Part Three:
Ashley Kerwin tapped her pen against her notebook impatiently. She was trying to come up with a poem for the summer writing class she was taking, but nothing was coming to mind. Finally, she slammed her notebook shut: she was too distracted.
She'd hung out with Ellie the night before, who'd told her that Craig was in her photography class. Well, surprise, Ashley thought sarcasticly. She knew that Craig was attached to his camera.
Craig...whom she'd barely spoken to since school had ended. Who hadn't even bothered to call her, even after they went to the dance together and got crowned king and queen...
Suddenly, the phone rang. Assuming it was Ellie (who hadn't mentioned any details about her photography class), she picked it up and mumbled a dull "hello?".
"Ash? It's, um, Craig." Ashley straightened up at the sound of his voice.
"Craig, hi!" she said, her voice immediately more upbeat.
"Hey," he said. "How's it goin'?"
"Um, pretty good," Ashley said, which wasn't totally a lie: she'd been having a good time hanging out with her friends so far that summer. She just wished she could spend some time with him... "How about you?"
"Uh, you know...busy." Craig only said to it spare Ashley's feelings, as a reason why he didn't call her. She relaxed.
"Really? What've you been up to?" She asked it very casually, but Craig felt guilty.
"Uh, you know...work and stuff."
"I see." Ashley decided not to delve any deeper. She cleared her throat. "So, um...I hear you're taking a photography class for the summer activity thing."
"Yeah," Craig said. "I can't believe they're making us take a summer class. But at least I get to do something I like, eh?"
"Totally," Ashley agreed. She flipped over onto her back. "I'm taking a writing class."
"Oh, cool." Craig knew that Ashley had been getting into poetry that year. "I didn't think you'd take something lame, like beginner cooking or something." They laughed together. Ashley figured that it was time:
"So, you doing anything tonight?"
At eight o'clock that evening, Craig found himself on the Kerwin's doorstep. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Toby answered the door. Craig barely knew him: they'd only had a run-in once, when Toby and J.T. wanted help getting a peek at the bachelor party that Joey was throwing for Mr. Simpson. Toby didn't say anything to Craig: he just turned around and yelled into the house: "ASHLEY! YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" Craig felt his face grow hot.
Ashley came to the door, shoving Toby back and giving Craig an embarressed smile. "Sorry about that," she said.
"No problem," Craig said, forgetting his embarressment. Ashley looked good: she wore a black spagetti-strap top and a long, dark purple skirt, with her favorite black boots. Her short, black hair had changed, too: she'd added dark purple streaks to it. "Wow, Ash, you're hair looks really cool."
"Thanks," she said, clearly embarressed. "I, um, just put in some temporary stuff, for tonight." She shut the door behind them and they stepped off the porch.
"Well, you should think about making it permanant," he said as they headed down the sidewalk. Ashley was beaming, and Craig felt good that he was making her smile.
They decided on a movie at the mall, and some food at the food court. Completely unoriginal, but it was all they could think of at the last minute. The only movie that was starting when they arrived was a stupid-looking teen flick, but they decided to take their chances on it. It wasn't like they actually payed attention, anyway...they were busy with, um, other things.
After the movie, they spilled out with the rest of the audience into the mall. "Was that movie lame or what?" Ashley asked.
"What movie?" Craig asked innocently, and Ashley laughed.
They decided to grab some Chinese food and eat there. The food court was crowded with hungry post-movie-goers, and the only place they could find to sit was a small table in the corner. It was hidden behind a pillar, so Craig figured that nobody would see them.
He figured wrong.
"Ash! Craig!" Craig turned around in his chair to see Paige Michlachuck, Hazel Aden, and Terri McGregor heading towards them. Ashley stood up a little bit and waved, and the small group stopped at their table.
"Hey, what've you guys been up to?" Paige asked, wagging her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Craig rolled his eyes: oh, brother.
"We just went to go see the new Freddie Prinze Jr. movie," Ashley said innocently, and the three other girls exchanged knowing glances. Hazel actually giggled. Craig thought he was going to hurl. "So, what're you guys doing?"
"Oh, you know: just taking advantage of the early-summer sales," Paige said, holding up her shopping bag. She glanced at Craig. "Anyway, we better be going. Behave, you two!" Hazel wagged her finger at them before following Paige away. Terri said, "I'll call you!" before following them. Craig was more then relieved to see them go, and Ashley could tell.
"Uh, sorry about that," she said for the second time that night. It was beginning to sound like her mantra.
Craig shrugged and ate some more of his chicken stir fry. They'd been having a really good time, but now it felt like the mood had been broken.
They went home soon afterwards, sharing one last kiss. "'Bye," Ashley said in a sexy voice before going inside. Craig walked off the porch, thinking about the last kiss. He felt so confused: he liked Ashley, a lot. She was good for him: sweet, fun...mature. But, her friends and family didn't seem to be as mature as she was.
Stop it, he told himself harshly. I'm not gonna make excuses anymore not to be with her.
But he had a strange feeling that that wasn't what he was doing...
