How to Deal
Chapter 1
"Ashley! Get your butt down here this instant!" Ashley's mom called from downstairs. Ashley sighed. "What?" "Come down here!" Ashley made her way down the stairs. "What?" she asked again, sounding more annoyed. "I just got a phone call from Mr. Brennan, your school principal, saying that you've cut classes and got in detention again." She said. Ashley just rolled her eyes and started walking up the stairs again. "You just wait one minute young lady and come sit at the kitchen table!" said Ashley's mom. Ashley despised it when people called her 'young lady'. She sighed again and sat down at the table. "Why are you doing this Ashley? This isn't the way that I raised you." Said Ashley's mom with concern. Ashley just starred into nothing. "What am I dong wrong?" Ashley's mom asked. Ashley didn't answer. "Will you talk with me?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "I don't WANT to talk to anybody right now except Landon." She said. "Who's Landon? Not another one of your boyfriends." "As a matter of fact, he IS my boyfriend and I'm going to go call him." Ashley said. "Oh no you're not, you are going to sit here and talk with me." Her mom said. Then she hesitated and said, "How old is he?" "23 going on 24 in 2 months." Ashley said. "He's way too old for you Ashley! It's against the law to date somebody that old when you're this young!" her mom said. "Who cares." Ashley smirked. "Just talk with me." Her mom said. "There isn't anything to talk about." She said. "There is a lot to talk about, Ashley." Ashley looked up at the ceiling. "I just want to get through high school and live my life." She said. "'Live your life'? Just think about this, Ashley. How do you want to live your life? Don't answer that, just think about it in your room. Go up to your room, stay there, and don't come out until you have figured out how to deal with your life." She said. Ashley pushed the chair back and went upstairs into her room. She walked across the room and grabbed her cell phone. She sat down on her bed and dialed Landon's number. It rang 2 times before he answered. "Hello?" "Hey Landon....it's me." Ashley said. "Oh hey Ashley, how ya doing baby?" he asked. "Fine." She answered in a harsh tone. "What is it?" he asked. "My mom. She's always giving me lectures on how to live my life and everything. I mean, come on! I'm sixteen and I think I can handle my own life!" she said. "Yeah I know, baby I gotta go." Landon said. He sounded distracted and like he didn't care. He hung up and didn't even say good-bye. "uuuurrrrhgg.Jerk!" Ashley yelled and punched the call button. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. Just then, her phone rang. "What?" Ashley asked, rudely. "Whoa, Ash Girl, what's wrong?" asked Alena, Ashley's best friend. Alena pronounces her name 'Aleena'. Ashley sighed, "My mom.and now Landon." "Oh, do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "Maybe later." Ashley said. "Well, I'll tell you about my mom later, but I can tell you about Landon now." "I'm listening." "Well, I started telling him about my mom and everything, and then I heard a voice in the background, someone calling Landon, and it sounded like a girl's voice to me. Then he said he had to go and then he hung up." Ashley said. Alena gasped, "Is he two-timing you?" "Gee, I hope not!" said Ashley sarcastically. "But I think I'm going to stop by his house in a little while." "Alright. Oh shit!" "What?" asked Ashley. "My mom wants me off the phone." She said. "Oh, okay. Call me when you can." Said Ashley. "Okay, bye." Alena said. "Bye." Ashley pushed the call button and put her cell phone in one of the many pockets in her pants. She was wearing black cargo pants with lots of zippers. The pants went down to her shin where it had a piece of elastic that held it tight to her skin. Her pants were baggy, yet they fit. She had a leather belt that had tiny skulls on it that had a 2 chains hanging down the side of her leg, 1 long one and 1 short one. Her shirt was a snug blue shirt that just reached the top of her jeans. It had really short sleeves with a red boarder around the end of the sleeves and on the collar. It said 'boy beater' across the front. Ashley slipped on her blue skateboard shoes and went down the stairs two steps at a time. "Have you figured out how to live your life, Ashley?" her mom asked from the living room couch. She was reading a magazine and had the TV on low volume. "Uh, actually, I have figured it out and it's a surprise." She said, slamming the door behind her. Ashley's mom sighed and shook her head. "She hasn't figured it out." She mumbled.
Ashley grabbed her skateboard from the shed in the front yard and zoomed down the hill. Landon's house was 1 mile away from Ashley's. As Ashley turned the corner to Landon's street, she thought to herself, "Do I love Landon? Why am I wasting my time for this guy? I'll just check up on him anyways."
Ashley did a kick-flip as she skated into Landon's drive-way. An unfamiliar car was parked there. Ashley stomped on her skateboard and grabbed the end as it flew up. She walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.
