Knowing Asher

Chapter|50|

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I sipped my milkshake and looked round the cafeteria. My life has really changed drastically within few months. I glanced at the table my friends and I used to sit on before. Now here I am hanging out with the popular and having people stare at me wishing they can get a space on this table.
Ian took some of my fries and stuffed it in his mouth. I glared at him and moved my food away from him. "Come on Stephanie, it is just fries" he pouted and I rolled my eyes.
"I don't share my food" I replied and continuing sipping on my milkshake.
"But you share with Asher" he grumbled as Asher took some of my fries.
"He is a special case" I grinned and he snorted.
"Special case huh?"Asher whispered into my ear and I blushed lightly.
The guys from the basketball team are actually nice to me and we get along pretty well.
The girls I can't really say, I know some of the girls hate my guts because I am dating Asher. They are jealous of me while some are friends with Katrina.
I stared at Katrina to see her giving me a deadly glare as usual and I smiled sweetly at her.  I placed my hand on Asher's hand resting on the table and squeezed it. He squeezed it back without looking at me and I smirked at Katrina. It feels so fucking great to have the upper hand.
"Pass me the ketchup Jassy baby" Nina annoying voice rang out and I sighed.
I like Jason but his girlfriend is annoying. She is friends with Katrina and I really don't get what Jason sees in her. He passed her the ketchup with a smile and she just grabbed it without thanking him.
Love is truly blind. I am sure he can do better than her but who am I to judge.
"It has been so long since we have hang out together" Ethan voiced out.
"With all the pressure from the nationals and coach breathing down our necks. That man is an asshole" Ian said and we laughed at the last part.
"I heard a new arcade shop just opened, why don't we check it out?"Nick asked.
"What do you think Asher?"Ian asked and everyone turned to look at him. I wouldn't admit it loud but my boyfriend is kinda the boss around here. The boys really like hearing his opinion about things. I can tell his opinions really matter a lot to them and they really respect him a lot.
He smiled before answering. "Sounds good. We can check it on Saturday. We can let off some stress before the nationals actually kick in. I doubt the coach would actually give us time to laze around. We might get to practice everyday even weekends. This is very important to coach and to us too. We must win this so that we will be the first team to win this for this school. Our names would never go down in the history of the school" he said and the guys cheered.
"I bet we would win. We have you so we have nothing to worry about. You are the best Asher" Katrina purred out and I rolled my eyes.
"I am not the best. I am only that because of every single of you. I can't win this alone and need your support. Everybody support counts and I am not talking about the players alone" he replied and I smiled. My boyfriend is very wise and I glanced around to see that his words really affect the boys so much.
"We will give it our best man" Jason said and the other boys nodded agreeing with him. Amanda winked at me as if to say you are so damn lucky girl.
I am indeed lucky. He is humble and doesn't show off in front of the boys. He knows how to make everyone feel important. He is right, every support counts. Unity is strength!
"You are lucky girl"Rose mouthed to me across the table and I smiled.
"Can you pass me your maths note Stephanie?" Ian said bringing out his note.
"Why?"I said and passed it to him anyways.
"To copy your assignments duh! I think I heard the teacher saying it was part of our assessment last class" he said as he scribbled down from my note.
I just chuckled and sighed. That was the class I shared with Jones. I haven't seen him in school after the ugly encounter. I couldn't believe he said those words to me. I am not the one in charge of controlling who my heart want. He actually said those mean things to me and I thought we had a nice friendship going on. He might have transferred school because it is not a good thing to skip school for more than a month. Or did something happen to him? He told me about his family and I would not like to blame his misfortune for the way he acted.
"Thank you Stephanie, you are the best. Kisses!"Ian said passing me my note and leaned forward.
Asher immediately pushed me to his chest and possessively wrapped a hand around my waist. "Chill man, I am not trying to steal your girlfriend or I might" Ian smirked and Asher rolled his eyes. He still didn't let me go.
I like when he is possessive. It's really cute and fun to watch.
