Chapter 15 - What A Loss

After getting home, Ashley immediately went back to her room, took a change of clothes, and took a bath.

Before she took off her clothes, she suddenly remembered the skirt that was stained with blood and ran out quickly.

Ashley walked around the living room and the porch, but she couldn’t catch the bag’s set.

She glanced at Liam's door, which was open.

But there was movement in the kitchen, and he could be heard messing around and crackling.

‘Didn't you just get back from eating?’

Ashley silently said "big foodie" and then went to his room.

She saw the position of the bag on the edge of the desk at a glance.

She took the bag back to the bathroom, took a basin, and threw all the dirty clothes in.

This was the first time that Ashley had washed clothes by herself.

She squeezed the detergent and rubbed her hands against the marks, moving clumsily and slowly.

By the time Ashley came out of the bathroom, it had been almost an hour.

Holding the basin in her arms, she trotted to the balcony to dry her clothes.

Ashley was about to go back to her room when she heard Liam's voice.

He seemed to be on the phone, in a slightly impatient tone, "It's done."

"Why do I care? I don't see her feeling sick. "

Liam said, " No, Mom, why didn't you tell me earlier? I don't know. Aren't you coming back tomorrow? It's up to you then. I'm exhausted. Take care of your own daughter, all right? I've done my best for these two days-- all right, I’ll just give it to her. "

After a few seconds, Liam seemed to hang up the phone.

Soon, he came out with a bowl in his hand.

When he saw Ashley, he said coldly, "Come and drink by yourself."

Ashley slowly leaned over and said, "How come you don't like me so much?"

"If I don't like you."

Liam slurped and said one word at a time, "You must have been beaten to death by me."

"…"

Liam didn't bother to talk to her again and went back to his room.

Ashley went to the table, picked up the bowl carefully, and went back to her room.

She sat down at the desk and took a sip. It was still a little hot. She just put it aside.

Looking back, she noticed that Doraemon had been put on the bed by her.

Ashley went over, picked up the doll, and put it in the corner of the bed, next to another doll that Jacob had given her.

She lay down on the bed, swinging her legs and poking the doll in the face with her fingertips.

Soon she turned over and lay on her back, looking at the white ceiling.

She was in a trance.

‘It seems a little humiliating today.

And inexplicably, it seems a little happy.’

In this sudden period, in addition to abdominal pain, there was a feeling of falling of the belly, Ashley actually was not that uncomfortable.

But the next morning, she was awakened by pain, as if she had been stabbed in the abdomen with a needle.

Grace and Tim have come back and Grace made a bowl of porridge for Ashley.

"Are you feeling better?" When she finished washing, Grace sat beside her and talked to her, "It's good to have your period. I heard your aunt say that Mary jumped to 1.7 meters after menstruation."

Ashley took a sip. Hearing this, she thought, "My cousin?"

"That's right."

Ashley wondered, "Isn't she already more than 1.6 meters?"

Grace, “Yes. In this way, you may grow to 1.6 meters all of a sudden. "

"1.6 meters."

Ashley swallowed the porridge into her stomach and shook her head. "I want to be a little taller, preferably up to 1.7 meters."

"Then you should have a good meal." Grace said gently, "You will grow taller."

After breakfast, Ashley lay in bed all day and didn't want to do anything.

But thinking of being taller was the first symbol of growing up, and then she would no longer look like a child.

The pain didn't seem to be so hard to bear.

The next Wednesday was Ethan's birthday.

Originally, Ashley had made up her mind not to go. After all, she was not familiar with the people in that circle. Grace also helped her sign up for a summer painting class.

But because of Bella's serial killing calls, they reached an agreement.

Bella's home was nearby, so she came to meet Ashley early and planned to go with her.

Because the location of KTV was in another district, the two of them went to the nearby bus stop to wait for the bus.

In August, it was still very hot, and the surface temperature was boiling and smelled like dirt.

Two little girls stood under the station sign in short sleeves and shorts with umbrellas.

After waiting for a while, Ashley was so hot that she was a little grumpy, "Isn't it one o'clock in the afternoon? Why do we have to come out so early?"

"I forgot to buy a present."

Bella stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Anyway, we're going to No. 2 Street. We could hang around there. When we get a gift, we go to meet Ethan."

"It's only ten o'clock."

"It takes an hour to get there by bus."

Bella looked at her watch. "We should get there at 11:00, go shopping, and have lunch. Isn't it just the right time?"

Ashley hummed, "Can I just go to lunch?"

"No! How can I go shopping alone? " Bella said, "Also, didn't you say that you and Bella were in the same class for six years? I feel like you guys have a bad relationship. "

“Yeah, quite bad."

"…"

Bella couldn't believe it. "Really? I thought Ethan…well…You know. "

Ashley frowned, "What? I can’t get you."

Bella leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I think he has a crush on you."

"…"

The bus just came.

Without waiting for Ashley to reply, Bella immediately dragged her into the bus.

