Ashley Davies and Spencer Carlin sat in math class, working on their class work. Well, Ashley was, as she would fail if she didn't… and there's no way she was retaking this class. Especially because that meant she wouldn't share the next one with Spencer.
Spencer, on the other hand, had finished her work ages ago and was playing with her calculator. As they were in geometry she had a graphing calculator that allowed you to type out words, instead of settling for just 'hello' and such on a regular calculator. She's been typing the same thing, over and over again, for the last few minutes. She hit the clear button and started the words again. Her fingers worked nimbly. I space L O V E space A. As her thumb traveled down one, two, three, four buttons and was about press down, the calculator was snatched from her hands.
"Hey, I need to borrow this." Ashley said, not even glancing up from her work. She really hated this stuff but was determined to finish. That is, until she saw what was on the screen. Her eyebrows were shot up in surprise and she turned to the blonde, intrigue in her voice. "Spencer?"
"Uh… Ashley?" She tried to play dumb and failed. Being one of the smart kids had that certain drawback.
"What… what were you going to type?"
"What do you mean?" She was hoping that the brunette would just drop it. But she had no such luck.
"You know what I mean. Who is A?"
She shrugged. "I don't know… we're probably gonna have to wait for the series finale for that."
Ashley narrowed her eyes, showing that she was not amused. "Spencer." Her voice was low in warning.
Spencer's eyebrows furrowed closer together in worry. Her mind furiously scanned her mental yearbook for people whose names started with A… but her mind could only focus on the one sitting before her.
"Ashley." A voice from behind the two called out. "You finish number three yet?"
Said girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah… like, ten minutes ago. And, no, I'm not sharing. Do your own work, Dennison."
He glowered at her before looking for someone else to bug.
Ashley turned back to Spencer, expectant look on her face.
The blonde just sighed and took back the calculator. She slowly pecked out the unfamiliar ending to the word – I D E N – before handing the device back to her best friend. Hopefully she'll take her odd behavior as not wanting the boy behind them to hear anything.
Spencer watched as Ashley's face fell slightly before an obviously fake smile was plastered on. "It's okay, Spencer. I'm sure he likes you too."
"Yeah, thanks…" She mumbled. She didn't doubt that she was right in that assumption as she had caught him staring more than once, but she just had absolutely no feelings for the boy. She kind of wished she had typed out the truth. But every time she gets the chance to express her feelings for the other girl she always manages to chicken out.
Ashley looked at her oddly but the blonde didn't see her. "I wasn't being sarcastic. He likes you, Spence. I don't see how anyone couldn't." She said the last part softly, a little self-conscious.
Spencer beamed at that. It was always nice to hear such things from someone you're head-over-heels for.
That's more like it, Ashley thought. Though her heart sunk at the thought of her being in love with anyone but her, she wanted to help them get together. After all, all she wanted was for Spencer to be happy, even if it meant she would be heartbroken.
"You should probably finish that." Spencer said, poking at the unfinished work.
Ashley grumbled but nodded. She finished a large chunk of it before the bell rang and it was lunch time.
"So… wanna sit with Aiden today?" The singer asked while they were heading out to their normal seats.
Spencer shrugged. "I don't care."
"You…don't?"
"Uh…" She forgot momentarily that she was supposed to be in love with him. "I mean… I don't know. You think we should?"
"Well… you should talk to him." She nudged the blonde's shoulder with her own. "Y'know, open the lines of communication and whatnot. Otherwise he won't get to know the real you. The you that I love."
Spencer smiled. "Thanks Ash." If she kept this up she wouldn't need to keep lying. A few more words like that from Ashley and she wouldn't be able to stay away from the other girl. "Sure, let's go sit with him."
Ashley nodded, fighting back a defeated sigh, and led them towards the meat-headed boy.
"H-hey, Ash. Spencer." Aiden said, seeing them approach. He looked confused, as the two girls never really talked to him outside of class these days.
"Hey." Ashley let out irritably.
"Hi." Spencer said, trying to act happy to see him.
"So…" He wasn't sure what to say.
"Is it okay if we sit here?" Spencer asked, setting her food down.
"Y-yeah…sure, of course." He moved his bag off the table to make room, all the while looking at them quizzically. "Um… can I ask… why?"
Spencer shrugged. "Just wanted to. That okay?"
"Sure. Of course."
Spencer smiled at him before glancing at Ashley, only to find her giving the boy a death glare.
"So… how are you?" Aiden asked awkwardly, trying to make small talk.
