Chapter 52: A Starry Night
A couple of weeks passed, they were able to blow off some steam at Adelle's party at the Surf Spot. It was back to work and school, but now, Ashley was seeing the all too familiar signs announcing prom. At the end of the hallway, Ashley saw the cheerleaders waiting at their table and the tickets. They had a huge banner read: 'PROM TICKETS' hanging right above their heads. "Hey, you getting tickets?" Cassie asked, making her look up.
"Why?" Ashley signed to her, "I can't drag Andros to this."
"Has he even asked if you wanted to go?" Cassie asked.
"I didn't really indicate that I WANTED to go," Ashley signed.
"You didn't go to Junior Prom last year," Cassie pointed out.
"I was kind of busy," Ashley signed.
"Sitting in your room and studying for a physics exam," Cassie answered.
Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, you're purchasing tickets," Cassie insisted, grabbing her arm and pulled her to the table.
"Hey, Cassie, who are you bringing?" Leslie asked smiling as Cassie reached for her purse.
"Does it matter?" Cassie asked as she put the money down on the table and Bridget ripped two ticket stubs for her.
Leslie looked at Ashley. "Should I just give you one?" she asked with a smirk. Ashley frowned and held up two fingers. "And who is your date this year? Are you inviting Tommy or maybe even Jason?" Leslie asked, "Your two big brothers escorting their baby sister to her Senior Prom?"
"Why don't you just give her the tickets and shut up, Leslie?" Cassie suggested.
Leslie rolled her eyes and took Ashley's money while Bridget handed her the tickets.
After school, Ashley was walking out when she saw a familiar face waiting outside. "Hey, Ashley," Kat greeted smiling.
"What are you doing here?" Ashley signed before embracing the blond.
"Cassie called me and said you were getting ready for prom and I wanted to come help you dress shop," Kat replied.
Ashley released Kat and looked over at Cassie who just smiled innocently. "So, are you taking that boy I've been hearing all about?" Kat asked smiling.
"How…" Ashley started to sign but she knew, "Jason…"
"You can't be all that surprise that word spread that Ashley finally let someone in," Kat answered.
Kat put her arm around her shoulders as they started walking together. "What's his name? Where's he from? What does he do?" she quipped, making Ashley laugh.
"His name is Andros, he's from a Space colony, and he's our Red Ranger," Ashley signed.
"Is he cute? Well he has to be cute if you like him," Kat teased, making Ashley blush.
"Ashley and Andros have quite the connection," Cassie answered.
Ashley gave her a look and Cassie just winked at her. "So what kind of dress are we looking for?" Kat asked.
"Ashley's trying to talk her way out of going," Cassie replied.
"What? Why?" Kat asked.
"She hasn't told Andros she wants to go," Cassie replied.
Kat stopped and looked at the younger girl. "Why wouldn't you tell him?" she asked. Ashely shrugged her shoulders.
"Andros isn't used to things like that," Ashley signed, "It seems like a lot to ask him to do."
"Ashley, it's prom," Kat answered.
Ashley stared but sighed. "Come on, let's at least go look at the dresses," Kat insisted and they took her over to the mall.
A few days back on the Megaship, Andros walked down the hall and he passed by Cassie's room. The door opened up and he saw a dress hanging from her top bunk. "Hey, Andros," Cassie said smiling.
"Hey," he answered as she closed the door behind her.
"I haven't seen Ashley in a while," she commented.
"She's on the simudeck running some Psycho Rangers simulations," he replied.
"As usual," she commented.
"So what's the dress for?" he asked.
"Oh that?" she asked as they walked down the hall, "That's my Prom dress. TJ invited me to the Prom."
Andros smiled. "Well I'm happy for you both," he commented, "How come Ashley never brought this up before?"
"You know, Ashley, she's not very into doing the usual high school teenager thing," Cassie replied.
"But she is a Terran high school teenager," he commented.
"She didn't want to bother you," Cassie replied.
Andros stopped and frowned, making Cassie stop. "Bother me?" he asked.
"Yeah, because you never had traditions like this on KO-35 she didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," she replied, "Personally, I think she SHOULD go because it'd be something that's not her stuck behind a book or fixing something on the ship all day."
Andros crossed his arms over his chest. "She said I didn't want to go?" he asked.
"No she said that she didn't want to pressure you to go," she replied.
Cassie saw the hurt in his eyes. "Maybe you should talk to her, you know her better than me at this point," she commented. Andros nodded his head slowly and Cassie gave his arm a squeeze before walking away.
Ashley was on the simudeck trying to check her calculations when she sensed someone walking up behind her. She turned around and saw Andros in the doorway. "You scared me," she commented.
"Sorry," he answered as he closed the door behind him, "DECA, make sure no one comes in."
"Acknowledged," DECA said dutifully.
