The Space Between Us(9)

“Hey, Bit,” I heard Asher's voice behind me. I turned around and rolled my eyes at him.

“Is this nickname going to stick?” I asked, trying to sound exasperated.

“He gave you a nickname? That's cute,” Reeve commented, turning back to the mirror that was magnetically stuck to the inside of our locker as she finished putting on some lipstick.

I began to blush, trying to think of something to say when Asher saved me.

“Name the last time you didn't think something was 'cute',” he said, using his fingers to make air quotation marks.

“What? It's sweet the way you treat Charlie. People who don't know you probably think you have a massive crush on her, but I know better. She just totally has a big brother idolization of you and you have some weird need to be her bodyguard. You're going to have to get over that, Asher,” Reeve said, pointing at him. “This year boys are going to start wanting to ask Charlie out, and they won’t have the chance if you're always giving them those death stares and maintaining a three-foot bubble around her.”

“He doesn't do that,” I scoffed.

“Uh, yes he does. He has ever since seventh grade when Brady Collins told Asher he had a crush on you.”

“Brady Collins had a crush on me?”

“No,” Asher answered quickly.

“No?” Reeve challenged.

“No. He said he thought you were cute, not that he had a crush on you.”

“And what is the difference?” Reeve asked with a smirk.

“Wait, he thought I was cute?”

“If he thought you were cute in seventh grade, he's gonna go crazy for you this year, Charlie.” Asher groaned and ran his hand through his hair. That was something new I'd never seen him do before.

“What did you say to him, Asher?” I asked.

“Nothing. I just told him that you didn't date, that your dad probably wouldn't let you.”

The idea that Asher had chased Brady off made me feel weirdly happy, but I knew I didn't want him to know that.

“You were probably right,” I admitted. I wasn’t even sure my dad would let me date now in ninth grade. Reeve put her bag in the locker and grabbed a notebook then slammed the locker door.

“All I'm saying is that Asher's got his work cut out for him this year if he thinks he's going to continue this whole Protecting Charlie's Innocence thing he's been doing for so long.”

“I'm not protecting her innocence,” he grumbled.

“Wow, look who filled out this summer! Charlie, my backseat's got your name all over it.” The offensive words came from a guy we’d gone to school with before, but hadn’t seen in a few years because he was older than us. The words hadn't even made it all the way out of his mouth before Asher pushed him up against the wall of lockers. His forearm pressed into the boy’s neck, and I heard Asher growling some words at him, but I couldn't make them out. The boy against the lockers held his hand up as if surrendering, and after a few moments Asher let him go. I saw his shoulders moving up and down rapidly, and heard his breaths whooshing in and out of his lungs quickly.

I was frozen where I stood. I had never seen Asher be even remotely violent. I had no idea what I should do. Asher finally turned around to look at me, but I didn't recognize the look in his eyes; it was nothing I had ever seen from him. He held my gaze for a moment, then turned and walked the opposite direction. It was all I could do to watch him walk away. I wanted to go after him, but I didn't know what to say, and I, honestly, was a little bit scared of him at the moment.

“What was that?” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

“That, my friend, was Asher claiming his territory,” Reeve replied.

“What territory?”

“You.”

“He doesn't think of me as territory.”

“Well, that guy's throat begs to differ,” she said motioning towards the guy still trying to recover from Asher's outburst. Something in my gut tried to tell me that this was huge. Something changed in the last five minutes, something that was going to alter our friendship. I could feel it.

“Come on. Let's find our classes.”



I didn't see Asher for the rest of the school day. I looked for him every time I turned a corner, every time I walked down the hallway. During lunch I thought for sure I would see him walk through the doors to the cafeteria, but he never showed up. This was not how our first day of high school was supposed to go. I was sad he wasn't around for me to talk to, to see how his day was going, but even more than that, I was worried about him.

By the end of the day I was frazzled and anxious. Reeve stayed after for an orientation, so I went to leave and started the walk home. Very few times in the last four years had I walked home from school alone. Unless he was sick, Asher always walked with me. His absence from the walk felt deeper than it should have. Him not being there to walk me home felt like I had lost him in another way completely. I pushed open the heavy metal door that led to the side of the building that pointed towards my house.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Asher standing at the edge of the school property, waiting for me. I tried to keep my pace steady and not rush to him, but I couldn't help it. When I finally made it to him my arms moved without my permission and wrapped around his waist and I pressed my cheek against his chest. We never really hugged all that much, and when we did it was simple, friendly, and over quickly. This was different.