"Hi Ashley." A meek little voice sounded behind her.
It was Manny.
"Manny." Ashley replied coldly, before she went back to refreshing her make- up.
"Ash, Toby told me you got kicked out. Your mom really wants you home." Manny went and stood by the mirror, and started primping.
"Yeah, Manny sure." Ashley took out a compact.
"Listen, I saw you and Tim, you shouldn't do that kind of crap. He's a jerk." Manny opened her purse.
Ashley paused and looked at Manny. "Oh, did you screw around with him too?"
"I deserve that." Manny pulled out some mascara and unscrewed the tube.
"Yeah, you do. Manny, I need a place to sleep tonight, it's called survival. I'm not sleeping in the cold." Ashley placed at steely glare on Manny.
Manny put the mascara away, and turned to face Ashley.
"You realized you just aren't going to be sleeping there, right?" Manny narrowed her eyes.
"Manny, you can go back to your plush little home, but I can't." Ashley scoffed at Manny.
"Ashley, this is not survival, you are not trying to survive. You can go home. You can work things out. Your mom wants you back. I think you like play the tough chick with the hard life. You liked frenching Tim in the hall, even though last time he touched you, I saw you cringe. Your life is normal Ash, it's normal. Go home, there's nothing cool about what your doing. Nothing at all." Manny took a deep breath.
"It's not like your little Miss Perfect. I know you've been around a couple times." Ashley shot back.
"I dressed like this to get attention from a few guys, and no I haven't "been around" more than once, and that was with a guy I truly loved. I like the way I dress, but I'm definitely not living up to the rumors that my outfits generate." Manny sighed, and opened the bathroom door, and left.
Ashley stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself for a few minutes. She realized she was cold. She rummaged through her bag, looking for a sweatshirt. She found Mark's hoodie. She smelled it. It smelled faintly of cologne, his cologne, his sexy, fantastic cologne that she fell asleep to at the party.
Maybe I should go see him, she thought. She looked at her watch, it was 9:06. First period had started 6 minutes ago, and she wasn't in the mood for any class.
45 minutes later, she stood in front of his loft, and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, someone finally answered.
"Ash, hey!" He looked at her with those gorgeous dark blue eyes.
"Hey, Mark." She couldn't stop staring at him. His eyes were luring her, as if she was peering into his soul.
They stood there for about 30 seconds, just looking at each other.
"Ash, this is a really bad time. Can you, like, come back later?"
"Mark, what are you doing out there, come back here, we're not finished." A woman's voice was calling him.
"I won't bother; you seem to be busy enough." Ashley voice was high pitched, and tears started welling in her eyes. It was all she could do not to cry. She took off his hoodie, threw it at him, and walked down the street, in the bitter January air.
"Ash, Wait!" He called out, but a voice called him back inside, and he went back, and shut the door.
Where was she going to go? She couldn't show up at Trevor's house until at least 7 for his party. She didn't want to go back to school, and she didn't want to go back home.
"Welcome." A shaggy-haired clerk, a young woman that looked that looked about 20, said as Ashley walked into a bookstore. She was sitting behind the counter reading a magazine. She studied Ashley for a moment, and then went back to reading.
It was a seedy bookstore, which sold old and new books, along with little useless trinkets a person couldn't find anywhere else. After Ashley had walked a couple blocks trying to get back to the bus stop, she became extremely cold. The only place that looked halfway decent on this part of town was Book Ends, a little shop that seemed inviting.
"You looking for something?" The clerk asked.
"Uh, no, it's just so cold, um, is there something I should be interested in buying?" Ashley tried to make a little conversation.
"Almost everyone who comes in here is looking for something, this isn't really one of those places where people just browse, well, most of the time anyway." She gave Ashley a tight smile.
"Honestly, I need to pass some time, I thought I could read something." Ashley picked up a book on table.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" The clerk raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, I should." Ashley snapped. "But, life is way too complicated right now." Ashley's voice softened .
"Let me guess, boy trouble." The clerk grinned.
"Amongst other things." Ashley started to walk around the store.
"That takes me back." The clerk gave a toothy smile. "Don't worry, it'll all pass. Everything gets better over time."
"When you've lived through all the crap and mistakes I've had too, then come and talk to me." Ashley grumbled at clerk.
"Whatever." The clerk rolled her eyes and went back to her book.
The door opened and someone walked in.
"Trevor!" Ashley mouth gaped.
"Oh hey Ash. What brings you in here?" He stared at her chest.
"Nothing, why are you here.?" Ashley folded at her arms over chest so he would stop looking.
After he finally got out of his trance, he replied.
"Reggie here," he pointed to the clerk. "She had the best pot in town, I was over at Mark's smoking some when I ran out." He walked over to the check out counter and handed Reggie some money.
"Was Mark with a girl at his place?" Ashley tried to ask as nonchalantly as she could.
"His mom was like stalking him this morning, she like, came over, to like check up or something. She, like, left after I came. She hates his place. He was really mad at her or something. He's like super rich, so she hates his-"
Ashley had stop listening at that point. So it was his mother, I really screwed up my chances with him, she thought.
"Trevor." She interrupted his rambling speech about Mark. "Can I hang with you guys, or whatever?" She asked casually.
"Whatever, it's Mark's place. Ellie's over there, but she's doing something on her laptop. She's really like not into the smoking or drinking. She's like the cleanest chick I've ever been with. Like no drug habits or any crap like that." He smiled, obviously, because he was thinking about Ellie.
"Yeah, I'll come with you." She was nervous. What was she going to say to Mark?
"Thanks Reggie, I'll be back like next week." Trevor and Ashley left.
