Author's Note:
Another update? Already?
I was planning to keep you all in suspense for a bit and wasn't going to post this for a couple of days, but seeing as I already had it written, and you guys are awesome, I figured I'd put this one out there early to see what the reaction would be...
So date night seemed to be a hit. You think you might know who Mel likes? You may be correct, but we'll have to keep reading to find out ;)
It seems Ashley and Spencer had a bit of a rough time last chapter, but can they reconcile?
Maybe a bit of a heart-wrenching chapter here, unless you're a robot who doesn't do emotions... Heart-wrenching or heart-warming; maybe a bit of both, I'm not sure. I'll let you guys decide. I'm thinking you'll like it either way... Well, I hope you'll like it.
Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows, guys! I really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
Chapter 12:
I wake up a little later today, after coming home late last night. Not too late though; I could hear Brooke and Lucy messing about with the twins on the landing at about ten o'clock, and haven't managed to get back to sleep.
Come quarter past, I decide to drag my ass out of bed and get washed. Everyone else is probably dressed already for the day, so I get changed quickly before making my way downstairs.
The kitchen is empty, so I'm assuming everyone is outside judging by the screams and laughter I can hear through the open window.
I decide to take this time to myself, making myself a delicious breakfast of toast and orange juice. I skip the jam today, opting to use butter instead. I feel bad stealing Chase's food all the time; the guy deserves a break...
Laughter fills my ears as the back door opens and Spencer walks in, heading for the sink. The smile on her face soon fades though as she notices me at the table, clearing her throat as she pours herself a glass of water, avoiding all eye contact.
"Still not talking to me, huh?" There's silence as she downs the liquid, rinsing the glass out when she's finished before going back outside.
I roll my eyes. Mature.
When I finish my breakfast, I head outside to join the others. Dale and Glen are chasing the kids, pretending to be dinosaurs, while Chase and Casey play a game of HORSE with the basketball.
I'm guessing Rob is down in his workshop working on something, but Spencer is huddled with Annie and Pam as they look at old photos at the table. Crap... They're vintage ones from our childhood. They should be locked up in the basement forever, or better yet; let's throw them on the campfire...
I sit down a few spaces up from them at the table, hoping they lose interest soon as I draw with my finger on the tabletop.
Suddenly, Spencer snorts, Annie giggling beside her as she calls over to me.
"Hey, Ash, I didn't know you practiced naturism in your younger years..." The pair of them burst into laughter as I cover my face with my hands and groan. "I've always thought you had a great ass, but I was never lucky enough to see it in the flesh until now. I have to tell you; I am not disappointed." She winks at me. Oh God...
"Girls... leave her alone..." Thank you, Pam. "It is a lovely bottom though..." Oh, not you too...
Thankfully, the rest of the album isn't too bad. Well, compared to the photograph of me in all my glory. What could be more embarrassing? Actually, scratch that; I don't want to jinx it. I'm sure there is something else Pam has stored away that will significantly damage my street cred even more...
After lunch, we decide to play around in the pool, Annie sitting out with Pam as the pair of them discuss their books again.
Soon enough, we get a game of volleyball going in the pool, five girls against the four boys. It's not that competitive though, since we're playing with children and all; it's just a bit of fun.
We're having a great time splashing around trying to score against each other, even though Spencer still refuses to talk to me. I don't think anyone notices though; we're too busy laughing.
Eventually though, Casey brings Mel up.
"Hey, Ash! You should have invited hot pants Mel! I bet she'd be great at volleyball!"
Of course, Spencer tenses up at this. She's not too fond of good old hot pants Mel...
"Ha, yeah... Maybe next time..." Apparently, this isn't a satisfactory answer as Spencer subtly shakes her head.
I start to notice Spencer getting ridiculously flirty with Casey then, taking every opportunity she can to touch her. It seems to get annoying even for Casey eventually, and she pushes her away slightly giving her a weird look. I see her lips move as she says something to Spencer and the pair of them get out of the pool, towelling themselves off before making their way into the house. Please don't be going to 'get busy'...
The volleyball game stops there, as we're now a team of three against four, myself being the only adult in the girls' team; where's the fairness in that?
