AN: I'm back! Two weeks with no Internet certainly took its toll on me :S
Well, here is Chapter Ten. It's not exactly one of my best but I didn't want to keep you all waiting even more =D
I mucked up the whole 'thanking people for reviewing' thing at the start of Chapter Nine so I decided to do it again.
This time it should be correct XD
So here it is:
Emxxx (multiple times)
Melfletcherr (multiple times)
(multiple times)
Emily (multiple times)
Katie
Leisey (multiple times)
Rainonherparade (multiple times)
xEmilia.
KeroseneREMEMBERING
CommeParMargie
The rain can cry for me
"Oh shit. Not again," Lauren's voice penetrated the thick fog that clouded my brain.
"Andy, you dickhead. You should seriously stop doing this to her!" Sophia exclaimed angrily.
"Hey! It wasn't my fault she walked in!"
"You're not supposed to be making out with some random slut, Andy!" Lauren yelled.
"Hey! I'm not some random slut!" Rianna exclaimed, outraged.
"Shut it, bitch…" Sophia growled. I lay there for what seemed like hours, listening to their bickering and talking. Eventually, I got kinda bored and my eyes opened. The first thing I saw was a TV. Okay, I was in the living room. Then I heard more voices.
"Welcome back, Slut," Rianna sounds venomous and sour.
"That's funny. Considering you were the one making out with Andy," I shot back, my strength building instantly. I sat up slowly, looking around. Sophia and Lauren were siting by my feet, Bradie and Shaun sat on another couch to the right and Rianna stood in front of the coffee table. Andy was nowhere to be seen.
"Morning princess," Lauren grinned tightly. "How was your sleep?"
"Painful," I replied. "What are you still doing here?" I asked, glaring pointedly at Rianna.
"Just making sure you're okay. Andy wanted to know…"
"Stay away from him," I spat.
"Ha! Make me." I jumped up, grabbing her arm tightly. She did the same, squeezing my other arm with he free one.
"Don't tempt me," I hissed.
"From what I recall you would never hurt a fly," Rianna said. Lauren and Sophia laughed.
"That's hilarious Rianna!" Sophia exclaimed. "Why, you have such a promising career in comedy!"
"Shut it, bitch!" Rianna shouted.
"Oh no you didn't!" Lauren stood, fists clenched.
"Sorry, let me repeat that: shut it bit – "
"Enough!" Bradie yelled. "All of you. Enough. Can you not fight for one second?"
"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Rianna protested, gripping my arm tighter. I responded by closing my fingers so much that my knuckles went white.
"It was your fault...but that's not the point. The point is you all need to stop getting on each other's backs and calm down." Ah Bradie…always the one to think rationally. Unfortunately.
"She kissed Andy," I growled.
"I know and, I guess, I'm sorry about that. But you gotta let it go…seriously. Let it go." Bradie strode over to me and gently pried my fingers off Rianna.
"Real nice Bradie," Rianna hissed when she caught what he meant. Sophia, Lauren and Shaun were hiding laughter behind their hands, trying (and failing) to smother it. There was a shared glare between my 'friend' and I before she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, I'm going out. Don't miss me too much." She did her little three finger wave and twitched out the front door.
I fell back onto the couch as the door hit its frame.
"Well, I've had it with her shit," I said nonchalantly. "Anyone else?"
"Me too," Sophia chimed in.
"Me too," Lauren sighed.
"Me three!" Shaun laughed.
"Me four…" Bradie said, confused.
"Okay, so that makes five of us. And I doubt there's gonna be six," I told everyone. A sudden excruciating pain twisted in my stomach and I doubled over.
"Ash. You okay?" Soph asked worriedly.
"Yeah…I think. Just…gimme a minute…" I gasped. Gradually, the pain eased a little and I sat back up slowly.
"You sure you're okay?" Lauren asked, doubt clear in her voice. I nodded.
"I'm just going to get some air. Back soon." I smiled shakily at everyone and walked to the front door. Stepping out into the hall, I pondered whether there would be a rooftop area. Turns out – as I stepped into the elevator – there was a button labelled 'rooftop' and I didn't hesitate to press it. Another sharp pain twisted through me and I crouched down, closing my eyes. There was a small 'ding' as I reached the rooftop yet I didn't move. The pain had settled in my stomach, making me feel like my lunch was going to come and greet me. The doors clicked and began to close and suddenly, my plans of going to get fresh air vanished. The elevator moved down the floors as I sat in the corner with my knees up to my chest. There was another 'ding' and the doors slid open. Someone wearing light blue skinny jeans with a torn knee and white thongs walked in. Instantly, I knew who it was.
