I'm so sorry for the delay. Most of this chapter was written months before but then school decided they were jealous and wanted all my time. You can blame group projects assigned the first day of the college semester. Since things are a little calm (not really), I will work on my time-management; I promise. In all of your personal responses, I gave you spoilers and let's hope it gets your mind reeling and you still loving me? It was worth a shot…

Ch. 3 – Surprise

"Hey."

I jumped maybe two feet. If I had coffee in my hands, I'd be wearing the coffee. I don't know why I thought of coffee, but that's how scared I was by her voice.

Ashley was at my locker.

Ashley was in my ear.

That "hey" was so soft and raspy in my ear, my heart practically stopped by how good that "hey" felt. Jesus, her voice was doing things to me. I thought I moaned a little. And I was pretty positive Ashley heard and I practically felt her smirk etched onto my skin.

I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She waited patiently for me to get my head out of my ass. My god, she's patient! She must be my soul mate, right?

As soon as the thought crossed, my mind beat it with a baseball bat. Just because this insanely hot and way-out-of-my-league girl waited in all her sexiness while I psyched myself up to say an actual sentence doesn't mean she's my soul mate.

Sigh. I could only wish.

I never thought this could actually happen. It was afternoon – after school, actually – and I pretty much convinced myself what happened at lunch was just Ashley's way of getting attention. There was no way this girl wanted anything to do with me. I convinced myself that Ashley was just bored with her mysteriousness of a reputation and wanted to shake things up a bit. You know, make sure someone's paying attention. I pretty much concocted that was the whole reason for what happened at lunch. Ashley wanted to make sure her reputation preceded her so she pulled that stunt.

Nope. My logic went to straight to hell right now. Ashley didn't use me to keep her reputation intact.

Are you sure?

Shut up! You will not ruin this! Great, I yelled at my subconscious. Ashley sure as hell wanted everything to do with me.

I realized I was at my locker, breathing deep through my nose, while the extremely-hot Ashley waited. I saw in the corner of my eye and of course she looked like she enjoyed this. Her tan face was relaxed and a lax smirk rested on her lips. Her head was tilted and her curls were blurred but I saw a little bit of the curls where they hanged loosely because of gravity. From the angle I saw, she was leaning against the locker to my left, her upper arm supporting her weight.

Jesus, I couldn't see her full-on and she took my breath away.

"Were you not taught personal space as a child?" I said, barely in a whisper. Shit! I wasn't supposed to mouth off! I hoped to God she didn't hear me.

"Ooh, kitty has fangs." I practically felt her smirk in that sentence.

"Isn't it claws?" Damn it, stop it!

"I like biting."

Oh, shit.

It took several minutes before I was able to shut my locker and face her head-on. I wanted to slam my locker in my frustration that every time the brunette was near, I wasn't intelligent. I'm damn very intelligent! Okay, ignore the last sentence I know it's not grammatically correct, but you get what I mean.

Sigh. I don't know. This girl. This girl was like. Cocaine. Okay, maybe that was a little strong, but I wasn't myself when I was around Ashley. That much was for sure. What kind of hold did she have on me? I think that was the most frustrating thing about this.

But I couldn't dwell on it any longer. I had to try at least and have a decent conversation with Ashley where I could actually impress her with my intelligence and not drool for once, damn it.

"Why are you talking to me?" I asked, and held my books against my chest like it protected me from her sexiness. Yeah, right. It was a feeble attempt, but an attempt at least.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked. Was I? Damn it! Stop being distracted by her hotness.

It was easier said than done but I managed to wide my eyes a little and snap out of it. I took a quick breath and made a move to walk. She gave herself a little push off the lockers and matched my strides. I decided to worry my bottom lip before I asked my next question. Hopefully, I could make it sound like genuine curiosity instead of suspicion. I hoped.

"Did you figure out who I was by Glen?"

"Who's Glen?"

I stopped in my tracks. Say what now? "Glen."

"I don't know a Glen."

"Glen Carlin, my brother! Blond new kid who's practically a stud and a rock star. He sits adjacent to you at lunch every day for a month at the popular table!"

I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda miffed she didn't know who my brother was. I mean, every one knew my brother.

She laughed at my disbelief and continued to walk. I practically scrambled to catch up. How could she be all non-chalant about all this?

"He's a stud and a rock star?" She asked in a scoff. She obviously didn't believe me. "He's actually challenging my position at this school?"

Well, that said something. I stopped briefly at this reveal but elongated my strides to keep up with tiny. Dang, she was fast. I didn't think she noticed I lagged behind briefly.

"Then how do you know me?" I asked.

"I have my connections."

"How did you know me and not my brother? That's like, insane. Almost impossible."

She stopped and I stopped on the dime. She stared into my eyes and I couldn't help but be lost in the warm liquid her eyes gave. I really didn't want to. I was much too curious about the impossibility of her knowledge of me and not my brother. I mean, Carlin wasn't common. Was it?

