As always thank you all for the comments. Love hearing what you have to say. It's truly inspiring.
noodles307- I love your two cents. I appreciate it and take your thoughts into consideration. I understand why you are mad at Spencer. Her words were harsh and they were meant to be. She could lose her job and a whole lot more that I will get into later. I am glad to hear that the "shrinking" moment affected you. That is what I was aiming for. Thanks again.
naranga87- Lol. Thanks. I don't think I have ever been told that my imagination "rocks". Thanks for that.
Acurcuru22- Glad you got your power back :)
Charlee-We all want a friend like Miranda. And I have been working on a Spencer P.O.V. I have re-wrote it like 5 times. I want it to be just right.
CoolGay- Sorry you had a bad day. Hopefully this will cheer you up a bit.
Here is chapter 17. I don't know why but I had a hard time with this one. I actually wrote it like 3 times and then started from scratch. I don't know why that is but here you go.
Oh and btw it is my birthday tomorrow so I want lots of reviews. Good or bad :)
I own nothing but my imagination.
I don't get her. Spencer. I've backed off as much as I can manage. I haven't done or said anything she would consider inappropriate. And trust me that feat alone has been difficult. I have moved on. Well not really but from her point it might look that way. She has my heart and doesn't want it. She can't be with me. She would never be with her "17 year old student who has a crush on her and oh yeah just so happens to be a girl." Her words, not mine. She told me to walk away. Get over it. Get over her. I can't. I decided today to try to be a friend. As much of a friend I can be with my teacher. "It's never going to happen Ashley." Again, her words.
So why am I sitting here at this picnic table feeling ridiculously uncomfortable, somewhat amused, and a tad angry?
Well Blondie A.K.A. Rebecca Jacobs is still eye fucking me and Spencer A.K.A. Heartbreaker is still glaring at her. All while I am sitting here, trying to listen to my best friend who is still talking about global warming.
I know what Blondie, sorry Rebecca wants. That is quite obvious. Spencer on the other hand, not so much. This woman is so damn complicated. She's like a jigsaw puzzle with too many fucking pieces. I don't know where to start.
I can only come up with one thing. She. Is. Jealous.
Well you know what? She made her bed. Now she has to sleep in it. ALONE. Sad I know.
Miranda stopped talking enough to excuse herself to use the bathroom. I don't know how she was so oblivious to what was going on. There is so much tension at this table you would need a chainsaw to cut through it.
It's quiet and it is not a comfortable quiet.
Rebecca is eyeing me up and down. Almost like she is undressing me in her mind.
Spencer is no longer glaring. She is looking in the other direction.
I am trying to figure out what to do. I have been acting all week. And I gotta say my acting was pretty solid. Not Oscar worthy but not Razzie award winning either. If I want Spencer to think I moved on there is only one thing I can do. Even though a piece of me. A very large piece doesn't want her to think that I have moved on I know I have to at least act like it. I know exactly what to do. And seeing her battle the good ol' green- eyed monster is going to be a bonus. Hope my plan works out in the end. Here we go.
"So Rebecca, how have you been? What have you been up to?" I ask Blondie.
"I've been good Ashley. Going to school, working and hanging out at the club. I haven't seen you there since that night." Had to bring up that night did ya?
"I play every Thursday night and some Saturday nights. We must just miss each other."
"Well that explains it. I am only there on Friday's. I have school on Thursday's and work on Saturday's. Maybe I should change my work schedule." She says followed by a sexy smirk.
"Yeah. Maybe you should." I throw back my own signature sexy smirk.
"Ahem." Spencer cleared her throat. I almost forgot she was there. Wait, no I didn't.
"Where do you go to school Rebecca?" That was Spencer trying to make friendly conversation I suppose. Yeah right.
"UCLA. I'm majoring in Marine Biology. I am fascinated with the ocean and its beings."
"That's great." Spencer said nonchalantly. She couldn't care less.
"Spencer here is a Literature Professor at UCLA." I smile over at Spencer who has a strange look on her face.
"Really. Wow you must be really smart Spencer. Oh, is it okay if I call you that?"
"No. You can call me Professor or Professor Dennison." Spencer said sternly.
"Oh sorry. I just assumed it was okay since you let your students call you by your first name." I would like to say she was really sorry but no, she was just being pretentious. She had an agenda. It seems similar to mine. I liked it. Anyway point 1 goes to Blondie.
"I am fine with my students calling me Spencer. You are not my student. I don't even know you." And a point for Spencer.
"Well I am only looking to get to know Ashley..more. Is that okay with you Professor?" She turned on the bench to face Spencer directly.
"Ashley is here as a volunteer for a high-school program. She is under my care right now. If you want to get to know her you will have to wait until later." 2-1 Spence.
"Why do I have a feeling you wouldn't be okay with 'later' either?" Tie game.
