Ashley hadn't meant to be so short with Craig. He was a nice, attractive
boy, but when she had seen Jimmy, her heart had stopped. She missed being
his girlfriend, and it still hurt to think about how her experiment with E
had ruined her chances with him.
But, he hadn't dated anyone since her, where as she had thought about going out with Sean. Maybe Jimmy was waiting for her to apologize and ask him out again. She stood outside the lunchroom doors and looked through the glass. Jimmy was walking over to Craig with Spinner. Ashley's heart skipped a beat and she blushed. What if Craig told Jimmy that he had asked her to the dance? What if Jimmy said he was okay with it? Ashley suddenly felt suffocated. She had to leave.
The door opened and almost hit her in the face as Anya walked out.
"Oh!" Anya turned red as she looked at Ashley. "Are you all right? Did I hit you?"
Ashley shook her head. "You just startled me." Ashley paused and looked back into the room. Her eyes softened as they focused on someone. "Hey, do you have any idea what Jimmy is talking to Craig about?"
Anya shook her head but peeked through the door too. "Is Jimmy your boyfriend?"
Ashley cleared her throat. "Ex-boyfriend."
"Oh. Do you still like him?"
Ashley turned to Anya, a look of surprise on her face. "For someone who is so shy, you seem to ask a lot of questions."
Anya shrugged, and Ashley laughed. "I'm not sure. Does that satisfy you?"
Anya was about to say something, but the doors flew open again as Paige walked out in a huff. She saw Ashley and Anya standing there, their eyes wide from surprise, and she groaned loudly.
"Boys are so stupid!" She threw her hands up and then placed them on her hips, cocking her head. She sighed. "All right, don't just stand there, ask me what happened."
Ashley turned back to look through the door. Half-heartedly she asked what had happened.
"Craig and I were supposed to be in the talent show together, right? And now Spinner just asked me if I wanted to sing lead while he danced in the background. Why couldn't Spinner have asked me first?"
"What a dilemma." Anya said sarcastically. Paige didn't pick up on it, and continued.
"Of course I have to turn down Craig. Unless... Ashley, you're friends with him... will you tell him I have a new partner?"
"No way Paige. You got yourself into this. Besides, I thought you enjoyed making peoples lives a living hell?"
Paige ignored this and turned to Anya. "Amy, right?"
"Anastasie."
"Right, Stacie, will you please be a sweetie and do me the big favor of letting him down?"
"No I don't-"
"Good! He was supposed to meet me in the orchestra room after school. Let him down gently, I don't want him to hate me incase I need to be nice to him later. Bye girls!" Paige walked away quickly before Anya could finish. Ashley turned to Anya, a look of disgust on her face.
"You don't have to do this."
"I know."
"Are you going to?"
"I think I need to."
"You could always just not go. Let him find out for himself."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
Anya sighed and looked down the hallway. "Because I don't want to be like her."
A moment later the bell rang, and with a new weight on her shoulders, Anya said good-bye to Ashley, and went off to her next class.
The classes had gone by quickly, and the last bell of the day made Anya jump in her seat. She packed her things up slowly, and walked out of the classroom, making her way towards the orchestra room. The sooner she could get it over with, the better.
She paused outside the doors once she heard someone playing the piano, and was surprised when she walked in and saw Craig trying to concentrate on playing a song from Les Miserables.
"Do you hear the people sing, singing a song of angry men, it is the music-" Craig stopped singing when he heard the door behind him close. He didn't want to turn around. He hated singing in front of people unless it was for an actual performance. When he did turn around, he was surprised to see Anya, who was indistinguishable in the face from her red hair.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"It's all right." Craig said. "You didn't see Paige coming this way, did you?"
"Actually," Anya took a step forward. "That's what I'm here to talk to you about."
Craig knew where this was going. Spinner must have already talked to her. It was just like her to send a messenger.
He feigned a look of concern. "Why, what's going on?"
"She wanted me to tell you..." She paused. Craig raised his eyebrows. He wanted for this to be over.
"That she won't be able to do the talent show with you. She said she is going to work with someone else."
"Oh." Craig started to pack his music books into his schoolbag. "Anything else?"
"Oh? That's all you can say?" She asked.
"It's not unusual for Paige. It's all right; I'll find another partner. Thanks for telling me." He walked towards the door, but stopped when Anya started to talk again/
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yeah, it's cool." He wanted to leave, but her look of concern did make him feel bad.
"Really, I'm fine." He moved to walk out the door and paused. He better start working on his bet sooner than later. "Hey, Anya?"
She looked up at him. "Yes?"
"This might sound weird, but can you sing?"
Could she sing? Of course she could sing. Her mother was a beautiful singer, and she had inherited it, thankfully. One of the only talents she had, and was proud of.
"I'm okay."
"Oh. Well, I don't have a partner now. It would be a cool way for you to get involved. Do you maybe want to sing a song with me?"
She turned bright red again and looked at her shoes. "Um... um..."
"No pressure," he said with a grin.
"I... can't." She said. Her eyes were wide for a moment. "Sorry." She walked past him, and out the door. She saw Jimmy and Spinner standing in the hallway, but didn't give them a second glance. She heard them go through the same door she had walked out of. She continued walking, and was soon out of the school.
"Dude, what happened?" Spinner asked.
"She was bright red man."
Craig was leaning on the piano. "She said no."
Jimmy made a face of pity and victory. "I know what will make you feel better. I want to tell you that-"
"I honestly love youuuuu..." Spinner finished with awful pitch. They laughed loudly.
"Good luck man," Spinner said.
