Rockport Chapter One

Ashley gives the school tour to new student Chase. Her boyfriend doesn't like this, causing consequences that put his and Ashley's relationship in jeopardy

I sat in the back of the car as my driver drove me to Rockport High. Today was the beginning of the end, my first last day of high school. It was bittersweet for many reasons.

One, it was an ending. I was a cheerleader at Rockport High ever since my freshman year. I was apart of the student council board and was involved in many community activities.

On the other hand, I was not leaving behind much. I had my best friend, Paige, however I knew we would remain close after we graduate. I had my beautiful home, which would always stay as my home. I was not close enough with anyone at school to really miss my classmates.

The only other tie I had to this place was Ty, who has been my boyfriend for the past two years. Ty and I started dating back in our Sophomore year. Our parents were in the same social circle and it was very natural for us to be together. We were our high schools ‘it’ couple. The classic cheerleader, football player duo. It was the same parties, the same fancy dinners, and the same arguments. Ty and I had a complicated relationship that many people didn’t understand, as long as we showed up to the parties, nobody really cared either.

My life was like a constant cycle on repeat. Wake up, go to school, go

to cheerleading practice, go to bed, and then wake up to do it all over again.

And here I was about to get out of this car to do it all over again. 

I sighed, “thank you Paul, I can grab my own door.”
“Of course, M’am. I’ll pick you up after your practice?”
“Yes, and when are you going to start calling me Ashley? You’ve

known me all my life Paul.”
He blushed, “sorry, Ma’m-Ashley.”
I smiled and got out of the car, taking in Rockport High. It was a very

large and spacious school even though it wasn’t overly populated. Rockport was filled with the prestigious and wealthy. Mostly lawyers, businessmen, retired doctors, and lots of trust fund kids.

“Ash!”

I quickly turned and saw my best friend bouncing towards me. I envied her uplifting spirit. If I was a stormy cloud, she would be my rainbow.

“Hey, you ready for the beginning of the end?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes, “stop being so dramatic. Do you like my new hair?”

Her hair was shoulder length and bleach blonde. It was a much better

look for her then the dark brown she tried for the summer. She was a natural blonde, with a curvaceous, petite body. Her personality is really what made her stick out though. She was so positive and upbeat, her attitude was infectious.

“It looks great,” I smiled.

“You don’t even care,” she sniffed. “Let’s go and get this day over with!” she linked her elbow in mine and led us up the stairs into the school.

It was just as I remembered it, the school was like a medieval palace.

The ceilings were tall and the halls were wide. The outside was made completely out of stone.

We headed for the senior wing and Paige led me to my locker, “I’m on the other side. Do we have any classes together?”

She handed me her schedule, “it doesn’t look like it.”
She frowned, “well, I guess I’ll see you after school then!”
I smiled, “yes, that sounds good.”
She squeezed my arm and headed for her own locker. I turned and

began to put my binders away, trying to mentally prepare for the day. “Ms. Brauhn, how are you this morning?”
I turned and saw our principal, Mr. Morris standing behind me, “I’m

well thank you.”
“I am so sorry to hear about your parents,” he said more quietly,

trying not to catch attention from anyone walking by.
I quickly looked away, “thank you.”
“I was actually hoping you could help me this morning,” he said,

moving to less sensitive topics.
“Of course,” I smiled weakly.
“We have a new student coming in and I thought with you, being on

the student council, would be great to show him around.”
I groaned internally, the last thing I wanted to do was show around

some new kid with a pretentious attitude, “sure. No problem,” I tried to smile enthusiastically.

“Wonderful, if you’d follow me. He’s waiting in my office.” Mr. Morris lead the way down the hall and I tried to tell myself to remain positive. I’ve done school tours many times, but never one on one.

We walked into his office and when we entered I was shocked. If this person ended up to be a pretentious snob, he was the most handsome pretentious snob I have ever met.

He was standing by the door and he literally commanded the room.He was tall, and muscular. Not that crazy muscle that the football players try to get to, but more of that silent strong that is somehow more tough looking. He had a prominent jaw line and his nose curved perfectly. His hair was a golden brown that swayed to his ear.

We made immediate eye contact and I was shocked by how piercing blue his eyes were. I was momentarily stunned by them and unable to coherently introduce myself.

“Chase, this is Ashley Brauhn,” Mr. Morris introduced for me. “She is a cheerleader here at Rockport and is on our student council board. I thought I would leave it to her to give you the full Rockport High tour.”

Chase held out his hand and when he smiled, my heart dropped, “it’s nice to meet you, Ashley.”

