A good three hours had passed since the final bell of Spencer's first Monday at King High.

Well, maybe 'good' would be stretching it.

Spencer heaved a heavy sigh as she stacked the last of the cheer equipment, locking the closet before anyone could see any mistake she might've made.

Oh, no, she'd already learned her lesson on that one.

It was only her second tryout with the team, yet she had stacked that cheer equipment seven times.

Eight, if you counted the time Madison caught her in the middle of a 'mistake that could cost the squad this years championship trophies.'

She snorted, wiping the sweat off her brow that had developed over extra track laps Madison had ordered.

'It's like she can smell the gay on me,' Spencer thought, a smile making its way onto her face, 'her nose sure is big enough…'

She threw her towel over her shoulder and turned to exit, only to be stopped by a slightly smaller frame.

"Spencer, watch where you're going. You're going to get hurt one of these days," Ashley grinned, lowering the believability of her already weak threat.

Spencer stood her full height and swallowed her smile, "Oh really? I hope you don't mean by you, little girl," she teased.

Ashley crossed her arms and pushed her chin up, a habit Spencer had grown quite fond of seeing over the few days she'd known the girl.

"Better shut your face if you want a ride."

Spencer heaved a melodramatic sigh.

It wasn't often she could get Ashley's panties in a twist, but it was becoming painfully obvious that the smaller of the two had a complex about her height.

Ashley smiled coyly and took hold of Spencer's arm, openly dragging her out of the gym and into her car.

"Spencer, who was that?"

Spencer looked up from her Chemistry book at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Who was who, Glen?"

Glen made a noise in his throat, Spencer couldn't decide if it was a groan or a growl…

"That chick that drove you home. With the curly hair and the long legs."

Spencer shifted in her bed, sitting with her legs crossed and a pillow clutched tightly on her lap.

"Why do you ask?"

"C'mon Spence. She's hot. I'm hot. Isn't it obvious?"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You're hot?"

Glen grabbed a stuffed bear from her bookcase and threw it at her head.

"Okay, okay! Her name is Ashley."

"Ashley, huh?" Glen smiled, liking the sound of it. "Well, tell your friend Ashley that I'm inviting her to Aiden's party this Friday."

Spencer's grip on the pillow tightened, her knuckles whitening at the force of it.

"Why can't you tell her yourself?"

He threw another stuffed animal her way, not knowing why this time.

"We've never met, that would be weird."

"Oh, but it's not weird for me to tell her that you want to go with her?"

Glen shrugged, "Not for me."

Deciding that the conversation was over, he left Spencer to her Chemistry.

"So, my brother told me to tell you that he's taking you to Aiden's party on Friday," said Spencer, playing idly with her french fries.

Ashley choked on her milkshake, heaving and laughing at the same time.

"Your brother is psycho, and you can tell him I said that," she took one of Spencer's French fries and popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Tell him I already have a date, too."

Spencer looked up immediately, confused and slightly shocked. "You have a date?"

Ashley massaged Spencer's hand, "With you of course," she teased.

Spencer blushed, earning a sincere smile from Ashley.

"Well, I thought, I mean, you, I, uhh—"

Ashley's smile disappeared just about as quickly as it came.

"Chill out, Spence. I'm playing. I don't have a date, but your brother doesn't need to know that."

While the words themselves seemed indifferent, Ashley's tone said otherwise. She was mad. Embarrassed. Confused.

But mostly, she was disappointed.

So Ashley did what made most sense to her: stole another fry and walked away, going to French class for the first time in seven days.