The bus was empty, there were few people, and there were many seats left.

The two girls took the seats in the back row.

Ashley was still thinking about Bella's words, and her expression was a little subtle, "Who told you that?"

"I can see it at a glance." Bella said, "He always asks me to ask you out. Class six is on the third floor, our class is on the second floor, and he always comes to hang out outside our class. "

Ashley asked again, "Then why don't you say that he has a crush on you?"

"..."

"Otherwise, why didn't he come to me directly, but through you?"

Ashley's expression was taken for granted. "You two probably didn't know each other before."

"… That makes sense. "

Bella skimmed her lips. "But if it wasn't about you, he wouldn't be looking for me at all."

Silence.

Ashley stared at her and suddenly pointed to her right face.

Bella was really puzzled, “Why? There is nothing on your face."

Ashley pointed again.

Bella immediately hid back and refused, “You want a kiss?!"

"What are you talking about?" Ashley looked at her wordlessly. "I just want to tell you that I used to fight with Ethan."

"Ah? When? "

Ashley recalled, “ In the second grade."

"Second grade? How old were you then? "

"I am a year older than him." Ashley said, "When I was young, some boys did hit girls, but not like him. He wouldn't do this to other girls, just to me."

"What?"

"Beat me like a man."

"…"

"Once." As if to prove how outrageous what she said, Ashley pointed to her right face and said clearly, "He punched me with his fist." She deliberately bit a little hard on the word fist.

Bella, “Sh*t, is it serious?"

"Hmm? I don't know if it's serious. "

Ashley thought for a moment and then began to emphasize, "It's not that I can't beat him. The main reason is that I fell to the ground unprepared. "

"…"

"And knocked out a tooth." After a pause, Ashley continued, "I was angry and gave him a push."

"… And then? "

"He also fell to the ground and broke a bone."

"…"

As soon as this remark came out, Bella really gave up her idea.

Later, when she bought a gift, she did not persuade Ashley to choose one for Ethan.

They seemed to be regarded as enemies.

Ashley was so happy that she followed her and looked at some gadgets.

Bella chose a gift so casually that she bought it when she saw a nice little night light.

It was still early, so the two simply entered a dessert shop on the same floor.

This was a chain of dessert shops.

The storefront was very small, the decoration was partial to the Chinese style, the wooden tables, and chairs, the color was dark, the light color was dim yellow, looking very warm.

The air conditioner was turned on very low, isolating the dryness and heat outside.

There were no other guests in the shop, only one clerk.

Hearing the sound of the door, the clerk raised his eyes, sounded a little sleepy, and said lazily, "Welcome."

The sound was particularly familiar.

Ashley took a breath and looked up subconsciously.

The man, dressed in a brown apron, sat in the cashier, his eyebrows drooping slightly and his pupils lighter in the light.

His eyes glanced and stopped on Ashley's face.

Be silent for two seconds.

Ashley took the initiative to shout, “Brother."

Jacob looked at the girl next to Ashley and nodded, “Hanging out?"

Ashley, “Yes."

Bella's eyes rolled on both of them and said nothing.

Ashley picked up the menu from the cashier and hesitated to ask, "Brother, do you work here?"

"Yeah"

"Find a seat and come over for what you want to eat. I'll send it to you later."

Thet sat in the innermost seat.

Flipping through the menu, Bella quietly looked in the direction of Jacob's and said curiously, "Who is that? I remember your brother didn't seem to look like this. "

"My brother's friend."

"He looks so handsome."

Bella covered her chest, "I remember your brother is also very handsome, Ashley, good for you."

Ashley, “Don't talk nonsense."

Bella, “Ah?"

Ashley, “My brother is not handsome."

"..."

Soon, the two picked out the dessert.

Holding the menu, Ashley went to Jacob and said, "Brother, I want a Sweet Sago Cream with Coconut Milk and mango double-skinned milk."

Jacob, “Ok."

Ashley calculated the price, then took a twenty and a ten from her pocket, and fumbled for three more coins. But she didn’t get any other coins.

Ashley put all the money on the cashier.

She turned around and wanted to go back to her place to get her bag and take a dollar out of it to make it up.

Just walked two steps, Jacob shouted to her, “Kiddo."

Ashley turned around and said, "Ah?"

Jacob knocked on the money on the table, propped his elbows on the edge of the table, leaned down slightly, and asked with a low smile, "That’s not enough."

Ashley pursed her lips, went back to her position in silence, took a coin out of her bag, went to the cashier, and put the dollar in front of him.

Jacob glanced down his eyes, "There is still one piece missing."

"..."

Ashley felt that he was cheating her out of money and began to be serious with him, "One 18 dollars, one 16 dollars, add up to 34, that’s enough."

"Didn't you say that brother was handsome?"

"…"

‘When did she say it? It was Bella.

And it has nothing to do with it.’

"You’ve peeped at brother so many times, if I’m free to be peeped, " he said casually, " what a loss that brother has suffered. "