Chapter 4: She Wants to Move
At the Underground
Jimmy and Ashley walked around for a while talking.
"About the project... when should we start?" Ashley tried to make small talk to avoid the silence.
"Project? Live a little, Ash..." He said this noticing that she rolled her eyes, "I'm not callin' you a prude or nothing..."
"hm, What are you calling me then?" She couldn't stand that everyone thought she wasn't fun, "Its not like I'm the grim reaper..."
He smiled a little, "I wasn't sayin' that either... juss saying to live a little..."
"Last time I did, the E kind of blew it for me..." She was definitely annoyed.
Jimmy turned to her seriously, "Don't say that..." He waited for her to look at him, "Anyway, that's all history..." There was an awkward silence, and then Craig showed up out of nowhere.
"Hey guys..." Craig smiled, Jimmy nodded back and Ashley just stood there, "You guys are here, and neither of you are dancing?"
"Obviously..." Ashley tried not to look at him.
"Can we talk?" Craig asked Ashley. She looked at Jimmy to make sure he would not care.
The two began to walk.
"Are you sure we're ok?" He asked.
"Craig..." she looked up at him, "What are you doing?"
"I just want to make sure that we're fine, that I can talk to you or that" –He was interrupted.
"I can't forget that easy, Craig..." She said, as there was a long pause.
"You still hate me... cant you just get over it?" They were still walking, back to where Ashley and Jimmy had been standing, "I mean you've been in my situation... I would assume that you knew how I felt... I already apologized..."
Ashley stopped and stared at him in disbelief.
Jimmy was not that far and could hear everything.
"I can't believe you..." She crossed her arms.
"You're not perfect either... even Jimmy's said it... you cheated on him... you've messed up before too..." Craig didn't meant to bring up past history, but it just came out. Ashley's eyes filled with tears and Craig did not know what to do, Jimmy didn't know what to do either. Ashley turned to look away but she couldn't help it and rushed off to leave.
"Guy, what are you doing?" Jimmy asked, "Why do you have to bring me up in all this?" He just stared at Craig who was stunned, "Aren't you going to go after her?
Craig stood without knowing what he should do because he knew he couldn't do anything to talk to Ash now. Jimmy gave him a look and then went after Ashley. He walked out through the entrance and didn't see her. Jimmy turned to go back in and saw her there leaning against the wall with her arms folded because she was slightly windy. He looked at her and saw she had stopped crying and slowly walked up to her.
He stood right in front of her, "What are you doing?" She lifted her head and looked up at him.
"So you guys talk behind my back? I thought it was history..." She turned her head and stared into the open air.
"It is... the last time I ever talked to Craig about it, was LONG time ago... a year or something like that..." He got her to look at him, "This is your chance, you can go back in there and cuss him out if you want... I'll even help you out..." He got her to smile a little.
"right." She smiled and looked up.
"Maybe not, but I don't think he meant what he said..." He put his hands in his sweater pocket because it got cold, "He is my friend and all, so I'm not gonna hate an' all that... but in my opinion you shouldn't be with him... he blew what you two had." They stared at each other.
Ashley wiped the make up under her eye that had smeared and leaned off the wall.
"You ok now?" Jimmy asked.
Ashley stood there stunned at the conversation she just had with Jimmy. They hadn't talked like this in a while and she missed it. She nodded yes.
Jimmy knew she was uncomfortable around Craig and she must still be hurt by what he did, no matter how much she's been telling people that she's over it.
"You kinda changed since he did what he did..." He said looking at her. She smiled a little, "I don't seem to be bipolar as much?" She laughed. He shrugged. They stood in the cold, silently.
Ashley, staring into the cold air, broke the silence, "I just feel like I keep messing up." Jimmy looked at her incredibly confused because she didn't do anything wrong. He walked up to her and hugged her. Ashley's arms were still crossed over her chest, she stood there with his arms around her. She put her head on his shoulder.
There were still people entering and exiting the club, but they didn't seem to notice.
"Ahem..." It sounded like a guy.
Jimmy and Ashley separated and saw Spinner and Paige standing near them. They were both smiling.
"Sup guys..." Jimmy put his hands back into his sweater pocket.
"Ash... come with me..." Paige grabbed Ashley's arm and they entered.
"Brooks... what's going on?" Spinner was about to jump.
"Craig kind of said some messed up stuff... she was crying, man... what was I suppose to do?" Jimmy was serious.
"Well... you weren't even going to be here... where is that girl you call your girlfriend? Hazel..."
"He said that to you? Craig? Well..." Paige looked into the bathroom mirror and fixed her hair.
"It doesn't matter...." Ashley tried to fix her make up after crying.
"Yea, since you had Jimmy there to pick up the broken pieces..." Paige had a grin on her face.
"What? He was just being nice..." Ashley threw away a paper towel and looked at Paige.
"You two were cute and all when you were the perfect couple...but remember, Ash, he's with Hazel..." Paige looked at Ashley. Ashley nodded. Ashley could tell that Paige wanted to say something else.
"What?"
Paige hesitated, "Nevermind..." she smiled.
