"Ash?" Craig said staring at her exposed stomach. Manny glared
cynically in Ashley's direction.
"Craig," Ashley said following his gaze. A small smile crept on her lips. Craig shook his head as if to wake himself from a dream.
"Ashley, why are you dressed like that?" he asked concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Come on Craig. I'm hungry," Manny said tugging his shirt.
"Hottie?" Craig asked. "You hate that kind of stuff," he said trying to get to the bottom of this weirdness.
"Well, you obviously don't know me anymore," Ashley said standing up so he could see all of her. Jimmy started to breath heavily. Ashley changed her look to make Craig jealous. Why didn't he see this before? He pushed the table angrily and walked off.
"Craig, let's go," Manny said. Ashley was so preoccupied with Manny's poor attempts to get Craig's eyes off of her, she didn't notice Jimmy leaving.
"Manny," Craig whispered quietly to her. "Do you trust me?" She looked up with sad eyes and nodded. "Do you know I love you more than anything?" She nodded again. "Then, will you let me talk to Ashley alone? I'm worried about her.......as a friend," he asked. "If you're not cool with it........I won't do it, but understand she's still my friend." Manny looked away. She wanted to say no. Ashley was looking gorgeous. Could she trust him? She sighed deeply then looked up into his eyes.
"I trust you Craig," she said forcing a smile. He kissed her forehead and turned to Ashley. Manny spotted JT with Liberty and walked up to them only turning her head once to look back at Craig.
"Ash," Craig said.
"What is it Craig?"Ashley asked innocently. 'My plan worked perfectly,' she thought.
"Why are you dressed like this?" he asked.
"I told you......" she said, but he interrupted.
"You told me a lie," he said confidently. "Ash, you don't have to dress like this to get attention." She fought back her tears.
"I don't need attention," Ashley said begging her tears not to fall.
"Ash, I know when you're lying. We were together for a while," he said walking up to her slowly. She couldn't hold back any longer. She started crying uncontrollably. He hugged her. "Ash, don't cry. You don't need to do this. You're a great girl. The right guy wont need you to dress like this, he'll want you for you."
"No!" she almost yelled. "You didn't!" she cried. He held her tighter. "You left me for Manny. You CHEATED on me!" she screamed. By now, Chris and Emma had joined Manny, JT and Liberty.
~*~*~
"Whoa!" JT said at the scene. "It's called therapy."
"This is very sad," Liberty said shaking her head. Emma turned away from Craig and Ashley and stared at Liberty.
"Liberty!?" she exclaimed with a big smile.
"Why does everyone keep yelling my name?" she asked annoyed at the attention.
"You look..........great," Emma said.
"Thanks, I think," Liberty said uncomfortably. "And my underpants aren't showing!" Liberty added rolling her eyes. 'Note to self: only dress like this for family,' Liberty thought shaking her head.
"Doesn't she look great, Manny?" Emma asked, but Manny was engaged in Craig's conversation. She couldn't take her eyes off him and Ashley. She couldn't hear a word Craig said, but everyone sure heard Ashley.
~*~*~
"How could you do that to me?" she screamed hysterically. "Is it because I wouldn't have SEX with you? Is it because I don't dress like a slut like her?!"
"Whoa Ashley.....that's uncalled for. Don't say that about Manny!" Craig said angered.
"I can say what I want!" she screamed again. She could hardly speak now, she was crying so hard. Craig squeezed her tighter.
"Ashley, calm down. Just tell me the truth," he said calmly. She tried to stop crying so she could speak. It was quiet for an entire minute.
"Maybe I thought if I dressed like this, you'd think you shouldn't have cheated on me," she finally admitted.
"Ashley, we need to talk," Craig said. "......away from everyone." Every shopper in the mall had stopped to watch. The two walked off and Craig mouthed to Manny, 'I love you'. When they were in a quiet corner, Craig stopped. "Ashley. I'm so sorry I cheated on you. I was too chicken to break things off. But it wasn't because you didn't dress like Manny. That wasn't why this all happened."
"Then, why Craig?" she asked looking him in the eye.
"Things weren't right with us for a while, and you know that," he said.
"That's no excuse," she said.
"I know. It's not. It just happened.......and we were always fighting. I was never good enough for you. Manny always accepted me for me." Ashley wiped her tears.
"That's not true Craig. You were more than good enough," she said.
"I didn't feel like I was. That's what matters," he said letting her go. "I just wanted to know that you don't have to dress like this. Not if it's not you. Not if you don't want to. You're beautiful the way you are. Okay?"
"You still care about me," she whispered closing her eyes.
"Of course I do Ash. You were my first real girlfriend and you helped me through a lot. I'll never forget that," he said wiping one of her tears away. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard.
