Jumper

A/N: Hey all, I am also happy because there is a Paramore following here, thank God, it's almost like living with a huge extended family who gets all my inside jokes and whatnot. Now that I feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside... on with the chapter!! Thanks to all my reviewers and readers, you guys are awesome, and I love all the predictions and input on Emily, the real life Emily is just as weird and emotional, and little bit kniving, that part of her I kinda fabricated :P. Sorry I didn't put this up last night, I went to a bonfire and didn't get in till later, so 2 chapters for an apology today. --Enjoy--

The rest of the class dragged by, and I found that none of the incoming words or sentences formed any coherent thought whatsoever inside my head. She lied to me? She's had other girl friends? And who the hell is this Emily girl?? Her words barely processed in my head, she loved her? Still? What's going on here? The bell rang, dismissing me from my thoughts for a time as I left the room, searching for the dorms. Hopefully, everything got through ok, and I burrowed further into the sweatshirt, regardless of my wild feelings for the owner. My confusion must have been apparent, because that Emily girl found me, gently smiling as she steered me away from the huge mass of school girls. She pulled me aside to a set of lockers, her eyes scanning me again, making me shiver under her look. For some odd reason, her eyes reminded me of Ash's, the built up lust boiling in them, and the fire and passion that was there for those who cared to look. She finally finished her inspection and stepped back.

"So what's your room number?"

Her voice was low and scratchy and caused me to think back to Ash's own raspy voice, quickly shaking myself out of my thoughts.

"Um, it's... room 409."

"On the top floor, I'm down the hall from you, c'mon I'll show you."

I rolled my eyes at her turned back, and I briefly paused, was that jealousy coursing through my veins and compelling me to slam her head into a locker repeatedly? I quickly followed after, jogging up 4 sets of stairs, becoming winded by the third set. Emily paused and looked back at me, her eyes shining, and for a moment I could see her considering pushing me down the stairs headfirst. She merely laughed before turning back around.

"It gets easier after a while, I guess the nuns are fans of physical labor as well."

I forced a laugh before continuing on. I was on the verge of collapsing by the end, leaning against the wall as Emily laughed again. She motioned to the left, leading me to a brown-ish door with the number 409 above it, opening it to reveal a rather white room, covered in posters and paintings of everything imaginable. She stepped in and closed the door behind us. My stuff was sitting on and around a bed close to the window, and I was sure nothing was in the same condition it had arrived in. At least I hadn't brought any pictures of Ash, I probably would've been mobbed by nuns.

"Your lucky, you get to room with Casey, she's way cool."

"She an artist?"

"Yeah, all she does is paint and take pictures really. She's really nice."

"That's cool, thanks for showing me where my room was."

"No problem, if you ever need anything, just ask me or Casey, we'll both help."

I nodded my head, smiling before she got up and left. I had the sudden urge to throw something breakable or scream until my lungs collapsed upon Emily's leaving. I did nothing of the sort, but I really wanted to. "The Cure" wouldn't be the end of me, Ash's secrets would be if anything. I heaved a sigh, falling down onto my bed as I tried to exhale everything that I'd taken in today. With no such luck, I continued to stare at the white ceiling until I heard the door creaking open again and quiet steps into the room. I looked over to see a girl with red hair looking at me in the same manner that Emily had, and as soon as her eyes fell onto the sweatshirt, I thought I heard her gasp. If I ever see Ash again, I will throwing her off the roof.

"Hey, I'm Casey."

She walked up and shook my hand as she stood back and continued to watch me.

"Spencer."

"This your first time here?"

"Yeah."

"Ash sent you here."

I sighed again, turning back to looking at the ceiling, as my frustration boiled over.

"Am I missing something?"

I turned to look at Casey, her eyes still on me. She had light green eyes that seemed to stare a hole right through me as she wrung her hands.

"Casey?"

She slowly met my gaze, her eyes flickering around uncertainly.

"Um, I don't know if I should be the one telling you all this, Em should probably be talking to you about everything."

"Why? What's Emily got that's so important?"

"Nothing... it's just she..."

"She what??"

She stopped and quickly looked to the floor. I sighed again, looking this way and that, praying that someone would jump out of the walls and shoot me now.

"Sorry, Casey, I've just been kinda edgey lately."

She smiled at me before going over to her bed, kicking off her shoes and falling onto the bed.

"Yeah, this place does that too, regardless of ex girlfriends and what not."

I smiled before returning to look at the ceiling.

"So how long have you been here Casey?"