Ashley raised her brow as she put her datapad up on the machine. "Why are you telling people I won't take you to this Prom?" he asked.
"I didn't say that," she replied.
"You're insinuating it with the fact that I had never had one on KO-35," he commented.
Ashley bit her lower lip. "Do you not want to go?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "Ashley…" he said slowly.
"It's hard to face people who look at you like you're a freak," she answered, her lower lip trembling, "Ashley Hammond the girl with no voice."
Ashley swallowed against the lump in her throat. "The girls in that school have humiliated me every day since I was eight-years-old and I had started school in Angel Grove. The new girl who never said a word. The foster kid whose mother is a murderer, for a while the kids started spreading the rumor that I helped out and I got away with murder," she explained, "I was EIGHT!" Andros walked over to her. "I wasn't meaning to use you as an out," she said, "I just…I'm so tired of the stares and the whispers."
"So why don't I take you to prom and people stare at you for the right reasons?" he asked.
Andros walked over and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are quiet," he said, kissing her cheek, "But you are beautiful," he kissed her forehead, "Resilient," he kissed her temple, "And selfless," he kissed her other cheek. Ashley held onto his wrists. "You deserve to have everything, Ashley," he whispered against her head as she leaned into him, "This night sounds like it's an important night for Terran teenagers."
"So are you asking me to the prom?" she asked, her arms moving around his waist.
Andros wrapped his arms around her back and she giggled softly as he playfully twisted back and forth slightly with her in his arms. "May I have the honor of taking you to your Senior Prom?" he asked. Ashley smiled as she rested her head on his chest.
"Yes," she replied as he kissed the top of her head.
Ashley closed her eyes. "I love you," she said softly.
"I love you more," he said softly.
A month later, it was prom. Ashley was sitting at her vanity as Kimberly and Kat were putting the finishing touches on her hair. Kimberly clapped her hands excitedly. "Look at you!" she said excitedly, "You're so stunning!" Ashley stood up from her chair and looked in the full-length mirror.
She picked a one shouldered prom dress that had yellow and red entwined through it. Her hair was a neat bun at the base of her head and she had a red daisy clipped to the side of her head. She had the necklace Andros gave her around her neck and Kat walked over with a pair of yellow wedge heels. Ashley had her hand on Kimberly's shoulder as Kat got them bucked around her ankles.
Cassie walked in in her pink dress, her hair was down in a French braid and a blue ribbon entwined through it. "Ashley, you look beautiful!" Cassie said smiling. Ashley held up her skirt and turned around.
"Like a real princess!" Kimberly said excitedly.
Downstairs, TJ was helping Andros with his tie. "Yes, because I don't feel like I'm being strangled," Andros commented.
"Well it's tradition that the guy wears something to match what the girl is wearing," TJ answered, "At least color wise."
Kimberly rushed down the stairs with a smile. "They're ready!" she said in a singsong voice. Carlos walked over to Andros, handing him a plastic box with a flower wristband inside.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a corsage, it goes on her wrist," Carlos replied as he held his box for Mia.
Mia walked down first wearing a black prom dress with her hair tied in a loose bun. Carlos smiled as he looked at her. "You look stunning," he said as he walked over to the bottom step. He removed the corsage from the box and slipped it around her wrist. Mia smiled as she kissed him before they posed for the camera that Mrs. Oliver was holding up.
Andros watched as Cassie walked down next and TJ's eyes lit up. "Oh wow…" he said as he walked over, "You look incredible."
"Well thank you," Cassie said smiling as TJ slipped the pink and blue flowered corsage around her wrist.
They posed for their picture and Andros suddenly felt like his hands were dripping with sweat. When Ashley walked down the stairs next, his heart stopped and his eyes were wide. Everything and everyone in the room disappeared. Ashley smiled at him as she reached the bottom step. She waited for him to say something. "You are truly the most beautiful being in the universe," he said honestly. Ashley smiled as she rested her hands on his cheeks. She had no idea at that point Mrs. Oliver was taking a series of pictures. He put the corsage off on the end of the banister and he put his hands on Ashley's waist and lifted her off the end of the last step.
Ashley put her hands on his shoulders and he set her down. Andros took the corsage and he slipped it over her wrist. Ashley smiled before he kissed her on the lips briefly. "Okay you two, over here," Mrs. Oliver said smiling. Ashley rested her head on Andros's chest while her hand rested up by her head and Andros had his arm around her back as they smiled at the camera. Mrs. Oliver snapped the picture. "Okay group picture with everyone," she insisted.
"Mom, come on," Tommy said with a chuckle.
"Hey, I did this with you and your friends when it was prom it's the same for your sister," Mrs. Oliver answered.