"Craig," Ashley said following his gaze. A small smile crept on her lips. Craig shook his head as if to wake himself from a dream.
"Ashley, why are you dressed like that?" he asked concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Come on Craig. I'm hungry," Manny said tugging his shirt.
"Hottie?" Craig asked. "You hate that kind of stuff," he said trying to get to the bottom of this weirdness.
"Well, you obviously don't know me anymore," Ashley said standing up so he could see all of her. Jimmy started to breath heavily. Ashley changed her look to make Craig jealous. Why didn't he see this before? He pushed the table angrily and walked off.
"Craig, let's go," Manny said. Ashley was so preoccupied with Manny's poor attempts to get Craig's eyes off of her, she didn't notice Jimmy leaving.
"Manny," Craig whispered quietly to her. "Do you trust me?" She looked up with sad eyes and nodded. "Do you know I love you more than anything?" She nodded again. "Then, will you let me talk to Ashley alone? I'm worried about her.......as a friend," he asked. "If you're not cool with it........I won't do it, but understand she's still my friend." Manny looked away. She wanted to say no. Ashley was looking gorgeous. Could she trust him? She sighed deeply then looked up into his eyes.
"I trust you Craig," she said forcing a smile. He kissed her forehead and turned to Ashley. Manny spotted JT with Liberty and walked up to them only turning her head once to look back at Craig.
"Ash," Craig said.
"What is it Craig?"Ashley asked innocently. 'My plan worked perfectly,' she thought.
"Why are you dressed like this?" he asked.
"I told you......" she said, but he interrupted.
"You told me a lie," he said confidently. "Ash, you don't have to dress like this to get attention." She fought back her tears.
"I don't need attention," Ashley said begging her tears not to fall.
"Ash, I know when you're lying. We were together for a while," he said walking up to her slowly. She couldn't hold back any longer. She started crying uncontrollably. He hugged her. "Ash, don't cry. You don't need to do this. You're a great girl. The right guy wont need you to dress like this, he'll want you for you."
"No!" she almost yelled. "You didn't!" she cried. He held her tighter. "You left me for Manny. You CHEATED on me!" she screamed. By now, Chris and Emma had joined Manny, JT and Liberty.
~*~*~
"Whoa!" JT said at the scene. "It's called therapy."
"This is very sad," Liberty said shaking her head. Emma turned away from Craig and Ashley and stared at Liberty.
"Liberty!?" she exclaimed with a big smile.
"Why does everyone keep yelling my name?" she asked annoyed at the attention.
"You look..........great," Emma said.
"Thanks, I think," Liberty said uncomfortably. "And my underpants aren't showing!" Liberty added rolling her eyes. 'Note to self: only dress like this for family,' Liberty thought shaking her head.
"Doesn't she look great, Manny?" Emma asked, but Manny was engaged in Craig's conversation. She couldn't take her eyes off him and Ashley. She couldn't hear a word Craig said, but everyone sure heard Ashley.
~*~*~
"How could you do that to me?" she screamed hysterically. "Is it because I wouldn't have SEX with you? Is it because I don't dress like a slut like her?!"
"Whoa Ashley.....that's uncalled for. Don't say that about Manny!" Craig said angered.
"I can say what I want!" she screamed again. She could hardly speak now, she was crying so hard. Craig squeezed her tighter.
"Ashley, calm down. Just tell me the truth," he said calmly. She tried to stop crying so she could speak. It was quiet for an entire minute.
"Maybe I thought if I dressed like this, you'd think you shouldn't have cheated on me," she finally admitted.
"Ashley, we need to talk," Craig said. "......away from everyone." Every shopper in the mall had stopped to watch. The two walked off and Craig mouthed to Manny, 'I love you'. When they were in a quiet corner, Craig stopped. "Ashley. I'm so sorry I cheated on you. I was too chicken to break things off. But it wasn't because you didn't dress like Manny. That wasn't why this all happened."
"Then, why Craig?" she asked looking him in the eye.
"Things weren't right with us for a while, and you know that," he said.
"That's no excuse," she said.
"I know. It's not. It just happened.......and we were always fighting. I was never good enough for you. Manny always accepted me for me." Ashley wiped her tears.
"That's not true Craig. You were more than good enough," she said.
"I didn't feel like I was. That's what matters," he said letting her go. "I just wanted to know that you don't have to dress like this. Not if it's not you. Not if you don't want to. You're beautiful the way you are. Okay?"
"You still care about me," she whispered closing her eyes.
"Of course I do Ash. You were my first real girlfriend and you helped me through a lot. I'll never forget that," he said wiping one of her tears away. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard.
