A/N Sorry for not updating last week! I even made this chapter a little longer as penance :)

Chapter 21

Ashley dumped a fair amount of cereal in the bowl in front of her before adding some milk. It was a mundane task, but her morning had been anything but mundane. How could anything be boring or routine when it involved Spencer Carlin?

She smiled to herself before taking a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. There was so much that she had to be happy about. It felt almost too good to be true.

The past couple of days the majority of her time had been spent with Spencer. The night before they'd even had the opportunity for another sleepover. Having absentee parents meant they could see each other pretty much any time they wanted to.

Having that much access to Spencer was only intensifying Ashley's feelings for her, which was also helping Ashley feel more comfortable exploring the physical side of things with the blonde. There were moments where she did need to stop or slow down what they were doing, but those moments were becoming less frequent.

The previous night, Ashley had been the one to initiate more intimate contact with Spencer. She could tell that the other girl was trying to be respectful, so Ashley knew it was up to her to dictate the pace of what happened. She was the one who took Spencer's shirt off. She was the one who told Spencer that she wanted to take the blonde's bra off. She was the one who explored the blonde's body even if she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing.

Spencer was very encouraging, especially when it appeared that everything Ashley did, she enjoyed. That fact that she could give Spencer so much pleasure, made Ashley feel amazing in its own right, but touching and kissing Spencer, wherever she still felt comfortable to do so, was the ultimate reward. She doubted that she'd ever forget what it was like to take Spencer's breast in her mouth for the first time or how loudly the blonde moaned in response. It was almost magical.

When they had woken up in the morning, it was Ashley who once again taken the lead. She couldn't get enough of Spencer, and it was pretty obvious that the blonde felt the same way. It was up to Ashley to encourage Spencer to go under her shirt when she wasn't wearing her bra—a first for them. Feeling Spencer's body against her bare skin made Ashley break out in goosebumps. Even fully clothed with Spencer busy at the kitchen counter making coffee, Ashley's body was reacting in ways she'd never experienced.

But it wasn't only physical between them, although that was certainly taking up a large chunk of what they were together. Ashley was also enjoying how much they both were opening up to one another, which only strengthened their connection.

"Here you go," Spencer handed Ashley a cup of coffee before sitting down at the kitchen table. Starting the day with Ashley put her in a good mood—not an easy feat considering how much she hated mornings. It helped that she'd woken up to a particularly hot make-out session with the brunette. Who could be in a bad mood after that? Even if Ashley had woken her up at an ungodly hour because she had an early morning cheerleading thing she had to go to school for.

Spencer had kind of glazed over when Ashley talked about cheerleading because it made her think of Ashley in that uniform of hers—the uniform she was now trying to avoid staring at too much, a task easier said than done. "No matter what anyone tells you, never quit cheerleading, OK? That uniform looks really good on you."

Normally comments about her looks made Ashley feel uncomfortable. But when the comments came from Spencer, she felt her cheeks getting red. "Are you always this pervy so early in the morning?"

"Says the girl who jumped me before sunrise!" Spencer said in her defense.

"I don't remember you complaining about that!" Ashley fired back playfully.

"I was absolutely not complaining," Spencer clarified. She cleared Ashley's plate and then refilled their mugs. It was nice being with someone who shared her love of caffeine. She checked the time and when she realized that Ashley had to leave in a few minutes, Spencer decided to ask the question she'd been working up the nerve to ask. "So, uh, feel free to say no, or whatever, but if you don't have plans, did you maybe want to eat lunch with me and Sean?" Spencer hoped that eventually she'd come to a point with Ashley that every time she asked for something she wanted, she wouldn't sound like a total dork.

Ashley's eyes shot up just as she was about to take a final gulp of her drink. She had not been expecting Spencer to ask her something like that. The subject of school and being seen together hadn't been addressed since Spencer had talked about acknowledging her existence. Pushing beyond that point hadn't even been on Ashley's radar. She was happy with the way they were. Changing the status quo didn't seem necessary.

Spencer reacted to Ashley's hesitation almost immediately. "Never mind, it's fine, you don't even know Sean and we're just…" The blonde didn't finish her sentence, she was sure it would not lead anywhere good.

