Whoa, first things first: Has anyone seen Mandy Musgrave in glasses? HAWT! Just go google that, that is what I've based my nerdy side of Ashley on. Simply adorable!
Secondly, thanks again for the reviews and support! Means a lot!
Third...
Ah fuck it, enjoy the update!
Chapter 3
So I'm on a self-esteem high right now, feeling a grin sneak its way across my face as the warm breeze sweeps across my face and I speed down the road towards school. When I say speed, I mean this thing only does about 30mph but shut up, I'm still on a high. It's just something about the freedom of this little contraption; the only other time I ever feel like this is when I play guitar.
Anyway, so I was out for a run last night, ending up walking a lot of the way, when I stopped this little beauty. A Vespa PK50. Sure the paint work was a little eccentric and it needed a little work, but it was perfect. So Ashley.
Though that kind of worried me…
So on my quest for popularity I decided I needed a set of wheels. Yes, I have the image in my head of me pulling up on the curb, pushing my sunglasses into my hair and asking "Need a ride?" in a smooth tone. Granted in that vision I also pull up in a sports car but still, it's a start.
I bought the little mobile and took it home.
My dad liked to be handy with cars and stuff when he had some free time. He was a real little grease monkey and though apprehensive about me driving such a rickety little thing to start with he agreed to help me fix it up.
I pulled up outside school, failing to notice the stares of other students as I pulled down the driving goggles from my face and tried to dislodge my head from within the round helmet on my head. Struggling to pull the damn thing off, I practically toppled off the little moped and rammed straight into Madison Duarte.
"Shit! Sorry," I exclaimed, face turning red when I finally extracted my head from the helmet to see an aggravated Madison, coffee stain down her pristine white tee-shirt and Spencer with a disapproving look crossing her face. Luckily for me I hadn't spilled her coffee because I don't think I could face another Wrath-of-Spencer. Yesterday was exhausting.
I don't realise Madison has been ranting this whole time, face turning increasingly red as syllables of Spanish weave through her sentences, until she exhales a puff of breath at the end of it.
"…state of my fucking top!"
I shake my head in an attempt to clear it.
"Uh, sorry?" I offer again, because clearly she didn't hear the first time seeing as she was too engaged in her own personal monologue.
Her eyes snap to mine, as if she had forgotten my presence all together.
"Sorry?" she howls, "Sorry is not going to clean my shirt is it? Sorry isn't going to refill my coffee or repaint that fucking thing…"
Her attention diverts to my new ride, squinting her eyes as if the bright colours are currently causing her a great headache.
"How about I give you my top?" I suggest, glancing down at my plaid shirt and back to the glowering diva.
Her expression changes from anger, to disbelief to amusement in a matter of seconds.
"Ha! Like I'd be seen dead in that trash you wear. 'Who are you wearing?'Walmart or something?" She scoffs and walks off, knocking my helmet out of my hand where it was safely grasped and causing it to clatter onto the pavement, following that by bumping my shoulder as she passed and making me stagger backwards. Of course the universe couldn't just have left it at that. Nope. I then trip on said helmet and stumble down, landing ass first on the pavement and Christ did it hurt. Not only the dull throbbing in my right butt cheek from solid contact with a hard surface but the eruption of laughter from students loitering outside the campus, witnessing the exchange with glee on their faces. I feel the colour return to my cheeks, casting my eyes downward after watching Spencer wander off after her Latina friend, brow furrowed in my direction the entire time.
I drop my face into my hands, willing the student body at hand to just disappear so I can pick myself up and dust myself off, like I normally do. But something about those haunting blue eyes made me feel embarrassed and ashamed. And I knew they were my key up the popularity ladder.
With a heavy sigh and small sniffle I wander off to class before the bell sounds.
I sort of felt bad for Ashley, but I felt worse for Madison's top. I mean, sure the wrath of Maddy-without-coffee first thing in the morning isn't pleasant, but coffee is a bitch to get out. And that top looks expensive…
Pulling the offending item over head, having been standing under the hand dryers for the past fifteen minutes, Madison drops it into her schoolbag, retrieving her cheerleaders attire from her gym bag and pulling it on instead. The cheer uniform was a slightly horrible shade of green but didn't look so bad when matched with the Latina's denim shorts.
