Zoe's POV
Ashley stared at me in silence, her lips parted as though she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. The breeze outside brushed over my arms raising goosebumps, yet my body felt overheated, burning under the weight of her wide-sized gaze.
"You… turned Bob down?" she whispered, the words trembling as if even saying them out loud made them feel less believable. Then her voice pitched upward—not quite a scream, but sharp enough to slice the air between us. "Why would you even do that?"
I pressed my lips together, biting back the thousand flimsy excuses scrambling inside me. We had excused Brandon and Seth a few minutes ago. They needn't ask; it was obvious Ashley and I required girl-time. But now, as Ashley's stare pinned me in place, I almost wished they were there. At least their presence would have softened the moment or diluted the intensity of her stare.
