Thanks to all of you who have read, and extra thanks to those you have reviewed. I hope you enjoy this, I actually rewrote this chapter multiple times before liking it, now I hope you enjoy it.

As always I own nothing despite my best effort.

"Good to know something has stayed the same," Spencer mumbles as she turns off her alarm clock. "Waking up Monday morning still sucks." She rolls out of bed and trudges into her bathroom. Looking in the mirror causes her to scowl more, the dark circles under her eyes are worse than ever. She turns on the shower and grabs her toothbrush while it heats up. When she sees steam she rinses out her mouth and strips quickly. She stands under the scalding water, letting it beat and burn her skin. She never used to take long showers. In fact, Spencer prided herself in being able to get ready in under 30 minutes. That isn't the case anymore. She has to scrub her skin multiple times and wash her hair at least twice. By the time she finishes the water is cold, soothing her red skin.

She throws on a pair of jeans and a long tee before heading downstairs. Her father has made pancakes and even she can't help but smile. She sits at the table and her dad places an overfull plate in front of her. As she digs in he goes to kiss her head and she flinches away. Spencer looks away and sets down her fork.

"You really should eat, honey," Arthur says lovingly.

Spencer looks at her father, guilt written all over her features, "I'm sorry Dad, I'm not hungry anymore."

"More for me then," he smiles weakly while taking a bite from her plate.

Glen comes swaggering into the room, "First game of the season today. Time to show the scouts around here who the all-star of King High really is."

Spencer rolls her eyes, "When you find a pin sharp enough to deflate his ego, let me know." Glen just smirks and starts piling pancakes onto his plate.

The Carlin clan steps out of the car into the King High lot and Spencer notices her brother looking at his jock friends then back at her. She nudges him in the shoulder, "Go, I think I can make it to the door in one piece." Glen hesitates which causes Spencer to outright shove him. He leaves, but casts a few glances back before reaching the popular group. Spencer and Clay both gag when Sherry wraps her arms around Glen's neck and gives him a kiss.

Spencer drops off what she doesn't need at her locker and shuts her locker only to come face to face with Madison Duarte. Spencer drops her books in surprise and Madison stares at her with mild interest as she bends to pick them up, "Hey Madison."

"Has Ashley annoyed you yet?"

"No," Spencer straightens and looks at the Latina curiously, "Why?"

Madison scowls, "If she is skipping today I am going to kick her ass." Spencer opens her mouth to ask more but Madison is already gone, furiously punching the keys on her phone.

Spencer enters her English class still a little confused and takes the empty desk next to Chelsea, "Hey," she says quietly.

Chelsea looks at her and gives a warm smile, "Hey, have a good weekend?"

The blonde shrugs, "It was a weekend. Yours?"

"Really good. One of my pieces got selected for an art show of local artists next month," the girl beams.

Spencer truly feels happy for the girl who is turning into her friend, "That's amazing! Congratulations."

"Thanks. I am hoping that this will help me get accepted into a couple of good Art schools."

"Alright class," Mrs. Griffith said, "that was the bell which means be quiet or get out."

Spencer takes out her pen and paper and starts to take notes on their next reading assignment, Of Mice and Men. Another book she has already read, but she decided not to bring it up. Her paper on Lord of the Flies didn't get as good of a grade as she felt she would have had she not let it slip she already read it. Class comes to an end and she notes that Ashley never showed up for class.

When she enters the locker room before P.E. she spots Madison standing alone. She contemplates going up and asking what is up with Ashley, but decides against, opting to go into a bathroom stall to dress out.

As she finishes getting changed she overhears Madison angry voice echoing in the now empty locker room, "Listen Ash, you cannot pull this crap this year. If you want to graduate you need to get your hungover ass out of bed and to the school. You can still make half the day." Spencer feels guilty about continuing to eavesdrop, but leaving the stall seems like it would make things awkward. "Bullshit you aren't sick. Ok, fine maybe you are sick, but it's because of all the shit you put in your body over the weekend. Now, you are going to be here for Pre-Calc or so help my chica I am going to kick your sorry ass."

