6 CHAPTER 4

I gave my all voice to sing along to Ashton's iPod while we were in the car. Guess what? We have a date today.

It's Saturday and he suddenly knocked on our door and said we were going on a date. Fortunately, i was still in a nerdy disguise when i asked him to open the door.

I'm also used to always wearing glasses and a wig, as well as contact lenses.

"Come on, Ashton, join the song!" I said to him and waved my hand. Because the roof of his car was raised. It's cool, it's good and it's not hot.

"Damn. You're crazy!" He said while laughing as he watched me. Hee shook her head and there was a playful smile on his natural red lips.

"Sing with me!"

I love singing even more when he joins me. It's a bit funny because his voice is manly and then he sings Taylor Swift's cheerful song.

We sang together and laughed together as well. It was as if we were crazy people that doing karaoke on the raised roof of a car.

The people at the other riding car look at us but i don't care about them, i'm just happy because i already have a date, and also today i will have the salary for being his pretend girlfriend.

First i thought it's a shame but i'm wrong. I can even get free food, handsome boyfriend and of course the salary. Just my luck.

"We're here." He said and parking the car at a famous mall.

"Here?" I ask while my eyes widened even more.

Disappointment filled his face. He lost his smile and seemed embarrassed by my question. It's like i want to scold myself for why i said that. I just make his mood sad.

"If you do not like-"

"No! I'm just surprised because ... I-I-rarely go to m-malls like this." I’m cutting to what else he has to say.

Maixity Mall. Just according to the name of the mall where we walk in.

How can i not be surprised if this mall is owned by our family. And the sad thing is that my older brother may still be here! He shouldn't have seen me because he will definitely ask again why i have a man with me.

I notice the women's stares at Ashton but when they look at me they immediately wince.

Who doesn't wince when they see me? I'm in my typical disguise but what's worse is i'm just wearing simple pants and a big t-shirt so i look slightly fat.

Ashton took my hand and gently squeezed it so i could look at him. He also just looked at me as if weighing my reaction.

"Ashton, aren't you embarrassed to be with me? Or even hold my hand?"

"Why am i going to be embarrassed? I don't care about what other says. I just want you and me, together."

I averted my eyes because of the strange twinkle in his eyes. It was cold when he said that but it was as if something hot touched my heart so it was beating so fast.

"We'll be going to meet my friends." Suddenly he said i stopped.

I don't know but there seems to be something in me that contributed to what he said. I thought we were dating, why with his friends?

"You okay?"

I just nodded at his question and we walked again. I don't know but something stings me. He said date but with his friends. Does it mean that it's only a friend's date?

I smiled bitterly at the thought. I'm confused. Not with him if not with myself.

It seems like i want to expect that our date will be a romantic one as if we are really dating but why am i expecting it? After all, i pretend to be his girlfriend. It’s just pretending and not true at all so i shouldn’t have to expect anything romantic to happen.

Moments later we entered a large and beautiful restaurant. There was a group of beautiful and handsome people on a long table spread out with him. He waved back and held hands to approach there.

It was as if i suddenly felt embarrassed so i let go of his hand. They are all beautiful and handsome, am i? Ugly. Out of place.

I swallowed and avoided the gaze of a beautiful and sexy woman who approached Ashton and without saying a single word she kissed him on his lips.

I heard his loud groaned and pulled the woman away from her. It hurt, i don’t know why but i felt something in my chest.

I gently shook my head to remove whatever was running through my brain. Maybe i was just hurt because i was his pretend girlfriend but he kissed someone else.

I hope he was able to respect me even if i was just pretending. What if it's true that he's my boyfriend? Will he still be able to kiss another woman in front of me.

But i don't have to think about that anymore. I have no right to be hurt for no apparent reason. I'm just pretending. I have to limit how i feel.

Her group of friends fell silent as she sneezed and held my hand. "This is Clare. My friend."

I bit my lower lip. I don’t know how i feel right now. He said, i will pretend to be his girlfriend but he himself is just a friend to know me.

"Hi." I just said that and gave them a frugal smile.

They smiled back at me and one by one introduced themselves.

"I'm Tristan." The handsome man as tall as Ashton said. He reached out his hand to shake hands, i was about to reach out to him when Ashton suddenly pulled me away from Tristan.