The bell rang and we got up. We disposed the food packs and headed out.
"See you later cupcake" Asher said as we walked out and planted a quick kiss on my lips.
"See you" I grinned as we pulled away.
"Not my virgin eyes" Ian groaned and pulled me towards our math class.
"We didn't even make out" I pouted retracting my hand.
"You did once in front of the whole school. It haunted me for weeks" he said and shuddered rubbing his eyes.
"I will make fun of you when you also get a girl" I deadpanned and he chuckled.
"And that is never going to happen" he said and entered the class.
That is strange!
I followed and settled in my perfect seat and he was beside me.
"It is and I can't wait for it to happen" I said with a smirk and he rolled his eyes.
The teacher entered and started teaching. I glanced around but didn't see Jones.
I sighed and jotted down the note.
I glanced at Ian to see him taking a few glances at a girl. He was so obvious but the girl had her eyes in the book in front of her. She raised up her head and he quickly turn to the board. She was beautiful and looked cute with the glasses. She had blond hair ending below her shoulder and her eyes weren't visible through her glasses. I couldn't really see her from my seat.
I know what this secret glance means.
The Mr And- that-will-never-happen has a crush on this girl.
I am going to tease him to death about this. "Ian, I get you now" I whispered moving my chair to him.
Looks like you haven't learn your lesson when you got detention.
The teacher was busy facing the board and I know how to be be careful.
He raised an eyebrow and scribbled something down.
He felt my eyes on him and looked at me. I gestured from him to the girl and his eyes widened. I can see the question in his eyes; how do you know?
"I am quite an expert on love matters" I whispered smirking and he was still shocked. I turned back to the teacher and blocked off all distractions. I can't afford to slack now that Stanford have offered me an admission. They are always watching me so I can't afford to slip.
The bell rang and I packed my books. Thank goodness I have a few period next so I will time to chit chat.
Ian waited for everyone to leave before approaching me. He settled on my table. "You can't tell anyone" he said and I smiled. "I am not going to tell anyone. And how do you know? Nobody has found out about it" he said and I sighed.
"I was in a similar situation so I understand those looks better than anyone else" I said with a smile remembering the time Asher wasn't mine.
"You liked someone. Who is it?" he asked eagerly. He is one my favorite person because he was easy to talk to. He was the one that first started talking to me before everyone else. The others followed but he is a good friend of mine. "I liked Asher long before we started dating" I replied and his eyes widened again.
"You serious?"he asked and I nodded.
"Wow! Does he know? That is so unbelievable. You got your crush. You are so damn lucky. That is cute. That_"
"Hold your horses boy. Too many questions" I gasped dramatically and he scoffed. "I told him after we started dating. I know I am lucky. This isn't about me, this is about you" I said and he pouted. "I have liked her since our senior year started. I joined the singing club because of her. She has an angelic voice and when she smiles, my heart skips a beat. Her voice is no less. I love her glasses, it makes her look cute. She is beautiful. I don't even know when I started liking her" he blabbered and I stared in awe.
"Too much information right? I can't just help it"he added rubbing his neck nervously. "Why haven't you told her yet?" I asked confused why he is keeping everything bottled up. My case was different, Asher was a playboy that loved breaking heart. If I had told him I liked him, I would have suffered the same fate. It was easier to just let things fall into place. Everything worked out perfectly.
"I heard that she hates popular people" he groaned and rested his head in his palms.
"Why?"I was hella confused.
"Maybe someone did something to her" he said and I sighed.
"I will help you get her" I said with confidence. It is time to play the Cupid.
"You would do that for me" he said with a shocked expression.
"You are a friend of mine"
"You are the best" he said and pulled me into a hug. I chuckled and patted his back.
"Wow! So getting Asher wasn't enough, you are now fucking the whole basketball team" Katrina's voice boomed and we moved away from each other.
"It is none of your business" I groaned.
