Do you ever wonder what happened in the days after Spencer came home after her first kiss - and whatever else may have happened - with Ashley? This series is my vision of what happens in the days after Spencer comes home after her first kiss (and whatever else may have happened) with Ashley. I have taken the liberty of introducing 4 new characters. This story line comes from my need to give Spencer a friend (or two) which she really hasn't made since she moved to LA. This is my first fanfiction posting ever and I am having a "Spencer's-first-time-with-Ashley" moment: I'm a virgin at this and a nervous wreck but I so want to get it on…this website.

Chapter I

"What were you thinking by letting her drive off with that girl?" Spencer's mom berates her dad. "Evidently you weren't."

"Paula, after the way you've been treating her lately," Arthur defends. "Spencer just needed a friend at that moment."

"That's it," Paula directs her fury at Spencer. "No more sleepovers and you're on curfew, young lady. You're to come home right after school. And if you want to have friends over here, you can hang out in the living room or den. I've had enough."

"This is ridiculous," Spencer yells back, tears welling up in her eyes. "What are you so afraid of, mom? Are you scared that I'm - "

"This conversation is over!" Paula says and storms out of the room.

Spencer regrets that she and Ashley didn't go as far as they could have last night. At least her mother would have something to be upset about.

As the school year ends and the lazy heat of a long hot summer approaches, Arthur presents Spencer with the possibility of being a summer intern. The idea came out of a need for Arthur to reassure Paula that he would take responsibility for helping Spencer use her free time wisely. Spencer immediately balks at the idea. She can't imagine spending her first summer in LA cooped up in an LA office. Her mom says that the experience will be an asset to her college applications. Whatever, Spencer thinks, it won't be an asset to my social life. I bet this is mom's way of keeping me from seeing Ashley all summer. But when Spencer hears about the chance to work at an art marketing firm, she jumps at the opportunity.

memory

Spencer realized her fascination with color after watching her first beach sunset with Ashley. Spencer swooned at the sight of the gold, red, ochre, blue, aqua and violet strokes that crisscrossed the sky. The colors moved her, elevated her above the sand, and carried her among the clouds. Spence melted into the warmth of Ashley's closeness as they sat shoulder-to-shoulder watching the orange white sun sink into the turquoise purple ocean. She had never seen or felt anything like this in Ohio. Spencer knew right ten and there that she wanted to add an art class to her schedule in the fall. She lay her head on Ashley's shoulder and sighed, "That's…so…beautiful."

"So are you," Ashley whispered.

memory ends

Spencer has been at the art marketing firm for three weeks now, however, every day feels like her first day there when everything still feels so new. Marc is a fantastic summer-intern boss who always asks for her point of view and opinions about the images of paintings, sculptures and installations that come across his desk. Spencer knows that her input doesn't mean much when it comes down to making the final cut but she is merely pleased by the idea that Marc cares enough to involve her in the decision making process.

"You could be standing in my place one day. So you better develop your eye and intuition for a great piece," Marc advises. Spencer smiles in acknowledgement of Marc's indelible wisdom. But she secretly hopes that she will be looking at artwork as a curator of a gallery or modern museum.

"Spencer, when you have a minute, I need you to make 25 copies of these proofs and take them up to Marketing. They're leaving for San Fran after work so they need them before 5."

"Sure," Spencer beams as she piles the stack of proofs into her arms.

"And take lunch when you're done. I've had you on the run all morning."

Spencer feigns exasperation by blowing out a puff of air that pushes her hair out of her face, gives Marc a knowing smile, and heads to the copy room.

As Spencer walks past the dividers that separate each employee's cubicles, she whispers, "Hi" to the auburn-haired intern who has, once again, caught Spencer's eye.

Auburn shakes her hair back over her shoulders and smiles. Spence sheepishly prances down the corridor. I love this internship, she amuses.

Spencer didn't know how long Auburn had been working at the firm but Spencer noticed her last week as they passed each other at the elevators. Spencer was going down and Auburn was getting off on her floor. Auburn's green eyes pierced Spencer's blue and paralyzed her in front of the opening doors. Pale freckles dotted Auburn's face emphasizing her softly rounded cheekbones and perky nose. Auburn wore a sunshine yellow T and a deep forest green skirt where her freckled legs appeared to stretch for days under the hem. Spencer had only a moment to step aside before Auburn almost walked right into her. The elevator ding broke Spencer's reverie in just enough time for her to hop into the elevator car just as the doors were closing. Spencer stared at Auburn's thick, wavy, back-length hair until she was winked away by the closing elevator doors.

