Ash's life after her big break with Moon Theater had propelled her on the road for success. It didn't give her a mansion, but she was able to quit her day job at the least. The porcupine was a returning act for the theater, rocking the crowd with her voice and guitar, but her one hit wonder Set It All Free would only go so far before it inevitably burnt out. Luckily, she already knew this once she went big, already using the opportunity to collaborate songs with her new friends.
Her new line of songs were received with mixed reactions, though she was never booed off stage. If she really wanted to get the crowd back, she was going to need some punk rock help, but the only person she knew of was that cheating leech of a boyfriend of hers. She'd rather have an emotional mishap on stage than talk to his face again.
It also didn't help that her older fans questioned her about the sensitive subject, adding that they sounded better together, coming off more raw and meaningful. It was always something she wrestled with in her down time, twiddling away with her guitar. Hitting it big felt more trouble than what it was worth. She needed Lance's talent. He was the yin to her yang when it came to musical creativity. They probably butted heads more times than the gigs they played, but it always produced nothing less than the music that rocked the house.
She couldn't put her feelings aside for the band's sake. Ash was obviously wronged by her ex-boyfriend and there was no way she was going to forgive him. ...Or was she? Looking into the eyes of an unexpected visitor at the door, it was none other than the rockin' porcupine himself, Lance. They were both dumbfounded in each other's gaze, Lance working up the right words to say and Ash hesitating slamming the door right on his face.
She was halfway with shutting the door before Lance interrupted, pushing against her force. If there was something for him to say, now was the time to say it. "Wait!" He pleaded, his mind racing for something meaningful to express, anything to buy more time. But Ash's patience wasn't one to be tested as she increased her grip, readying to give one final shove. "I'm sorry Ash!" He grunted, fighting against her weight.
"So?" She stopped briefly, humoring him long enough to let him have one response. Her glare intimidated him, but he persisted, wanting to get through to her. Lance hadn't felt this desperate in years, he needed her back. If not as his girl at least as his friend.
"I was wrong to just throw you away like that! I was jealous okay! I wanted to make it big too! ...I just wasn't thinking right." Lance belted out excuse after excuse. Honestly, It felt nice to see the porcupine grovel in regret. Ash hid her smile behind a disguising paw, not wanting her ex-lover to see her enjoyment.
"And what happened to Becky?" She prodded him further, hoping to see him roast inside. "She find out what a cheating loser you really are?" Ash assumed there was ulterior motives to Lance's little stunt. She'd rather be caught dead and naked than hook back up with him.
"...She left me when she found your stuff in my playlist," Lance sighed in regret, still feeling the cuts of Becky's erratic break up as if it happened yesterday. "Ash… I was stupid to leave you. I miss my partner in crime… And I realized I never found anyone who connected with me on all levels like you have." It was difficult for Lance to look her in the eye.
Ash would have been lying if she said she wasn't conflicted over his words. She swallowed hard, pressing a foot into the floor as she stood her ground. Her conscience constantly reminded her not to buy into his banter, that her life would be fine without him. "You know I'm not taking you back, right?" She was strong enough to utter those words at least.
"That's not what I want Ash!" Lance felt insulted that she would even assume such a thing. "I just want to make music with you again!" He admitted, red in the face. It must have sounded so stupid coming from his mouth, but it was another astonishing statement ringing in her ears. "Becky ruined me so bad with her tasteless radio pop-rock crap! I can't even hold a gig by myself anymore without getting something thrown in my face!"
"... And how do I know you're not just trying to ride off of my fame?" Ash stuck to her guns, she was going to milk this for every ounce she could get. Her question had Lance mentally petrified for a few moments, unable to process it.
"...It's not about the fame… It's about us and our music… Ash," he tried to get through to her. Unfortunately, Ash wasn't buying it. She found the opportunity to catch him off guard and shut him outside completely. "Come on! Ash! Please! … Just think about it!" He pounded on the door a few times as she locked and bolted the door shut.