I gently grabbed his hand and prayed that my hands were not sweaty, “it’s nice to meet you too,” I stumbled out, still stunned by his eyes.

“I’ll make sure you both are excused for your first class,” Mr. Morris, smiled, bringing me back to reality. “Have a great first day, Chase.”

I watched as Mr. Morris walked away and I now wish he would stay. I felt intimidated by Chase.

Keep it together, it’s just a school tour.

“So, um, welcome to Rockport,” I began shyly.

“Thank you, it’s so nice here,” he smiled. His voice was so attractive and smooth.

“Where are you from?” I asked, leading the way out of the office. “I’m from California.”
“What are you doing here?”
“My father expanded his business to the east coast.”

“What does he do?”
“He’s a high end realtor.”
“Well, he came to the right place. Rockport has many beautiful

homes.”
“Homes or mansions?” he grinned.
“Fair enough.”
“So what is Rockport High like?” he asked as we walked side by side. “The answer I should give you is, a beautiful foundation that will

provide you an abundance of opportunity. The truth is that it’s like every other high school, with cliques, drama, except it’s all heightened by the fact that we are all rich with trust funds and overly expensive cars.”

“It seems like you’re doing pretty well for yourself,” he noted as I

pointed us towards the gym. “What do you mean?”

“Cheerleader, on the student council board-“
I shrugged, “I did it for my mom mostly....”
That’s not the only reason....
“You don’t like it?” he asked, as we walked towards the cafeteria. “I’m just not as into it as the others are. They all like to party and gossip and throw themselves out there and I’m... I don’t know, more reserved.”

“Then why do you stick with it?”

“It’s what my mom would have wanted,” I explained, as we approached the football field.

“Would have?” he asked, sounding confused.

I smiled sadly, “my parents passed away at the end of my Sophomore year.”

I waited patiently for the ‘I’m so sorry for your loss’ or the ‘you poor thing’ that always bothered me. I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. It was really hard when they first passed away, everyone in the neighborhood seemed to take a paternal wing towards me. I was constantly given food, or at local restaurants my meal would be paid for, my phone rang several times a night of people just checking in on me. It was nice, but I mostly wanted to be left alone.

“I bet you got a lot of casseroles,” he smiled softly.

I was shocked by his response, I couldn’t help but laugh, “I have about twenty dishes to return to people.”

“If you ever need help retuning them, let me know. I think I could balance casserole dishes fairly well.”

I giggled, “I’ll keep that mind. So this is the football field, where I’m sure you’ll be spending a lot of time.”

He nodded, “this is nice.”

“It is a nice field. We usually practice over there,” I pointed towards a spot near the bleachers. The field was oval, with wrap around bleachers surrounding it. Game nights are a giant spectacle in Rockport, most of the town shuts down to attend the game.

“Nice. It’s different then back home.” “Where in California are you from?”
“San Diego.”
“Yeah... I imagine it’s much smaller here.”

He winked, “much smaller. I do love the houses here though. In San Diego all the houses are small and very close together, with no yard. Here you are right on the ocean with lots of grass and the houses are huge.”

“Which neighborhood are you in?”
“Villa Rosa.”
“Me too, I’m the house at the very end of the road.”
“Oh wow, I’m only three houses down from you.”
I tried not smile at that fact, “do you have your schedule?”
He pulled his schedule out of his pocket and I took a look.
No classes together, ugh.
“Let me show you where your classes will be.”
I went down through his schedule and walked him to where each

class would be. We made casual conversation. I learned more about his life back home. His mother had started a charity, which she planned on expanding to here. We talked about what his school was like in San Diego and what he liked to do there.

“And this is your locker,” I smiled, concluding the tour.

“Which one is yours?” he asked, as I leaned against his. I pointed a couple lockers down. “First house neighbors, now locker neighbors.”

“It must be a sign,” I laughed.

He smiled, “thank you for the tour. This school is a lot smaller then my other one, hopefully I won’t need to carry this schedule around all week,” he said, folding his schedule back in his pocket.

“I’m sure you won’t need it and if you get lost, just find me. I’m sure we’ll cross paths often.”

He nodded, “So I feel like I should thank you for this tour.”

“Do you want to take the rest of my classes for me today? Because that would be the best thank you ever,” I grinned.

He laughed, “Actually-“
“Ashley?” someone called out from behind us.
I quickly turned and my heart sank when I saw Ty.
Just breathe.
“Hey Ty,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks turning pink. I suddenly felt

as if I was doing something wrong standing next to Chase. I looked back and forth between the two of them. Ty was the most sought out guy in the school, but he had no competition next to Chase. Ty was shorter in comparison, his hair was much darker than Chase’s, and not as long.

