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Author's Note: What is this? An actual update?! I know… ugh, there's no excuse for my lack of updating other than just life being ridiculously busy and not having all that much time to write. I am extremely sorry. But the small bit of good news is that while cleaning out my room, I found my twelve or so pages of notes for this story that I wrote back in the original fic days to aid me in getting these upcoming chapters out more quickly for you all. I had to laugh at some of the stuff I found myself reading over, but we'll get to that later on. As slow as I am updating, have no fear, I am not giving up on this story. I am stubbornly determined to finish it. Enjoy the chapter and I should hopefully have the next one up sooner than this one. Hopefully.
I'll Meet You There
Chapter 7
Ashley's POV
I can hear the music blaring from the loft as I climb the stairs with Taylor in tow behind me. She was more than eager to tag along when I informed her about my requested presence at the party tonight. Ever since agreeing, the feeling of regret in the bottom of my gut has only continued to grow—and the closer I get, with each stair I climb, it only seems to continue to stir more and more inside.
I know deep down that nothing good can come from me attending this party.
And yet, my feet still continue to climb the steep staircase.
No turning back now, right?
No regrets.
Taylor pats me on the shoulder as I let out an exhausted sigh and stare at the front door in front of us. I glance over and give her a silent look before I bring my fist up to slowly bang on the metal door. I can hear yelling and the blaring music from the other side of the door and after a few minutes, the door opens up and the sound blasts intensely out of the apartment and throughout the hall.
"Ashley, you made it!" Spencer beams as she swings the door fully open and sloppily hurls her arms around my neck in a messy embrace. I can smell the alcohol oozing off of her as she pulls our bodies close.
"Whoa, well hello to you too." I laugh light heartedly as I push the tipsy girl back slowly and manage to sturdy her with my hands on her wobbly hips.
"You're late. You missed the pre-drink completely." The blonde gives me an overdramatic pouts as her arms fall down motionless to her sides. Her body sways slightly to the side, no doubt from her slight intoxication.
"You seem to have made up for that in our absence." Taylor snickers to the side of me, eager to make her presence known.
"Oh yeah, I brought Taylor like you said." I deadpan and point my thumb at the anxiously awaiting girl beside me. She continues to try and catch glimpses of inside the apartment, antsy to start partying the night away.
"Spencer, we have to stop meeting at doors like this." She extends a friendly arm pat as she subtly sneaks another peek past Spencer to see the party inside the wide open door. "Well I need to make my introductions, so you guys can stand out here in the door way and chit-chat all you two want, but I ain't missing this party. If you so kindly excuse me…"
Spencer giggles and steps aside to let Taylor slip past the two of us and into the apartment.
"Remind me again why I brought her?" I shake my head and laugh at my best friend who's completely vanished.
Spencer shrugs her shoulders as she leans back against the open door and giggles, "I thought she'd be more incentive for you to come tonight."
"Like I needed any more incentive…," I scoff as I push the smiling blonde gently back into the apartment.
"You were very reluctant at first, actually." Spencer recalls, still slightly giggling as she drops her chin and quirks her eyebrow at me. "Very stubborn."
"With good reason."
I try my best to listen to the giddy blonde beside me go on about the earlier festivities, but my mind goes on high alert once I close the door and face the open room, frantically becoming aware of whose loft I actually just walked into.
Oh no, Kyla and Aiden.
"Relax, they're out of the terrace." I feel a soothing hand on my back as Spencer leads me away from the front door and further into their apartment full of party guests innocently and not-so-innocently mingling amongst one another. "So, drink?"
I wave my hand and shake my head, knowing my voice won't be heard all too well over this booming music. "Not drinking tonight sadly, I drove."
That was the one wise decision I decided to make before coming over here tonight; no alcohol.
I didn't need to add that to my plate for the night.
Spencer nods in response, and I'm not quite sure she actually heard me or she's just going from my obvious head gesture. She smiles anyways and gradually starts moving her head to the beat of the music. I smirk as I can practically see the girl slowly unwinding in front of me, the alcohol surely to blame.
I love carefree Spencer.
I glance around and let out another sigh, my shoulders relaxing somewhat when there is no obvious sign of Aiden, Kyla, or Carmen.
"Do you want to dance? I love this song."
I peer over at the girl who's already semi-seductively dancing beside me and I nervously run my hand through my hair as I try not to stare at her deliciously slow swaying hips. "Err, I don't think that's a very good idea." I problematically yell out, looking away as I try my hardest to keep my gaze ahead of me and not on the tipsy girl.
"Why not? Come on...it'll be fun!" Spencer whines and she pulls lightly on my arm, persuading me ever so subtly by inching us closer to the dance floor.
