To all of those that reviewed: I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Thanks a bunch for the feedback, it does my heart good and it led to a slightly quicker update.
Now for the part where I shamelessly promote myself. I wrote a one shot for Gossip Girl, because I'm completely smitten with Blair, called 'The One Constant' and would love some feedback on that. Not a lot of people gave it a read in the Gossip Girl section and even less bothered to leave feedback, so I don't know if I should waste my time expanding on it. I had at least ideas for another chapter or two to follow on the one shot, but I'm not going to bother if it's crap. So let me know, because if it is crap I want to rather remove it from my profile and not waste my time with the Gossip Girl fandom.
Ah, onto the debate about the ownership of SoN. I say it's mine, Tom Lynch says it's his. Unfortunately for me the law agrees with him. Laws suck sometimes, you know?
Senior Year
Chapter 9
Ashley's POV
You know, life can be funny sometimes. A few weeks ago I told myself I wasn't going to have sleepovers with Spencer Carlin and bare my soul to her or something. We weren't going to become best friends and braid each other's hair and so on. Yet here I am, lying on my bed with my CD player turned down so I can hear when Spencer's dad drops her off. For the sleepover. See, that's life being funny with me.
Okay, it's not so much a sleepover as it is us going to a party and getting wasted. We're not going to braid hair and do a quiz from Cosmo or something. Okay, we might do each other's nails, but thats where it ends. No other girlie bonding will be done. I simply won't allow it, because I know from experience that the strongest of bonds can break and that hurts. So no bonding for me. No siree. Spencer and I will stay completely unbonded. Hey, is unbonded a word or did I just make that up?
Anyway, the point of my little rant is that I'm worried, because I kinda think I want to bond with Spencer. I mean she's just really damn nice, you know? I can't help but not notice it! She's just still so innocent, so untouched by...well life, I guess. Maybe that's what attracts me to her so, that untainted air about her.
I've been touched and tainted by so many things and people that I doubt I could ever just feel clean again, but when Spencer walks next to me in the hallway and smiles shyly at me, I kinda forget all that. I breathe a little easier and feel altogether a little lighter. That's what scares me about her though. If she makes me forget, my guard could slip. If my guard slips, people get in. If people get in, I could end up hurting. Again. I just couldn't take more hurt, you know? I'm not strong enough and I hate to admit that, but it's true.
Still, I can't just ignore her. I can't not feel a certain obligation towards her, towards protecting that innocence she still has. She just makes me feel all these conflicting things. I guess I can do with her what I do with everyone else. Letting someone near is different then letting someone in after all. That's what I do with Kyla and Aiden, I keep them close without letting them in at all. It's worked well for me so far. So I guess that's what I'll do with Spencer, especially know that I know about the Carmen thing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not homophobic or anything, I just worry what this could mean for the Kid. If someone else figures out that Carmen fucking Garcia has the hots for her, rumors could get around. Rumors that would lead to her being talked about and ridiculed and just generally make her senior year living hell. People like Madison would never let an opportunity to humiliate someone so obviously above them go by. I can't let that happen, I can't let the last pure thing in my world...uh...I mean in the world in general, disappear.
So Carmen Garcia is on my list and believe me, you don't want to be on Ashley Davie's list. She's going to regret it if she even so much as fucking dares to look at Spencer again. I'm going to make sure of that.
Now another thing bothering me today is...Oooh, car door! Spencer's here, Yay! Uh...I mean...aw, fuck it, I'm sticking with Yay!
I get to the door before she even knocks and I must say, I'm impressed with my speed. All the stupid time I spend on the treadmill is really paying off. What? You thought dancing and lots of sex gave me this body? Hell no! I spend more time than I'm comfortable admitting to in the gym.
When I open the door she's just standing there, like she wasn't really planning on knocking or anything. She's weird sometimes, have I mentioned that yet? Well, I've noticed that she'll get this far away look every now and then, this sad or maybe it's more...what's the word I'm looking for? Wistful, that's it. She looks so wistful, standing there with her head tilted and her bottom lip between white teeth.
"Hey, come on in."
She seems to shake herself out of it and smiles that smile that makes me forget. Damn, I kinda wish she'd stop smiling at me like that, it just makes things complicated.
"Hey, sorry I'm a little bit early, but my parents are going out and had to drop me off now."