Chase and I are splashing around with the kids as Glen and Dale wrestle on the grass beside the pool, Pam and Annie spectating, when Spencer and Casey reappear ten minutes later.
Casey hops back into the pool, whereas Spencer takes a seat with Pam and Annie, looking quite sheepish.
Eventually, Spencer joins us in the pool though as Casey calls her over, but she's not being touchy-feely like she was during our volleyball game. Weird. I wonder what they were doing earlier...
We stay out the back until dinner time, when we move into the big table in the kitchen after having thrown track pants and sweatshirts on to cover ourselves up.
The back door is open as Chase and I cook the barbeque for tonight. Dale seems to be taking the night off cooking the burgers as he's loved up with Annie at the moment, sitting beside her at the end of the table with one hand on her bump as she wipes a bit of grass off his face, probably from the wrestling earlier...
Spencer is sitting next to Casey, but not relatively close. Glen is sitting opposite her, to the left of Annie and right to Pam. Rob is at the head of the table, and there are two spaces free for Chase and myself, as the kids sit at their small table; one beside Casey, and the other, Spencer.
It seems Chase has made a decision regarding who is sitting where, as pretty much as soon as we put the burgers and hot dogs in the centre of the table, he sits next to Casey, leaving me to sit at the other end beside Spencer.
I place a separate plate of food on the kids' table before sitting down. It seems Glen has started eating already, as he compliments our culinary skills.
"Man, this is delicious. Way better than Dale's. Maybe all they needed was a woman's touch... I bet having Ashley around helped too..." He grins. "Oww! Chase!" Chase has just thrown a bottle of sauce at him.
"I'm not a woman." Glen chuckles at this.
"I'm just kidding, dude..."
Conversation is kept light for a while until we're almost finished and Casey decides to talk about my exes.
"Hey, Ash... Remember that girl you went out with who had the barbeques nearly every day during Summer? She wasn't so bad apart from the whole barbequed meat obsession... Oh, oh, and then there was Sherry! Man, she was crazy... And remember the older girl you dated for about a week who had the motorbike? What was her name? Mindy... Millie... Molly! That was it!"
"Casey, shut up..." I really don't want to think about that part of my life. I was mourning my dad in my own twisted way. Plus, I don't want Spencer thinking I like to sleep around...
Spencer raises her eyebrows at me as Casey continues.
"Who came next? Oh, Trish. She was a quiet girl... Well, until you had your way with her... Then there was that hot foreign girl, Ola. Man, I definitely remember her..." She pauses for a second. "Then we had Krystal, Alanna and Natalie... Oh, and Kaitlyn... I'm sure there were more, but then Paige came along. Then she went bye-bye. And now M –"
"Casey, shut the fuck up!" Immediately, all four kids gasp, along with Pam. I guess that's another dollar for the jar. I couldn't care less right now though. I'm furious.
I shove my chair back and storm out of the house, my legs taking off as I make my way to the lake with haste.
When I get to the lake, I toss a few small rocks into the water with force before collapsing on the small boardwalk.
I can't believe Casey would be so insensitive as to say something like that.
Yes, I may have gotten over Paige in a way, but I've never actually opened up to anyone about it, and still dodge it when the topic is brought up.
What gives her the right to bring her up, never mind be so blasé about her death? 'Bye-bye'? She went fucking 'bye-bye'? What the fuck? When she died, my whole world fell apart...
I sit in silence as I gaze out over the water.
Within minutes, I sense a presence behind me.
"Are you okay? You took off pretty quickly just then..." I keep my eyes locked on the water as I reply.
"Not really." There's silence for a few moments, before Spencer takes a seat beside me at the end of the boardwalk.
"You want to talk about it?" I shake my head as I look down. There's another round of silence before Spencer speaks again.
"So if you don't mind me asking... Who's Paige?" I inhale a deep breath as I close my eyes and clench my jaw. Casey had no right to bring her up. No right. Certainly not in the way she did. "Is that who the 'P' on your hip is for? Paige?" She saw that? I thought I did a pretty good job of keeping that covered with my bikini at the beach...