I glance around the room more cautiously now as Spencer pulls me more determinedly into the middle of the room where a group of people are dancing. "Seriously, if Kyla sees us out here dancing together... you have no idea how much shit it will start. And I don't know about you, but I don't feel like getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter by Kyla tonight. You know she will tear me limb-to-limb if she has to... and parties are the ideal situation where shit happens to miraculously hit the fan, especially when I'm around..." Spencer laughs my entire rant off as she calmly places my hands on her hips and laces hers around my neck casually. She looks up at me and smiles lazily, not caring for a word I have to say to deter her from dancing with me. My heart instantly stills when her eyes connect with mine, and all I can do is let my brain go blank. "Did I mention I sort of already have a bad track record when it comes to parties?—No? Okay…good."
"You are no fun at all—so many excuses. So much for being a badass..." She shakes her head as she starts to sway her hips again, my hands moving with her as they remain comfortably in place.
It's probably awkward to any onlooker as I'm just standing here, not moving anything but my attached swaying arms—and there's quite a noticeable gap between the two of our bodies compared to the rest of the people on the dance floor with us. I pull my head back to look at the girl skeptically, her eyes are closed as she immerses herself in the music. "Did you seriously just say that to me? You of all people? Heck, my name in itself is badass."
Her eyes open as her lips form her well-rehearsed pout, "Yeah, well what was the point of me inviting you tonight if you were just going to stand in the corner? You aren't even drinking, and you're hardly swaying."
"I drove... and I brought Taylor, like you asked." I return, dropping my hands from her hips as I look at her expectantly.
Her eyebrows quirk in curiosity as her eyes scans to Taylor at the far side of the room. She's flirting up a storm with Glen, even giving him a run for his money from the way it looks like. "Yes, remind me to thank you for that later..." She laughs as she puts my hands back on her waist and continues to sway her hips, a little more pronounced than before in an attempt to get me back into the new song playing.
I smirk at her dancing skills before my eyes drift back over to the two blondes flirting in the corner. "I hope you know she's just someone new for Glen to sneak in here now while you're in class."
"No offense but with his track record I'm surprised she hasn't been here yet..." Spencer comments as she casually shrugs her shoulders and continues to dance. "I guess Glen hasn't reached outside the USC pool yet—although now come to think of it, I'd rather not think of where my brother has or hasn't reached."
I laugh to myself as an overly disgusted face comes over Spencer as she tries her hardest not to imagine it, surely not being able to with the alcohol coursing through her veins. It's almost too amusing for me not to play along. "Well he obviously has been in this apartment."
"Stop, don't you dare." She grins at me wickedly as she threatens me with a pointed finger.
"Hmm…" I glance around and survey the scattered furniture, stroking my chin for dramatic flare. "All the possibilities for screwable surfaces...where to even begin. Kitchen? Bathroom? No, I know—"
Spencer squints her face as she frantically waves her hands back and forth in front of her. "Stop! Stop, I know what you're trying to do—and I will let you know, Ashley Davies, that it is extremely rude to agitate the host. You should not be tormenting me with scarring images of my brother's past times, here or anywhere."
"Okay, okay. I promise." I laugh at the pleading girl as I lower her hands away from my face. "But it did get you to stop dancing for time being though."
Spencer stills with a barely audible gasp. "You sneaky little…" She shakes her head at me playfully with an impressed smirk.
It's a nice moment that gets ruined too soon.
Before we have time to truly relish in the moment, Spencer's face completely drops and her eyes suddenly shoot to the side and gape in horror. "Uh oh."
"Excuse me?"
Panic is written all over the girl's face as she looks at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Ash—"
"Ashley!"
I hear Kyla's voice behind me and I know she's walking towards the two of us as Spencer's eyes shift to the left of me. I can tell she's watching Kyla come our way as my eyes widen. "Uh oh, this can't be good." I turn around, willingly about to face my sister in what I guarantee will be yet another fight. "Oh shit," My eyes jolt open even further when I see Carmen standing beside Kyla, both with unimpressed glares on their faces as they head our way.
Oh double shit.
"What are you doing here?" Kyla directs harshly at me, looking none too pleased to be seeing me in her apartment right now.
"I, uh…"
Spencer steps up beside me and cuts off my stuttering, "I invited Ashley, Kyla."
"You?" Carmen gasps loudly. Her face drops painfully as she keeps eye contact with the blonde beside me. "I thought we talked about this, I thought I made it crystal clear Spencer."
"Everyone has talked to me about this! It's all I ever have to deal with from both you and Kyla...and I'm so tired of it. Ashley has been nothing but nice, and I invited her because she's my friend...because this is a party and that's what friends do. They hang out. Don't you trust me?"