I feel like I am watching a tennis match. My head turning side to side to watch each player.
"You're right Rebecca. I mean you are a little old for her don't you agree?" Spencer is up by 1 again.
"I could say the same for you. Not to mention you're like her teacher right? Isn't that illegal?" Deuces.
Spencer stood up and walked over to Rebecca. Rebecca got up from her seat.
"What you are implying is ludicrous. You are way off base. You need to watch what you say." Uh oh. Spencer was pissed. Mmmm.
"Oh please. You can deny it all you want sweetheart. I can see it. I'm sure Ashley can too." Rebecca looks over at me. Shit. I stay expressionless.
"I care for Ashley. I don't want anybody to take advantage of her. That is what you see. That is all you see."
Rebecca laughs. "Really? You obviously don't know Ashley very well. She is old enough and experienced enough to know what she wants." Game.
"Not to mention we go way back. Right Ash? And believe me I know what she wants." Point.
She looks at me and puts her hand on top of mine. "So Ashley. You wanna go out tonight?" Match.
Miranda who just got back looks confused. Spencer looks pissed. Rebecca looks smug and I…well let's just say my plan worked and I look happy…in the inside.
"Um, how about I call you when I am done here." I tell a now anxious looking Rebecca.
"Sounds good. Here's my number." She takes a pen out of her pocket and writes her number on my hand as I was about to give her my phone. Marking her property I suppose. Too funny.
Spencer walked off back towards the garage. I thought pissed off Spencer was sexy. You should see pissed off and highly jealous Spencer. I need a cold shower.
"Bye Ashley. See you later." Rebecca winked and walked off towards the house.
Miranda was grinning at me. I had no problem reading her mind. It was saying "Work it girl."
"Stop grinning at me like that. You look like a weirdo. Oh and by the way I am in no way what so ever a NERD. So stop calling me Goob." I was serious. She was laughing.
"Finally figured out what it meant huh?" She laughed even harder.
"Not funny. C'mon let's go do this shit so we can go home." I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the garage. No way was I going in there alone to deal with Spencer. Scary!
"You just want to hurry up so you can go home and call Re-bec-ca." Not really.
"Whatever. It's been weeks since I went out with someone. Sue me. I'm human."
"So you like her huh?"
"What's not to like? She's hot, she's blonde, she's a girl, she's hot." She's not Spencer.
"Really? That's all you can come up with?" Sadly yes.
"Look we're just gonna hang out. Not like I'm gonna ask her to go steady. Chill Doc."
"So does 'hang out' mean have sex in Ashley terminology?" Huh?
"No. Have sex means have sex in Ashley terminiology. And I am the new Ashley remember? No having sex." I should elaborate. "Only making love." I say in a deep sexy voice.
"C'mon Barry White. We have work to finish." Spencer says expressionless. She came out of nowhere. She hands me my hammer and some nails.
"Miranda I hope you are better at using one of these than Spencer is." I hold up my hammer and laugh.
"What?"
Spencer holds up her bandaged finger and smiles sarcastically.
"Funny Ashley." That's weird she doesn't look amused.
We worked for another couple hours. Miranda and I just joked to each other while Spencer said nothing unless she was spoken to. We were finally finished and headed to our cars. I waved to Rebecca who was getting into hers.
"Bye Miranda. See you at home." Spencer smiled to her sister in law.
"See you at school Ashley." She didn't smile at me. She just got in her car and started the engine.
Well my plan to make Spencer jealous worked. But now she was mad at me too. What did I tell ya? Complicated.
"So what are you up to tonight?" I ask my chauffeur.
"I don't know. Nothing much. Chelsea has plans with her family and you're going out with the hot blonde so I will probably just stay in. Do homework maybe." Wow. Fun night.
"What about Spencer? You could hang with her right?"
"Spencer's going out with some friends tonight. They're going to some play at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Spence is a big fan of plays."
"Oh. Hmmm. Well why don't we hang out? Do something fun. What do you say Doc?" She looked at me like I had 3 heads.
"Did you forget about the hot blonde that you have a date with?"
"No. I didn't forget about the hot blonde." Either of them.
"Did I miss something?" She's so cute when she's confused.
"I said I would call her. Didn't say I was going to go out with her."
"Don't you think she'll be mad?"
"Nah. We can go out another time. I'm all yours tonight." I smile big and goofy.
"Ash. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't spent a Saturday night alone before." Poor thing.
"That was before. This is now. And no best friend of the Ashley Davies spends Saturday nights alone. S-A ..T-U-R..D-A-Y Ey. Oh sorry."
"Uh. What was that exactly?"
"Are you kidding me?" She did not just ask me that.
"No..Not kidding. What was that?"
