"El- the fact is, you ditched me that night, and I ended up in the car with
some guy." Ashley was standing in the hall, talking to Ellie. She hadn't
talked to any one of her friends since Saturday morning. She had spent a
lot of time thinking about Mark. Since she was drunk at Trevor's party and
made a move on Jake, all the guys thought she was easy. "I've probably
gotten hit on at least 5 times today Ellie. I feel cheap."
Ellie wasn't even paying attention Ashley, she was thinking about Trevor. "Can you believe he hasn't called me since Saturday? After we, well, went back to my place."
"Ellie! You haven't been listening to a word I've said. I bet he was just using you for a cheap feel. Guys do that. I think it's unfair too. I should be able to do whatever I want without being-".
"Ash, that's great but I have to go, talk to you later." Ellie absently mindedly walked down the hall head towards Trevor, as soon as she spotted him.
Great, who am I supposed to talk to now, Ashley thought. Mark would listen. Trevor knows Mark, why didn't I think of this before? Ashley almost leaped for joy as she ran down the hall, searching for Trevor and Ellie.
Ashley found the couple outside making out by the basketball court. Apparently, whatever problems they had, they had now vanished. She finally pulled Trevor away.
"Hey, I know you want to continue the make-out session before school starts, but could you talk to me for a second." It was a statement, not a question.
"Sure. Whatever. Just make it quick." He looked back at Ellie and licked his lips. She smiled.
"You know Mark right, the guy that was at your party?" She watched him as he tried to remember.
"Yeah, Mark. He's a cool dude. What about him?" He looked back at Ellie longingly, as if she was going to disappear at any moment. Technically, she might, because the bell for 1st period was going to ring in 5 minutes.
"Uh, can I have his number?" She became nervous and a little embarrassed. She felt weird asking Trevor for Mark's number.
"I don't have it. I just crash at his place a lot and I never have to call him. He was this huge, crappy, loft downtown. It was like a warehouse or something. He graduated last year from some high school, I don't know. I met him at my ex's party and we've just been hanging out ever since. Anyway, I'll give you the address."
Ashley was elated. She was without doubt heading over to his place after school. Well, after a she went home and changed.
After six and a half hours of waiting, the last bell finally rang. Ashley went home, put on a pink t-shirt with "Smithereens" written on it in bold white lettering, black, low-rise jeans, and a studded belt. She did her best to put on make-up that accentuated her face, instead making her like sunken and pasty, which sometimes had the tendency to do.
As she headed downstairs, she saw Toby in the family room. "Hey, Tob, I won't be back till about 8 or maybe 9. Tell my mom okay?
"Ash, wait, before you go, I want you to know, I'm sorry for the crap you've had to put up with at school." Toby's face was red.
"Toby, I've been okay, today wasn't too bad." She was a little puzzled.
"Well, after what you did with Jake, you couldn't expect him not to say anything?" Toby looked at his shoes.
"Toby, I don't know what you're talking about, cut the crap, I really have to go somewhere. She was getting annoyed. What could Toby be talking about? She knew that a bunch of guys thought she was easy, but that wasn't too big of a deal.
"Ash, sit down on the sofa with me for a sec. Just a sec, then you can go do whatever." Toby had a very stern look on his face. Ashley promptly plopped herself on the sofa. "Tobes, I really have to go."
"Ash, Jake has been spreading rumors that you guys did "stuff" like sexual "stuff" on the patio. I don't want to get into it, but he's been just spreading tons of lies. It's bad. If it wasn't too bad, I'd brush it off, but it's worse than Manny's rep. Since you and Paige fought, she hasn't even bothered to clear your name, she's making everything worse." Toby got up and went to the kitchen.
Ashley was shocked. She slammed the door as she left her house, and was still stunned as she got on the bus. She noticed a couple grade nine girls sitting on the bus and she smiled at them. They gaped at her and whispered. When they got off at their stop she felt relived, she didn't want people staring and thinking about her like that.
Relief rapidly turned to anxiety when she saw two guys from the party, and couple of their friends, get on the bus a few stops later. They passed her and sat farther in the back. She felt better, they probably didn't recognize her. A few minutes later, one of the boys sat down in the empty seat next to her.