"So you admit that you are a fucking slut. Wait till I tell Asher all about it. Good thing I got a pic" she squealed and walked out. We didn't even hear her enter the class or the camera clicking.
"I am so sorry. I was just overwhelmed. I hope this doesn't cause problems in your relationship. I don't want to be the cause of that" he blabbered and I fiddled with my fingers.
"I am sure Asher trusts me and wouldn't believe a word she says" I said with a smile but deep down I was trying to reassure myself that this wasn't a problem.
"I hope so. Where are you heading?" he asked standing up.
"To the library to study" I said also getting up. "I need to get some books too so I will escort you"
"Nice" I said as we walked to the door.
We went out and headed to the library in silence. He opened the door for me and I thanked him. "Good day Mrs Pika" he greeted while I just gave her a polite smile.
"Ian sweetie, how are you doing?"she asked and glanced between us.
"I am alright" he replied with a charming smile. He was handsome but my Asher was still topping the chart. His brown hair that falls over his forehead, ocean blue eyes. He is about 6'1 and have lean muscles. I am going to get him the girl of his dreams because I know what it feels like to be admiring someone from afar. How heartbreaking it is when the person gets with another person and not knowing about your existence.
"We are just friends" Ian's voice came up making me tune into the conversation.
"She is still dating that guy?"she asked and he nodded with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" I asked and she shrugged. "It's not your place to judge people. All because of his past, you can't have faith that he can actually change for the better" I deadpanned and headed to the back. My comfort zone! I thought her opinions about him would have changed but some people can never change.
"I am so sorry about the way she acted" Ian said joining me on the couch.
"It's not her first time so I am used to her" I replied taking out my books.
"That was totally out of the line" he replied standing up. "I want to get some books" he said and disappeared.
I stretched my legs in front of me after removing my sneakers. I wiggled my toenails cladded in comfy socks.
I placed my book on my laps and read through the lines.
"Where do you expect me to sit?"Ian's  annoying voice came up making me look up from my note.
He crossed his hands over his chest and pouted. Not in the mood to argue so I moved so I was sitting straight.
He settled and chuckled. "So you really are trying to steal my girlfriend" another voice boomed and my eyes widened.
"It's not_" I started but he cut me off.
"I trusted you but thank God Katrina opened my eyes to see the truth" he deadpanned and glared at me.
You are going to go back to being single in a minute.
I think you are right. He has less faith in me than I have in him.
"That is not true Asher" Ian said standing up and I feel the tears welling up in my face. He moved closer to Ian and raised a hand. He is definitely going to hit him.
My mouth opened as he patted his back instead. He settled on the couch and rested his head on my lap.
"Run your hands through my hair" he said closing his eyes and I sighed knowing this would be the last time.
He is going to break up with me because of that witch. "What are you doing Asher? You are suppose to be breaking up with her" Katrina said and I finally noticed her presence. Looks like we have all forgotten where we are.
"And why should I do that?"he asked opening his eyes but not moving away from my lap.
"She is cheating on you with him" she gestured to both of us and Asher started chuckling. "Your reaction was priceless as usual cupcake" he said pulling my cheeks and I was more confused.
He sat up straight and put a hand on my shoulder. "Did you really think I believed the nonsense you spewed out?" he said and my eyes widened.
Now what is he talking about?
"I showed you the evidence" she said like she couldn't believe what was happening.
"The fake evidence. I hug Stephanie's friends and she doesn't accuse me of cheating on her. Ian is one of her good friend, I might get possessive but I know when to react. I just wanted to tease a bit but I never believed that shit of yours. You should get this straight that you can never separate the two of us" he sneered with his cold tone and my heart fluttered. That was a joke. I thought my heart was going to stop beating and he was kidding about such an important thing.
I never stopped having faith in him.
"But nothing. Please leave this place and don't make me force you. You wouldn't like the embarrassment that comes with that" he said and she was so reddened in anger that I felt she was going to burst . She stomped her feet and sashayed off. "That was so not cool. I thought you were actually going to break up with Stephanie because of me"Ian said and he looked angry. "Sorry, I just it would have been nice to mess with your heads a bit" he said with a grin and I was so mad.
