Chapter 7

The muscles in her legs were on fire as she dribbled down the court in her sleeveless uniform shirt and shorts. She paused in the middle of the floor, a guy twice her size after the ball in her possession, she sharply looked to the left and then passed the ball to Aiden. He successfully caught it and continued down the court. She followed him to the opponent's basket and silently cheered as the ball fell into the white net, scoring another two points.

A smile never made its way onto her lips as she continued playing. Determination was all she felt and all the audience saw when she had the ball or obsessively attempted to steal it from her opponents. She was never considered a ball hog, but this game was different. There wasn't a second she didn't want the ball. She took it every chance she got, losing herself in the game.

She felt incredible for the first time that week. Her behavior didn't cause concern, it caused the crowd to roar, and the sound was music to her ears compared to being asked 'are you okay?' all week by everyone from teachers to complete strangers at school. She wasn't okay but nobody had to know that. She would smile, lie, and then move on with her day. A good amount of time was spent spacing out in the middle of class or lunch. The teachers showed concern and she lied to them too. After the first couple of days nobody believed her, especially Aiden but she refused to say anything more than, 'I'm fine.'

And then there was Ashley.

Thinking about her resulted in crying, feeling stupid, and hating the fact that she wanted her in the first place. She didn't see her around school and it was a blessing. A part of her never wanted to see her again, and the other part occasionally thought of ways to fix things with her, but she mostly focused on not thinking about her at all and exhausted herself with studying, practice, and taking care of house chores.

The final buzzard sounded and they won the game 67 to 29. Her teammates jumped around out of excitement for the win, hugged, and high fived each other. She was happy with the game but wasn't in the mood to go all crazy like everyone else. She sat on the bench drinking Gatorade while watching everyone. Aiden looked at her from the floor and then approached her.

"What's wrong?" He asked grabbing a plastic cup.

"I'm just tired." She answered standing up. Her eyes stayed on the cup in his hands as he filled it with Gatorade. He brought it to his lips and swallowed greedily, emptying the cup.

"When are you going to tell me the truth?" He asked facing her.

"I'm not lying to you." She insisted and then turned away at hearing their coach. The other team was already lining up to say goodbye. She followed Aiden to their line and they began shaking the hand of each member on the opposing team.

Touching the last person's hand, she broke away from the group and headed to the girl's locker room, more than ready to take a shower and go home. need a new ride. She thought dreading the car ride back to her house. Aiden was becoming frustrating with all his concern. Almost every conversation started with 'are you ready to talk about Ashley yet?' She was tired of it and couldn't wait for him to get over her weird mood.

Spencer entered the locker room and headed to the back. She heard voices from all around and hoped the owners wouldn't spot her. She wasn't in the mood to make small talk. Carrying a towel and a small bag, she walked to the showers with no interruptions.

Finishing her shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and headed back to her locker, passing a few cheerleaders along the way. Glancing at them, she noticed they completely ignored her presence, until she walked passed them and heard their low murmuring. Let them think whatever the fuck they want. Her mind drifted two days back and she remembered being asked if she was pregnant. She denied it of course and realized there were rumors spreading about her. It didn't bother her too much.

It all bullshit anyways.

"Phoenix." A familiar voice called out from behind. She turned around and faced Madison. Two cheerleaders stood around the Latina and watched with smiles on their faces. "Leave." She told them and from the looks on their faces she could tell they didn't like it, but did what they were told. "Nosy bitches." The head cheerleader mumbled as she walked over to her. "How are you?"

"We won the game, I'm feeling great."

Her brown eyes rolled. "That's not what I meant. Everyone's talking about you and I want to know why. Did you and Aiden break up?"

"No, we're doing fine. Everything is fine. I'm not pregnant or fighting with anyone. Are we finished?"

Madison stared at her a second before answering. "If you're so fine, why are you acting like such a bitch?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry if I'm being a bitch. I'm just naked and tired." She leaned over and gave the brunette a hug. "Thank you for your concern." She pulled away. "But I promise I'm okay and there's nothing wrong with me. You know people love drama at King. All the rumors are false and I don't know why people are starting them. If I do have a problem it's because I'm under a lot of pressure, okay?"