“Who’s your friend?” Ty smiled, tightly. I knew him well enough to

know he was already upset.
“This is Chase. He’s new here,” I introduced, feeling shy all of a

sudden.
Ty held out his hand, “I’m Tyler Hamel. Welcome to Rockport,” he

said coolly.
Chase returned the handshake, “Chase Matthews, nice to meet you.” “Did Ashley give you the full tour?” Ty asked, wrapping his arm

around my shoulders. 

I saw Chase’s eyes tighten slightly at the gesture. “She did. She was very thorough,” he said, staring at Ty.
Ty kissed the side of my forehead and I literally wanted to curl up in a

hole and hide. I felt embarrassed to be standing next to Ty, I knew what he was doing. He was making his claim.

The bell rang then and the halls began to fill up, “I guess it’s time for my first class,” Chase said, staring down the hall.

“Let me show you where that is,” I said to Chase, trying to communicate to him without becoming to obvious.

“Thank you, that would be great,” he smiled, clearing seeing my intent.

“I’ll see you around Ty,” I mumbled, giving him a quick smile.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” he amended. He gave Chase one last hard look and turned around.

I began to walk forward with Chase beside me, “thank you,” I whispered softly, unable to look at him.

“Boyfriend, I’m assuming,” he commented nonchalantly.

I wanted to tell him that he wasn’t my boyfriend, but I knew he would find out eventually.

“...yeah.”
We were at his class now, “I guess I’ll be seeing you.”
I smiled softly, knowing now he would be lost in the sea of Rockport

High. It was only a matter of time before all of the girls saw him and wanted him. This happened with any new guy that came to our school. It was basically a right of passage.

“I’ll be seeing you,” I said, softly and turning for my own class.

The rest of my day was spent mulling over Chase. It was difficult when at lunch Theresa, one of my other teammates, began a conversation about Chase and how attractive he was. It started a wildfire of conversation. I just sat beside Ty silent, trying to ignore the gossiping around me. I tried to discreetly look for Chase in the cafeteria, but I couldn’t find him.

Maybe he’s lost and needs your help.

I ignored my thoughts and stared down at my packed lunch, unable to stomach anything.

“Are you going to the party tonight, Ash?” Emily asked, she was another one of my teammates.

I sighed softly, “I’ll be there.”

I tried to smile, but every part of me was dreading going. It was a party that Lindsey was throwing for the start of the new year. Lindsey was the captain of the cheerleaders and had always had a problem with me. She had really liked Ty back when we were Sophomores, but Ty pursued me instead, she was never able to let that go. I just felt lucky that she was in next period lunch and I didn’t have to sit with her.

“I’ll pick you up,” Ty said, staring down at me, noticing I was in a mood.

“Okay,” I muttered, not wanting a ride.

The second half of the day went by uneventful. Most of today’s classes were lectures on what to expect for the year. I tried to find Chase in the halls, but found that our paths didn’t cross. I tried to ignore my disappointment with that.

It was finally the end of the day and I was approaching my locker. I

knew I would see him now and I kept trying to think of clever things to say, however when I rounded the corner I saw Lindsey leaning against the locker next to his, the same one I had been leaning against that morning, smiling widely at him.

I silently walked by them and opened my locker. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to listen to their conversation. I could only hear the tail end of it.

“So I’ll see you at my party tonight? You better put your drinking hat on,” she flirted.

“I’ll see you at your place around eight,” he said.

“Let me give you my number, in case you need directions,” she said, innocently.

I gritted my teeth, wishing I was able to be that bold. I ignored the rest of their conversation, not wanting to hear anymore of Lindsey’s flirting. It made me wish I could see his expression. Was he receptive to her flirting? Did he find her attractive?

“So I seemed to manage my way through the halls today,” Chase

said, suddenly appearing beside my locker.
“Was Lindsey a good tour guide?” I asked innocently, trying to keep it

light.
“She was in my gym class,” he answered, seeming confused by my

question.
“I knew it was only a matter of time.”
“Before what?”
“The Rockport High welcoming committee queen made her way over

to you.”
“Should I be scared?” he asked, smiling handsomely.
“Very.”
He smirked, “so I guess I’m going to this party tonight. Are you?” “Unfortunately yes,” I mumbled, closing my locker and turning towards him, still shocked by his handsomeness. “You don’t want to go?”