"I heard what happened with you and Ri," Andy said quietly. There was a note of anger or hostility in his voice but I chose to ignore it. When I didn't reply – not because I was being bitchy but because of my stomach – he continued. "And I heard why it happened. I don't understand you, Ashli. She's your friend. Why fight over someone who isn't worth fighting over?" The pain was easing and I finally let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.
"She's not my friend. Backstabbing bitches aren't my friends," I said fiercely. "And not worth fighting over? That's not what it is."
"Then what is it?"
"It's something I need. Something I know I'm not going to be able to have with Rianna around," I whispered. Andy leaned back against the wall as we moved to another level. I saw him reach out and press the 'rooftop' button. Closing my eyes again, I waited for another round of pain. No doubt it would come again soon. The ever present 'ding' sounded again and the doors opened to reveal the rooftop. Andy walked out but then turned to realise I wasn't following him.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked. Slowly, I uncurled myself and stood, almost hobbling out of the elevator. As soon as my feet touched the ground outside, another wave of nauseous pain rocked through me. This time it was so strong I instantly went to my knees, arms crossed over my stomach. I groaned audibly and gasped for air. "Ash, what's wrong?" Andy moved to crouch down in front of me. I was doubled over so much that my head nearly touched my knees. Eventually, after a few more agonising seconds, it subsided and I could sit up.
"What was that?" Andy asked, still crouched in front of me. When I didn't answer – again, not because I was being bitchy – I saw him stand up. He put his hand on my shoulder and I attempted weakly to shake him off. Instead, he just grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. Snatching them back, I walked carefully over to the railing. The midday sun was casting an unusual brightness over the city and it almost hurt my eyes to look at it. Andy came over and stood next to me, a little way away.
"Are you going to tell me why you hate Ri now?"
"I thought you were smart enough to work that one out for yourself," I said curtly.
"Obviously you're making it too difficult to figure it out. Just tell me," Andy said a little wearily.
"Figure it out for yourself."
"Just tell me!"
"No!"
"Tell me!"
"No!"
"Tell me!"
"You kissed me but you got another girl's number! Okay?! That's it!" Andy looked like I'd slapped him.
"But…"
"You don't kiss a girl and then go and get some other random slut's number! Sure, that may be fine for a guy, but for a girl, that makes us feel like shit! And with my ex-friend. That just makes it ten times worse." I hadn't realised I was crying until I felt a tear run onto my neck.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen," he said softly.
"Sorry doesn't make it any better, Andy. Not when I find you and Rianna together. Not when I've trusted you with stuff that I haven't told anyone; not even Soph and Lozz. It just doesn't make it any better," I whispered. There was a short silence. "Why did you do it?" My sudden question startled even me.
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you do it? Why did you kiss me? Why did you get Rianna's number? Why did you even bother with me then go make out with Rianna? Why?" He seemed to think deeply about the questions, which were actually very simple.
"I kissed you because I'm a guy. I got Rianna's number because I'm a guy. I bothered with you and made out with Rianna because I'm a guy," he said, turning towards me. I was silent. Then,
"What kind of sad-ass excuses are they?!"
"Good ones?"
"You don't get it do you? I needed you and obviously you couldn't have cared less about me, and the fact that you were the only thing keeping me here! Well, now it looks like I can go back to living on the streets! I hope I never see you again after today. If I do, don't expect it to be pleasant. Have fun with Rianna," I shouted, turning on my heel and starting for the elevators. Fury surged through me like molten lava, burning through my veins and pumping through my blood. Andy caught my arm, spinning me back round to face him.
"You're not going anywhere," he said quietly.
"Get off me. Now."
"No."
"Get off me!" My hand had a mind of it's own and slapped Andy sharply on the cheek. Oh. Shit. How many people have I slapped so far? Five? Six? I stumbled backwards and stared in horror.
