Chloe watched as Asher stormed off to his room. She smiled apologetically at Jared and thought of a quick excuse "He's fine, probably just grumpy," She added at the end. She set Harmony down and padded up the stairs after him.
"Ash?" She said quietly at his door. She always called him Ash when she was worried or when she knew she did something wrong. She wasn't sure why but it soothed him a little. She found him in his room and stood in front of him. "I'm sorry, it's just." She sighed trying to find the right words. She gently ran her hands through his hair a few times.
"I didn't mean it like that its just, you may think you want to be like a father to Harmony, but what happens when you have to leave? Or when I'm being a total bitch ,or Harmony's too much for you. Then what?" She flopped on his bed and gazed at his ceiling. "Harmony has never had a father figure. She doesn't even know who her father is. I can't risk her getting used to you and then you leave. I mean c'mon Ash. What even are we? Were not official, yet your hell bent on acting like the perfect family, and were not. Here's the facts Ash: I got knocked up in high school, harmony's father tried to kill me multiple times, Harmony is around bad influences all the time because of this program. Who the hell knows how Harmony is going to end up?" She turned her back to him and frowned. "That's a risk I'm not ok with, why do you even want to be Harmony's dad? So you can get tied down to a chick with a baby?"
She flinched a little, thinking about Chris. She didn't mean to but she automatically held her knees and shut her eyes so tight it almost hurt. She hiked her dress up to her waist frantically as if to see if the bruises were gone and it was just a nighmare. To her dismay the multi colored bruise of her thigh was still there. She glanced at her other perminant bruise, a ugly red bruise that was on her hip. Images flashed through her mind, of her lying on the cold apartment floor, bleeding from the mouth, ribs broken, unable to move or even scream for help. She squeezed her knees tighter.
