I'm a terrible person. I know. I apologise profusely, as I seem to be doing more and more often lately. But I just want you all to know that I'm not gonna give up on this story. I will finish it and hopefully will have more time to do so at present.
Anyway, I also apologise for the lack of Spashley in the next couple of chapters. I'm going to work on giving Ashley some food for thought so that we can work up to proper Spashley time. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Even though the author is prone to increasingly sporadic updates. I will try harder. I will.
Have you ever had one of those moments in your life when you are so utterly shocked that it feels like time has frozen? When you are literally so bamboozled that every muscle in your body freezes up and all you can hear is some distant buzzing noise in your ear that could potentially be your own brain shrivelling up and dying with utter confoundedness?
That's kind of what's happening to me right now.
Because I'm straddling Madison Duarte. I'm actually straddling her. And I'm straddling her because she's in Taylor's bed.
She's in Taylor's bed...
Comprehension of the situation hits me like a speeding fifty tonne bus and I scramble off of the bed, releasing something that sounds half scream half yelp. A 'screlp' if you will.
Because Madison Duarte is in Taylor's bed. And that can only mean one thing.
Right?
My eyes immediately zone in on Madison's bare shoulders and the way she's clutching the covers to her chest.
Please let this be a horrible nightmare.
"Hey baby, ready for round two?"
Madison's eyes get even wider as the familiar voice echoes across the room and I whip around. Taylor is standing in the doorway, a white towel wrapped loosely around her waist, her short wet hair sticking to her forehead as droplets of water continue to drip down her freshly showered body.
There's a seductive smirk spread across her face and for the second time that day I feel a strong urge to vomit.
"Taylor?"
My exclamation surprises me, my voice ridiculously high-pitched and horribly strangled.
Her eyes almost fall clean out of their sockets as she sees me standing at the side of the bed and then they swivel to Madison who has yet to say a word. Which is really rather surprising considering how she usually loves to mouth off.
"Taylor Elizabeth Jones..." I take a couple of threatening steps towards the cringing girl, blatantly ignoring the fact that she's half naked. "Please god, tell me this isn't what I think it is."
"Er..." She takes an involuntary step backwards as the hand not clutching the towel to her waist rises to scratch awkwardly at the back of her neck.
"If it is what you think it is Davies, then it's really none of your business." A familiar voice comes from behind me.
I knew that bitch couldn't stay quiet for long.
I whip around to face her.
"You." I point aggressively at her. "Shut the fuck up. You!" I turn so my finger is pointing right up into Taylor's terrified face. "Talk!"
"I...uh...um..." Taylor's usually confident demeanour seems to have vanished completely and been replaced with a stammering, bumbling fool. "Er...can we talk outside?"
"Why?" I've gotten over my incapacitating disbelief and now I am royally pissed. What the fuck is she playing at? "Surely there's nothing you can say to me that your new lover can't hear."
"Ash..." Taylor pleads with me, her expression not dissimilar to a dying puppy but I don't see the emotions in her eyes that I desperately want to be there. I want to see some regret, maybe even a little repulsion at what she's just done and most of all, I want to see a hell of a lot of remorse.
Because this shit is not cool.
"Please Ash. Let's just talk about this outside." She looks over my shoulder and her head moves in an almost imperceptible nod but I'm so close to her that I see it.
What the fuck?
Please tell she is not silently communicating with Madison Duarte right now.
Hello, Twilight Zone.
I hear the sound of drawers opening from behind me and turn to see Madison leaning over, the covers still clasped to her obviously naked chest, fumbling through Taylor's chest of drawers.
She grabs what I know to be Taylor's favourite grey t-shirt and pair of boxers and throws them over to my petrified best friend.
Possibly soon to be ex-best friend because the fact that Madison knows where Taylor keeps her clothes and which ones happen to be her favourite is extremely disturbing.
Taylor slips in the clothes with the expertise of someone who's had to change in front of other people a million times before and forcibly grasps my hand, pulling me out of the room, down the stairs and into the kitchen where she situates herself on one side of the island and me on the other, clearly fearing for her own safety.