"Oh my god. Andy I…I…" He was frozen, head to the side, eyes closed. A small trail of blood snaked from his nose and that made me feel even worse. Okay, he deserved the slap. But he did not deserve to bleed. Well…maybe. "Andy, I didn't…mean…sorry." I turned and ran for the elevator. As I stepped inside, I saw his head turn to gaze at me and sorrow pass over his face. Looking at the ground beneath my feet, I pressed the button for my floor and ignored the fact that Andy had started to walk towards the lift, shouting something that I could only comprehend as 'Ashli…don't…sorry…Rianna…' My tears hadn't ceased and cascaded freely down my cheeks. As soon as I got to my floor, I ducked out of the elevator and went straight to my room. Thankfully I remembered which number it was. As I knocked on the door, I hurriedly attempted to dry the accusing droplets that stained my cheeks. Of course, just as I brought my sleeve to my cheek, Bradie opened the door, a smile on his mouth. His face fell when he saw me and twisted into a look of concern and almost brotherly love.
"Ash, what's wrong?" He gently pulled me into the room and shut the door behind me.
"An-Andy…I can't do this…anymore…" I let him sit me on the couch, Sophia and Lauren perching on the coffee table in front of me.
"What's wrong?" Sophia asked softly.
"I have to…go. I said I w-would…go…" I stood and ran, grabbing my bag from beside the front door and hoisting it onto my shoulder. Slinging my messenger bag over my arm and grabbing my bass from the corner, I turned to face my friends.
"What are you doing?" Lauren asked unsurely, standing.
"Leaving. I have to. I said I would," I replied carefully.
"Why?" Bradie asked.
"Andy." Just as I tugged the door open, none other than Andy himself walked towards the door. Shoving past him, I ignored the fact that he grabbed for my arm and strode towards the elevators. No one spoke or moved or did anything to stop me, which I was thankful for. If anyone was to come anywhere near me while I was leaving, I would explode.
"You dickhead! What did you do?!" Sophia yelled suddenly, presumably at Andy.
"I haven't done anything! Ashli! Stop! Please!"
"Like fuck you didn't do anything! What did you do?!" Lauren's voice reverberated down the hall as I stepped into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button.
"I haven't done anything! Ashli!" As the doors slid closed, a black hole of loneliness opened up inside of me. Where was I supposed to go? As I finally got out onto the pavement, the black hole turned into a black void, twisting in my chest where my heart should have been. The strange nauseous pain rocked through me again, almost sending me to my knees. Passers by looked the tiniest bit concerned but continued on their way. I hobbled over to a bench and sat down heavily. There was an orange sign next to my head and I turned to read it.
CBD Bus Transit
Busses to:
St. Kilda
Bullen
Docklands
Mt. Waverley
Glen Waverley
South Melbourne
Every half hour for six days a week
Mount Waverley…Mount Waverley. I racked my brain as to why that suburb sounded so familiar. Zia Anna! She lives in Mount Waverley! My Zia – the word for Aunt in Italian – Anna lived in Mount Waverley with her nine-month-old, Lola and her husband, Paul. I checked my phone. The time flashed 1:27 p.m. Another three minutes and I would be gone. No one had followed me out. No one had stopped me. Maybe they were all screaming at Andy. Or knocking some sense into him. Either way, I was kind of grateful. At exactly 1:30 a bus pulled up to the stop and I hurriedly jumped on.
"Where to?" The driver asked, flicking at one of her nails.
"Uh…Mount Waverley?"
"That will be seventeen dollars for one ticket," she said, gesturing to the ticket machine in front of me. Pulling out the right amount of money from my wallet, I fed it into the machine and selected my destination. Eventually, a small white slip printed from the machine and I tore it off.
"Can I go sit down now?"
"Be my guest…" Rolling my eyes, I walked to the back of the bus, shoving my bag and bass onto the seat opposite me. When I sat down, the bus rumbled to life, chugging through the street. Plugging my iPod into my ears, I played Poppin' Champagne by All Time Low and closed my eyes. Numerous times my phone rang and vibrated, only to be ignored. I could tell I was pissing off the other passengers with the noise but for all I cared, they could jump off a moving train. Eventually we came to Docklands and stopped again. People bought their tickets and then we drove off again. There was a tap on my shoulder and I cracked open one eye. There was a girl standing there. She wore a long blue hippie skirt, brown beaded singlet and silver sandals. Her long dark hair was adorned with little plaits and a gold hippie headband. Many gold and silver bangles covered her arms, dozens of necklaces looping around her neck. Her mouth moved, her voice not reaching my ears. I held up one finger and paused my music.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you," I said bluntly.
