The weekend came quickly, Ash woke up bright and early. Max had called him and told him to be ready. May had decided to go to a nearby fair. She thought it would be more fun to invite her brother and his female friend Wendy. Ash greeted them in the parking lot. Though he was quite surprised by what he saw. May was conspicuously absent from the group.
"Hey guys what happened to May? Ash wondered aloud.
" She was lagging it this morning, apparently she was out really late last night." Max explained.
"You mean early this morning." Wendy added.
"Wow really? That's pretty unusual for her." Ash said.
"To tell you the truth this is business as usual for her recently." Max went on.
"I wonder if that's the reason why she doesn't respond to all of my text messages as of late." Ash questioned.
"Its more like she ignores most of them Ash. " Max said flatly.
Ash was obviously hurt by Max's words. It was one thing to wonder about, but when its spelled out so suddenly. That is a whole other matter all together. Having May no show was even worse. She was the one that decided where to go, and even invited her brother. She should have told someone that she had no intention of coming.
"So what are we doing now?" Ash asked.
"We're supposed to meet up with May at a small diner. She picked it out and told us to order her food for her." Max answered
" Oh all right then." Ash told him.
The three of them walked toward the nearby diner. The walk helped build up Ash's appetite. Things really seemed to be turning around. It was a relief to know that May was running late. At least the day wouldn't be a total loss. She was simply falling behind a bit. Though it was awkward not having her there.
Ash decided to move on and just let things go for now. Max and Ash went to order the meals while Wendy found them a good place to sit. It didn't take long for them to get the order. The three of them sat down and distributed the food.
"Should we wait for May?" Ash asked them.
"No, we're not sure how long she's going to take." Max said bluntly
"Let's just start, I'm sure May will show up soon." Wendy said.
Finally May's car pulled up into the parking lot. The three of them waved to her from the window. Ash took quick notice of May's attire. She was dressed all in black. It was an odd site seeing his friend wearing black from head to toe. Literally, seeing as she dyed her hair black only a few days ago. Ash wanted to ask May about it, but decided against it. He really had no business telling her what she could and couldn't wear.
May walked into the diner. She quietly made her way over to the others. She moved to Ash's side of the table and sat down right beside him. Her eyes squinted and Ash could see the redness in her sleepy eyes. She turned to Ash and spoke to him.
"Hi Ash, sorry about being so late." May said quickly.
"Its ok May, as long as you're here now, everything's fine." Ash admitted.
"I had a really long night." She said
"I can see that." Max said sarcastically.
With that Max diverted his eyes away from May. He did his best not to stare at her. Unfortunately he was being far to obvious about it. Wendy took notice and tried to figure out what was wrong. Suddenly May and Ash wanted to know what was going on. Without much warning. Max stuck his finger out and pointed at May's neck. Revealing to all the fresh hickey she had received. May was extremely embarrassed. Her first reaction was to look at Ash. However Ash had already turned away, partially to keep May from getting further embarrassed. The other part to keep her from seeing the look of disappointment and sadness on his own face.
"Wow I really didn't expect this." Max said harshly
"Its nothing really." May responded nervously.
"Wendy and I are going to go on ahead. Ash why don't you stay with May until she's done eating." Max suggested.
"We'll see you guys there." Ash said uncomfortably.
Ash sat quietly while May ate her breakfast. He was in deep thought. His mind and heart had been dealt a fatal blow. This ranked highly amongst the most painful things Ash had ever experienced. Ash was understandably upset, and yet he couldn't help but wonder why? First it was her hair, then her clothes, and finally her attitude and personality.
Why had May done all this? Why was she trying so to change into someone else?
Ash's thoughts broke as May spoke up.
" Ash, does this bother you? Is it making you uncomfortable?" May asked concerned.
"Huh no everything is fine." Ash lied.
"Is it really noticeable should I go back and change?" She questioned.
"Here you can borrow this." Ash said.