"Yeah, we're just... you know, hanging out." I agree with a smile as I gesture to Kyla. I get nothing but a straight face in return.
"I don't trust her. Everyone knows what 'hanging out' means with Ashley Davies."
"Hey, I resent that."
"Carmen!" Spencer drags Carmen to the other side of the room before I can even get another word out, yanking her away from Kyla and I as fast as possible. I can't help but look on and watch an animated Spencer lash out on Carmen. The concerned feeling outweighs the urge to smile and relish in the moment.
"I did give her a fair warning that me and parties don't mix..."
Kyla snaps her head back around and glares me down. "Do you really think it's an appropriate time to joke? Can you not see what you are doing to the people around you? Look around Ashley!" Kyla yells in hysterics in front of me as she waves her around above her head frantically. "You're like a human plague. Wherever you go, trouble follows—creating disaster in your wake, and you don't even care what mess you leave behind. Does Spencer look happy to you? Is that what you wanted? Why didn't you just stay away, Ashley? Why did you have to come back...?"
"Kyla."
"No more apologies... just no more, Ashley. I'm just too tired of this. Do us a favour and stay away, please." Kyla waves off my attempt at reasoning and dismisses me completely, walking away without even looking back.
I run after her and grab her arm, letting out a heavy sigh as I truthfully confess what I've known all along, "I can't stay away, not from her."
Kyla turns around to look at me even angrier, throwing her arm back aggressively out of my grasp. "From her? Are you serious right now? I told you not to screw with her head, she's with Carmen. What do you not understand about that?"
"I have been completely respectful of her relationship with Carmen."
Kyla scoffs as she steps back farther from me, "Oh right, because coming to a party Carmen specifically requested you not to be at is really respecting—"
"I didn't know that. Nor did I think Carmen would even be here." I lower Kyla's flailing hands in front of me and slowly try to regain the girl's attention. "I was under the impression she had some exhibit she had to go to across town. I didn't come to cause any drama."
"She did—until she agreed to come because she wanted to work past the awkwardness with Spencer. Don't you see Ashley, you're just fogging that poor girl's brain. Like you always do! Drama loves to follow you around."
"That's not what I wanted."
"Well sometimes we don't always get what we want. We're not all Ashley Davies, who waves her hands at whatever and her wish is granted."
"Hey, now that's hardly fair—"
"Then stop being selfish. Prove me wrong." Kyla shouts at my face, verbally pushing me back. I can tell she's getting fed up and is uncomfortable with the small crowd we're gaining with our loud outbursts. "If you really cared about Spencer, you'd back off."
"I told you that's not an option." I glance around carefully, unknowing who's truly in the audience. "I can't really explain to you why, but I just need her in my life."
The latter can't honestly be the answer.
After everything I've been through, being without Spencer can't be the right choice to end all of this.
I can't accept that.
"I can't deal with you right now, Ashley—when you're being this irrationally stubborn and selfish. I guess what they say is true; old habits die hard..." Kyla shakes her head disappointedly as she waves me off again and walks away. "… Just like dad. Congratulations, you really a true Davies."
I don't follow after my sister this time.
I stand in the same spot immobile as I watch her walk back out onto the terrace, never once looking back at me. I remain completely shell-shocked by her words as I stare at the terrace door, unable to fully comprehend what just happened.
There was a time long ago that I would have taken her comment as a compliment; a true Davies.
And yet now, it stings like nothing I've ever would have imagined.
With my party mood essentially killed, I turn around to find Taylor so I can leave before anything else has a chance to come to a head. I don't find her in her last spotted location with Glen, and it worries me that neither are in plain sight as I do a quick scan of the open room. I let out a deep sigh and survey the area once more as it's quite crowded before I make my way across the dance floor.
They couldn't have gone too far.
I sweep through the kitchen quickly on my way to the bedrooms, not noticing any signs or wreckage of the two blondes.
"Please don't be naked. Please, don't be naked." I whisper under my breath repeatedly as I slowly turn the doorknob to the first bedroom in the hallway. I knock gently as I push the door open to thankfully reveal an empty room.
I end up checking two more occupied rooms before I locate the two friendly blondes coming out of the bathroom at the far end of the hall.
"There you are."
The two turn and Taylor smiles at me in recognition. "Hey, what's good Ash?"
"Hey, I know you…" Glen stares at me questionably, squinting his face as his memory failing him more than usual due to the alcohol.
"Yeah, I came here looking for Spencer a while back and you opened the door thinking I was one of your appointments."