"Oh. That's okay. I was asking if I could sit here…" She pointed to the seat beside me.
"But isn't there any other spare seats…?" I stood and peered out across the bus. Sure enough, every seat was full. Sitting back down in defeat, I motioned for her to proceed.
"Thanks. I'm Claire by the way," she grinned, holding out a hand. I shook it and tried for a smile.
"I'm Ashli. How old are you, Claire?"
"I'm eighteen. You?"
"Same. Eighteen. Look, no offence but I'm not really in the mood to talk to people so I'm just going to listen to my music, okay?"
"Sure. I'm not taking offence," she replied, nodding honestly. Smiling a little, I pressed play on my iPod and let Girls Do What They Want by The Maine ring through my head. After around thirty minutes, there was another tap on my shoulder. Pressing pause and opening my eyes, I saw Claire standing.
"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for letting me sit next to you, Ashli."
"Wait, where are we?"
"Mount Waverley," she replied.
"Oh! Well I've got to get off here too. Just one second…" I pulled my messenger back over my neck, hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and grabbed my bass by the handle of the case. As I bumped my way down the aisle behind Claire, I noticed a few people talking about how I had 'been so disrespectful by hitting them on my way out.' As I stepped off the bus, I noticed Claire waiting on the path. Grinning at her loyalty, I slowly walked up to her.
"Where are you headed?" I asked her, readjusting my bags.
"Rae Street. What about you?"
"Um…Rae Street I think." Somehow, I'd managed to memorise my Zia's address.
"Well, we can walk together then," Claire said, grinning.
"Wait, walk? How far is it?"
"It'll only take about ten minutes to walk to there from here…not far." Sighing thankfully, I followed as she set off. After five minutes, I was out of breath. Carrying a bass and a full bag is hard work when you're tired and can't be bothered doing anything but sleeping. Eventually, we slowed down and Claire stopped in front of a mailbox.
"Well this is my stop. If ever you want to talk or something, just come to 72 Rae Street. Just don't come between the hours of twelve in the afternoon and eleven at night. That's when my dad's home. Bye." She waved and walked up the path. I waved back and continued on my way. I was frantically searching for number 63 when I came to a run down house. The windows were smashed, the front door hanging off its hinges, mushrooms growing on the dilapidated roof. The mailbox was lying in the overgrown grass and I bent down to read the number. 63. Rubbing my thumb over the metal, I prayed that I read wrong. 63.
"Shit!" I yelled, throwing my head back. "Why is this happening to me?! This isn't fair!" So for twenty minutes, I sat, in the grass, screaming at the sky. Of course, people driving past would've locked their doors, thinking I was a psychopath that had escaped from an asylum. After about a minute of incoherent screaming and shouting, the sky opened up and rain poured down onto me, soaking every inch of my skin within seconds. Struggling to a standing position, I went to the only cover I had; the house. Considering the front door was practically nonexistent, I walked right in. The first room was a living room, which was used every Christmas and special occasion. Now, it held two dusty couches and a broken TV set. I set my bags down onto the floor by the door and continued on. Walking through a doorway in the living room, I found the kitchen. All the appliances except for the oven and stove were gone and all that was left was a table and a couple of chairs. Through the next doorway was a hall with three bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry. In the middle of the hall was another doorway to the rarely used formal dining room. It had a large table and a few chairs. The house I used to love coming to was run down and ruined. Carefully, I walked back through the kitchen to where there was a back door. As I stepped into the backyard I noticed that the grass was almost at my waist, the trees bending over the decking, plants towering above my head. Everything looked like it had been sped up by years. It disconcerted me to know I was in a run down house all by myself. Where someone could easily be lurking or hiding during the night hours. A strong cold wind blew through the garden and I decided to go back inside where it was at least relatively warm. Going back into the living room, I dragged my bags next to the couch and curled up, despite the dust, and closed my eyes. In a matter of minutes, I was asleep.
My eyes slowly cracked open, revealing a dark and dingy room. Sitting up slowly, I wiped all the grit from the corners of my eyes and looked around. I was still in the living room; my bags still by my side. A sharp crack resounded through the house and I jumped, my heart beating ten times faster in my chest. Another crack sounded but this time it was softer. Then I heard the squeaking back door open and close, footsteps approaching the living room. I pressed myself into the back of the couch, praying it was too dark for the intruder to see me.