"Fine." Spencer looked down at her lunch before unwrapping her sandwich.
"Could be better." Ashley said scathingly with a pointed look towards him.
"O…kay?" Normally he and the currently irritable girl got along well. They've been friends since elementary school and, while they didn't hang out regularly at the moment, they've always been able to find something to talk about with each other. "Ashley, are you okay?"
"Could be better." She repeated her last answer with a bit more distain dripping from her voice.
Spencer looked back and forth between the two. Aiden looked like he was a puppy who had just been kicked for no reason and Ashley looked like she wanted to pounce on him, rip out his intestines and choke him with them.
"I – I have homework that I should do." Spencer said, wanting to get away from the two of them and the intense air that had formed. She picked up her stuff and walked away briskly, knowing Ashley would follow her but wanting to lose her.
"Spence!" Ashley called while making no move to get up. She can tell when her best friend wants to be left alone and this was, no doubt, one of those times. When she saw the blonde turn a corner she met Aiden's eyes again. "This is all your fault, Dennison."
"Mine! How – "
"Because she likes you."
"Ohhhh." A knowing smirk graced his features.
Ashley narrowed her eyes. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"This is an interesting development."
Ashley let out a growl before moving closer to him and taking him by the collar. "I swear, if you don't tell me what's going on in your little head, I'll – "
"Relax, Ash." He pried her hands off his shirt. "She doesn't like me."
"But she – "
"She doesn't like me." He stated as he picked up his things and left. A rather good exit, if he did say so himself. Like something out of a movie – or a TV show. Except he forgot one thing… Ashley was Ashley and she wouldn't play by whatever scene he had going on in his head.
"Oh no you don't! You better tell me what you meant by that! Aiden!" Her things were forgotten on the table behind them as she raced after the jock.
He shook his head, trying to walk away from the stubborn brunette.
"Aiden!" She whined, trying to take on a new approach.
His heart sunk. He wanted to turn around but knew keeping anything from her would be hopeless.
"Aiden." She tried again.
He turned and met his kryptonite: Ashley's puppy dog face. It was the bane of his existence when they were younger and didn't move very far from that title since.
"She likes you." His words slipped out without hesitation. He regretted it the moment the first syllable slipped past his lips.
Ashley's face lit up briefly before turning suspicious. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I sit behind her. I saw what she really wrote."
She didn't believe him, not in the least. She needed more. She needed proof.
XXXXX
"I'm just gonna hop in the shower real quick, Ash." Spencer said, popping her head out of her bathroom, towel already in hand.
They had met after school, all lunch time business forgotten for the moment, and decided to go somewhere. Spencer, of course, wanted to stop by her house to get the OK from her parents.
"Uh-huh." The brunette was distracted. She was still wracking her brain over this whole Aiden business. When she brought it up on the ride over here, Spencer didn't seem too enthused to talk about it. It was pretty much the opposite reaction expected of a teenage girl supposedly in love. Unless, of course, she wasn't getting the whole story. But that would mean Aiden was telling the truth and she didn't want to believe him. She didn't want to get her hopes up.
Her eyes scanned the room, trying to find evidence to help her solve this case. Her gaze landed on the object that started it all: Spencer's calculator. She got up from the bed and walked to the desk before picking it up and examining it. She started to search through the various functions, trying to find a way to bring up some sort of history. After a few minutes she sighed in defeat, tossing it on the desk, before shifting over to the computer. Her hand hesitated with the mouse for a second before searching through her documents and internet history. She knew it was an invasion of privacy but, darn it, she needed to know. There was nothing that seemed to point her in any right direction. She growled under her breath and stared at the screen.
Then, suddenly, a stroke of brilliance hit her.
She pulled up Google and typed what she desperately needed to solve this into the search bar.
The screen came up and she grinned. She closed the tab and got rid of her prying evidence before grabbing the calculator and pressing the essential keys to finding out this secret of Spencer Carlin's.
She flipped through problems she recognized from their last homework assignment, fearing, all the while, that she would never figure this out.
Then she saw the words that made her heart soar.
I LOVE ASHLEY
A door opened and Ashley, head still reeling, acted out of instinct and threw the calculator onto the bed before following it and stuffing it under a pillow.
"You okay, Ash?" Spencer asked, stepping out into the room while drying her hair. "You look a little freaked out."
"Wha? N-no… I'm fine…. honest." She tried her best to hide her obvious glee to the news. She put her hand in front of her mouth but it was unsuccessful, as Spencer gave her a quizzical look.
