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.
Honestly? I have no excuse. I started this right after I posted the last chapter, and finished the last three pages in the last twelve hours, and I just wanted to post something so I didn't reread it. Honestly I've stared at it so much for so long, I don't think I'd notice the glaring errors if they were wielding neon signs and yodeling, but I'm sleepy so here:
Spencer jumped the last three stairs, seized the banister to aid in the spin, and ended up facing down the hall towards the front door. She grabbed her keys from the small table in the hall and was four steps from her escape when the sounds from the kitchen caught up with her.
Eileen's bright laugher was a near constant and always welcome noise, but Spencer had heard the shower earlier and knew that it was very likely that the older woman was alone in the kitchen with Ashley. Having spent more than half her life in the company of the Woods family, the blonde knew that both women, Kyla and her mom, were insanely friendly, naturally energetic, and could sometimes be (for someone new to their environment) entirely too much. Spencer had years of experience as an automatic filter between Kyla and other people so she knew that going into the kitchen would probably put Ashley more at ease, just by putting another person in the room with her and Eileen.
She hesitated, however, as her most recent conversation filtered through her innate desire to try and take some of the pressure off the brunette and just be around her. Between Spencer and Kyla there had always been as much unsaid as there was said, and no matter the smaller girl's reasoning, Kyla had made her position on the matter abundantly clear. Mind made up, she took another step to the door.
"You better not be sneaking out without eating something, or saying good-bye."
Spencer's shoulders immediately tensed at the stern voice and the face she knew without looking would accompany it. She knew she had hesitated just a second too long before leaving as Eileen was now standing in the hall by the doorway into the kitchen, one hand on her hip and the other shaking a spatula at Spencer's slowly turning body.
"I was, uh, making sure … all my stuff was ready?" but her lilt at the end of her statement made it sound like more of a question. A ridiculous one at that, based on the look she was receiving. They both knew Eileen had made her check last night when she set it by the door, before the mom had checked it herself. The older woman's crossed arms and raised eyebrow told her to try again. "And I did eat," the blonde replied sheepishly, forcing herself not to fidget, "before my run and, and I had coffee."
"A granola bar and coffee do not count as breakfast, young lady, now march your little rear end in here," she gestured haphazardly into the kitchen with the spatula.
Ashley's head poked through the opening looking much more than slightly amused and Spencer floundered around a blush of embarrassment. Desperately she gestured to the door, "But coach wanted me-"
"Oh yes, please, let's call Anne Marie and see want she has to say about her captain sneaking off to play a championship game on an empty stomach, I'll get my cell right now."
"I-" Ashley hid a snicker behind her hand, and Spencer glanced back at the empty stairwell. "I really should get going, Mama W."
Eileen's returning smirk was full of mock pity, "It's cute how you think that was a request."
Spencer pursed her lips and thought about it, knowing there really was no saying no to Eileen, besides Kyla was probably in full fashionista mode and wouldn't be ready for another half an hour and Aiden looked like a guy that could probably spend a while in front of a mirror, so it was like killing two birds with one stone. She dropped her shoulders in defeat, "alright, fine. You win, but," she punctuated it with a stern wag of her finger, "that's totally cheating."
Eileen snagged her around the shoulders with one arm as she passed by and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, "I'll take it."
The blonde stuck her tongue out at Ashley, who's form was still shaking lightly with repressed amusement, only to have the brunette repeat the gesture back playfully. Spencer stuttered her step like she wanted to retaliate but changed her mind, so she just dipped under Eileen's arm and grabbed an orange from the bowl on the table.
When Ashley retook her seat at the table to continue on her pancakes, Spencer bypassed the furniture to hop up the on the counter by the stove with a frown on her face, both brunette's marginally taken aback by her abrupt change in behavior. She kept her eyes cast downward as she dug her thumb into the skin of the fruit a bit harder than was probably necessary. The hunch of her shoulders had Eileen frowning so deeply, a look that seemed so inherently wrong, that Ashley felt compelled to look again. But before a comment could be made the woman twisted her look into a forced smile that could have passed for real. Lightly she stepped forward to Spencer and tagged the blonde with the flat end of the spatula.
"That's unsanitary," the athlete grimaced.
Eileen chose to ignore the comment as she gathered the peel from Spencer before tossing it into the trash, "Everything copacetic, shortstack?"