"I'm not going to hurt you, you know." The voice startled me and I jumped, letting out a little scream. A figure stood in the doorway, framed by the dust motes that danced in the light. A boy.
"Who are you?" My voice came out weaker than I wanted it to.
"Me? Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" he said, walking forward.
"This is my Aunt's house. What are you doing here?"
"No. This is my house. I live here," he said, leaning against the wall.
"What happened to my Auntie?" He laughed once.
"You really expect me to know?" Anger began to burn inside of me, only being fuelled by my newfound hatred for this boy. He stepped into a small patch of light and my heart sank. There was no way I could get any answers from this guy. He had almost black hair, an electric blue streak highlighting the 'emo fringe' that fell over one startling blue eye. He wore all black apart from the small amount of browny-white on his battered high-tops.
"Forget it," I growled, standing and snatching up my messenger bag. Pulling out my phone, I walked out onto the front decking. Three missed calls. Four text messages. I tapped 'ignore' on every message until I could finally see my wallpaper. My fingers began to type a number. Subconsciously ringing the only person I needed to talk to. Tapping the call button, I held my phone to my ear, holding my breath. They picked up.
"Andy?"
"No, Rianna." My hope deflated so much that I had to sit down.
"Where's Andy?"
"He's asleep. He's right here actually. I'll wake him for you…" I could hear her mumbling to someone, using a kind tone. Wait. One. Second. They were together right then. He was asleep.
"Ash?" Andy's voice cut through the emotional tangle in my head.
"Andy…you bastard! You son of a bit-!"
"Ash! What's going on?"
"You fucking…I can't believe you!"
"What. Is. Going. On?"
"How could you?! After everything I said you still ignored me! Fine then! If you want to go…be with Rianna, do that! But don't expect me to be there when she dumps you for some other gullible dickhead!"
"What are you talking about? Ashli, you're not making sense."
"I called you to head your voice. Not hers." With that, I hung up. Tears ran down my cheeks as I shoved my phone into my pocket.
"Boyfriend?" I jumped up, spinning around. The boy stood in the doorway.
"Mind your own."
"I'm just trying to help." He turned and went back into the living room. I checked the time on my phone, surprised when I saw it was only 9:45 p.m. Dragging myself up and back into the house, I realised I didn't even know the boy's name. He was sitting on one of the couches, reading a book by torchlight. Sitting on the other couch opposite, I cleared my throat. He didn't look up.
"I…What's – "
"My name's Casper. I'm nineteen." I cracked a smile.
"Casper? As in Casper the friendly ghost?" One corner of Casper's mouth pulled up.
"Yeah. Something like that. What about you?"
"Ashli and I'm eighteen. Not a very interesting name," I replied.
"Ashli…it's not that bad. I've never met someone with the name Ashli."
"Well, now you have," I laughed.
"Now I have." He grinned and returned to his book. I sighed.
"Casper, have you ever heard of the band Short Stack?" He thought for a moment.
"The gay one, right? Bad hair, shit clothes, dog ugly?" I laughed.
"I know who you are, Ashli." This stopped me.
"How?"
"I know you are in a band Hush Hush who supported the band Short Stack for their Stack Is The New Black Tour. I know you are in the band with your two friends, Sophia and Lauren."
"And how exactly did you know all this?" I was trying to keep cool, not letting on that I was so scared I could've peed myself.
"Ever heard of a little something called the Internet?" This relaxed me a lot.
"No, I don't think I have. You might have to show me some time," I replied with just as much sarcasm.
"Sure." He got up and strode into the kitchen. My phone rang in my pocket and I reluctantly pulled it out. 'Bradie' it read. I pressed the green button and held the phone up to my ear.
"Hey," I greeted, trying to make myself sound happy.
"Ash…where are you?" Bradie asked, his voice soft.
"I can't tell you this time Bradie. I'm sorry," I replied, remembering the night where I'd gotten stabbed in the leg.
"Alright. When are you coming back? We need you…" More tears fell down my cheeks.
"I…I don't know. Not soon. I just need some time by myself, okay?"
"Okay. Well, call me if you need to talk to someone," he said, sighing.
