This chapter contains some trigger warnings. Read with your own discretion.
Asa's POV:
Be a good girl, Asa. If you don't move, it will be over quicker. I bury my face into my pillow and cry softly as I realize my mother would not come to my rescue anymore. The smell of whiskey was strong on my father, and I know exactly where he's been. Come here, sweet girl, he cooed. Be a good girl, now. Be a good girl-
I jolted up from my mattress. I felt the cold sweat heavy on my back and forehead as I hug my knees. It was just a dream, I chanted in my head. You hear me, Asa? It was just a dream. A dream, yes, but a dream of my biggest fear. I look over at my clock; 2:35 A.M. I throw my legs over the side of my bed and walk to the shower.
I try to scrub off every inch of filth and grime I feel that is consuming me. There was no chance of me going back to sleep after that. I sit in the shower floor and hug my knees. When is the last time I cried? I couldn't even remember. Even though the nightmare of my father haunted me everywhere she went, I couldn't remember the last time I cried.
That long ago, huh?
I laid in my bed and let my wet hair frame my face. Where is my father now? Still in prison, I'm hoping. It was a little comforting knowing he couldn't find her, but it still gave her the creeps. No way in hell will he find Elina, either. He will never treat her like he treated me; not over my dead body.
I rolled out of bed the next morning and walked into my bathroom. I grabbed an old Green Day shirt that I accidentally bought in a size too big and some black leggings. I turn around and I'm standing face to face with the monster; my reflection. I try to fade out the dark circles with some BB cream and concealer, but end up giving up. They weren't that noticeable, I think. I dig in the living room closet for my sneakers and lace them up. Kissing my sleeping sister on the forehead, I walk outside.
I look at my bike in contemplation. It would be really bad if I fell asleep at the wheel, so I end up walking. Maybe it would wake me up more. I shove my headphones in and put my phone on shuffle. "Voodoo" by Ghost Town started, and I didn't complain any.
Tear me limb from limb
I'm just a voodoo doll
Stick a needle in my eye
So I can finally cry
A familiar bike passes me before slowing down. Fuck, I thought to myself. He was the last person I was hoping to run into. "Hey, little girl," he greeted with his signature smirk. "Why are you walking?" I pretended like my music was up too loud in hopes that he would catch the hint. He shrugged once before speeding off ahead of me.
Halfway through Mr. Faraize's class, I felt myself dozing off. I tried my best to focus on what he was saying, but his voice is so soft that I couldn't pay attention. Castiel took note of my drooping head and kicked the back of my desk a little to jolt me awake if I dozed off. I offered him a silent thanks in my brain and tried to focus on my assignment.
After class was over, I took my time placing everything back into my bag. When I'm zipping my bag up, a french tip pedicure and high heel comes into view. Great. I look up at Amber and raise my eyebrow. "Can I help you?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm and a hint of daze from lack of sleep. "Look, girls. She's probably out of meth and that's why she's crashing!" One of her goons started laughing and the other one smiled. I take a deep breath before standing up and slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Amber, I'm not in the mood. So, before the doctors will be unable to recognize your fucking face, I would move. Now." Amber's eyes widened for a split second before her face twisted into a sneer. She raised a hand to slap me, and at this point, I didn't care if she did. I probably wouldn't be able to feel it. As I'm waiting for the impact, my eyes bore into the wall. Wait, I don't feel anything.
"C-Castiel!" Amber stutters with a fake smile plastered on her face. I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the scene in front of me. "Amber, what the fuck are you doing to my girlfriend?" Castiel asked, still holding onto her wrist. "G-girlfriend?!" Amber shrieked. I smirked at her and winked. Castiel grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd of female. "C'mon, babe. Let's get you to class." He said, his voice dripping like honey as he grabbed my bag to carry.
I raised my eyebrow at him after we left the room. "I appreciate the help, but, how are you so good at that?" I asked him. He looked over me before slinging my bag over his shoulder. "I can act sweet just like you can a bitch." He retorted. I shoved him playfully and he smirked at me. "I can take my bag now, Castiel." I said, motioning to the messenger back over his shoulder. "Nah, this bag goes with my eyes really nicely," he joked. "Yeah, Castiel. It's black, so it kind of goes with everything." He nudged me softly and walked me to class.
Third Person POV:
Asa sat down in the middle of two book isles in the library. The library has always been sanctuary for her, and today wouldn't change any of that. She tried to focus on the positive side of things as she shoved in her headphones. She hugs her knees close to you and lets the music take over for her. Running on auto pilot, she closed her eyes and leaned her head on the bookshelf behind her.
Castiel walked through the school in search of Asa. How am I supposed to know where she goes for lunch? He thought to himself. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he walked into the library.
