C:\My Documents\ash2.htmlDisclaimer: I own nothing except for Zeke and all of my
characters from the scenes, of course, it's not like you are about to steal
those!
CHAPTER: Couples, Conversations, and Coffee
Aerosmith belted out, "Don't wanna miss a thing," from the speakers of the Pizza
place where Lane and Dave sat, sharing a small pizza and laughing.
"You were massively evil today," she said, as she swallowed a slice of supreme
pizza. They were completely comfortable with each other, and she wiped the
pizza sauce off her face without embarrassment.
"What is with this idea or me being a preacher? It seems like every day i'm
some kind of reverend."
"You do look very clean-cut, but don't worry, I know that you have a crazy, head
bangin', rock n' roll side." It was true. Dave got into the music.
"Maybe I should dye my hair orange or get a Mohawk or something."
"Not that that wouldn't be adorable, but remember the magic two words."
"Mama Kim?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
"Bingo! We want her to like you, remember?"
"She can't take it out on you or me right now, we're adults, but I'd hate to see
what she'd do to her grandkids."
Lane froze. She had no idea Dave wanted kids. How could she tell him that the
idea of screaming babies terrified her? Knowing she needed to say something,
she simply nodded and laughed. This changed everything.
----
Meanwhile, Jess had bought two frozen lemonades and they sat on an empty merry
go round, talking.
"I'll ask a question, you can answer it, then ask me one," said Paris, always
organized.
"Kinda childish, isn't it?" Jess raised his eyebrows. There were to many
questions he didn't want to have to answer.
Paris ignored him and started the game, "Plans for the future?"
That was a safe question. "I'll finish this school, then buy a nice camera and
travel the world, filming the way people live. When i'm done, and out of money
and gas, i'll edit it, put it together, and try to sell it. I'll keep trying
until someplace buys it, then use that money to fund my next creative
brainstorm."
Paris looked a little shocked, and perhaps even a little unhappy, although
impressed.
He started his question, "Why film school? Why not some ivy league place?"
"My parents would love to know the answer to this one. I'll tell you though. I
love being able to control every aspect of the movie. The actors say what I
write, they move where I tell them. Everything is exactly as my imagination
makes it. The result is almost amazing."
He smiled, "So your a control freak."
"You already knew that," she said laughing, and it surprised her that she was
actually laughing about it, "My turn. Okay, why do you like me?"
"You aren't anybody else, you don't try to be a copy of something else. You are
just you, and that makes you special. There isn't anybody else in the world
like you, and you are smart, and funny, even if you don't try to be. You're also
kind of cute when you get mad."
She tried to act mad at the last part, but it was obvious she was really
flattered. "God Jess, i missed you."
"I never miss people, I always think, you know, that if they leave it's their
problem, but I missed you too. A lot."
-----
While Tristan and Rory took over the living room to watch movies and talk,
Summer escaped to her room and showered. She turned on her radio and the music
and the water drowned out the day, which hadn't been the best.
All around her she saw happy couples, and she never felt like she was a part of
all of it. She never dated anybody in the group, which kept bad feelings from
coming in, but it was as though it kept any feelings from coming in. She felt
so cut off from everybody else. She had no close friends, nobody but herself.
She prepared herself to go out, but a few stray tears kept ruining her mascara
and forcing her to start again. She never did learn how to control those tears.
---
The movie store was huge, but all the employees still knew Rory by name. She
checked out a movie she got at least once a month, "Willy Wonka," and another
one, "Gone with the Wind."
They settled in on the love seat and put in Gone with the Wind," and they sat
close together as it began.
Rory was the type that often talked during movies and gave her opinion. This
time, however, the conversation had nothing to do with the movie.
"Is this going to be an official relationship?" she asked, smiling.
"Well I think it better be, since I proved today that I don't want any of those
other guys to have a chance with you."
"How romantic. Speaking of that incident though, you have to trust me. That
means with whoever I talk to, it could be Jess, Dean, Zeke, whoever! You have
to know that just because I talk to them doesn't mean that I have feelings for
them."
"I lost you to Dean once, remember. I also can't help but remember your love
for him practically throughout our whole high school career, or at least what I
was there for. Can't you just stay away from him?" He gave his big puppy dog
eyes at the last question. Rory could rarely refuse them.
"I can't just stay away from guys because you don't trust me."
"I trust *you* babe, I don't trust them with you."
"One day into the relationship and we're already having this conversation."
"You brought it up."
"Okay, Next. About, doing stuff."
"Oooh, my favorite subject."
"Tristan!"
"Sorry, continue."
"Okay, I don't want to do, I mean, maybe we let it get a bit to far last time."
"Rory, we didn't even have sex."
"I know, but still, I don't want to feel pressured into anything."
"Well don't we sound grown up. Okay, I won't pressure."