"Ashley! Get your butt down here this instant!" Ashley's mom called from downstairs. Ashley sighed. "What?" "Come down here!" Ashley made her way down the stairs. "What?" she asked again, sounding more annoyed. "I just got a phone call from Mr. Brennan, your school principal, saying that you've cut classes and got in detention again." She said. Ashley just rolled her eyes and started walking up the stairs again. "You just wait one minute young lady and come sit at the kitchen table!" said Ashley's mom. Ashley despised it when people called her 'young lady'. She sighed again and sat down at the table. "Why are you doing this Ashley? This isn't the way that I raised you." Said Ashley's mom with concern. Ashley just starred into nothing. "What am I dong wrong?" Ashley's mom asked. Ashley didn't answer. "Will you talk with me?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "I don't WANT to talk to anybody right now except Landon." She said. "Who's Landon? Not another one of your boyfriends." "As a matter of fact, he IS my boyfriend and I'm going to go call him." Ashley said. "Oh no you're not, you are going to sit here and talk with me." Her mom said. Then she hesitated and said, "How old is he?" "23 going on 24 in 2 months." Ashley said. "He's way too old for you Ashley! It's against the law to date somebody that old when you're this young!" her mom said. "Who cares." Ashley smirked. "Just talk with me." Her mom said. "There isn't anything to talk about." She said. "There is a lot to talk about, Ashley." Ashley looked up at the ceiling. "I just want to get through high school and live my life." She said. "'Live your life'? Just think about this, Ashley. How do you want to live your life? Don't answer that, just think about it in your room. Go up to your room, stay there, and don't come out until you have figured out how to deal with your life." She said. Ashley pushed the chair back and went upstairs into her room. She walked across the room and grabbed her cell phone. She sat down on her bed and dialed Landon's number. It rang 2 times before he answered. "Hello?" "Hey Landon....it's me." Ashley said. "Oh hey Ashley, how ya doing baby?" he asked. "Fine." She answered in a harsh tone. "What is it?" he asked. "My mom. She's always giving me lectures on how to live my life and everything. I mean, come on! I'm sixteen and I think I can handle my own life!" she said. "Yeah I know, baby I gotta go." Landon said. He sounded distracted and like he didn't care. He hung up and didn't even say good-bye. "uuuurrrrhgg.Jerk!" Ashley yelled and punched the call button. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. Just then, her phone rang. "What?" Ashley asked, rudely. "Whoa, Ash Girl, what's wrong?" asked Alena, Ashley's best friend. Alena pronounces her name 'Aleena'. Ashley sighed, "My mom.and now Landon." "Oh, do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "Maybe later." Ashley said. "Well, I'll tell you about my mom later, but I can tell you about Landon now." "I'm listening." "Well, I started telling him about my mom and everything, and then I heard a voice in the background, someone calling Landon, and it sounded like a girl's voice to me. Then he said he had to go and then he hung up." Ashley said. Alena gasped, "Is he two-timing you?" "Gee, I hope not!" said Ashley sarcastically. "But I think I'm going to stop by his house in a little while." "Alright. Oh shit!" "What?" asked Ashley. "My mom wants me off the phone." She said. "Oh, okay. Call me when you can." Said Ashley. "Okay, bye." Alena said. "Bye." Ashley pushed the call button and put her cell phone in one of the many pockets in her pants. She was wearing black cargo pants with lots of zippers. The pants went down to her shin where it had a piece of elastic that held it tight to her skin. Her pants were baggy, yet they fit. She had a leather belt that had tiny skulls on it that had a 2 chains hanging down the side of her leg, 1 long one and 1 short one. Her shirt was a snug blue shirt that just reached the top of her jeans. It had really short sleeves with a red boarder around the end of the sleeves and on the collar. It said 'boy beater' across the front. Ashley slipped on her blue skateboard shoes and went down the stairs two steps at a time. "Have you figured out how to live your life, Ashley?" her mom asked from the living room couch. She was reading a magazine and had the TV on low volume. "Uh, actually, I have figured it out and it's a surprise." She said, slamming the door behind her. Ashley's mom sighed and shook her head. "She hasn't figured it out." She mumbled.
Ashley grabbed her skateboard from the shed in the front yard and zoomed down the hill. Landon's house was 1 mile away from Ashley's. As Ashley turned the corner to Landon's street, she thought to herself, "Do I love Landon? Why am I wasting my time for this guy? I'll just check up on him anyways."
Ashley did a kick-flip as she skated into Landon's drive-way. An unfamiliar car was parked there. Ashley stomped on her skateboard and grabbed the end as it flew up. She walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.