“Lindsey and I don’t exactly get along.” “Why’s that?”
“She wants to date Ty,” I said matter of factly. “Does that bother you?”

“Not really. The only reason it bothers me is because she now hates me.”

He looked at me, seeming surprised by my answer, “can I walk you out?” he asked politely.

“Sure,” I smiled, shyly. His kindness shocked me. Guys around here wanted to impress with their cars or money. Chase was a gentleman.

We began the walk side by side. I knew Ty wouldn’t see us, he had to go work in his fathers office after school.

“Did you have a nice day?” I asked, wanting to hear him talk. “I did, everyone was really nice.”
I’m sure they were.
“That’s great. Are you excited for your first Rockport party?” He shrugged, “sure, a party is a party, right?”

I smiled to myself. Rockport, trust fund baby parties are insane. “What are you smiling about?” he grinned, noticing.
“I guarantee there will be at least one slap, one person kissing

someone they shouldn’t, and a brawl.” “Sounds interesting,” he laughed. “You have no idea.”

We were outside now and I saw my driver parked on the side of the road, “that’s me,” I nodded towards the car.

“Fancy driver and all,” Chase noted, eyebrows raised.
I shrugged, “welcome to Rockport.”
He walked me down to my car, “will I see you tonight?”
I felt like there was more to his question, he already knew I would be

attending the party, “if I can pull you away from all of the cheerleaders,” I winked.

He smiled as he opened the door for me, I got into my car and gave him one last grin. I found myself unable to stop smiling from ear to ear. I don’t remember the last time I had smiled so big. It then dawned on me:

You were flirting with him!

I quickly dismissed the thought. I can’t flirt with him. I was in a relationship.

With someone who-

I shut my mind down, trying to think of safer thoughts.
The drive to my home wasn’t a long one. I lived in a beautiful

neighborhood, filled with gorgeous mansions. I looked at Chase’s as we

drove by. I passed this house hundreds of times, it remained vacant for years now. It was an immaculate home, it’s good someone is now living in it.

We pulled up to my house and I got out of the car, walking up the grand stone steps to my home. I grew up in this house all of my life. It was a beach front home, but completely made of perfectly carved granite. It had four, larger than life columns in front of it. It reminded me of a home you would see in Greece, rather than Rockport, Massachusetts.

I walked into the entry way and threw my backpack down, heading to the kitchen for a snack. My home felt empty without the movement of my parents around it. It still feels like yesterday when I got a call from the police station, letting me know that there had been an awful car accident.

I quickly shook away those thoughts. I had cried all the tears of a lifetime, it was time to continue my life the way my parents would have wanted.

I went into my room, which was where I spent most of my time. My room felt more intimate and less intimidating than my large home. I had a lot of pictures on my wall, several of my parents, Paige and I, none of Ty and I.

No, none of Ty and I.

I sighed and turned on my laptop, pulling up Facebook. There was a lot of statuses about how everyone’s first day went. I saw Lindsey tagged a picture of her and Ty together. They weren’t at school though, but I recognized what they were wearing, it was the same clothes they both wore to school.

I looked closer at the picture, they were at one of Rockport’s local coffee shops.

Why is she with him? He’s supposed to be working....

I pulled out my phone, there was no message from him saying that he wasn’t going to work, the only message I had was from Paige saying she couldn’t make it over. He was supposed to be picking me up in a couple hours.

I ignored the feeling in my stomach that made me feel like something was being hidden from me. Instead deciding to curl my hair for tonight, I always thought it looked better curled, although I rarely had the patience to curl it.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was much skinnier than I was a year ago. When my parents passed away, I was unable to eat for a while. It really took a toll on me physically and emotionally. When I looked in the mirror I felt beautiful, I had large, hazel eyes. My nose was petite, and sprinkled with some freckles that scattered under my eyes. However I was constantly being compared to the other girls on the cheerleading squad, who were all thinner, tanner, and wore make up that made them look like models.

I didn’t wear heavy make up often, but I decided to tonight. I ignored the thought of why and for who I was putting make up on for. The chances of me even speaking to Chase were slim to none. I’m sure he would be tossed from one cheerleader to the next and would eventually end the night with one.

Ty should be here at any moment, so I threw on my outfit. I decided with a cute pair of jean shorts and a white tank top, keeping it simple. Lindsey’s house was very large and also on the beach front. Most of her parties were centered around the water, typically with lots of alcohol.
The door bell rang and I quickly ran down the stairs, not wanting to
keep him waiting. When I opened it he looked annoyed.

“Are you okay?” I asked, nervous.
“Just get in the car. We’ll talk about it there.”