"From Aiden?"

"From life." She corrected. "School, home, basketball- it's gets to be a little too much sometimes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Madison gave her another hug goodbye and she continued on to her locker. She didn't waste another second getting dressed. She didn't want anyone else to approach her. Pulling black denim jeans up her legs, she stared ahead at the empty space in her locker. I do have a problem. She reached up and ran a hand through her damp hair before kneeling down to dig in her gym bag.

After putting on a bra and a white cami top, she picked up the black Adidas bag and placed it on the bench. Slowly zipping it close, her eyes focused on the bench itself. She could see Ashley sprawled out on it, waiting for her to come out of the shower. It was something she started doing when they first entered high school. Even though they weren't as close, she would still pop in from time to time after a game, and Spencer loved it.

Her fingers released the silver zipper slider and she took a seat next to the bag. Her eyes went back to the locker thats been hers for four years now. Every time Ashley paid her a visit it would be in this very spot. The bench she sat on now was the one she lied back on as she waited for her. How bizarre, she thought sitting on the bench. Am I waiting for Ashley?

The thought seemed silly to her as she lied back on the bench, reclining until the back of her head hit the hard wood. She lied on the bench as if it was her bed and threw her arm over her eyes, blocking the bright light above her. All she saw was darkness as she continued the silly little thought. She wasn't waiting for Ashley, then why are you still in the locker room? Her mind softly questioned. We just won one of the biggest games of the year, she should be here. Are you really so desperate that you'd wait here for her to show up?? "Fuck," She gasped removing her arm from her eyes as she sat up. What the fuck am I doing?! She got up from the bench frustrated with the single tear sliding down her face. I'm so sick of crying. She slammed the blue locker door shut and slung the black Adidas bag over her shoulder.

Spencer walked out of the locker room feeling a sense of relief at seeing Aiden seated on the bottom bleacher. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible and go to sleep. Bed time was beginning to be something she looked forward to. It paused her life for a few hours and took her to a more enjoyable reality with no problems. "I hope you weren't waiting too long." She said to his standing frame.

"I wasn't." He took her hand as they began their journey to his car. "I feel pretty wide awake." He glanced over at her. "How about you?"

She heard it in his voice. He wanted to take her out somewhere. Jacob Stevens was throwing another party, she assumed that's where he wanted to go and looked at him, ready to say no, but he spoke first. "Come on, let me tell you about it first before you say no. Friday is Grey's teen night."

"What's Grey's?" She asked as she stepped out of the gymnasium in sync with Aiden.

"It's a night club." He paused in his explanation to wave goodbye to a couple teammates standing in the parking lot a few feet away. Spencer also waved. "They normally don't let minors in unless it's Friday. It's a new thing they're doing." He flashed her a dazzling smile. "We have to go, Phoenix. I looked it up online last night and they're supposed to have live music and good food tonight. Who can pass up live music, good food, and a couple games of pool?"

"Since when are you into pool?" She inquired playfully knowing her friend had no real interest in the game.

"Since I found out I can play it in a club I don't need a fake ID for!" He happily exclaimed fishing the keys out of his pocket. "We have to go." He released her hand and faced her. "Say yes, say yes, say yes, say-"

"Yes." She answered knowing he wasn't going to stop bugging her about it.

The closer they approached the club the more excited she felt. Sitting in the passenger seat of Aiden's black Tahoe, she couldn't wait for the night to begin. Her main goal was to forget about Ashley and have fun, maybe dance with a couple of people, and have a drink or two. Tonight would be the end of her down mood and she couldn't wait.

Grey's Night Club was packed, the parking lot full of cars and smoking teenagers. She turned her head and regarded Aiden as he waited for a yellow Nissan to back out of a parking space. "This place has double the people Jacob Stevens has." She mused in amazement.

"Triple." He corrected turning the wheel.