Ashley's first instinct might have been to answer no, but what she wanted was a chance to think about "No, Spence, I uh-"

"Ash, really, never mind," Spencer was kicking herself for asking for something that Ashley might not be ready for. She wasn't mad or upset. A little deflated maybe, but she'd promised Ashley that she wasn't going to pressure her and she wanted to keep that promise. "It's OK, honest."

"Are you sure?" Ashley asked. She didn't like that the morning had now gotten weird. She felt responsibility for the change because she couldn't answer Spencer like she really wanted to. Instead, she had all these other factors preventing her answering honestly. "I didn't say no and-"

"I'm sure," Spencer assured the brunette. She wanted to let Ashley off the hook and not let her question derail all the progress they'd made. "Now, go get your stuff and get out of here before Madison has your head for being late."

The last thing that Ashley wanted to do was leave, but she did get her things like Spencer had encouraged her to do. When she was at the front door, she stopped. Ashley wasn't going to head to school until she made sure that things with her and Spencer were fine. "Are we OK?"

Spencer appreciated how concerned Ashley was. It made her feel better about not getting the answer to her question that she'd hoped for. "We're more than OK." Spencer kissed Ashley soundly on the lips. "We'll catch up later."

Ashley walked to her car with a pit in her stomach. As much as she believed that Spencer was being honest with her, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd messed up. It was something she was sure would be nagging at her for the rest of the day.

"Are you even listening to me?" Madison barked at Ashley on their way to class.

Ashley had not, in fact, been listening to Madison. What she had been doing was replaying her earlier conversation with Spencer in her mind. The more times she did that, the worse she felt. Back were the feelings of cowardice that had plagued Ashley for years. It made her feel so bad about herself, and even worse about what she'd done to Spencer.

"Ashley!" Madison yelled when her question got no response. All morning Ashley had been distracted, and she wouldn't tell Madison why that was. At first, Madison suspected it was left over anger for how she'd ditched Ashley over the weekend. She didn't feel bad about doing that, but did wonder if Ashley was mad at her. That likely wasn't the case, though, because Ashley hadn't said two words to her about being left at the club without a place to go. Madison figured that Ashley must have found someone to go home with. But Ashley was keeping tightlipped about who that someone was, which was driving Madison up the wall, as was Ashley's apathy to answering her texts and Ashley's secrecy about why she was in a good mood and so was Ashley's refusal to answer why she'd been meeting with Sean a few days before. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Ashley didn't respond. She was too busy freaking out about what happened with Spencer. She was worried that they were going to take steps backwards in what they'd managed to work through. And she would be the reason for that. Nothing in Spencer's messages all morning gave credence to that theory, but that didn't stop Ashley from worrying about what she'd done.

Or hadn't done more accurately.

Keeping Ashley on a short leash was now the only way for Madison to deal with whatever was up with her. She stomped away to her next class, seething with anger.

She was not going to let Ashley get away with her behaviour for much longer

Ashley went her own way not realizing the firestorm that she had a hand in creating. Caring about Madison was the farthest thing from her mind at that moment.

After Ashley sat down at her usual spot at lunch, the pit that had been in her stomach all day, had only grown. This was all wrong.

Everything about the day since she'd left Spencer's felt wrong.

"Good, you're here," Madison said in a stern voice. She sat down across from Ashley with a very determined look on her face. "You and I have a few things to discuss." She slammed her tray on the table for emphasis. "Whatever is going on with you, it stops right now. I'm sick and tired of how you are treating me."

If Ashley didn't know that Madison was being serious, she would have burst out laughing. The garbage that was being spewed out of Madison's mouth was as dumbfounding as it was narcissistic.

When Ashley looked across the quad, she saw Spencer having lunch with Sean. She might not be able to hear what they were saying, but she was positive that they were having a much better time than she was right then. More than that, in a moment of clarity, Ashley finally acknowledged how stupid her refusal to say yes right away that morning really was.

Why was she subjecting herself to Madison's ranting and awful behaviour when she could be with the person that she wanted to be with more than anything?

So, she made a decision.

A decision that shouldn't even need to made.

Madison was mid-sentence, but that didn't stop Ashley from taking immediate action. She stood up and, without a word of explanation, took her lunch and walked towards Spencer and Sean. She didn't want a conformation, nor did she feel one was necessary.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she moved away from Madison and towards where she really wanted to be. Her hands were trembling but there was no going back, not that she wanted to anyway.