I could tell by his tone that he wasn’t okay. I wanted to just take a step back in my house and lock the door, but I knew if I didn’t go to the party, it would just make whatever he was feeling worse.

I followed him silently to the car, he opened my door and slammed it shut. I heard him bark orders to the driver and we were quickly off. I felt my heart beating faster, by the tension he was radiating. I tried to keep my cool.

“So are we going to talk about what’s bothering you?” I dared to whisper.

He looked over at me, his green eyes glaring at me, “do you want to tell me what’s going on with you and Chase?”

I looked at him confused, “what do you mean?”
“What were you doing with him after school?”
“I wasn’t with him after school?” I argued, defensively.
“He wasn’t hanging around your locker?” he threw back.
“I mean he was but-“
“So you just lied to me, you were with him after school-“
“But only because-“
“I don’t want to hear whatever excuse your going to give me. I don’t

want you around him again,” he said, darkly.
“Excuse me?” I sputtered out, anger raging out of me.
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” he spit. “You’re dating me, in case

you forgot.”
I felt my body turning red, “or maybe you forgot! I saw the picture of

you and Lindsey on Facebook!”
He slapped me across the face, “don’t you dare make me look like a

cheater!”
I felt the sting and then the tears flowed out. I would have thought by

now I would have been used to it, but it felt like a thousand needles falling on my face every time.

I held the side of my face, gasping for breath. Ty sat their, cold and distant. I then could smell the alcohol. He had been drinking. He didn’t say anything to me the rest of the car ride. I sat there, tears slowly falling down my cheeks.

It was the same every time. Whenever he hit me, he would just completely shut down, as I sat alone and crying. The next day would be the same too, he would apologize, saying it was the alcohol. I would forgive him and then we would move on. It was a constant cycle that we have been repeating for the past two years of my life.

The car stopped and I quickly jumped out the car. Ty got out just as

quick and grabbed my arm, turning me to face him. He stared into my eyes for a moment and they went from hard as rock, to smooth as silk.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I shouldn’t have done that. I was just angry,” he whispered softly, wiping under my eyes with his thumbs. “I am so sorry. Let’s just forget this happened and try and have a fun night. I don’t know what came over me.”

I just nodded, unable to look him in the eyes. He grabbed my hand and walked us into Lindsey’s home. It was filled with people. The whole school must be here. When you walked in you were greeted to several kegs and red solo cups. As you made your way through the house there were buckets of beer and champagne everywhere. The music was loud and people were dancing against each other.

My head was pounding from the slap. I was still trying to hold back tears. Normally when this happened I had the ability to go hide in my room or take a shower, here I was forced to smile and pretend everything was okay.

You’ve been pretending like everything is okay for a while now.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” I yelled in Ty’s ear over the music.

He nodded and I quickly turned, heading back outside. I had to get away from him. I quickly ran to Lindsey’s garden. Her mother had beautiful hedges installed that created a maze that lead to a quiet gazebo, away from everything else.

I looked behind my back to make sure no one was watching me and quickly made my way inside the maze. The further I walked into it, the less I could hear the loud music from the party. I was able to let my tears escape, they poured out heavily and quickly. I put my hand to my chest as I continued to the gazebo trying to breathe.

Why do you continue to let him do this to you!

“Ashley?”

I quickly looked up and immediately wanted to throw up. Chase was standing in the gazebo, looking down at me, concern clear on his face. He quickly ran down to me.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” he asked, frantic.

Lie! Lie! Lie!

“I... I... uhm. I don’t know what to say,” I blurted out. I couldn’t make myself tell the lie like I could with everyone else. I didn’t want to lie to Chase, I didn’t want to lie for Ty anymore.

“Your face,” he whispered, he lifted his hand and we were both

shocked when I quickly leaned away from him.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me-“
“Did you fall?” he prompted, and I knew that he didn’t actually think I

did.
“Can we just drop it?” I muttered, tears falling down my face.
He lifted his hand to my face, looking at me cautiously, and gently

wiped the tears from my face. We looked at each other, I was entrapped by his eyes again. His simple touch made my heart go into overdrive. His fingers lingered gently under my eyes as we just stared at each other. I don’t remember the last time someone had looked at me the way he was now. I could see genuine concern for me in his eyes. It made me want to cry more. I could feel myself crumbling, wanting to confess the truth of what I had been enduring every day for the past two years.

I couldn’t make myself do it, so instead I crushed myself to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, not knowing how to communicate with my words. He wound his arms around me, pulling me to him. He wasn’t pushing me away, no... it felt like he was holding on for dear life.