I still don't say anything. I just keep looking over the water, watching as the sun starts to slowly disappear, its orange light reflecting off the surface of the lake.
"I get it, you don't want to talk about it. But I'm here when you're ready..."She gets up then, making her way back to the house slowly.
I don't want her to leave though. It was comforting to have her sitting there beside me, even if we were just sitting in silence. It calmed me.
"Don't go." I hear her stop, and turn my head to look at her, my eyes glassing over as we make eye contact "Please." I hardly recognise my own voice. I sound like a vulnerable child.
She blinks before reoccupying the space beside me.
I think she realises what I want; just her simple company, as we continue to sit in silence, watching as the sun sets, the orange glow transforming into a bluish hue.
I wait until the sun has completely disappeared before speaking.
"She was my girlfriend." I don't know why I'm telling her this. I've never opened up about my past before, not even with Casey. Like I said, if it was ever brought up, I would make the conversation as brief as possible. With Spencer though, that feeling of comfort is there, even if she hasn't been talking to me this past while. Maybe I need to get everything off my chest once and for all. If that's the case, somehow Spencer feels like the perfect candidate to just listen and absorb my words.
Spencer jumps slightly, startled that I even opened my mouth. She doesn't say anything though, as she lets me continue at my own pace.
"We were only together for a year and a half, but she was my first love. At least, I think she was. I'd never felt anything like that for someone before..." I bite my lip before going on. "There was a... A crash. Almost two years ago. Her parents were with her. All three of them were pronounced dead at the scene. 'On impact' they said." I take a deep breath and look down at my hands that I'm now playing with.
Spencer moves closer to me as she reaches out and takes my right hand in her own, leaving them in my lap. I glance at her before squeezing her hand with mine. She still says nothing, just simply looks at me with sincerity and understanding.
I look down at our conjoined hands as I explain my past further.
"After her death, I took responsibility for Brooke. Her aunt was too ill, and Brooke got upset when she thought I was leaving her..."
"Wait... Brooke's not your sister?" I shake my head.
"No, not biologically. She's Paige's. But she's always been like my own..." I pause. "She's just like her, you know." I look up at Spencer then, letting a stray tear fall from my eye. Spencer keeps her right hand in mine, her left reaching out to wipe it away.
"What was she like?" I pause as I look out over the lake again, smiling as I think back.
"She was amazing. Smart, witty, breathtakingly beautiful... And she would have done anything for her family." I look down again as I remember the night she died. "It was the night before Brooke's birthday. The night they died. Her parents had flown back to surprise Brooke. But they never made it..."
Spencer must sense I'm getting upset, as she throws her arms around me, pulling me into an embrace. I feel myself crumbling in her arms with each second that passes.
I feel the tears coming, and I let them fall, pulling Spencer closer as I clutch at her sweatshirt, a small pool forming on her shoulder. When I'm out of breath and almost gasping, I take a deep breath. I'm immediately calmed by the scent I've just inhaled. It's a mixture of strawberries and vanilla, and something distinctly Spencer.
I close my eyes as I nuzzle closer to her neck, where the aroma seems strongest.
I eventually calm down, Spencer's scent soothing me into loosening my grip, allowing her to pull away slightly.
She ducks her head down to make eye contact with me. I sniff before granting her wish.
"I had another brother you know, aside from Glen... He was adopted, but he was still very much a part of our family..."
"What happened?" I'm still sniffing as I look at her, my eyes still red from my slight breakdown.
"He was shot. Gunned down at Prom of all places... Mistaken identity." She looks down then.
"I'm sorry, Spencer."
"It's okay." She smiles at me. "Clay was a great guy; a gentle giant. He was so supportive. And unbelievably intelligent. He was going to be big..." She pauses as a fond laugh escapes her lips. "I actually met one of my best friends, Chelsea through him; she was his girlfriend." She smiles again before her face turns serious as she makes eye contact. "I know what it's like to lose someone, Ashley. And I know it's been almost two years, but if you ever need to talk to someone... I'm here."
"Thank you." Our eyes are locked. I'm very aware of the lack of space between us, getting a strange sense of déjà vu as I hear the wind ruffle the calm surface of the lake.