"Thanks, Bradie. I will. Bye."
"Bye." I hurriedly wiped away my tears as Casper returned with a packet of something in his hands. Sitting next to me, he held out the packet. Gummi Dinosaurs.
"Want one?" he asked, taking a t-rex and popping it into his mouth. I laughed and took a yellow one with a long neck.
"Where did you get them?" I asked.
"Stole 'em from the supermarket," Casper replied.
"You stole them?" He nodded.
"How else do you expect me to eat?"
"You use money."
"I don't have any money."
"Oh…then you can steal," I said, grinning. He returned the smile and at another dinosaur. "How long have you been staying here for?"
"Around two months," he replied, standing and stretching.
"Why here?"
"I don't know. I just kind of found it like this and thought it would be a good place to stay. You do get the odd vandal or two, but they're pretty cool…" My stomach gave a loud growl and I slapped it softly. Casper laughed.
"Sorry, I'm hungry," I apologised, rolling my eyes. He looked at me for a moment then beckoned with his hand and walked to the front door.
"Come on." I stood and followed him out into the night.
"Where are we going?" I asked, glancing around as we walked down the middle of the road.
"You said you were hungry. We're going to get some food," he replied.
"Okay then. Where are we going to get some food from?"
"I don't know. There are a few different places. But I think the supermarket would be the best place for a beginner…"
"Beginner?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "You're new to stealing things."
"How would you know?" I asked incredulously. He took a sidelong glance at me.
"I can just tell." Rolling my eyes, I laughed as a car drove right past us, Casper swearing and flipping it off. We arrived at the local Woolworths and Casper rose an eyebrow at me.
"Ready?"
"Of course." We walked into the supermarket and Casper led me into one of the aisles.
"Okay, what do you want?" He stood in front of the savoury things like Barbecue Shapes and chips.
"Um…I like Salt and Vinegar chips," I replied, craning my neck to look up at him.
"Grab a packet," he instructed close to my ear. I thought for a moment before grabbing a medium size packet from the shelf. "Now follow me…" I trooped behind as Casper went to the self-serve check out and took hold of my arm. "Okay, this is the harder bit. You've got to go up to one of the occupied checkouts and scan the packet. Just scan and run. Don't wait for me…" I gulped down the irrational fear that shot up from my stomach and slowly walked forward, moving towards a lady who had her back turned to me. Just as she bent to pick up a dropped coin, I darted forward, scanned the chips and ran for the doors.
"Hey!" A store clerk shouted, beginning to run after me. I squealed as someone grabbed for me and I neatly dodged their arm. I could hear Casper's feet pounding on the road behind me as I ran. There were still shouts from behind us and I slowed down as we turned a corner.
"No! Keep running!" Casper laughed, grabbing my hand and dragging me forward. Laughing with him, I began to run again. All sounds of the supermarket faded behind us as we continued on. Eventually we reached the house, panting and laughing. Falling onto the grass, I realised Casper was still holding my hand. When he saw me gazing at our interlocked fingers, he quickly let go.
"There you have it," he said, grinning. "Stolen food." I held up my packet of chips and gazed at them sceptically. My first stolen food…I thought proudly. Sure, I'd done nearly everything that was illegal but I'd always thought stealing was for try-hards who had nothing better to do than be complete dickheads. Of course, now I thought differently. If people had to steal to survive, then so be it. But then again, I did have money. Just as we stood to walk inside, the sky opened up and the rain began to bucket down. Running back to the front porch, we ducked inside the door. We had been soaked to our skin in those few short seconds and were dripping all over the floor. We took one look at each other before grinning like mad men,
"Still hungry?" Casper asked before shaking his head like a wet dog, sending droplets of rain spraying everywhere.
"Hey!" I laughed, trying to dodge the water. "Yeah, I'm still hungry…" Just then, as if to prove what I said, my stomach growled loudly. Slapping it softly, I opened the chips. Casper darted forward and snatched a handful.
"Hey! My stolen food!" I exclaimed playfully. He winked.
"Who helped you steal it?"
"My hands. And the lady who was at the register," I replied. Just then, my phone rang and I got up to grab it. 'Andy' the screen read.
"Who's Andy?" Casper asked from right next to my ear. I whirled around.
"No one."
"He's the one you were talking to before, isn't he?"
