CHAPTER 2

"I want you to team up in pairs and prepare a presentation until the end of the month." Mr. Sanders looked over the rim of his glasses at his class.

The whole room began to buzz with whispers as the students tried to secure their team mates. Ashley made eye contact with Kathy, they always worked together on assignments if they could.

Their efforts were cut short by Mr. Sander's next announcement. "Don't bother looking for a partner, I'll do that for you. And there will be no swapping teams and no bargaining for topics either."

A few of the students rolled their eyes. It was such a typical thing to do for the old history teacher. He loved to treat them all like five year olds despite graduation being only a few months. They all knew that an assignment like this would mean they were going to be doing his work and be at the front of the class, their presentations being taken apart for his amusement.

Ashley had a hunch she wouldn't like her team mate by the way Mr. Sanders' eyes glinted when he read her name. "Ashley Brennan, your partner will be Zach Owens." The teacher confirmed her suspicion. "You'll be telling us about the history of our wonderful town Valverde, right from the moment the first Spanish settlers set foot in the valley right up to the year 1846. This is where Michael Clark and Brian Edwards will start with their presentation..."

After class, Kathy came over to her friend with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Of all the jerks available you had to get the biggest." She kept her voice down so Mr. Sanders wouldn't hear her, but she rolled her eyes for emphasis.

Ashley gave her a look that made it clear she didn't want to talk about the subject. Shouldering her backpack she made her way to the door with Kathy practically bouncing beside her. It was obvious the redhead had news to share. "Okay, what's up?" Ashley prompted her.

"The weekend after next, I'll be visiting my Dad in Los Angeles." Kathy beamed.

"So?" Ashley knew Kathy's parents were separated and she regularly went to stay with her Dad on weekends. What was the big deal?

"Mum said I could drive myself!"

Now things began to make sense. Kathy had been trying to get her mother to let her drive to LA ever since she'd gotten her license over two years ago.

"She finally gave in?" Ashley's grin was almost as big as Kathy's.

"Yes, she did. But under one condition."

"What's the catch?"

"She said I had to bring someone along." Mischief glinted in Kathy's eyes as she went on. "She thinks you'd be more than suitable and I couldn't agree more."

Kathy had expected her friend to jump at the chance, instead Ashley's grin faded. "I have to think about it."

"What's there to think about? Just you and me in LA! You know my Dad won't spoil our fun. Come on, Ashley." Kathy pleaded.

Ashley just shrugged. "I can't just leave like that."

"It's just a weekend. Not the end of the world. You haven't been out with me in ages. Hell, you haven't been anywhere in ages. You can't just keep sitting at home hoping somehow everything will return to normal, you know." Kathy thought it was time someone talked some sense into her. Not that she hadn't tried before, but having her friend brush her off like that just made her want to say what was on her mind.

"I know." Ashley's shoulders sagged. "It's just... I don't know about a whole weekend just yet. Can we start with something smaller?" She knew her friend was right, she had to find a way not to let her situation get the better of her. And now, after a year, she thought she might finally be ready to take the first step.

They were interrupted by Zach as he and his friends strode up to them. All were wearing their football jackets which made them look like some kind of gang showing their colours. Ashley thought it was funny how Alison clung to Zach's arm.

"Ashley, I will not have time to do much for the presentation during the next two weeks at least." Zach all but ignored Kathy. "How about you start on your own and just tell me when you've got something to show so you can tell me what to say when presenting it in class?" The boys behind him let out an appreciative snicker as their quarterback laid out his idea of teamwork.

Kathy was as surprised as them when Ashley just said "sure" and turned to go.

"It better be good, Brennan!" Zach shouted after her, pretending he had expected nothing less of Ashley when in truth he was as stunned as the others. Kathy glared at him and started after Ashley.

"What the hell was that all about?!" she demanded when she had caught up with the girl. "Have you lost your mind?"

"And what would you have me do?" Ashley stopped abruptly and turned to face her friend.

"Stand up to him. Tell him that he can do his own homework." Kathy thought it was obvious enough.

"You know as well as I do that he won't do a thing and I'll take the blame in the end." Ashley threw her hands up. "It would start with me getting all worked up about that little halfwit, spending the next two or three weeks running after him, making a fool of myself and in the end not getting what I want anyway. So I might as well just do it myself from the start." She let out an exasperated breath.

"And by just going along with it you didn't make a fool of yourself?" Kathy met her with disbelief.

Ashley chuckled.

"What is so funny?" Kathy's eyes widened as her mind tried to grasp what she must have been missing.

"For one, I only made a fool of myself once this way, instead of giving those dumbasses the opportunity to gloat multiple times. And for two, who says that I will let this opportunity to make a fool of Zach in front of the whole class just pass me by?" Ashley broke into a grin that quickly spread to Kathy as she caught on.

"You'll have him saying whatever you want him to say in that presentation." Kathy couldn't help but giggle at the prospect.

"Yup." Ashley confirmed. "Thank god he's such an idiot. It should be easy to give him 15 minutes of fame he didn't expect. At least not like this."