"Go away Lance!" She wanted to pull herself away, but she also wanted to hear him squirm. He got what he deserved and she was lucky enough to be able to bear witness to it. "Go find someone else to lead on!" Surprisingly, Ash got the last word in… There was nothing Lance could say to that. Instead, he slid something through her mail drop and walked away.
Ash glanced down to spot an envelope. God, if this is some sort of sappy written love letter, I'm gonna puke… She thought as she picked it up. Her paws could feel something more than just paper was inside. Her mind grew cautious to the contents lurking within. Using a claw, she carefully sliced the envelope open, finding only a cheap looking flash drive inside.
Sheesh, couldn't even afford the time to actually write a note. Ash felt a bit offended… But figured she would investigate what was on the piece of scrap anyways. She made her way back to the couch and dragged her laptop over, plugging the flash drive in and waking it up from sleep mode. It didn't take long for the laptop to recognize the new files. She opened the folder, seeing one video, multiple pictures, and one text file at the end.
Geez, I'm gonna be here for a while, Ash rolled her eyes slightly as she skimmed over the thumbnails of the pictures. They were all photos of them together, or photos Lance took of her back when they were together. She didn't know if she was flattered or creeped out. Holding her breath, she reluctantly clicked on the video. I swear if this is cringy as hell, I'm ripping this out and lighting it on fire! She thought as the video briefly loaded.
The camera was centered on Lance, sitting on his bed at his parents house. From the look of things, this had to be filmed pretty recently. He held a guitar in his hands, all ready to play. "Alright, here it goes…" He glanced down at his guitar, making sure he had his fingering correct. "This one's for you, Ash," he peeked back up at the camera, his face a bit red, either from embarrassment or from frustration that was unseen.
Ash kept her expectations low as Lance began to strum away. The occasional mistake popped up every now and then during his intro. Wow, Becky must have really had her way with how he played… The porcupine bit her lower lip, trying not to wince at his honest attempt. Though as the song progressed, it sounded oddly more familiar. She couldn't place her finger on where she heard it before. It didn't strike her until the vocals timidly poured in.
"That's my song!" Ash blurted out loud. It was a song she written for Lance long ago when they were madly in love with each other. Lance thought it was a steaming pile at the time and gave it no thought... But to hear him sing it now, word for word, Ash was more conflicted now than she ever was before. "How did he remember?!" The subtle mistakes he made while playing it didn't matter anymore at this point. She needed to talk to him, tell him she was sorry for giving him the cold shoulder.
But before she could call, she remembered there was one last piece to the flash drive she needed to check out. She clicked on the file, watching it plaster to the screen in an instant. Of course it was a dumb letter, Ash felt herself tear up a little as Lance played on in the background...
To the most important girl in my life…
I screwed up, I didn't realize what a blessing I had in my life until it was all gone. I let what I wanted clouded what I needed. And Ash, I need you. I miss those days where we'd rock the crowds, get the cops called on us for noise pollution, hell… Even all that time at the hospital, I'd swear you were always by my side when I was laid up in bed. I wanna feel like I'm alive again, you're my life Ash. I miss you.
-Lance
Ash felt a swirl of emotions in her chest, stomach, and head. She had to call Lance, talk to him, tell him she was sorry too. Pulling out her phone, she flipped through her contacts searching for Lance's number. "Dammit, I forgot! I deleted it!" She cursed at herself, unable to remember the number by heart. There was no time to deal with the hoops of unblocking him on social media, she had to talk to him now! Without a second thought, she tossed the laptop aside, grabbed her keys, and took off.
AN: I didn't think I'd pick at this story again, but here I am doing it. Life hasn't been so good to me lately, and I refuse to bring myself to write my original content feeling like this. So I guess I decided to keep myself productive and continue this train wreck seeing as it has a small following. Also got my copy of Sing still sitting on my shelf, unopened... Just wish things were actually peaceful for once so I can sit and refresh my memory of the whole movie. Anyways, I got a few more ideas for this story still, though I don't see it lasting much longer. Enjoy it while it lasts.
