Chapter 3

Ashley's POV: 

What am I going to do? My dad wants to marry me by force! How can any parent do this to his own child? Marry her and know that she's not happy with it. I could say I hate my family but I can't. I have a good bond with them even if they're not very understanding about my dreams.

While I'm lying on my bed and thinking desperate about how my parents are treating me, I've got an idea. It's a little too risky but I don't have any other ways out of this mess. So I'm going to call Meredith my best friend and tell her about this. Actually, I don't have an idea, I just thought Meredith is going to help me. She is my best friend since middle school but she moved back to her hometown London one year ago. Now we just contact each other through calls or chatting. 

"Hello, Mer! I need your help..." I immediately say when she answers my call. 

"Yeah Ash, I'm fine too thanks for asking!" She snaps sarcastically. 

"I'm sorry but it's very urgent! My dad wants to engage me with some guy I don't know!!" 

"He did WHAT?!" She shouts so I had to quickly put my phone away from my ear. 

"Yes, I know that sounds very weird. That's why I called you. I need your help to find a way out of this disaster." I explain to her. 

"Oh, ok I'll help you but let me think a second..." I probably can imagine her walking stressed through her room and biting on her lips while thinking. Suddenly, I hear the steps of my mom coming to my bedroom door. 

"Mer, my mom is coming! I'll call you later so tell me then what you've got." I quickly end the phone call, lye on my bed and pretend like I fell asleep. She opens the door the second I hided my phone under my pillow.

"Asli, are you sleeping?" She comes near my bed and puts a blanket on me. 

"I'm so sorry, honey." She whispers and gently strokes my right temple. When she gets up sobbing and leaves my bedroom, I also have tears.

After I felt one hour of sadness, Meredith finally calls me. I need sob first before she recognizes that I cried. 

"Hi, Mer. Did you get anything?" 

"Actually yes, I got something but I don't know if you're going to like this... I thought you maybe could run away and come to Hampstead...?" She carefully asks. 

"Are you crazy? I should run away from my own family?" I harshly ask. She is really dumb if she things that my parents wouldn't kill me if I do this. 

"Yeah, I know you'll say you might as well commit suicide but please listen to me first. I just asked my mom if it's ok if you would live in our house, here in Hampstead while you're doing your language stay and she said yes." She explains her plan. 

"And you really think this is going to end well?" I scowl at her. Meredith always had good ideas but this one is bullshit. My parents are definitely going to kill me. 

"No, I don't say this will have a happy end but while you're here they can chill and maybe they'll reconsider their decision to marry you. And honey, you can finally make your dream come true!" Now that she explained her idea like this I'm really thinking about doing this. 

"Tell me first what your plan is." 

... (to be continued)