14. In which late night whispers are heard
An unexpected reunion is all it took to send my life into a crazed frenzy. I guess I should have seen all this coming. But then again, I'm no psychic...
Hillary was curled under an itchy afghan on Ashley's floor. Ellie lay nearby, snoring quietly. She tried to lay still and go to sleep, but the carpet was old and hard and the full moon was shining brightly in her eyes. She liked watching the moon but preferred to sleep in the darkness. She began to wish she had allowed her brother to pick her up after the club. She was never one for sleepovers, and this one had already taken a turn for the strange.
Ever since they had left the club, Ashley had been strangely silent. She was distant and cold, even to Ellie, as if their presence was an annoyance to her. When they arrived back at the house they watched some music videos on the couch, but Hillary kept noticing Ashley staring at her. Every time she would look over Ashley would avert her eyes but it was clear that something was going on. By the time it was late enough to go to sleep Hillary was wishing with every fiber of her being that she was at home in her bed. Even though her house would be huge and empty, she still preferred that to someone's hard floor and strained silences.
She rolled over and found that she had discarded Craig's leather jacket with the rest of her clothes nearby. She quietly reached out a hand and pulled it towards her. She held it close and inhaled deeply. The outside was marked with foreign cologne, but the inside was infused with his scent; incense, soap, the oil he used on his guitar. She breathed in the smell and let the calmness it gave her wash away her anxiety. She knew it was wrong to be thinking like that again, but really, what harm would it do in the dark of Ashley's room?
It was then that she looked up and saw Ashley's pretty face gazing down at her from the bed. Her dark hair was sticking up all over her head and she watched Hillary's actions with interest. This time, though, she didn't look away when Hillary caught her in her stare.
"What are you doing?" she asked, and Hillary shrugged as she hastily pushed the jacket back towards the pile.
"Nothing. Couldn't sleep." Hillary replied, and Ashley still watched her warily.
"What, was Craig like, hitting on you?" she asked suddenly, and Hillary shook her head vigorously.
"No, I was just cold. I forgot my jacket. Craig was my neighbor in grade 7. He was just being nice." She explained quickly. Ashley was still unconvinced.
"Do you like him?" she asked point-blank, and Hillary shuddered at the question. She didn't want to lie to her new friend, not really, despite the recent awkwardness. Still, to tell Ashley anything would mean having to explain everything. Hillary couldn't do that, not yet.
"No, of course not." She lied, rolling over and pulling the afghan up over her shoulder. "It's late, we should get some sleep."
Hillary could hear Ashley pause as though she wanted to say more, then heard her roll back up onto the bed. She shut her eyes tightly and pretended to sleep. She knew, however, that when she opened her eyes again it wouldn't be anywhere near morning.