Spencer opened the passenger door and slipped out of the Tahoe. She could hear the loud music from where they parked and found the of outside the building to be quite nice. The large sign hanging high above the building was a bright Neon Purple. It was obvious the owner of the club had money to make the place look nice. "Ready?" Aiden took her hand. She nodded and they headed to the entrance.

The two teenagers got in after paying five dollars each. Spencer's blue eyes looked around amazed at everything they saw. The club was one large room and only lights seemed to section it off. In one corner was the stage where bright white lights constantly shined, opposite of that corner was the DJ's booth surrounded by strobe lights, the middle of the room was dark except for the many colored lights that blinked in time with the music, and the bar was illuminated by many dark blue lights. She looked around harder and noticed booths lined with purple and green lights lining the walls and a staircase leading up to a second story.

"This is incredible." She said near Aiden's ear as they seated themselves at the bar. He looked at her and nodded with a huge smile. "I just need to find someone to buy the drinks." He replied and then leaned back looking around. It didn't take him long to spot someone. Spencer watched as he approached a tall familiar red head. His name was Zach and was on the football team. Aiden pulled out his wallet and gave him some cash before returning back to his seat beside her. "He's our age." She said with some confusion.

"Our age with a 200 hundred dollar fake ID." He grinned, his eyes fixated on the bartender. "God, he has a nice ass." He said leaning over to her.

Spencer smiled and then stopped watching Zach hand the Bartender Aiden's money. "What did you order us?"

"Nothing too strong." He reassured grinning wildly. "It's really sweet and something you'll enjoy."

"You're such a liar." She responded watching Zach walk towards them holding two clear glasses of greenish brown liquid. He handed them both to Aiden. "There you go, Man." His brown eyes turned over to her. "Phoenix! Are you ready to drop a Jager-Bomb?" He asked as Aiden handed her the drink.

"What?" She questioned not understanding a word of what he just said.

"It's the name of your drink." Zach chuckled. "Jager-Bomb. Yummy as hell, I highly recommend it." Two men approached them and urged Zach someplace else. He looked over at her and Aiden. "I'll see you guys around, enjoy those!"

She watched him leave and then stared down at her drink. "You have to drink it fast, on the count of three." Aiden said near her ear. She looked at him. "Okay." She replied wiling to be more adventurous with the alcohol tonight.

He counted to three and she brought the glass to her lips, gulping until nothing was left. The taste wasn't too bad, it was like drinking red bull with Nyquil. She placed the empty glass down on the bar and turned to Aiden. "Lets dance." He took her hand and dragged her to the dance floor.

Stepping into the crowd of moving bodies, Spencer's hips slowly began moving in time with the music as she walked with Aiden. They stopped in a dark spot near the stage, she draped her arms over Aiden's shoulders and danced with him until the song ended. She removed her hands from his body and moved with a couple other people. Nothing sexual, if anything, she danced with a smile on her face and had fun occasionally brushing against someone and then turning around to share a dance with them.

Her eyes stayed opened and were always moving, looking around, searching. She knew who she was looking for. A lot of girls reminded her of Ashley and she found herself yearning for the real one to show up and take her breath away. She smiled sadly at the thought knowing how ridiculous she sounded. [i]Get over her.[/i] Her mind urged.

It was easier said then done.

"Alright Ladies and Gentleboys, this DJ is going on a much needed break but here are some kids that will gladly take my spot, temporarily of course. We promised live music and here some of it is. I present L.A.'s own 'Fuck Ups."

The dark stage in the corner came to life. Spencer turned her head and watched the band as they began to play. Two girls and two guys, she recognized the two girls immediately. Erin and Jonica, the names came to mind quick as she watched them play their instruments. Erin was playing a black guitar while Jonica expertly moved her fingers across a silver keyboard. The lead singer played bass and another man was on drums. The music was good and easy to dance to. Their sound was a unique mix of indie, techno, and punk.

But the music was the last thing on her mind.

She couldn't stop staring at the lead guitarist. Erin played on stage like a true rock star but it wasn't her playing that had her transfixed. The dark haired girl was absolutely stunning. The leather jacket and tight tee shirt she wore barely covered her torso, every time she lifted the guitar, even a little bit, Spencer caught sight of her hips and the two piercings there. "You're the only one not dancing." She turned her head and was greeted with Justin's smirking face. "Is the music not good enough?"

