Title: Damaged
Summary: Everyone is damaged, she explained, but not everyone is broken. Ashley never thought that going back to Baltimore with Kyla would bring her face-to-face with the one person who made her feel like she wasn't broken.
Disclaimer: I don't own SoN. What I do own is a computer and the amazing ability to not do what I am supposed to with my time.
AN: You know what sucks? Adult jobs, family drama, break ups and getting sick. In the order. You know what doesn't suck? WICKED and new tattoo concepts. Also in that order.
Now, enough about me and on to the reason you all are here.
It didn't occur to Ashley to think about how they were going to get there until they were in the garage, but next to the tan SUV, which she assumed belonged to Eileen, was an older model Mustang that the blonde immediately gravitated to. At the brunette's confused look Spencer grinned and introduced her to Caroline, originally her Grandpa Quinlan's pride and joy and now her own.
The car had obviously been kept in excellent condition as interior was completely refurbished, including up-to-date dash and brand new radio faceplate. As soon as the key was turned Blink-182's What's My Age Again? began pouring through the speakers, halfway through, and Ashley leant back and let the music wash over her.
When they pulled into the parking lot of a Starbucks fifteen minutes later Ashley was only momentarily surprised, but all sorts of pleased, when Spencer parked and exited the vehicle with a wave for Ashley to do the same, rather than go through to drive thru. The blonde even held the door open for her with a slight grin that matched the one on Ashley's face.
"Hey Spinner!" a tall boy with sandy blonde hair shouted from behind the counter where he was working a shiny machine. "I thought I recognized that old scrap yard heap of yours," he offered with a wink and a grin.
The girl working the register, a tiny brunette that looked younger than both the guy and Spencer, slapped him lightly on the arm with the back of her hand, "Don't make fun of Caroline, David, she's a classic."
The two girls approached the counter and Spencer leaned forward to rest folded arms in front of the register, "See, Davie, this is why I like her way more than you." At the boy's scoff, Spencer turned a flirtatious smile onto the girl, "Hey there, Michelle, how are you on this fine Saturday morning?"
She was rewarded with a bright blush across the girl's cheeks and atop her ears. "I-I'm good, Sp-Spinner. The u-usual?" she stammered out, already fumbling for a large cup.
"You know it," Spencer threw her a wink that nearly caused her to drop the sharpie in her hand and David to bark out a laugh on the other side of the space, "and whatever my new friend Ashley here would like." Ashley, who had been waiting patiently with a smirk on her lips put her order in before the blonde paid.
As they waited at the end of the counter the brunette musician nudged Spencer playfully, "Are you this popular at every coffee shop in Maryland? Or did you bring me to this one specifically to impress me?"
Spencer's eyes lit up in a way that was a bit of a distraction as she slipped her hands into her front pockets, tugged her shoulders up and gently bumped Ashley back, "Depends on whether or not it's working."
She felt her cheeks heat up but was saved from having to respond by Michelle presenting them with their drinks and a "have a nice day" for Ashley and a "good luck at the game" for Spencer.
The blonde made her way to a table on the floor and gestured for Ashley to take a seat before sitting herself, so her back was to the counter and the door. Before taking a sip of the still too-hot coffee Spencer leant forward and confessed, "I work here."
"That explains that, but now I'm more curious about 'Spinner'," Ashley whispered conspiratorially, leaning forward to match the blonde pose and was rewarded by a light blush.
"Uh," Spencer flipped her free hand back and forth, "it's nothing important, just an old nick-name that seems to follow me everywhere."
"Oh," the brunette pouted and watched the way it drew Spencer's attention to her lips, "Well that's disappointing, I was hoping for an embarrassing story to go along with it."
The athlete blinked distractedly before meeting Ashley's eyes and offering a mock pity frown, "You might want to get used to that disappointment then."
"Maybe," she took a careful sip of her coffee and waited for the blonde to do the same, "or maybe I just need to ask Kyla about it."
Her cheeks flared brilliantly and Ashley felt the thrill of victory strum through her stomach. Spencer laughed fitfully around an awkward swallow, "Now why would you want to go and do something like that?"
The brunette answered with a coy look that had Spencer cracking a smile before they both gave way to laughter. Ashley, from where she was seated facing the door, was momentarily distracted by a very pretty girl with unnaturally dark hair walking through the entrance. She looked like the type of girl that Ashley would chat up at a club back home, but as soon as the thought was there it was gone. The California native had no desire to stray from the company she held at this exact moment.