"Oh boy. Listen here best friend of mine. Tonight we are going to go to my house and I am going to make you listen to every record and cd that I have. You need a lesson in music my dear."
"Uh okay."
"Saturday niiiight, Saturday niiiight. I,I,I ,I just can't wait. I,I,I,I got a date." It was such a cheesy 70's song. But I loved it. The look on Miranda's face was hilarious. Must be my 3 heads again.
We went to my place after we got some grub. As I promised we listened to music all night. She was a good sport so when she asked me to play something for her I couldn't say no.
"What do you want me to play?"
"Something you wrote. Something from the heart. But not sad." Something from my heart that wasn't sad. That was a challenge. But I had a new song. This was the perfect time to sing it.
I hold out my hand for her and pull her up.
"We have to go downstairs. I need my piano."
We get downstairs to the piano room as I call it. It is a spacious room with white carpet and my black grand piano sits in the middle . Nothing else is needed. The walls are filled with signed pictures of several of my favorite artist. My dad has his own wall.
"Okay, well I wrote this a couple days ago . You're the first one to get to hear it. Which is perfect because I kind of wrote it for you. It's a little sad but a good sad." She just smiles at me and sit down next to me on the bench.
I close my eyes and take it all in. I let my fingers run over the keys. I'm instantly at peace. I'm home.
It's like a storm
That cuts a path
It breaks your will
It feels like that
You think you're lost
But you're not lost on your own
You're not alone
I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
It hurts my heart
To see you cry
I know it's dark
This part of life
Oh, it finds us all
But we're too small
To stop the rain
Oh, but when it rains
I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let you fall
Don't be afraid to fall
I'm right here to catch you
I won't let you down
It won't get you down
You're gonna make it
Yeah, I know you can make it
Cause I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
And I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
Oh I'm gonna hold you
And I won't let go
Won't let you go
No, I won't
When I am finished I close my eyes again.
I feel her put her arm around me. I hear the quiet sounds of her tears.
She puts her head on my shoulder.
"Thank you Ash. It was beautiful." She says in an almost whisper.
I put my arm around her and lean my head on hers.
"You're welcome Doc."
We both went to sleep shortly after that. We were physically drained. I was a little emotionally drained as well.
After Miranda left Sunday afternoon I decided to write some more. I even managed to write the music to the songs I wrote last weekend. I was a writing machine. I was inspired. I was almost…happy. Almost.
Monday came and went as well and Tuesday and Wednesday. Things were going okay. I talked with Spencer here and there but mostly it was about school or volunteer work. Casey hadn't been in school at all and when I called her mom said she was sick. It made me sick thinking about her hurting. Hurting because of me.
Miranda did her best to cheer me up . She took me to the club on Thursday night. It still wasn't open but by Saturday it would be. We were going to have a big party to celebrate the re-opening. Not to mention it was my birthday. We stepped into the club and it was empty. I couldn't wait to get up on that stage Saturday night.
"Why don't you go up there and sing a few songs?" Miranda suggested.
I walk over to the stage and hop up onto it. I walk over to the piano and run my fingers over it.
"Hey!" Miranda shouts from her bar stool. I look at her with my eye brows raised.
"Something HAPPY and upbeat. K?"
I snicker. "Gotcha."
I sit down and think of what to play. I picked a song. It was upbeat but it wasn't mine. It was a song from one of my favorite
bands. I smiled over at Miranda and starting to sing while my fingers moved over the keys.
Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey
But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there?
Now that she's back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does Tae-Bo
Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey
Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol' Jane told a story about a man
Who was too afraid to fly so he never did land
But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way?
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?
Was it everything you wanted to find?
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there
Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you
Even when I know you're wrong?
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance
Five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?
But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way?
But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?
And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself?
And did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day?
And did you fall for a shooting star?
Fall for a shooting star?
And now you're lonely looking for yourself out there
Miranda stands up she wasn't the only one.
I look over to where the applause is coming from.
There were two people standing at the door.
To say I was shocked is quite an understatement.
I was in shock yes. I was overwhelmed at the sight in front of me. Happy yet sad. Excited yet calm.
I slid off the stage and walked towards them.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I closed them and then opened them again. Making sure I was actually seeing what I was seeing.
He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. I held him tight never intending to let him go. I closed my eyes and I cried. I let it all go. I got lost in the warmth of his arms around me.
When I opened my eyes. I looked over at her. She was standing by the door. Tears trickling down her face. She wiped them quickly. What she was doing here I had no clue. Did she bring him to me? Was she the reason he was here? I didn't understand what was going on but at that moment I didn't care.
This night I would never forget. I had the three people that I needed most in this room with me. My best friend, the woman I was in love with and…. my dad.
Hope you enjoyed
Songs:
Saturday night- The Bay City Rollers
I Won't Let Go- Rascal Flats
Drops of Jupiter- Train