Her eyes moved back on stage, settling on Erin. "The music's great." She answered somewhat distracted. "I had no idea she was in a band."

"It's impossible to know much about anyone you've known for five minutes." He answered close to her ear and took her hand. "Come with me."

The blonde willingly followed Justin, her eyes glued to Erin the entire time. She hadn't spotted her yet, but Spencer knew that was bound to change. Justin led her to the side of the stage, there were four steps. They walked up two of them and then stopped. Two more steps and she would be on stage, right beside Erin.

The guitarist must have spotted her out of the corner of her eye because she turned her head, their gazes meeting. Erin had soft green eyes that would be easy to drown in, Spencer smiled and she returned it before turning her attention back to the dancing audience. "She really likes you." Justin's voice was in her ear. "You better let her down easy."

She looked at him. "And what if I like her back?"

"Wouldn't that bother your boyfriend?" Justin asked giving her his full attention.

"No, it wouldn't." She looked back at Erin and watched as she caught the stem of a rose thrown from the audience with her mouth. The crowd applauded her as she kept playing the guitar in her hands. She turned her body toward Spencer and approached her. Leaning forward, she offered the rose to her. Spencer stared into her green eyes as she leaned forward, taking the rose from between her lips using her mouth. Their lips never touched as she took a different part of the stem and pulled back. The crowd went crazy and she found herself blushing as she reached up to take the rose from her mouth.

She brought the red rose to her nose and inhaled, enjoying its scent as her eyes stayed locked with Erin's. There was no denying the interest reflecting in gentle green orbs. Spencer twirled the rose between two fingers as Erin finally looked away.

She turned her head and regarded the empty space beside her with surprise.

Justin was nowhere to be found.

From her spot on the steps, she looked around and finally spotted him at the bar sitting with Aiden. What are they talking about? She murmured to herself stepping off the steps and joining the crowd on the bustling dance floor. "Can I buy you a drink?" A deep voice asked. She turned to the stranger and politely declined while pushing past people, trying to get to the bar.

As she made her way through the throng of moving bodies, she stopped noticing her twin brother. Glen was going up the staircase holding two beers. She stared until he disappeared. What goes on up there? She wondered watching more people approach the staircase.

Her legs moved slowly toward the darkened staircase knowing who she was looking for but not knowing why. The brunette would surely be up there doing god knows what with god knows who but that didn't stop Spencer from slowly descending up the staircase. She was nervous, curious, and scared all at the same time and the feelings only intensified when she reached the top.

The second floor looked nothing like the first. The room was spacious and dimly lit with dark red lights. A thick fog from various types of smoke made it hard to see. She looked all around and noticed bodies scattered everywhere doing everything from smoking pot to having sex.

Twirling the rose between her fingers, she walked deeper into the room and watched as some people did drugs and avoided the ones who were having sex. She stepped around a couple on the floor and accidentally bumped into a hard body hidden by the smoke. "Careful, Sweetheart." A voice with a hint of an accent softly warned. "It would be so easy to get hurt in here." She felt the stranger's hand wrap around her wrist as she started to back away and internally panicked. "So dark- it would be easy to fall and hurt yourself. Would you like to go somewhere less crowded, Sweetie?"

The hand pulled her toward a hard body. "I've got to get going, sorry." She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp but it only encouraged him to squeeze harder, sending a wave of pain through her, forcing her hand to open and the rose to fall. "Come on, Sweetie. No one says no to Ramone."

"Fuck off." A voice from behind violently commanded.

She watched the man named Ramone direct his eyes over her shoulder. "Why should I?"

"Because," An arm wrapped around her waist, Spencer leaned back into the warm body pressed up against her. Soft, warm breaths tickled her sensitive skin, followed by gentle lips running up the length of her neck, nipping at the pulse point, she released a sigh. "She's mine." Her blue eyes watched Ramone's face as he released her wrist. A tongue peeked out from his lips and ran across the top one.