My tongue darts out to wet my lips, my eyes locked onto her own pair as we both lean in. My eyes shut as we both move to close the distance...
"Ashley!" We jump apart, after bumping heads slightly at the sound of the masculine voice.
"Shit, I'm sorry!" I apologise.
"No, no, it's fine! Great timing, huh?" We both chuckle. At least it's not awkward. We sit there smiling at each other for a second, before the voice calls out again.
"Ashley, you out here?"
"Shit." We both stand up before I call out to Chase. "Yeah! Chase, we're over here!" He turns to face us. It looks like he was just about to go into the woodland.
"Oh, thank God! I thought you'd ran off into the woods. You really scared me, Ash... You okay?" He runs up to me, putting one hand on my back. Aww, bless him. He really is a softie, isn't he?
"Yeah, I'm okay now thanks, Chase. Spencer and I had a good talk." I look at Spencer before smiling slightly; a smile which she returns.
"Well that's a relief... Look, I know how you feel about... Well, you know..."
"Paige."
"Yeah..." He gives me a heartfelt look before continuing. "Well, Dale and I have spoken to Casey about what she said, and she's pretty mad at herself right now. She's up in her room, and I can't see her coming down anytime soon, but expect a full apology later, okay?" I nod at him as he throws an arm around me. "And hey, if you're ever in the mood for jam, help yourself. Really; anytime!" He winks at me and I chuckle.
I throw my other arm around him as I pull him into a tight hug.
"I love you, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know..." He pulls away then before looking at me. "Who doesn't, right?" I slap him on the arm. "I'm joking, I'm joking! I love you too, Ash..."
"You're going to make some woman very happy one day... Or some man..."
"Hey, shut up! I'm totally straight!" He nudges me as the three of us make our way back to the house, laughing.
The evening passes by fairly quickly, and it's pretty enjoyable to say the least. Spencer hasn't left my side, except for when Brooke asked her to paint the nails on her right hand as Lucy was 'messing about' and wasn't 'doing them properly', but as soon as she was finished, she sat right back down beside me.
Chase has been great too. He keeps looking at me every so often, probably making sure I'm not about to break down or anything. I'm fine though, really. That talk with Spencer earlier did me the power of good.
Glen and Dale put the kids to bed tonight; they're great dads. Brooke brought Paige down to say goodnight so I wouldn't have to go upstairs. Casey still hasn't surfaced, and I don't really fancy bumping into her right now.
Spencer watches on as we go through our 'goodnight' routine, smiling when Brooke takes off with Glen and Lucy.
We decide to play charades while Dale and Glen are away, the two of them joining in when they return.
Annie is an absolute boss at this game. Sure, she's quite young, but she must have watched a hell of a lot of films in her time...
Chase's actions are hilarious. Why that kid doesn't do drama, I have no idea. I guess sport is just too important to him...
The evening is spent in laughter, each of us dropping out one by one as we retire to bed. I don't get a chance to speak to Spencer once we're upstairs though, as Glen calls her into her room to speak to their parents who have just called.
Chase has just left the bathroom as he came upstairs five minutes earlier than Spencer, Glen and I, so I take my time as I get washed and brush my teeth, thinking back to the lake earlier. I've never seen that side of Spencer before, but then again, it's pretty much been anger and jealousy between us since I found out she's with Casey. It was nice though to see her in a different light. I hope to see more of this side of her.
I make my way to my bedroom, propping myself up at the headboard as I wait for the inevitable entrance of Casey.
Soon enough, there's a soft knock as she pokes her head around the doorway before entering and pushing the door shut, leaning against it as she speaks.
"Ash... Ash, I'm so sorry. You know what I'm like; I say things without thinking, and sometimes it gets me into shit. I can't believe how stupid I was. I'm sorry!" She's still standing at the door, probably afraid to move any closer.
"I was really upset, Casey..."
"I know, Ash! And I really am sorry! I know when you arrived here, you said you were over her in a way, but still, I shouldn't have said it. I hate myself for it, and I promise I will never, ever say anything like that again. Your friendship means too much to me..." She moves towards my bed and sheepishly reaches into her pocket. "Here." I look at the object she just placed down beside me.