He felt completely out of place in the library. He wasn't an idiot, he just didn't like to read. He walked and peered between the book aisles until he spotted white in a mixture of colors. He watched as she mouthed lyrics to a song, completely lost in her music. He debated on if he should interrupt her or not, but then questioned why he would care.
He could not deny how beautiful she looked at that moment. Her hair was a mess and thrown backwards, probably because it was getting in her way. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she barely had any makeup on. Her baggy T-shirt completely hid the perfect figure he knew that she had, and it didn't even matter.
He could not deny how breathtaking she was; how breathtaking she always is.
He tried his best to snap out of it and shook the images out of his head. He walked up to her and nudged her with his foot. Her eyes snapped open and she ripped out an earbud? "What?" She demands. Castiel smirks at her and raises his eyebrow. "Sorry," she mumbles. "You scared me." He holds out a hand to her. "C'mon, little girl. We're going on an adventure."
They started walking to the back of the school. "Where are we going?" Asa asks him while looking at him sleepily. He chuckles and shrugs. "Who knows," he retorts vaguely.
He walks her to the staircase before heading up to the roof door. "We're going on the roof?" She questioned, cocking her head to the side. He pulls the keys out of his pocket without answering her. "You're just like a kid with all of the questions you ask," he jokes. He could feel her glare burning a hole into his back. He puts the right key into the lock and turns it quickly before opening the door. The gray sky was the first thing Asa saw as Castiel walks in front of her. "Well, are you coming or are you going to stand on the stairs?" Castiel asks. Asa shot him a glare before brushing past him to walk onto the roof. She slowly walked toward the edge and peered over it. "Wow," she breathed, gazing at the whole town. Castiel watched her from the door before closing it. He walked over and stood next to her.
"This is one of the less shitty things about this school," Castiel told her. "You took the key, didn't you?"
Castiel smirked. She already knew him well.
They stood there for awhile in absolute silence. It wasn't awkward silence, it was comfortable. "Thanks for taking me up here, Castiel." Asa said, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, well don't get used to me being nice, little girl. This is a one time thing." Her smile fades slowly and Asa looks into the distance. She thinks about the events of today. "Why do you care, Castiel?" Asa says quietly, almost a whisper. "I don't," Castiel replies instantly, instantly regretting what he said as he looked at the ground. Fuck, he thought to himself. Asa swallows the bit of sadness she feels before looking at the ground. "Don't bother. Don't risk getting close to me if you don't want to pay the price, Castiel; just don't bother." She says, not daring to look him in the eye. Castiel frowned in confusion. "Whatever. Find your own damn way to class, then." He said coldly, walking away and leaving her on the roof. After he shut the door, Asa hopped up on the edge and sat. She didn't like the way she had to treat people, but she could not allow others to become closer to her. No one would understand her situation, and she wouldn't risk it even if they did. She has been alone this long, she can do it for a long time if she needed to.
She did need to.
Castiel's POV:
I stormed down the stairs, not caring if anyone could hear me. Who did she think she was, anyway? Did she think that every guy just went out of their way to be with her, or what? I pulled a cigarette out of my pocket and headed to the basement. Since the roof was occupied, I would smoke down here.
I sat on the ground in the basement and rethought what just happened. She looked so sad when she was talking to me. I wonder why she's like this all of a sudden? Don't talk like you know her, jackass, I thought to myself. A more important question is: Why did I even care? Love at first sight, Lys told me. Lys would say something like that, but it didn't mean it was true. She obviously didn't give a shit about anyone around her other than herself. Why do I get the feeling that there is way more to it than meets the eye?
I look at my cigarette before shoving it back into my pocket. Before I could wimp out, I climbed the stairs up to the roof. Sure enough, she was still there, her legs dangling off of the edge. Is there anything this chick is scared of?
She looked so drained. Her hair was blowing in the wind and framing her face. She shoved her earbuds back in and closed her eyes. What kind of chick, or human in general, dozes off dangling from a roof ledge?
Her bottom lip quivered slightly. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. Damn it, I don't do tears, I thought to myself. I do not, repeat not, do tears. Before I realized what I was doing, I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She tensed up so much that I thought she would crack in half, but she eventually relaxed. Her arms relaxed at her sides and she leaned into me a little. We're getting somewhere."Let's go inside," I mumble to her. "It's going to rain soon. You don't need to get sick or something."
Third Person POV:
By the time last period started, the storm got worse. Heavy thunder and lightening were shaking the windows. Asa was tense knowing her sister was home alone with all of this mess. What if we lose power? She knew how Elina felt about storms, and she wasn't too fond of them either.
