I'm ready to get back on track with this story. Not sure if I have any readers left, especially after last chapter but alas, I'll be damned if I don't finish it.

And yes, had a bit of a shit year. But the tone of the last chapter in no way reflects on that. I'd written half of that chapter last November or whenever. Sorry if people didn't like the angst. I don't like reading that shit either. But it kind of just happened.

"Right, that's it! Get up!"

Kyla's small body blocks the television screen that is currently playing the fourth Jersey Shore episode I've watched back to back since I crawled out of bed this morning.

"Kyla." I grunt and flail a leg out from the warm blanket to kick her in the knee. "Move."

"No." She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me. It would have almost been intimidating if she wasn't wearing what looked like some sort of lime green lycra spacesuit.

"Seriously Kyla. Move." I nudge her again with my foot. "And what the actual fuck are you wearing?"

"I've booked Aiden and I in for couple's yoga down at the gym." She pulls at the clingy material gingerly.

Wait...hold the phone. Couple's yoga? With Aiden Dennison? My life is now complete.

Before I can help myself laughter bubbles up inside my throat and I'm off, rolling around in hysterics as tears stream down my face.

It feels like I haven't laughed in weeks, probably because I actually haven't. It's been three days since my altercation with Taylor and I haven't spoken to her since. It's the longest I've gone without any form of contact with her and I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt like hell.

Part of me desperately wants to try and make things right but I'm terrified at the thought of seeing that look in her eyes again. That look of pure disappointment that she's never given me before and that I never want to see again.

But at the same time I'm still angry at her for sleeping with Madison. Every time I get close to grabbing my jacket and driving over there a feeling of hurt and betrayal seeps into me and I sit defiantly back down on the couch.

I've bunked off school for the last three days too. It's not like my mother really cares what I do and Kyla can pull of a mean imitation.

"Shut up Ashley." Kyla snaps at me, quelling my laughter to small, intermittent chuckles. "You're just jealous."

"Jealous?" I raise my eyebrows at her. "Believe me Ky, I'm glad I'm not the one about to be crushed when that big oaf can't hold the dog pose for more than five seconds. Just make sure you keep your mat a good distance away and you have a chance of returning home in one piece."

"Haha." Kyla's usually peppy voice drips with sarcasm. "You're just so funny."

"Why thank you." I grin charmingly at her and then triumphantly when she huffs angrily.

"I just came over here to tell you to pull your head out of your ass and talk to Taylor." She says and before I can open my mouth: "And nobody told me what happened between you two because it's fairly obvious. She hasn't been in school for the past three days either and you're skulking around here with your bottom lip on the floor."

Well. I guess that's one thing I can always count on my darling sister for. Brutal (if sometimes unnecessarily harsh) honesty.

"Talk to her Ash." She taps my nose patronisingly and I swat her hand away in irritation. "Because if I see one more Kardashian on that TV I'm gonna scream."

"Ugh, whatever." I nudge her further away with my foot.

Kyla has a habit of doing this. She's always the person I can count on to physically try and pull my head out of my ass. Okay, maybe not physically. Because that would be...really gross.

Kyla just rolls her eyes at me and moves to leave the room.

"Call her Ashley." She yells over her shoulder. "Or I'll be forced to do some digging."

"Fuck off!" I yell back my customary response before smiling devilishly as something crosses my mind. "Hey Ky?" She turns back, a hopeful look on her youthful face; as though she think I'm going to thank her or something. "Is Aiden going to be wearing a lycra spacesuit too? Because if so, pictures would be great."

I can't deny that Kyla's verbal prodding has given me something to think about. I'm still sitting here watching trashy reality TV but I keep having the urge to check my phone every two or three minutes, just to make sure my best friend hasn't tried to contact me.

I even scroll through my contacts and hover over her number, which just so happens to be stored in my phone this week under the alias 'Kobe Bryant'.

I press the button and the dial screen flashes up to tell me that I'm calling Kobe.

Before the dial tone can even start, however, a loud insistent knocking on the front door starts up and I almost jump out my skin, ending the call in my panic.

I look over at the door suspiciously but decide to answer it anyway. Something deep inside me is hoping that it's Taylor but when I open it I shut it again almost immediately.

What the fuck is she doing here? How dare she tarnish the stoop of my door with her irascible presence.

Before I can move myself back to the living room the pounding on the door starts up again.

"Davies!" Madison calls through the door. "Open the door. I'm not going away."

Either she goes away now or I make her go away. Permanently.

"Get the fuck off my stoop bitch!" I yell through the door.

Is she really that dumb? Does she not remember exactly what happened the last time we crossed paths.

"Just open the door." Something about her tone strikes me as odd. She doesn't sound mad or even annoyed. Maybe a little bit exasperated but mostly she just sounds kind of desperate.

Weird.

But no. She is not setting foot in this house.

"Fuck off Madison." I tell her with no room for argument. "You need to leave right now or I swear to god I will come out there and make you."

There's a thud against the door and then silence.

Er. What just happened? Have I finally managed to achieve my goal of killing Madison Duarte without having to go to jail?

"Please Davies."

Damn it. And to think, I was about to break out the party streamers.