Oh, I didn't realize it's only four now. Kyla had said Spencer would be here by five thirty just before she left with my mom to do some last minute shopping. God, those two woman and shopping would lead to our bankruptcy one day.
"Yeah, no don't worry about it. Uh, Kyla's not really here though."
She seems nervous now, doing the whole shifting from one foot to the other thing again. It's cute on her, but anyone else and it'd drive me kinda nuts I think.
"Oh."
Funny that it feels awkward between us now, because at school we get along fine even when Kyla's not around. I mean we walk to class almost everyday and have lunch together and we talk easily enough then. Okay, most of the time it's about school stuff, maybe that's why it's weird now. 'Cos obviously were not in school now. Right, I'm being a complete idiot, so moving on now.
"Come in, we can crash in my room until she shows up. She said she'd be back by like five."
She doesn't say anything as she follows me up the stairs to my room. I've noticed that she doesn't really say a lot. No, that doesn't sound right. It's more like she doesn't always feel the need to talk just for the sake of talking, you know? It's not that she's this quiet little mouse or anything, she just doesn't babble incessantly like Kyla sometimes does. I like that about her.
I push open my door and to my horror realize it's a mess. My clothes are all over the place, Cd's and movies and just a heap of junk everywhere. Oh God, now she's gonna think I'm a slob, not that I care what people think of me. People and their opinion can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned, but man, I really don't want Spencer to think badly of me.
"Sorry about the mess, Kid, but I think the maids still pissed at me for setting the kitchen on fire that one time. She only cleans my room once a month now."
She's smiling all sweet again, looking around my messy room and eying my drum set.
"Don't worry about it, I'm used to messier rooms then this. I live with Glen, remember?"
Thank God!
"How did you set the kitchen on fire though?"
Ugh, I take that thank God back. The kitchen incident was not one of my finest moments and I don't like to be reminded of it.
"I kinda got really stoned with Chris a few months back and when I got home, I was seriously craving cookies. Not just any cookies either, I wanted freshly baked, warm out of the oven cookies."
Can you really blame me for that? What's better then the smell of warm cookies, especially when you're higher then the Himalayan mountains.
"So you tried to bake your own, didn't you?"
She looks like she wants to giggle! Can you believe that? No one giggles at Ashley Davies! I'm cool if you haven't noticed, probably the coolest person she'll ever meet and you'd better believe that!
"What? It seemed a reasonable enough thing to do at the time. I wanted cookies so I baked me some cookies. Followed the instructions in the book and everything. Not my fault the freaking timer thingy didn't go off loud enough to wake me up! So by the time I finally lift my head off the kitchen table the room is dark as night with smoke, cookies flaming away nicely in the oven. Sobered me right the fuck up."
Spencer's collapsed on my bed laughing. Loud, uncontrolled belly laughing and I'm about five seconds from joining her.
"Shit, you should have seen the maids face when she walked in the back door. All big eyes and open mouthed. She ended up hitting me in the head a bunch of times with the oven mitten before she actually plucked the cookies out. I didn't stick around for more and just got the hell out of there after that. Kitchen hasn't been my favorite place since then."
I can't help but laugh as it plays back in my head, the smell of the burnt cookies, the surprisingly hard whack of the oven mitten, the speed with which I made my exit. Really not my finest moment, but I guess it was funny now that I think about it.
So here we are, both lying on my bed breathless from laughing, her arm just barely touching mine. She's really warm, I noticed this when we danced at Aiden's party that night. Makes me look forward to all the dancing we'll do tonight.
"I feel obliged to offer you my incredible cookie baking skills for any future warm cookie cravings, because I'd hate for you to end up sending the poor maid to a flaming death. I've met her and she's nice. Makes the best sandwiches too."
I can't help but snort at that. Figures her stomach would somehow figure into this. I've noticed these past few weeks that Spencer Carlin can EAT! I mean she can consume huge amounts of food in no time at all, her stomach as close to a bottomless pit as anything I've seen before. Only person that can rival her appetite is Aiden, but he's like a goldfish, he'll eat until he explodes 'cos he's too stupid to realize he's full. Or can't remember that he just ate three seconds ago? I really have to stop watching discovery channel when I'm drunk, makes the finer details a little fuzzy to recall.
"So I can burn to a crisp because I don't have a skill that would appeal to you? That's cold, Kid."