I looked at him but immediately averted my eyes when i saw that the beautiful woman who are looking very bad at me.

"Thaediece." The serious woman approached me and u was vindicated. I smiled at her, she just nodded.

"Ezyreh."

"Zhyree."

"Cassandra. Cassia for short."

"Kaiden."

"Amber."

"Leigh."

"Leign."

"Crant. Ashton's cousin."

There were many of them and i could hardly remember them all but the self -proclaimed Crant caught my attention. Ashton's cousin.

He looks so angelic. He also had a nice smile so i smiled too. I feel like if he smiles at you, you need to smile back.

I lost sight of Crant when the woman hugged Ashton again in front of me.

"Venice." The girl who's hugging Ashton right now said. She raised an eyebrow and looked down at my foot.

Suddenly i felt conscious. I really feel so out of place because they are all beautiful, i am the only one who's not like them.

Although i am embarrassed i just smiled at him. "Clare." I reached for my hand but she just stared at it and hugged Ashton even more.

I don't know but i feel like all my blood has risen and i want to pull her out because of her cunning.

I saw Ashton gently push him away. You will notice the uneasy and annoyance on his face.

"What are you doing here, Ven?" Ashton asked without emotion when he untied the snake like girl that clunging in him.

"Why, am i not allowed to hang out with my ex's friends?"

The woman stared at me sharply again as if she was really making me hear the word ex.

"I already told you, we haven't had one in a long time so leave. You're disturbing us."

"It's a mall. I can go whenever i want, and you don't own it so you can't let me go."

That made me smile secretly. This is our mall. I can send you away any time i want. I wanted to say that but i didn't say it. I'm so lazy to talk.

"But because i'm kind. I won't bother you first. Bye, babe." He said to Ashton and was about to kiss her on the lips when i pulled Ashton's arm closer to me so the girl almost slip on the floor. I bit my lower lip to stop the laughter.

"How dare you?" She said and Ashton was about to attack me. "Leave." The woman came out of the restaurant screaming and glaring at me.

"Damn girl." I heard Thaediece say. Others smiled as they looked at us. Specially, Crant.

"I like you. Can i court you?" My eyes widened when he suddenly came over and said that. He would have held me when Ashton hid me behind me.

"Back off, dude."

"Why is she just your friend and i'm not kidding. I like her." He said while pouting so i couldn't help but to laugh. He's really so cute.

Ashton turned to me and gave me a sharp look so i stopped.

"Stop. Let's eat." Thaediece emotionless said.

Ashton pulled me to a chair next to him and immediately frowned when Crant suddenly stood beside me.

He smiled so i just smiled too. I turned to Ashton as he put food on the plate in front of me. It's steak.

I turned again to my left to see where Crant was when he put the bacon.

Ashton took a deep breath and put sauce on my plate but her cousin who also put a lot of food on my plate didn't give up.

Okay, i guess i'll have a hard time here.

~

"Can you please shut up you two?" I scolded the two while covering my ears.

We were already inside Ashton’s car and we were with the most naughty creature in the world. The one and only, Crant Visus Monterial.

Yes, that's his full name. I think he told almost everything that happened in his life in the car while we were going to the park.

The four cars followed Ashton's friends because they decided to have a picnic in the park.

They are all kind. I thought i would be forever out of place while i was with them but no, i feel the warmth when they welcome me with open arms.

And in the short time we've been together, i've gotten to know them a bit.

Crant, of course he has the most angelic face but if you chat with him, you can imagine chickens cracking in the morning.

Tristan, he is the most pissed off in the group and he is also Thaediece's boyfriend.

Thaediece is a nice girl, she's also more serious, it's just a bit creepy because she can look at you like she seems to know everything to know you.

Leigh and Leign, the twins who can't be separated, even when the other one goes to comfort room, she has to be with his twin. They're identical twin.

Ezyreh, the most greedy. He was the only one who ate the leftovers, he was also the one who ate the most desserts. It's just greedy, but even so, i can say he's still macho.

Zhyree, the sexy hunter. Every time a woman passes in front or he sees someone with big boobs, he will start chatting with them. What a playboy.

Cassandra and Kaiden, they're couple. Indeed. Unlike Tristan who i didn't notice that he and Thaediece were dating and together , Cassia and kaiden was pretty obvious. Is it bad to take shelter?

