ch. 3 in Fanfic

Friday, Sept. 13th

Ashley

things had changed since yesterday. I’d seen serena in school this morning but we hadn’t talked.

I’d also recently lost the role of Mina’s best friend in the ballet school’s production of Dracula because I’d missed class so much. And the reason i’d missed class so much is bc i’d been busy w/ my 3 other jobs. I worked as a waitress during the lunch hr. except for today being that I was at school. But usually I did. And I worked at a bookstore from 8 – 10 p.m. But that interfered w/ my rehearsal time. I worked as a stripper from 11 – 2 a.m. And usually I slept from 3 – 4 a.m. So I didn’t get a lot of sleep. This wk. From 8 – 9 I went downtown to get to my job at the bookstore. Even though I lived w/ karen and jesse I didn’t see them or the rest of my family a lot cause of my schedule. I didn’t have dinner or breakfast. Or lunch actually. I just ate throughout the day whenever I had the time. Last yr. I hadn’t been this busy. My family gave me a yr. To get used to things.

I took ballet 4 hrs. a day from 5 – 7 a.m. And p.m. For those who were in the show we had an extra 2 – 4 hrs. of rehearsal. Which ended between 9 and 11. next wk. I’d audition to be one of the brides of dracula.

It was now lunchtime. I was sitting against the school building, checking my texts. The rain fell in front of me from the archway overhanging. The day had grown cold and gray.

‘hey darling’, read a text from my best friend Lily.

Even just reading her text I teared up. She was so nice and that’s one reason I teared up. Another is cause it was nice to have someone focus only on me someone who wasn’t serena or evan. Mom never did as she was too busy focusing on kate. Lily and i’d been best friends for years. She was originally from Ireland but had moved to California and then New York. She’d had a boyfriend in CA but they’d broken up. She took care of my 3 yr. Old daughter angela. I wouldn’t be able to see angela until I was 18 which was next yr.

I sniffed and pushed the 1 on my keypad, dialing Lily’s number. Rain fell from the building and tears fell from my eyes.

“Hi darling,” she answered.

I sniffed some more. She waited.

“I…Lily, I…” I managed.

“You want me to come there?”

I nodded, realising she couldn’t see me nod.

“Ok. I will soon as possible.”

“Ok.”

“You’re not made of granite sweethart. It’s ok to let your gaurd down sometimes,” my best friend told me.

This, of course, only made me cry more.

“But I have to go now, as I’m at school. I’ll talk to you later,” she informed me.

“Oh ok. As am I.”

“I love you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

We hung up.

I put my phone beside me, not really caring that lunch hour was almost ending and that I’d have to be back in class soon. I was so tired.

I lied down on the steps, pulling my long black wool coat over me and went to sleep.

“Ashley?” a male voice asked.

“Huh?” I asked, blinking myself awake.

I started to sit up, pained from sleeping on the stone steps.

“Ouch,” I said, sitting.

“You must be freezing,” the guy said.

I turned and realised it was Evan.

“Yeah, I am,” I told him.

“Wanna go to my car?” he asked, helping me stand.

“Ok.”

We stood. He took off the long wool overcoat our dad had given him and wrapped it around my shoulders, on top of my own.

“What happened?” he asked, opening an umbrella as we walked.

It was still raining.

“I fell asleep. And what a fall it was.”

We laughed.

“Yeah, I know that. You were asleep when I found you.”

“What time is it?” I asked

“3.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, the sun’ll be down in an hour. My car’s warm.”

“Howd you know I’d be here?”

“Well Ashley, 1, school was still in session during the middle of the day…“

“Oh, that’s right.”

“And 2. You know me.”

“Right.”

Evan was very perceptive and often knew when 1 of us wasn’t ok.

“will you-?” I began.

“take you to ballet? Yeah uh huh,” he answered: “you want dinner, or something?”

“um no.”

“ok.”

“You could use sleep,” he told me.

“The both of us could.”

“Yeah, well.”

“Evan. You’re not made of granite,” I told him, repeating the exact words Lily’d told me earlier.

“Neither are you hun. Neither are you.”

“That’s what Lily told me.”

“Oh,” Evan said, getting it.

I suddenly felt warmer, and not just because of the coats.

“Wow,” I whispered, surprised even though this was what Evan did.

‘this’ being suddenly giving off body heat whenever someone was cold.

“Yeah that was me,” Evan answered me.

“Yeah. I know.”

“How’s Angela?” he asked, referring to my 3 year old daughter who was staying with Lily.

“Idinno, I didn’t get a chance to ask.”

“Oh. She comin here? Lily, I mean.”

“Yeah. Soon as she can.”

“Ok. I’d love to see her again. She’s a lot like Rebecca.”

rebecca was his girlfriend. They’d met over the summer.

“Yeah, she is.”

“And how’re Rena, Scarlet and Miranda?” Evan asked me, referring to my 3 friends who were in New York.

“Dinno.”

“Oh.”

“How’s everyone?” I asked.

Evan turned and looked at me. By this time, we were across the school lawn.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Hows’…?” I repeated, stepping off the curb and into the street.

“Ashley,” Evan said, his voice low.

We crossed the street.

“I’m…um, I’m…“

“Not made of granite?”

“Yes. Exactly. I’m still knackered.”

Knackered being exhautsed, a word I’d picked up from Lily.

“Mmm.”

He handed me the carton of ciggerettes and his zippo.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Mmhm. I got a bottle of raspberry vodka in the car.”

“How’d…?” I asked, looking at him.

“It’s just been one of those days. for me too.”

“Oh. Right. You’re good at that.”

“Yes Yes I am.”

We crossed the lawn of the park to his car. He opened the door for me and went over to the driver’s side, opening the door for himself.

We got inside; he closed the doors, locked them and turned on the heater, which roared to life.

He reached down and picked up the bottle of raspberry vodka from the car floor with one hand while filling the car with the music of Billie Holiday with the other.

“Omygod,” I said, leaning back against the seat.

Evan sat up, unscrewing the bottle. He held out his hand and I handed him his zippo, which he took. I blew out my ciggerette. He poured the vodka into the 2 plastic cups that were in the cupholders, then put the cap back on the bottle and put the bottle back on the floor. He handed a cup to me with one hand while he lit the dragonsblood incense stick with the other, flicking the lighter.

I lifted the cup to my lips and took a sip. Raspberry vodka is the equivelant to liquifying a raspberry and mixing it with alcohol.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I listened to Billie Holiday sing about her own personal pain.