I smile at her, dejected look on Ashley's face completely forgotten as we link arms and head to class.
Lunch break is a welcome relief, my head spinning from numbers and elongated words. Me and Maddy find our usual spot and bask in the usual blistering sunshine, making the most of the time outdoors to add to our tans.
I have to admit, I honestly feel a little sick.
I hear Madison say something about getting a bottle of juice from the canteen, and is removing herself from out comfortable spot when the commotion reaches my ears.
I crack an eye open and survey the scene before me.
Madison has just hauled herself to her feet, an array of sheets and pages fluttering around her head like large flecks of confetti, a stammering Ashley Davies sprawled on the ground for the second time today, surrounded in fallen books.
She immediately picks herself up, nervously uttering apologies to no avail when Maddy pushed her back down, aggravation flaring in her eyes as she backed away from the fearful brunette on the floor.
With a sigh full of desperation, I watch the girl begin to gather her books again, snatching the pages off the ground while mumbling words under her breath.
"You keep talking to yourself and people are going to think you're crazy," I comment in a lazy voice, inspecting my fingernails as I feel the girls chocolate eyes on me.
She stared a moment, before flipping me off and returning to collecting her fallen notes once again.
"How rude," I sigh, closing my eyes and turning my face to the sky, allowing the sun's rays to smother my face in their heat.
Another beat passes before I open my eyes with a slight huff, my current sunbathing being disturbed by the rustling of sheets being frantically gathered and dropped again.
I snatch a few pages from the ground in front of me, slamming them into the pile in Ashley's arms, causing them to wobble like jelly on a plate and I cringe, crossing my fingers that they don't tumble to the grass again.
My attention snaps to her when she released a quite distressed "Aw fuck," staring miserably at her now scuffed, albeit still hideous spectacles. There was a small clip in the left lens, with a small crack emerging from it, and the frames were scratched and a little misshapen.
Madison chose this moment to return with a bottle of juice, claiming how the anxious looking Ashley also owed her a new top seeing as she "fucking coffee-stained the fucking life out of her fucking old one." Madison's words, not mine. I would never fucking curse like that.
Still, I watched Maddy hurl insults and profanities at the smaller brunette for some minutes before interfering with the bitching session.
"Hey Mads," I offer, placing myself between the seething Latina and petrified nerd, "How about we go to the mall, buy you a new top and take the rest of the day off, eh?" I end with a wide grin that I know the girl won't refuse. The day Madison Duarte turns down the offer of shopping there will be two moons in the sky.
Like the bi-polar bitch she is, Madison's fury filled eyes suddenly glass over with the prospect of sales and, most likely, shoes.
Glad I've calmed her temper for now, I allow her to amble dazedly to her convertible. I turn to Ashley with a quirk eyebrow at her stare of amazement.
"You coming?"
"Spencer, what the fuck is she doing here?" the dark haired Latina hisses furiously to her shorter blonde companion as I follow them into the mall.
"You broke her glasses and she owes you a new top," Spencer shrugs and I deflate, knowing there was an ulterior motive in her bringing me along. I sigh, knowing these girls tendency to be spend-a-holics.
We spend a good few hours in here, and I'm shocked that I'm actually enjoying myself. Not that the queen bitches are paying any attention to me other than to send a few insults in my direction. After I bought Madison a new, and rather pricey, top to replace her ruined one I resigned myself to watching the pair shop away until their hearts were intent. They bought whatever they pleased and whatever looked good on them; which was pretty much everything from flowing tops to denim hot pants to the highest heels I've ever laid eyes on.
Entering yet another shop, their hands laden with bags and me following a short distance behind I listen to someone emit a slight squeal of excitement.
"Oh my GOD! Come over here Spence, this bikini is the absolute sex!"
I guess that was Madison then. My eyes dart to the scene anyway, watching the two girls fawn over this, admittedly gorgeous white Dolce and Gabbana bikini, adorned with cute little cherries.
"You should totally buy it," prompted Madison, thrusting the item into the blonde's hands.