"Yes…"
"And he's your boyfriend?" I laughed once, humourlessly.
"He's not my boyfriend…maybe more of a friend…no, that's not right. He's one of the guys in Short Stack who is twenty-one and a complete dickhead at the moment. I think that sums him up right," I explained.
"Give me your phone."
"Why?"
"Just do it." Reluctantly, I handed over my mobile. Casper tapped the talk button then the loudspeaker button. "Hello?" he sounded so innocent I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from cracking up.
"Uh…hi. Is Ashli there?" Andy sounded honestly perplexed.
"I think she may be in the shower – " When I waved my arms frantically, signalling that was a very bad place to go, Casper rolled his eyes. "Never mind, she's right here…" He rose an eyebrow at me and I waved him off.
"Thanks," I said, trying to make myself sound like I wasn't on loudspeaker. "What?" This time I spoke closer to the phone.
"Ash…I wanted to talk to you."
"Really? Well I tried to do that ages ago but you seemed too preoccupied," I said curtly.
"You weren't making any sense. Why would you think I was with Rianna?" Casper snickered and I slapped his arm.
"Because she answered your phone. And woke you up…" From the corner of my eye I could see Casper in hysterics and I slapped him again. This time he stopped and frowned at me.
"So? Does that automatically mean I slept with her, does it?"
"I didn't say that – "
"Yes you did! And what about this guy who answered your phone?" Andy asked. Oh shit.
"He…just wait one second," I snapped. 'What do I say?' I mouthed. Casper thought for a moment.
"Say that you…used to know me and I brought you back to my house for a drink," he whispered, a sly smile on his lips. I rolled my eyes but told Andy something along the lines of that.
"He was in prison with me. We met again at on a train and went back to his house…for a drink," I lied. Glancing at Casper, I saw his look of confusion at the word 'prison'.
"Drink? Yeah, that's funny. What about the shower?"
"I was…dirty." Andy laughed once.
"Yeah, right. Of course. I know you're not there for a 'drink'" – I could almost see him making the quotation marks with his fingers – "so you don't need to lie."
"I'm not lying! At least I don't go cheating on people with no good reason!"
"At least I'm not a slut! And you think our fans are bitches."
"Backstabbing bastard," I hissed before hanging up on him.
"Wow…that's a rocky relationship right there. You ever thought about seeing a counsellor?" Casper joked, raising his eyebrows.
"Maybe I should go see a hit man…" He looked honestly shocked until I smiled a little. "I'm joking, Casper." His face turned to relief. He turned and walked into the kitchen.
"Look, I'm going to get changed," I called, opening my bag and pulling out a whole new set of clothes. I ducked into one of the bedrooms, took off my sopping wet clothing and replaced them with the dry ones. After changing, I found a few chairs and slung the clothes over the backs. Once that was done, I went into the kitchen. Casper had changed as well but was still all in black.
"What's the deal with the whole prison lie? Couldn't you've made me sound a little more…believable? I mean seriously, if you haven't been to prison then why say you met someone there?" he asked.
"I have been to prison," I said nonchalantly.
"That's really funny," he said sarcastically.
"No really, I have." He stopped dead in his tracks.
"What for?"
"Vandalism. And manslaughter. And possession of drugs or something like that…" I waved my hand in the air, showing it was nothing of importance.
"Okay," he said after a moment.
"I have!" I insisted.
"Prove it then." I rolled my eyes and went to grab my phone, returning with it a second later. I dialled in Sophia's number then tapped the call and loudspeaker button. She answered after three rings.
"Ash? Where are you?" she asked.
"Ask Bradie. He knows the answer to that one. Can you grab Lauren for me? I want to talk to the both of you…" I could hear her calling for Lauren.
"She's here and you're on loudspeaker…"
"Okay. Were we in prison together?" I asked.
"Uh…yes. That's how we met. Why? Who are you proving to this time?"
"This guy, Casper. He doesn't believe I was in prison. Talk to him, you're on loudspeaker," I replied.
"Hi, Casper," Lauren said. "Why don't you believe our little angel Ashli was in prison? Well, it was more Juvie, wasn't it?" Casper shot me a 'fine, you proved me wrong this time' look.
"I believe her now…and by the way, she's no angel." Casper winked at me and went out the front door.