"You sure? You're acting really weird." She moved closer to the bed, only to have the brunette back away slightly.
Ashley gulped. While she wanted to do nothing more than jump up and take her best friend right there, she restrained herself. She sat on the pillow hiding the calculator and tried to think of a way out of there.
"Hey Spence?" A soft knock on the door alerted them to the presence of Paula Carlin. For once in her life, Ashley was happy to see her, something she, no doubt, would never feel again.
"Yeah?" She answered when her mother entered the room.
"I was wondering… oh – " She narrowed her eyes at the girl on the bed. "I didn't realize that Ashley was here." She spit out the name with so much venom, Ashley wondered for a moment if she should find the antidote if she wanted to live. Which, of course, she did. After all, she just found out her best friend was in love with her.
"Yeah… she is my best friend." Spencer matched the death glare easily. She was sick of this hostility between her mother and Ashley. If she was so lucky to have Ashley feel the same way, she'd want her mother to be happy for her. She was finding either part of that scenario to be unlikely, however.
"Well… whatever. I wanted to know if you were still coming to that thing tonight."
"I don't know… me and Ash kinda had plans to – "
"You know what, Spence? I just remembered… I have to… help Kyla with something."
"You do?" She wasn't convinced.
"Y…yeah." She slipped the calculator out from under the pillow and hid it behind her back before attempting to slip out of the room.
"Ashley?"
"I'll call you later!" She yelled behind herself as she booked it out of the hallway and then the house, only a slightly concerned Arthur Carlin slowing her escape.
She hopped into her car and peeled out of the street and onward towards her mansion like residence, all the while unable to contain her happiness at this new knowledge. The whole drive she repeated "I can't believe she loves me" under her breath.
After entering her house, and going to her room, she flipped backwards on her bed and turned on the calculator again. Her name appeared on the screen once again and her face lit up. She felt like taking a picture of her and the device, as this was one of those life changing things, but she knew she had to do something about it. She didn't feel as if just confessing to Spencer her own feelings would be enough. She had to show her. But how?
Hours passed and Ashley was sure she hadn't used her brain so much her whole life. But nothing she thought up seemed good enough. Nothing, she feared, would be good enough for her Spencer.
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
In walked Kyla.
"Hey,Ash… Are you okay? You kinda ran up here and have been in here for a while."
"Yeah… I'm great. Just trying to figure out something."
"Can I help?"
Ashley shook her head. "This is something I have to do alone."
One of Kyla's eyebrow's quirked up. "What exactly? You're not doing something… illegal… are you?"
"What? No! Do you really think that – "
"No… I was just… you sounded kind of secretive!"
"I just don't want it to get out before I have the chance to say something."
Kyla's face gave away her undying curiosity.
Ashley sighed. "Fine, fine. You promise to keep your big mouth shut?"
Kyla nodded her head furiously, mouth clamped shut for emphasis.
"I'm trying to figure out how to tell Spencer that I… I'm in love with her."
"I knew it!" The other girl shouted.
Ashley rolled her eyes. That didn't last long. "Kyla, I'm serious. She can't know. Not until I have the chance to tell her. She needs to hear it from me. Understand?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "But why now? You've been in love with her since you've met her… and don't give me that look. I know these things."
"Because… I found out that she feels the same way."
Kyla's eyebrows furrowed together. "Wait… she's already told you? Why didn't you just say it back?"
"She didn't tell me. I found out through something else."
"Who told you?"
"Not someone, Kyla, something."
"What do you mean? Like… a monster?" Her voice and expression showed that she was dead serious.
She's been watching too many horror movies, undoubtedly, Ashley thought. "No, you idiot. A calculator."
"Okay." She laughed. "A calculator told you that Spencer's in love with you and I'm the idiot."
Ashley turned around and picked up the calculator. She turned it on and showed the screen to her half-sister. "Clearly."
"Big deal. Anyone could have typed that in. Doesn't mean Spencer did."
"If it's Spencer's calculator it does. Especially since I caught her halfway through typing. I just didn't know what they A stood for."
"So she confessed? And you still haven't told her?"
"She told me it was Aiden."
"And why is that so hard to believe?" Kyla asked, slightly offended. "It's not like he's some troll or something."
"I did believe her. Aiden's the one who convinced me otherwise."
"Okay… now I'm confused. Maybe I should just shut up and let you tell me the whole story."
