"I'm back," Trevor yelled at he entered the loft. "Mark, you better get
down here, I have something for you." Trevor walked over to the leather
couch. Ellie was sitting on it, staring at her laptop screen.
"Hey." Ellie smiled as Trevor leaned over the couch to kiss her a kiss.
"Ellie, hi." Ashley drifted over to the couch.
"Oh, what's up Ashley, I heard about your little rendezvous in the hall with Tim," Ellie said frigidly as she went back to staring at her computer screen.
"El-you can't be mad at me. I was being stupid. I think I liked playing the tough girl, the survivor. I was living in my own world of drama. Don't be mad." Ashley sat down on the couch next to Ellie.
"Who talked some sense into you?" Ellie scanned Ashley's face.
"The most unlikely person. You wouldn't guess who it was in a million years." Ashley smiled. "Even though I kind of hate her right now, I'll have to thank her, but right now, I think I owe someone else an apology."
Without looking up from typing, "Mark's upstairs," Ellie replied.
Ellie climbed the creaking stairs, and walked into Mark's room. She found him playing the guitar. He was just strumming, but it was the most beautiful thing Ashley had ever heard.
"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered. Mark got up from the bed and started walking toward Ashley. She continued talking.
"I just got out of a relationship and I couldn't take anymore pain, maybe it was stupid to get into anything to-" Ashley was cut off, by Mark's lips. It was like fireworks for Ashley. It was so romantic, so cliché, so delightful. Mark was amazing she concluded as she kept on kissing him.
He pulled back for a moment. "Ash, I don't care about you apology. I just want you."
Later that night, Ashley was sitting on Mark's lap in Trevor's living room. A cluster of people were standing in the kitchen taking shots, a few couples were dancing to the stereo in the living room, and most people were mingling, drinking, and smoking. The stereo was blaring. Trevor and Ellie had disappeared upstairs.
Ashley leaned back against Mark.
"You're amazing," she whispered into his ear. Ashley got up, "I think I'll have a shot or something, but don't worry, I won't sip it." She giggled as she walked into the kitchen.
"Ash, I'll be in the bathroom. I'll join you in a second." Mark winked at her, and started pushing through the crowd of people.
Ashley went to the kitchen.
"Well, well, well, it's little Miss Ashley everyone. Where were you this afternoon, I thought you'd agreed to my little party, everyone else thought so in the hall this morning." It was Tim. He stood next to her.
"Maybe I was leading you on." Ashley retorted. She picked up a glass and drank it.
"Maybe you were being a tease, and guys don't like teases, but then again," Tim leaned towards her and whispered "guys don't like sluts too much either."
"You're certainly a fan of whispering Tim." Ashley picked up another shot glass and threw it back.
"Shut up, Ashley." He shoved her back. The crowd of people in the kitchen started to crowd around Tim and Ashley.
Tim started to say his chant. "Ashley, Ashley, get on your knees Ashley." Soon the crowd started to chant. All around her, Ashley heard, "Get on your knees, Ashley, Ashley."
Ashley pushed through the crowd and ran outside, and sat on the ground. She collapsed and started to sob. This isn't happening she thought. This can't be happening.
A few minutes later, Mark joined her.
"Ash, I'll drive you home." He rubbed her back.
"No! I can't go home, she kicked me out, I can't face her again, she'll never look at me the same way." Ashley started to ramble.
"Ash, who kicked you out? Come on Ash, tell me, who told you to leave?" Mark said in a tender voice.
Ashley took looked up at Mark with her tear stained face. It was a cold night. She looked up at the dark, star-filled sky. She could see her breathe as she exhaled.
"My mom, my mother, mommy dearest kicked me out. I have no place to go. Do you know how it feels to have absolutely no place to go? It's the worst feeling in the world, it's feels as though no one cares about you." Ashley looked back down at the ground. She started to cry again.
"Ash, let's go back to my place. It'll be okay." Mark helped her stand up. He walked her back to the car.
"Hey." Ellie smiled as Trevor leaned over the couch to kiss her a kiss.
"Ellie, hi." Ashley drifted over to the couch.
"Oh, what's up Ashley, I heard about your little rendezvous in the hall with Tim," Ellie said frigidly as she went back to staring at her computer screen.
"El-you can't be mad at me. I was being stupid. I think I liked playing the tough girl, the survivor. I was living in my own world of drama. Don't be mad." Ashley sat down on the couch next to Ellie.
"Who talked some sense into you?" Ellie scanned Ashley's face.
"The most unlikely person. You wouldn't guess who it was in a million years." Ashley smiled. "Even though I kind of hate her right now, I'll have to thank her, but right now, I think I owe someone else an apology."
Without looking up from typing, "Mark's upstairs," Ellie replied.
Ellie climbed the creaking stairs, and walked into Mark's room. She found him playing the guitar. He was just strumming, but it was the most beautiful thing Ashley had ever heard.
"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered. Mark got up from the bed and started walking toward Ashley. She continued talking.
"I just got out of a relationship and I couldn't take anymore pain, maybe it was stupid to get into anything to-" Ashley was cut off, by Mark's lips. It was like fireworks for Ashley. It was so romantic, so cliché, so delightful. Mark was amazing she concluded as she kept on kissing him.
He pulled back for a moment. "Ash, I don't care about you apology. I just want you."
Later that night, Ashley was sitting on Mark's lap in Trevor's living room. A cluster of people were standing in the kitchen taking shots, a few couples were dancing to the stereo in the living room, and most people were mingling, drinking, and smoking. The stereo was blaring. Trevor and Ellie had disappeared upstairs.
Ashley leaned back against Mark.
"You're amazing," she whispered into his ear. Ashley got up, "I think I'll have a shot or something, but don't worry, I won't sip it." She giggled as she walked into the kitchen.
"Ash, I'll be in the bathroom. I'll join you in a second." Mark winked at her, and started pushing through the crowd of people.
Ashley went to the kitchen.
"Well, well, well, it's little Miss Ashley everyone. Where were you this afternoon, I thought you'd agreed to my little party, everyone else thought so in the hall this morning." It was Tim. He stood next to her.
"Maybe I was leading you on." Ashley retorted. She picked up a glass and drank it.
"Maybe you were being a tease, and guys don't like teases, but then again," Tim leaned towards her and whispered "guys don't like sluts too much either."
"You're certainly a fan of whispering Tim." Ashley picked up another shot glass and threw it back.
"Shut up, Ashley." He shoved her back. The crowd of people in the kitchen started to crowd around Tim and Ashley.
Tim started to say his chant. "Ashley, Ashley, get on your knees Ashley." Soon the crowd started to chant. All around her, Ashley heard, "Get on your knees, Ashley, Ashley."
Ashley pushed through the crowd and ran outside, and sat on the ground. She collapsed and started to sob. This isn't happening she thought. This can't be happening.
A few minutes later, Mark joined her.
"Ash, I'll drive you home." He rubbed her back.
"No! I can't go home, she kicked me out, I can't face her again, she'll never look at me the same way." Ashley started to ramble.
"Ash, who kicked you out? Come on Ash, tell me, who told you to leave?" Mark said in a tender voice.
Ashley took looked up at Mark with her tear stained face. It was a cold night. She looked up at the dark, star-filled sky. She could see her breathe as she exhaled.
"My mom, my mother, mommy dearest kicked me out. I have no place to go. Do you know how it feels to have absolutely no place to go? It's the worst feeling in the world, it's feels as though no one cares about you." Ashley looked back down at the ground. She started to cry again.
"Ash, let's go back to my place. It'll be okay." Mark helped her stand up. He walked her back to the car.