The blonde's jaw dropped and she looked genuinely offended. "What did you just-? Shortstack? Seriously? I've got, like, half an inch on you, so other than the Y gene upstairs I'm the tallest person in this house, Little Mama. Honestly, though, shortstack," she trailed off into a mutter, popping a slice of orange into her mouth. But the spark was back in her posture, which had Ashley thinking that was the point all along if the genuine smile on Eileen's face as they spoke was anything to go by.
!
Kyla entered the kitchen with a smile on her face, which didn't really reflect what she was feeling but she figured she only had to fake it for a couple more days before the pressure would ease dramatically. The smile faltered momentarily, however, when she took in the sight of the kitchen.
Aiden was seated at the table, a stack of pancakes half eaten in front of him talking animatedly with Spencer who was perched on the counter next to her mother at the stove. They appeared to be discussing sports, not surprising with Spencer's game that afternoon, but both wore the smiles of fast friends. Ashley stood on Eileen's other side while the woman poured more batter onto a sizzling griddle and spoke in tones that were easily overtaken by the athletes', but their smiles were also easy, if not a bit shy.
They all just seemed to fit.
Spencer looked at her first, as she always seemed to do, and that was all the warning Kyla got to adjust her smile before Aiden's eyes were on her as well, bright look only noticed in passing. Eye to eye, Spencer nodded once, smile turning forced and hopped off the counter, "Looks like its that time."
Eileen glanced at her first before turning to find her daughter in the doorway, "So soon, Spencer? Kyla only just joined us."
The blonde shrugged one shoulder but kept her gaze locked with Kyla, "I should have left a while ago, I just didn't realize the time 'til now."
The mom frowned at the charged look between her two favorite girls, which prompted Ashley to look a bit more closely, noticing a tension that hadn't been as prominent the day before. With a jerk of effort Spencer broke contact with her best friend and offered the two at the stove a quick smile, ruffled Aiden's perfectly gelled hair as she passed him at the table (he swatted at her hand with an indignant "Hey!") and briefly pressed the flat of her palm against Kyla's shoulder, her smile now hidden from everyone but Kyla and sorely apologetic.
For a second the brunette felt horrible about earlier because no matter who was on the other end, this was Spencer. The only person other than her own mother that had always been by her side, done what she'd asked even when it was the last thing the blonde had wanted to do, and had fought for her when she hadn't deserved it.
Spencer hand slid from her shoulder as she walked by and Kyla suddenly didn't want the contact to end, didn't want to leave it like that. She grabbed at the blonde's wrist before it could fall to her side and turned as she tugged her back. As easily as she had for years Kyla threw her arms around Spencer neck and pressed her face into the hollow of her throat. Her heart nearly broke at the tension in Spencer's shoulders and the hesitance in her return embrace.
She'd never hesitated before. Not even when she first began dating Juliet who would pitch a bitchfit ever time they showed any sort of physical affection for one another.
"You, um, you kick ass out there today, okay?" she offered as a means to break the silence.
Spencer spoke softly against her hair, "You got it." She squeezed her once before letting go completely to walk out the doorway and down the hall without looking back.
Kyla watched her go, feeling a little bit light-headed and not in a good way. She forced a practiced smile onto her lips as she turned back to her mother who was watching with a neutral expression.
"Everything okay, sweetheart?"
"Of course," Kyla moved to take the seat next to Aiden, "Why wouldn't they be?"
Eileen blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs and realizing there was only one other person she'd hadn't asked that of that morning, wielded the spatula in Aiden's direction she asked, "What about you, boyo? How's tricks?"
Aiden looked up in surprise at the question and glanced at Kyla, who just rolled her eyes and told him to ignore her mother. By the stove Ashley laughed, knowing she was the only other one to get it.
!
After a moderately subdued breakfast, an hour of wasting time, and a forty-five minute drive to the stadium on the other side of the city, the youngest of the foursome all but threw herself from the backseat as her mother pulled her SUV into a parking space.
"Oh don't be so dramatic, Kyla," her mother huffed, frowning petulantly, "My driving games aren't that bad."
Aiden shrugged, stepping out at a much more leisure pace from the other side of the back, "I thought they were pretty cool, Ms. W."
Kyla scowled at him, "That's because you won, like, every round of I Spy."
"That's because he was the only one playing," Ashley sniggered, shutting the passenger side door as she jabbed the boy in the side.
"You're both just jealous of my mad car game skills," he pouted, crossing his arms.