"Now you get smart." Ashley laughed. "But there's not much else to say. Aiden sits behind Spencer and saw what she was really writing. I didn't really believe him at first but I took her calculator and found the truth."
"Stealing, Ash? I knew you were doing something illegal." The twinkle in her eye gave the jest away.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Well now that the secret's out… got any ideas?"
Kyla put finger to chin and thought. "Why don't you just do it the same way?"
"What?"
"Put 'I love Spencer' on the calculator and give it back to her. When she turns it on it'll show that and she'll know."
Ashley let out an aggravated sigh.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to."
"It's not that… just – why didn't I think of that?"
"Because I'm smarter than you, Ash… you should know that by now."
"Maybe in grades, Ky."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Ashley said innocently.
"Sure, whatever, Ash." Kyla said before leaving the room, shaking her head all the way.
XXXXX
The next day they met, as usual, at the Carlin residence when Ashley went to pick Spencer up. The calculator was tucked away safely in the brunette's bag, words typed up and at the ready.
"So… did you manage to help Kyla out with that thing yesterday?"
"What thing?"
"You know… that thing that was just so important you had to ditch me and leave me alone with my mother."
"Oh! That thing! Yeah, yeah… it went well."
"So… what was it?"
"Um…" She wracked her brain for an acceptable excuse. "Lines! She needed help with her lines. She's gonna be in a play soon."
"Really? What play?"
"Uh… some student made thing. I don't remember the name."
"Sounds cool. Tell Kyla I'll be sure to see it when it starts."
"Sure thing." She said nervously. Not wanting her lies to be found out. She briefly wondered if she should stray from her plan and just tell her now. She turned into the school as she thought to herself and realized that it would be best to just stick to it.
They hung out until the bell rang and then went their separate ways. Ashley was preoccupied during her morning class, unable to think of anything but Spencer.
Her mind kept going back to earlier. Now that she had the knowledge that Spencer was in love with her, she didn't know how she couldn't figure it out before. Just the way she looked at her was filled with so much love and desire that she could hardly keep herself from grabbing the blonde and pressing her lips to hers.
She had slipped the calculator into the blonde's backpack before they parted and was now checking her phone every thirty seconds, hoping to have some sort of reaction from her love. It was foolish, though, as Spencer had no reason to use it until their shared math class. She wasn't sure she could wait that long.
"Hey Ash. How go things?" Kyla plopped down into her desk next to Ashley in their second period class.
"Tired of waiting." She said. "I should have just gone over there last night and told her."
"Relax. She'll appreciate it. It's really sweet the way you're doing it."
"You think?" She wasn't so sure. "It's not a little… dorky?"
"Of course it is, silly. But that's all part of the charm!" Kyla flashed a reassuring smile Ashley's way before facing forward and paying attention to the lecture.
Ashley just rolled her eyes and started to doodle. Just as she was putting a hat on her rendition of the teacher, something buzzed against her thigh in her pocket, causing her to jump. The class turned and looked at her oddly but she just deflected it and pretended to write. When all attention was off her, she got her phone out and looked, heart wanting to pound right out of her chest at the words.
We need to talk. Meet me in the bathroom in 5.
After excusing herself from the room, Ashley booked it down to the bathroom nearest Spencer's current class only to find it unoccupied. She frowned when she realized she needed to wait, already ready to jump out of her skin just at the thought of Spencer's touch. Doubts did enter her mind, however briefly, but she managed to shake them away. She wanted nothing to ruin the fantastic mood she was in.
She could hardly contain herself when she heard footsteps signaling the presence of another person.
"Spencer?"
A figure walked into the bathroom that was much taller, and much less blonde, than the person she was waiting for.
"Miss Davies? Don't you have class?"
"Uh…" Ashley looked at the head of school security, a figure she was very familiar with, and winced. "I was… using the bathroom."
"Nice try. I know your class is halfway across campus." She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Looks like you get detention for the remainder of the day."
The singer's face took on a horrified look. "What? No! You – you can't. I need to – "
"Come on, Miss Davies. Don't make a fuss." She grabbed the girl's wrist and dragged her out of there.
Ashley didn't go quietly, by any means. She was so close to having her long awaited dream come true. A warning glance from the woman, however, shut her up. She didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in that godforsaken room.
XXXXX
"Ash?" Spencer asked, walking into the bathroom. She had gotten out her calculator to work out something in her economics class and found the message just staring back at her on the screen. Needless to say, she was thrilled and couldn't wait to see her.