Hold the phone, did she just say please? As in please?

"Please Ashley."

There it is again. What the fuck? Am I being Punk'd?

I glance around just to make sure that Ashton Kutcher isn't hiding behind Christine's potted plant. Nope. This is the real deal. Madison Duarte is standing outside of my door pleading with me.

Wow. I thought that it would feel more satisfying than this. I actually just feel kind of scared. In fact, I feel scared enough to eek the door open just a little and make sure it actually is Madison standing there, rather than her much more agreeable twin.

Okay, so it's definitely Madison. Her nice twin would so not show that much skin. Or be that orange. What is it with people and not being able to use foundation that matches their skin tone? Why would anyone deliberately purchase make-up made for a Satsuma?

Okay, so maybe that's not the point right now. Wait...why is her eyeliner smudged like that? Fuck. A. Monkey. Has she been crying?

"Are you crying?" I blurt out, unable to control myself as she swipes furiously at her eyes.

"No." She snaps at me, defensive as ever but the choked quality to her voice tells me otherwise. "Look Davies, have you talked to Taylor?"

I can tell by the way she shuffles backwards slightly that she saw the way my eyes just flashed. That's right Madison, be very afraid.

"Are you seriously talking to me about that right now?" I can feel the rage swelling in my gut. This must be what Bruce Banner must feel like before he turns into the Hulk.

"She hasn't been in school for the last three days and she won't answer any of my texts or phone calls." Madison says in a rush as though she has less of a chance of getting her face smashed in if she talks fast. "I talked to Glen and he said the last time he saw her was two days ago when she was wheeling in that damn motorbike she rides everywhere. He said it was completely smashed up but when he tried to ask her about it she ignored him and went inside."

Is it me or does she sound concerned?

Wait.

Oh shit.

Not Dora.

"I have to go." I murmur, grabbing my keys from the table and physically pushing Madison out of the way.

"Hey!" She calls after me indignantly. "Where are you going?"

Ignoring her I jump into my car and jam the keys in the ignition, roaring off of the driveway as I vaguely hear her shout after me.

"You better fix this Davies!"

Ugh, I don't have time for this right now. Whatever the hell is wrong with Madison doesn't bother me as long as she stays away from me and keeps her talons out of Taylor. Ew. And, unfortunately, I mean that literally.

It takes me less than ten minutes to pull to a stop outside of Taylor's house. There's no sign of life but then again with Taylor's stance on wasting electricity, it's not like she would have any lights on in the middle of the day.

Ugh. I can't believe this is happening. If anything's happened to Dora it's all my fault. I know how much that bike means to Taylor. To everyone else it just looks like a hunk of unimpressive metal but it's her baby and her blood, sweat and tears went into building it.

I sit in my car for a while trying to figure out what I want to say. Will she even let me talk to her? We both did some really crappy things. I still can't quite believe what happened the last time I was here and I still can't quite forgive her for it, let alone what she said to me afterwards. That really hurt.

I know I should have acted more responsibly but at the same time the fault can't entirely be on me can it? If it hadn't been for Taylor I would have spent the entire night safely at her house, probably discussing what a bitch Madison is.

Ugh. I get that relationships are complicated but how did the simplest thing in my life get so fucked up?

After a moment of deliberation I step out of the car and wander along the path. I've never once had a problem bounding down this stretch of concrete and hammering on the front door, or simply walking straight in, but now the normally friendly front door seems hostile and the idea of what could linger behind it is even worse.

This really sucks.

Instead of knocking on the door I collapse onto the front step. How can I feel so immeasurably guilty yet so angry at the same time?

For all intents and purposes Taylor saved my life, and she paid a hefty price for it too. I flash back to the state of her face three nights ago. That's probably why she hasn't been to school. The school councillor would be all over that shit.

"Ashley?"

I nearly shit a goat as a familiar melodious voice seeps into my consciousness. Whipping around, I see Spencer staring at me curiously, car keys in hand, as she looks over the small brick wall that separates her front yard from the Jones'.

She looks as radiant as ever. All long, flowing locks and curious blue eyes.

Oh dear Jesus, this cannot be happening.

I suddenly become very aware that I look like a hobo. I've been wearing the same scruffy grey hoody for the last three days and there's a beanie hat on my head that's been a substitute for actually washing my hair. Glancing down at what I have on my legs, hoping for some kind of salvation, I discover that I have left my house wearing a pair of cow-print pyjama bottoms which I know if I were to stand up would proudly display the words 'Moo-dy Cow' in bold stitching across my backside.

This could quite possibly be the worst moment of my life.

"Ashley?" Spencer sounds concerned. "Are you okay?"

Fuck my life. This cannot be happening. Really big guy? I roll my eyes towards the sky. Really?

And now she's looking at me like I've officially lost my bread basket. Say something Ashley, use your words.

"Er, hi Spencer."

Good start. Now push through.

"I was just coming over to talk to Taylor."

Another concerned look flashes across her face and she steps over the wall and comes closer to me. Oh God, I hope I don't smell as bad a Kyla keeps telling me I do.