It was probably a good thing that Ashley didn't have time to consider the ramifications of her actions. Besides, she didn't need time to realize what she should have done all along. This wasn't about doing the right thing; it was about doing what she wanted and, even more than that, what Spencer deserved.

Ashley was experiencing the oddest sensation. It was like she was moving super fast and super slow at the same time. She couldn't hear anything that was going on around her because she was too focused on her destination.

When she finally arrived at the spot where Spencer and Sean were sitting, she felt a moment of panic, but that subsided quickly. It was replaced with a feeling of excitement and happiness. "Is your offer for lunch still good?" Ashley asked. She suspected she'd get an answer of yes from Spencer, but just in case, she wanted to make sure her presence would be welcomed.

Spencer had been joking around with Sean when Ashley had announced her arrival. She stopped to gawk up at the brunette. She was completely surprised and absolutely delighted to see Ashley. "Of course it is," Spencer told Ashley without hesitation. She could see how unsure the other girl looked.

Sean was also surprised that Ashley was joining them for lunch. But, like Spencer, he was happy that she was. It helped ease his mind that her intentions were good. There were still some lingering doubts in Sean's mind, but he couldn't deny the difference he'd seen in his friend. And for that reason alone he was willing to give Ashley a fair chance.

Ashley joined Spencer and Sean on the grass. The adrenaline rush she was feeling about what she'd done meant her heart was still beating a mile a minute. Being close to Spencer might also be the reason for that however. "Thanks," She said after she'd gotten comfortable.

The three of them looked at one another for a little while without saying anything. Clearly someone needed to break the ice.

Before any of them could speak up, an angry Madison descended upon them. She could not believe what was going on. One minute she was berating Ashley for her unacceptable behaviour, and the next minute Ashley was gone. Not only was Madison livid by how much Ashley had disrespected her, but when she'd seen where her friend had ended up, that only enraged her further.

This was not happening.

And Madison would not allow it to happen.

Nobody with whom she was associated with was allowed to act like Ashley was acting. How dare she!

Madison stood over Ashley with her arms crossed over her chest. She was fuming—so much so that, for once, she didn't even bother to insult Spencer. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ashley let out a big sigh. All she wanted to do was eat lunch with Spencer, not get engaged in a big fight with Madison. It's not like Ashley was surprised by Madison's reaction, but she had hoped that the other girl would leave her alone. There was a part of Ashley that wanted to ignore Madison and her question, but she was sure if she did that, it would lead to Spencer somehow getting involved and it wasn't her fight to get involved in. This was Ashley's fight. She might wish it wasn't, but she had to deal with Madison on her own.

With a lot of reluctance, she got up and faced Madison.

Spencer was also fuming. She hated that Madison thought she had the right to come over and start something. She couldn't stand the way Madison thought she was better than everyone else. Now that her fury was directed at Ashley, Spencer could feel the tension taking over her body. She started to say something, but then Sean put a hand on her arm. He shot her a look that said stay out of it. As much as Spencer hated keeping her mouth shut, she decided to take his advice. And when she stopped and thought about it, Spencer knew that interfering now would probably cause more problems than it would solve. She resolved to keep out of things unless Madison got really out of line. Then she was fair game.

"I'm, uh, eating lunch," Ashley replied. She was trying her best to appear nonchalant but the slight tremble in her voice betrayed how nervous she was actually feeling.

Madison was so taken aback by Ashley's answer that she burst out laughing. "With these two freaks?" She kept talking, not giving Ashley the chance to say anything. "I tolerate a lot when it comes to you, Ashley. I have no idea what you are playing at, but you are seriously pushing me right now."

Once again Sean had to restrain Spencer from opening her mouth or punching Madison in hers. It was killing Spencer having to watch Madison go after Ashley and not being able to stop it.

"They're not freaks!" Ashley replied, hotly. She could feel years of pent up rage threatening to come out. She quickly looked behind her at Spencer and noticed how enraged the blonde was, but the moment their eyes connected, that disappeared and was replaced by concern.

"Yes they are!" Madison fired back. She took a step towards Ashley so there wasn't much distance between them.

"No, they aren't!" Ashley was fighting to keep her composure. There were so many ways she wanted to respond to Madison. She wished she could be as brave as she wanted to be. But was she really supposed to say about her relationship with Spencer? Was it even a relationship? Yes, there were feelings involved—that much was clear—but two of them had both agreed not to define it.