It was Manny.
"Manny." Ashley replied coldly, before she went back to refreshing her make- up.
"Ash, Toby told me you got kicked out. Your mom really wants you home." Manny went and stood by the mirror, and started primping.
"Yeah, Manny sure." Ashley took out a compact.
"Listen, I saw you and Tim, you shouldn't do that kind of crap. He's a jerk." Manny opened her purse.
Ashley paused and looked at Manny. "Oh, did you screw around with him too?"
"I deserve that." Manny pulled out some mascara and unscrewed the tube.
"Yeah, you do. Manny, I need a place to sleep tonight, it's called survival. I'm not sleeping in the cold." Ashley placed at steely glare on Manny.
Manny put the mascara away, and turned to face Ashley.
"You realized you just aren't going to be sleeping there, right?" Manny narrowed her eyes.
"Manny, you can go back to your plush little home, but I can't." Ashley scoffed at Manny.
"Ashley, this is not survival, you are not trying to survive. You can go home. You can work things out. Your mom wants you back. I think you like play the tough chick with the hard life. You liked frenching Tim in the hall, even though last time he touched you, I saw you cringe. Your life is normal Ash, it's normal. Go home, there's nothing cool about what your doing. Nothing at all." Manny took a deep breath.
"It's not like your little Miss Perfect. I know you've been around a couple times." Ashley shot back.
"I dressed like this to get attention from a few guys, and no I haven't "been around" more than once, and that was with a guy I truly loved. I like the way I dress, but I'm definitely not living up to the rumors that my outfits generate." Manny sighed, and opened the bathroom door, and left.
Ashley stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself for a few minutes. She realized she was cold. She rummaged through her bag, looking for a sweatshirt. She found Mark's hoodie. She smelled it. It smelled faintly of cologne, his cologne, his sexy, fantastic cologne that she fell asleep to at the party.
Maybe I should go see him, she thought. She looked at her watch, it was 9:06. First period had started 6 minutes ago, and she wasn't in the mood for any class.
45 minutes later, she stood in front of his loft, and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, someone finally answered.
"Ash, hey!" He looked at her with those gorgeous dark blue eyes.
"Hey, Mark." She couldn't stop staring at him. His eyes were luring her, as if she was peering into his soul.
They stood there for about 30 seconds, just looking at each other.
"Ash, this is a really bad time. Can you, like, come back later?"
"Mark, what are you doing out there, come back here, we're not finished." A woman's voice was calling him.
"I won't bother; you seem to be busy enough." Ashley voice was high pitched, and tears started welling in her eyes. It was all she could do not to cry. She took off his hoodie, threw it at him, and walked down the street, in the bitter January air.
"Ash, Wait!" He called out, but a voice called him back inside, and he went back, and shut the door.
Where was she going to go? She couldn't show up at Trevor's house until at least 7 for his party. She didn't want to go back to school, and she didn't want to go back home.
"Welcome." A shaggy-haired clerk, a young woman that looked that looked about 20, said as Ashley walked into a bookstore. She was sitting behind the counter reading a magazine. She studied Ashley for a moment, and then went back to reading.
It was a seedy bookstore, which sold old and new books, along with little useless trinkets a person couldn't find anywhere else. After Ashley had walked a couple blocks trying to get back to the bus stop, she became extremely cold. The only place that looked halfway decent on this part of town was Book Ends, a little shop that seemed inviting.
"You looking for something?" The clerk asked.
"Uh, no, it's just so cold, um, is there something I should be interested in buying?" Ashley tried to make a little conversation.
"Almost everyone who comes in here is looking for something, this isn't really one of those places where people just browse, well, most of the time anyway." She gave Ashley a tight smile.
"Honestly, I need to pass some time, I thought I could read something." Ashley picked up a book on table.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" The clerk raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, I should." Ashley snapped. "But, life is way too complicated right now." Ashley's voice softened .
"Let me guess, boy trouble." The clerk grinned.
"Amongst other things." Ashley started to walk around the store.
"That takes me back." The clerk gave a toothy smile. "Don't worry, it'll all pass. Everything gets better over time."
"When you've lived through all the crap and mistakes I've had too, then come and talk to me." Ashley grumbled at clerk.
"Whatever." The clerk rolled her eyes and went back to her book.
The door opened and someone walked in.
"Trevor!" Ashley mouth gaped.
"Oh hey Ash. What brings you in here?" He stared at her chest.
"Nothing, why are you here.?" Ashley folded at her arms over chest so he would stop looking.
After he finally got out of his trance, he replied.
"Reggie here," he pointed to the clerk. "She had the best pot in town, I was over at Mark's smoking some when I ran out." He walked over to the check out counter and handed Reggie some money.
"Was Mark with a girl at his place?" Ashley tried to ask as nonchalantly as she could.
"His mom was like stalking him this morning, she like, came over, to like check up or something. She, like, left after I came. She hates his place. He was really mad at her or something. He's like super rich, so she hates his-"
Ashley had stop listening at that point. So it was his mother, I really screwed up my chances with him, she thought.
"Trevor." She interrupted his rambling speech about Mark. "Can I hang with you guys, or whatever?" She asked casually.
"Whatever, it's Mark's place. Ellie's over there, but she's doing something on her laptop. She's really like not into the smoking or drinking. She's like the cleanest chick I've ever been with. Like no drug habits or any crap like that." He smiled, obviously, because he was thinking about Ellie.
"Yeah, I'll come with you." She was nervous. What was she going to say to Mark?
"Thanks Reggie, I'll be back like next week." Trevor and Ashley left.