Sun light drenched the world bathing it in a false happiness as Ashley crawled out of the limo her step father bought for them to ride from the airport to MPH. Kyla and RJ quickly went to gather their belongings from the trunk while Ashley stared at her new home for the next two years.
The building was at least five stories high, brick and vines, windows seeming to stare into her soul making her shudder. A forest surrounded them, blanketing the area as if warding all outsides to beware; green grass littered the surface beneath their feet. Children from twelve to eighteen ran and played, talked or made out on the front lawn which seemed to never end as the grass circled the building to the back.
Sighing she made her feet move toward the trunk which was now empty, Ashley felt uneasy as she glanced up to see RJ smiling while holding her bags, "Don't worry girl I got you."
"I don't need help," she growled swiping her hand forward to grab her back but RJ stepped back.
"That's what they all say," winking he turned on his heel and headed toward the front doors.
"His he really like that all the time?" Ashley asked taking two bags from Kyla; the younger girl seemed to be forced to carry her bags along with her brothers while RJ only took Ashley's.
"Yes," she shyly ducked her head causing the brunette's heart to swell.
"Well come on, why don't you show me to my room," Ashley linked an arm thru her sister's and the two followed after their brother.
The three of them walked into the large five story building only to walk right back out at the end of the hall to the back yard where Ashley saw three more tall buildings, two was four stories high and the second was three stories, God this place is loaded...I bet all the kids here are like RJ, God save me now...
Kyla led her to the four story building on the left where they met up with RJ who was standing impatiently at the front door, "Took you long enough squirt," RJ ripped his bags away from his sister who lurched forward at the sudden motion.
"Chill out jock strap!" Ashley growled steadying her new sister while stealing her bags away from him.
"It's okay Ash, come on..." Kyla grabbed her head yanking her toward the four story building on the right, but Ashley's gaze never faltered as she stared her new brother down until he scuffed and went inside.
"Why do you let him treat you like that?" the young girl shrugged her shoulders and continued to walk up some stairs.
"Each room gets two girls,"
"Each floor is for a grade I got it," she sneered not purposely she was just in a bad mood.
"Actually no, it goes in order, first room on first floor freshman, second room first floor sophomore, third door first floor junior, fourth..."
"Okay Ky I get it, I get it..." Ashley laughed; she loved how energetic her sister was.
The two reached the third floor, figures I would be close to the top and no elevator, Ashley thought glancing at room 89 G. Opening the door she was surprised at how big the room seemed, two twin beds both pushed up against the wall away from each other, a large window overlooking a stunning pond, a private bathroom and two small closets right across each bed. Two desks and a mini fridge completed the look.
"Kick ass," Ashley smiled flopping down on the one bed not full of pink covers. Kyla giggled at her sister as she dropped her bags to rest her tired arms.
"Yeah everyone likes the dorms," she sat down in the empty desk chair scanning the room. Ashley followed suite taking in how pink and girlie her roommates side looked, boy band posters hung everywhere while the girl's side was so neat and orderly.
"Why'd I get stuck with that?" Ashley whined referencing the other half of the room, plopping onto her back covering her eyes with one hand while the other hand rested on her stomach.
"Don't worry she'll probably never be in here," Ashley perked up at that.
"You know my roomy?" Kyla spun around and around in the chair avoiding her older sisters stare.
"Know her know her, no; she's two years ahead of me like you. She's like really popular, names Mary Stile, she dated RJ for a while but than he broke it off."
"Why?"
"Don't know, they seemed great together but he always seems great with someone. I think he's dated every girl in this school,"
"Except me," Ashley reminded her.
"Right but everyone knows you're his sister so it doesn't count," Kyla assured her as she stood up, "So I have to put my things away but I'll be back and we can go to dinner together?"
Kyla twisted her hands together at the bottom of her shirt, "Sure Ky I'd love to," Ashley didn't understand why Kyla was so shy around her one minute and hyper the next. The younger girl smiled widely before rushing out of the room.
Ashley stood in line with Kyla waiting their turn to get some food, the older girl was completely amazed, and the cafeteria was more like a food court. You could pick any thing from burritos, burgers and fries, chips, sushi, vegetarian style anything, pizza and so on and so on the place even had a soda fountain.
"I'm going to be so fat," Ashley whined finally able to grab a tray and headed one back to Kyla who giggled at her comment, "Seriously there is no way...wait I can come back for seconds right?" she turned quickly eye brows raised pleading with her sister to tell her yes.
"And thirds and fourths, as much as you want," Kyla nodded for her to continue their journey.
"And we don't have to pay?"
"Nope, just grab and go,"
"Cool," then silence. The girl's were still trying to get to know each other so every once in a while they found nothing to talk about but it was always a comfortable silence.
Finally a few minutes later Ashley had a piles of food on her plate along with Kyla, she turned to find an empty table. The place was packed, down to almost the last corner, and than it happened. Ashley's throat caught and her breathing hitched, her heart jumped several beats for in the corner, huddled over a tray of food, sitting by her self was Spencer Carlin.
The tray in her head started teetering, she lost all motor control as she found it hard to balance the offending object in her hand, eyes never wavering from the blonde as if afraid it was a dream and the moment she glanced away Spencer would be gone.
"Yo Ash watch it," RJ squeezed past her, right in front of her eyes, blocking the teen from her vision for a second but it broke her from the trance as Spencer was still sitting there by her self.
"You alright?" Kyla wondered seeing the difference in her sister, the far away look, flushed cheeks, sweaty hands.
"Yeah...no, she's here..."
"Who?" Kyla glanced around the room as if she'd magically know who her sister was talking about.
"Her," Ashley pointed setting her tray down on the edge of a table. Kyla followed the out stretched hand to the girl eating in the corner.
Kyla grabbed the hand and forced it down, "NO...no no no do not think about going over to her."
"What why?"
"Why, you want a decent reputation don't..."
"I don't give a damn about reputation, besides I..." she was going to I love her but stopped, not wanting to share too much with her sister quite yet. So instead she started walking that way when Kyla pulled her back.
"Look don't okay," the girl tried to get her sister to walk away, when Ashley looked back the table was empty so she followed her sister to an empty table and the two sat down.
"Why is she here anyway?"
"Rumors are that when she was thirteen her mom found out she's," Kyla leaned forward, "Gay...sent her here immediately. The girl has to have her own room so she doesn't get ideas from sleeping near another girl and she hasn't had any visitors since she came here, or at least that's what I've heard."
Ashley's eyes bulged, how did Paula find out, did she know that Spencer and Ashley were girlfriends, is that why they moved away and why Spencer never wrote her back. So many letters, so many hours wasted. Ashley remembered sitting down every night writing a letter and when she got nothing in return she started apologizing in the letters, for what she wasn't sure, but she pleaded and told the girl she was sorry for anything that might keep Spencer from talking to her but she never got a thing back and eventually stopped writing all together.
"I have to talk to her," Ashley said out of the blue.
"Who, Spencer?" Ashley nodded, "Ash just leave it alone."
"Okay so why don't you like her?"
"It's not that, when I did hang with her for a school project she's cool okay but the thing is RJ has been trying to get Spencer to date him and she's turned him down, which made him upset which made the school lose a football and basketball game so now no one likes her okay...plus there's a rumor flying around she's secretly dating the English teacher Mrs. Rollings and that's why she's passing that class." Kyla shrugged and got up to throw her trash away.
I don't care I have to talk to her, my baby is at the same school, there is no way I'm letting this pass me by. Ashley thought returning to her room for the night, trying to build her self up for tomorrow's classes and a hopeful run in with the love of her life.
TBC.