WALLS AND CRACKS( ASHLEY’S POV)
1284 Words
It started with whispers.
By Tuesday morning, they weren’t whispers anymore.
Ashley sat at her desk, trying to focus on the neat rows of notes she had copied down, but the low hum of voices pressed into her ears like needles.
“Did you hear? Devin and Kika are official now.”
“They looked so good together yesterday. She’s basically his type.”
“Poor Ashley, though. Didn’t she think she had a chance?”
Ashley’s hands clenched around her pen until her knuckles turned white. She stared at the paper so hard the words blurred.
It shouldn’t matter. Devin had made it clear enough with his silence, his cold shoulders, the way he let Kika hang all over him like they belonged together. She should’ve seen this coming.
But it hurt anyway.
The rumors felt like a hundred paper cuts she couldn’t stop bleeding from.
---
By lunch, things only got worse.
She walked into the cafeteria with Lia at her side, trying to pretend she couldn’t hear the laughter that followed her. Her tray felt like a weight in her hands, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
That was when it happened.
Kika’s voice sliced through the room like glass. “Oh, Ashley! Over here!”
Ashley froze.
Kika sat at the center of her table, surrounded by her clique, smiling too sweetly. Devin wasn’t there, but his absence didn’t make Ashley feel any safer.
“Come on,” Kika cooed, her voice dripping with poison. “Why don’t you sit with us? Or are you scared you’ll ruin your reputation even more?”
Her minions giggled. Ashley’s chest tightened.
Lia muttered, “Ignore her, let’s just—”
But before they could move, someone stuck a foot out in front of her.
Ashley stumbled, her tray clattering to the floor, food splattering across her shoes. The cafeteria erupted in laughter.
She froze, heat rising to her face. Humiliation burned through her veins.
Kika leaned back in her seat, smirking. “Oops. Guess clumsy girls shouldn’t try to play in the big leagues.”
The laughter grew louder. Ashley’s throat closed, her eyes stinging with tears she refused to let fall.
And then — silence.
Because two tall figures had stepped between her and Kika’s table.
Jace. And Kai.
The laughter died instantly. Even Kika blinked, taken off guard.
Kai bent down, picking up her tray, his voice low but firm. “That’s enough.”
Jace turned to Kika, his eyes sharp. “We warned you before. Pull another stunt like this, and life in this school won’t be so fun for you anymore.”
Kika’s smirk faltered. “I—I was just joking—”
“Not funny,” Jace snapped. His tone carried enough weight that even Kika shrank back in her seat.
Kai set the tray gently back in Ashley’s hands, his voice softening. “Be careful. Next time, don’t give people like her the chance.”
Ashley swallowed hard, her heart pounding. She nodded mutely, unable to form words.
Jace gave Kika one last glare before turning away, Kai following close behind. The cafeteria stayed quiet as Ashley and Lia left, whispers swirling in the silence they left behind.
Ashley’s cheeks burned with shame, but this time it wasn’t just from humiliation.
Because as she glanced back — just once — she saw him.
Devin.
Leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
He had watched everything.
And he hadn’t moved.
---
Ashley’s sanctuary had always been the old study nook tucked away in the back of the library. The dusty shelves, the smell of paper, the quiet — it felt like breathing again.
Today, though, she wasn’t alone. Lia sat across from her, frowning as she tapped her pen against her notebook. William leaned against the table, arms folded, eyes flicking toward Ashley with concern every few seconds.
She hated how fragile she must’ve looked.
“Are you okay?” Lia finally asked.
Ashley forced a small smile. “I’m fine. Just… tired.”
But before she could say more, a shadow fell over their table.
Devin.
Ashley’s breath caught.
“Excuse us,” he said, his voice low but commanding. He didn’t look at Lia or William — his eyes were fixed on Ashley.
Lia exchanged a glance with William, then reluctantly gathered her things. “We’ll… give you a minute.”
William hesitated, his jaw tight. But after a long pause, he followed Lia out, though not without one last lingering look.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ashley stared at her notebook, refusing to meet his eyes. “What do you want, Devin?”
He shifted, his footsteps slow as he moved closer. “To talk.”
She almost laughed. Almost. “Funny. You didn’t seem interested in that before.”
“Ashley.”
Her name on his lips sent a shiver through her, but she bit it back, forcing herself to glare at him.
Then his tone softened. “I’m sorry.”
Her breath hitched. Slowly, she looked up. His eyes were steady, no longer cold but open in a way she had never seen before.
“I didn’t know how to handle it,” he admitted. “The way you make me feel. I thought pushing you away would protect you. From me. From everything else. But it only hurt you more.”
Ashley’s throat tightened. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know if she could trust the words that made her heart ache.
Devin stepped closer, lowering his voice. “I can’t promise I’ll be perfect. But I don’t want to ignore this anymore. Ignore you.”
The sincerity in his voice cracked something inside her. She swallowed hard, nodding faintly.
“Okay,” she whispered.
He exhaled, relief flickering across his face. “Okay.”
---
Later that evening, Ashley found herself back in her room with Devin sitting across from her, textbooks spread out on the desk.
At first, the session felt almost normal — reviewing formulas, scribbling notes, Devin asking questions with surprising focus. But the air between them was different now. Closer. Warmer.
Every time their hands brushed reaching for a pen, her heart jumped. Every time his gaze lingered on her a second too long, her breath hitched.
Finally, when she leaned over to correct his notes, he didn’t move back.
She froze, their faces inches apart.
Devin’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “Ashley.”
Her heart pounded. “Y-Yeah?”
He hesitated — just for a moment. Then, with a boldness that stole her breath, he leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn’t soft or fleeting like the kiss on the cheek she had given him before. It was deeper, certain, filled with everything he hadn’t said out loud.
Ashley’s mind went blank, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of the desk. When he finally pulled back, his eyes searched hers, vulnerable and raw.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he admitted, his voice husky.
Ashley’s cheeks burned, her lips tingling, her heart flipping in her chest. “Devin…”
But before she could say more, her phone buzzed. A message from Lia.
She glanced at the screen — and her blood ran cold.
Rumor alert: Someone just posted pics of Devin and Kika at the mall together yesterday. Everyone’s saying they’re dating for real now.
Ashley’s stomach dropped.
Devin frowned, noticing her expression. “What is it?”
She shoved the phone into her pocket, forcing a shaky smile. “Nothing. Just… homework stuff.”
But the knot in her chest told her this wasn’t over.
Not even close.
---
- Writer
