New chapter. Sorry it came later than usual... I've been busy and haven't been in the mood for much writing... but here it is.

Enjoy.

R & R.

Chapter 10 – Love and the Games We Play

Ashley's POV

I saw Spencer running out of the studio, faster than I've ever seen her run before. I'm about to run after her as I feel a hand on my shoulder, turning around I find Casey standing there smiling at me. "What the hell was that, Casey?" I screamed at her, poking her in the collarbone aggressively and pushing her back away from me. "Don't you ever do that again, you hear me!" I screamed even louder that it got Nate and the rest of the production team's attention in the studio.

"Ashley, you totally enjoyed it." The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes and waving politely at the onlookers, who turned around quickly out of embarrassment that they had been caught looking. "And don't even try to deny what happened Friday."

"Did I kiss you back right now? No, so don't you dare think that I even remotely enjoyed that." I pushed her back further again. "And as for Friday night, nothing happened. I fell asleep while watching your boring ass documentary and when I woke up, you were all over me, not the other way around." My face was red with outrage as the young blonde put her hands up and slowly backed away from me. "I'm not going to put up with this anymore, you do that again and I will go to Devon."

"You won't go to Devon, you don't have the balls. And you know as soon as he comes to me with the problem, he'll take my side. He always takes my side." Casey smugly laughed as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "You're too predictable Ashley. That's what made this so easy."

"What did you just say?" My head popped up and immediately stepped closer to the girl, staring at her intensely as she continued to smirk like she had this whole thing planned.

"Playing with you... it was too easy and finding Alexis' ad for a new roommate in the paper was just icing on the cake. And then I come here, and you fall right into my plan, making it go perfectly." The girl chuckles as I stand there speechless and confused. I have no clue what she's talking about, all I know is that it's not good. "Even now you still don't understand. Well... let me enlighten you on my perfect plan. You stand your ground when I move in closer to make me think that I don't scare or intimidate you because you know stepping back will only make me pursue you more." The blonde started walking, circling me as she leaned in to my face. "But that's just what I wanted you to do." She laughed and continued to walk around me as I stood there, unable to move. "You see, what would the point of me inviting Spencer out for lunch with you today if we weren't in an intimate position for her to catch us in."

"You fucking bitch!"

"Now that's not very nice... calling me a name like that." Casey devilishly laughed as she stopped walking right in front of me, rubbing her hands together as she gave me a malicious grin. "Plus you're interrupting me before I finish my story."

"I'm going to kill you!" I yelled, thrusting myself forward at the girl and gripping my hands tightly around her neck. "How dare you?"

"You're not even letting me get to the best part." She coughed out as my hands tightened around her neck. "It's funny really, you'll definitely have a laugh about it."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" I asked, releasing my grip just a bit so the girl could talk.

"You're still standing here, arguing with me that it doesn't mean anything, trying to choke me to death, when your girlfriend is running as far as she can from you right now. Shouldn't you be... I don't know, chasing after her, you know, if there's nothing going on between the two of us."

"There's nothing going on between the two of us, and that's the last time I'm ever going to say that. You're nothing like Spencer." I yelled, letting go of my grip around the girl's neck and taking a step back from her as she smirked and rubbed her neck.

"You're right, I'm not, I'm like you... you'd do the exact same thing if you were in my position."

"Fuck you." I spat out at the girl, pointing at her face harshly before I turned in the other direction.

"See, I told you that you wanted me." She laughed out as I opened the door to the studio and stormed out, everyone in the studio giving me weird looks as rushed past them to the outer doors.

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Spencer's POV

All I could do was run, even when my feet were telling me I couldn't anymore, all I could do was run, away from her and the pain in my heart. The moment I saw them together, it felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest, like I couldn't breathe.

I ended up outside Ashley and my new house, I can't believe I ran this far, but I just couldn't stop. My feet were burning from the pain, but I just didn't care. I stormed into the house, tossing my bag down as soon as I got inside, not caring where it landed as I fell down onto my bed and wept. Wept and wept, until even my eyes were sore that they eventually closed and I fell asleep.

I was awoken by the slamming of the door, accompanied by the frantic voice of Ashley.