So what exactly was she supposed to say to Madison? Stop calling them freaks because I can't stop thinking about kissing Spencer and wanting to see her in minimal clothing?

And what about Sean? Who exactly was he?

Mostly, though, her lack of verbalizing her feelings boiled down to fear—fear of repercussions and fear of being labeled.

That didn't mean that Ashley was going to back down and slink back to her regular table with Madison. That wasn't possible; it wasn't even something she wanted. She might not be as brave as she wanted to be, but the days of being Madison's lackey were behind the brunette. "They're not freaks," Ashley said, her voice calm and cold. "They're my friends. And if you have a problem with that, too bad."

Madison laughed again, until she realized that Ashley was being serious.

Spencer was beaming at Ashley's response. She couldn't believe that after this morning Ashley was willing to take such a bold stand, even if her answer was obviously not entirely accurate. But she wasn't bothered by that one bit. Baby steps were fine with the blonde as long as Ashley was taking those steps forward, which she clearly was.

Madison shot Spencer a look of utter contempt when she noticed the blonde smirking at her. Spencer responded in kind by giving Madison the finger. This might not be her battle to fight, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy pissing Madison off.

"If you want to commit social suicide, fine by me," Madison said. She wanted to tear Ashley a new one, but that couldn't happen here, not with people starting to notice their conversation and not in front of Spencer. She'd have to think of a different way to get through to Ashley."It's your funeral."

Ashley let out a shaky breath as her eyes followed Madison back to where she'd had lunch almost every day of high school. She'd expected more of a fight and was happy that wasn't the case. She could feel her rapidly beating heart start to slow down.

When Ashley sat back down nobody spoke as another awkward silence overtook the three of them.

This time it was Sean who decided to break the ice. He looked pointedly at Ashley, "So, friend, before you decided to come over and bring that she-hulk Madison with you, Spencer and I were talking about getting together tonight." He noticed the insecurity on Ashley's face and decided to be clearer with her. "You're coming over too, right?"

Ashley didn't know how to react at first. She had been monopolizing so much of Spencer's time lately that the blonde had told her she wanted to see Sean that night. Ashley wasn't upset. She'd been a bit disappointed, sure, because that meant not seeing Spencer or getting to kiss her and do other stuff with her. On the other hand, she had no desire to get in the way of her friendship with Sean.

Getting that invitation from Sean meant a lot to the brunette, for many reasons. She was touched that he was including her in plans he had with Spencer. Ashley took a quick look at Spencer to make sure that saying yes was OK. When she saw how happy Spencer was, Ashley knew she had worried for nothing. "Well, I do have cheerleading after school, if I haven't been kicked off the team." Ashley hoped that wasn't the case. As much as she loathed being under Madison's thumb, didn't want the other girl to control her life anymore, even if that meant seeing her and being bossed around by her at practice. "But I will come by afterwards. If that's OK," she added shyly.

"It's totally OK," Sean assured the brunette.

With that out of the way, the three of them began talking about their day and school gossip. Ashley would frequently catch Spencer's eye and the two of them would linger on one another before looking away and rejoining their conversation with Sean.

It was the best lunch period that Ashley could remember having.

Despite Spencer's instructions to come right in when she arrived at her house, Ashley felt weird. She had no idea what Spencer and Sean were up to and, in spite of all the reassurances she'd received, she still felt like she was intruding on the two friends.

On the plus side, cheerleading practice had gone surprisingly well. Madison acted like nothing had happened at lunch and nobody seemed to be treating her differently. There was a part of Ashley that felt uneasy about Madison's behaviour. She sensed something was off with Madison but, not one to rock the boat, Ashley just went along and pretended that everything was fine.

She'd wanted to leave right after practice, but seeing as Sean would be over, she didn't feel a shower at Spencer's place was in the cards. Instead, she rushed through her shower and getting changed so she could leave school quickly.

Now that she was at Spencer's, though, Ashley's excitement about being included in Spencer and Sean's plans had changed to nervousness. When she announced her arrival, Spencer had shouted that they were in the den. Ashley put her bag down and tentatively headed in that direction.

When she arrived in the den she found Spencer and Sean sitting on different couches, watching something on the TV. They also seemed to be involved in a spirited discussion of sorts because they didn't notice her standing there at first.

The butterflies in Ashley's stomach intensified. A plethora of questions started buzzing around in Ashley's mind.