"Well, that's good and all, but how do I know. You obviously have experience,
and you aren't exactly Mr. Clean Reputation either."
"Whoa, now hold on a moment babe. You set the standards, and we'll see how far
we go."
As if to seal the deal, he kissed her, after a few minutes she pulled away.
"You always do that."
"What?" he said, smirking.
"Make me agree with you like that. I am very persuasive."
"Sneaky is the word actually."
"Who cares what you call it, all I know is I have you back."
"Well remember how it felt to lose me then."
"God, as if I could forget."
"You were over me and running to some slut in a milisecond."
"No, I wasn't. You're a heart breaker. "
The playful banter continued way into the evening.
------------
Shane was dressed in a skimpy outfit and was bouncing around the apartment
saying, "That's a wrap!"
She and Zeke had drowned away the day with a ton of alcohol, and the bottles and
cans were piling up in the trash.
"Whoa, girl, you drunk!" Zeke said smiling. He was pathetic really, laying
across the couch watching cartoons with a beer can in his hand.
"You drunker! You drunker!" she shouted enthusiastically.
Finally she collapsed in a chair and became as enthralled with Bugs Bunny as he
was.
------
Dean and Amber were together, and it was as though nothing had changed at all.
The held hands and talked, and watched movies. Neither would admit it, but
really both were bored. It was a mundane reality for both of them. They came
back to it because it was what they were both used to. Reality was neither had
a successful relationship since the other, and both were afraid of being lonely.
Sometimes you can be lonely within a relationship though.
Dean was thinking about Rory, even though he was with Amber. He remembered
every word she'd ever said to him, to him she was perfect. She was smart, she
was beautiful, she was fun. She was also, he reminded himself, with Tristan.
And he was with Amber. He kissed Amber, trapping himself in a perfect reality
that really wasn't perfect or real.
-------
When all the girls arrived home, around midnight, they found Rory and Tristan
asleep on the couch. Nobody wanted to be the one to wake them up, but Tristan
did need to get home, they had to shoot tomorrow. Finally Paris, after being
told she was the bitchiest of all of them, woke them up.
"God, we must have fallen asleep," said Rory tiredly.
Tristan yawned, "Obviously. Well, I'm out... it's gonna be hell trying to wake
up tomorrow." With that he kissed Rory and left.
--------------------
As the girls lay asleep that night, all were happy. All but Summer anyway, but
she was so intoxicated that her sleep was deep and dreamless, and she didn't
have to think about the trouble the approaching day might present.
characters from the scenes, of course, it's not like you are about to steal
those!
CHAPTER: Couples, Conversations, and Coffee
Aerosmith belted out, "Don't wanna miss a thing," from the speakers of the Pizza
place where Lane and Dave sat, sharing a small pizza and laughing.
"You were massively evil today," she said, as she swallowed a slice of supreme
pizza. They were completely comfortable with each other, and she wiped the
pizza sauce off her face without embarrassment.
"What is with this idea or me being a preacher? It seems like every day i'm
some kind of reverend."
"You do look very clean-cut, but don't worry, I know that you have a crazy, head
bangin', rock n' roll side." It was true. Dave got into the music.
"Maybe I should dye my hair orange or get a Mohawk or something."
"Not that that wouldn't be adorable, but remember the magic two words."
"Mama Kim?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
"Bingo! We want her to like you, remember?"
"She can't take it out on you or me right now, we're adults, but I'd hate to see
what she'd do to her grandkids."
Lane froze. She had no idea Dave wanted kids. How could she tell him that the
idea of screaming babies terrified her? Knowing she needed to say something,
she simply nodded and laughed. This changed everything.
----
Meanwhile, Jess had bought two frozen lemonades and they sat on an empty merry
go round, talking.
"I'll ask a question, you can answer it, then ask me one," said Paris, always
organized.
"Kinda childish, isn't it?" Jess raised his eyebrows. There were to many
questions he didn't want to have to answer.
Paris ignored him and started the game, "Plans for the future?"
That was a safe question. "I'll finish this school, then buy a nice camera and
travel the world, filming the way people live. When i'm done, and out of money
and gas, i'll edit it, put it together, and try to sell it. I'll keep trying
until someplace buys it, then use that money to fund my next creative
brainstorm."
Paris looked a little shocked, and perhaps even a little unhappy, although
impressed.
He started his question, "Why film school? Why not some ivy league place?"
"My parents would love to know the answer to this one. I'll tell you though. I
love being able to control every aspect of the movie. The actors say what I
write, they move where I tell them. Everything is exactly as my imagination
makes it. The result is almost amazing."
He smiled, "So your a control freak."
"You already knew that," she said laughing, and it surprised her that she was
actually laughing about it, "My turn. Okay, why do you like me?"