"Oh my god, Spencer, there you are." She gasped, running towards me and running into my arms. She hugged me hard as my arms stayed at my side and I slowly pushed her away, glancing up at her and showing no emotion in my face, at least no happy emotions. "I am so sorry, please let me explain."

"What is there to explain, Ashley. I saw you. I saw you kissing her."

Her face dropped as I stepped away from her further. "It's not what it looked like, Casey... s-she set it all up. She told you to come so you would see us like that."

"Oh yeah Ashley? Well how did you get like that then? Did she just magically fall into your face or trip or something?"

"Spencer--"

"No, there's nothing you can that won't make me believe what I saw there, that you were cheating on me."

"If I wanted to cheat on you, why would I buy this...?" Ashley asked angrily, pulling a tiny box out of her purse and holding it out in front of me. "Why would I cheat if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, if I didn't want to be with you, if I didn't love you, Spencer."

I was speechless, and very much thrown back. I assumed that she was going to pop the question, but I was never positive and the fact that she was holding it out in front of me just made me even more speechless. "Ashley...I-I..." I could barely get out those two words as I slowly grabbed the box out of her hands. I think it threw her off as when I glanced up at her, she had this confused look in her eyes. I didn't open the box, I just held it in my palm, gazing at it, examining it.

"I was going to ask you the night I took you out after your last class..." I heard her voice shake with nervousness.

"Ashley, this doesn't change anything." I spoke slowly, holding up the box. "This, this ring, doesn't mean anything after what I saw."

"How can that not mean anything to you...?"

"Because you didn't ask me, and I know you were nervous then, but you didn't do it in the end. And now with what I saw today, it all just makes sense why you didn't." I threw the box back into her hand and looked at her expectantly to respond, but she didn't. She just stood there, with her face down, too horribly embarrassed to say anything.

"I swear Spencer, it was nothing." She whispered finally as she moved closer to me, capturing my face with her two palms.

"I didn't look like nothing." I pulled her hands from my face and dropped them to her side. "She's young, blonde, blue eyes, you even share a love for music--"

"And she's still not the one I want when I come home at night. She's not, and never will be you, Spencer. She may be attracted to me, but there's nothing that I'm attracted to in her. I told you three years ago that you're it for me, and you know what's changed from now? Nothing. You're still, and forever will be, it for me, Spencer. Please don't let that change for you."

I dropped my head and covered it with one hand as I stumbled back, away from Ashley. I couldn't stand being that closer to her. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I can do this after seeing that... seeing you two like that."

"I pushed her away, you just had turned your back before you could see it."

"She shouldn't have been close enough to kiss you in the first place, Ashley!"

"She likes to play games, that's all I thought she was doing...Casey planned on you seeing us."

"Yeah, well I don't like playing games, not when my feelings are especially when I just moved in with someone, I thought I could trust... all to find out it was just some big mistake."

"You don't mean that." She pleaded, throwing her hands back up on my face and leaning her forehead against mine, desperate for any reaction remotely passionate out of me.

"I can't." I pushed her away again, struggling to let her go. "I-I just can't." I cried out, turning my face away from her. "I just need--"

"Please don't say time and space..."

"To figure stuff out..."

"Without me?"

"Without you, Ash." I glanced back up at her with the same broken eyes she was giving me. Before I could say anything else, Ashley darted out of the house, hands covering her face as I could see the tears falling.

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Alexis' POV

I opened the door to see my best friend, soaking wet, either from the rain or from the tears rolling down her face. Probably both. "Ashley?" I rushed to her side, grabbing her shivering body and throwing my arms around her.

"Hey, so I know you're kind of going through a lot right now, but I was wondering if I could crash here for the night?"

"Uh--"

"Spencer and I got into a fight, and needless to say, I need a place to stay."

"Oh... yeah, sure." I mumbled as I was more than thrown off guard by my crying best friend in front of me. "You know you're always welcome here, Ash."

"Thanks, Aly..." She mumbled as I helped her walk in. "Is Casey here?"

"Yeah, but she's asleep in her room, why?" I nodded as I led her to my bedroom and started helping her out of her drenched clothes.

"I need to talk to you about something..."

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