And so she should be.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?" I erupt, my emotions bubbling to the surface as Taylor grimaces and puts at least another metre of space between us. "TAYLOR! THAT'S MADISON FUCKING DUARTE! IN YOUR FUCKING BED! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?"
She opens her mouth to reply but quickly snaps it shut again, seemingly trying to form the answer that will best appease me.
And it better. I swear to god, if she's not on her knees in ten seconds flat begging for my forgiveness and telling me what a terrible mistake she's made I will murder her.
"Look Ashley..." Taylor begins, taking a deep breath to steady herself and the way she's talking makes me think that I'm definitely not going to like what she's going to say. Her tone is similar to one you would use when conversing with a dying person. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about after the game."
"What? That you were thinking about fucking Madison?"
"Er, no, not exactly." Taylor wrings her hands together nervously, clenching her eyes she shut as she says: "That I have kind of, er, been having, er, sexual contact with Madison for a little while now."
What?
"WHAT?" I 'screlp'.
"I didn't mean for it to happen or anything." Taylor backtracks. "It sort of just happened. And then it happened again...and again."
I really didn't need this today. I really did not. How could she do this to me? The one person in the world I told her she could never have sex with (well, except for my mother, but that goes without saying.) and she goes and does this.
"How long?"
I'm not shouting anymore. I don't think I could if I tried. I feel kind of weak and wimpy. Like that feeling you get before you're about to faint or throw up or something.
"Um," Taylor scratches at the back of her neck again, thinking back. "Remember that day I stole her clothes when she was in the shower?"
"What the fuck Taylor? That was like two months ago!"
"I know." She grimaces. "But like I said, it just happened. I felt kind of bad about the prank, so I texted her to come and get her clothes. She turned up and started mouthing off and stuff and then we had a bit of an argument and then out of nowhere she just kissed me and then -."
"Stop!" I hold up a hand, shuddering. "Stop right there."
"Sorry."
Taylor hangs her head and stares at her hands, her shoulders slumped awkwardly as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. She looks the picture of a scorned child and for a moment I almost feel bad for her. Emphasis on the almost.
Taylor and I rarely have serious arguments. I'd like to think it's because neither of us are particularly argumentative people but if I'm being honest I've been shooting my mouth off since I could speak. The real reason that Taylor and I seldom fight is probably because Taylor doesn't really do a lot wrong.
But this is so wrong.
"She tortured me." I tell her. "Before you even came to King she made my life a living hell. She turned everyone against me. Parents, students, teachers...and for the longest time she made me feel like being a lesbian was a bad thing. She made me feel like I couldn't be myself. She made me hate myself for who I was. But you know that. Why the hell did you do this? You know that you can have any girl you want. So why the fuck do you have to have her?"
"I don't know." Taylor rasps, unable to meet my eyes, which I know are filled with hurt and probably a little betrayal.
Because I do feel betrayed.
"When you and I made that pact about who to have sex with and who not to that wasn't a joke you know. It wasn't some gimmick you could just go back on now that we're older." I throw my hands up in the air in disbelief. "And Madison, Tay? Madison. Why did it have to be Madison?"
"I'm sorry alright?" Taylor finally looks up at me and her eyes are shining with the remorse I was looking for. "I didn't deliberately set out to hurt you I swear. You know I wouldn't do that." I nod, accepting that to be the truth. "But behind closed doors, Madison isn't that bad. She's really misunderstood. Have you met her Mum? She's possibly the most repressive bitch I've ever met."
"And so is her daughter!" I burst out angrily. "Are you seriously defending her?"
"No! Well...sort of." Taylor rubs her face in frustration. "Look Ash, you don't really know the real Madison -."
"Oh, and you do?" I round the island so that I'm standing right in front of her but she continues to look as determined as ever.
I really want to physically shake some sense into her.
"Yeah. I do." A pulse starts to tick in her jaw. "I know that you think Madison is this massive, homophobic bitch who doesn't care about anything but her reputation and cheerleading but it's not true."
"Yes it is!" I scream at her and I'm pretty sure I look deranged right now. "That's exactly what she is! Well, maybe she isn't as homophobic as I thought..."
