CHaPTeR THRee - PiNK
Third Street Elementary, following Monday before school
T.J. Detweiler had had the chance to fill Gus Griswold and Mikey Blumberg in on the strange happenings in the cemetery on Friday, of course leaving out the part about Spinelli falling in his arms - he'd tried to keep that to himself. Both Mikey and Gus agreed that it was very strange - however neither of them quite believed T.J. when he'd declared that Spinelli had said "scandalous".
T.J. waited up against a chain-link fence with Gretchen, Gus, Mikey, and Vince. Spinelli had not yet arrived, and the five of them dreaded her arrival. They didn't know if Spinelli would be acting Ashley or not - or if the strange usage of the Ashleys' catchword was just an aftershock of her time spent on the grave of Thaddeus T. Third the Third. But they soon would find out…
Ashley Spinelli was approaching… her hair was down, loose around her shoulders, and moussed… she was wearing eyeliner, lipstick, and high-heeled shoes… she was wearing fake nails, painted with sparkly nail polish… and worst of all, she was in a miniskirt. A pink miniskirt.
And the problem with that was that she didn't seem to care.
At the same time, the jaws of the five up against the chainlink fence dropped so low they could have hit the ground. Disbelief and amazement ran through T.J. as he saw her. He had never seen Spinelli in pink before - but she looked as good as one of those models in his sister's beauty magazines. For some odd reason, he found he couldn't take his eyes off her.
He even failed to notice the weasely form hiding in the bushes.
"Spinelli," Gus said, "what are you doing wearing pink?"
"Spinelli?" Spinelli sneered back. "The name's Ashley. A-S-H-L-E-Y. Learn it well." She pranced past her shocked friends. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go see the Ashleys." She raised an eyebrow. "Time to re-collect on their offer to make me 'one of them'."
Gus, Mikey, Vince, and Gretchen were all feeling shocked and bit scared - but it was nothing like T.J. was feeling. He'd never felt that way about a girl, not since he was forced into kissing Spinelli, but he liked it. He stood staring after her for a few moments, in which his remaining friends noticed.
"Uh, T.J., are you in there?" Vince asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you alive! Hello… Hel-LOOOOOO!!!" Vince sighed impatiently. "TEEEEEEE-JAAAAAY!" he yelled. With a start, T.J. snapped from his trance. "Well, who'd'a thought it? T.J.'s falling for an Ashley."
T.J. felt his face burn. "Am not," he protested, but by the look in Vince's eyes, he knew Vince wasn't convinced.
"So what are we going to do about Spinelli, T.J.?" Gus asked.
"I don't know," T.J. replied, sounding helpless for once in his life.
Meanwhile, behind them, Randall Weems poked his head out of the bushes. "This is extra-moist," he murmured to himself. "Spinelli just turned Ashley, and T.J. Detweiler has a crush on her!" Randall thought for a moment. "Time to do some serious damage." He cackled to himself and headed off toward the Ashley Clubhouse.
~~~
The Ashleys would not have accepted Spinelli into the club again if she were not wearing pink. It was the entrance of Spinelli into their clubhouse wearing pink that shocked them into believing that Spinelli was Ashley again - even if T.J. Detweiler was planning a plot, he would have never gotten Ashley Spinelli to wear pink in her conscious.
They re-deemed Spinelli 'Ashley S' and set to making another diabolical plan, when a voice from on top of the clubhouse coming from a megaphone sounded. "Kids of the playground! Kids of the playground! Please gather at the Ashley Clubhouse for a special announcement!"
"That is, like, not allowed," Ashley A said irritably, heading toward the long tube that served as an entrance and an exit to the clubhouse. By the time Ashley A reached the top, Randall Weems was yelling in his microphone again.
"Kids of the Playground!" he shouted as the original four Ashleys made a line in front of the entrance of their clubhouse. "Ashley Spinelli is wearing PINK!" At these words, Spinelli stepped out into the daylight, causing gasps among the crowd of kids. "AND T.J. DETWEILER IS IN LOVE WITH HER!" This announcement caused uproarious laughter through the kids. They turned to T.J., laughed and pointed, as his face grew redder every second until it matched the color of his backwards hat.
"Like, EWWWW!" the Ashleys exclaimed. Spinelli looked shocked, but not in a good way. She looked two seconds away from throwing up.
"It's okay, girl," Ashley Q comforted. "You'll get over it!"
Ashley A looked up at Randall on top of the tires and proceeded to climb gracefully to the top. "GET OFF!" she screamed, pushing with the heel of her palm on Randall's shoulder and causing him to fall off the tires. She grabbed the megaphone, and before speaking into it, she pulled a bottle of perfume from her pocket and sprayed it down until she was satisfied it was 'disinfected'. "Kids of the Playground!" her voice boomed throughout the playground. "I give you, for, like, the second time, Ashley S!"
