The sun was at its highest point in the day, so high that nothing could touch it. An orange and white moving truck was filling the block with the gas from its exhaust pipe and the noise of its almost deceased engine. Spencer was shuffling back and forth from the house and the truck with inanimate objects and furniture in her hands. She was thinking about how easy it was for someone to just pack up their whole life into a truck. She thought that it was almost kind of sad.

She was exhausted from not only the effort she gave helping moving everything into the house, but from the stifling heat. She asked her mother if she could take a walk around to see the neighborhood. Paula, of course, obliged because she seemed too preoccupied with other things to worry about Spencer walking alone in an unfamiliar area known as LA.

Even though the sun seemed to have a direct target on Spencer's head, she didn't seem to mind. The stress of the move had affected everyone in her family and she needed to get away from it all, if only for a while. She studied every house that she passed so she could produce a mental image if she ever got lost. Eventually, she came upon a house that appeared to have fallen from the sky because it definitely did not belong here.

The house looked like it belonged in that one movie where Ice Cube and Chris Tucker get high on the porch. The name seemed to escape Spencer at the moment, but she knew it was Glen's favorite movie. The lawn hadn't been mowed in over two weeks. There was a spare tire in the middle of the grass. Some empty beer cans and bottles were littered in random places. She saw a guitar leaning by the front door.

All of a sudden, a screen door opened and slammed causing Spencer to jump at the noise. A girl walked out and sat on a chair that was part of the outdated patio furniture on the porch. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and a cigarette emerged from her hand. A lighter was on the table and she snatched it to light the cigarette. After that was done, she seized the guitar that was next to her and started strumming it.

Spencer was watching every move of the brunette. She squinted to see more closely and noticed that the girl looked to be around her age. She figured that this was a good time as any to meet friends. It was the middle of summer and she did not want to spend the rest of it in complete isolation. As she was thinking this, the girl stopped playing her guitar and looked up to see Spencer standing on the edge of her lawn. She did not know what to do so she started walking up the path to where the girl was sitting.

The girl watched Spencer with every step she took. She continued to strum her guitar while being surrounded in smoke that she exhaled. Finally, Spencer came close enough so she could actually see the girl for all she was. Her brunette hair came halfway down her shoulders and every strand of it was wavy. Her brown eyes were staring intently at Spencer, so much so that it started to make her feel uncomfortable. Spencer opened her mouth to speak first.

"Hi, I'm Spencer Carlin. I just moved in down the block. I thought I'd come and introduce myself." Spencer said as she mentally insulted herself. She knew what she had just said was lame and in no way would it hold up in LA. The girl was silent as she scanned Spencer from head to toe. She made no attempt to hide this fact. She smirked as she put out her cigarette in the ashtray that was on the table.

"Well, Spencer. How neighborly of you. And from what planet did you come from?" Ashley asked as she emphasized her name. She was still strumming the guitar lazily with her hand. Her eyes were burning a hole through Spencer's face.

"I moved here from Ohio. My mom got a job at Cedars-Sinai because she's a surgeon." Spencer blurted out without meaning to. She always said more than what was asked when she was nervous. The girl raised her eyebrow as she took a carton of cigarettes from her pocket and put them on the table.

"Ohio? That is quite a way from here. Do you want one?" The girl said as she started to open the carton to get another cigarette. Spencer nodded her head from side to side. The girl just shrugged her shoulders as she lit her cigarette. She leaned back in her chair and put her guitar behind her. Spencer was still just standing there, feeling like an outsider.

"You're welcome to sit down since you're blocking my sun. By the way, my name is Ashley. Ashley Davies if you want to be formal." The girl said as she brought her hand that did not hold her cigarette to greet Spencer. Spencer's hand clasped with Ashley's as they shook. Ashley's hand lingered for a moment too long before she broke the shake.

Spencer took a seat across the table from Ashley. Ashley's eyes followed Spencer as she inhaled the toxic smoke into her young lungs. She exhaled and her eyes shifted to the street where a car was passing by. The silence between the two was obvious and now Spencer was not only sweating because of the heat. Ashley put out her cigarette and turned to look at Spencer.

"So, Spencer Carlin, are you going to tell me your life story or am I going to have to pry it out of you?" Ashley asked with a smile on her face. Spencer became aware of how beautiful Ashley actually was. Her nose crinkled into her face when she smiled and Spencer thought that was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Well, you already know that I came here from Ohio. My mom is a surgeon and my dad is a social worker. I have two brothers, Glen and Clay. We kind of had the perfect life and then we moved here." Spencer said as she started to play with her hands. It was a nervous habit of hers. Her head was facing down and looking at her hands. She couldn't seem to meet Ashley's eyes because she felt like she was staring at her.

"That is quite a story. Did anyone tell you that you should make a movie out of it? It'd be number one at the box office, no doubt." Ashley said with a sarcastic voice. She brushed her hair behind her ear and Spencer noticed how short her fingernails were. She concluded that Ashley was no novice at playing the guitar.

"Okay, what about you? Who is Ashley Davies?" Spencer asked as she tried to turn the tables on Ashley. She was intrigued by this girl who seemed to have a comment for everything. Ashley let out a quick laugh at the question. She seemed to be deep in thought for an instant, and then she opened her mouth.

"Ashley Davies is a lot of things. But we won't get into that right now. Since you told me your history, I guess I'll tell you mine. I live here with my half sister, Kyla. She is quite a character. My dad stops by periodically to pay the bills and check up on us. But otherwise, it's kind of just me and her for the most part." Ashley said as she started to play with the carton of cigarettes in her hands. She was thinking about having another one but decided against it. She needed to cut down and chain smoking was not helping.

"Interesting. What about the guitar? Are you a musician?" Spencer asked as she tilted her head. The more Ashley spoke, the more Spencer wanted her to speak. Ashley threw her head back and laughed. She put her hand through her hair and brushed it out of her face. Her eyes went back towards Spencer and a grin materialized from her mouth.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I am not a musician. I just play for the hell of it. It gives me something to do besides drink and smoke. I'm a person of very few interests." Ashley said as she continued to gaze at Spencer. The girl had definitely captured Ashley's interest. She seemed so pure and innocent, and all Ashley wanted to do was taint her.

Spencer was quiet for a moment. She did not know what else to say. She was horrible at carrying on conversations with people she hardly knew. Fortunately, her phone rang and broke the silence. She answered it and it was her mother telling her to come home. Spencer was a little sad at the prospect of leaving Ashley, especially since she didn't know if she'd be seeing her again.

"That was my mother. She wants me home so I can help finish moving. I guess I have to go now." Spencer said as she started to get up from the chair. Ashley watched her as she walked over to the end of the porch. Spencer hesitated and turned around to face Ashley.

"Hopefully, I'll see you around?" Spencer asked as she once again tilted her head to the side. Ashley did not say a word. She only nodded her head in agreement. Spencer took this as her cue to leave and started to walk away.

"Hey! Carlin!" Ashley shouted to Spencer. She turned around to see Ashley standing up from her chair. She waited to see what Ashley so desperately wanted to say to her.

"Don't be a stranger." Ashley said as she smiled. Spencer could not help but smile back and nodded her head up and down. She turned back around and continued to walk the journey back to her house. She took one last glance at Ashley and saw she was smoking another cigarette. She shook her head and laughed to herself.

She knew that this was not the last time she would see Ashley Davies.