1Chapter 2

Change Your Mind

Ashley was driving herself crazy all day thinking about that blonde beauty that she had an encounter with. One which consisted of her insulting the poor girl. Ashley Davies was never one to feel remorse for anything, but this was different. She couldn't help, but feel guilty, feel horrible, for the way that she treated her. She didn't even know her name, but yet she was obsessing over her since the moment she laid eyes on her.

The final bell of the day rang and Ashley headed off in search of the girl. That girl. She checked the library, courtyard, parking lot and finally headed off towards the gym. The guys had basketball practice in there and Ashley figured that she might've headed there.

Sure enough, she was right. Walking across the gym to the bleachers, Ashley sat down next to her, smiling.

She said, "So, uh, you a basketball fan or you just like watching guys pat each other on the ass?"

The girl gave a slight smirk and said, "Question: Are you on meds?"

Pretending to think about it for a second, Ashley said, "Actually...no. My mom fired my last therapist after he hit on her and anyone who believes in the halistic approach to my mental health.

Ashley smiled inside when she saw the cute blonde next to her sit with an amused look on her face before speaking.

"So you are crazy?", the girl asked.

"They think I am. It gives them reason to justify my behavior.", Ashley responded. She was glad that she was given this chance to talk to this girl. She didn't seem like a bad person, at all. Then she realized that she never actually answered her question, so she said, "But no...I'm not. Are you?"

The girl just smiled and simply said, "No."

Looking around the gym, Ashley said, "Then what're you doing here?"

She looked to the direction where the girl was pointing with her pen and nodded after she was informed that it was her brother. "Cute. Haven't seen him around.", she responded. This was her subtle approach to finding out about the girl next to her. Feign interest in her brother and you're bound to find something out about her.

The blonde girl couldn't help but answer. She was finding herself entranced by the girl next to her, for some strange reason, and she didn't want the conversation to end.

She said, "Yeah, we just moved here..He's hoping he'll get to play or his world will end."

"And I thought I was dramatic...Well, for his sake, I hope he's not too good.", Ashley said.

The girl next to her raised her eyebrows and said, "Meaning...?"

Ashley figured she'd do some introducing. "Uh, meaning that the basketball star, I.E.: Aiden, can't be the star if another star...that would be your brother...replaces him. Which means the cheerleading queen Madison can't be the queen if she's not dating the star."

The girl laughed. Ashley loved the fact that she was the cause of laughter.

The girl responded, "I know."

In a satirical tone, Ashley said, "At King High, it's all about being somebody."

The blonde next to her tilted her head to the side and said, "And who are you...?"

Ashley smiled inside. This girl was actually showing some interest. She wanted to know more about Ashley. Ashley wasn't going to hold out on her.

She figured she'd joke her way through it, like she did with everything else. "Today, I haven't really decided yet...". Then she just giggled and said, "Ashley Davies,", while holding her hand out to the beauty next to her.

"Spencer Carlin. Nice to meet this side of you," the now, no longer nameless girl said.

Ashley thought back to this morning. Coffee falls, "I'm new here,", "Do you have to create a disaster everywhere you go?". She felt awful for treating her that way, but she snapped out of her trance to come up with a response for Spencer. She couldn't tell her the truth. She couldn't say that she acted that way because, she thought that Spencer was gorgeous and she panicked. She needed a lie and quick.

"Yeah..sorry about this morning. Stepfather #3 came by which caused pissed off stepfather #4 and they got into this whole parental argument about my...", Ashley caught Spencer eyeing her back. She finished, "Tattoo. You like?"

Ashley noticed the sense of unease that overtook Spencer.

Spencer looked down and said, "I thought they were illegal for minors?"

Ashley just scoffed and said, "Everything cool is. Anyway, it was a long night and...I woke up a little cranky and you received the benefit of it"

Spencer just smiled and said, "Lucky me."

Ashley just met this girl and yet she couldn't get enough of her. She wanted to get to know her more, be her friend. Sure, something more would be nice, but she wasn't going to push anything and honestly, she wasn't looking for more. The girl fascinates her, that's it.

Changing the subject, Ashley said, "You see much of La La Land?"

Spencer thought for a second and said, "Uh, yeah. Universal City, Santa Monica Pier -"

Before she could finish, Ashley had to cut her off. She sounded like a typical tourist, not a teen living in L.A. This was Ashley's chance.

"Ok, Stop, Stop. You're killing me. Come on."

Before leaving, Ashley told Spencer's brother that he wouldn't have to give her a ride home and that she'd get her home safely. Spencer just smiled at that and followed Ashley out of the gym and to her car.

The two girls drove around L.A. for a couple of hours. Stopping at random stores. Taking in the sites. Just getting to know each other. They had just met, but they knew more about each other than anybody else did.

Lowering the then blasting radio, Ashley turned to Spencer and said, "So, you've seen the town. What do you think?"

Spencer just smiled and said, "Ohio is nothing like this."

Ashley smirked and said, "Is that a bad thing?" and Spencer just shook her head.

"Well, where to now? What time do you have to be home, Spencer?"

"My parent's are going out for dinner, so I don't need to be home until around 8, maybe? Why, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, my mother just had a new surround sound system built into our theater, that we don't even need. We could go watch a movie at my house..."

"Sounds good to me", Spencer said. A little too quickly.

After watching the movie, the girls went up to Ashley's room and just sat there, talking, at first about the Real World, but then Ashley got curious.

Sitting up, she said, "So did you leave a boy back home?"

"Um, No one special. You?"

"Nooo. One should only hit and run. Boys are way too much trouble."

Spencer scrunched up her eyebrows, shrugged and said, "Well, Aiden's cute."

Ashley said, "Aiden?". Then she gave herself a Valley Girl voice, throwing herself back on the bed and said, "You have soo dropped in cool points."

Spencer laughed and, sitting up, said, "Well, what kinda guy do you like then? Huh? The bad boy? Skater? Oh, wait. No. The tortured poets."

Ok, so Spencer obviously had no idea that Ashley wasn't into any of those types unless they were talking about women.

"That's it! No, They all suck. They all think 'Hello' means 'Put your hands all over me'", Ashley said as she emphasized by lightly pushing Spencer's shoulder.

Spencer laughed at Ashley's response, "No, It's the kiss. I so hate the kiss. They try to suffocate you with their tongues. Ew!"

"I know, I know. And all they do is sit around and talk about themselves forever."

This was some serious girl talk, in Ashley's book. She's never actually sat down with a girl like this and gone on about boys. Actually, very rarely was she just sitting down with girls. She snapped herself out of it again and tuned into what Spencer was saying.

"And you have to sit there, smiling and nodding like you care"

"...like you care...", Ashley and Spencer simultaneously said.

Ashley continued, "I know. It's a good thing they're not the only choice."

Uh-oh. Had she said too much? Ashley looked down and realized that her hand was on Spencers. Spencer nervously looked around the room, noticing a picture on Ashley's night table of her and another girl laughing. She then, not so subtly, pulled her hand away and cleared her throat.

Ashley could tell that Spencer had become uncomfortable. They had become so close throughout the day and now she may have just ruined it? She would have to convince Spencer that nothing weird was going on and that she could trust Ashley. She'd have to change her opinion, change her mind.