Spencer smiles and stares at the ceiling.
"I wouldn't say that. You're very appealing to me. Um...I mean you have a very appealing skill to me."
She sounded like she disappeared there for a second, her voice all dreamy before she snapped out of it. Wonder what that was about?
"Yeah and what may that skill be, because I'm very, very talented in many, many things."
Did I make that sound a little suggestive? Really didn't mean to, I think suggestive is like my auto pilot setting, so no need to be weirded out by it.
"Your dancing. I mean as much as I love Kyla, the girls got no rhythm and you have tons. I love dancing with you."
Before I can be all smug about that, I spot Kyla in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
"Bitch please, I got all kinds of rhythm. You're just jealous."
I laugh as Spencer practically jumps a foot off the bed and lands back on her ass in the same spot blushing.
"Hey Kyla. Didn't see you standing there."
Kyla laughs and struts into the room after picking up the million and one bags from the floor by her feet. I'm going to assume she had a good shopping trip.
"Hmm...I gathered as much. Sorry I'm late by the way, got a little carried away at the mall. Has Ashley been a good hostess so far? Offered you a drink? Snack maybe?"
Oh God, I've forgotten all about shit like that. Never was really good at the hostess thing, but I still feel bad because I know what Spencer's appetite is like.
"Sorry Kid, you weren't dehydrating or anything this whole time, right? Blood sugar levels not dropping dangerously low? Do you need an emergency candy bar?! Oh man, where did I leave those life saving candy bars! Stay with me Kid, don't go towards the light!"
I can feel the laughter rumbling through her body where my hands linger on her upper arms after I stopped with the dramatic shaking. What? In situations like that there's always dramatic shouting and shaking, I watch tv and so do you, so you know I'm right.
"I'm fine, okay, the light is nowhere in sight. Mind you a candy bar would be nice, if you have one that is."
I chuckle as I get off the bed and pull one out my bag. I stole it off some freshman on Friday who was too busy checking out Spencer's ass in the hallway to notice me grabbing it out of his hand. He did notice when I hit him in the head with it though. Stupid, horny freshmen. I really don't like them.
"Here, just mind your fingers, don't want you biting one off in your haste to shove it down your throat."
She doesn't even bother answering me, just rips it open and happily starts munching away. And she wonders why I call her Kid?
"So did you max out all of my moms credit cards?"
I turn to see Kyla watching me. She's been doing that a lot lately. Just staring at me like I was a specimen in a jar in some lab. At least today she's got a small smile on her face, so I doubt she's like watching me with any evil intent. Then again, with Kyla you never know.
"Hmm? Oh, the shopping. I got us some great stuff for tonight."
Us? I don't recall needing anyone to shop for me anymore, not since I was like eleven anyway.
"What do you mean us?"
Kyla ignores me and sits down next to Spencer.
"I bought you a really hot two piece, Spence."
She pulls a deep blue two piece swimsuit out of one of the bags. Not that something that small can be called a swimsuit, its just two teensy, weensy pieces of blue cloth really.
"Uh...why exactly would I need that for tonight?"
Yeah, why the hell would she?
"Because we're going to a beach party, Spence. Everyone ends up in their skirts and bikini tops, less if they get really drunk."
Oh, I forgot that fact. I'm usually one of the ones in nothing but my bikini.
"I guess that's okay then, but did you really have to buy one so...tiny?"
That's my question exactly. What's wrong with a nice, proper one piece? They can look fashionable and still cover everything up.
"Get over it, you're going to wear that under your clothes if I have to put it on you myself."
Spencer just rolls her eyes, apparently not half as horrified by the image of Kyla dressing her in a bikini as I am.
"Fine, but I might need more then my usual three drinks before I walk around in just a bikini top."
That's settled then, no alcohol for Spencer. No alcohol means no loosing of the shirt. No loosing of the shirt means I don't have to beat a bunch of people up the whole night for looking at Spencer's boobs.
Great, this whole protecting her innocence thing is going to be the death of me! I'm so not looking forward to this stupid party anymore. NOT. AT. ALL!
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Okay, there's my update. So, did you like? Am I moving things with Ashley a little too fast? Do I need to slow down or speed up? Also, the next chapter I might do from Carmen's point of view, or Spencer's, I'm not sure. Let me know who you want to hear from. So yeah, review please:)
