52 - Ten Feet Off The Ground

Jaiden's PoV

Friday afternoon and I had no plans for the evening. I slammed my locker door shut and made my way towards the music room, hoping I'd catch Ashley before she left. I hoped she had plans with Spencer because I could use the girls' company.

"Hey Jaiden." I whirled around to find Eliza standing by the music door with her drumsticks twirling around in her hand. "Waiting for Miss Davies?"

"Yeah." I breathed and bit my lip, trying not to stare at her perfectly freckled face and gorgeous eyes.

Ugh.

I was reducing myself to mush.

Well, it was technically her fault.

Standing there looking like that.

"She's just on the phone," my raven haired beauty smiled shyly and let her bag slip to the floor while she leaned against the wall more, "I was uh, just grabbing a guitar."

"Oh? Me too." I smiled and leaned against the other side of the door.

Liar. I already had one.

It was a gift from Spencer and Lucas.

"I thought you told Miss Davies you could bring in your own if she was short handed?" She quirked a teasing eyebrow and smiled innocently when I coward backwards.

"Right." I swallowed and nodded. "So you pay attention in class."

"With a teacher like Miss Davies, wouldn't you?" Eliza blushed slightly and looked away.

So I had a chance.

"Definitely." I nodded and laughed, trying to ease the tensions of embarrassment.

We stood there silently for a few minutes before Ashley opened the music room door, surprised to find the both of us standing there. "Oh, girls, come in." She followed us into the big room and smiled.

"I was hoping I could sign out the guitar for the weekend." Eliza bit her lip.

"Of course." Ashley laughed softly and then averted her eyes to me. "And let me guess, you want a ride to Rapture?"

"Actually mom was pretty cool this morning and let me drop her off at work so I could take the car." I grinned. "I was hoping Lucas and Dylan were free tonight."

Ashley had a surprised look on her face. "I think so, why?"

"I miss those brats." I shrugged and sat down in a chair, subtly checking out Eliza as she bent over to pick up the drumsticks she dropped.

"Well I think Spencer is coaching a game of theirs tonight." Ashley closed her files and shoved them in her briefcase. "But you're more than welcome to come to the game and hang out with them afterwards."

"You and Spence have no plans afterwards?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

"Jai," she sighed and rolled her eyes, "not everything is about sex with us."

"No," I agreed, "but most things are about sex with Spencer when it comes to you." I shrugged. "Just because I'm not seen, does not mean I cannot hear. I have two lesbians as parents and it's a known fact with those three, well four including Carmen, that sex is pretty much all they talk about."

"Really?" Curiosity got the best of her and she sat down beside me, leaning forward and waiting for me to continue.

"Gross, I'm not going to tell you what they say." I pushed her lightly away and laughed.

"Yea well it's gross that you actually eavesdrop on your parents." Ashley smiled and stood up.

"I picked the same guitar," Eliza interrupted us softly, "I need to run before I miss my bus and if I miss my bus, I'll be walking until after dark before I get home."

"Where do you live?" I asked, mostly out of concern of course.

"Out by the jail." Eliza shrugged and clutched her things closer to her, looking at the clock before making a quick exit after throwing out a quick 'see ya'.

Ashley looked at me and I looked back at the door.

"Catch you later." I yelled before running down the hallway to meet up with Eliza.

"Hey," I said, grabbing her arm softly. My eyes flickered to hers and she swallowed. "Look, I could totally make up a lie and say that I live out there or I was on my way out there anyway but then I'd make an ass out of myself like I did with the guitar line-"

"Would you like to teach me how to play this thing?" Eliza interrupted me with a silly grin yet totally catching me off guard. "I mean, I have the main chords down but I don't know if I'm 'guitar' worthy after playing drums my whole life."

"Uh yea…," I smiled and nodded, "sure."

"Cool." She smiled and bit her bottom lip, her eyes watching her bus go by.

"So do you have plans tonight?" I sighed and scratched the back of my neck nervously.

"No." She said softly.

"Do you like hockey?" I asked again.

"I've never played but watching the game is pretty cool."

"Did you want to join me tonight in watching nine to eleven year olds kick ass on the ice?" I grinned when her smile widened, nodding. "Good, then afterwards I can take you home."

"You don't mind?" She asked unsure.

"I wouldn't have offered." I smiled and grabbed her backpack, carrying it outside for her.

"Jaiden?" Eliza snickered. "That guitar line was pretty lame."

I rolled my eyes and groaned embarrassedly. "I know."

--

Spencer's PoV

"It should totally be illegal to have you teach at a high school full of over-hormonal teenagers." I pouted as Ashley finished unpacking the last of her bedroom box. Aside from some of her major appliances and other few boxes, she was moved into her new house and it was looking a little more like… home.

"It's not like I go to school dressed in short mini-skirts and tight sweaters." She rolled her eyes and threw a pair of socks at my head.

"Oh right, that was you twelve years ago." I teased and tossed the socks into her drawer.

"You didn't complain." Her eyes gleamed and I chuckled. "Besides, you happened to love those miniskirts."