But keeping eye contact with Ashley (I pretty much learned quickly) was dangerous. She managed to erase everything that was going on in my mind – which was a lot – and just focus on her. Wow, her eyes were really beautiful. Some of my friends back home had brown eyes and complained how boring and plain their eye color was. I silently agreed with them but felt the need to argue just to boost their self-confidence a little bit. But Ashley's eyes were really beautiful. Her eyes were pretty much mocha. Wow.

Her voice stopped me from swimming in oblivion. She shrugged and gave me a small smile. "I wasn't interested in your brother."

She continued to walk.

MF

I should be scared at the fact that Ashley fuzzed every logical thought in my mind. Some part of me pointed this out. The other part – and I was pretty sure it was my body – said to shut the fuck up and enjoy it.

In a daze, I followed Ashley until she stopped. It wasn't until I heard the loud echo when I finally had enough sense to take in my surroundings. If I was completely honest, it was probably the fact that Ashley's perfect ass stopped swishing. I noticed we were in our school's gymnasium. The basketball team usually practiced here at this time, but surprisingly it was empty. I was about to question it, but I looked at Ashley.

She silenced everything for me.

She looked at me with the cockiest grin and her eyes twinkled. But as she stared at me in silence with her short-short skirt and designer sleeveless shirt that layered at her chest but gave amazing cleavage, I noticed her smile changed mid-way. It started as the cockiest grin I've seen (seriously, she could give my brother a run for his money), but as I stared it softened to the prettiest smile. That smile allowed me to notice some things about her that I should've noticed before. You know, since her mouth was on mine and my tongue massaged her tongue.

But I noticed in her smile that her bottom lip was more plumped than her top lip. Her bottom lip was fuller and if I remembered correctly, juicier. Her top lip was pretty much smooth. Her lips enhanced her teeth. They were so white and so straight she had to have braces when she was a kid. Her smile gave a dazzling movie star vibe that was pretty much every one's kryptonite.

I was so mesmerized by her mouth it took a second too long to realize that the same mouth I was drooling over was moving. I was finally able to catch up and I did the most intellect thing ever.

I shook my head and could practically felt my eyes widen as I fell back to Earth. "What?"

She laughed a little and I guess she was trying to soften the blow. It was almost like she knew she had this effect on people. "I said do you like basketball."

I shrugged and my eyebrows showed my confusion in a frown. "I guess. My brother was on the team at our old school."

"How about we make this about you and not your brother?"

I frowned again. The sentence in context was entirely made to be bitchy. But the way she said it made me feel special. I remembered the past 17 years of my life, this was the first time somebody talked to me because of me and not my brother. I showed my hesitance as I took a deep breath.

"Okay." I said.

"Okay," she said, as she gave me a smile. My breath caught. "Now. Do you like basketball?"

"Yeah," I said, with more confidence. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

I noticed that she had a basketball. Where the hell did that come from? "How about we play horse."

"Um. Don't mean to be rude, but are sure you're in the right attire to play?"

I raised my eyebrow and looked her up and down to make a point. When my eyes met her face, her eyebrow was raised also. The look told me she was intrigued somebody just challenged her. It took everything in me to make sure I didn't cower under her stare.

She didn't answer but instead turned on her heel. I took in my surroundings more and noticed we were standing in the middle of the hardwood and she was at the three-point line. I realized two things.

One, she looked fuck-hot standing with a basketball with her hands. Like, seriously. She looked like a model with a bad-ass sexy look on her face. Before she turned her heel, she had the orange ball in the palm of her hand held up like a caterer and her other arm rested on her hip. Her other hip jutted out in the pose that had my eyes go slack. And when she turned, her ass popped out in her pose and it gave me a pretty damn good view.

And the second was that Ashley was very, very dangerous for me. I mean, this girl had me following like a puppy who was starving in more ways than one. Hell, for all I know, Ashley was just a sicko who liked to pose as a high school student just to abduct you and make you a sex slave and have you a prisoner but near your family for years like that Elizabeth Smart girl. And I followed willingly! All because Ashley was an obsession and best of all, she was showing interest. It was unhealthy how willingly I was to follow Ashley. I had to be careful when it came to this girl.

But at the moment, I just didn't give a fuck.

I was too busy drooling over her ass I didn't realize she took a shot. My head snapped up when I heard a swish. I saw the movement of her jumping in her three-inch spike heels but the movement didn't register as her jumping. I realized then. She made a three-point shot in heels! I replayed the move in my head. For such a girly-girl, I expected her leg to bend in a girly fashion. I mean, I was known for that when I shot a basketball. But no, she took a full-form that I was so used to my brother perfecting for hours in drive way in Ohio. And she made the shot. I don't know why I was so surprised.

She turned back with that cockiest grin and I wondered again why I was so surprised a bad-ass like her knew how to shoot a basketball. Of course, she did. This girl did everything to just surprise me.

"You win and we do what you want," she said.

"And if you win?"

"Well, if I win I get to do whatever I want with you."

It was completely psychotic and totally not me to take this challenge. There was no way I was going to enter such a predicament when I knew Ashley could be the death of me. It was simply that. There was no way I was going to accept the challenge.

