woop sorry this took so long, but trust me, i wasn't slacking. i've got manyy manyyy more chapters in this here superupdate hahaaa. enjoy!

Chapter 3, Happy Fucking New Year

"5...4...3...2...1, Happy New Year!" everybody shouted as they watched the ball drop. Ashley kissed Brandon, Dylan kissed Brenda, Donna kissed Steve, and David kissed Kelly. Everybody hugged, and when Dylan went to hug Ashley, Brandon lost it. "Would you get off her?"

"Brandon, don't be so ridiculous. It's New Years. Everybody hugs. It's no big deal."

"It is when the people are in love," Brandon spat.

"Brandon!" Ashley shouted, "Would you stop causing a scene? I'm with you, okay?"

"But you want to be with him," Brandon replied, "I think...I think we should break up."

"So do I. I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me. Happy fucking New Year." Brandon shook his head, and walked out of the Pool House. Ashley collapsed onto the couch.

"Ash, I'm sorry. I'll go talk to him," Brenda said, and Ashley just shrugged in response.

"I better take off," Dylan mumbled, "I'm sorry, Ashley." But Ashley didn't blame Dylan. She blamed Brandon for being an untrusting baby.

"G-Good night."

Steve, Donna, Kelly, and David sat around Ashley. Donna stood behind Ashley, holding her around the head. Kelly sat to Ashley's left, and Steve to her right. "Brandon's acting so immature," Donna stated.

"I like him, so much," Ashley said quietly.

"Who?" Steve just had to ask, and Ashley shot him a dirty look. But even Ashley didn't know who she was talking about anymore. It was all so confusing. Ashley began drinking more and more alcohol, sneaking sips when nobody was looking. Kelly, Donna, and Steve left at about two. "David, how are you gonna get home?"

"I'm not going home. Ashley, you're drunk. I'm not gonna leave you alone."

"Hey, I am not drunk, David," Ashley said, standing up, and then collapsing right back down.

"Oh yeah, of course you aren't. How can I be so dumb?"

Ashley shrugged, "Iunno."

"You've been sneaking drinks all night. I'm not going to leave you here, drunk and alone," David said.

Ashley looked at him, smiling at his generosity, "You...You're a good friend." Ashley then leaned over and passionately kissed him. At first, he kissed back, but then moved away. "N-No."

"What's wrong? I thought you liked me."

"That's an understatement. I guess there isn't any harm in telling you this, cause you're probably too hammered to remember, but I love you. And that's exactly why I can't do this. You're coming onto me because you're drunk, Ashley. And if we ever do this, I want it to be because you feel the same way as me."

"Come on, David. Please?"

David bit his lip. Ashley was sitting there, begging him to make out with her, which is something that he'd been hoping for since the day he met her, and here he was, flat out refusing her. "Fine," Ashley said, crossing her arms, and a minute later, she passed out. David sighed, and began taking off her shoes. He threw a blanket over her, and called his house to tell his parents that he would be staying over at Steve's. David sat on the chair, watching her sleep, and finally dozed off. He woke up at about 10:30, and began cleaning the pool house a little. At about noon, Ashley woke up.

She yawned, stretched, and looked confused for a minute, "H-Hi David. My god, what happened last night?"

"You had a little too much to drink," David replied.

"And you stayed to take care of me?" Ashley asked, apparently touched, "Aw, that's so sweet. No offence, but why didn't Brandon stay behind? I'm sure he's got no problems taking care of his drunk girlfriend."

David closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again, "You...You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Ashley...You and Brandon...You broke up." David could see that everything had just come flooding back to Ashley's memory.

"Did...Did you mean what you said last night?" Ashley asked.

David exhaled loudly through his mouth, "I had hoped you wouldn't remember that."

"I'm so sorry, David. I didn't know you felt that strongly. Maybe sometime in the future, but right now, it's just...it's not the time."

"Okay. I...I understand."

David left half an hour later, and Ashley sat alone, thinking about Brandon. How could he over react like that? It was New Years, for god's sake. She kept thinking back to try and remember if she had done anything to make him so mad, but she couldn't think of a thing. If Brandon wanted to turn into a jealous nut, that was his problem. Ashley sighed, and then heard a knock on her door. She went to open it, and saw Brandon standing there. She blinked a couple times and said, "What are you doing here?"

"I...I came to apologize, Ash. I've been such a jerk, and it's only because I'm so afraid of losing you," Brandon told her honestly. She closed her eyes, trying to sort things out.

"It hurts, Brandon. It hurts really badly that you don't trust me."

"I do trust you, I just-,"

"Don't trust Dylan. Yeah, I know. If you really trusted me, that would be enough."

"But...I love you," Brandon said quietly.

"Maybe that just doesn't cut it."

"So, you're saying we should stay broken up?" Brandon asked.

