Chapter 40

Winds blew faster, colder than before. The sun had retired back into the sky, allowing the moon to resurface, bringing with it a chill fog. Crisp brown leaves littered the ground, light frost covered the dirt floor. In fact, the entirety of the graveyard shared the same cloudy and gloomy atmosphere. Automatically, the graveyard gave off a depressing vibe, its ambiance was dark and serious; like the dire situation at hand. If Ashley could, she would very much prefer to eat dirt and die, might as well since she was at the cemetery. Gary sat comfortably on a wide gravestone, his legs childishly swung back and forth, his mouth open in a lazy crooked grin. "It almost makes me squirm in glee that you like to stalk me. Makes me feel special," he taunted. Ashley took a breath in, the crumbling brick wall she stood against nipped her skin through the shirt she wore, she welcomed the feeling of it. Better than letting the male Smith be the one who got under her skin.

"Cat got your tongue, Sunshine?"

'Pliers got your balls, jackass?' Ashley sneered at him. The last of her patience she had for the scarred boy was long gone, despite the small voice in the back of her head that told her it wasn't his fault, that it was his mental disorder. She shook that thought out of her head. He deliberately went off his medicine, he knew the consequences but dismissed them so carelessly. Gary didn't deserve her patience.

Gary laughed out loud, "Oh, is baby girl mad? I should be the one who's angry. My privacy was violated." His smile dropped the very next second, "I don't like being watched."

A piece of stone chipped off the gravestone Gary had sat on when he jumped off. Ashley took a stance, fisted balled up. The brunette smirked ominously, "Relax, sunshine. I don't bite." It was Ashley's turn to laugh out loud. Both Smiths knew that was a damn lie. 'He better stay where he's at if he knows what's good for him.' She had a hunched that Gary wouldn't dare get into an altercation with her, knowing full well she could take him down if needed. Not that it suggested Gary was not a good fighter— on the contrary, he was a pretty damn good fighter, as good as Jimmy. It just happened that Ash was a far better opponent than the both of them. The silent anger that coursed through her blood made her sensitive to a brawl, but the amount of smugness on his face made it hard for her to control herself. Little did she know, Gary struggled to conquer his own urges as well.

"I've always known you were a special girl. Very special indeed. Didn't think you'd be a special pain in my ass though," grunted Gary. "Alas, now I am the injured party for falling over your charms just like the rest of the town."

Ashley stared at him in mild-shock. Charm? What charm? Then again this was Gary she was dealing with. He would pull that card out, the card where he accused her of being manipulative and conniving. Ashley rolled her eyes in irritation; people blamed her for being a pleasant person like it was her fault.

Sorry, didn't know being a decent human inconvenienced you.

Gary sneered, "A huge inconvenienced."

"But, I was thinking," he started.

Oh, that would explain the beads of sweat on your brows.

Gary glared before he started his sentence again, "Hilarious, but I was thinking, that if you didn't hook up with Johnny, you and I would definitely have been a thing."

Why me?

"Guess you peaked my interest," Gary confessed, ashamed to have admitted it.

Was this Gary's way to confess his feelings? "Don't get me wrong, relationships are for the weak minded, but having a little action on the side never did hurt anybody." She was half wrong, his explanation was an excuse to save face. Gary hadn't admitted it to himself yet that he had some sort of romantic feelings for the raven-haired girl, probably never will, but he knew he had a huge attraction toward her. Whenever he had to watch Johnny and Ash together made him sick to his stomach; it should be him instead of the greaseball by her side, for Gary was the only one best suited to be hers. He had brains, and that quality alone made him stand out the most or should have. Sadly, she chose to surround herself with hooligans and pea-brained thugs, effectively throwing away her self-respect and good judgment.

Are you sure about that? The uninviting, uninterested aura she gave off was so hot, it pissed Gary off some more.

"I've never been wrong before, sunshine," Gary stated confidently.

Her know-it-all smile made the scarred boy narrow his eyes, Yet you were wrong about me and the students at Bullworth.

"Oh?" he raised a brow, "How was I wrong?"

You assumed I would fall to my knees at your feet. You assumed the school would be yours, that you would be ruling an empire. Too bad I got in your way huh?