"Lets share her, Ashley."

"No," Was whispered in her ear as a finger trailed up her throat, along her jawline, and finally Ashley cupped her soft cheek and urged her face to meet her own. Her eyes stared into hers with undisguised lust that caused a surge of desire to run through her. "I want every inch of her for myself." She leaned into the hand cupping her face and kissed the thumb tracing her lips. "Go back downstairs." Ashley removed her hand from her face and the arm encircling her waist.

Spencer looked away. Ramone was gone, she turned around and met Ashley's cold gaze through a thin fog of smoke. "Leave."

"Why?" She questioned softly walking until they were inches apart. She didn't know if it was the smoke or the shock from Ramone but the last thing she wanted was to leave and the first thing she needed was Ashley. Her arms came up, encircling her neck, she continued gazing into her cold eyes. Ashley kept her arms pinned to her sides the whole time. "What if you were the reason I came up here?"

Ashley quickly reached out and pulled Spencer to her. There was nothing gentle about the hands on her hips and Spencer wasn't expecting an 'I love you' to come out of their closeness. The closeness was far from loving and Spencer saw it in Ashley's eyes that she didn't want her there.

"The only reason to come up here is to fuck," The brunette moved her hands to her backside and pulled her tighter against her, Spencer could feel Ashley's thigh press harder against her center, she fought back a moan. "Is that what you came up here for?"

The blonde wrapped her arms tighter around Ashley's shoulders, letting one hand lose itself within many brunette curls. "Who did you come up here to fuck?" She asked moving closer to her lips.

"Not you." Ashley answered slightly tilting her head to the side. "It'll never be you."

"I don't believe you." She murmured feeling her soft breaths tickle her skin. "You love when I say your name as I come."

"I was high at the pool and completely fucked in my room when I said that."

"Are you high now?"

"Very."

"Good."

With the hand buried in Ashely's hair, she pulled her closer until she touched her lips softly. Her bottom lip trembled as her hooded eyes stayed opened. Ashley Davies. All week she obsessed over hating the fact that she loved her, wanting to make up with her, and forgetting about her all together. Now here she was kissing the reason behind her broken heart and tortured mind.

The grip she had on Ashley's hair tightened as she kissed her a second time. Pouring all of her strained emotions into the kiss, her eyes closed shut as her lips moved fiercely against her sweet mouth. Ashley kissed her back just as hard and she was powerless to stop the moans of pleasure escaping her throat. Her hands slipped under her shirt as Ashley tugged insistently on her bottom lip demanding entrance.

Feeling warm hands on her naked skin, Spencer's lips parted allowing Ashley's tongue inside her mouth. Spencer was so lost in the depths of the kiss that she never realized she was moving until she felt her back hit the wall.

But that didn't stop her.

Her hungry mouth continued feasting on Ashley's lips. swallowing her moans as Ashley's left hand moved from the hot skin on her back to the sensitive skin on her neck. She felt the back of her fingers stroke her throat, moving lower and lower each time, she nearly cried out when she felt them brush over her left breast and continue down between their bodies, slipping under her shirt.

The muscles in her abdomen flexed under her fingertips, they traced every inch of her visible four pack, Spencer broke the kiss with a breathless gasp and stared down. She couldn't see the hand stroking her stomach but she was able make out what Ashley was wearing. A short black vest with nothing underneath barley covered her torso and stopped above her hips. She couldn't see anything passed that.

Breathing heavily, she reached out and undid the bottom button of the vest, followed by the middle and then finally the top. Their bodies were so close that she could feel Ashley's ragged breaths across her face, but she didn't dare look up for fear of the spell being broken. Instead, she focused on Ashley's exposed skin.

The now open vest was the only barrier between her and Ashley's breast. With trembling fingers, she touched the valley of her breasts and then slowly trailed her fingertips under the dark material of the vest. Her hand opened fully against her heart and she could feel its rapid beating against her palm. For a moment she wondered whose heart was beating faster, her or Ashley's?

