling like a spy, I am careful to stay close to the pristine white walls while I pad down the hallway. Just as I reach the entrance doors to the library, I hear a deep voice that causes my heart to still and my body to shake.
“What are you doing?” Ason asks from behind me.