Ashley Kerwin tapped her pen against her notebook impatiently. She was trying to come up with a poem for the summer writing class she was taking, but nothing was coming to mind. Finally, she slammed her notebook shut: she was too distracted.
She'd hung out with Ellie the night before, who'd told her that Craig was in her photography class. Well, surprise, Ashley thought sarcasticly. She knew that Craig was attached to his camera.
Craig...whom she'd barely spoken to since school had ended. Who hadn't even bothered to call her, even after they went to the dance together and got crowned king and queen...
Suddenly, the phone rang. Assuming it was Ellie (who hadn't mentioned any details about her photography class), she picked it up and mumbled a dull "hello?".
"Ash? It's, um, Craig." Ashley straightened up at the sound of his voice.
"Craig, hi!" she said, her voice immediately more upbeat.
"Hey," he said. "How's it goin'?"
"Um, pretty good," Ashley said, which wasn't totally a lie: she'd been having a good time hanging out with her friends so far that summer. She just wished she could spend some time with him... "How about you?"
"Uh, you know...busy." Craig only said to it spare Ashley's feelings, as a reason why he didn't call her. She relaxed.
"Really? What've you been up to?" She asked it very casually, but Craig felt guilty.
"Uh, you know...work and stuff."
"I see." Ashley decided not to delve any deeper. She cleared her throat. "So, um...I hear you're taking a photography class for the summer activity thing."
"Yeah," Craig said. "I can't believe they're making us take a summer class. But at least I get to do something I like, eh?"
"Totally," Ashley agreed. She flipped over onto her back. "I'm taking a writing class."
"Oh, cool." Craig knew that Ashley had been getting into poetry that year. "I didn't think you'd take something lame, like beginner cooking or something." They laughed together. Ashley figured that it was time:
"So, you doing anything tonight?"
At eight o'clock that evening, Craig found himself on the Kerwin's doorstep. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Toby answered the door. Craig barely knew him: they'd only had a run-in once, when Toby and J.T. wanted help getting a peek at the bachelor party that Joey was throwing for Mr. Simpson. Toby didn't say anything to Craig: he just turned around and yelled into the house: "ASHLEY! YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" Craig felt his face grow hot.
Ashley came to the door, shoving Toby back and giving Craig an embarressed smile. "Sorry about that," she said.
"No problem," Craig said, forgetting his embarressment. Ashley looked good: she wore a black spagetti-strap top and a long, dark purple skirt, with her favorite black boots. Her short, black hair had changed, too: she'd added dark purple streaks to it. "Wow, Ash, you're hair looks really cool."
"Thanks," she said, clearly embarressed. "I, um, just put in some temporary stuff, for tonight." She shut the door behind them and they stepped off the porch.
"Well, you should think about making it permanant," he said as they headed down the sidewalk. Ashley was beaming, and Craig felt good that he was making her smile.
They decided on a movie at the mall, and some food at the food court. Completely unoriginal, but it was all they could think of at the last minute. The only movie that was starting when they arrived was a stupid-looking teen flick, but they decided to take their chances on it. It wasn't like they actually payed attention, anyway...they were busy with, um, other things.
After the movie, they spilled out with the rest of the audience into the mall. "Was that movie lame or what?" Ashley asked.
"What movie?" Craig asked innocently, and Ashley laughed.
They decided to grab some Chinese food and eat there. The food court was crowded with hungry post-movie-goers, and the only place they could find to sit was a small table in the corner. It was hidden behind a pillar, so Craig figured that nobody would see them.
He figured wrong.
"Ash! Craig!" Craig turned around in his chair to see Paige Michlachuck, Hazel Aden, and Terri McGregor heading towards them. Ashley stood up a little bit and waved, and the small group stopped at their table.
"Hey, what've you guys been up to?" Paige asked, wagging her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Craig rolled his eyes: oh, brother.
"We just went to go see the new Freddie Prinze Jr. movie," Ashley said innocently, and the three other girls exchanged knowing glances. Hazel actually giggled. Craig thought he was going to hurl. "So, what're you guys doing?"
"Oh, you know: just taking advantage of the early-summer sales," Paige said, holding up her shopping bag. She glanced at Craig. "Anyway, we better be going. Behave, you two!" Hazel wagged her finger at them before following Paige away. Terri said, "I'll call you!" before following them. Craig was more then relieved to see them go, and Ashley could tell.
"Uh, sorry about that," she said for the second time that night. It was beginning to sound like her mantra.
Craig shrugged and ate some more of his chicken stir fry. They'd been having a really good time, but now it felt like the mood had been broken.
They went home soon afterwards, sharing one last kiss. "'Bye," Ashley said in a sexy voice before going inside. Craig walked off the porch, thinking about the last kiss. He felt so confused: he liked Ashley, a lot. She was good for him: sweet, fun...mature. But, her friends and family didn't seem to be as mature as she was.
Stop it, he told himself harshly. I'm not gonna make excuses anymore not to be with her.
But he had a strange feeling that that wasn't what he was doing...