And lastly, Amber. The boyish yet beautiful one. And i noticed that she is also the one who always fights with Zhyree the sexy hunter when someone teases her.

"Hahaha, then what, i still remember when i was seven years old, Ashton and i were playing with a car at the restaurant because there was a family dinner but his car was on the table when the sexy woman was there. We couldn't get it because our hands were small then, so we asked Daddy to help, because our Mommies were in the car and then Daddy was wearing them on the table. Mommy and i went out, so according to my Daddy, he was diving at the beautiful woman. Hahaha!” I bit my lower lip to suppress my laugh.

"Damn that's ten years ago!" Ashton said while his eyebrows are meeting each other.

I was startled when Crant suddenly looked up from behind us and gave me a cheeky smile. The cutie.

He was sitting in the back seat, i was in the shot gun seat while Ashton was in the driver's seat.

"Fuck, get organized, Crant!" Annoyed Ashton said and stopped the car in the middle of the road.

He's fuming mad and i don't know why. "Ashton, fix your driving!" I said confusedly because he was still standing in the middle of the road and i could hear the horn of the car behind us.

He blinked and started to drive again so i could breathe easily. Fortunately, his roof was not raised, otherwise we would have been stoned by the cars behind us that had stopped because of his stopping.

I clung so tightly to my seat when he stepped on the brakes that i almost fell on the dash board.

"Fuck! What again?!" Crant asked angrily holding his forehead that i think has a lump because he wasn't wearing a seat belt when Ashton braked and he was still leaning on us.

I would have startled when Ashton suddenly shouted. "Get down!!!"

At the same time we bowed because of his shout and the next thing i heard were loud gunshots.

The windshield of the car broke so my heartbeat immediately increased and quickened. I covered my ears as the loud gunshots still kept hitting the windshield but not the car itself.

I just kept calming myself because i need to, nothing happens when i panic. The one i'm afraid of has arrived, but how? How did they know?

Ashton's cellphone rang loudly grabbed my attention. He answered it immediately even though he was bent over and turned on the loudspeaker.

When our eyesight was right i saw so much concern in his eyes. He mouthed 'you okay?' And i just nodd.

I looked at his behavior and he was tickling something. My eyes immediately widened and froze so he immediately looked at me.

He's serious and dangerous. He ignored me and to my shock immediately broke the window in front of him and fired the gun at a black van that also fired a gun in front of us.

"Ashton, do you hear me?!" Said by the voice on the phone. I looked at Ashton who was also holding a gun.

It's Thaediece voice in the phone! His voice was loud but calm.

"Yes."

"Okay drive to the CSO!"

My heart beat faster when i heard the initials he was saying. It is possible that they are?...

"No! Clare is here." Ashton said and looked at me but immediately avoided.

"We'll just explain it to her later. Just do what i've said. If you stop, you'll die! Your car is the target."

I could hear gunshots on the other line but his voice was calm.

Ashton glanced at me again but immediately avoided me and started driving fast even though there were shooters and chasing the car.

"No bullets!" Crant shouted so Ashton reached for the gun he was holding earlier.

"Already Gone!" Ashton shouted back.

The three of us looked at each other. I have no choice. I immediately removed the t-shirt i was wearing. I was wearing a sports bra but my secret pocket immediately appeared which contained three guns and many bullets.

"H-how?" Crant stuttered as he watched me. Ashton's pace also slowed so i prompted. Though also curious he accelerated driving.

I threw the gun at Crant which he immediately caught and went back to shooting at the one chasing us so that we could no longer be followed.

They're face was confused but they just let it go. I pressed something forward to open the roof of the car. I heard ashton's loud moan and was about to close it but i just slapped his hand.

I stood up and looked at the pursuers. I shot their tire with a shotgun and fired.

Crant turned to me and amusement filled his face. I ignored that and shot the wheel of the van so we could no longer follow.

I quickly dodged someone firing in front of me. In annoyance i shot the shooter in front of me.

There are only two vans left but in one van there are many armed men.

Crant and i looked at each other and nodded like we understand by staring each other. We hit the two van's tire one by one and shot at each other causing the driver to lose control and collide with each other.

Crant and i have a high five. The van exploded and fortunately, we are already away.