"And Ashley is Kyla's sister." Taylor adds helpfully.
A light bulb goes off in his head and it finally dawns on Glen as he smiles and points at me in realization, "OOhhh, that's right. You're the one stirring up all the drama. Well done—really, I've never seen my sister rattled this much. It's quite refreshing to see the tides turn a little for once."
I ignore his comment about Spencer and let out a defeated sigh as I try to laugh it off light-heartedly, "Yes, that's me. Speaking of which, I'm on my way out… seems like that drama has finally come to a boil. I just wanted to give you a heads up Tay, since I was your ride here."
She glances back to Glen for a second and gives him a quick one look before she tilts her head back and stares at the ceiling. "Okay, let's go." She sighs with closed eyes.
I raise my forearms in the air, open palm towards the blondes. "Please, you're more than welcome to stay and party. Don't let me cut your night short."
"No, I'll come back with you. I'd rather listen to the inevitable debriefing now than in the early AM before I've had my coffee." She pats Glen dejectedly on the shoulder before she begins to follow me back out. About half way down the hall, Taylor turns around and calls back to the taller blonde still standing in the same spot in the hallway. "I'll see you later, Glen!"
I shake my head and snicker, "Does that boy even know what he's gotten himself into?"
"Oh Lord no, that boy is completely clueless." Taylor laughs sloppily, "But I still might take him for a whirl, just for the hell of it. It might be fun."
"Knock yourself out, girl."
Taylor abruptly stops and bends down to adjust her shoes, groaning at the pain and soreness from being in heels all night. She nearly trips over herself when she stands back up but I am able to catch her before she topples. "It's too bad Marcus isn't here tonight, I could have totally used him to carry me back to our place. He's always good for that."
"I'm glad you found uses for your friends; that is the definition of true friendship. I can only imagine what mine is."
"You have multiple uses." Taylor smiles and throws her arm around my shoulder reassuringly. "We both know that's why I keep you around. I mean it's obviously not for these endless emotional conversations about Spencer and your drama-filled life…" She giggles and tightens her hold around my neck. "Nope, that excitement doesn't nearly appeal to me enough to meet the requirements of my friendship."
The two of us struggle to stay together as we comb through the people on the dance floor. Taylor regains her position with her arm comfortably slung around my shoulders once we find a clearing outside of the main crowd of party guests. I glance around to scan the room for Spencer, hoping to spot her before we reach the front door. I know it's a long shot but I try to stay hopeful as slowly drag Taylor along.
It remains difficult to not run into people with the two of us side-by-side but I do my best to maneuver us around the bodies. The hallway leading to the door remains busy with people leaning against the far walls.
None of which fortunately look anything like Spencer.
I stop momentarily to grab my phone and pull up her name, quickly sending off a text to let her know we're leaving the party. I don't want to be rude, but it is a safer bet than seeking her out and finding her with Carmen, especially in this setting. When I'm done I pull Taylor off the wall and reattach her arm around my shoulders. Her heavy eyelids and quietness tells me that she's fading fast and it's best I get her home before I end up having to bridal-style carry her.
"Ashley? What are you doing here?"
I turn us around towards the booming voice and face instantly falls.
"Leaving." I respond abruptly agitated. I continue to pull a drowsy Taylor along with me, not bothering to stop as Aiden takes a step back to let us by the crowded hallway.
Before we get too far, he grabs my wrist to stop me. It throws my balance off a bit with Taylor attached, but I'm able to turn around and glare. "Seriously, now it is not a good time."
His face drops and he lets go of my wrist, holding his hands up in the air to not alarm me. "I understand… but you need to start coming up with new material, that line is getting very old, Ashley. This is the second time you've run off on me, I'm going to start to take it personally." Aiden yells with a tiny smirk as I glance back and grimace, knowing being seen with him tonight by Kyla will only add fuel to the fire.
And I would say I've more than tested my luck already tonight.
"Who's that?" Taylor asks groggily as she loosens her grip around my shoulders to glance back to my line of vision.
I sigh as I lug the majority of her empty weight towards the front door. "That would be Aiden."
"That's the ex-boyfriend and current main squeeze of your sister? Really, him? I didn't quite expect that." Taylor cocks her head to the side and squints at the boy.
I glance back one more time as Taylor and I are walking through the threshold and that's when I spot a familiar brunette standing beside Aiden. Taylor pulls on my shoulder needily and I'm forced to look away, partially relieved I was able to dodge the interference and after tonight, an inevitable run-in with Carmen. "Me either," I sigh as tighten my hold on the blonde as shut the door behind us, knowing the two sets of eyes remain on us as I do. "I really wasn't expecting that."
