Hullo folks. Another update for ya. I really appreciate the verbal kicks in the ass I've been getting lately. Mainly from dnmann, irishjunkie102, and the lovely MADDY22. You guys kept me motivated. Cyber cookies for all of you!

Enjoy!

The next day brings a sense of optimism I'm not entirely used to. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's a sign that I'm coming down with something.

For instance, I make it a point to dress up a little bit more today. I'm not even going to deny it. I'm hoping Ashley will notice the effort or at least stare a little bit longer. I don't know. Truthfully, I'm not good at all this girl stuff. Or rather how to attract another's attention. I'm just working with what I've got, and embarrassingly enough, what I've gathered from watching shitty teen dramas with Chelsea.

Instead of my usual simple shirt, jeans, hoodie combo, I'm sporting a pale blue cotton t-shirt, with a wide circle neckline. A faded print of a black and white daisy dominates the front. I haven't worn this shirt in a while. It actually shrunk in the wash and my mom tried to throw it out when I wasn't looking. Thankfully I noticed it in the laundry room trash bin and saved it. It's definitely smaller but not too obscene. It shows a few inches of skin on my flat stomach, stopping just the tiniest bit before reaching my navel.

I threw on some tight ripped jeans, and roll up the cuffs at the bottom so they expose my ankles. I jump in my red converse and deem myself dressed. I look in the mirror at my efforts. My hair is slightly wavy today. Not my intention. I just woke up with it and went about brushing my hair through with my fingers so it wouldn't go limp again with a regular brush. A little bit of eyeliner is all the make up I need. Feeling like I need something else, I dig in the back of my closet until I retrieve what I'm looking for. I clip the thick white suspenders in the appropriate points in my jeans. The material was a creamy white while the inside and edges were lined with a chocolate brown leather. I throw on a jacket and deem myself presentable.

Not too shabby.

Okay, now I'm ready.

Chelsea ended up giving me a ride to school this morning. She kept shooting questioning looks every so often but I ignored it. I was so excited to get to my locker, and seriously, who is ever this excited for school? Or just the simple task of getting to ones locker? Maybe I am getting sick.

So right, what was I saying before?

Optimism.

Right. That. So it sucks. It's the strangest feeling to actually be this happy before you have a reason to be. Usually I have something to get me going. Like art class, or seeing Chelsea smack Xander around. That's always funny. Before, it was the possibility of seeing Ashley and feel that all too familiar fluttering in my stomach.

Now, now I guess it's still the thought of seeing her. Maybe even being near her and being able to kiss her. A stupid smile splits across my face.

But even still, I can't not look forward to the day and what it will bring.

I'll give you one guess why?

"Hey there, good lookin'." Ashley chirped, as she tapped my shoulder lightly. I turned around from where I was pulling something out of the confines of my locker.

My smile is immediate and no doubt blinding. "Hey yourself."

Ashley grins in response.

My God she looks amazing. How does she always look so gosh darn wonderful in the morning? Not that I'm complaining.

I hope I'm not leering. Am I leering?

You're kinda leering but I don't blame you.

Ashley looked so beautiful today. Her hair was flowing down her shoulders in her usual curls. A red and black sleeveless top hung on her frame. The neck drooped low, showing off cleavage and the subtle hint of a black lace bra. Thin black chains and long silver necklaces hung low down her neck, the curious pendants drawing my eyes back where it started. She wore tight black jeans and black leather boots with buckles and studs up the sides. Her make up was dark while her lips were bright red and enticing.

I licked my lips.

I can already feel myself about to say something thoughtless and perverted but there's a cough behind me and my words stop in my throat.

"I don't like your sister." Chelsea states bluntly, apparently as her backwards way of saying hi, her posture was stiff but she still managed to appear as nonchalant as ever. How does she friggin do that anyway?

"Chelsea!" I gape at her, beyond horrified.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, but I notice them soften slightly when she glances at me. "Fine. I don't like your sister...right now." She emphasizes the last part with a little more snark than I thought was necessary.

I groan.

I look at Ashley anxiously, an apology ready to fly off the edge of my tongue, but the brunette's response has my jaw disengaging from my face completely and clattering to the floor like an old tire rim.

"Lately, neither do I, but I kinda can't help that. She lives with me so if I kill her in her sleep I'd be the most logical suspect." She shrugs as if she hadn't just admitted to whacking her sister in her peaceful slumber.

Chelsea seems to accept that answer for the time being and nods. "Fine."

My eyes dart from my best friend to my may be/might not be girlfriend. The silence eventually gets to me.

"Ha ha. Everyone's a comedian this morning." I laugh nervously as I dig my hands in my pockets.

Xander looks as bewildered as I do. I glare pointedly at him once he looks my way, motioning jerkily with my head to amscray. Now.

Chelsea looked like she wanted to say more on the previous subject but Xander interjects just in time.

"Hey! Ya know what I just realized, I think I left something in your car, that I need. Right now. Wanna come help me with that, Chels?"

"Not particularly." She says, her tone somewhat bored, as she looks over me.

"But I need it." Xander almost whines.

Chelsea sighs and shoots him a look like, 'do you really?'

Xander nods, grinning at her expression.

"Yeah, I need your help." Chelsea sighs but doesn't seem to be in much of a hurry to move anywhere. I look at Xander quite desperately and he nods softly, covertly. "Ya know what? It's cool. Your car won't try to explode if I pry the door unlocked with one of those metal stick things you see in the movies right? I know I have one somewhere in my truck."