"I'm not sure actually, I don't have a calendar or anything to keep track of time. I think half a year or so."

"Didn't they say that it only takes 6 weeks?"

"If their convinced, if they believe you could be 'helped' further, they keep you here for as long as they want."

"Wow, I'm shocked this place actually exists. I thought there would some kind of law about this."

She laughed, turning over to look at me.

"Not when it comes to gays."

I sucked in a deep breath. She continued to look at me as recognition dawned on her face.

"Oh... she never really told you how to come out, so when it came time to do it, you screwed it up."

My smile turned upside down in seconds.

"You make it sound like this happens a lot..."

She shrugged before getting up to go to an easel on the other side of the room.

"Again, talk to Emily, that girl is God at this school."

I stood up, walking over to her and watching as she quickly moved her brush up and down.

"Where's Emily at?"

"Her room."

"Which is..."

"403."

"Thanks, Casey."

I opened the door before slamming it shut and making my way to 403. Why are all the girls that Ash has seemingly dated all weird? If their all weird, what does that make me? I stopped at the door of 403, hearing loud music before knocking on the door. It was opened after a minute or two by Emily, now in a tank top and shorts. She stepped back, letting me into her room. I coughed as soon as I stepped foot, the room slightly smokey and smelling like weed. I wheeled around as she lit up again, grabbing a beer from some mysterious nook and handing one to me as she grabbed another. Remembering what happened before when beer was involved, I gently put it back on the shelf behind her as she opened hers and took a long drink. Finishing, she turned to look at me.

"So... what can I do for you... Spencer right?"

"Yeah."

"So what's up?"

"Why does everyone here know Ash?"

She paused for a moment as she took a drag and a drink, expelling a cloud of foul smelling air. I coughed again and backed up to the bed as she remained in place.

"That girl is a legend here. She's the only one since this place has been founded that has never left, fully 'cured'. They actually kicked her out, another first too. Set her room on fire after the first week."

"Yeah, I know all that, why does everyone here seem to have dated Ashley?"

"There's actually only 3 here right now that have dated her. I'm sure there's been more though. It's me, Casey, and another girl, Kate."

I sat in silence as she finished her beer and smashed the cigarette butt into the carpet. This place was really a fire waiting to happen.

"She gets around Spence, you should know that by now."

I said nothing, the room was starting to spin, and I wasn't sure if I was high from the fumes or my world was beginning to implode.

"She keeps this place up and running with all the girls she sends here."

My anger was starting to boil, and the room was definitely doing 360's.

"And it's always the same things, you know, they all say 'she said she loved me', and 'what we had was special', y'know, all the normal stuff. She gets whoever she wants to. And half the time, it's poor, unsuspecting, straight, Christian girls who do their time and leave. She has the oddest tastes, I mean she goes from me to you. How does that work?"

I finally stood up, making the room spin faster as I stumbled to the door. I heard her laughter filter in though my haze as I grabbed for the doorknob.

"You thought she loved you, oh, you poor thing. You were just a good lay till I got out. She loved me."

I finally found the doorknob, practically ripping the door open, pausing with the door halfway open. Emily turned to face me, her eyes mocking and full of fire that I would've loved to douse in water. I raised a shaky finger, locking eyes with the devil itself.

"Fuck. You."

I slammed the door shut, hearing more laughter from the other side of the door. I stumbled back to my room, near hysterical. I collapsed onto the bed and was out for God knows how long, probably missing Casey's pleads to get me up, dinner, and lights out. When I came to, I was alone in the dark room, and my head was pounding. I flipped over onto my back as I looked to the window, slightly open and letting a cool wind enter and leave. I walked to the window and opened it wider, sticking my head outside and letting loose and huge yell, probably shaking the foundations of the world before letting myself flop over, halfway in the room and halfway out. I looked to the stars, pleading with some foreign being to take me far, far away. I felt hollow on the inside, Emily's words ringing in my head as Ash's last words to me played in front of me like a silent movie.

I heard a violent banging on the door, but didn't move to answer it. The knocking continued as I continued to stare out the window. The knocking stopped, and I thought I heard voices, but tuned everything out, still looking at the sky, searching for stars. And of course, as soon as I started finding them, I went back to the night on that hill with Ash, looking at the stars. I wasn't even aware of the tears until I felt the breeze begin to dry them on my cheek, causing me to shiver slightly. Suddenly, I felt a pair of warm arms slide around my waist, clasping themselves in front of my stomach. I couldn't help the smile that found its way to my face, it probably wasn't even her, just another dream. Suddenly, I felt warm breath playing over my ear, causing me to jump violently.