She was disappointed when no answer came, even though five minutes had already passed. They always met at this bathroom, no matter where in the school they were. She pulled out her phone to find out the other girl's whereabouts.
Where are you?
A few yards away, Ashley was sitting in the detention room. She felt her phone vibrate and her heart sunk. There was no doubt in her mind who that was and what it was about. She wanted more than anything to fish it out of her pocket and answer it but she was being watched like a hawk.
Spencer waited another minute or two before leaving, worry etched onto her face. She went through the day, checking her phone periodically, and was surprised when Ashley didn't join her for any of their shared classes or lunch.
She bolted out of her last class towards the convertible they traveled in together only a few hours earlier. She tried to make herself seem stern instead of the slightly more heartbroken truth.
Ashley came down the stairs leading to the parking lot and spotted Spencer immediately. Her slow trek turned into a sprint and she nearly tripped trying to make her way over there.
"Spencer! I am so sorry." She stopped in front of the girl.
"Save it, Ash! I never took you for the type to play a joke as sick as this."
"But I – "
"I told you! I don't want to hear it! I thought I knew you better than th – mmph."
Ashley, in the midst of being yelled at by the blonde, was struck with the intense desire to kiss her. Furious Spencer, she realized, was really hot and she couldn't contain her impulse.
She put her hands on either side of Spencer's face and leaned in.
Their lips met.
Spencer's mind went blank, forgetting what she was angry about in the first place. All she could focus on was the indescribable feeling she was experiencing right now.
Ashley's heart felt like it was going to explode, it was beating so fast. She couldn't believe she actually went through with it. It was harder to fathom, though, the thought of being able to keep from doing this for so long.
Spencer couldn't hold back a moan and, when she let it out, she felt a sweet tasting tongue enter her mouth, causing her to moan once again. She moved her own tongue to rub up against the foreign one, coaxing a lustful groan out of the brunette.
They pulled apart, eyes still closed, just long enough to catch their breaths.
Their tongues battled for dominance as the kiss became much more heated than it was previously. Their hands wandered as well, tangling into hair and gripping cloth.
They were so hypnotized by their current actions they didn't notice when someone walked up to them. They also didn't notice when that same person cleared their throat… multiple times.
"Ashley!"
The two girls pulled away, albeit reluctantly, and turned to face the girl standing next to them.
"What do you want, Kyla?"
"Stop making out with your girlfriend and drive me home!"
Ashley sighed in fake annoyance, hard to do when a smile was threatening to split her face in two. "Get in, loser."
"You talking to me or her?" Spencer asked, teasingly.
"Who do you think, babe?" Ashley asked as she pulled her keys out of her pocket. She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the blonde before opening the passenger door. "But you should get in too."
"Why thank you, Miss Davies." Spencer pressed her lips on the singer's cheek.
"Ugh." Ashley groaned while Spencer sat down. "Don't call me that." She closed the door, seeing Spencer's confused face through the window. She then took her place in the driver's seat before taking off towards her home.
Spencer couldn't take her eyes off the girl sitting next to her. She desperately wanted to kiss her again but went with the next best thing, placing her hand atop of the one Ashley had taken off the wheel.
The brunette's face erupted into a grin. She glanced over at the blonde briefly and winked before bringing her hand up to her face, kissing the skin on Spencer's hand gently.
They parked quickly and headed upstairs, leaving Kyla forgotten in the car.
XXXXX Six Months Later XXXXX
Spencer woke up in their bed. It didn't take too long for them to move in together after their confessions they just needed time to convince Paula that it was a good idea. After Spencer's mother realized it wasn't a phase of some sort she allowed it.
She looked around for Ashley and furrowed her brows when she didn't find her near. It was unusual for the singer to wake up before her.
She got up and looked in the vacant bathroom before venturing out into the living room. Finding nothing there either, she headed into the kitchen.
It was empty as well, sans for a small rectangular object on the counter. Spencer smiled. It was common for them to use the calculator as a means of communication, much like a sticky note.
She hit the on button and froze.
MARRY ME?
"Spence."
Said girl turned around to find Ashley kneeling, a ring box open in her hands.
Tears sprouted to her eyes. Her throat was so tight with emotion she couldn't speak. Instead she nodded vigorously, bending down to wrap her arms around her.
Ashley pulled back, smiling, and slipped the ring onto her new fiancé's ring finger.
They stood up and melded their lips together. They've done it hundreds, if not thousands, of times before but, as with each one, it held the same blaring intensity as their first.