Ashley's pov
I could hear them in the hallways shouting and the front door opening harshly.
I was fairly amused, especially after I had fought with them earlier.
They finally made a kid who could match their stubbornness—Ash, and I was enjoying every second of it.
I was also pretty shocked. I didn't know they wanted to take Ash to a boarding school.
Logically, it was the most they could do at this point. They couldn't handle him, that's for sure. But a boarding school???
At this point Ash didn't need a boarding school. He needed… a military camp.
I dropped my utensils, the clink echoing across the silent dining room, and pushed my plate aside. The heat from the argument lingering in the air—like the smell of burnt toast that refused to fade.
I stood up, the chair legs scratching faintly against the floor, and walked to my bedroom. My heart was beating with something I couldn't quite name—part amusement, part dread.
When I got to my room, I tugged the curtains open, letting the golden hue of the porch light spill in. The night air outside was sharp and restless. Through the glass, I could see them.
Ash was getting on his motorbike.
How he managed to get a bike, I'll never know. One thing's for sure—my parents definitely didn't get it for him.
He swung his leg over it as he'd done it a thousand times before. My parents stood near him, still going on and on, their words cutting through the night like dull knives. I couldn't hear them, but I could tell by their faces that it wasn't gentle.
He wasn't listening anymore. He didn't even look at them.
He pulled his black helmet down, hiding his eyes—the same eyes as mine, only angrier—and revved the bike. The sound cracked through the night like thunder. My parents flinched.
Then, without a word, he turned his wrist. The engine roared, wild and alive, and he sped off down the street, the wind slicing through his wake. The faint red of his taillight flickered once, then disappeared into the dark.
My dad kicked at the small stones on the driveway, sending them scattering. My mom stood with her hands on her waist, her face pale and tight, the porch light casting her shadow long across the pavement.
For the first time, they looked… utterly hopeless.
And something inside me stirred—something both sad and strangely satisfying.
Oh, how I wished I could be like Ash. To just go.
To grab my own escape, silence their noise, and leave this perfect little prison called 'home' behind.
I could almost see it—me on that same bike, the wind in my hair, the road stretching endlessly ahead. No shouting. No locked doors. Just me, breathing freely for once.
I smiled faintly at the thought. The kind of smile that hurt because you knew it would never happen.
Then suddenly—
Bzzz.
My phone buzzed violently in my hand, snapping me out of the fantasy.
I blinked, letting go of the curtain as it fell back into place, hiding the sight of my parents standing in the driveway, still arguing with ghosts.
The light from my phone screen glowed against my palm.
A name flashed across it.
Luhle 🖤🤘
"Hey friend, you okay?" Luhle's voice rang softly through the speaker, full of that warm concern that always melted the weight off my chest.
I sighed, sinking onto my bed until the mattress dipped beneath me. My ceiling looked strangely comforting tonight. "Yeah, I'm good. Just… been a crazy day."
"I'm so sorry for getting you into trouble," she said quickly, guilt dripping from her tone.
"It's okay, really, we didn't know they'd come early and that's not even the least of my problems. My parents are gonna be pissed for a full week again."
"Wait—why?" she asked, her curiosity instantly spiking. "Hold up… is your brother home? I did see that motorbike on your lawn, Ag he's so hot with that bike." she mummered the last part, but it was loud enough for me to catch it
I gagged dramatically, rolling my eyes. "Firstly—eww. That's my brother. And secondly, yes, he was here… but he's gone now."
"What? Nooooo!" Luhle cried over the phone. "I didn't even get to see him!"
I couldn't help but giggle at her dramatic tone. "And you wouldn't believe why," I said, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"What? What happened??" she asked eagerly, her voice bright and alive.
"Apparently, my parents signed Ash up for a boarding school."
"No ways! Ash? A boarding school of all things??" Luhle gasped. "I don't think Ash is someone who even wants to go to school anymore."
"I know right?" I said, shaking my head even though she couldn't see me. "And I promise, he did not take that well."
"I mean, I don't blame him. I'd freak out too," she said, letting out a laugh that made me smile despite everything.
"I wish I was going to that boarding school," I muttered, twirling a loose thread on my blanket.
"Yeahh, if only you were a guy, then maybe your parents wouldn't be so obsessively protective of you, then you'd totally be able to go to that school," she teased casually.
I laughed it off, the kind of laugh that starts light but ends up lingering. And then… something clicked. A spark of thought, wild and glowing, formed in my mind.
"yeah, If only I were a guy…" I murmured slowly, repeating the words like they were some forbidden spell. My eyes widened. "If only I was… a guy!"
There was a moment of silence before Luhle spoke again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—what is going on?" Luhle's voice crackled through the phone, half alarmed, half intrigued.
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that before?" I said standing up from the bed, heart pounding with new excitement.
Silence lingered on her end before she finally spoke, sounding both horrified and impressed. "Ashley… no. No, no, no, no. You're not actually thinking—"
"Oh, I'm thinking," I cut her off, grinning. "I'm thinking outside the box."
"Don't tell me you want to become a guy and sneak into your brother's boarding school?" she asked in disbelief. "I mean what could possibly go wrong?" The sarcasm was so thick I could practically see her rolling her eyes through the phone.
"Think about it. It's worth a shot. I've been locked up my whole life, Luhle. Even if it only lasts three days—it would be worth it, don't you think?"
"This is insane. You've gone insane," she whispered harshly, though I could hear the tiny edge of amusement in her tone. "You can't go to an all-boys boarding school!"
"Of course I can!" I said confidently.
"How, huh?" Luhle asked.
"Easy," I said, smirking to myself. "I'll just act like Ash. No one will notice in that school. I mean…" I paused, my grin widening. "How hard can being a guy be anyway?"
"Whoa, whoa, I still don't get you, Ashley—"
"I'll have to call you later, okay? Bye!!" I said quickly, before she could talk me out of it, and hung up.
The moment the line went dead, I just stood there, the phone warm in my hand and my reflection glinting faintly off the black screen.
Then, slowly, a smile crept across my face. A wild, unstoppable grin that I hadn't worn in like forever!
This could go horribly wrong, I could get found out. Get disowned, be on the news and become an outcast in my family.
But at this point, I'd made up my mind.
And I wasn't going back.