This is a Wasteland

Tony POV

That night after practice I went home trying to find a way to ask Ahysha to go to homecoming with me. If not for me then for the band, because as much as I know Addie will do a good job, I know it’s too much pressure for her. I also know that if Ahysha doesn’t go to homecoming she’s going to regret it later on in life.

“Don’t bother sleeping without one eye open wide… There’s creatures in the night to haunt you… Their arms are reaching out to hold you tight… Your demons come alive to chase you”

My ringtone for Ahysha rang, causing me to open my eyes. I was lying down on my bed trying to sleep, and she woke me up! Who the fuck tries to talk to somebody at… I looked at my clock… 12:03! Ahysha Winter Penar, that’s who! I groaned but picked up my phone anyway. “Hello?” I asked my voice, sounding huskier than usual.

“Hello? Tony?” I heard her say from the other side of the phone line. Something was rustling in the background but I couldn’t tell what, and Air was panicking.

“What’s up Ahysha? Why are you calling at 12:03?” I asked her, sitting up when I heard her breathing shorten.

“Tony? Is it ok if I come over there for a couple of days?” I heard her ask and I heard something slide before hearing the wind that was blowing outside.

“I- Uh… Yeah. Mama and Papa love you. You can stay in the guest room. What’s wrong, Air?” I asked her, because I act like a dick to her but we’re still the best of friends… most times.

“Can I tell you later? Please, I don’t want to talk about it right now.” I heard her say and after I told her ‘yeah’ she told me she was outside. Putting some boxers on, I opened my door and walked down the steps to the front door. I opened it to see Ahysha, standing outside soaking wet and shivering, teeth clenched. I opened it wider, so she could come in and I noticed her duffle bag she was holding. Taking it from her I walked to the guest room and she followed me, still shivering.

“Ahysha, get changed, then come to my room.” I told her before walking back to my room to put on my pajama pants and a black t-shirt. I sat on my bed waiting for Ahysha. I wanted to know what made her come her, why she came here; I wanted to know everything I could get out of her and more. I wanted to know why she doesn’t like dances, and if she’d go with me, but I have to deal with now first before I deal with later. The dance was two weeks from now, she did her part to help out with it and more, she’s even offering her service to help decorate before the dance and to help clean up. All I offered to do was make fliers and post them on the wall, and I’m not even completely doing that on my own.

I heard my door opening, which immediately caused my head to look up to see Ahysha standing in the doorway. “Well? Are you coming in or are you going to be awkward?” I asked her, raising an eyebrow and signaling her to come sit with me. She sat beside me and I laid down and pulled her down with me. We laid in silence looking at my ceiling and thinking. Well she might’ve been thinking, I couldn’t think when she was so close but so far from me. Close as in literally and far as in metaphorically, she was lost in her thoughts and I couldn’t even think. I was sad, she shouldn’t have been doing this to me, she shouldn’t have this much control over me, not now, not unknowingly, and not while she vulnerable.

“Tony?” I heard her whisper through the darkness, cutting the silence. I shifted so I could look over at her.

“Yeah?” I whispered back to her and saw her glance over at me before looking back at the ceiling.

“I don’t want to be there anymore. Not after last night, not when homecoming is so close.” Ahysha told me, still whispering but as she kept talking it seemed like she got quieter.

“Ahysha.” She didn’t look over at me; she kept looking at the ceiling. “Ahysha, look at me.” I told her and this time she did. “What happened to make you come all the way over here?” I asked her softly, so she wouldn’t cry or yell or break down.

“Ma and her boyfriend.”

I laughed, “You came over because you heard them fucking?” I asked her, trying to stop my laughter.

“No you dick! I came because of homecoming! You guys don’t get why I don’t want to go! You guys don’t understand I can’t go, not after what happened! You guys don’t understand and the one person who did, she’s fucking pressuring me to go and she knows what happened and I’m not setting myself up for that. Not again and not anymore!” Ahysha said whisper yelling, not wanting to wake up my mom and dad.

“Ahysha? Who is she?” I asked her not wanting her to whisper yell again.

“My fucking mom. The one who’s boyfriend keeps asking why I don’t want to go to homecoming and when I never answer he gets pissed and tells me to go and mom fucking takes his side! She knows why I refused to go to any dance, ever. No matter with who or for what! I thought her and dad understood, I got sent to fucking therapy and they said they understood! But I guess it was only dad who did and do you know where he’s at now? He’s six feet under, trying to protect the people here!” She yelled to me, not bothering to keep whispering. I wasn’t worried she’d wake mom and dad because they’re heavy sleepers.

“Ahysha, calm down. Now tell me, why don’t go to dances? Tell me something, anything really to make me understand. Tell me something I could do to help, tell me something, please!” I ask her, because I want to understand, I want to get inside her head, because I can’t read her like I can read everybody else. I can’t understand her body language or her reactions or her thinking, I can’t understand anything and it kills me.

“I’m not going to do that Tony. I may not like you the best of times but this is something I refuse to tell anybody. The one time I did they left me, they never talked to me again. So I refused to do it, only people that know is my mom, dad, and the girl I told, nobody else and that’s how I’m going to keep it.” Ahysha said to me, calmer than before and she was whispering again.

I nodded I understood that. She didn’t want to lose the only people she knew here; she thought we’d run if, when, she told us. We aren’t like that; I know she knows it but she haves to build up trust again and we have to knock her walls down enough to learn why she went to therapy or why she doesn’t go to dances anymore. I cleared my throat finally finding out a safe, or I hope it was safe, question to ask her. “When was the last time you went to a dance and which dance was it?” I asked, softly so she knew I didn’t mean any offense by it.

I heard her sigh before answering, “It was a Sadie’s Hawkins dance, and it was 8th grade. If I wouldn’t have went I would still be going to dances and doing normal teenage things. That dance was the reason I started surfing, my father died in my 5th grade year, and mom started dating again 6th grade year. I was never able to understand how she could move on so fast from dad, but the more I thought about dad, the more I dwelled on it, the more it hurt and that’s how I got my answer. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I knew she was making her own choices and I couldn’t be mad at her for that.” Ahysha told me and rolled over to lay on her side and face me. I laid on my back and closed my eyes.

“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s Friday and we have to start packing the ran after practice and then leave for the show.” I told her, I heard her moving to get up. “You could sleep in here if you want to.” I told her and she moved a little before I felt her lay beside me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and she cuddled into my side and got comfortable. “Night Air.”

“Night Tone.”