This announcement was accompanied by another bout of gasps from the kids. Less than twenty yards away sat King Bob in his chair, his fingers massaging his forehead in worry and concentration. His murmur was heard by his henchmen, and would be a sound of impending doom - "Not another Ashley…"
Third Street Elementary, following Monday before school
T.J. Detweiler had had the chance to fill Gus Griswold and Mikey Blumberg in on the strange happenings in the cemetery on Friday, of course leaving out the part about Spinelli falling in his arms - he'd tried to keep that to himself. Both Mikey and Gus agreed that it was very strange - however neither of them quite believed T.J. when he'd declared that Spinelli had said "scandalous".
T.J. waited up against a chain-link fence with Gretchen, Gus, Mikey, and Vince. Spinelli had not yet arrived, and the five of them dreaded her arrival. They didn't know if Spinelli would be acting Ashley or not - or if the strange usage of the Ashleys' catchword was just an aftershock of her time spent on the grave of Thaddeus T. Third the Third. But they soon would find out…
Ashley Spinelli was approaching… her hair was down, loose around her shoulders, and moussed… she was wearing eyeliner, lipstick, and high-heeled shoes… she was wearing fake nails, painted with sparkly nail polish… and worst of all, she was in a miniskirt. A pink miniskirt.
And the problem with that was that she didn't seem to care.
At the same time, the jaws of the five up against the chainlink fence dropped so low they could have hit the ground. Disbelief and amazement ran through T.J. as he saw her. He had never seen Spinelli in pink before - but she looked as good as one of those models in his sister's beauty magazines. For some odd reason, he found he couldn't take his eyes off her.
He even failed to notice the weasely form hiding in the bushes.
"Spinelli," Gus said, "what are you doing wearing pink?"
"Spinelli?" Spinelli sneered back. "The name's Ashley. A-S-H-L-E-Y. Learn it well." She pranced past her shocked friends. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go see the Ashleys." She raised an eyebrow. "Time to re-collect on their offer to make me 'one of them'."
Gus, Mikey, Vince, and Gretchen were all feeling shocked and bit scared - but it was nothing like T.J. was feeling. He'd never felt that way about a girl, not since he was forced into kissing Spinelli, but he liked it. He stood staring after her for a few moments, in which his remaining friends noticed.
"Uh, T.J., are you in there?" Vince asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you alive! Hello… Hel-LOOOOOO!!!" Vince sighed impatiently. "TEEEEEEE-JAAAAAY!" he yelled. With a start, T.J. snapped from his trance. "Well, who'd'a thought it? T.J.'s falling for an Ashley."
T.J. felt his face burn. "Am not," he protested, but by the look in Vince's eyes, he knew Vince wasn't convinced.
"So what are we going to do about Spinelli, T.J.?" Gus asked.
"I don't know," T.J. replied, sounding helpless for once in his life.
Meanwhile, behind them, Randall Weems poked his head out of the bushes. "This is extra-moist," he murmured to himself. "Spinelli just turned Ashley, and T.J. Detweiler has a crush on her!" Randall thought for a moment. "Time to do some serious damage." He cackled to himself and headed off toward the Ashley Clubhouse.
~~~
The Ashleys would not have accepted Spinelli into the club again if she were not wearing pink. It was the entrance of Spinelli into their clubhouse wearing pink that shocked them into believing that Spinelli was Ashley again - even if T.J. Detweiler was planning a plot, he would have never gotten Ashley Spinelli to wear pink in her conscious.
They re-deemed Spinelli 'Ashley S' and set to making another diabolical plan, when a voice from on top of the clubhouse coming from a megaphone sounded. "Kids of the playground! Kids of the playground! Please gather at the Ashley Clubhouse for a special announcement!"
"That is, like, not allowed," Ashley A said irritably, heading toward the long tube that served as an entrance and an exit to the clubhouse. By the time Ashley A reached the top, Randall Weems was yelling in his microphone again.
"Kids of the Playground!" he shouted as the original four Ashleys made a line in front of the entrance of their clubhouse. "Ashley Spinelli is wearing PINK!" At these words, Spinelli stepped out into the daylight, causing gasps among the crowd of kids. "AND T.J. DETWEILER IS IN LOVE WITH HER!" This announcement caused uproarious laughter through the kids. They turned to T.J., laughed and pointed, as his face grew redder every second until it matched the color of his backwards hat.
"Like, EWWWW!" the Ashleys exclaimed. Spinelli looked shocked, but not in a good way. She looked two seconds away from throwing up.
"It's okay, girl," Ashley Q comforted. "You'll get over it!"
Ashley A looked up at Randall on top of the tires and proceeded to climb gracefully to the top. "GET OFF!" she screamed, pushing with the heel of her palm on Randall's shoulder and causing him to fall off the tires. She grabbed the megaphone, and before speaking into it, she pulled a bottle of perfume from her pocket and sprayed it down until she was satisfied it was 'disinfected'. "Kids of the Playground!" her voice boomed throughout the playground. "I give you, for, like, the second time, Ashley S!"
This announcement was accompanied by another bout of gasps from the kids. Less than twenty yards away sat King Bob in his chair, his fingers massaging his forehead in worry and concentration. His murmur was heard by his henchmen, and would be a sound of impending doom - "Not another Ashley…"