To anyone who looked forward to reading this sorry for the hiatus.
The day after I posted Chapter 2 I switched ISP's and didn't get them back
till today. Lucky you because now this story has a plot and my writing
techniques have improved. There will be some oocness in this chapter but
its needed to advance the plot. Enjoy.
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Ashley awoke to her mothers urging. She groggily sat up and took in herself. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, and she had dried make-up on cheeks that had formerly run when it had mixed with tears. A nights sleep had slightly eased the pain from the day before.
She got out of bed and hastily changed into a pair black jeans, and a red top. She completed her outfit with the same Degrassi sweatshirt she had haphazardly thrown across her the evening before. It may not have been the most fashionable thing she could have worn, but what did it matter? She'd only worn that trendy garb to fit in, and now, the world that she'd been the most perfect resident of didn't want her. But still how she yearned for it to take her back.
But at the moment her mind wasn't reminding her of that, instead it begging her to find away out of going to school today. It didn't want the stress of Paige and her clones weighing her down today. GOD! Did she really have to go? Her mother beckoning her down stairs served to also tell her: yes you do.
She walked down stairs somberly. Her mom greeted her cheerily, but her only response was to wave weakly. The tiredness and depression made every motion cumbersome. Ashley poured herself and breakfast of Cheerios and sat down before realizing she forgot the milk. She stood up with a whine and a stomp of her foot, much like a five-year old throws a temper tantrum, before finally trudging over to fridge and getting the milk, all the while cursing under her breath. Her mom continued to eye her worriedly. She decided to break the silence as she watched Ash sit down.
"Ash," she began cautiously, "Tobey told me you where having a bad day yesterday," her voice said in an incredibly comforting voice, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Feh. Not unless you can change the past," she stated in a tone that was borderline amused. 'But not making me go to school would help,' she thought.
"Well, let me know if I can help, or if you need someone to talk to, Okay?" she said smiling warmly.
"Okay mom, I will," she replied, hints of depression creeping into her voice.
"And remember I love you Ashley."
"I love you too mom," and with that her mom left the house. +++++
As she walked up the stairs to Degrassi, Paige was nearly drooling with the prospect of ridiculing Ashley. She was happy that Ash had got a tasteof her old life, only to lose it much to Paige's doing. Even better Ash lost Terri to her. 'Terri,' she thought smugly, 'how easy pawns are to control.'
Though Paige usually wasn't this evil but years of standing in one's shadow does tend to make the enveloped one harbor resentment.
"Hi, Hazel!" she exclaimed as she waved to her friend (A/N clone).
"Hey Paige," Hazel called back also waving. The two friends set into conversation in which no else but they could possibly understand due to their insanely fast pace of talking. Watching them talk together was truly a sight to behold due to the emphatic, if not melodramatic nature of the gestures the two made. After sometime of this Paige caught sight of Ashley and shushed Hazel. She turned towards Ash with crossed arms and a sour face. As if she couldn't think on her own Hazel did the same.
Ashley walked slowly, looking down at the floor so she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. With every step she took she prayed she was invisible.
"Look Hazel, she's wearing the same shirt as yesterday."
God to Ashley: "Prayer Unanswered."
"I wonder how she'll screw up today?" Hazel's remark felt like a blow to stomach had just been delivered to Ash. She continued walking silently.
"Wow wo..."
"Look at the pop star clones trying to make up for their own deficiencies by picking on others." The first word that popped into Ashley's mind was savior. Her savior came in the form of Ellie Nash.
"Look, Ellie," Paige said sounding flustered, "you are so not popular enough to be in this conversation," she finished, shooting daggers at Ellie.
"I may not be popular, but at least I didn't buy my personality at GAP," As Ellie strode away walked away, all Paige and her clone could do was stand shocked with their mouths agape. Ashley scurried away in the confusion. (A/N: Remember this scene.)
Ash finally caught up with Ellie. "That was nice of you, but you didn't have to do that, and you shouldn't have."
"Why not?" Ellie asked, truly not understanding why Ash thought that way.
"You really don't want to be on Paige's bad side," Ash answered from expriance.
"Well if your well if you're worried about her saying things about me or to me, I think I got that covered and if not, well I have a thick skin. And if you mean it's harder to get popular," She smiled slyly at Ash, "well that's not really my deal anyway," Ashley smiled back, "I'm Ellie."
"Ashley," the two girls stopped at their respective lockers to realize they were just a few doors away. Well at least for Ashley to realize seeing how Ellie had figured that out when Ash and Sean had the falling out yesterday. The two walked to first period in the computer lab and ended up sitting across the room from each other.