“Did he do this to you?” he whispered.

The question lingered in the dead of night as we stood in this garden, just the two of us, as if we were the only two people in the world.

I had a choice.
I could lie and protect Ty’s reputation like I have been.
Or I could liberate myself with the truth.
I slowly nodded against his chest.
Finally allowing myself to be free.
He was still, too still. His arms felt like iron cages around me. I didn’t

dare move. I had never told anyone the truth before. I never knew how people would react. Would he believe me? Would he think I was just looking for attention?

His arms suddenly went lax and then pulled me even closer to him. He leaned me back and looked me in the eyes, “first things first. Are you ok?”

I wiped under my eyes, “as okay as I’ve ever been,” I mumbled out. “Okay, second, is he here?” he demanded.
“I came here with him.”
Chase let go of me, and began to turn. I quickly grabbed his arm, “where are you going?”

“Do you think I’m going to allow him to do this?” he asked,

incredulous.
“You can’t do anything,” I gasped. “I’ve never told anyone this before!” “Then why me?” he asked, sounding angry.
“Because I trust you,” I whispered.
“But you don’t even know me.”
“Maybe that’s the point,” I said softly, trying to wipe the tears from my

eyes.
“Why are you with him?” he asked after a long moment of silence. “I was scared,” I admitted, my voice cracking.
“Of him hurting you?”
“That... and being alone. I don’t have any parents, Paige is always

busy, my best friend moved away... he is all I have.” “How long has he been doing this for?”
“About two years-“
“Two years?!”

“It wasn’t always bad,” I defended, unsure of why.
“Why are you defending him?” Chase asked, shocked. The anger still

hadn’t left his eyes, I thought his beauty was intimidating, but seeing him like this was completely different.

“I don’t know... I’ve been doing it for the past two years, it’s like I’m programmed or something.”

“Do you love him?” Chase asked, his tone becoming softer.

I quickly shook my head, “no. Our relationship... it wasn’t like that... it wasn’t very affectionate....”

“Then what was it?”
“More of a business relationship.”
“What does that mean?”
“Our parents were best friends. They had been trying to set us up for

years. Ty needed me to be at his side for political events, for his parents to see he had a respectable, grounded, girl at his side. Someone who could be beautiful and silent. Patient, but driven. Someone who could keep Ty in place, but not defy him. I needed Ty to make my parents happy. My parents begged me to be with him. Ty and his family had lots of connections to everyone. My father wanted Ty’s family’s business. Every move about our relationship was calculated.”

“Did they know he hurt you?” he asked, he had calmed down more

now.
I shook my head, “no and I promised Ty I would never tell.”
“He asked you not to?”
“Yes, and I promised I wouldn’t.”
“Why break your promise?”
“Because I’m tired of being hurt all the time. I can’t do this anymore,” I

cried out, the pain in my voice clear as day. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know....” I answered, truthfully. What are you going to do?

“What do you want to do?”
“I want to say good bye, but I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Him hurting me.”
Chase grabbed my hand, “that won’t happen.”
“You can’t know that,” I mumbled, distracted by our hands intertwined

together.
“I won’t let anything happen.”
I looked up at him, I had never been so vulnerable with anyone. For

the first time, in a long time, I felt safe.
“Shouldn’t you be out with all the cheerleaders?” I asked, trying to

make the conversation light again.
He shook his head, “I came out here to get some air away from

Lindsey’s ego.”
I grinned, “I think you would need to go to Mars.”
He laughed, “after the full tour of her house, she brought me around

to all of her friends, and all of her friends friends, and I just needed some air.”

“I knew Lindsey would make her claim. It’s always been like this with anyone new who comes to school. Usually she does the school tours, she’s probably trying to catch up for the lost time she missed with you this morning.”

He nodded, “I liked my tour guide this morning.”

I felt my cheeks turn pink and I looked up at him, the look he was giving me made my heart beat faster.

“You should go back out and enjoy the party. I’m really sorry for dumping all of this on you.”

“I am enjoying the party and you’re not dumping anything on me. I’m glad you’re here with me.”

My cheeks burned more pink, and the wind whipped through the air, making me shiver. He unzipped his jacket and took a step closer to me, holding it for me to slide my arms into.

I slowly zipped it up, “thank you,” I whispered.

“Let me take you home,” he said softly. I nodded and followed him down the gazebo.

As soon as we exited the garden we were greeted by party goers who had spread the party outside. I quickly scanned the place looking for Ty and was relieved when I couldn’t find him.