"In white? It would so clash with my hair," Spencer argued, frowning at the bikini before adding, "It's made for dark hair."
Her eyes flash to me, as Madison states "Well I've already got this sexy leopard-print bikini that makes me look hot…"
The blonde's mesmerising blue eyes stay glued to me as she listens to Madison rant about how she has like fifty other bikinis at home. Suddenly she pulls the hanger out of the Latina's hand and extends it towards me.
"Try it on."
Madison's attention switches to me with a, "Ugh, what is she still doing here?"
I begin to back away from Spencer, my eyes wide and not leaving the skimpy item of clothing in her hand.
"Haven't you somewhere to me?" Madison snaps venomously, shooting a dirty look my direction. "I mean, haven't you any friends you could be following around the mall?"
I blush, mumbling out "Um, no…"
Spencer's eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline and Madison scoffs in contempt. "Why am I not surprised?"
I blush further, dropping my eyes to examine my shoes as the girl continues to hurl abuse at me.
"Try the bikini on, Ashley."
I look up in surprise, having never heard anyone in LA call me by my name apart from my dad and sister.
"No thanks, I'm good," I say, my voice shaking a little.
"I'm not asking you, loser, I'm telling you," Spencer states firmly, grabbing my arm a little tighter than necessary and hauling my into the changing room and throwing the bikini in after me before pulling the curtain shut and holding it in place so that I can't get out again.
Groaning loudly and realising I have no other choice I strip down and slip into the bikini. Pulling the straps over my shoulders I chance a look in the mirror within the cubical. Spencer was right, this bikini does look great with my brunette hair, but not quite right against my pale skin.
I step out from behind the curtain, clearing my throat and preparing for the laughter I'm sure will ensue.
I epically struggle to keep my jaw from slamming against the floor.
Madison is oddly quiet too.
But wow, Ashley looks amazing. Beneath the loose and baggy clothes she usually wears hides a thin and toned body. Her figure is flawless, her legs are slim and seem to go on forever and her bum looks simply lush.
I did NOT just think that!
I shake myself, utterly weirded out that that last though.
"You, uh, you look good," I utter, trying to force my tongue to shape the right words to describe the beauty standing before me.
"Yeah, you look nice Madison adds offhandedly, "But you need a spray tan," her gaze returns to her cell phone as if sex on legs did not come walking out from the changing cubical in front of her. Some ass wipe wolf-whistles as he passes and Ashley's face turns beetroot red and she promptly swivels around, pulling the curtain closed behind her.
I take this time to try and settle my heartbeats to a normal pace.
It's absolutely ridiculous. I don't even like this girl, she gets on my nerves a little bit, and my body decides to react as if I'm crushing on her.
I can't possibly be crushing on her.
That's just…no.
Straight.
The curtain opens again, revealing Ashley returning in her oversized checked shirt and scruffy jeans, pushing her broken glasses further up her nose. I reason that my body hasn't recovered yet and that's the only reason my palms feel a little bit sweaty.
I stretch my face into a tight smile as she tells me she's just going to pay for the bikini and ambles away from me and Maddy, still obsessing over her phone. The monotonous clicking of buttons is beginning to get on my nerves as she sends text after text when Ashley returns, mumbling nervously about going to get her glasses fixed because people keep looking at her funnily and she likes the frames but can't see through the lenses very well .
"Let me see you glasses?" I hold my hand out as we leave the store, walking towards the opticians. She hesitantly drops the specs into my waiting palm and I wordlessly dump them on the ground and stamp on them, hard.
Ashley stares distraught at the shards of glass and plastic on the floor, her hurt gaze flicking to my smirk. Hell yeah, bitchy Spencer is back!
"Hunnie, you needed new ones," I state in an obvious tone.
We enter the opticians, and I pick out a flashy pair of designer frames with actually look good on the nervous little girl and demands she order some contact lenses because "I am your new fashion guru. And you cannot hang out with me looking like Harry-fucking-Potter every day."
On the way out of the mall, Madison and I shove a frightened and probably now emotionally scarred Ashley into the beauty salon and book a spray tan pronto, always achieved by tipping the beautician with a few extra bills.
