Title: Lifetime Through The Fog In The Rain (Chapter One)
Author: amaltheaz(LJ) / pseudohuman(FFn) / boldlikelove(Tumblr)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Eventual Faberry and Spashley. Other pairings along the way.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or South of Nowhere, or the people in either of them. No copyright infringement intended.
Length: 1,414 words
Spoilers: In the Glee 'verse, everybody we know and love is present, and are already in Glee. I'm still trying to decide what to keep canon and what to change but I won't leave you in the dark in case there are questions about what has happened. As for the SoN 'verse, for those who have seen the show, Ashley is post-Aiden (no, he will not be making an appearance), post-miscarriage (there'll be some mentions of this in the story), post-Maggie (this too) and most importantly, pre-Spencer (who will obviously be making an appearance because we can't have a Spashley fic without one part of the pairing). Kyla is here. Even though I know she's supposed to be from Baltimore but for this story's sake, she lives in Ohio. For those who haven't seen SoN, you don't actually need to know what happened on the show. Just as for the Glee 'verse, everything will be explained as the story goes.
Author's Note: I had this little idea to write a crossover for Glee and South of Nowhere a loooooong time ago but procrastination, writer's block and other stories, kept me from actively pursuing it. But the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I'm just gonna try write it anyway. There won't be any Spashley for awhile and Faberry is going to come eventually but, I promise to make it worth your while, :-). And I'll give you virtual cookies. And an octopus. Also, angels.
Lifetime Through The Fog In The Rain
Chapter One
William McKinley High School was a small school with a population of a few scarce thousands. Everybody knew everybody and in turn everybody knew everybody's business. Even more so now with Facebook and Twitter (though there were some still clinging on to MySpace) enhancing the speed of the rumour mill. So it was not too much of a shock to one Ashley Davies that the news of a new student, i.e. hers truly, had spread within the ten minutes after she strutted through the school hallway towards the main office to get her schedule.
At first glance, there was no better word for Ashley Davies than 'striking', with her chestnut-coloured curls and fiery red highlights that brought out the mahogany in her light brown eyes. At second glance (because it was practically a reflex, to do a double-take where Ashley was concerned), her clenched jaw and her steely gaze lets you know she would rather be anywhere but here in William McKinley High School, Lima, Ohio.
Ashley didn't really know what to expect from her first day. She was just tired, and wanted to find an empty classroom (or preferably the library because apparently, everybody was allergic to the place) so she could sleep the day away. She stared down the hallway of her new school. WMHS didn't seem too different from her last school, King High. There were still your typical high school cliques that you could spot a mile off, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the brains, the geeks, the kids that mingled easily with the others, and then there were the ones that didn't. Ashley used to be the head cheerleader and had a boyfriend who loved her. Her heart clenched as a flash of Aiden's sad face crossed her mind. After everything that had happened between them, after what they had both lost, Ashley steadily lost herself in a downward spiral. Drugs, drink, sex with random strangers. She was just so lost and she didn't know how to get herself back again.
One night changed it all and some time after that, Ashley knew that she had to leave and make a fresh start somewhere else to save herself.
So she called her half-sister, Kyla Woods, and asked if she could move in with her. Within a couple of weeks, Ashley was packed and driving off towards Lima, Ohio. She chose to drive because she didn't want to leave her beloved car behind. It was a gift from her late rock-star father, Raife Davies who died just the year before in a car crash. He wasn't always there while growing up due to his crazy touring schedule, but he was a good dad when he actually was there. He adored Ashley and doted on her when he could. In fact, they had a standing date to have dinner; on the anniversary he received his very first award. And he managed to keep that date, no matter where he was in the world.
The night he died was also the same night they shared their last date together.
