Status: In Progress
The Right Girl
08.
JOHN’S POV
After I was done with the girl, she left the van with a sloppy, drunken kiss. I blinked and looked over to feel glares being sent towards me, and I saw my bandmates and Tim. Jared shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. He asked me, “Did you scream out Ashton’s name?”
I scowled and shook my head. “No, do you think I’m some idiot?”
“Actually, I do,” he cut back. He threw his arm out behind him, and the guys all stood behind him to act as referee in case things got heated. “You had a fucking gorgeous girlfriend, the girl you’ve been aiming to get since freshman year, and you threw it all away by making out with some slut whose name you probably don’t even remember!”
“I do remember her name! It was Lori!” I yelled at Jared, mad that he was actually accusing me of that.
Jared laughed, shaking his head. “Something tells me it wasn’t actually Lori. God, John, you’re such a fucking manwhore! Where the fuck is the John that I grew to be friends with!? It’s just getting ridiculous now! At first, it kind of made sense, because you were doing it to get Ashton, but when you had her, it continued? I just don’t get it, man. I just don’t.”
I stared at Jared, slack-jawed as tears filled up my eyes. Had my best friend since the sixth grade seriously just called me a man-whore? That’s when you knew things were bad.
“I’m sorry, man. I just... I can’t stop,” I said, the tears streaking down my face as all the guys looked surprised. Even Jared looked a little taken off-guard. “I just can’t.”
Jared walked over to me and put a hand on either of my shoulders. “You need to learn how to stop, man. Or else you’re never going to get Ashton’s trust, or Ashton herself, back.”
That was like the biggest wake-up call of my life right there-- the fact that I may not ever be with Ashton again because of the sex addict I had become. I shook my head, and focused my thoughts. I needed to change, in order to save myself and my relationship with Ashton.
I looked up at Jared and asked him desperately, “Help me.”
Being the best friend he was, he smiled at me and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”
ASHTON’S POV
I woke up the next morning and saw the guy I had been with the night before had already left. I let out a big breath and laid in my bed, shutting my eyes as my head pulsated. The doorbell rang and I groaned, practically rolling out of my bed and down the stairs. I fixed my hair a bit in the mirror and slipped on a sweatshirt before opening up the door, seeing the last person I had been expecting.
“Kennedy?” I asked confusedly, seeing John’s best friend standing in my doorway.
“Hey, Ashton. Can I come in? One of your neighbors is giving me a dirty look and it’s making me feel really awkward,” Kennedy said, shooting a look over his shoulder. I squinted and looked to where he was looking, and saw he was speaking the truth- old Ms. Newberg was glaring at both of us. She had probably seen the guy from earlier leave my house, and thought that Kennedy was my newest victim.
“Uh yeah, sure,” I said, opening the door wider as I stepped back and Kennedy walked past me. He looked around my house as I closed the door, asking him, “Why are you here?”
“To talk to you about John,” he said, looking down from his fixed stare at the grand chandelier on the ceiling straight above us to meet my eyes. “What he did was stupid, and I get that you don’t want to be with him...”
“Then why are you here?” I asked him snidely. He kind of gave me a look and I sighed, flopping down onto my couch. “Sorry, I’ve got a hangover, so I’m kind of in a bad mood anyway, and obviously the subject of John is a... sensitive one, for lack of a better adjective. It’s a recent wound, and to reopen it kinda sucks.”
“I know,” Kennedy said, taking a seat with me on the couch, “but you’ve got to talk about it with someone. And I know the only reason he’s not apologizing to you right now is because he’s afraid you’re going to seriously deny him this time around.”
I scoffed. “And why wouldn’t I?”
“I didn’t say you weren’t right in doing that, trust me. I’m on both teams, believe it or not. John was stupid, but John also has very strong feelings for you. Take it from somebody who has known him for a while, has seen him interact and talk to other girls before. He doesn’t look at you the same way, doesn’t talk to you the same way-- and trust me, that’s a good thing,” Kennedy said, giving me a look. “You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t have a new kind of strong feelings for John, feelings that expanded upon just wanting to rip his clothes off?”
I blushed. “Well, I mean...”
Kennedy interrupted me. “Exactly.”
I looked over at him, studying his expression as he studied mine. I opened my mouth and said, “You say that you’re on both teams, but you talk like you’re on John’s side, and I think you are, too.”
Kennedy shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be? He’s my best friend. And as his best friend, I can tell more than anybody else how much this is tearing him up inside, how he’s beating himself up for what happened. He actually got into an argument with Jared about it last night and broke down crying. I’ve never seen John so upset about anything except when he learned his pet turtle Spanks died in the second grade.”
I cracked a smile, and Kennedy did, too, in response to my own smile. I shook my head and said, “John better be thanking his lucky stars that he has a persuasive friend like you, Kennedy.”
Kennedy laughed. “Trust me, I know. I remind him everyday of just how lucky he is to have me.”
I stood up from the couch and Kennedy stood up with me. I hugged him and told him, “Thanks so much for coming to talk to me. I’ll think about what you said, and probably end up calling John later.”
“Thanks for your consideration,” Kennedy said as we walked to the front door. He smiled at me and told me, “You won’t regret it. I truly think you’re changing him into somebody respectable, which is more than I can say for most of the girls he’s dated... actually, all of them.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Kennedy. I’ll see you later.”
“I better see you later!” He yelled as I shut the door. I laughed and took out my phone, dialing a number. Screw thinking, when had actually processing my thoughts ever helped me?
I smiled as the person on the other end of the phone eagerly greeted me. “Hey, John, can we meet up somewhere to talk? It’s nothing bad, I promise you...”