At the Underground
Jimmy and Ashley walked around for a while talking.
"About the project... when should we start?" Ashley tried to make small talk to avoid the silence.
"Project? Live a little, Ash..." He said this noticing that she rolled her eyes, "I'm not callin' you a prude or nothing..."
"hm, What are you calling me then?" She couldn't stand that everyone thought she wasn't fun, "Its not like I'm the grim reaper..."
He smiled a little, "I wasn't sayin' that either... juss saying to live a little..."
"Last time I did, the E kind of blew it for me..." She was definitely annoyed.
Jimmy turned to her seriously, "Don't say that..." He waited for her to look at him, "Anyway, that's all history..." There was an awkward silence, and then Craig showed up out of nowhere.
"Hey guys..." Craig smiled, Jimmy nodded back and Ashley just stood there, "You guys are here, and neither of you are dancing?"
"Obviously..." Ashley tried not to look at him.
"Can we talk?" Craig asked Ashley. She looked at Jimmy to make sure he would not care.
The two began to walk.
"Are you sure we're ok?" He asked.
"Craig..." she looked up at him, "What are you doing?"
"I just want to make sure that we're fine, that I can talk to you or that" –He was interrupted.
"I can't forget that easy, Craig..." She said, as there was a long pause.
"You still hate me... cant you just get over it?" They were still walking, back to where Ashley and Jimmy had been standing, "I mean you've been in my situation... I would assume that you knew how I felt... I already apologized..."
Ashley stopped and stared at him in disbelief.
Jimmy was not that far and could hear everything.
"I can't believe you..." She crossed her arms.
"You're not perfect either... even Jimmy's said it... you cheated on him... you've messed up before too..." Craig didn't meant to bring up past history, but it just came out. Ashley's eyes filled with tears and Craig did not know what to do, Jimmy didn't know what to do either. Ashley turned to look away but she couldn't help it and rushed off to leave.
"Guy, what are you doing?" Jimmy asked, "Why do you have to bring me up in all this?" He just stared at Craig who was stunned, "Aren't you going to go after her?
Craig stood without knowing what he should do because he knew he couldn't do anything to talk to Ash now. Jimmy gave him a look and then went after Ashley. He walked out through the entrance and didn't see her. Jimmy turned to go back in and saw her there leaning against the wall with her arms folded because she was slightly windy. He looked at her and saw she had stopped crying and slowly walked up to her.
He stood right in front of her, "What are you doing?" She lifted her head and looked up at him.
"So you guys talk behind my back? I thought it was history..." She turned her head and stared into the open air.
"It is... the last time I ever talked to Craig about it, was LONG time ago... a year or something like that..." He got her to look at him, "This is your chance, you can go back in there and cuss him out if you want... I'll even help you out..." He got her to smile a little.
"right." She smiled and looked up.
"Maybe not, but I don't think he meant what he said..." He put his hands in his sweater pocket because it got cold, "He is my friend and all, so I'm not gonna hate an' all that... but in my opinion you shouldn't be with him... he blew what you two had." They stared at each other.
Ashley wiped the make up under her eye that had smeared and leaned off the wall.
"You ok now?" Jimmy asked.
Ashley stood there stunned at the conversation she just had with Jimmy. They hadn't talked like this in a while and she missed it. She nodded yes.
Jimmy knew she was uncomfortable around Craig and she must still be hurt by what he did, no matter how much she's been telling people that she's over it.
"You kinda changed since he did what he did..." He said looking at her. She smiled a little, "I don't seem to be bipolar as much?" She laughed. He shrugged. They stood in the cold, silently.
Ashley, staring into the cold air, broke the silence, "I just feel like I keep messing up." Jimmy looked at her incredibly confused because she didn't do anything wrong. He walked up to her and hugged her. Ashley's arms were still crossed over her chest, she stood there with his arms around her. She put her head on his shoulder.
There were still people entering and exiting the club, but they didn't seem to notice.
"Ahem..." It sounded like a guy.
Jimmy and Ashley separated and saw Spinner and Paige standing near them. They were both smiling.
"Sup guys..." Jimmy put his hands back into his sweater pocket.
"Ash... come with me..." Paige grabbed Ashley's arm and they entered.
"Brooks... what's going on?" Spinner was about to jump.
"Craig kind of said some messed up stuff... she was crying, man... what was I suppose to do?" Jimmy was serious.
"Well... you weren't even going to be here... where is that girl you call your girlfriend? Hazel..."
"He said that to you? Craig? Well..." Paige looked into the bathroom mirror and fixed her hair.
"It doesn't matter...." Ashley tried to fix her make up after crying.
"Yea, since you had Jimmy there to pick up the broken pieces..." Paige had a grin on her face.
"What? He was just being nice..." Ashley threw away a paper towel and looked at Paige.
"You two were cute and all when you were the perfect couple...but remember, Ash, he's with Hazel..." Paige looked at Ashley. Ashley nodded. Ashley could tell that Paige wanted to say something else.
"What?"
Paige hesitated, "Nevermind..." she smiled.
