Scarlette
Lying on my bed, music is lightly playing through my phone as Macy and I attempt to work on homework.
We’ve spent the majority of our time talking and chatting about Ason and how wild the school is reacting to our relationship. We ordered pizza and just talked. I was finally emerging from the shell I had hidden in over the years. I still wasn’t overly social, but I was no longer the lonely girl who was afraid to be happy.
My phone began to ring and a giddy smile grew on my face.
“Oh, is that your new man?” Macy asked, laughing as she winked at me.
My heart began to flutter, but when I looked at my phone, it wasn’t Ason’s name I saw. It was an unknown number.
“Hello?” I asked, answering the call.
“Scarlette?” a female voice frantically asks.
The tone of her voice causes me to shoot up and my eyes go wide. “Yes, who is this?”
“This is Willow, Ason’s mom. I’m so sorry to call you. I got your number from his phone...” she rambles on. I hear in her voice that she is on the verge of tears and my heart falls to the pits of my stomach. Something awful must have happened to Ason to make her sound so distraught.
“Where is Ason? Is he ok?” I ask rapidly.
“Ason is...” she pauses, and I wait, holding my breath for her answer.
Macy sits up, too, and mouths for me to tell her what is going on. I wave her away, only allowing myself to focus on Willow right now.
“Tell me that he is ok,” I plead, tears now filling my eyes.
If something were to happen to Ason, I don’t know what I would do. He is the first thing in my life to make me feel whole. Without him, my life would be nothing but darkness.
“Ason is ok. He got very upset tonight and I think you are the only one who can calm him down. I know it is very wrong of me to call you and worry you, but I didn’t know what to do,” she cries out.
My heart breaks for both Ason and his mother. I have no idea what happened, but for her to call me, it must be really bad. I know how the Antoni’s are about their family affairs. Even I am left with only miniscule details most of the time.
I jump off my bed and begin frantically searching for my shoes. I need to go see him; to make sure he will be fine.
“I will be there in a few minutes,” I tell her, and then end the call before she can protest.
Talking to Ason over the phone won’t do any good. I need to see him in person. I need to hold him and remind him that everything will be alright.
“Scarlette, what is going on?” Macy asks me, as her worried expression stares at me.
“Ason is upset and I need to go be with him. I will tell you about it later, but I have to go now,” I rush out.
Macy nods and follows me as I bound down the steps. Thankfully, my parents aren’t home yet, so I don’t have to answer any of their nagging questions.
Once I’m in my car, I speed through Savannah on my way to Ason’s house. Each time I’ve been, Ason has driven, so I have to rely on my own memory to get me there. After only making one wrong turn, I get to his house in less than fifteen-minutes.
When I get there, the driveway is filled with luxurious cars and SUV’s. The front door is wide open and I spot Willow instantly as she stands in the foyer, her hands to her mouth as she stares up toward the ceiling.
“Scarlette,” she yells, as I run inside.
“Where is he?” I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
“In his room, but Scarlette, please be careful. I’ve never seen him like this before,” she whispers.
I can hear loud male voices somewhere down the hall, but I don’t pay them any attention. I race up the stairs and pass Micah and Talon standing next to the top landing. They both eye me carefully, but neither dares to say a word. When I reach Ason’s bedroom door, I feel a shift in the energy of the house. It’s a mixture of anger and sadness and I hate how dark it makes me feel.
I lightly knock on the door, but there is no sound on the other side. Slowly turning the knob, it opens without resistance and I slip inside of his room. Instantly, I am consumed in darkness and as I take a step further inside, I hear the crunching of glass under my feet. Pausing, I pull out my phone and turn on my flashlight. What I see next frightens me to my very core. The room is destroyed. Holes in his walls, broken glass scattered all over the floor and furniture. Even some clothes are ripped to shreds. A baseball bat lay on his bed and I have no doubt that is the culprit.