Chapter Seven

It took a while for Ashley's mind to catch with her and she finally got off the swing and started to chase after Spencer who was heading for the wooded area behind the park.

"Spencer!" she called trying to squint through the darkness. The trees were blocking the moonlight so it was hard to see anything. "Spencer, please don't be mad, I didn't mean that." Ashley heard Spencer stop.

"I'm not mad," Spencer said slightly peeved. "I'm annoyed."

Ashley bit her lip as she finally found Spencer in a clearing. "I'm sorry."

"I just don't get you," Spencer said frustrated and ran a hand through her hair. "You say you like me, yet you act like a complete an ass, and then you say that it's all a game?"

"No, no. That's not what I meant," Ashley said desperately. "I just meant that, I thought you liked me…trying that hard?" She had no idea how to say what she was feeling without annoying Spencer further.

Spencer raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. "What?"

Ashley let out a sigh. "Okay, I guess it's the arrogance in me but I honestly thought you liked me too and that you were just playing hard to get."

Spencer didn't say anything and just stared at Ashley with an unreadable expression.

"Sometimes," Ashley continued. "When I would talk to you and I'll start to flirt, I see this like, little smile on your face. And I guess I thought that meant that you liked me and thought I was,"

"Funny?" Spencer finished.

Ashley smiled a little. "Yeah."

"Well," Spencer looked at the ground and started moving around some leaves and dirt with her foot. "Some of the things you would say were sweet and ridiculous at the same time."

"Sweet? You thought I was sweet?" Ashley said hopefully.

"At times," Spencer clarified and the smile on Ashley's face faltered. "But then you would say something so incredibly pretentious I'd forget why I was smiling in the first place."

Ashley looked down. "I just don't know how to act in front of you."

"So acting like an arrogant toerag is your default?"

Ashley almost laughed at Spencer's choice of words but stopped when she saw that Spencer was not in the mood for joking. "I don't have to try so had with anyone else," she admitted. "With you, I feel like I need to step up a little and try to get a reaction from you. With any other girl, all I have to do is like compliment her outfit, and she'll go out with me."

"Well, I'm not just any other girl," Spencer said a little offended she was being roped into Ashley's groupies.

"I know," Ashley said immediately and Spencer looked up surprised. "That's why I like you so much. You're different. You're smart, you're pretty, you're witty, you're not afraid of speaking your mind and standing up for yourself." She looked at the ground again feeling a little embarrassed.

Spencer blushed a little at Ashley's compliments and was thankful she was looking down. "You didn't have to try so hard," Spencer said softly but Ashley heard every word.

Ashley just stared at her not quite sure of what to say. Thankfully, Casey and Sally chose that moment to show up,

"There you guys are," Sally said when she spotted them. "We thought you left without us."

"Everything alright?" Casey asked a little worried by the way that Spencer and Ashley were staring at each other.

"Everything's fine," Spencer said breaking their gaze. "Case, I have to go home." She walked pass Ashley without looking at her and started heading out of the area.

Sensing her friend needed someone to talk to, Casey kissed Sally on the cheek and went after Spencer.

"What the hell happened?" Sally asked once Casey left.

Ashley scratched her head. "I have no idea."

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Ashley entered her first class on Monday morning and slumped on down on her desk. She was about to put her head in her arms and fall asleep when her teacher handed her a hall pass.

"Your guidance counselor wants to see you, Ms. Davies."

"Now?" she asked confused as she took the hall pass.

"Yes, please hurry before the bell rings."

Confused but very glad to miss first period, Ashley grabbed her bag and headed down to the counselor's office. She knocked on the door and peaked her head in. "Mrs. Avery, you wanted to see me?"

Mrs. Avery looked up from her computer and beckoned her. "Yes, please come in."

Ashley closed the door and took a seat in front of the desk. She crossed her legs and set her folded hands on top of knees feeling a little nervous. She hoped to God she wasn't in trouble. Her mom would kill her.

"So Ashley, how are you?" Mrs. Avery asked leaning forward on her desk.

"Alright," she said shrugging.

"And how's the semester going?"

She shrugged again. "Okay."

Mrs. Avery shuffled around a few papers and Ashley sat up a little trying to see what they were. "It says here that you're doing very well in all your classes except for art." She looked up and gave her a knowing smirk.

"Yeah," Ashley said a little embarrassed. "It's not my best class."