As Ashley sat down she started to think, 'Someone talked to me, even better stood up for me,' she began to cheer up until a little pessimist voice popped into her head, 'yeah but things started out great yesterday too and look what happened.' She ponder this for while, weighing the pro's and con's of feeling optimistic. Finally she settled on the viable conclusion to be a balance of both opti and pessimistic. She settled into her work smiling, be it ever so slightly, but still, smiling.
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Lunch time had rolled around and presently Ashley was in line for lunch. It had in fact been a decent day at least to this point. After Ellie chastised Paige and her faithful clone Hazel, the duo seemed content to just turn up their noses to Ash and never said a word about that she could hear. Jimmy pretended she didn't exist which was fine because she wasn't making any effort to talk to him anyway. She had ran into Sean before second period and tried to him to her by paying him back for lunch, but he just said forget it and walked off. She couldn't get up the nerve to talk to Terri even thought she yearned to talk to her former best friend. Terri felt the same way but couldn't defy Paige's mandate that no one was to talk to Ashley.
But on the plus side nothing had gone horribly wrong so far, and after yesterday that was more than a minor victory to her. Then again it is pretty hard for thing to get worse when you've hit rock bottom.
"Buck fifty," called the lunch lady, snapping Ash from her train of though. She handed over the money and began to scour the lunch room for an open table.
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Down the lunch line a conflict raged on in Jimmy's head as he watched Ashley. On one side he was thinking about the fact that she cheated on him and now was going to date the guy she cheated on him with, who was Sean who he hated anyway. (A/N: I'm pretty sure Jimmy doesn't know Ash and Sean's date was called off) On the other side he was thinking about the long relation that had ended over one mistake albeit a big, still one mistake. Was he to hard on her? Was he wrong to call her a slut? Deep down, he had to admit he still loved her.
"...JIMMY!!" Spinner tugged sharply on Jimmy's t-shirt yanking him from his trance.
"WHAT?" Jimmy said annoyed.
"Wow, it only took five 'Jimmy's' and a tug" Spinner pointed down the lunch line, "you gonna move it or what?" Jimmy looked over to see at least four people had moved from where he stood.
"Oh, SORRY," he called down the line embarrassedly, and walked to close the gap.
"Where'd you go?" Spinner asked suppressing his will to laugh.
"I was thinking,"
"Duh, about what?" Jimmy looked at Spinner and thought about spilling his thoughts, he had even started to gesture before he thought better of it.
"I'll tell you after school."
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"Hi," Ashley chirped feigning cheer and with the forced grin to match. She hadn't found an empty table, and was now attempting to sit with Ellie who had a table to herself.
"Wanna sit?" Ellie asked blandly as she looked up at Ashley. 'Why didn't she just ask me?' She thought as Ashley put her tray down, and started to sit.
"Yes, Thank You," she said sounding relieved. "Um I don't think I properly thanked you for sticking up for me this morning."
"You said it was nice of me, so I took it as implied," Ellie responded, putting Ash at ease, "besides from what I've seen you go through this week, those two idiots talking shit is the last thing you needed."
"Well thanks for being considerate. You know, right now you're the closest I've got to a friend." Immediately she regretted her words. She looked at ground to hide her cheeks which had begun to burn red, trying to match her embarrassment. Unfortunately, there isn't a color that could match it at the moment.
Ellie saw her embarrassment and quickly belayed Ash's embarrassment. "You're the closest I've got to a friend too. Maybe we should hang out this weekend or something?" In all truthfulness, Ellie really did want a friend. Even though she didn't know Ash, she felt some how connected to her. And mostly she just felt for poor girl.
"Really?" Ash looked up at her surprised, the red in her cheeks starting to subdue.
"Sure, I've got nothing to do," she reached into her back pack and pulled out a ripped corner of a binder paper and a pen and began to write. "Here, call me after school and we'll set something up," the blandness in Ellie's voice had disappeared. Ashley took the paper and put it in her pocket. For a moment she struggled to stifle tears of joy but quickly regained composure.
"Okay, I will," she said gleefully, "anything in particular you want to do?"
"We could..." the two girls began discussing what they could do. Both girls were elated that they had a new friend. And this time, Ashley's pessimistic thoughts were no where to be found.
+++++
Robert leaned against a handrail belonging to the Degrassi steps. His headphones were blaring angst filled rock lyrics into his ears. A quick glance at his watch told him that school should get out...he heard shrill cry of a school bell over his music and almost instantly a stampede of kids poured out of Degrassi's doors. He scanned the crowd coolly. He finally spotted Ashley and put his earphones neck, reached into his black jeans pocket and turned off his CD player before casually walking over to her.