I trail off because now I'm thoroughly confused. Madison's been hating on me for years for being a lesbian and now she's sleeping with Taylor? That doesn't add up at all.
"So, is she like a lesbian now?"
There's a momentary reprieve in our argument as I try to process this new revelation and Taylor's contemplates my question.
"I don't know." She eventually says. "Maybe. It would explain a lot."
"Er, no it wouldn't." I disagree because why would a homosexual be homophobic? That doesn't make sense at all.
"Psychological studies have shown that the most homophobic people often turn out to be gay." Taylor shrugs and I raise my eyebrows and gape at her. It not often that Taylor whips out her sporadic intelligence. "Yeah. A study was done years ago where homophobic men were shown gay porn and their...man reactions, were on average far more...prominent... than the non-homophobic men."
Okay. First she sleeps with Madison and now she's talking about gay porn and 'man reactions'? This is so not okay.
"Ugh!" I shake my head to try and clear it. "Okay." I take deep calming breaths as Taylor stares at me like I've gone mad. What a cheek. I'm not the one that's fucking Madison Duarte. "It's okay." I finally come to a plausible conclusion.
"It is?" Taylor looks uncertain.
"Yeah." I take another deep breath. "I get it. You have hormones and stuff and Madison's...okay looking if you're into that kind of thing. And knowing that you couldn't have her made her tempting or whatever but now that I know about it you can start sleeping with someone else right?" I nod, satisfied with my damage control. "What about that redhead from the other night? She was hot."
"Er..." Taylor's hand reaches back up to scratch at her neck uncomfortably. "I didn't actually sleep with her."
What the fuck is she talking about? We just had a massive argument about how she's sleeping with Madison. She really has lost it.
"Not Madison." She clarifies quickly, seeing my bewildered expression. "The redhead. I didn't have sex with her."
"Why not? Did she pass out?"
Man, I hate it when that happens.
"No..." Taylor drags out the word, like she's not telling me something.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Well...I haven't actually slept with anyone else since Madison and I started, you know whatting."
"WHAT?"
"Ash, please don't shout." Taylor has the audacity to rub at her ears, a pained expression crossing her face.
"Are you dating her?"
Having sex with, I can get over, but dating? That's a whole different story.
"No!" Taylor holds up her hands submissively, probably because she thinks I'm about to hit her. "Bloody hell Ash, calm down. We just have an arrangement is all. I don't sleep with anyone but her and she doesn't sleep with anyone but me."
"That's dating you tool!" I smack her chest, unable to keep my frustration and horror in anymore. "That's a monogamous relationship!"
"A what?"
"I can't believe this!" I hit her again. "You're fucking dating Madison Duarte! Are you in love with her? Do you want to have her lady babies?"
"No!" Taylor's yelling now too, which she very rarely does. I sober a little. "Stop talking bollocks! It's just a casual thing. Bloody hell Ashley, why are you being like this? I'm sorry you don't like this but I'm not going to stop just because you don't like Madison. You're not my bloody mother!"
"But I am your best friend!"
"Well then start acting like it!" She bellows back. "You're being irrational! I know you hate Madison or whatever but this doesn't really even affect you! I'm not asking you to like her, I'm not asking you to be happy that I'm fucking her but I am asking you to stop taking the fact that you fucked up with Spencer out on me!"
She's taken it too far and by the look in her widening eyes she knows it. The Spencer thing has royally fucked me up and for her to even bring it up whilst I'm already hopping mad is brave, if not downright stupid.
If I was angry before, now I'm absolutely seething. This day has been such a bitch.
"Fuck you!" I yell at her, giving her one last push before whipping around and storming back over to the door.
I briefly contemplate storming back up the stairs to give Madison a piece of my mind and maybe even a piece of my fist but I think if I have to see her sitting in Taylor's bed one more time I might become physically ill.
"Ashley, wait..."
I feel Taylor's hand on my shoulder and violently shrug it off before flinging open the door, stepping out and slamming the door behind me.
The wee hours of the morning find me sitting in the corner of a local club slash bar completely bladdered.
