Hello Ashley

Joshua Adam wasn't a stranger at his university. He was pretty popular among the students. He wasn't very tall, probably short for his age, but his broad shoulders and slightly muscular arms were noticeable, especially since he wasn't part of any sports club. He had short, straight brown hair that almost touched his eyes in the front, which reminded Ashley of Justin Bieber's hairstyle during his early career. It should have looked odd for his age, but somehow, it suited him perfectly.

Joshua's friendly personality and easy smile crowded his party with university students. The lively atmosphere caused Ashley to grip Florence's arm tightly as they entered the main room with Joshua. The girl's brow furrowed as she noticed the people around them dancing. Josh's house was packed with guests wearing all sorts of costumes.

She had to admit Joshua had chosen a bold theme when planning this party. The guy was dressed as Captain America, while Florence and Samuel were in matching costumes as Rapunzel and Flynn. Ashley didn't want to stand out too much, so she opted for a white shirt, a skirt, and a hooded cloak. Her outfit resembled Red Riding Hood but with a black hood.

The pungent smell of alcohol made Ashley rub her temples gently. She didn't like alcoholic drinks; she found the taste odd, and they made her dizzy. Her sense of smell was highly sensitive so that she could detect scents more strongly than others. She couldn't understand why people loved drinking so much. Mentally, she noted that she should be careful when picking drinks to ensure she grabbed cola, not beer.

"Drink?" Joshua offered, holding two red plastic cups. Florence nodded and took one, leaving the other for Ashley. Joshua raised an eyebrow when she shook her head slightly.

"I don't drink that—do you have cola?"

"Oh, sure. I'll grab you some cola."

Florence then excused herself to find Samuel, who had told her he was playing games with others in the next room. Though Ashley agreed to let her friend go, she felt uneasy being left alone. Soon after, Joshua returned with a similar cup filled with a different drink. After ensuring it was cola and not beer, Ashley took a sip.

"Where's Flo?" Joshua asked, noticing Ashley by herself.

"She went to find Sam."

"Oh, alright."

Joshua looked at Ashley curiously, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow as if trying to figure something out. Ashley, feeling his gaze on her, raised her eyebrow.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry, I feel like I'm just noticing you. Are you Flo's friend?"

"Yeah, as you can see, I came with Florence," Ashley replied coldly. She wasn't very open to new people, especially since this was her first time meeting Josh.

Joshua only nodded, unfazed by her curt tone. "Ah, I see. I'm Joshua Adam. Nice to meet you, uh—"

"Ashley, Ashley Lewis," she said shortly.

Joshua's hazel eyes lit up when he finally learned her name. "Nice to meet you, Ashley."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Are you in the same major as Flo?" he asked, still interested.

"Yeah, we're in the same program."

"Wow, that must be fun. Just like me and Sam."

That comment piqued Ashley's interest. "You and Sam are in the same major?"

Joshua nodded quickly. "Yeah, and funny enough, we went to the same high school too. I guess Sam didn't want to be separated from me, haha."

The joke didn't make Ashley laugh. She just cleared her throat quietly and continued sipping her cola.

"Tell me about yourself, Ashley. Are you in any clubs at the university?"

Ashley gave Joshua a sharp look. Usually, if she acted uninterested, people would leave her alone, but that didn't seem to be the case with him.

"I'm not in any clubs," Ashley answered flatly.

Joshua took a sip of his beer before nodding. "Wow, same here. I'm not in any clubs either."

Ashley looked at him in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."

"Hey, I'm serious. I'm not in any clubs."

"And yet you can throw a party and invite all these people?" she asked skeptically.

Joshua raised an eyebrow and laughed. He knew where this conversation was going. "Oh, so that's why you're doubting me. I know a lot of people at the university because I'm super social. That's it."

"Hmmm."

The two of them didn't say anything, and their silence grew. Ashley was still busy with her cola, occasionally taking a sip while watching the group of idiots still dancing. She let out a quiet sigh.

This is boring, she thought.

"You seem like a pretty reserved person," Joshua said, breaking the silence.

"And you seem like someone who doesn't know how to give up," Ashley shot back.

A typical boyish grin spread across Joshua's face. "I just want to be friends with you."

"No offense, but I'm not really friendly with new people."

"None taken. I already figured that out."

Ashley looked at him, confused. "Sorry, if you already knew that, then what's the point of all this conversation?"

Joshua smiled slightly. "I just want to be friends, honestly. Plus, as a good host, shouldn't I greet all my guests warmly?"