Chase lead us down the long drive way, we were about halfway down when I heard someone holler my name. I turned and saw Lindsey chasing after us, a drink in her hand.

I sighed, “hey Lindsey, I’m going to go-“
“With Chase?” she stumbled out, clearly intoxicated.
“Yes, with Chase. I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.”
She grabbed my arm, “Ash, I need to be... to be honest with you... about something....”

I tried not to roll my eyes, I just wanted to get out of here, “can it wait for tomorrow?” I asked, trying to hide my annoyance. I looked over at Chase, he was standing beside me patiently.

She shook her head, “I need to get it off my chest, because I feel so bad.”

“Okay, go ahead,” I asked, the annoyance coming out.
“I’ve been sleeping with Ty,” she slurred.
I just stared at her, waiting for my anger to come through. Shouldn’t

you feel angry when you find out your boyfriend has been cheating on you? If not anger maybe jealousy or hurt? I couldn’t feel anything... nothing but relief. Lindsey has given me a gift. Lindsey has given me an out.

I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder, “thank you.”
“Don’t you hate me?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Honestly, right now I think this is the most I’ve ever liked you.” She looked at me confused and I turned around and began to walk

forward, with Chase following me at my side. He was looking at me, eyes wide, but said nothing.

He probably thought I was crazy as I smiled to myself.
He led me to his truck and opened the door for me. He got in and

started the car, “are you okay?”
I smiled widely, “I’m great.”
“Are you sure...? I mean you just found out that Tyler has been

cheating on you?”
“Don’t you see though? It’s my out.”
“Out of what?”
“Out of my relationship.”
“Don’t you think him hitting you is enough of an out?” he asked,

harshly.
I ignored him and pulled out my phone, “oh my gosh,” I muttered. I

saw twenty missed calls and ten text messages from Ty.
“Is everything ok?” Chase asked, driving towards our homes.
“Ty is looking for me.”
Chase’s hands gripped the wheel tighter, “what are you going to say

to him?”
“I’m telling him that I’m going home. He’s probably drunk and will just

stay at Lindsey’s anyways,” I shrugged.
Chase just nodded as I smiled to myself. Not only do I have an out,

but I was right, there was something going on between the two of them.

After he accused Chase and I of being something, he was cheating all along.

Chase was at my house and he parked the car, turning the lights off. We sat there silently for a moment.

“I don’t know how to handle this, Ashley,” he said softly. It was complete darkness out, only the stars and the moon gave light in the car.

I immediately started to panic. I knew I shouldn’t have said so much!

Headlights flashed behind us and I recognized the car immediately, “that’s Ty,” I gasped.

“Stay in here,” Chase ordered, getting out of the car.

I quickly jumped out, following behind him. Ty got out of his car and walked towards us. He was looking back and forth between the two of us, angry. Chase stopped when they were a couple feet apart. He stood in front of me, blocking me from Ty’s view.

“Isn’t this cute,” Ty eventually spit out.
“You need to leave,” Chase said, his voice calm.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Ty demanded.
“You need to leave or I’ll make you leave. The choice is yours,”

Chase remained calm, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

Ty took a step closer, “I’m taking Ashley and we’re leaving.”

Chase took another step closer as well, “actually you’re not. Ashley is going to stay here and you’re going to leave.”

“You’re lucky I haven’t beaten the s**t out of you yet,” Ty yelled.

I quickly stood beside Chase, Ty’s eyes went wide as he took us in side by side, “Ty you need to go home and sleep this off.”

“I’m not drunk Ashley, I’m pissed. Get in the car,” he demanded. “No, I won’t,” I said softly. I found myself stepping closer to Chase. “Get in the car or so help me-“
“What are you going to do? Hit me again?” I yelled.
Ty’s eyes went wide as he flashed them over to Chase, who

remained silent. I could tell he was shocked that I had said the words out loud, especially in front of Chase.

“Ty, we’re done,” I whispered, surprised by the emotion in my voice.

“You’re just throwing this all away?” he asked, and I was surprised to hear emotion in him as well, normally he was so detached.

“I think you threw it all away when you were sleeping with Lindsey.”

He nodded slowly, angry from my accusation, “are you leaving me for him?” he asked, unable to look at Chase standing next to me.

“What I do or who I choose to be with, no longer affects you. I am not your girlfriend and as far as I’m concerned we aren’t even friends.”

“So this is how it all ends,” Ty mused.
“Yes, this is good bye.”
Ty took a step towards me and Chase immediately stood in front of

me, Ty laughed, frustrated. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.”
“You’ve seen nothing yet,” Chase said, darkly. “Step away from her.” Ty threw a punch right to Chase’s face and Chase quickly recovered,

slamming Ty against his car and punching him against his jaw. Ty fell to the ground, his hand flying to his face in pain.