"I've been really worried about her." She nibbles her bottom lip and the simple gesture makes my head spin. "I heard her in the garage yesterday and I knocked but she wouldn't answer me."

"We had a fight."

"Is that why you haven't been in school?"

She noticed I wasn't in school?

"You noticed that I wasn't in school?"

Oops. Wasn't meant to say that out loud.

She fixes me with an undeterminable stare before sighing lightly and dropping down onto the step beside me. She runs a stressed hand through her hair.

"You really hurt my feelings." She says, making me feel more like shit than I already do.

"I'm sorry." I tell her. "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah." She purses her lips together and I can tell that she's thinking hard about something. "You are."

"I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings." I say quietly.

She stares at me for a moment, her blue eyes resigned.

"It's okay." She shrugs. "I know it's not because you didn't want to, it's because you're an idiot."

I'm really glad she figured that out and I'm also kind of jealous of how emotionally mature she is. She's the one that should be freaking out here not me. She's the one that's going through one of the hardest and most confusing times of her life and with a mother like that...

Fuck. I'm such an asshole.

"I'm really sorry, Spencer."

Did I say that already?

"You said that already."

Thought so.

"It must have been a bad fight." Spencer changes the subject. "Glen said Taylor seemed really upset."

"I fucked up." I shrug. "And she fucked Madison."

I'm expecting her to look as bewildered as I was but she merely nodded as though this information wasn't anything new.

"You knew?"

"I had my suspicions." She tells me.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" I feel irrationally annoyed at her.

"It wasn't really any of my business." Her voice is quiet but there's a bit of an edge to it that tells me not to jump to conclusions or try to drag her into this.

She's right. This had nothing to do with her. This is all on Taylor. My reaction to it, however, is all on me.

Before I know it everything I'm feeling starts spilling right out of my mouth. I tell Spencer how angry I am with Taylor for sleeping with Madison but how bad I feel about her and Dora getting beaten up.

"Wait...Carmen's brothers hit her?" Spencer's eyes widen in shock.

I nod emphatically.

"I know it's none of my business but I saw you at Taylor's game talking to her..."

I know what I want to say. I want to tell Spencer to stay the hell away from that crazy bitch. Not because I'm jealous or anything but because she obviously does not come from good stock. Okay, so maybe I'm also jealous but I think the argument stands up well enough without adding that in.

"She's gone."

"Who's gone?"

"Carmen. She lived with her brothers and according to Chelsea they skipped town. They obviously thought Taylor might call the police...why didn't Taylor call the police?"

"I tried to get her to." I shrug.

If Taylor really doesn't want to do something she won't do it, simple as that.

"You need to talk to her." Spencer shrugs cutely, like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"What if she won't talk to me?"

"She will." Spencer nods confidently. "Your friendship is one of the strongest I've ever seen. A little unconventional maybe but to be honest, I'm jealous. I've never had a friendship like that."

"You never had a best friend back in Ohio?"

I find that hard to believe. How can you not want to be friends with this girl?

"Well, sure. And we still keep in contact every now and then but she was never someone I imagined being close to forever."

She's right. I can't imagine a time where I'd ever not be friends with Taylor.

We sit there for a little longer, shoulder to shoulder, and I can't help but think about how nice it feels, just being with Spencer.

I'd been doing everything I could to avoid her, absolutely convinced that the next time we met would be painfully awkward and a horrible experience for both of us but in actual fact, it's not like that at all. I feel bad for assuming that she would be the kind of person to hold a grudge.

God, I've been such an idiot. I wish that I could just start all over again.

Maybe I can...

I glance over at Spencer to find that she's looking straight back at me. Ever had that feeling like someone's just punched you straight in the solar plexus and you can't breathe? Yep. Me too.

"Hi." I feel the word slip between my lips before I can stop it and she tilts her head, adorably confused, but plays along.

"Hey."

I pull my hand from the sleeve of my hoody and extend it the little way towards her.

"I'm Ashley Davies."

To my immense relief she catches on straight away and her eyes sparkle as she shakes the proffered hand.

"Spencer Carlin." She says, smiling widely. "It's nice to meet you Ashley."

She surprises me by standing up and I automatically mirror her.

"Do you...er, maybe want to...hang out sometime?" I fumble my words completely. Jackass. "I know a nice breakfast bar by the beach. I'll even buy you a granola muffin."

Spencer turns to me and cocks her head.

"Maybe." She shrugs before turning to walk away.

Maybe? Is she fucking with me? That's a good thing right? Maybe isn't the same thing as no. Right?

"Hey Ashley?"

I look up to find she's made it over the wall and is staring at me from the other side.

"How's Saturday? 9.30?"

Wait, what? Saturday? What?

"Saturday's great." I manage to garble out.

Saturday's more than great. Saturday's fucking amazing.

"Good." She nods once. "And I'll be expecting that muffin."

Before I know it, she's disappeared into the car and driven out of sight, leaving me gaping like a fish.

Fuck. A. Monkey. In fact, fuck all the monkeys.

Did that really just happen?

Thanks for reading. I appreciate it.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the last few chapters. I'm a bit behind in my dedications to reviewers but I'll do that for the next chapter. Cheers again.