Hello Ashley

Ashley felt as if her head had been hit by a large rock as her consciousness slowly returned. Gradually, she opened her eyes and realized she was back in her apartment. When she glanced to the side, she saw a brown-haired girl sleeping next to her. Her vision started to focus, and she recognized the girl beside her as Florence.

Just as Ashley was about to try to sit up, the door to her room suddenly opened. Vanessa appeared, looking at her with concern. "Ash?"

Ashley quickly put her finger to her lips, signalling Vanessa not to wake Florence. Her cousin nodded and then sat next to Ashley.

"Are you feeling better? Are you in pain? Do you need anything? I can get it for you," her cousin asked rapidly, not waiting for Ashley to respond.

"Vanessa, calm down. I'm fine. Hmm, maybe I need some water. My throat feels dry."

Hearing that, Vanessa immediately nodded. She excused herself to get water and returned with a glass for Ashley. "Here's your water," she said.

The black-haired girl thanked her before taking a drink. Her throat felt better after drinking the water. Ash then looked at Vanessa and asked, "Vanessa, what happened?"

Vanessa's face turned confused. "Ash? Do you not remember anything?"

Ashley rubbed her still aching head. She vaguely remembered being at Coach Edward's house for a BBQ. She recalled being in the backyard with Florence, trying to get some fresh air before Flo returned inside. After that, she remembered being alone in the backyard, then suddenly losing consciousness and not remembering anything.

"I'm not sure," the black-haired girl replied. "My head and neck still hurt."

Vanessa Lewis looked at Ashley with concern. Her pretty face seemed to be weighing something before she finally spoke again. "Ash, someone hit you, and you passed out."

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed as she heard that. "What?"

"When Florence and your other friends found you, they called me and took you to a doctor. After an examination, they found a wound on the back of your head, like from a blow. The doctor said that blow was what made you lose consciousness."

Vanessa stroked Ashley's shoulder. "After the doctor treated you, we brought you home."

"And Flo?" Ash glanced at her friend, who was still sleeping soundly beside her.

"Florence was really worried. She didn't want to go home and asked if she could stay here to watch over you."

Ashley Lewis tried to gather all the information. Someone had attacked her during the BBQ at Coach Edward's house. Then her friends took her to the doctor and brought her back home. Various possibilities started spinning in her mind.

Could this incident be related to the threatening letter?

But why now, when everything had seemed fine just a few days ago?

The black-haired girl didn't understand. Her hands clenched tightly on her lap. Ashley hadn't expected the nightmare to return so quickly.

Why is this happening again?

"Ash?" Vanessa waved her hand, snapping Ashley out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

Her cousin's brown eyes looked at her with concern. "Are you okay? Is something bothering you?" Vanessa asked.

"Vanessa—" Ashley bit her lip, unsure to tell her cousin. There was no guarantee that if she said Vanessa, her cousin, wouldn't get caught up in the danger. "—I'm fine. I'm just tired, and my head still hurts."

Vanessa still looked at Ash with concern but nodded slightly and didn't push Ash to talk. "Alright, you should rest some more."

"Yes, thank you, Vanessa." Vanessa smiled softly before exiting Ashley's room and closing the door.

The black-haired girl sighed quietly. She placed her hand on her forehead, her mind wandering. Just when she thought she could sleep again, a voice suddenly startled her.

"Ash, aren't you going to tell me what happened?"

"Huh?"

***

Florence looked at her friend seriously. The brown-haired girl had been awake for a while and had intentionally waited until Vanessa left Ashley's room. Flo knew Ashley wouldn't say anything if she asked while Vanessa was there.

Meanwhile, Florence's gaze made Ashley nervous. The black-haired girl knew she wasn't good at lying, especially not to Florence. For some reason, her friend was always sensitive and could sense when she wasn't okay or was hiding something.

Flo raised her eyebrows, still waiting for her friend to speak. "Well?"

Ashley sighed weakly. "Someone sent me a threatening letter."

The brown-haired girl furrowed her brow. "A threat? What kind of threat? Let me see the letter."

Ash opened the drawer beside her bed and handed Flo a letter. Flo quickly read it, and her face immediately turned pale.

"Ash? Did you really kill someone?" Flo asked cautiously, but Ash just turned her face away.

"Do you believe me if I tell you I had no choice back then?" the black-haired girl asked sadly.