Should she kiss Spencer hello? Was that allowed? Did it seem too coupley a move? Where should she sit? When would she get to make out with Spencer? Had Spencer always been so pretty? When would she get to take Spencer's shirt off?

Ashley's face reddened as her internal questions got dirtier. She suddenly wished that Sean would decide to have other plans so she could be alone with Spencer.

When Spencer noticed Ashley in the doorway she stopped talking and her face lit up. She was so happy to see the brunette. Not only because she missed her but also because she was excited for Sean to get a chance to know her. Spencer didn't think it was possible to love Sean more, and then he went ahead and invited Ashley over to their movie night. It was such a generous move on his part.

Sean observed the two girls seemingly to be locked in a conversation with their eyes, so he decided it was a good time to go get a drink.

"Hey," Ashley said after Sean had left the room. She sat down right next to the blonde.

"Hey," Spencer replied, her voice quiet. They hadn't had a moment alone all day, even during Home Ec, and while Spencer would have loved the opportunity to discuss what happened at lunch, greeting Ashley properly felt like a much better option.

Ashley's eyes closed as soon as she saw Spencer leaning in towards her. The minute the blonde's soft lips touched hers, Ashley moved even closer to the other girl.

Their kiss was soft and sweet, both girls mindful that they weren't alone. That didn't mean it wasn't a kiss that left both Spencer and Ashley breathless when they pulled apart.

"Hey," Spencer repeated. She leaned her forehead against Ashley's and took a moment to appreciate just how much her body responded to the brunette. It was such a rush. So instead of talking she just reveled in that feeling.

Their moment was interrupted by Sean preemptively announcing his return. "Hey, it's me, walking into the den. So if there's any kind of kissing action going on you should stop. I've already seen enough of you two getting it on to last a lifetime."

His words had an immediate effect. Spencer moved away from Ashley and Ashley turned a very dark shade of red. But that embarrassment was quickly replaced by another feeling altogether when Spencer took her hand. It was a simple gesture but it was one that sent the brunette into a flutter.

"You're an asshole," Spencer said when Sean appeared in the doorway.

Sean was laughing and smirking at the blonde. "What? I was just trying to avoid another situation like on Saturday. Pardon me for being considerate."

While keeping her one hand entwined with Ashley's, Spencer used her other hand to throw a pillow at Sean. She beamed triumphantly when she managed to hit her friend square in the chest.

"What were you guys up to before I got here?" Ashley asked to try and steer the conversation away from Saturday and what Sean had witnessed.

"Watching a movie," Spencer replied while still giving Sean a dirty look. She wasn't actually mad at him, but that didn't mean she was going to forget what he'd said.

"But we don't want to bore you with those kinds of details," Sean said. He was smiling widely like he was up to something. "What I'd really like to know is what you see in Spencer, exactly? I mean, she has a bad attitude, likes to throw things, has no patience and isn't really all that good looking."

"What the hell, Sean?" Spencer exclaimed before whipping another pillow in her friend's direction. "This is not going to be pick on Spencer night, got it?"

While she might not have been able to stick up to Madison exactly like she would have liked, Ashley wasn't going to let another chance to defend Spencer's honour go by without saying anything. Despite the fact that her blush was returning, Ashley decided to speak up. "Not really good looking? Are you crazy? Spencer is absolutely gorgeous." Ashley's declaration made Spencer and Sean both whip their heads in her direction. Spencer looked extremely pleased and Sean looked surprised. "Besides, she really knows how to kiss and what a girl likes, if you know what I mean."

Ashley's comment left Spencer and Sean slack jawed.

"Well, damn," Sean said. He was surprised that his gentle ribbing of Spencer had resulted in Ashley speaking up on her behalf. That was a good sign in his books.

Spencer was elated at Ashley's defense of her and slightly self-conscious as well. Not because of what the brunette had said, but because it had been said in front of Sean. She was going to show Ashley just how much she appreciated her comments later.

When they were alone.

After that, the conversation between all three of them flowed rather easily. Even though she had been the eager to defend Spencer earlier, as the evening wore on, she found it fun to join Sean in teasing the blonde. It was nothing serious but it did result in some adorable pouting from Spencer.

As much as she pretended to be upset, she really was having a great time. She was happy that Ashley and Sean were getting along so well. She didn't even mind all that much that it was at her expense, although she would have to get back at both of them for their traitorous behaviour. Obviously.