The fingers on her abdomen stilled as she keeled down, moving the vest out of the way, she replaced her hand with her lips and kissed warm, soft, skin, lingering at her fast beating heart. She could feel it's pounding against her lips. Her eyes closed wishing she could take all the pain that seemed to pour from each beat away. Feeling Ashley's hand in her hair, she looked up into her dark eyes while kissing down her breast. They were hooded and she could faintly hear her heavy breathing. She moved her gaze back to her breast and parted her lips, ready to take the erect bud into her mouth, she was stopped by the two fingers placed under her chin. They urged her up.

Standing straight, Ashley took her lips in another hungry kiss. Parting her lips, their tongues shared another dance. Spencer's hands reached out and fully cupped the breasts she couldn't taste. Ashley gasped at the unexpected touch, breaking the kiss, she groaned and buried her face into her shoulder, breathing heavily against her neck. Spencer continued kneading her breasts, teasing her hardened nipples with her fingers, she felt her knees begin to quiver from arousal as Ashley began kissing up and down her neck, sucking and nipping at her sensitive skin. Her hands moved from Ashley's breasts to her curly hair as the brunette began kissing down her body, stopping to suck each of her breasts through her clothing, Spencer moaned deeply as her head fell back against the wall. Through hooded blue eyes, she stared down stroking Ashley's hair as she kissed down her stomach, lifting her shirt to lick and suck at her abs. Tracing every crease with her tongue, Ashley slowly kissed up her body, nipping at her pulse point before meeting her desire filled eyes.

Spencer cupped the left side of her face, moving forward to eagerly capture her lips, Ashley pulled back. She tried again, moving forward to kiss her, and again, Ashley jerked away. She stared confusedly into her eyes.

Ashley didn't say a word as she lifted her arm up. Spencer watched it slowly descend up to her face holding a cylinder shaped object between her fingers. Ashley shook it a couple of times before bringing it up to her nose. Brown eyes momentarily closed as she held down one nostril to snort whatever was in the container with the other. Spencer watched as she deeply inhaled two times before lowering the object. Her hands reached out and cupped Ashley's before it could disappear. Her brown eyes opened and stared questionably into hers as she brought her tanned hand to her flushed face, her nose hovering above the container. She repeated her actions and held down one of her nostrils, Ashley jerked her hand back before she could inhale. "What are you doing?" She questioned softly.

"I want to know what it feels like." She answered bringing Ashley's hand back to her face. "I want to know what it gives you that I can't."

Ashley looked away and seemed to be contemplating something in her mind. Spencer stared down at the glass object in her hand. It was inches away from her face. Again, she brought a hand up to her face and closed her left nostril, "Stop." She looked up as Ashley pulled her hand back. A smirk made its way onto her lips as she lowered her arm. "I'm far more enjoyable then coke." Ashley's mouth crashed upon hers and they kissed deep and hard, her hand reaching up to lose itself within many brown curls. Her tongue was being sucked into a warm, sweet mouth, she moaned deeply into the kiss and found her lungs starved for air when it was broken. "Close your eyes." A low husky voice commanded. She did what she was told and felt Ashley's hands on her shoulders, urging her to turn around. "Start moving, Spenny." The words were spoken softly in her ear as two hands covered her eyes. Her legs blindly carried her through the smoky room guided by Ashley. "It's the worst hell imaginable accompanied by heaven's finest bliss. Sometimes you feel like God himself, you can do anything. And then it slowly leaves your body and you do everything in your power to get it back. And if you don't get it back, you're fucked. It eats at you until you can no longer take it. You find yourself breaking everything within reach, tearing your hair out, grabbing a knife and putting it to your wrist- it doesn't stop until you have it again. The goal is to never run out and you do whatever it takes to make sure that never happens." The hands left her face and she opened her eyes. A figure stood a few feet ahead looking around, it was hard to make out who it was through the darkness and fog, but she did. "Go thank her for the flower, Spenny." She attempted to turn around but Ashley's hands kept her from moving. "You'll never get one from me." The words were whispered in her ear as the hands left her body. Every instinct in her being told her to turn around and go after her.

She refused to listen and forced her legs forward.