Ashley sat in her bed, her hands trembling as she stared at the floor. The room felt suffocating, even though the windows were wide open. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths shaky and uneven. She hadn't wanted to tell Florence anything, but she knew her best friend well enough to understand that hiding things from her wouldn't work. Florence was too persistent sometimes, but Ashley loved her for it. Still, this was too much.

Florence sat at the edge of the bed, her brown eyes locked onto Ashley's pale face. "Ash, you need to tell me. You can't keep this to yourself anymore. Please."

Ashley hesitated, biting her lip as the memories came rushing back. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't want to cry again. Not in front of Flo. "It's… hard to explain," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Ash, you've got to try," Florence urged her voice a mix of concern and frustration. She reached out, placing a hand on Ashley's, squeezing it firmly. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right? I'm here."

Ashley took a deep breath, still looking at the floor, avoiding Florence's intense gaze. "A few years ago… I was trapped in a fire," she began, her voice trembling. "It was so fast… the smoke, the heat… I thought I was going to die."

Florence's grip tightened on her hand, but she said nothing. She was letting Ashley talk, and for that, Ash was grateful.

"I heard someone," Ashley continued, her breath hitching as she spoke. "A girl… she was screaming for help. I tried to find her… and when I did, she was hurt. She couldn't walk." Ashley's voice cracked as tears slid down her cheeks. "I… I tried to help her. I really did, Flo. But the fire was getting worse. I didn't have time. I had to leave her. I had to save myself."

Her voice broke into a sob, and she finally turned to look at Florence, her eyes pleading for understanding. "I left her there. I left her to die."

Florence's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open in shock. But instead of recoiling, she immediately moved closer, wrapping her arms around Ashley tightly. "Ash… oh my God."

Ashley buried her face in Florence's shoulder, shaking with guilt and fear. "I didn't have a choice, Flo. I couldn't… I couldn't do anything more. But I feel like I killed her."

"You didn't," Florence said, her voice firm now but full of care. She gently pulled back, cupping Ashley's face in her hands. "Ash, listen to me. You didn't kill anyone. You did everything you could. You're not a superhero; you couldn't have saved her if the fire was that bad."

"But why do I still feel so guilty? Why does it feel like I'm being punished?" Ashley's voice was desperate, her hands shaking as she gripped Florence's arms. "Someone sent me a letter at the Joshua's party, Flo. A threatening letter. They know. They know what happened. Since then, I've been so scared. Then at Sam basketball team's celebration thing, someone attacked me. I think… I think it's connected. They want to hurt me."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" Florence demanded, her voice filled with a mix of hurt and frustration. "Why did you keep this to yourself? You think I'd ever be mad at you? Ash, you were trying to save yourself. There's nothing wrong with that!"

Ashley wiped her eyes, feeling fragile and small. "I thought you'd… you wouldn't understand. That maybe you'd think I was a coward. That I let someone die when I could have done more. I didn't want you to see me that way."

"Ash, that's ridiculous," Florence snapped, her voice fierce now but not unkind. "You're not a coward. You were in danger. No one could've expected you to stay in that fire and risk your life. No one! And whoever's sending those threats? They're the real problem here, not you."

"But why do I still feel like this?" Ashley whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "If I did nothing wrong, why do I feel so guilty? And why does someone want to hurt me?"

Florence shook her head, her face severe but soft. "I don't know, Ash. But what I do know is that you can't face this alone. You're not alone. I'm here, and I'll be here no matter what. You're my best friend. I'm not going to let you go through this by yourself."

Ashley looked at her, her lip quivering. "You really mean that?"

"Of course, I do. And I'm going to help you figure this out," Florence said, determination clear in her voice. "But Ash, no more secrets, okay? No more hiding things from me. We're in this together."

Ashley's chest felt tight, but in a way that wasn't downright awful. For the first time in a long time, there was a glimmer of hope amid her fear. She nodded slowly. "Okay. No more secrets."

Florence smiled, leaning in to kiss Ashley's forehead lightly. "Good. Now, get some rest. I'm not letting anything happen to you, not on my watch."

Ashley smiled weakly, grateful for her friend's strength, even when she felt so broken. "Thank you, Flo. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll never have to find out," Florence grinned. Then, her tone softened. "We'll get through this, Ash. Together."

And for the first time in a long while, Ashley felt that she was safe. 

***