That was it, she was the last fat stick to break the camel's back. In a flash, Gary had Ash pinned to the wall, his face mere centimeters away from hers. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you Sunshine. Just because I haven't found a single flaw in your facade, doesn't mean there isn't one. Trust me when I say this: I will get my revenge and it will be the worst pain you ever felt."

His words never fazed her in the slightest. Ashley expected their rendezvous to get physical, it almost always did. There is nothing you can do, to make me feel pain Gary Smith.  I have this whole town at my beck and call, it should be you watching your own mouth.

Gary smirked, "You're finally cracking aren't cha? Finally, that whole level-headed princess act was getting boring."

Me, boring? Never. I'm much too fond of myself to sink to your level.

The two started to bicker like an old married couple, with Ashley up for the win. Deep down, it amused the both of them greatly, finally having the chance to converse with a worthy opponent. Like Sherlock and Moriarty. They were able to perfectly match each other's intellectual abilities enough to ascertain the other's next thoughts.

"Are you blind?! Open your eyes or I'll pop them out!"

Oh, that's rich coming from the kid with a scar running down his eye. I'm amazed how you can see in general.

Gary moved in closer, "Oh really? Well, I hope you burn."

Better than being here with you.

He said nothing else, the sound of his heart racing rang in his ears. He took the chance to pause and evaluate himself in that moment. His arms were wrapped around Ashley's arm to prevent her from moving, his chest pressed painfully against her busty ones, her breath fanned his face he smelt the faint aroma of Cat's lunch along with the smell of her maniac greasehead.

"I don't understand why you're with him," he whispered. His brown orbs showcased misery, "You're a gorgeous genius, yet you lowered your standards for someone so dirty. It isn't fair." Gary's voice was gentle, deep. Memories of when they first met resurfaced, along with the electric shocks of unbridled desire. Gary felt those same sparks she did that day, and now, with her in his arms, he felt them again. And so did she.

"We could have been great," was the last thing to slip from his mouth before he smashed it against hers. Ashley frozen for a second, then realization sunk in. Her enemy kissed her, his tongue demanded entrance. As hard as she could, she kneed him in the family jewels, surely resulted in bruised balls. Gary doubled over in pain, sheering white pain. Only two thoughts ran through his brain: how beautiful his Ash looked livid and how delightful her lips tasted.

Ashley sprinted out of the cemetery, never once stopped to look back, afraid she'll do something she'll regret. What exactly, she didn't know. It could have been anything at this point really. She could have kicked his ass, continued their conversation, or worse the kiss. The warmth of it stayed on her lips and she enjoyed it. A tad bit. Just like the other times. Gary always did provoke that side of her, it was his specialty. She stopped running when she arrived at the dirt road behind Jimmy's lighthouse. By then, the world was pitch black, the air much harsher and unforgiving. A cruel and raucous wind blew, it gave Ashley the chance to scream her lungs out. What was wrong with her? Never had she felt too conflicted, so confused, so...lost. She was trapped in a burning building, toxic smoke suffocated her. But instead of smoke, it was her own mixed up emotions. She couldn't decide what she wanted anymore, except for one thing. She wanted Charlie back. By god, did she want him back so badly. He was the only one who could save her from herself, but they had gotten into a fight and her pride didn't allow her to forgive him just yet.

Her knees gave out, they pulled the weight from underneath her and she simply landed with a thud. Ashley buried her face in her hands and cried. This town and its people finally taken its toll on her.

Gary Smith had taken half of her mind. 

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A/N: I know this is a short chapter compared to all the other ones, but I really like how it turned out. Instead of adding other scenarios after this, I loved how this chapter focuses solely on my two favorite people, and let's face it; Gary needed more screen time. Am I right?

I tried to show some development here with both of these characters, but for the love that is all good, I can never get the hang of writing Gary's character. However, I hope I didn't disappoint!

As always, I love you guys and appreciate you all! If it wasn't for the support I wouldn't care too much about this story and have the constant motivation to keep on writing. I know it may seem tedious, me writing 40 fucking chapters yet still be in Chapter 2 according to the Bully game timeline, but I don't care. If it takes me 100+ chapters to finish this story then so be it. I just hope y'all don't grow tired :)

Till next time!

~Artemis