"Ashli!" Sophia sounded appalled. "Don't tell me you've hooked up with some random…"
"Ew! Sophia do you know what you just said? That's disgusting!" I exclaimed, shuddering inwardly.
"What? That's kind of what I would think when someone says 'she's no angel' about you!"
"So now you're saying I'm a slut?"
"No! I didn't say that! I was – "
"Implying it?"
"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore. Lauren's taking over…" My shoulders were shaking with laughter as Lauren's voice came through the speaker.
"Hey, Ash." she greeted.
"Hi Lauren. Look, before Soph goes into cardiac arrest or something, tell her I was joking, okay?"
"Can do. Hey Sophia! Ash was just joking!" I heard Lauren call.
"Bitch!" Came Sophia's reply.
"Ashli's on the phone?!" Now I could hear Shaun's voice added to the mix. "Hi Ashli!"
"Hi Shaun."
"ASHLI!" Bradie shouted, joining the conversation.
"BRADIE!" I exclaimed, laughing.
"Ash…" Ah, shit. Everyone silenced as Andy spoke.
"I have to go. Love you guys. Talk to you soon," I said hurriedly, hanging up. As everything was suddenly quiet, I let my head fall into my hands.
"They seem like good friends." Casper's voice startled me so much that I jumped.
"Oh…yeah. You don't even know the half of it."
"Why are you here?" Casper dropped into one of the old chairs at the table. I gladly followed his example.
"Do you mean here on Earth or here in the house?" I asked.
"Both…"
"Well my answer for both is – "
"Cas! You here bro?"
"In here!" Casper called. Two male figures appeared in the doorway.
"Hey, Cas. Who's this?" The one on the right said, bumping fists with Casper.
"Guys, this is Ashli. Ashli, this is Tyler" – he pointed to the one on the right – "and this is Luke" – he pointed to the one on the left – "they're the vandals that I was telling you about."
"Vandals? When did you tell me about vandals?" I asked curiously, knowing it would piss Casper off. He mouthed the word 'chicks' to Luke and Tyler, rolling his eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. The two newcomers snickered and nodded. My phone rang and I stood abruptly.
"Sorry," I said sweetly. "You're in my way." Pushing roughly past Luke and Tyler, I went into the living room and out onto the front porch. Ignoring the screen, I pressed the talk button.
"Hello?"
"I know you hung up because of me," Andy greeted, sounding guarded.
"Well done!" I said condescendingly.
"We have to work this out."
"Not when you call me a slut we don't!"
"I didn't call you a slut!" He exclaimed.
"Yes you did! And you implied that I was a bitch! If anything I should be saying the same about you."
"I didn't cheat on you!" He yelled.
"I'm not having this stupid conversation again! If you're still stuck on the whole concept of Rianna and I, then maybe you should go back to school!"
"I don't know why you keep saying I've cheated – "
"Just forget about it then! If you don't understand then just forget it, okay?"
"No, I'm not going to forget about it just because you're pissed off at me," he declared.
"Fine then," I hissed. "Don't forget about it. But there is one thing you can forget about: calling me again." Before he could reply, I hung up. I had developed a bad habit of hanging up on people. After breathing slowly and deeply for a few seconds, I went back inside. The three boys were still in the kitchen and I took it as some time to let off steam. It was still bucketing outside and I didn't hesitate to change into shorts. You must be thinking 'Shorts? Why shorts?!' but it's way easier to change out of soaked shorts than it is to change out of soaked skinny jeans. Pulling on my Converse runners, I stepped out into the rain. I shivered as the freezing droplets hit my back or trickled down my neck. Slowly walking down the middle of the road, I forbid myself to cry. I had done a lot of crying over my life recently and it made no sense to sulk when I finally had what I wanted; freedom. Plus anyway, the rain could cry for me. There was a sharp crack from above and I ducked instinctively. A bright flash of lightening which made everything look like daytime lit up the sky, sending me into a little state of panic. It's never good to be outside in a storm. Unless of course you have a suicide wish. I began to run slowly for I had absolutely no idea where to go. There was the supermarket but I would be recognised fairly easily. It struck me. Claire! I could go to Claire's. Then I checked the time on my phone and my hopes fell. She had said not to visit between twelve in the afternoon and eleven at night. Well, shit. It was ten thirty. I slowed instantly and sank to my knees. Screwed. That word suited the state I was in perfectly. I was screwed.