"And you are happy now so good for you" I snorted and packed my things.
I walked out and headed to the girls bathroom to avoid him.
There are certain things you shouldn't joke with. What if I had an heart attack? I was so scared thinking I was going to lose him for good. To find out that he was just JOKING! That is so unbelievable.
I splashed water on my face happy that I left my face bare today.
So I am not dreaming that he didn't break up with me. I must admit it was hilarious to see Katrina's face. She was glad she had the upper hand and couldn't believe it when the tables turned around.
I started giggling as a lone tear trickled down my face and I wiped it.
I splashed my face more and headed out.
I was immediately pulled into a hug and I know the person without looking at the face. My body reaction and that familiar cologne is always a clue.
"I am sorry. I didn't think it through. I just wanted to embarrass her in front of you guys. I trust you and know you would never cheat on me" he said as he pulled away. I didn't meet his eyes so that I can stay angry at him. I wrapped my hands around myself looking at the floor.He placed a finger on my chin and make me look up at him. "I am sorry" he said softly and showed how he felt in his eyes. The gold specks were twinkling and I couldn't resist. "Next time give me a heads up" I pouted and he sighed.
He wrapped a hand around my waist and pulled me closer. I rested my hand on his shoulder. "So you liked it huh?" he asked and I couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face. "This is why you are my girl" he smirked and dipped his head. His lips captured mine and he kissed me slow and softly. I kissed him back and let him into my mouth. The sparks erupted through my body and I smiled into the kiss.
The bell rang and we pull away. He pouted and I rolled my eyes. "To be continued later. I have to get to practice now" he said .
"Okay" I said and he pecked my lips. I watched him leave before heading to my class.
He is it for me.
——————————————————————————————————————————
"Mom" I couldn't help my surprise as I saw her in the living room munching on popcorn. "Sweetie, how was school?"she asked as she stood up. She kissed my forehead and settled back down. I settled beside her and stole some of her popcorn. "Eventful" I replied remembering everything that happened.
Asher couldn't drop me home because they were still practicing. Their next match is drawing close so I understand their coach's agitation.
"Tell me what happened" she said turning to me. "I will tell you after I freshen up" I cringed at myself. Boarding the bus doesn't feel normal again. I am used to not feel cramped up with so many unknown people.
I took out a basketball short and hoodie. Both belonged to him. I wear his clothes more than I wear mine.
I took a quick shower and put on the clothes. I put my hair in a messy bun and headed out. I went to kitchen to grab a bottle of water. "So" my mom said as I settled down beside her.
"A girl tried to jeopardize my relationship" I grumbled and she gasped.
"She tried to make it look like I was cheating on Asher by taking pictures of me hugging a friend. Asher put her in her place after pretending to be on her side. I thought he was going to break up with me so I felt mad when I realized he was messing with me" I said and gulped the water. "Wow. That girl is crazy for trying to do something like that" my mom replied and I nodded agreeing with her.
"So did you forgive him?"she asked and I nodded. "Enough about me, why aren't you at work?" I asked.
"I have a day off" she grinned and I mirrored her expression.
I hugged her missing her motherly hug. "I missed having you around" I mumbled into her and she rubbed her hands around my back in a comforting manner.
"I missed you too girl" she replied and I smiled. I pulled away and smiled. "We can binge watch, paint each other nails and cook dinner together" I squealed and she smiled. "I will take you up for the nails" she said looking down at her nails.
"Great" I said and went to her room.
I grabbed the paints box and headed back out. "What color do you want?" I asked and she looked at the color available.
"I will go with the light blue" she said and I agreed with her.
I missed our girls day and fun activities.
I will miss it more when I move away from college.
Enjoy it while it last.
Oh I will!

This was fun to write. Did you guys believe he was going to break up with her?
Ian would be appearing in the coming chapter. He is a sweetheart!
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~Aridah.