"Better?"

I spun around in her arms, latching onto whoever it was like it was the last hug I'd ever give. All I felt the arms do was gather me up into them, lifting me up until my legs were securely around their waist and my face buried in their shoulder. My body was shaking as hard as it ever had, and I was crying probably gallons onto this persons shirt. Suddenly, the smell of vanilla and Lilacs hit me like a train, and I only started crying harder, it was Ashley. She did come back. We stood like that for what felt like hours, and I have no idea how much I cried, but finally, my endless tears ran out, and we stood in silence, wrapped up in each other. I finally leaned back and stared at her. Her eyes looked teary as well, and I could see the door wide open with several people watching us. I could see Casey and Emily outside, and if Ash weren't there, I would've ripped Emily's head off in seconds.

Then I remembered everything that Emily had told me. I immediately scrambled to get out of her arms as I backed up. I suddenly found a fresh supply of tears, and they were now streaming down my face... again.

"Aw, shit, Spence, listen to me."

I said nothing, just slid to the floor and curled up into a ball. We were a lie weren't we?

"See Ash, the truth's too much to handle, I, on the other hand-"

"Shut up! Em, just shut up. We've had this conversation before, the only girl I'm taking home is Spence."

"We'll just see if she even lets you touch her."

The words meant nothing to me as I felt the warmth envelop me again. I struggled to get out of her grasp, but she was holding harder then I thought she could.

"Spencer, Spencer, listen to me."

"Leave me alone Ash..."

My voice was as weak and soft as it had ever been, and I felt like a little kid watching her parents divorce. But I'd seen that too.

"I'm not leaving you Spence, your coming home with me, c'mon."

She started to pick me up, but I managed to get out of her grip and backpedaled towards the door and the large group of girls now there.

"Spence, we can talk about this later, c'mon, we gotta go."

I shook my head violently, and I could hear Emily's smirk appear on her face.

"Why not now Ash?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Because... oh fine."

Everyone leaned forward expectantly, as did I, I was curious to know how much she was going to lie.

"I've been around Spence, you've heard the rumors at school, you'd be an idiot to not believe them. And as for Emily and the rest of those girls, they were, they were real, but not as real as what we have Spencer. I found something in you that the other girls couldn't give me."

"So, what, you just ran around hooking up with girls until you found the right one?"

"No! I mean... well yeah. I just- Spencer, I love you ok! What else do you want from me! Seriously."

Suddenly, everyone turned their heads to the hall, and I saw everyones eyes go huge.

"NUNS!!"

The entire gathering of maybe 20 people split instantaneously, and only Casey, Emily, and one more girl -who I'm assuming was Kate- were left with me and Ashley.

"Ash... you'd better go, I don't want you getting caught."

She shook her head.

"I can't do that Spencer, your coming with me, or I'm not leaving. Hell, I'll come back here every night if I have to."

It was my turn to shake my head.

"I was just another girl to you Ash, just another lay I guess, I don't want that. I'm staying here, I probably won't get 'cured' and I'll stay locked up here, and become another bitter bitch like Emily and tear into the next girl you send us. It's fine really."

"It's not though Spence, this is real! I love you! You can't say you didn't feel something!"

"I did, and that's why you have to go..."

We heard more stomping on the stairs as Emily and Kate rapidly departed.

"...now, Ashley, you have to go."

"Spence, you can't do this..."

"I can and I will, go."

She said nothing, but the tears finally fell as she went to the window, jumping out on to the ledge below it, turning to me one last time.

"Please, Spence, c'mon."

"No, this is where I belong now, trying to fix what you did to me."

She looked away, then to Casey who had by now closed the door and stood at the back of the room looking at both of us.

"Hey Case..."

She looked up, and I saw the same wild hope that Emily had displayed, and probably me too.

"Take care of her yeah?"

She nodded slowly.

"Thanks, and Spence..."

I looked up as well, feeling my heart begin to fragment again. Our eyes locked, and it was like meeting each other for the first time all over again. The same spark, the same hope, the same want. But there was something else there too. Two broken hearts.

"I love you, I don't care what you or anyone else thinks, I love you, and you were different, don't ever listen to anyone but yourself."

With that, she crawled out of view, just as my heart exploded in my chest, and the nuns burst into the room, bibles and crosses held at the ready.

A/N: God that took forever, this one seems a little forced to me, but I have issues that way. Anyway, I'll be back later, I need to go bond with my PS2, do my guitar lesson, take a shower, and get some food for my tummy. :P