From her peripheral Ashley saw her walk to the counter with a strut that proclaimed she knew she was hot shit. From behind the register, Michelle almost visibly shrunk back and turned a smile so fake it made Ashley wince and wonder what had happened to make the girl who had greeted Spencer so enthusiastically act like that.
Noticing Ashley strayed attention, her blonde companion turned to find out what she was looking at and immediately turned back with a muttered, "well fuck."
The brunette felt her eyebrows draw into a confused look. "I take it you know her?" she asked, using a hand to motion at the girl by the counter.
"Oh, you could say that," Spencer slumped in her seat, reminding Ashley of the day before in the back of Kyla's Jeep. "I'm just going to apologize now."
"For what?" she looked back at the girl who must have felt someone's eyes on her person and looked up to catch Ashley's gaze in her own bright green eyes. The girl twitched her lips into a smirk and gave the brunette an appreciative once over that two days ago would have been a total green light but today was just mildly disconcerting. She then glanced at Ashley's table mate, or rather the back of her head, and based on the way her eyes narrowed to focused points and turned a look back onto Ashley that could have frozen magma, the girl recognized Spencer as well.
The Californian hadn't known that the click-click-click of heels on tile could sound furious until that moment, but her blonde companion must have learned that lesson a while back because her shoulders instantly tensed and her hands tightened around her cup. Just before the girl reached their table Spencer visibly forced herself to looked relaxed and nonchalant.
"Hello sweetheart," the newcomer all but purred in a deceptively sweet voice, like honey in tea, as she slid a hand over Spencer's shoulder.
The blonde twisted her neck to face the girl with a placating look, "Now, Jules-"
But she was soundly ignored as the dark-haired girl turned that piercing look onto Ashley. "And hello to you as well, strange girl whom I've never seen before in my life having coffee with my girlfriend."
Ashley jerked back a bit in surprise and looked to Spencer for confirmation that this was actually happening, this girl was actually getting in her face. In response the blonde offered a half-hearted smile and rolled her baby blues behind the newcomer's back. She tried once more to interject, "Juliet, please, just let me-"
Try being the operative word as 'Juliet' now rounded on her, "Just let you what, Spencer Carlin? Explain? Explain how we are in the middle of a fight because you completely blew me off yesterday for that, that," she paused and realized her mistake of almost insulting Kyla in front of Spencer before moving on with her rant. "And now I find you here? In the morning having coffee with some hussie?"
This time it was Ashley that had the blonde snapping her jaw shut as she suddenly felt she'd been quite for far too long, "Excuse me? Who do you think you're calling a hussie, Miss Priss? And who the hell uses the word hussie any more?"
That brought her attention back onto the brunette as she whirled around and leant forward with a smirk, "Why don't you stay out of this, hun, while I have a conversation with my girlfriend."
Ashley would have stood to match her height and force her to back off, but the sight of Spencer propping her elbows on the table and dropping her head into open palms, obviously embarrassed by the display, had her thinking twice about making this physical.
That by no means meant she was going to back down.
She let her voice take on a condescending tone, "I have a better idea. Why don't I stay in here with your girlfriend while you go outside and remove that stick from your ass?"
"Ashley-" Spencer started, torn between being amused and exasperated.
The green-eyed girl was having no such dilemma, however, "Bring it on, bitch."
"Okay," the blonde athlete finally hit her tolerance level and pushed herself into a standing position. She gently grabbed Juliet's shoulders and pulled her back out of Ashley's personal space and into her own. While Spencer slipped her hands down to rest on the girl's upper arms with just enough pressure to say she wasn't playing anymore, Ashley took the moment to notice that she had some height on Juliet as the top of her head was just on level with the blonde's nose. "Why don't I clear the air a bit before I end up having to take one of you to the hospital. Ashley, this is Juliet Callister, my ill-tempered girlfriend who tends to jump to conclusions. And Jules, this is Ashley Davies. She's Kyla's … friend, from California, who's only in town for the weekend."
The hesitation was only noticed by the brunette as Juliet forged ahead.
"Of course you'd be a friend of Kyla Woods," a sneer marred her face before she could sensor herself, apparently forgetting that she was dating said girl's best friend. "Well, there is no accounting for some people's taste I suppose."
A protective feeling like she'd never felt before suddenly roared inside Ashley's chest, and was only spurred on by the hurt look on Spencer's face. She realized, however, that she'd dealt with girls like this before and getting loud and in this girl's face was not going to work, so there would have to be another way.