Tommy shook his head slowly and Kimberly leaned into her boyfriend with a smile as his arms went around her. Mrs. Oliver snapped the group photo and Mr. Oliver walked in. "Alright, the limo is here," he announced the teens.
"Mr. Oliver…" TJ started to say.
"I don't want to hear any arguments," Mr. Oliver answered.
Ashley smiled as Andros held onto her hand. Mrs. Oliver was being their own personal paparazzo following the teenagers out of the house. "Is she out of film yet?" Tommy asked, earning a smack in the stomach from his mother. Ashley held up her finger to Andros to have him hang on a second. Andros nodded, releasing her hand. Holding onto the skirt of her dress, she hurried over to her foster parents and embraced them both.
"Go have fun, sweetheart," Mrs. Oliver said gently.
Mr. Oliver kissed her temple and she released them with a smile before walking back over to Andros. Andros helped her in the car before he waved at them and then climbing in himself, closing the door behind him.
Arriving at the venue, Ashley felt her heart go up into her throat. Andros reached over, entwining his fingers with hers before he kissed her temple. "Trust me?" he whispered against her head. Ashley nodded and Andros kissed her head once more before TJ opened the door.
The students watched as the door opened and TJ got out first. The cheerleaders and their dates were greeting everyone as they walked up what looked like a big red carpet event. "They really did go out," TJ commented as he helped Cassie out.
"You're telling me," Carlos answered as he helped Mia out.
"Ashley's going to have a stroke," Cassie commented.
"Andros is with her, she'll be okay," TJ assured her.
Cassie started walking up before she and TJ looked back waiting for Andros and Ashley to come out. Andros slid out of the car. "Now WHO is that?" Leslie asked next to Cassie.
"Oh I hope he's a transfer," Bridget commented.
"He's nineteen he's far out of high school," Carlos replied.
"So why is he here?" Leslie asked, staring at Carlos with a look.
Andros turned back around and he held his hand out, waiting patiently by the car. Finally, Ashley's hand slipped into his and Andros helped her out of the car. "Is that…" Leslie trailed off.
"Ashley," Cassie replied.
Cassie looked at the two stunned girls with a smile. "That's her boyfriend," she told them, "And they have been dating for just over six months."
Ashley slipped her arm through Andros's. "Just breathe," he whispered. Ashley smiled at him and Andros kissed her forehead before they walked towards the venue.
Entering the venue, Ashley's eyes were wide. They did an amazing job with the theme. The music was on full volume, there were people already dancing, there was food and there was beverage. Andros took his girlfriend by the hand, spinning her in a circle, making her laugh. "Shall we?" he asked. Ashley nodded and he pulled her out onto the dance floor.
"He has a way with her," TJ commented.
"That he does," Cassie agreed, "I have never seen her so happy."
"I don't think any of us have," Carlos commented.
"Even more now that we know," Cassie answered.
Ashley smiled as she and Andros danced to a slow song that started. "Love songs aren't the same anymore," she commented quietly.
"Oh?" He asked.
"No, I used to hate them," she replied.
He chuckled lightly. "To be honest I wasn't a fan either," he commented, "Even on a space colony we had make you sick to your stomach too sweet love songs." She laughed, resting her head on his chest.
"I could lose my heart tonight…if you don't turn and walk away…cause the way I feel I might…lose control and let you stay," the song played.
Andros kissed the top of her head as she sighed in contentment.
Later on, Ashley went to take a break from dancing and Andros walked over to the refreshments to get some drinks. "So, you're Ashley's boyfriend?" Leslie asked as she walked up behind Andros, startling him.
"Yes I am," Andros replied.
"Why?" Leslie asked.
Andros looked at the blond girl in front of him. "Excuse me," Andros said as he went to step around her. Leslie stood in front of him again and he let out a frustrated sigh.
"You know she's inexperienced in everything," Leslie commented, "She doesn't even talk."
"Well she talks just fine to me," he replied, "And when it comes to her experience in everything else, that's none of your concern."
Leslie stared at him. "Excuse me?" Andros asked her.
"What's so good about her?" Leslie demanded.
"Why does it matter to you?" Andros answered.
Andros walked around her and made his way back to the table. Leslie watched with a glare as Andros kissed the side of Ashley's head. Ashley smiled as Andros sat beside her. Ashley reached over and entwined her fingers with his. Andros gave her hand a squeeze and smiled back at her before he leaned over and kissed her on her lips. Ashley kissed him back and they looked back at their friends. "What?" Andros asked.
"It's just nice seeing Ashley so happy," Cassie replied honestly.
"Both of you really," Carlos put in.
Andros and Ashley let their hands rest on the table. "How could we not be?" Andros answered and Ashley rested her head on his shoulder. The rest of the night was spent with a lot of happiness, kisses, and dancing. Ashley knew she would always remember this night and it was the best time of her life.
