Hanna Marin was alone in the house for once, she was either with her mother, friends or boyfriend. She didn't know how to even be alone, she tried texting her friends and Travis but they all lead to dead ends. Everyone else was busy with some kind of important task. While she sat on the couch in the living room, she stared at her blank phone in her hands. She jumps when she hears the door bell, she was expecting anyone, but she also kind of hopes its Travis surprising her with flowers or something romantic. She stands up, walks to the door, opens it and sees a young woman in her middle to late twenties standing there. She has light auburn hair, green almond shaped eyes, and a small pregnant belly. "H-Hi," she stammers out. "Can I help you with something?" Hanna ask her. She looks down at the piece of paper in her hand and then back at Hanna. "I'm sorry to bother you, but is Ashley Burke home?"
She asks, Hanna looks confused at first. "Burke? That's hilarious, it's Marin now. That's my mother's maiden name," she tells this stranger. "She's not here, is there anything I can help you with?" As Hanna asks that question, the girl standing there starts folding the paper. "Um... I... uh," she looks at Hanna. "You're her daughter?" She asks, getting teary eyed. "Yeah," Hanna says, as the stranger goes into her purse and pulls out a pen. She writes down her name and her cell number on it, then hands it over to Hanna. "Can you please tell her to call me? It's important," she tells her. Hanna looks at her, then at the paper in her hand. "Sure," she says in almost a whisper. The girl turns around and walks away,
After waiting for her mother to come home, Hanna stared at paper in her hand. She opened it up and inside of it, was her mother's maiden name and this address. She was beyond confused, she was thinking this was probably her mother's sister or something. They looked a like and Ashley didn't really talk about them or to them, something happened a long time ago and her mother never really brought it up. Maybe this was a conversation opener. Hanna felt like she should've asked. But as soon as Hanna heard the front door opened, she rushed by her mother who was carrying three bags of groceries. "Mom. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asks following her mother to the kitchen. "What about your parents are they still alive? Why don't you talk to them?" She starts throwing questions her way. Ashley puts the bags down on the counter. "Whoa Whoa Hanna, calm down. What's with the questions?" She asks her daughter, who was clutching on to the paper in her hand.
Hanna looks at her mother, "It's just... I don't know anything about your side of the family, only that your maiden name is Burke. You never really told me about yourself pre-Marin," she tells her mother. "And what's with the sudden 20 questions game?" She holds out the paper. "Someone came looking for you today and I think it was your sister," she tells her mother. Ashley grabs the paper and looks both sides of it over, she looks at the girls last name. "I don't have any sisters. I have brothers," when Ashley looks at the last name her face drops. She knew this day would come, but why today. She didn't know what to do now. This could not be happening.
"Hanna," she begins to say. "I think there's something I should tell you..." Ashley begins to start off. But she falls short on words on how to explain this to her daughter. "You should sit down for this," she begins again. "Mom. What's going on?" She asks her point-blank. "Come," Ashley says sitting down at the kitchen table placing the paper face down with the girl's name and phone number. "I think it's about time I tell you about my past..."
Twenty Eight Years Ago
It was the middle of March in the small town of Hellertown, Pennsylvania and Ashley Burke has anticipated the day her high school graduation to come. As soon as she got her diploma she was getting out of her home town. She hated small towns, everyone knew everyone's secrets. Her older brother Nathan stayed after high school because he and his girlfriend got married. She didn't want to end up like him, she wanted freedom and an amazing career. Her plan was to attend NYU in the fall and have fun in her youth. When she got older she would deal with all that grown up stuff.
As she opened her eyes, she looked up and saw her younger brother Craig standing above her looking down. "Mom wanted me to come get you, she's packing up Evan's stuff," she looks at Craig, she knew this day would come and she needed to be there for her mother. Evan died almost a year ago and it was hard on everyone. Her father still got heartbroken every time he passed Evan's bed room. "I... I can't. I'm going to Lisa's house," she says getting out of bed and throwing a pair of jeans over her shorts and grabs a shirt out of her closet and throws it on. "Are you really going to Lisa's or is that a lie?" He asks her and she throws on a pair of sneakers. "What do you think?" She asks him. "Keep this secret and i'll get you that comic you want when I get paid," she bribes her brother. He smiles at her. "Deal," Ashley then opens her window and crawls out.
After getting out of her bedroom in the second story of the house she grew up in, she headed towards her boyfriends place. Today she needed to talk to him. She wanted to do it yesterday but he had a football game and she didn't want to get into his head. There was something she needed to tell Jack and it was going to change their lives. She hasn't even told her parents yet, she was scared. Jack needed to be the first to know. It had to be him. As she knocked on the door she thought of everything she was going to tell him, everything she needed to say. When Lisa opened the door, she got confused. "Lisa. What are you doing here?" She asks her best friend. "Jack and I, were, uh, studying..." Lisa says in her New Jersey accent. "Hey baby who's at the door?" Jack asks walking up wet and wrapped in a towel. "Ashley..." She looks at him, then Lisa. "I can't believe you. I loved you," she tells him and run off. Things were defiantly not going the way she planned it.
When she got back home she threw the front door open and ran into the kitchen, where her mother now was starting on dinner. "Mom. I need to talk to you," tears are spilling out of Ashley's eyes. Her mother walks up to her. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asks getting concerned for her daughter. "Jack's cheating on me, with Lisa," her mother grabs her close into a hug. "Everything's going to be alright, you'll find someone better," she tells her daughter comforting her. "I'm pregnant," she tells her mother letting it out. Her mother gently lets go of her and steps back, she takes a moment to herself, slaps her. "Ashley Renee Burke, you know better than this," she tells her. Ashley is crying, she looks at her, pain in her eyes. "I know. Ok, I know i'm going to have to figure this out. I have no idea what i'm going to do," she tells her mother who is thinking to herself.
"I know exactly what your going to do. Your going to give it up for adoption," her mother tells her with the most serious face she's ever had in a long time. "You can't afford to be a single mother and I know for hell that Jack won't help out at all. And abortion is never an option in this family. If it was none of you kids would have been born," she tells her daughter. Ashley realizes that this is the best choice for her.
HEY GUYS, I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE AND THIS STORY IS AN ASHLEY STORY BUT SHE'S ONE OF MY FAVE 'RENTALS, OF COURSE ELLA'S ANOTHER. BUT I THOUGHT OF DOING THIS BACK STORY AND I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT... BUT I HAVE NEWS...
GOOD NEWS!
I'm going back to school!
This is one of the reasons I haven't posted any new chapters or stories. I have been super busy. I'm taking an English (for my critics) and math class.
My plan is while trying to keep up with season 5 of PLL to finish up any opened stories I have. But if I feel overwhelmed I might search for a ghost writer. I love you guys for all the support you've given me over the years. I hope one day you'll love my original work as well.
My goal is to work on this story and finish this within five or less chapters. Then to finish up the open ones before I start working on anything else. Love you guys. I hope you like this!