"Hi, Ashley."
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Soon I will post Chapter 4: Rock Bottom's Jet Pack. Weird title? Not if you've read Chapter 4!
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Ashley awoke to her mothers urging. She groggily sat up and took in herself. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, and she had dried make-up on cheeks that had formerly run when it had mixed with tears. A nights sleep had slightly eased the pain from the day before.
She got out of bed and hastily changed into a pair black jeans, and a red top. She completed her outfit with the same Degrassi sweatshirt she had haphazardly thrown across her the evening before. It may not have been the most fashionable thing she could have worn, but what did it matter? She'd only worn that trendy garb to fit in, and now, the world that she'd been the most perfect resident of didn't want her. But still how she yearned for it to take her back.
But at the moment her mind wasn't reminding her of that, instead it begging her to find away out of going to school today. It didn't want the stress of Paige and her clones weighing her down today. GOD! Did she really have to go? Her mother beckoning her down stairs served to also tell her: yes you do.
She walked down stairs somberly. Her mom greeted her cheerily, but her only response was to wave weakly. The tiredness and depression made every motion cumbersome. Ashley poured herself and breakfast of Cheerios and sat down before realizing she forgot the milk. She stood up with a whine and a stomp of her foot, much like a five-year old throws a temper tantrum, before finally trudging over to fridge and getting the milk, all the while cursing under her breath. Her mom continued to eye her worriedly. She decided to break the silence as she watched Ash sit down.
"Ash," she began cautiously, "Tobey told me you where having a bad day yesterday," her voice said in an incredibly comforting voice, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Feh. Not unless you can change the past," she stated in a tone that was borderline amused. 'But not making me go to school would help,' she thought.
"Well, let me know if I can help, or if you need someone to talk to, Okay?" she said smiling warmly.
"Okay mom, I will," she replied, hints of depression creeping into her voice.
"And remember I love you Ashley."
"I love you too mom," and with that her mom left the house. +++++
As she walked up the stairs to Degrassi, Paige was nearly drooling with the prospect of ridiculing Ashley. She was happy that Ash had got a tasteof her old life, only to lose it much to Paige's doing. Even better Ash lost Terri to her. 'Terri,' she thought smugly, 'how easy pawns are to control.'
Though Paige usually wasn't this evil but years of standing in one's shadow does tend to make the enveloped one harbor resentment.
"Hi, Hazel!" she exclaimed as she waved to her friend (A/N clone).
"Hey Paige," Hazel called back also waving. The two friends set into conversation in which no else but they could possibly understand due to their insanely fast pace of talking. Watching them talk together was truly a sight to behold due to the emphatic, if not melodramatic nature of the gestures the two made. After sometime of this Paige caught sight of Ashley and shushed Hazel. She turned towards Ash with crossed arms and a sour face. As if she couldn't think on her own Hazel did the same.
Ashley walked slowly, looking down at the floor so she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. With every step she took she prayed she was invisible.
"Look Hazel, she's wearing the same shirt as yesterday."
God to Ashley: "Prayer Unanswered."
"I wonder how she'll screw up today?" Hazel's remark felt like a blow to stomach had just been delivered to Ash. She continued walking silently.
"Wow wo..."
"Look at the pop star clones trying to make up for their own deficiencies by picking on others." The first word that popped into Ashley's mind was savior. Her savior came in the form of Ellie Nash.
"Look, Ellie," Paige said sounding flustered, "you are so not popular enough to be in this conversation," she finished, shooting daggers at Ellie.
"I may not be popular, but at least I didn't buy my personality at GAP," As Ellie strode away walked away, all Paige and her clone could do was stand shocked with their mouths agape. Ashley scurried away in the confusion. (A/N: Remember this scene.)
Ash finally caught up with Ellie. "That was nice of you, but you didn't have to do that, and you shouldn't have."
"Why not?" Ellie asked, truly not understanding why Ash thought that way.
"You really don't want to be on Paige's bad side," Ash answered from expriance.
"Well if your well if you're worried about her saying things about me or to me, I think I got that covered and if not, well I have a thick skin. And if you mean it's harder to get popular," She smiled slyly at Ash, "well that's not really my deal anyway," Ashley smiled back, "I'm Ellie."
"Ashley," the two girls stopped at their respective lockers to realize they were just a few doors away. Well at least for Ashley to realize seeing how Ellie had figured that out when Ash and Sean had the falling out yesterday. The two walked to first period in the computer lab and ended up sitting across the room from each other.