I took the ball and shot.

MF

It was a given that I lost. I mean, come on. Ashley made a three-pointer in heels. I tried to play her game and make it look like I let her win. But that mysterious smile she gave me when I told her as much made me think she knew I was full of crap.

But I'm glad she won.

Because this had to be the best time I had since I've moved to L.A.

After Ashley won the game, I grabbed the ball and rested it on my hip. I sighed and tilted my head and tried my turn at mysterious. After she smiled, I asked what she wanted to do. I guess she saw my nervousness because she again invaded my personal space. I thought she was going to kiss away my worry (which I totally didn't mind if she did it) but instead her eyes softened.

She asked me if I was okay and felt myself fall hard (mentally). I shouldn't fall. This girl was dangerous. I kept repeating it, but the more I tried to warn myself the more I wanted the danger. It's like curiosity. I don't know how else to describe it.

After I assured her, she got the cocky grin back. I was learning though, reading her. Every time that cocky grin appeared, she wanted to brag. So what did I do? Pshh, I let her brag because watching her mouth move was quickly becoming my favorite activity.

I gave her what she wanted and asked what she wanted to do. She simply told me.

"What I want to do with you is show you a good time around L.A. Come on."

She dragged me out of King High and I experienced urban fashion boutiques, hip café's, and underground clubs that allow underage drinking (not like I would… psh!). We went everywhere and it was pretty cool.

I almost felt superior and on-top because of this day. Don't ask me how, but knowing Ashley made me felt like I had a secret; like an "in." I knew these cool things about the city now that I'm pretty sure even somebody who lived here for 10 years didn't know the things I knew after today because they didn't know Ashley.

Of course anyone knew Ashley. But after today, I felt like I knew her. Like, people knew of her, but didn't know her and her awesome connections. I felt honored in a way.

Now… well, now, I couldn't help what I was feeling. I knew I wanted Ashley and she was just making it hard for me. She was showing signs she liked me, (holding hands in public, flirting, anyone?) but I couldn't help but feel I wasn't the only one she did it with. Of course, I'm pretty sure every place she showed me was special, like I was the only one she showed these places to. How do I know? Well, everyone who knew Ashley gave me weird looks when I walked in with her. I mean, how do you analyze that? But the affections seem like she did it with everyone.

And how do I know if I'm really am gay. I mean, I am crushing on a girl, but I'm pretty sure Ashley is every one's crush. I mean, I look at other girls and I don't have the same feelings I do with Ashley. And that goes with guys to.

If I made a move with Ashley, there's a pretty good chance I'd make a fool of myself. And I'm still trying to work on the whole conversation-without-looking-like-an-idiot thing with Ashley.

I felt bad having all these denial thoughts while still having a blast with Ashley. I mean, like I said before, this has been the best day of my life since moving to L.A. Ashley made it special in a way and I'm pretty sure I could never erase this grin off my face even if I tried. But I don't think I should be hanging out with Ashley. I mean, if she could make me feel this special with a few smiles and take me out on a spontaneous date (totally not a date, even if she did pay for everything) and have me feel relaxed as ever in just a few days, then imagine what she could do if she broke my heart.

I couldn't do this.

And I felt like a total jack-ass for doing this to Ashley. I mean, as far as I could tell, she took a chance on me. And here I am thinking about rejecting her to protect myself. Even though, I really, really, want everything to do with Ashley. I mean, she is my savior in a way.

Did I mention I'm having this debate while I have Ashley right next to me? On top of her car? Watching the sunset in the most beautiful view I have ever seen? Yeah, just fucking kill me, 'cause I'm losing my mind.

"Stop."

She said something? "What?" I asked.

"Stop thinking. You're gonna hurt yourself."

"Is that a blond joke?"

"It's an observation."

I turned my head towards her. She's not even looking at me. Her eyes are closed and her body laxed, her hands cushioned behind her head. She took a deep breath and her body arched upward. I faintly heard cracks before her body returned to the same state before. I sighed in contentment.

"I am relaxed," I said, before turning my head back to the orange hue and closing my eyes.

"I didn't say to relax. I said to stop thinking. Whatever you think, it's not."

"And what do I think?"

"If this is real."

Is she tacking on mind-reader along with bad-ass too?

"So… you're not into me?"

"I don't usually do the pursuing. I actually enjoy being chased."

Huh. "Well, maybe it's time you need a work-out," I said and I mentally gasped. Where did that come from? Maybe survival of the fittest made me a bitch…

She laughed and opened her eyes. "You're learning."

"What?"

"You're afraid."

I heard movement and opened my eyes to see Ashley perched on her right arm. She kept eye contact with me and I felt myself mesmerized.

"Would you?" I asked, in a breathless whisper (I'm a girl; I'm into the romance clichés, okay?)

"No."

"No?"

"Because I'm here to catch you when you fall."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can help you. You want to know if you're gay? If I'm into you?"

I couldn't say anything even if I tried.

"Fall," she said, her lips pretty much on top of mine. All I had to do was breathe. "I can hold a lot. Trust me."