Jimmy laughed and they walked out of the room together. Craig picked up his bag, and sighed, already feeling his pride slip away.
But, he hadn't dated anyone since her, where as she had thought about going out with Sean. Maybe Jimmy was waiting for her to apologize and ask him out again. She stood outside the lunchroom doors and looked through the glass. Jimmy was walking over to Craig with Spinner. Ashley's heart skipped a beat and she blushed. What if Craig told Jimmy that he had asked her to the dance? What if Jimmy said he was okay with it? Ashley suddenly felt suffocated. She had to leave.
The door opened and almost hit her in the face as Anya walked out.
"Oh!" Anya turned red as she looked at Ashley. "Are you all right? Did I hit you?"
Ashley shook her head. "You just startled me." Ashley paused and looked back into the room. Her eyes softened as they focused on someone. "Hey, do you have any idea what Jimmy is talking to Craig about?"
Anya shook her head but peeked through the door too. "Is Jimmy your boyfriend?"
Ashley cleared her throat. "Ex-boyfriend."
"Oh. Do you still like him?"
Ashley turned to Anya, a look of surprise on her face. "For someone who is so shy, you seem to ask a lot of questions."
Anya shrugged, and Ashley laughed. "I'm not sure. Does that satisfy you?"
Anya was about to say something, but the doors flew open again as Paige walked out in a huff. She saw Ashley and Anya standing there, their eyes wide from surprise, and she groaned loudly.
"Boys are so stupid!" She threw her hands up and then placed them on her hips, cocking her head. She sighed. "All right, don't just stand there, ask me what happened."
Ashley turned back to look through the door. Half-heartedly she asked what had happened.
"Craig and I were supposed to be in the talent show together, right? And now Spinner just asked me if I wanted to sing lead while he danced in the background. Why couldn't Spinner have asked me first?"
"What a dilemma." Anya said sarcastically. Paige didn't pick up on it, and continued.
"Of course I have to turn down Craig. Unless... Ashley, you're friends with him... will you tell him I have a new partner?"
"No way Paige. You got yourself into this. Besides, I thought you enjoyed making peoples lives a living hell?"
Paige ignored this and turned to Anya. "Amy, right?"
"Anastasie."
"Right, Stacie, will you please be a sweetie and do me the big favor of letting him down?"
"No I don't-"
"Good! He was supposed to meet me in the orchestra room after school. Let him down gently, I don't want him to hate me incase I need to be nice to him later. Bye girls!" Paige walked away quickly before Anya could finish. Ashley turned to Anya, a look of disgust on her face.
"You don't have to do this."
"I know."
"Are you going to?"
"I think I need to."
"You could always just not go. Let him find out for himself."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
Anya sighed and looked down the hallway. "Because I don't want to be like her."
A moment later the bell rang, and with a new weight on her shoulders, Anya said good-bye to Ashley, and went off to her next class.
The classes had gone by quickly, and the last bell of the day made Anya jump in her seat. She packed her things up slowly, and walked out of the classroom, making her way towards the orchestra room. The sooner she could get it over with, the better.
She paused outside the doors once she heard someone playing the piano, and was surprised when she walked in and saw Craig trying to concentrate on playing a song from Les Miserables.
"Do you hear the people sing, singing a song of angry men, it is the music-" Craig stopped singing when he heard the door behind him close. He didn't want to turn around. He hated singing in front of people unless it was for an actual performance. When he did turn around, he was surprised to see Anya, who was indistinguishable in the face from her red hair.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"It's all right." Craig said. "You didn't see Paige coming this way, did you?"
"Actually," Anya took a step forward. "That's what I'm here to talk to you about."
Craig knew where this was going. Spinner must have already talked to her. It was just like her to send a messenger.
He feigned a look of concern. "Why, what's going on?"
"She wanted me to tell you..." She paused. Craig raised his eyebrows. He wanted for this to be over.
"That she won't be able to do the talent show with you. She said she is going to work with someone else."
"Oh." Craig started to pack his music books into his schoolbag. "Anything else?"
"Oh? That's all you can say?" She asked.
"It's not unusual for Paige. It's all right; I'll find another partner. Thanks for telling me." He walked towards the door, but stopped when Anya started to talk again/
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yeah, it's cool." He wanted to leave, but her look of concern did make him feel bad.
"Really, I'm fine." He moved to walk out the door and paused. He better start working on his bet sooner than later. "Hey, Anya?"
She looked up at him. "Yes?"
"This might sound weird, but can you sing?"
Could she sing? Of course she could sing. Her mother was a beautiful singer, and she had inherited it, thankfully. One of the only talents she had, and was proud of.
"I'm okay."
"Oh. Well, I don't have a partner now. It would be a cool way for you to get involved. Do you maybe want to sing a song with me?"
She turned bright red again and looked at her shoes. "Um... um..."
"No pressure," he said with a grin.
"I... can't." She said. Her eyes were wide for a moment. "Sorry." She walked past him, and out the door. She saw Jimmy and Spinner standing in the hallway, but didn't give them a second glance. She heard them go through the same door she had walked out of. She continued walking, and was soon out of the school.
"Dude, what happened?" Spinner asked.
"She was bright red man."
Craig was leaning on the piano. "She said no."
Jimmy made a face of pity and victory. "I know what will make you feel better. I want to tell you that-"
"I honestly love youuuuu..." Spinner finished with awful pitch. They laughed loudly.
"Good luck man," Spinner said.
Jimmy laughed and they walked out of the room together. Craig picked up his bag, and sighed, already feeling his pride slip away.