Spencer hears the phone snap shut and waits until she hears the door to the gym swing open before leaving the stall. She can't explain why she found that conversation so interesting; she usually tries so hard not to eavesdrop on other people. She supposes she isn't surprised that Ashley is a partier, but she also can't help but feel a little disappointed in that nonetheless.


Ashley steps out of her Porsche and slowly makes her way to the school. Her head is pounding and she feels a little sick her to her stomach, but she believed Madison's threat. She brings her mocha up to her lips and prays that caffeine can work its magic on her head. She doesn't remove her sunglasses when she gets inside, if anything the florescent lights are worse than the sun. She pushes open the door to the office and Mrs. Snyder looks up then frowns.

"Well you look lovely," comes the greeting, but Ashley isn't in the mood.

"I'm here, what more do you want? Can I just get a pass so I can get this day over with as quickly as possible?"

Mrs. Snyder pulls out a pink slip and starts filling it out, "And why are you so late today?"

"Sick."

The secretary laughs, "Right, and whose fault is that?"

Ashley slips her sunglasses off to give the older woman a glare, then decides it isn't worth it and slips them back on, "I got carried away this weekend, big deal."

Mrs. Snyder holds out the slip of paper, "Ashley, you really need to start taking better care of yourself." The brunette doesn't respond, she just takes the paper and leaves, already fantasizing about getting home and sleeping until the next day.

Ashley ignores the look Madison gives as she enters her Pre-Calc class. She notices her sister shaking her head and the disappointed eyes Aiden levels at her. She seriously considers leaving, but decides against it when Mr. Wilson tells her to take her seat. She goes to the corner in the back of the class and lays her head down; she's here, what more does everyone want?

Ashley slips in her headphones before entering the cafeteria. She works through the lines, feeling sick just looking at the different kinds of slop the school is trying to pass off as food. She doesn't even thinking as her feet carry her to her usual table, sitting down without looking at anyone. The Carlins share curious glances at the unusually solemn brunette.

"Whatcha listening to?" Clay asks conversationally.

When Kyla recognizes that Ashley is not going to bother answering she throws the boy a bone, "She isn't listening to anything. When she is nursing a hangover she likes to wear her headphones to help muffle the noise."

Glen looks over, "Still hungover? Sounds like a good weekend to me." He holds out his hand for a hi-five but Ashley stares at it until he puts it down awkwardly.

"Thanks for sharing my business with everyone, Kyla," Ashley's tells her sister sarcastically.

Kyla is unaffected, "If you plan on bringing your bitchy attitude to school where there are other people then they deserve to know why."

Ashley pushes her tray away and lays her head on her arms, "Shut up Kyla, your voice penetrates my headphones too easily."

Madison takes a seat next to Ashley and slams her tray down next to the brunettes head, "Oops, sorry, did that disturb you?"

Ashley flashes a glare that could be seen even through her dark shades to which Madison returns with a sickly sweet smile, "Did you enjoy Pre-Calc?"

"I am not talking to you," Ashley mumbles.

Spencer watches the brunette with a frown. She is so used to vibrant Ashley she doesn't know how to take this quiet and angry version. She stays quiet for the rest of the lunch period, but her eyes drifted to the hungover girl on more than one occasion. Ashley didn't make conversation, or flirt as Ashley is prone to do, at all during lunch, only biting off the head of anyone who tried to disturb her sleep. Spencer even admitted to herself that leaving the cafeteria without rejecting Ashley's advances seemed odd.

Spencer was sitting at her desk during her seventh period study hall half-listening to the music from her mp3 player. She was content sitting at the back of the class relaxing. She tended to keep her attention on the blank piece of paper she placed on her desk to make it look like she was being productive. About halfway through out of the corner of her eye she watched a certain brunette trudge in and slap a note on the study hall teacher's desk. Spencer watches as a scowling Ashley flops into the desk next to her without so much as a glance in the blonde's direction. Spencer shrugs and goes back to looking at her blank piece of paper.