"The friend card?" I haven't seen this in years.
"I had a good rummage in my drawers earlier and found it. It's your turn to use it now."
I hold it in my left hand as I run my right over it, feeling the creases and bumps it had acquired over years of wear and tear under my fingertips.
We used to use this quite often when we were younger. If we fell out over something, Pam or Rob would always get to the root of it and find out which of us was in the wrong. We would then apologise to the other, offering the friend card as a symbol of our friendship. Whoever was in possession of the card could make the other do one thing, whether they liked it or not. We were only young at the time, so it would be something silly like 'fill a glass with orange juice, milk and ketchup, and down it', or 'do three shots of Tabasco sauce'. Now that we're adults however, I'm pretty sure I could get away with making her do something more adventurous...
"Okay." I mutter.
She ducks her head to look at me.
"Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay." She runs over to me then, pulling me into a hug. Wow, I'm getting quite a lot of these today...
"Thank you, Ash! I'll do anything; you name it! I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine. Just... Don't do anything like that again, okay?" I offer her a small smile. We've been friends since our childhood. I don't want to lose her over this, even if it did cut me quite deep.
"You bet! Never again!" She takes a seat on the edge of my bed. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about though..."
"Yeah?" I make eye contact with her, letting her know it's okay to continue.
"I broke it off with Spencer today..." What? She never mentioned anything at the lake earlier...
"You did? Well... When? How?" I'm curious now.
"When we were in the pool earlier. She was getting too handsy, just like she was at the bar. She's never been that clingy before. She's never acted that way in private never mind in public..." She furrows her eyebrows, confused. "Anyway, I told her the truth then; that I felt it just wasn't working and that we'd be better off as friends like before."
"And what did she say?" My heart is racing right now.
"She was pretty calm about the whole thing. In fact, she agreed. Said she feels exactly the same way. I told her I didn't want things to be awkward, and that she could leave if she wanted, but that I'd like it if she stayed. Besides, Brooke wouldn't like it if her new best friend left her... I'm sure she'd be upset if Lucy had to leave too..." I chuckle at this. It's true; Brooke idolises Spencer, which is great. It was quite annoying to start with, when she was with Casey, but after our conversation earlier, I realise what a beautiful person she really is, inside and out. Sure, things have been a bit rocky up until now, but with Casey out of the picture, and Mel in the friendzone, the only way is forward, and it really helps that Brooke likes her.
"So they're staying?" I really want her to say yes. Brooke wouldn't be the only one at a loss if Spencer left.
"Yep. Look, I promise it won't be awkward; Spencer and I were great as friends before..."
"No, it's fine. I'm glad. I've grown quite fond of them to be honest; Glen included." Casey smiles then.
"Yeah, they're a pretty cool family... Well, I'll leave you alone to get some sleep. I'm really sorry about today. Goodnight, Ash."
"Night, Casey." She smiles one last time before leaving my room, AKA: the confession booth.
Before I turn my bedside lamp off, I lift my phone to send Spencer a simple text, since I didn't get the chance to speak to her earlier. I know I already thanked her at the lake, but it's been lovely having her by my side to comfort me this evening.
Thank you. X
I decide to wait to see if she'll reply. She does, in seconds.
No problem. I'm always here. X
I smile as I switch my phone to silent and set it on my bedside table. It's short and simple, but it makes my heart soar.
She's always here.
I turn my bedside lamp off, darkness enveloping the room.
Maybe everything will be alright...
.
.
.
.
A/N – Damn interruption at the lake, eh? Since it was Chase, I'll let him off, but awwwww, vulnerable Ashley... Could this be the beginning of something beautiful? :P
So... Heart-wrenching or heart-warming? Perhaps a bit of both? Let me know your thoughts :)
P.S. I was tempted to write the break up scene from Spencer's POV and have a few notes written out for it, but I figured I'd just stay loyal to Ashley and let her best friend give her the gossip. This is primarily her story, so I'll probably just stick to her the whole way through.