“Chase are you okay!?” I gasped, shocked. The whole interaction lasted less than thirty seconds.

I quickly ran over to him, grabbing his hand and turning him to me. His eyes were wide and angry, I could see the adrenaline coursing through his body.

“You need to go!” I yelled at Ty.

He slowly stood up and stared at the two of us, “I hope you’re both happy, and as for you,” he pointed at Chase, “it’s only going to get worse. You take what’s mine, and I’m going to take twice as much of yours.”

Chase breathed in and out deeply as Ty got in his car and squealed out of my drive way.

“Let’s get you inside,” I whispered, grabbing his hand. He was silent as I lead him in to my home and to the kitchen table. I quickly grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped it around a wash cloth. I gently laid it across his knuckles, my hand holding his.

“I told you there would be at least a slap and brawl tonight,” I said lightly.

“Who would have thought they would both be surrounding you,” he mumbled.

“Are you okay?” I asked, looking in to his eyes.

“Oh come on, he’s all talk. One little punch was nothing,” he said, trying to make light of it.

“I’m serious, Chase.”
“So am I. I told you I wouldn’t let him touch you. I meant that.”
My heart beat picked up a little quicker, “thank you,” I whispered.
He removed the ice pack from his hand and put both hands on either

side of my face, “I think there is one part of tonight we are missing to make it an official Rockport party.”

He then slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was different than any other. It was soft and passionate. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I wanted to crush myself to him. He leaned back way too soon and we just stared at each other.

“Why did you do that?” I whispered. “You barely even know me.” “Maybe that’s the point,” he smiled.
I felt myself grin widely and for the first time in a long time, I felt like a

cloud has been lifted off from over me.
“I should probably head home....” he said, pulling me back to reality. I nodded, not wanting him to leave at all. “I don’t know how to thank

you.”
“You give me a school tour, I punch your boyfriend, it all balances

out,” he grins.
“Not my boyfriend,” I amended, still in shock from the kiss. “I’ll walk

you out.”
He smiled, following me to the door. I turned to him, feeling shy. I

didn’t want to say good bye. I wanted him to stay here. I wanted to learn everything about him.

“Are you sure your hand is okay?” I asked, grabbing his hand and

examining it myself.
“It is, I promise,” he smiled, curling his hand around mine. My heart squeezed, “I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” 

“I’ll see you at school,” he said softly, staring into my eyes.

I wanted to lean in and kiss him so badly, but I had to keep myself together. I unwillingly opened the door and he stepped out.

“One more thing,” he said, before I could close the door. I looked at him expectantly. “I was wondering if maybe you would want to give me your number.”

I tried to contain my elation.

He asked you for your number!

“Sure, do you have your phone?”

He handed me his phone seeming confused, I quickly added in my information, “you should text me so I have your number,” I said boldly.

He smiled, “done. So I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow.”
He turned and walked away to his car and I quickly closed and dead

bolted the door. Ty had a key to my place and I didn’t need him trying to get in.

I quickly ran up the stairs and headed for the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror I felt like a completely different person.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and saw the text message from Chase:

Chase Matthews: it’s Chase :)
I smiled and texted him back:
Ashley Brauhn: thank you again for everything.
I quickly threw my phone down when I saw several texts from Ty

sitting in my inbox:
Ty: what’s going on? Are you with him? Are we even going to talk

about this?
Ty: You promised you wouldn’t tell. You know what will happen to me

if anyone finds out.
Ty: We were together for two years! And you throw it all away to the

first guy who gives you any type of attention!
I showered quickly, trying not to think of the angry messages from Ty.

I went through the night over in my head as I finished my nightly routine. I replayed the kiss over and over in my head. I compared it to how Ty normally kissed me. I felt more passion with Chase than I ever had with Ty, in all the years we were together.

How was it that one small kiss meant more to me than two years

worth of kisses?
My phone dinged:

Chase Matthews: I’m always here for you.

I smiled so wide I felt like I was going to burst. I turned off my light and pulled the covers over me, ready to fall asleep after a first long day at Rockport High. As much as I was dreading this year, I feel that maybe now it might not be so bad. 

Author's Note

1. Please ignore spelling/grammar issues
2. Please leave feedback on the chapter, your favorite character, your favorite scene
3. Please let me know of any plot holes you see
4. Please be kind! I've never done anything like this before :)