"You aren't anybody else, you don't try to be a copy of something else. You are
just you, and that makes you special. There isn't anybody else in the world
like you, and you are smart, and funny, even if you don't try to be. You're also
kind of cute when you get mad."
She tried to act mad at the last part, but it was obvious she was really
flattered. "God Jess, i missed you."
"I never miss people, I always think, you know, that if they leave it's their
problem, but I missed you too. A lot."
-----
While Tristan and Rory took over the living room to watch movies and talk,
Summer escaped to her room and showered. She turned on her radio and the music
and the water drowned out the day, which hadn't been the best.
All around her she saw happy couples, and she never felt like she was a part of
all of it. She never dated anybody in the group, which kept bad feelings from
coming in, but it was as though it kept any feelings from coming in. She felt
so cut off from everybody else. She had no close friends, nobody but herself.
She prepared herself to go out, but a few stray tears kept ruining her mascara
and forcing her to start again. She never did learn how to control those tears.
---
The movie store was huge, but all the employees still knew Rory by name. She
checked out a movie she got at least once a month, "Willy Wonka," and another
one, "Gone with the Wind."
They settled in on the love seat and put in Gone with the Wind," and they sat
close together as it began.
Rory was the type that often talked during movies and gave her opinion. This
time, however, the conversation had nothing to do with the movie.
"Is this going to be an official relationship?" she asked, smiling.
"Well I think it better be, since I proved today that I don't want any of those
other guys to have a chance with you."
"How romantic. Speaking of that incident though, you have to trust me. That
means with whoever I talk to, it could be Jess, Dean, Zeke, whoever! You have
to know that just because I talk to them doesn't mean that I have feelings for
them."
"I lost you to Dean once, remember. I also can't help but remember your love
for him practically throughout our whole high school career, or at least what I
was there for. Can't you just stay away from him?" He gave his big puppy dog
eyes at the last question. Rory could rarely refuse them.
"I can't just stay away from guys because you don't trust me."
"I trust *you* babe, I don't trust them with you."
"One day into the relationship and we're already having this conversation."
"You brought it up."
"Okay, Next. About, doing stuff."
"Oooh, my favorite subject."
"Tristan!"
"Sorry, continue."
"Okay, I don't want to do, I mean, maybe we let it get a bit to far last time."
"Rory, we didn't even have sex."
"I know, but still, I don't want to feel pressured into anything."
"Well don't we sound grown up. Okay, I won't pressure."
"Well, that's good and all, but how do I know. You obviously have experience,
and you aren't exactly Mr. Clean Reputation either."
"Whoa, now hold on a moment babe. You set the standards, and we'll see how far
we go."
As if to seal the deal, he kissed her, after a few minutes she pulled away.
"You always do that."
"What?" he said, smirking.
"Make me agree with you like that. I am very persuasive."
"Sneaky is the word actually."
"Who cares what you call it, all I know is I have you back."
"Well remember how it felt to lose me then."
"God, as if I could forget."
"You were over me and running to some slut in a milisecond."
"No, I wasn't. You're a heart breaker. "
The playful banter continued way into the evening.
------------
Shane was dressed in a skimpy outfit and was bouncing around the apartment
saying, "That's a wrap!"
She and Zeke had drowned away the day with a ton of alcohol, and the bottles and
cans were piling up in the trash.
"Whoa, girl, you drunk!" Zeke said smiling. He was pathetic really, laying
across the couch watching cartoons with a beer can in his hand.
"You drunker! You drunker!" she shouted enthusiastically.
Finally she collapsed in a chair and became as enthralled with Bugs Bunny as he
was.
------
Dean and Amber were together, and it was as though nothing had changed at all.
The held hands and talked, and watched movies. Neither would admit it, but
really both were bored. It was a mundane reality for both of them. They came
back to it because it was what they were both used to. Reality was neither had
a successful relationship since the other, and both were afraid of being lonely.
Sometimes you can be lonely within a relationship though.
Dean was thinking about Rory, even though he was with Amber. He remembered
every word she'd ever said to him, to him she was perfect. She was smart, she
was beautiful, she was fun. She was also, he reminded himself, with Tristan.
And he was with Amber. He kissed Amber, trapping himself in a perfect reality
that really wasn't perfect or real.
-------
When all the girls arrived home, around midnight, they found Rory and Tristan
asleep on the couch. Nobody wanted to be the one to wake them up, but Tristan
did need to get home, they had to shoot tomorrow. Finally Paris, after being
told she was the bitchiest of all of them, woke them up.
"God, we must have fallen asleep," said Rory tiredly.
Tristan yawned, "Obviously. Well, I'm out... it's gonna be hell trying to wake
up tomorrow." With that he kissed Rory and left.
--------------------
As the girls lay asleep that night, all were happy. All but Summer anyway, but
she was so intoxicated that her sleep was deep and dreamless, and she didn't
have to think about the trouble the approaching day might present.