Class let out 5 minutes early so students could rush home for the weather. Asa bolted out of her seat and ran for the door. Castiel barely caught her arm and pulled her back. "Where do you think you're going, little girl?" He questioned. She shot him a glare before wiggling her arm. "Home?" She said skeptically. "You're not going anywhere," Castiel said. "You walked. Your ass is staying right here. Asa crossed her arms. "You're ass is staying here too since you rode your bike to school." His shoulders slumped slightly. She did have a point.
Castiel and Asa started walking into the music room before getting stopped by Nathaniel. "Asa, what are you doing here still?" Nathaniel asked, ignoring the fuzzed up redhead next to her. "Waiting out the storm," Asa replied simply. Nathaniel looked outside before looking back at her. "I can give you a ride home if you want. You don't live far from here anyway, right?" Before Asa could respond, Castiel dragged her to the music room by her arm. "She doesn't need you, fuck boy," Castiel yelled over his shoulder. Asa didn't dare turn to meet the burning stare she felt in her back.
Asa gazes out the window with anxiety flowing through her veins. Is Elina okay? Do we have power at home? Is she having a panic attack? She hoped the power wouldn't go out, because it would shut off Elina's breathing machine. She leans her head against the window with a pained expression. If this storm didn't stop soon, she would run home herself.
Castiel looked at Asa and thought of a way to break the silence. He sat on top of a nearby desk, looking at the instruments around him.
"Asa," he called to her. She didn't reply.
"Asa," he demanded, a little louder., with no reply.
Castiel walked over and picked up a tuba, blowing into it and making a loud, noise. Asa flinched so hard that she almost flew off of the window seat. "What?" She demanded, panting. Castiel snickered and sat on top of the desk across from her. "Let's play a game."
They ended up deciding on 20 questions. Asa was nervous that he would ask something way too personal for her tastes, but she reluctantly agreed. Castiel secretly wanted to know more about the girl who he was curious about. "You start," Asa says softly.
"Where are you from?" Castiel asked her.
"Seattle," she stated simply. "Do you have any animals?"
"I have a dog named Demon," Castiel said with a smirk.
"Of course you do," she retorts.
"Do you play any instruments?" Castiel asks.
"Drums, piano, and I'm a vocalist," Asa responds. "Do you?"
"Guitar, but that doesn't count as a question," Castiel said with a smirk.
"Favorite band?" Asa asks.
"Do you even have to ask? Winged Skulls." Asa wrinkled her nose at his response. "What, do you not like Winged Skulls?"
"Too soft for me," Asa says, her nose still wrinkled. Castiel rolled his eyes.
"Do you have any secret tattoos or piercings?" Castiel asked, eyebrow raised.
Asa rolled her eyes. "I have two piercings and one tattoo, but it's not really secretive. I have my tongue and belly button, and a tattoo on my back."
Castiel raised both of his eyebrows. "Of what?"
"It's not your turn," Asa replies. "What's your natural hair color?"
"Black," Castiel replies. "Do you have any siblings?"
He noticed the way Asa tensed up at his question, and sort of regretted asking it. "The storm slowed down. We should go before we're stuck here all night." Asa states, getting up and bolting out the door.
Asa didn't wait for Castiel to offer her a ride. She started running down the street as fast as she could go. Castiel didn't even see her after he made it out the door. He rubbed his temples in frustration. Why must I choose to give a fuck about the most complicated woman I have ever met? He thought to himself. He got on his bike, forced to drive slow, and made his way to their apartment complex.
Asa was drenched when she finally arrived at her front door. She reached beside her, digging in her bag for keys and pushing platinum hair out of her eyes, and cursing under her breath. Finally finding her keys, she shoved the right one into the doorknob and threw the door open. The first thing she noticed was the lack of power.
"Lina?" She called out, but not hearing a response. "Lina!" She ran into Lina's room; not in here. She looked in the pantry; not in here, either. "Lina! It's Asa, come out!" Asa begged, anxiety hitting her like a brick. "Lina!" She screamed one final time as she threw open the coat closet in the living room. Lina screamed bloody murder, causing Asa to scream back. "Jesus, Lina, you scared me!" Asa cried, holding a hand to her heart. Lina was hiding in the closet, a hand to her throat from the lack of air flow. "C'mon, let's get you situated." Asa said, choking back tears. This was all her fault.
As Asa was hooking Elina up to the travel air tank, someone started banging on the door. Asa cursed under her breath before motioning for Elina to stay quiet. Cracking the door, Asa peaked out to see a concerned Castiel, drenched in water. "What?" Asa demands, a little harsher than intended. Castiel glares at her. "I heard a scream, are you alright?" Asa fidgeted. "Yeah, I just.." Asa trailed off thinking of an excuse when suddenly, Elina sneezed. Asa closed her eyes and sighed, rubbing her temple with her hand. "What was that?" Castiel demands. Asa looks at him with tears threatening to spill over before answering.
"Lina, do you want to meet a friend of mine?"