After I was done with the girl, she left the van with a sloppy, drunken kiss. I blinked and looked over to feel glares being sent towards me, and I saw my bandmates and Tim. Jared shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. He asked me, “Did you scream out Ashton’s name?”
I scowled and shook my head. “No, do you think I’m some idiot?”
“Actually, I do,” he cut back. He threw his arm out behind him, and the guys all stood behind him to act as referee in case things got heated. “You had a fucking gorgeous girlfriend, the girl you’ve been aiming to get since freshman year, and you threw it all away by making out with some slut whose name you probably don’t even remember!”
“I do remember her name! It was Lori!” I yelled at Jared, mad that he was actually accusing me of that.
Jared laughed, shaking his head. “Something tells me it wasn’t actually Lori. God, John, you’re such a fucking manwhore! Where the fuck is the John that I grew to be friends with!? It’s just getting ridiculous now! At first, it kind of made sense, because you were doing it to get Ashton, but when you had her, it continued? I just don’t get it, man. I just don’t.”
I stared at Jared, slack-jawed as tears filled up my eyes. Had my best friend since the sixth grade seriously just called me a man-whore? That’s when you knew things were bad.
“I’m sorry, man. I just... I can’t stop,” I said, the tears streaking down my face as all the guys looked surprised. Even Jared looked a little taken off-guard. “I just can’t.”
Jared walked over to me and put a hand on either of my shoulders. “You need to learn how to stop, man. Or else you’re never going to get Ashton’s trust, or Ashton herself, back.”
That was like the biggest wake-up call of my life right there-- the fact that I may not ever be with Ashton again because of the sex addict I had become. I shook my head, and focused my thoughts. I needed to change, in order to save myself and my relationship with Ashton.
I looked up at Jared and asked him desperately, “Help me.”
Being the best friend he was, he smiled at me and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”
ASHTON’S POV
I woke up the next morning and saw the guy I had been with the night before had already left. I let out a big breath and laid in my bed, shutting my eyes as my head pulsated. The doorbell rang and I groaned, practically rolling out of my bed and down the stairs. I fixed my hair a bit in the mirror and slipped on a sweatshirt before opening up the door, seeing the last person I had been expecting.
“Kennedy?” I asked confusedly, seeing John’s best friend standing in my doorway.
“Hey, Ashton. Can I come in? One of your neighbors is giving me a dirty look and it’s making me feel really awkward,” Kennedy said, shooting a look over his shoulder. I squinted and looked to where he was looking, and saw he was speaking the truth- old Ms. Newberg was glaring at both of us. She had probably seen the guy from earlier leave my house, and thought that Kennedy was my newest victim.
“Uh yeah, sure,” I said, opening the door wider as I stepped back and Kennedy walked past me. He looked around my house as I closed the door, asking him, “Why are you here?”
“To talk to you about John,” he said, looking down from his fixed stare at the grand chandelier on the ceiling straight above us to meet my eyes. “What he did was stupid, and I get that you don’t want to be with him...”
“Then why are you here?” I asked him snidely. He kind of gave me a look and I sighed, flopping down onto my couch. “Sorry, I’ve got a hangover, so I’m kind of in a bad mood anyway, and obviously the subject of John is a... sensitive one, for lack of a better adjective. It’s a recent wound, and to reopen it kinda sucks.”
“I know,” Kennedy said, taking a seat with me on the couch, “but you’ve got to talk about it with someone. And I know the only reason he’s not apologizing to you right now is because he’s afraid you’re going to seriously deny him this time around.”
I scoffed. “And why wouldn’t I?”
“I didn’t say you weren’t right in doing that, trust me. I’m on both teams, believe it or not. John was stupid, but John also has very strong feelings for you. Take it from somebody who has known him for a while, has seen him interact and talk to other girls before. He doesn’t look at you the same way, doesn’t talk to you the same way-- and trust me, that’s a good thing,” Kennedy said, giving me a look. “You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t have a new kind of strong feelings for John, feelings that expanded upon just wanting to rip his clothes off?”
I blushed. “Well, I mean...”
Kennedy interrupted me. “Exactly.”
I looked over at him, studying his expression as he studied mine. I opened my mouth and said, “You say that you’re on both teams, but you talk like you’re on John’s side, and I think you are, too.”
Kennedy shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be? He’s my best friend. And as his best friend, I can tell more than anybody else how much this is tearing him up inside, how he’s beating himself up for what happened. He actually got into an argument with Jared about it last night and broke down crying. I’ve never seen John so upset about anything except when he learned his pet turtle Spanks died in the second grade.”
I cracked a smile, and Kennedy did, too, in response to my own smile. I shook my head and said, “John better be thanking his lucky stars that he has a persuasive friend like you, Kennedy.”
Kennedy laughed. “Trust me, I know. I remind him everyday of just how lucky he is to have me.”
I stood up from the couch and Kennedy stood up with me. I hugged him and told him, “Thanks so much for coming to talk to me. I’ll think about what you said, and probably end up calling John later.”
“Thanks for your consideration,” Kennedy said as we walked to the front door. He smiled at me and told me, “You won’t regret it. I truly think you’re changing him into somebody respectable, which is more than I can say for most of the girls he’s dated... actually, all of them.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Kennedy. I’ll see you later.”
“I better see you later!” He yelled as I shut the door. I laughed and took out my phone, dialing a number. Screw thinking, when had actually processing my thoughts ever helped me?
I smiled as the person on the other end of the phone eagerly greeted me. “Hey, John, can we meet up somewhere to talk? It’s nothing bad, I promise you...”