"You're right—sorry, I just—you know. I'm not very familiar with all this. You know, parties, crowds, and stuff."

The brown-haired boy nodded slowly. "No problem. By the way, that's the longest sentence you've said to me since we met. Keep it up!"

Hearing that, Ashley gaped in disbelief, but before she could respond, Joshua told her that Flo had returned with Sam. Then, he excused himself, saying he had to greet the other guests.

"Hey, sorry for making you wait, Ash. I had to drag this idiot away from his friends, or he'd end up wasted," Florence complained as she returned. Sam, standing beside her, grinned stupidly. His tanned skin was now red, indicating he was already pretty drunk.

Ashley nodded understandingly. "Ah, yeah, no problem."

Flo looked around as if searching for someone. "Where's Josh?"

"He excused himself to greet the other guests."

Flo rolled her eyes lazily. "Ah, the downside of being the host. We can't monopolize Josh. I wanted to get you two closer!"

"What? Why?" Ashley was shocked to hear that.

Florence tilted her head and gave a mischievous smile. "I'm good at matchmaking. Besides, Josh is still single."

"Oh, Flo. Stop meddling in my love life!" Ashley protested, clearly annoyed.

But her taller friend didn't listen. Instead, she threw an arm around Ashley and whispered something to her. "Let me tell you something. Josh is a good guy. I know you don't like the bad boy type, but trust me, even though Josh looks like one, he's actually really sweet."

"Oh, come on! You sound like a matchmaker!"

"That's what friends are for, Ash!"

"Shut up!"

***

Ashley slowly massaged her temples. The pounding EDM music was starting to give her a headache, even though that kind of music was all the rage these days. Maybe Florence was right—she was like an old lady trapped in a young woman's body. Or perhaps it was just her generation's terrible taste in music? She wasn't sure.

She could see her friends Florence and Samuel dancing like fools from the sofa where she sat. Flo was already quite drunk, and as for Sam—well, Sam always looked like he was intoxicated, so Ashley couldn't tell whether he was sober or not. The two of them were dancing as if the world was ending tomorrow, full of energy and enjoying themselves.

The black-haired girl glanced at her watch. It was midnight. If this were a Cinderella story, she would have already rushed home before turning back into a nobody. But this wasn't a fairy tale; she still had to stay and ensure her two friends got home safely. More precisely, she had to ensure they didn't end up driving in their current state. Ashley doubted either of them was in any condition to drive.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice a tall girl standing before her. When Ashley finally looked up, she recognized her as one of her classmates.

"Ashley?" the girl greeted her.

"Yeah, um—what's up?" Ashley answered awkwardly. She knew this beautiful wavy-haired girl's name—Bianca Geraldine—but they rarely spoke and only exchanged brief words in class. So it was no surprise Ashley felt stiff when Bianca greeted her.

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure it was really you. I don't usually see you outside of class. Nice to see you!" Bianca smiled warmly, but Ashley only nodded, returning the smile awkwardly.

"Flo invited me here."

"Oh, Florence? I saw her earlier."

"Yeah, she's on the dance floor."

Bianca then handed Ashley an envelope. A sealed, brown envelope. Ashley looked at Bianca, confused.

"I wanted to give you this. I think it was sent to the wrong person. It's addressed to you, but someone gave it to me earlier."

"What is this?" Ashley asked, making sure the letter was indeed addressed to her.

Bianca shrugged. "I don't know. Your name's on it, and when I saw you here, I figured I'd give it to you before I forgot."

After handling the mysterious letter, Bianca excused herself to return to the party. Ashley looked at the envelope in her hands, unsure what to do. At first, she didn't want to open it, thinking it might be some prank, but her curiosity got the better. Quickly, she tore open the envelope and pulled out its contents.

Inside was a small piece of paper with just two sentences written on it.

You killed that little girl, Ashley.

Now, you can't run anymore.

Her heart seemed to stop. Reflexively, her hand went to her left arm, where a scar remained—a mark that had never entirely disappeared. She looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching her, but there was no one. No one seemed to be paying her any attention.

Ashley clutched the paper with trembling hands, reading it repeatedly, trying to convince herself that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. But the words remained the same no matter how often she read it.

You killed that little girl, Ashley.

Now, you can't run anymore.

Someone knew what had happened all those years ago. Now, that person was after her. Whoever it was, their motive for confronting her was unclear. But Ashley realized one thing: this autumn wouldn't end like the ones before.

Now, you can't run anymore.

***