Once they had eaten dinner, the three of them had gone up to Spencer's room to play video games. Or more accurately Spencer and Sean were playing while Ashley watched. She didn't mind, because every time there was a break in the action, Spencer would give her a look or smile that made her tingle all over.

"Ashley you must be so bored," Sean said after a while. "Why don't you play for me. I could use the break anyway."

"Tired of getting your ass kicked, are you?" Spencer asked boastfully. "But you know that's not really fair, pawning your game off on Ashley, I mean how bad is she going to feel when she loses the game for you."

"Excuse me?" Ashley raised her eyebrow at Spencer. "Exactly what are you implying?"

Sean started laughing, but Spencer ignored him. "Come on, Ash, don't get mad." She knew the look of determination on Ashley's face quite well. "Sure, you used to be good, but the last few years it's been all boys and cheerleading. Whereas my lack of a social life has meant that I've had hours of practice. You can't beat me."

"You are so stupid," Sean whispered to Spencer.

Ashley wasn't going to yell or tell Spencer off. She had a much better plan up her sleeves. "May I?" She held out her hand to Sean and he gladly gave her the controller. "Let's do this."

"So, so, stupid," Sean continued, but he was clearly enjoying himself.

Spencer had no idea how things had escalated so quickly. But she wasn't about to back down. She had her pride and she was going to beat Ashley no matter what. Not only because she loved to win, but also because it would be a lot of fun. "I hope when you lose, you don't take it too hard. I mean, you only have yourself to blame when you know how mad my skills are. "

Ashley rolled her eyes, but didn't feel the need to engage in trash talking. "Just start the game."

"As you wish," Spencer replied. Her smugness was at an all time high.

It wasn't even close.

Within a few minutes the battle was over and it was Ashley who had the right to be smug. She didn't even have to say anything. Gloating with an expression of superiority on her face was more than satisfying. She loved seeing how surprised Spencer was.

"What the hell just happened?" Spencer asked more to herself than anyone else. She couldn't believe she'd lost. That wasn't possible.

"I'll tell you what happened," Sean started. He was positively gleeful. "Your girlfriend kicked your sorry ass. That's what happened."

As soon as the words left Sean's mouth, it was like they created a vacuum in the room that sucked all the good energy out of it. Sure, he was laughing, but his verbalization of the thing that Spencer and Ashley hadn't discussed, caused both girls overwhelming anxiety.

Ashley hardly had any time to relish her victory. She suddenly wanted to be anywhere but in Spencer's room right then. She couldn't even look at the blonde. It's not that she didn't want to be Spencer's girlfriend. Regardless of what she'd said before, things had changed. She might have been afraid to voice to Madison what her and Spencer her were, that didn't stop her from wanting something more official. This wasn't about experimentation or righting the wrongs of her past. What she was doing with Spencer was so much more than that. But Ashley wasn't used to going after what she wanted or vocalizing what those wants were.

Sure, she felt a lot more secure about how things were going with Spencer and how the other girl felt about her. But she also wondered if formalizing what they were to each other would put undue pressure on them or derail what they were building.

But what was really fueling Ashley was fear. Just like what had happened at lunch. That fear made her want to run away rather than face Spencer making a joke out of the situation or, even worse, expressing a sentiment that being committed to Ashley was not something she wanted.

Ashley wasn't the only one going through some turmoil at Sean's use of the word girlfriend. It set off Spencer's own fears when it came to Ashley and relationships in general. She had been hurt enough in the past that taking chances or being vulnerable were not things she liked to do. But what she'd learned from the ups and downs of being with Ashley so far, was that nothing good had come from listening to the part of her that was defined by her anger and hurt.

And that's why, with a lot of trepidation and worry, she reached over for Ashley's hand. She loved how soft the brunette's skin was and how touching it made her feel so amazingly good. She was mildly concerned that the words she wanted to say would get stuck in her throat or, even worse, she was about to make the wrong decision. Taking the deepest breath she was capable of mustering, Spencer turned so she was looking right at Ashley, despite the fact that the other girl wasn't even making eye contact with her. "Yeah, I guess she did."

The reaction was instantaneous. Ashley turned her head so fast that Spencer was mildly concerned that she could get whiplash.

For a second, the expression on the brunette's face remained neutral. But then she broke out into a nose crinkly, thousand-watt smile that Spencer returned in kind.

It would seem she had said the right thing after all.