And it was also on one of those nights when he introduced her to her half-sister, Kyla Woods. At first Ashley was angry and upset that her father kept such a big secret from her. She knew that even though her parents were married, her father was not faithful to her mother, Christine. She also knew though that Christine wasn't much of a saint either. For most of her childhood, Ashley was left on her own. But she knew that while she was in high school, Raife was worried for her, especially after she broke up with Aiden. Ashley was wild and reckless and it seemed he thought a younger sibling to look after was what Ashley needed.
The first summer that Kyla spent with her in L.A. after their dad died, it'd be an understatement to say that Ashley wasn't very welcoming. Kyla was the victim of Ashley's very sharp wit and there were days when Ashley would thoughtlessly leave Kyla behind without a ride home. She figured that Kyla was there only for her dad's money and once she got it, she would just leave. Ashley's parents had been divorced since she was a little girl and she had seen her mother go through boyfriend after boyfriend, disposing them without a spare thought. Her dad was a rock star going on tours, missing out on her growing up for most of her life.
But what she didn't count on was Kyla's persistence. But Kyla was as stubborn as her older half-sister. She let the insults roll off her back, and forgave Ashley every time. She knew that deep down, Ashley was afraid of change and it was going to take time to get used to her. And even more, Ashley didn't want to get close because she thought Kyla would leave her, like everybody in her life had done. But by the end of the summer, Kyla succeeded in getting under Ashley's skin, proving to her older sister that she wasn't going anywhere. And Ashley grudgingly accepted that maybe, she kind of liked her little sister a little bit more than she let people know.
Ashley was brought out of her musings when she was suddenly shoulder-checked and harshly slammed into a locker. She shook her head and winced at the throbbing that had started from her action. She looked up to find the culprit who dared to mess with her and saw a blonde cheerleader, not much taller than her, scowling darkly. Hazel eyes raked over Ashley's form, an ugly sneer forming on her lips. "Watch it newbie," the blonde snarled dismissively before turning to walk away
The curly-haired brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed out loud, refusing to be intimidated by a cheerleader. If Madison Duarte didn't scare her, then this wannabe sure as hell wasn't going to do that either. "You watch it, blondie," she growled out to the blonde's back.
The cheerleader turned back around, her mouth gaping open in shock, unable to believe that somebody was actually talking back to her. She advanced forwards until she stood toe-to-toe against Ashley. "Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are?" she asked icily.
Ashley took a casual step back and slowly smirked. "The best damn thing this school has ever seen?" she drawled sarcastically. She knew that if she was going to be stuck here for the rest of her high school career, it would be a good idea to not end on the wrong foot on her first day by getting suspended for getting into a fight. Ashley took a better look at the cheerleader, taking in the pretty delicate features. Ashley inwardly sighed, lamenting how such beauty was wasted on such an ugly personality.
"You should be careful, new girl. I can make your life a complete hell," the blonde threatened with a smile that was smug and wicked, as if she was already planning Ashley's social demise in her head.
Ashley just rolled her eyes again, tickled by this girl's supposed bravado. But she could see beyond the mask and she knew that this girl's brand of hell was losing her own reputation as the golden girl. Ashley knew just the type, having encountered so many girls who would do anything for their popularity. "You don't know what hell is, little girl." She chuckled bitterly as she turned to leave the scene. Ashley didn't want to waste her time and her precious air on this girl for very much longer. She was beginning to rethink this whole high school thing and should have just gotten her GED like Kyla suggested she should. It was a good thing that she was attending the same school as her little sister, she'd at least manage to keep Ashley in line and out of trouble.
"Hey! I'm not done with you," the blonde yelled, the sound echoing through the empty school hallway.
The brunette sighed, spinning around to face the blonde as she walked backwards. "But I am done with you. We must do this again next time though. Toodles!" She wiggled her fingers at the blonde in a departing wave before turning back around to do what she had set out to do in the first place before blondie got to her: find an empty room so she could sleep the day away.
"And so goes the awesome first day in William McKinley High School as experienced by one Ashley Davies. Let the journey begin," she muttered sardonically.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