As Ashley sat down she started to think, 'Someone talked to me, even better stood up for me,' she began to cheer up until a little pessimist voice popped into her head, 'yeah but things started out great yesterday too and look what happened.' She ponder this for while, weighing the pro's and con's of feeling optimistic. Finally she settled on the viable conclusion to be a balance of both opti and pessimistic. She settled into her work smiling, be it ever so slightly, but still, smiling.
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Lunch time had rolled around and presently Ashley was in line for lunch. It had in fact been a decent day at least to this point. After Ellie chastised Paige and her faithful clone Hazel, the duo seemed content to just turn up their noses to Ash and never said a word about that she could hear. Jimmy pretended she didn't exist which was fine because she wasn't making any effort to talk to him anyway. She had ran into Sean before second period and tried to him to her by paying him back for lunch, but he just said forget it and walked off. She couldn't get up the nerve to talk to Terri even thought she yearned to talk to her former best friend. Terri felt the same way but couldn't defy Paige's mandate that no one was to talk to Ashley.
But on the plus side nothing had gone horribly wrong so far, and after yesterday that was more than a minor victory to her. Then again it is pretty hard for thing to get worse when you've hit rock bottom.
"Buck fifty," called the lunch lady, snapping Ash from her train of though. She handed over the money and began to scour the lunch room for an open table.
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Down the lunch line a conflict raged on in Jimmy's head as he watched Ashley. On one side he was thinking about the fact that she cheated on him and now was going to date the guy she cheated on him with, who was Sean who he hated anyway. (A/N: I'm pretty sure Jimmy doesn't know Ash and Sean's date was called off) On the other side he was thinking about the long relation that had ended over one mistake albeit a big, still one mistake. Was he to hard on her? Was he wrong to call her a slut? Deep down, he had to admit he still loved her.
"...JIMMY!!" Spinner tugged sharply on Jimmy's t-shirt yanking him from his trance.
"WHAT?" Jimmy said annoyed.
"Wow, it only took five 'Jimmy's' and a tug" Spinner pointed down the lunch line, "you gonna move it or what?" Jimmy looked over to see at least four people had moved from where he stood.
"Oh, SORRY," he called down the line embarrassedly, and walked to close the gap.
"Where'd you go?" Spinner asked suppressing his will to laugh.
"I was thinking,"
"Duh, about what?" Jimmy looked at Spinner and thought about spilling his thoughts, he had even started to gesture before he thought better of it.
"I'll tell you after school."
+++++
"Hi," Ashley chirped feigning cheer and with the forced grin to match. She hadn't found an empty table, and was now attempting to sit with Ellie who had a table to herself.
"Wanna sit?" Ellie asked blandly as she looked up at Ashley. 'Why didn't she just ask me?' She thought as Ashley put her tray down, and started to sit.
"Yes, Thank You," she said sounding relieved. "Um I don't think I properly thanked you for sticking up for me this morning."
"You said it was nice of me, so I took it as implied," Ellie responded, putting Ash at ease, "besides from what I've seen you go through this week, those two idiots talking shit is the last thing you needed."
"Well thanks for being considerate. You know, right now you're the closest I've got to a friend." Immediately she regretted her words. She looked at ground to hide her cheeks which had begun to burn red, trying to match her embarrassment. Unfortunately, there isn't a color that could match it at the moment.
Ellie saw her embarrassment and quickly belayed Ash's embarrassment. "You're the closest I've got to a friend too. Maybe we should hang out this weekend or something?" In all truthfulness, Ellie really did want a friend. Even though she didn't know Ash, she felt some how connected to her. And mostly she just felt for poor girl.
"Really?" Ash looked up at her surprised, the red in her cheeks starting to subdue.
"Sure, I've got nothing to do," she reached into her back pack and pulled out a ripped corner of a binder paper and a pen and began to write. "Here, call me after school and we'll set something up," the blandness in Ellie's voice had disappeared. Ashley took the paper and put it in her pocket. For a moment she struggled to stifle tears of joy but quickly regained composure.
"Okay, I will," she said gleefully, "anything in particular you want to do?"
"We could..." the two girls began discussing what they could do. Both girls were elated that they had a new friend. And this time, Ashley's pessimistic thoughts were no where to be found.
+++++
Robert leaned against a handrail belonging to the Degrassi steps. His headphones were blaring angst filled rock lyrics into his ears. A quick glance at his watch told him that school should get out...he heard shrill cry of a school bell over his music and almost instantly a stampede of kids poured out of Degrassi's doors. He scanned the crowd coolly. He finally spotted Ashley and put his earphones neck, reached into his black jeans pocket and turned off his CD player before casually walking over to her.
"Hi, Ashley."
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Soon I will post Chapter 4: Rock Bottom's Jet Pack. Weird title? Not if you've read Chapter 4!