With about ten minutes left to go in class Spencer feels a tap on her shoulder. She practically jumps out her chair and looks behind her, entire body tense. She sees a sandy-blonde boy smiling sheepishly at her. Calming herself down she mouths, "What?" His smile turns hopeful and he motions for her to take out her headphones. She does so, but doesn't say anything. Ashley turns her head at the commotion and watches with as much interest as she can muster.

"Hey, Spencer," the sandy-haired boy says still smiling.

Spencer searches her memory for the correct name, "Hey James."

His smile grows upon hearing his own name, "Did you have a good weekend?"

"It was fine."

"That's good. Did you catch the show at Gray's?"

"I couldn't make it, but I heard Ashley rocked it."

Out of the corner of her eye Spencer sees Ashley's lips twitch into a brief smirk, "Yeah she did. I, was wondering, if maybe you would like to catch a concert this weekend, but if they aren't your thing maybe a movie?"
Spencer shifts uncomfortably, "Sorry, James, but I can't."

Smile still in place James shrugs, "Ok, how about next weekend?"

"I can't."

His smile falters and Spencer catches Ashley's lips twitching again, "If you aren't interested in me then just tell me."

Spencer flinches at the subtle anger in his tone, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."

Not being familiar with rejection, James stands up and moves to another seat. Ashley doesn't pick her head up, but for once that day her eyes are fixed on something. She had watched the interaction with the blonde with interest and took in her body language throughout. The flinch did not go unnoticed by the dark eyes despite the sunglasses still firmly in place. Had she been up to it, Ashley would have first gotten rid of the annoying boy and then promptly tried to cheer up the blue-eyed girl. But given her current condition, she just couldn't muster up the energy.

The bell rings and Ashley follows Spencer down the hall and up the stairs to psychology. When she takes her seat she immediately goes back to the position she has been taking all day in class, head on her desk not caring what the teacher says. She does keep her eyes on Spencer, only vaguely aware of the discomfort it is causing the new student. She stays like that most of the class, watching Spencer with tired eyes.

With about five minutes left in class the teacher allows the students to work on their assignment and Spencer finally addresses the brunette, "Will you please stop staring at me?"

Normally Ashley would brush it off and give a flirty wink with an equally flirty comment. However, Ashley is not normal today. Her head is pounding and she could probably puke if she really wanted to, so instead she replies with some venom, "Conceited much? This is how I am laying, you just happen to be there." Spencer blushes but says nothing further, and Ashley turns her head so now she is staring at her own desk.

The bell rings and Spencer takes her time getting her stuff together as always. Ashley does too, but for once it is not with the intention of talking to the blonde. But curiosity does get the better of her and Ashley finally asks, "Why did you turn James down?"

Spencer is surprised by the question, but gives an honest answer, "Like I told him, I'm not interested."

Ashley finally slips off her sunglasses and eyes Spencer, "You aren't interested in him, you aren't interested in guys, you aren't interested in going out in general? Be more specific."

"I'm sorry, when did I start taking orders from you?" Spencer questions with a glare. "I don't have to explain myself to you, especially when you are acting like this."

"Like what?" Ashley challenges. When she takes a step forward Spencer immediately backs down, a slightly scared look crossing her features before she masks it with indifference. Ashley looks away and takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry. I just feel like shit today."

"So I've gathered," Spencer replies dryly.

Ashley looks back at Spencer, much of the anger she's felt throughout the day slipping away, "I was just wondering if you turned James down because you didn't like him, or if it was because you don't like people in general."

Spencer smirks slightly, "Both. Even if I did like people right now, he isn't my type."

Ashley nods her head and puts her sunglasses back on, "Good to know."