"Actually, Kyla's my sister, so I'd appreciate it if you would watch what you say about her," she expounded in a forced calm voice as she crossed her legs at the knees, folded her hands and sat back like a civilized person.
The look of shock on Juliet's face was only a fraction of the reason for the euphoric feeling of victory, as the rest definitely came from the absolute pride on Spencer's.
"Sister?" she questioned, turning as the blonde dropped her arms from the loose hold to look up at her for confirmation.
"Half, through their father," she intoned lowly. But then something changed in her eyes, the shine went out and they hardened perceivably, "And dammit, Juliet, you promised me."
Her voice was neither raised nor harsh, in fact her tone was only sad, so it was probably the deadened quality of those normally vibrant blue eyes that had the smaller girl flinching, "Spencer…" The look they gave one another implied silent conversation and Ashley instantly felt like the intruder. Finally Juliet dropped her shoulders and after a slight hesitation she slipped forward to hug the blonde around the middle, "You're right."
The still sitting brunette wasn't sure why she was so surprised (and a little hurt) to see Spencer lift her own arms to hug Juliet back. After a beat the dark-haired girl leant back but kept her thumbs hooked through the belt loops at the back of Spencer's jeans. "Come see me before the game so I can wish you good luck?" she requested in what Ashley was almost positive was supposed to be a demure voice.
"Of course," the blonde lifted the corner of her lips and tilted her head slightly to the left. If Juliet could see the way none of it touched those blue eyes she gave no indication, but it had Ashley wondering how many times they'd done this little song and dance.
There was another moment of hesitance and a quick mental conversation before Juliet rocked up on her toes to press a quick kiss to the corner of Spencer's mouth, "I'll see you later."
The blonde nodded once and her girlfriend turned to face Ashley, but paused when they caught each others eye. The brunette didn't know what Juliet saw, but based on her frown and quick glance at Spencer and back, she didn't like it one bit.
She then turned on her heel, plucked two cups of coffee from a frazzled looking Michelle, offered a haughty look towards a hovering David and walked out the door without so much as backwards glance. With a heavy sigh like steam from a release valve Spencer slumped back into her seat and took a sip from her still mostly warm coffee.
Ashley blinked at the change that had come over her host and tried to think of something to say that would bring some light back into her eyes, but all she could think of was 'how the hell did that bitch end up with Spencer?'
Spencer barked out a laugh and Ashley feared for a moment that she'd spoken out loud before the blonde shook her head with a smile, "Did you know you and Ky have the exact same look when you're trying to think of something nice to say but can't get your minds past 'what the fuck just happened?'?"
The brunette shook her head and floundered for a minute before she was sure her voice wouldn't come out incredulous, "So that's your girlfriend, huh?" Spencer nodded and tilted her head as a means of permission for Ashley to speak her mind. She wanted to say something nice, there had to be something nice to say, right? If the blonde had chosen her out of god-knows how many people (and Ashley got the feeling there had to be at least dozens, 'cause, come on, Spencer was sweet and funny and hot) then there had to be something.
But, bam!, nothing came to mind, "She's uhh…"
"You can just say she's a bitch," Spencer laughed with an eye roll and Ashley got the feeling that it was more at her expression that the subject matter, but at least she was laughing, "Kyla does it all the time."
"Wait. What?" Something about that didn't make sense. "Kyla doesn't like your girlfriend?"
"Uh, no," she shook her head with a fitful smile, "didn't you hear her yesterday?" She paused as realization set in, "you thought she was kidding." Then she shrugged, "I admit it's a little over the top to call someone an arch-nemesis, but in their case it's really not that far off. They can't stand each other. At first it was kind of funny, now it's just tiresome."
"So then why date her?" It was only after the question was out in the open that Ashley realized how rude it was. Fortunately it was Spencer, who never seemed to be offended by anything, that she was talking to.
"It was different when we started out," she looked down and played with her cup. "Jules needed someone to be there for her, and Kyla saw that I could be that person so she tolerated it. And Jules realized that if Ky ever gave the word that she didn't like the way Jules was acting that I'd call it off so she toned it down a lot, but with the stress of things and Kyla going to and from Cali things have sort of flared back up lately."
"Oh." And there was really nothing else to say. The mood from earlier had been officially ruined and Ashley fought the urge to pout. That had totally not gone the way she had hoped it would.
Probably didn't go the way you all were hoping it would either. Ah well, what's life without a little drama, right?