"Hey, Ashley, you looked so sexy taking shots last Saturday. Why don't you come back to my place, we can do so more." Then he whispered in her ear, "And maybe something else as well." He squeezed her knee and went back and sat with his friends, where they all laughed.
Ashley was so happy to get off that bus. She was almost in tears. How could someone treat her that way? She felt dehumanized. I'm not a slut, I'm not loose, I am a human being. She finally found her way to Mark's building. Trevor was right, it was like a huge warehouse. She finally found the number, but before she could enter, she saw the boys from the bus walking down the sidewalk. They spotted her and started yelling. "Ashley! Get on your knees, Ashley! Ashley!"
Thoughts were flying through her mind. She started knocking noisily on Mark's door. Please someone just answer, those boys are getting closer. Ashley was panicking. Please some please open the door, I can't take the taunting. She was in tears. She started sobbing and the boys were about 20 feet away, they'd be there in a matter of seconds. She didn't know what to do. Hastily, the door opened. There was Mark, standing there, very surprised to see her.
"Just let me in!" She ran in inside as Mark shut the door. The boys had made it to Mark's door and started yelling. "Ashley! Ashley, how much is he paying you! Ashley, I heard you're good! Ashley, we'll be back!" The laughter and yells continued down the street. Ashley was in a corner of the loft huddled in a corner.
"Why are they doing that?" He looked concerned.
Ashley replied in a barely audible whisper, with sobs in between. "When I went out on the patio with Jake, nothing happened, Jake brushed me off, but that's not what he told the whole school." She put her face in her hands.
"How did you find out where I lived?" He then realized that question was possibly not the right one to ask.
"I'll leave, I'm sorry." It took all her strength to stand up and move towards the door. "No, those guys might be out there. Just stay here. I'll make you coffee, that's the only thing I'm good at making." He went back to the kitchen and she sat at his crude looking metal table on a wooden stool. She surveyed the loft. It was massive and like Trevor said crappy. All the furniture was mismatched, He had a small TV and DVD player in one corner, sound amplifiers, and old sound system in another, a coffee table with magazines and stains all over it, a decent leather couch, probably the nicest thing in this loft. There were a couple rugs lying around. The walks were brick, the ceiling was had pipes and wires going in different directions, the floor was slate tile. But, where was the bedroom?
Ashley stood up and went to find it. She was so upset she was barely thinking about anything, except the fact that the bedroom might be nice.
Ellie wasn't even paying attention Ashley, she was thinking about Trevor. "Can you believe he hasn't called me since Saturday? After we, well, went back to my place."
"Ellie! You haven't been listening to a word I've said. I bet he was just using you for a cheap feel. Guys do that. I think it's unfair too. I should be able to do whatever I want without being-".
"Ash, that's great but I have to go, talk to you later." Ellie absently mindedly walked down the hall head towards Trevor, as soon as she spotted him.
Great, who am I supposed to talk to now, Ashley thought. Mark would listen. Trevor knows Mark, why didn't I think of this before? Ashley almost leaped for joy as she ran down the hall, searching for Trevor and Ellie.
Ashley found the couple outside making out by the basketball court. Apparently, whatever problems they had, they had now vanished. She finally pulled Trevor away.
"Hey, I know you want to continue the make-out session before school starts, but could you talk to me for a second." It was a statement, not a question.
"Sure. Whatever. Just make it quick." He looked back at Ellie and licked his lips. She smiled.
"You know Mark right, the guy that was at your party?" She watched him as he tried to remember.
"Yeah, Mark. He's a cool dude. What about him?" He looked back at Ellie longingly, as if she was going to disappear at any moment. Technically, she might, because the bell for 1st period was going to ring in 5 minutes.
"Uh, can I have his number?" She became nervous and a little embarrassed. She felt weird asking Trevor for Mark's number.
"I don't have it. I just crash at his place a lot and I never have to call him. He was this huge, crappy, loft downtown. It was like a warehouse or something. He graduated last year from some high school, I don't know. I met him at my ex's party and we've just been hanging out ever since. Anyway, I'll give you the address."
Ashley was elated. She was without doubt heading over to his place after school. Well, after a she went home and changed.
After six and a half hours of waiting, the last bell finally rang. Ashley went home, put on a pink t-shirt with "Smithereens" written on it in bold white lettering, black, low-rise jeans, and a studded belt. She did her best to put on make-up that accentuated her face, instead making her like sunken and pasty, which sometimes had the tendency to do.