I can barely remember my first shot and everyone around me looks like freaky characters from those weird children's cartoons that are on Nickelodeon nowadays.
I have no idea how I'm going to stand up let alone how I'm going to get home.
I would normally have called Taylor to come and pick me up four shots ago but I'm so mad at her right now.
I could call Kyla but I'm not in the mood to be lectured on the dangers of drinking. That and Aiden would probably tag along and frankly, the boy annoys me.
The same two things keep going around and around in my head, like some kind of weird mantra.
Fuck Taylor.
Fuck Madison.
Fuck Spencer.
Okay, I think that's three things.
Fuck everyone.
Maybe four.
Fuck Taylor.
Fuck Madison.
Fuck Spencer.
Fuck every...
"Are you Ashley Davies?"
My mantra is interrupted by a voice in my ear. It sounds really far away and I can barely hear it over the dull thump in my head.
"Whaaaa?" I slur out, tilting my head to the side until it droops onto my shoulder and attempting to focus on the distinctly male voice coming from my left.
"Ashley Davies?" Another, different voice comes from my right and now I'm majorly confused.
Which way do I look now?
"Yesss...Me Ashleeey."
This is why you shouldn't drink kids. This is what happens.
Suddenly I feel two hands grip my wrists and drag me up from where I'm sitting.
"The fuck?"
I have no idea what's happening. I can barely see anything around me let alone who the hell is dragging me along.
A cool breeze hits my face and I flinch as it bites at my skin as I continue to stumble along, bumping against the people flanking me.
"She's completely off her face." I hear one of the disembodied voices say. "We'll take her home."
No idea who these people are, but home sounds pretty good around now.
The force of the wind sobers me slightly and the world starts to spin a little less replaced with a wave of nausea that I just about manage to control. My back scraped against something rough and solid that feels a little like a wall. In fact, I think it is a wall.
Blinking against a blur of light in my peripheral vision I focus on the two figures in front of me.
"My name is Aaron Sanchez." One of them leans forward and whispers in my ear. He smells like stale cigarette smoke and severe body odour and I once again have to fight the urge to lose my stomach contents. "And this here is my brother Carlos."
I think he gestures to the other human shaped blob to his right because something that looks vaguely like an arm moves in front of me.
"Our little sister Carmen has been telling me a few things about you Ashley."
Oh shit. These are Carmen's brothers? Well, that explains why they smell so bad.
"Yeah." A different voice joins the first, a little too close to my face for my liking. "And you should know that no one gets away with laying a finger on our sister."
My stomach drops instinctively as my body automatically starts to react to the potential danger of this situation.
I believe that they call it the 'flight' or 'fight' response. Unfortunately, I am currently in no fit state to perform either. If only there was some kind of teleport option. That would be really good right about now.
Because this is really bad.
"I think you need to be taught a bit of a lesson."
A callused hand grabs my wrist as another closes around my mouth and I begin to sober up faster than I ever have in my life. I try to push the boy closest to me away with my free hand as the other squeezes my wrist painfully tight and I yell out against the hand covering my mouth, tasting the acrid, salty skin on my tongue.
My heart begins to pound in my chest, terrified beyond belief. My head is still spinning horribly, my breathing fragmented and shallow as black spots begin to appear in my already compromised vision.
The last thing I hear before my body goes limp and my head cracks back against the coarse wall behind me is the loud roar of a familiar engine.
Uh-oh. I'm just so mean aren't I? Not gonna lie, I love it. I'd love to know what you think. Do you hate me ;)? Do you think Ashley overreacted about the whole Madison/Taylor thing?
Anyway. As promised. Shout-outs to my newest reviewers: Domca, IaMaFaLlEnDaRkAnGEL, BlackanYellow, Lolo06, Breakdown6, awe, epikkk, n, r, Msstoryteller100, pinky23, BehindTheWords, araceliknight24, ertech, rockdragon293, isly182, cocoa-pop, factoflife02, pdsc325, wtf, WillowOn3.
Wow. That's probably why I should't let it pile up like that. Anyway, thanks a million to all of you guys. I really appreciate your valuable contributions and encouragement.
Thanks for reading!