"For now, at least," Ashley said, trying to remain strong.

"And there's nothing I can say or do to change your mind?" Brandon questioned.

"Depends. Do you have something to say or do?"

"Just this," Brandon said, coming closer and kissing Ashley. At first, Ashley reamined still, but then gave in and kissed him back, but after a minute or so, Ashley backed away.

"No...Brandon...We're supposed to be broken up."

"Okay. Fine." Brandon gave her a last heartbroken look, and walked out.

Ashley didn't know what to do. She had just broken up with the first guy she had real feelings for since Dylan. She was trying so hard to stay calm, and then, there was another knock at the door. "Go away!" Ashley yelled.

"It's me." Ashley blinked several times, and then stood up. She opened the door, and saw Dylan standing there. He stepped inside, closed the door, and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Its-It isn't your fault, Dylan. As much as he argues with me about it, the fact is, he just doesn't trust me."

"Any guy who freaks because of a hug on New Years, between a couple of friends is just way too insecure," Dylan stated.

Ashley half-smiled and said, "We'll never be just a couple of friends, Dylan."

"I...I broke up with Brenda last night."

Ashley looked up at him sharply. "So me and Brandon break up and you automatically think it means we'll get together?"

"No. I didn't think it was fair to Brenda to be dating her when I was completely in love with her best friend," Dylan replied.

"How did it go?" Ashley asked awkwardly.

"Better than expected. She was mad, but she appreciated the honesty," Dylan replied.

"Dylan, you know how you asked me who I had stronger feelings for?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't want to tell you the answer because I was really afraid, but...Dylan, it's you. As much as I liked Brandon, you've always been with me in some way, and I just can't let you go."

"You have no idea how great that is to hear," Dylan said.

"Let me just see something," Ashley whispered. She leaned in and kissed Dylan. After about a minute, Ashley pulled away, "Wow."

"Yeah, uh, what was that for?"

"I wanted to see the difference," she shrugged.

"And?"

"And that was the best kiss I've ever had," Ashley replied quietly.

Dylan grinned, pleased with himself, "Yeah, same here."

"Dylan...this thing was so stupid. Me being with Brandon, you being with Brenda. We should have been together, but I'm just too fucking stubborn. I hate it, I can never just let myself be happy."

"Are you saying you want us to be together?"

"I'm saying that I need us to be together."

Dylan smiled, leaned in, and kissed her. "But I want to take things slow. I'm sorry I took so long."

"Don't worry about it. You're worth the wait."

"I just feel bad. Not for Brandon, but for Brenda. I feel like I'm stabbing her in the back."

"We're broken up, Ashley. Besides, she knew what she was getting herself into. It's obvious, even to her, that you and me are meant to be together," Dylan told her.

"You believe that?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I do. Do you believe in soul mates and all that stuff?"

"Not at all. I believe in love and fate, but I don't think there's only one perfect person for everyone. I think you choose, and work for it."

"I guess that could be possible, too," Dylan nodded. He smiled, leaned in, and kissed her.

A few hours later, Ashley decided to go over to the Walsh house. She knocked on the door, and Brandon answered it. He looked at her for a second, and in that second, all the pain could be seen in his eyes. "Can I come in?" Brandon didn't say anything, he just moved aside and walked into the living room. He sat down, and so did she. "Okay Brandon, I'm going to be honest here and tell you everything. Ever since eighth grade, Dylan and I were like best friends. In 10th, we started having feelings for each other, and I didn't want to be just another name on the Dylan McKay fanlist. I stopped speaking to him, and decided to hate him instead. He was really hurt and angry and upset. We fell for each other. And then I met you. Brandon, you don't have to believe this, but it's the truth. I cared about you so much. But Dylan's with me in a way nobody else will ever be. I'm sorry for hurting you. I care about you so much, Brandon. I know it's not likely, but I really hope we can go back to being friends, be-because I really...I don't want to lose you. You mean...so much to me."

Brandon's expression softened and he sat closer to her. He hugged her, and whispered, "Don't worry. You're never going to lose me, okay? Never."

"How can you be so nice to me?"

"Because you're the nicest, prettiest, funniest girl I know," Brandon said, smiling warmly, "And everybody makes mistakes. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. Besides, I practically pushed you into Dylan's arms. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I just didn't want to lose you."

Ashley smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "You're a great guy, Brandon Walsh."

"So...Are you two...?"

Ashley looked down and whispered, "Yeah. Well, I'd better get going."

Brandon softly smiled, and she returned it. Ashley began walking toward the door when she heard him call out, "Hey," he sighed, "Tell Dylan I'm sorry."

Ashley grinned at him, "You really are something, you know that?" and left the house.