As she headed downstairs, she saw Toby in the family room. "Hey, Tob, I won't be back till about 8 or maybe 9. Tell my mom okay?
"Ash, wait, before you go, I want you to know, I'm sorry for the crap you've had to put up with at school." Toby's face was red.
"Toby, I've been okay, today wasn't too bad." She was a little puzzled.
"Well, after what you did with Jake, you couldn't expect him not to say anything?" Toby looked at his shoes.
"Toby, I don't know what you're talking about, cut the crap, I really have to go somewhere. She was getting annoyed. What could Toby be talking about? She knew that a bunch of guys thought she was easy, but that wasn't too big of a deal.
"Ash, sit down on the sofa with me for a sec. Just a sec, then you can go do whatever." Toby had a very stern look on his face. Ashley promptly plopped herself on the sofa. "Tobes, I really have to go."
"Ash, Jake has been spreading rumors that you guys did "stuff" like sexual "stuff" on the patio. I don't want to get into it, but he's been just spreading tons of lies. It's bad. If it wasn't too bad, I'd brush it off, but it's worse than Manny's rep. Since you and Paige fought, she hasn't even bothered to clear your name, she's making everything worse." Toby got up and went to the kitchen.
Ashley was shocked. She slammed the door as she left her house, and was still stunned as she got on the bus. She noticed a couple grade nine girls sitting on the bus and she smiled at them. They gaped at her and whispered. When they got off at their stop she felt relived, she didn't want people staring and thinking about her like that.
Relief rapidly turned to anxiety when she saw two guys from the party, and couple of their friends, get on the bus a few stops later. They passed her and sat farther in the back. She felt better, they probably didn't recognize her. A few minutes later, one of the boys sat down in the empty seat next to her.
"Hey, Ashley, you looked so sexy taking shots last Saturday. Why don't you come back to my place, we can do so more." Then he whispered in her ear, "And maybe something else as well." He squeezed her knee and went back and sat with his friends, where they all laughed.
Ashley was so happy to get off that bus. She was almost in tears. How could someone treat her that way? She felt dehumanized. I'm not a slut, I'm not loose, I am a human being. She finally found her way to Mark's building. Trevor was right, it was like a huge warehouse. She finally found the number, but before she could enter, she saw the boys from the bus walking down the sidewalk. They spotted her and started yelling. "Ashley! Get on your knees, Ashley! Ashley!"
Thoughts were flying through her mind. She started knocking noisily on Mark's door. Please someone just answer, those boys are getting closer. Ashley was panicking. Please some please open the door, I can't take the taunting. She was in tears. She started sobbing and the boys were about 20 feet away, they'd be there in a matter of seconds. She didn't know what to do. Hastily, the door opened. There was Mark, standing there, very surprised to see her.
"Just let me in!" She ran in inside as Mark shut the door. The boys had made it to Mark's door and started yelling. "Ashley! Ashley, how much is he paying you! Ashley, I heard you're good! Ashley, we'll be back!" The laughter and yells continued down the street. Ashley was in a corner of the loft huddled in a corner.
"Why are they doing that?" He looked concerned.
Ashley replied in a barely audible whisper, with sobs in between. "When I went out on the patio with Jake, nothing happened, Jake brushed me off, but that's not what he told the whole school." She put her face in her hands.
"How did you find out where I lived?" He then realized that question was possibly not the right one to ask.
"I'll leave, I'm sorry." It took all her strength to stand up and move towards the door. "No, those guys might be out there. Just stay here. I'll make you coffee, that's the only thing I'm good at making." He went back to the kitchen and she sat at his crude looking metal table on a wooden stool. She surveyed the loft. It was massive and like Trevor said crappy. All the furniture was mismatched, He had a small TV and DVD player in one corner, sound amplifiers, and old sound system in another, a coffee table with magazines and stains all over it, a decent leather couch, probably the nicest thing in this loft. There were a couple rugs lying around. The walks were brick, the ceiling was had pipes and wires going in different directions, the floor was slate tile. But, where was the bedroom?
Ashley stood up and went to find it. She was so upset she was barely thinking about anything, except the fact that the bedroom might be nice.