He removed his jacket and offered it to her. She pulled it on and hoped that no one would be able to see. She felt a little more relaxed now. She was even relieved that Ash was still speaking to her. She didn't want to press her luck. The rest of the way to the fair was done is silence. As the two approached the entrance Max and Wendy waited for them. Max could easily tell that Ash was forcing a smile.
"Did you tell her anything?" Max interrogated.
"Nope, that wouldn't be right. Friends shouldn't make each other embarrassed." Ash said honestly.
"If you say so Ash. Well lets get started."
The four of them walked the fair grounds. Ash noticed that May was still staying quiet. Her mind seemed to be else where. Ash tried to include her in same games, however she continued to be distant. In fact Max and Wendy had gotten separated form the two. It took a while before Ash even realized it.
"Wow they sure got quite a distance on us." Ash said turning to her.
May stopped in her tracks. She turned to look Ash in the eyes and stepped closer to him. Appearing to be feeling guilty.
"No, I'm not Ash. I'm right here ." May said surprised
"Huh?" Ash responded.
"I'm not distant I'm standing right here." May said desperately
"Um I meant that Wendy and Max have gotten a big distance away from us." Ash said looking at May.
It was odd that this was exactly what Ash had been thinking about. He had felt that May was becoming distant. Yet he wasn't planning on saying anything. Despite the misunderstanding the point had gotten across. This day was strange enough, hopefully it would be over soon. Things had been going wrong since the beginning. It was quite obvious that neither he nor May were having any fun at this fair. The pair trudged along until Max and Wendy returned. The four of them came together and Max suddenly spoke up.
"Wendy and I have some stuff we need to take care of. So we are going to get going." Max said to them.
"Then I'll just head back with you guys then. Since you're the ones that picked me up." Ash said quickly.
"Don't worry Ash I'll take you back. Its on my way." May offered.
"Ok, as long as its easier for you." Ash said kindly.
May pulled into the parking lot of Ash's apartment. She seemed to be very sad now. She looked over at Ash who was thinking quietly. He was debating whether or not to tell May something he had been struggling with all day. Before he could start talking May spoke first. It through him off as he hadn't expected her to say anything.
"Thanks for lending me your jacket Ash. I'm really sorry about this whole mess." She said softly.
"You know what May. Your not the same person anymore. I'm not even sure that I recognize you anymore." Ash said honestly.
May was stunned, she hadn't expected Ash's words to be so straight forward. It was the closest thing to a negative remark that she had ever heard from him. Ash sighed and stepped out of her car. He thanked her for the ride and went upstairs.
Ash feared that he had been too harsh. He honestly didn't mean to come off as mean as he sounded. Two whole days went by with out a word from May. He knew he had to face the possibility that he had ruined his friendship to her. At that moment Ash's cell began to ring. He was completely taking back by the number he saw on it. It was May's number.
"Hello May?" Ash wondered.
"Ash what did you mean by that stuff you said?" May interrogated him.
"Its nothing I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings." Ash apologized.
"Don't apologize Ash, just tell me why you said those things?" May said frustrated.
"I really shouldn't say." Ash said.
"Ash was it the Hickey I had. Is that what made you upset?" May asked him.
"No, I've been noticing a change in you for a while. I just didn't want to say anything and risk our friendship." Ash stated.
"Please just tell me what forced you to say those things." May pleaded.
"Look, its just that your not the same anymore. First it was your hair, then your clothes an now its your attitude. Its like you don't care about anyone or anything. Your so distant I couldn't believe I was talking to the same person. You've become a shell of the girl that I cared so much for." Ash said from the heart.
"Thanks for your honesty Ash. I can always count on you to speak the truth." May said half heartedly.
With that May said goodbye and hung up. Ash wasn't quite sure what had just taken place. He was just glad that this most recent chat ended better then their last one. Still Ash couldn't help but wonder why May had even called him in the first place. In all reality May was free to do what she wanted. Ash had no right to say anything. So why was it so important to her to know why Ash had said those things to her.
To be continued.