David sat in his house, thinking about what an eventful New Years Day it had been so far. He sat on his bed, just staring up at the ceiling. At least he was able to say he had turned down Ashley Gilmore. Not that he'd tell anybody about it, because he would never do that to Ashley. He cared about her way too much for that. Just then, the phone rang, and David got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey David, it's Ashley."

"Oh, hi," David said. Hearing her voice broke his heart.

"David, you're...you're a really great guy, and probably more of a friend than I deserve. I'm so sorry for everything. Do you think it's possible for us to go back to being good friends?"

"I don't know," David said, hating himself for saying it, "Talking to you...it kind of breaks my heart."

"So, we can't even be friends?" Ashley asked, her voice cracking. David felt horrible for being the cause of her voice sounding so shaky. He didn't want to lose her anymore than she wanted to lose him.

"We can try," David said after a long pause, "But...It'll be hard." He could practically hear Ashley smile.

"How about I try to look as ugly as possible, will that make it better?"

"It's impossible for you to look ugly, Ashley," David stated, really meaning it.

"Aw, that's sweet. Thanks so much for trying this friend thing. You have no idea how much it means to me. I care about you so much, and I couldn't bare it if we stopped being friends," she told him earnestly.

David thought for a second. "Yeah. Neither could I."

"I'll see you around, David."

"Yeah. Seeya."

David hung up the phone, and laid back down on his bed, but just as soon as he had laid back down, it rang again. He stood back up, and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi. David? It's Kelly."

"Oh, hey, Kel. What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I tried calling you last night, and your dad said you were at Steve's. So I called Steve, and he said you weren't there."

"Yeah, uh. I kind of lied to my dad."

"Snuck out for some New Years partying?" Kelly asked.

David laughed, "Something like that. So, why'd you call last night?"

"I was wondering, since Ashley and Brandon broke up, if you were wondering about doing anything about it?" Kelly asked curiously.

"Nah. The two of us are just friends, for now at least. Besides, she'll probably end up getting back together with Brandon, or Dylan, or maybe even Steve."

"Nah, she doesn't really go for blonde guys," Kelly replied, "Well, I'll see you in school."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Ashley was replaying the whole day in her head. It was definitely a New Years to remember, that was for sure. At about 3:00, somebody knocked on the door. When she answered it, Steve was standing there. "Hey, Ashley."

"Oh, hi Steve. Come on in," Ashley said, stepping aside so he could come in. He smiled, and sat down, making himself at home.

"I'm sorry about you and Brandon. I swear, you and Brandon...Me and Kelly. Relationships are such a waste of time, don't you think?" Steve asked.

Ashley thought for a second, "Not anymore. I used to think that way, but I don't anymore. But I guess I don't think that way because things are going good for me."

"Things are going good for you?" Steve questioned confusedly, "You just broke up with your boyfriend, Ashley."

"I know," Ashley nodded, "But uh, this morning..."

"You two got back together?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, no," Ashley said, shaking her head, "Uh, okay, I'm only telling you this because you're one of my very best friends, and I can trust you with my life. Right, Steve?"

"Of course you can. Now what's going on?" Steve asked, looking concerned.

"Okay well, me and Dylan..." Ashley trailed off.

"You and Dylan, what?" Steve asked confusedly.

Ashley looked at him, her jaw dropping a bit, "Ugh, this is what I get for trying to talk to someone with an IQ that's equivelent to room temperature."

"Hey," Steve said, looking hurt, "I resent that."

"Oh, like it isn't true," Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't say it wasn't true," Steve stated, "I just said I resented it." He shook his head, as if clearing that conversation out of his mind and said, "So you and Dylan..."

"Me, Dylan, together. Understand, bonehead?"

"Wait, so you and Dylan are going out?" Steve asked.

"Way to go, Sherlock. How'd you figure that one out?"

"I guess I just read people really good, you know?" Steve responded. Ashley rolled her eyes and pushed him off the couch.

After Steve left, Ashley picked up the phone and dialed Donna's number. After two rings, Donna picked up. "Hello?" she asked in her sweet voice.

"Hey, Donna. It's me," Ashley said.

"Oh hi, Ash. How are you doing?" Donna asked, her sweet voice turning to one oozing with concern.

"I'm okay. Me and Brandon are over for good, but this morning Dylan came by..."

"And?" Donna asked sort of excitedly. She had always wanted Ashley and Dylan to be together, branding them, the 'perfect couple'. Ashley could picture Donna in her house, smiling ear to ear.

"And, we're together now," Ashley responded, the words still feeling funny as they came out of her mouth.

"Aw, really? That's so great. I'm so happy for you," Donna said, her voice returning to it's default sweet mode.

"Thanks. I worked things out with both Brandon and David, and we're all friends again, so everything really did work out perfectly," Ashley told her, happy with the end results.

"Well good. I'm glad everything worked out. I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye," Ashley said, hanging up.