As we wait for Ashley to emerge, Madison finally tears her attention from her phone to fix me with a stony stare. I roll my eyes.
"What?"
She thinks for a moment, probably thinking about how to word what's in her head. Not the brightest button is Maddy.
"Why are you so interested in her?" She asks plainly, brow furrowed slightly.
I panic briefly, aware of my recent thoughts towards the small brunette, before realising Madison doesn't know them. Instead I take a moment to think about her question.
"I guess she seems like she could be kind of cool," I shrug casually.
"Cool? Spencer she's been here a month and she still has no friends! Since when did you associate with someone like that? You're the biggest bitch in school, we set our standards high."
I simply shrug in reply, still not entirely sure why I'm bothering with the girl.
"Look Maddy, it's one day, we got her new glasses, a bikini and a spray tan. We're not suddenly besties, I'll probably never speak to her again after today…"
Satisfied with my answer, the Latina inches closer to me on the sofa and the pair of us begin to bitch about the celebrities in the array of magazines laid out on the table.
Inserting the contact lens into my eye and flinching slightly, still unused to the sensation of the little contacts in my eye, I scan my room for something to wear. Desperate to fit in with Spencer and Madison, I ditch my usual jeans and baggy tee and hunt around my closet before retrieving a pair of dark denim shorts and a white wife beater. I slip my feet into a pair of low-top navy converse and adorn my wrists with some beaded jewellery and sling a cute little necklace around my neck.
The necklace is one of my favourite personal belongings ever. I got it as a Christmas present one year from my grandmother. Hanging from a silver chain sits a little silver pendant in the shape of a purse, the clasp of which opens to reveal a small clock resting inside. I adore it.
I pull my hair into a high ponytail, allowing my freshly cut bangs (yes, I got a haircut after my spray tan yesterday) to fall around my face. I apply a little mascara and lip gloss and grab my school bag from the corner of my bedroom.
Satisfied with my appearance I descend the stairs to the hall, hollering to my dad that I'm leaving and I'll see him later. I haven't seen much of him lately bacause he's been busy with his music and I sigh as my shouts go unanswered.
I hop on my scooter, pulling the helmet on and opting to leave the goggles behind today as the engine roars into life.
"The sun is so hot,
The drinks are so cold.
Your clothes just fall off,
As the day goes."
I'm lounging on the table's surface, leaning on my elbows with my coffee on one hand and my head tilted to the sky, allowing the unusually hot sun to soak into my skin. Its half past eight in the morning and already the weather is scorching hot. 3OH3 blares in my ears through my iPod as I relax even more.
I grin as I see Madison approaching, cracking open an eyelid to peer at her, attached to the arm of Aiden, through my shades.
She waves eccentrically at me across the quad and I take a sip of my mocha in reply.
The couple takes a seat beside me, sharing several chaste kisses and chatting idly. I'm not really paying attention because the grumbling of a tiny engine enters my ears as that God-forsaken scooter serves around the corner and parks at the far side of the lot.
The petite girl climbs off, pulling her helmet from her head and I tense.
She shakes her head, allowing her brunette bangs to fall perfectly around her face. Hanging the helmet on the handle of her moped and turns and walks towards the doors of the school, her tight top and shorts revealing the sway of her hips with every step she takes. The tan on her long legs highlights the tone of muscle in her thighs and simple wife beater accentuates curves I hadn't noticed about her before.
Heads turn as she strides closer, her posture a little less nervous than usual, a small smile fixed in the corners of her glossy lips.
"Cos there's so many fine women,
That my head is spinning.
And I'm seeing double vision,
Everybody singing like…"
I haul the ear bud out, switching my iPod off and glance at Madison. She too has been watching Ashley approach, eyebrows raised slightly as Aiden all but drools over the transformed girl.
"Hey Spence," he begins inquisitively, "Isn't that the loner girl you two pick on?"
I gulp slightly, my mouth suddenly dry.
"It sure is."
So how'd y'all find that one?
Lemmie know! :D
Oh and quick question; how are you guys finding the length of chapters? Too short or just long enough? Too long?
And does the switch in perspective thing confuse you? I like to switch things up to keep the chapter interesting but if its confusing ill try cut it down a little...
Love always!