With all 25 copies made and stacked on a rolling cart, Spencer heads towards the elevator. She's about to pass Auburn's cubicle a second time. Should I smile at her again? Maybe I'll introduce myself to her. No, that's so corny. She'll know I'm not from LA. Maybe I'll just –

Auburn's cubicle is empty. Spencer smiles nervously and a sigh of relief loosens her chest as she continues to push the cart.

"You faxed what? To whom?" An angry woman's voice travels down the corridor and startles Spencer. "I told you to fax this image to Preminger and Co., the contract to Pillsbury Winthrop and Lowe, and the proof goes to …this is a complete mess! Did you do anything that I told you!"

Spencer reaches the source of all the racket and peers through an open door where she sees Danicka Miller, the Head Manger of the Creative Team – or Cruella, as she was so affectionately nicknamed by the interns and permanent staff alike. Cruella clenches crumpled pieces of paper as she waves her arms in the air like some kind of deranged bird of prey about to pounce on a helpless victim. Unfortunately, the victim happens to be Auburn.

"I did exactly what you told me to do. I don't know what happened," Auburn answers.

Spencer surprises herself by knocking on the office door and saying, "Excuse me. I think I know what happened."

"Who are you?" Cruella spews.

"I'm Spencer…Carlin, a summer intern here and - ."

"And?"

"And well, I was making a lot of copies at the same time as –," - Spencer realizes that she doesn't know Auburn's actually name - "At the same time she was sending those faxes and I must have picked up some of her stuff by accident and rearranged them by mistake. I'm really sorry."

Spencer feels Auburn's stare at her in utter disbelief. But Spencer dares not look at her.

"You're sorry," Cruella mulls. "You're sorry she says. And I'm fucked. Just get out of here, both of you, so that I can fix this mess."

Cruella's intercom beeps, "Danika, Preminger is on one. He wants to know why you're sending him Pillsbury's contract and why you're giving Pillsbury a more competitive price."

"Fuck!" Cruella glares at Auburn, "Can you leave?" She glares at Spencer, "Already!"

Auburn storms out of the office shaking her head and Spencer follows, pushing her cart in front of her.

"That bitch," Auburn snarls through clenched teeth. "I can't believe this! I did exactly what she told me to do then she blames me for screwing up."

"She really did earn her nickname around here," Spencer confirms.

"Tell me about it. Of all the people that I could be working with I get stuck with her. How am I going to make it through this summer?"

"Hey listen, I just have to drop these off at marketing, then I'm going to lunch. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm going outside to get some air. Aaaaargh, I'm so stressed!"

At the elevator lobby two sets of elevator doors open at the same time. Spencer enters one car and says, "You know, you could always ask to work with someone else."

But when Spencer turns around, she's alone. Before the doors close, she sees Auburn enter the other elevator car.

"Or I can just stand here and talk to myself in an empty elevator," Spencer bemuses.

As Spencer eats her salad, the cafeteria bustles around her with people balancing drinks and their meals on plastic orange and yellow food trays. Groups of middle managers wearing Oxford shirts and silk ties huddle around a table scattered with documents. The mailroom crew laughs loudly, smacking their khaki covered legs and adjusting the buttons on their jean shirts.

Spencer eats alone wondering where the other summer interns are sitting. Her cell chirps, "R U there?" Spencer presses the number "1" speed dial button and Ashley's picture appears on the display.

"You know you actually have to keep your phone on for it to be useful," Ashley's raspy voice says into Spencer's ear.

"Oh you're so smart, Ash. What would I ever do without you?"

"You'd probably continue to have the most naïve and sheltered life that a young woman could ever ask for."

"Well I thank you for exposing me to an angst-filled and not so innocent adolescence. I'm indebted to you forever."

"Damn right you are. So what lame things are you doing today?"

"They're not lame, Ash. I'm paying my dues now before real life starts after college and hopefully, I won't have to do any of this stuff at my first real job. Besides, I'm having a great time here. Marc is way cool. Today he had me look over proofs of some abstract paintings that are being considered for that new Universal Studios complex that is going up. You should have been here. They were so beautiful. All the colors reminded me of the time we watched the sunset."

"When are we going to do that again?" Ashley asks biting her quivering lip.

"Soon I hope," Spencer whispers back. A flush of heat descends from her face to her chest.

"Is that seat taken?"

Spencer's head jerks upwards as she notices a pair of familiar legs in front of her.

"No," Spencer says gesturing for Auburn, who is holding a food tray, to sit down.

"Spence?" Ashley inquires on the other end of the phone.

"Ash, I gotta go. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Don't be a stranger."

Spencer clicks off her phone. Before Ashley hangs up, she looks at and lightly kisses a picture on her phone's display of Spencer at the beach.