"I did." I nodded without argument.

"Hey," she turned around and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the hallway, "I wanted to wait until I had it all finished but since you're here now I figured it would do no harm to show you." We stopped at a closed door and I tilted my head to the side, wondering how I managed to miss it before. Engraved in a blue wooden plaque were the initials 'L.E.C.'

"Ash…" I said in awe and she just smiled, turning to door knob and opening the door to the small room. The light flicked on and I found myself standing in the middle of an empty room with walls that had sketches from the floor to the ceiling of Lucas' artwork. "Ashley…" I turned to look at her in more awe as she stood blushing in the doorway, acting shy and nervous. "This is…" I couldn't even find the words.

I was speechless.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Ashley whispered, looking around the room, moving in more.

"She's going to freak." I smiled with a nod, an excited nod.

"Freak?" Her eyes turned worried and I cupped her face.

"A good freak." I ran my thumb across the smoothness of her cheek. "How did you do this?"

"Uh," she laughed a little and clasped her hands together, "funny thing, I bumped into um, Carmen while the thought of how I wanted to do this room ran through my head."

"Carmen did this?" I whispered. "When?"

"The last couple of days. I mean, she had nothing better to do with Sammy being away, so I thought, why not?" Ashley smiled and moved to place a hand over the far wall, outlining the perfect outline. "Back in high school, I remember you mentioning how much Carmen loved to paint so…"

"Oh wow." I took another look around the room. "Ash, baby, Lucas is going to love this!"

"I hope so," Ashley grinned and shrugged, "Dylan promised me she wouldn't be mad and she gave me the sketches she thought were more Lucas' favourite."

I shook my head and hooked my pinky in her belt loop, pulling her close to me. "You are unbelievable, you know that?"

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "So you've screamed." She batted her eyelashes playfully and I smirked, kissing her softly.

"Why I do believe you are getting fresh with me Miss Davies." I winked and kissed her a little deeper that time.

"Oh no!" Ashley pulled back and shook her head. "I'm not about to have sex in this room."

"What?" I laughed and raised an eyebrow at her. "You think I was about to have sex with you?"

Yes.

It totally crossed my mind.

"Well I know your kisses Spencer!" Ashley challenged and stepped away from me. "No quickies in this room."

"Fine," I sighed dramatically, "take me to your bed."

"No." Ashley laughed and I gasped. "What? The girls are getting dropped off in an hour and-"

"Fine." I pouted and then lit up the room with my brightening smile. "This is a really sweet gesture you did for Luc, baby."

Ashley cleared her throat and blushed. "Really? You really think so?"

"Yes." I laced my fingers with hers and hugged her gently. "Thank you."

"For what?" She whispered, pulling back.

"For just… all of this." I smiled and squeezed her hand. "Come on, let's go finish unpacking more boxes."

Sunday would be the day Dylan was moving in with Ashley officially.

"You really think she-"

"She'll love it." I confirmed with a nod.

Ashley took a deep breath and looked at the bedroom one last time, smiling proudly. "Okay," she whispered with a nod and turned off the light, closing the door behind us.

Her uncertainty was adorable.

It really made my heart swell knowing that Ashley was thinking of Lucas and what she would like. She was really trying and what made it more special was the fact that she didn't have to try – it was all so natural to her.

I began to think about what Ashley had been through the last couple of years. What was she feeling? What was she thinking? How did she cope with the pain of losing her daughter?

It wasn't a time to ask those but I knew one thing for sure, Ashley was a lot stronger than she ever allowed others to see. She had to have been a great mother before Dylan was taken away. I had no doubt in my mind.

"I'm proud of you." I said out of nowhere and it made her stop dead in her tracks. Her body slowly twisted so she could look at me with a hint of surprise on her face.

"What?" Ashley whispered.

I took her hand and pulled her against me, my lips brushing against hers softly. "I am proud of you Ashley Avery Davies."

Her eyes met the floor between our feet and her shoulders slumped a little. "I don't know what I did but thank you."

I laughed lightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You are really amazing, you know that? So modest when you should be flaunting everything you have to offer. An amazing job, a beautiful little girl and a chance to start over."

"I don't think I could be this strong without you by my side, Spencer." Ashley confessed in a soft whisper. "You've pretty much been my rock this whole time."

"You got through your program okay without me," I offered quietly, "you're stronger than you give yourself credit for Ashley."

Ashley smiled and cupped my face, her fingers dancing over my ears. "Stop making me blush, Spencer Dylan Carlin."

I grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "Never."

--

Next time in Points Underneath:

"Lucas, you should be in bed nice and warm." I laughed softly and she shrugged, dropping the skates and sitting in the snow.

"I couldn't sleep anyway." Her grey eyes were bright as her smile threw light into the air. "When I'm way too excited about something, it keeps me up. Mom says that I need to try and break the habit before I get older or it could get worse."

I nodded and offered Lucas a sip of my hot chocolate, which she gratefully accepted and thanked me for politely. "I'm the exact same way."