Eileen laughed at the interaction before waving them all forward, "Come on, now, so we can get good seats."
As it turned out, however, that didn't seem to be a problem. The game was still being played at a high school stadium, just one that didn't belong to either team (to eliminate a home field advantage) and was nearly equidistant from both, so the area wasn't vast and as was the trend (unfortunately) with most female sports teams, the fan base was limited. The student section was decent though which Kyla explained was probably due to the fact that it was the only championship game the school had made it to that year, the second year in a row for girl's lacrosse, and they were playing the same team that had beat them last year.
After paying for tickets at the gate (which Aiden had offered to buy, but Eileen had beaten him to as he was going for his wallet) they were halfway to the stands when they noticed a group of five teenagers that included the petite form of Marissa and Juliet, Spencer's girlfriend. The others were made of two guys, one with dark hair and the other with light, and a dark-skinned girl, who had her arm around the waist of the dark haired boy. Marissa immediately brightened up and nearly bounced over to them before slipping a hug around Kyla, "Oh thank God."
The boy without the female hanger-on, tall with sandy blonde hair and slightly hunched shoulders, gave a low whistle as he looked Kyla up and down, "Damn, Woods, California looks good on you." Aiden scowled as Kyla blushed prettily while Ashley rolled her eyes and Eileen coughed, none to subtly, at the boy's blatant ogling of her daughter which caused him to turn his gaze on her, "And Ms. Woods, looking fabulous as always."
She pressed her lips and hummed in response when Kyla stepped from Marissa to give the boy a hug, "How are you, Scott?"
He squeezed her tight and over her shoulder smirked at Aiden's flared nose, "Devastated, you never texted me back yesterday."
She shrugged semi-apologetically, "Sorry, we were hanging out with Spenc-"
"We should go sit down, Scott, the match is about to start in a few," came the highly articulate, and increasingly annoyed, voice of Juliet over Scott's shoulder. Kyla ground her back teeth as she stepped back and looked over, expecting to find her nemesis' heated glare directed at her, but was nearly blown away to find it was aimed past her and at… Ashley? Who was glaring back just as fiercely.
Juliet offered a polite nod and smile to Eileen, baffling the three teens with the woman, before turning on her heel and heading in the opposite direction. The dark-skinned girl with Juliet watched the proceedings with an unimpressed stare, while the boy with her kept a neutral look, both nodded to Kyla carefully as she addressed them, "Angela, Donny," but followed the retreating girl almost immediately.
Scott bowed slightly at the waist while taking a backwards step, but his eyes lit up and her clapped his hands once enthusiastically, "There's a party at my place tonight! You all have to come, I'll even save a dance for you Ms. Woods."
Her smile was tight, "I think I'll pass, Mr. Duncan."
"Suit yourself," he shrugged it off easily, "But I totally expect the rest of you to be there, it's in Spencer's honor, so, you know, you should at least make a guest appearance." He didn't give them a chance to respond as he held a hand out to Marissa who was now standing behind Kyla and between Eileen and Ashley, "Coming, 'Rissy?"
There was a flash of annoyance at the nick-name, "I think I'm going to sit with Kyla, if that's alright."
He waved a hand at her in a 'whatever' motion, "Do what you gotta." But he was already turning into a jog to catch up with the other's as he threw an exaggerated wink over his shoulder at Kyla.
The young fashionista offered her arm to Marissa, who locked elbows with her and they both followed Eileen into the stands. Aiden distracted himself from the dark feeling of jealousy by lightly slapping Ashley on the shoulder with the back of his hand, "Oh my God."
She batted his offending limb before turning to punch him as hard as she could in the arm, "What?"
"How many scorned women are there in the world from your Friday Night Festivities that they're starting to pop up on the East Coast?" he rubbed at his shoulder where she'd hit him, but her baffled look (twinged with hurt and overlaid with irritation) had him clarifying with in a low hiss, "When, between the time we landed and now, did you find time to meet and piss that chick off?"
She jerked her fist making the boy flinch over-exaggeratedly, "I didn't do anything to her. That's Spencer's girlfriend, Juliet, and I met her this morning, when we were out getting coffee."
"I-" his eyes went wide and he grinned, "Okay, yeah, that totally makes sense then."
Ashley narrowed her eyes and stopped walking even when he didn't, "What do you mean by that? Aiden? Aiden!"