Chapter 1: BBQ

Explanation of timeline: I got this idea by wondering what would happen if I plopped GWTW scene (fill in the blank) _ into 'today.' To try and keep the characters' characters the same in essentials but current to the times. Yet as the vignettes progressed, they ballooned with plot and story. Not my original intention. I decided to go ahead and keep all the scenes in 'today' no matter how much time passes in the 'story.' In short, the characters will move through space, not time.

Question: How would adding two hundred plus years change the universe? Answer: YOLO! (Yelled, of course.)

"You've got to be freakin' kidding me."

"I would never joke about something like this."

Scarlett crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, blowing a gum bubble that snapped loudly. Ashley shoved his hands in his pockets, chewing his lip and wiggling his ankles. Pathetic he couldn't even look her in the eye.

"Yeah, well, a joke would be better. You should've just texted me." She shook her head and threw up her hands. "You're breaking up with me? With me?"

Ashley scooted back against the wall, knocking his dad's prized "Best in Show" trophy off its pedestal.

"Well, no, I mean—we weren't even going out." He said, snagging the trophy with his pinky finger and clutching it to his chest. "You know it was only—"

"Oh, right. I forgot. Friends with benefits."

She popped her gum against the roof of her mouth. It cracked like a gun and he jumped. He hugged the trophy more tightly. Seriously? He could even look hot when he was cowering behind 'Prance in the Rain's' highest honor.

"You think that's going to protect you or something? Maybe you should go get your precious little Pomeranian as a guard dog."

He clenched his jaw and his grey, drowsy eyes lit up. Good. The jab had bothered him.

"I don't need protection but I do need," he craned his neck to make sure no one was passing by down the hallway. The music from the party drummed outside and some hollers from his frat buddies drifted in from the back yard. "I do need to know that this isn't going to get around."

"Who am I going to tell? Your sister? My sister?"

He looked guilty. Too guilty. Cheater guilty. Everything clicked. With a nasty, screeching finality.

"You're hooking back up with Melanie, aren't you?"

The trophy fell. It clanked hollowly to the ground and Scarlett stepped over it, pushing her finger into his stupid cashmere sweater. What twenty-two year old guy wears cashmere?

"No…no, I'm…It's…" he stammered, muttering a million four letter words out the corner of his mouth.

"You are! You lying, son of a—"

"I never stopped dating her in the first place! Okay! I mean I thought we were on a real break, but I guess it was just a…a pause or something. Like, I don't know a commercial break."

"You're telling me I was your "we'll be back after these messages" spring break fling?"

"Hey, you said it was just for fun!"

The cute, little puppy look he was doing couldn't help him now. No matter how much she still wanted him. He must have known it too because he went from "big, tender dollar coins" to "Scream 5 horror-eyes" and spun away from the wall.

"Now, let's be mature about this Scarlett."

"Mature? I don't have to be mature about this. You should have thought of that before you slept with a sixteen year old, you dirty pervert!"

He yelped. Yelped or his much-longer scream was cut short when he tripped over the trophy and face-planted into the overstuffed bean bag.

Angry and ashamed the sight of his khakied-butt sticking straight up in the air and his perfect windswept-gelled hair now mussed made her bust up laughing. She couldn't stop it. Tears started rolling down her beet-red face. She choked on the laughter, and her gum. That made her laugh harder. Ashley slowly pulled himself up, shaking his head and straightening his designer clothes.

"Yeah, real mature Scarlett."

She swiped the tears from her face and tried to catch her breath.

"I wish I'd had my phone on. Raif or Stu would've loved to post it on Youtube. The great Ashley Wilkes on all fours!"

"Done yet?" He scooped up the still-rocking trophy and set it gently on its stand, failing to sound indifferent. "I'm going back to the party."

She didn't stop giggling until he walked out of the library. When the door clicked shut, she started to cry.