"Yeah, I would imagine so since it says here that you've only attended three since the semester started." She raised an eyebrow.

"Oops?"

Mrs. Avery sighed a little disappointed. "Ashley, you do know that you need an art credit to graduate."

"I know, I know," she said a little shamefully. "I promise I'll go to art from now on."

"I'm afraid you can't."

"What?" Panic rushed through Ashley.

"Attendance is mandatory, Ashley. You can't return to the class because you've missed too many," Mrs. Avery explained.

"But, I need an art class to graduate, what am I supposed to do?" The last thing Ashley wanted was to be held back a year because she didn't go to some stupid art class that she never wanted to take in the first place.

"You can take another class." She handed her a sheet of paper with a list of art classes. "I know King High doesn't look at art classes as the highest of priorities, but these are the only ones the school offers."

Ashley looked at the list which was very short. Besides art, the only other classes that were available were drama and music. Because there were so few people interested, music was actually a combination of glee club, choir, and band. "Are these the only ones?" Ashley asked frowning.

"Yes, Ashley," Mrs. Avery said a little impatiently. "Why don't you try drama? Isn't that what your sister's doing?"

Ashley scoffed. Like she would ever be caught dead in a school play. "Um, I guess I'll do music then." She handed the paper to her.

"Excellent, you can start today. I'll just write Mr. Thompson a little note." Mrs. Avery started writing something down as Ashley sulked.

She didn't want to take a stupid music class but she did want to graduate with the rest of her class. "Stupid high school requirements," she muttered. She had no idea what the music department was like in King High. No one cared enough to find out.

"Alright, just give this to Mr. Thompson during fourth period." Mrs. Avery handed her a folded note. "And here's a hall pass to get back to your English class."

Ashley tightly smiled as she took both sheets of paper. If Mrs. Avery thought she was going back to first period, she was pretty delusional. Once she left the office, Ashley went to go take a nap under her favorite tree.

---

"You're taking music now?" Sally whispered during third period. Math was the only class they had together and they sat all the way in the back.

"Yes," Ashley said through gritted teeth. "I got kicked out of art." She copied the formulas on the board and solved them quickly.

"Well, at least you like music," Sally said consolingly while trying to solve the math problems with difficultly.

"Please, glee club, choir, and band? It's like hell on earth." She scribbled a few more answers and sat back finished with the work. Ashley was really good at math.

"Oh come on, it might not be that bad. Plus, you need to graduate."

"A little less talk and little more work, ladies," the teacher said from the front.

"Sorry, Ms. Everett," Sally apologized and went back to work.

Ashley just sat back still sulking. "That means you too, Ms. Davies."

"I'm finished," she said smiling.

Ms. Everett walked between the desks and stopped by Ashley's. She grabbed her notebook and looked over the work. "Well, Ashley, you can use the rest of the time as a free period then," she said smiling and handed her back the notebook.

"How the hell do you that?" Sally asked once the teacher was back at her desk.

"I'm gifted," Ashley said shrugging and pulled out another notebook. This was her composition notebook where she wrote all her songs. She didn't write them often but only when inspiration hit her. Ashley had the sudden urge to write an angry and whiny song.

The bell rang and Ashley took her sweet time getting to the music room. She stood in front of the door already hearing singing and instruments being played. "God, I'm walking into High School Musical." Ashley finally opened the door and the music stopped. Everyone turned to look at her like she was some alien. There were some risers in the middle of the room where the glee club or choir was singing. Behind them was the band.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Thompson asked.

Ashley avoided everyone looks and handed him the note Mrs. Avery gave her. He read it and smiled. "Class," he said turning to his students. "Ashley will be joining us now."

There was a plethora of murmurs and whispers amongst everyone and Ashley rolled her eyes. "Now, do you prefer to sing or play an instrument?" Mr. Thompson asked.

Ashley wanted to say that she just wanted to sit in the back and do noting but she forced a fake a smile. "Instrument."

"What can you play?"

Again, she wanted to answer that she could play anything but forced another smile. "I can play the guitar."

"Excellent, we don't have any guitarists just cellists and violinists. There are few guitars you can use until you can bring your own." He pointed to the back of the classroom.

Ashley didn't even notice the baby grand piano in the back. What she also didn't notice was the person sitting on the bench behind it. Staring at her with surprised blue eyes was Spencer Carlin.

Maybe music was going to be heaven on earth.

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