Chelsea snaps her head at him.

"Like hell are you breaking into my car!" She almost shrieks.

Xander grins smugly.

"Which is why I need your lovely powers of pressing a button on your keys to unlock your vehicle. Care to assist me?" It wasn't much of a request even though it was made to sound like one. Chelsea knew he'd try to unlock it somehow with or without her help.

She shrugs at him and tightens the strap on her shoulder, and then looks in Ashley's direction. The look in her eyes makes all the blood drain from my face.

She points two fingers at her glaring dark brown eyeballs, and flicks them sharply back in Ashley's direction. I watch, horrified, again, as she mouths the words, "I'm watching you Barbie," resulting in Ashley slowly raising an eyebrow at the action. Though, I will say, the defiant look on Ashley's face is kinda hot.

Xander chuckles loudly as he wraps his hands on either side of Chelsea's biceps and ushers her away. "Heh heh- she's kidding," he reassures quickly. Meaning he's totally lying and we both know she's not.

Chelsea scoffs as she's gently, but pointedly, shoved away, "She most certainly is not. And don't push me. Boy, if I have to I will smack the stupid right outta you if you don't-" I can't hear the rest of the barb once they turn the corner and by that time my face is bright red because of my friend's antics.

I turn back around, laughing nervously under my breath at Ashley's incredulous expression.

"She's...she's fun, isn't she?" I try for lightheartedness but I think my voice just pitched a little too suspiciously to be convincing.

"She's definitely something alright." She murmurs.

"Sorry about that, she's just, uh, well-" I trail off as I fail to find an appropriate word to properly describe my best friend's level of intense overprotective nature.

"Protective." She finishes for me, simply. My lips twitch slightly at the ends into a nervous curl and I nod.

It's a safe word. Incredibly tame in my opinion, but it'll do.

"That's one word for it. I hope she didn't scare you off." My fingers fidget with themselves at the thought.

"Hardly." She smirks, her eyes bright and I find myself falling into them.

My eyes flick down to her lips and I want nothing more than to say good morning to her the way I really want to. With a kiss and a playful brush of my nose against hers. Soft, sweet and pleasant. A proper and innocent 'hello, how are you?'

But doubt settles low in my stomach, and I'm wondering what the protocol is. Am I allowed to just lean in and kiss her? Would she be okay with me so close to her, surrounded by our peers and teachers? I know I am. I'm more than okay with it. Despite the fact that if I were to, the rumor mill would probably explode into a million little gobsmacked pieces and I have no doubt that Madison will probably hate on me harder than ever before because of it.

And yet, astonishingly enough, I don't care. I couldn't bring myself to. Being that close to, and the thought of kissing Ashley Davies has rendered the world beyond her a nuisance and unimportant.

I slide my body closer to her but stay just far enough away that I'm not crowding her. My head rests against the lockers as I look at her. There's no hesitance from her at our closer proximity and I feel my shoulders relax.

"Hi," I breathe softly, bashfully.

Ashley's eyes are soft and I'm just now realizing that they're sparkling sweetly.

My stomach flutters.

"Hi," she replies just as quietly. Her eyes flick down to my torso and she smirks. "Nice jacket." I grin slyly at what she meant. I was still wearing the jacket she gave me when mine was too wet from the rain.

"Thanks. This super beautiful girl let me borrow it when I couldn't use mine. It was very sweet of her."

"Beautiful, huh?" Ashley's eyes are twinkling.

"Breathtaking." I say honestly, God I'm corny as hell, and I realize that it's the first time I've said something like that to her, without the excuse of word vomit to cover my tracks. This time I genuinely wanted her to know how I felt and it was becoming easier to do. I internally celebrated this small victory.

Ashley's smile is beautiful and bright and something warm and nice settles comfortably in my stomach and wraps around my heart. Her fingers run down the edges of one of the lapels and there's only the slightest tug of her pulling me closer.

"You're not so bad yourself, stud. Especially in that jacket. My jacket. You look good in it." Ashley's finger caresses the side of my neck and there's another tug and suddenly she's closer.

"Because of the jacket or because it's your jacket?" I tease.

Ashley grins slyly, her eyes flicking down to said jacket and back up to my eyes then down to my mouth then up again. I forget to breathe.

"Mmm, both."

Her eyes travel down to my mouth again and it's like I don't know what air is. What is air? Is it necessary for proper bodily function? Will my brain miss it? Nah. It's probably alright to be deprived of oxygen for several minutes.

I'm good.

Her body slides even closer and I feel my stomach clench in anticipation. I can't wait to have her mouth on mine. She smells so good-

I jump at the sudden screech of the bell ringing.

Ashley groans, her brows furrowing in obvious displeasure as she leans away.

No come back!

"God I hate school." She grumbles.

Right now, you and me both.

"You and just about every teenager in it." I joke, weakly, while internally I'm sobbing.

Ashley bumps my shoulder with hers and grins. "Come on. I'll walk you to your class."

"Oh what a gentleman."

"Only for you toots." She winks. I snorted as my face bloomed with color even still.

"That was so bad."

"Yeah but it got you to smile so it was worth it." Ashley's grin is smug.

I never thought I'd be able to describe the great Ashley Davies as lame but here I am, doing it. Lame." I poke her in the shoulder for good measure.

Ashely scoffs, whacking my hand away like a passing fly.

"I'm sorry. My bad ass exterior has deflected any accusations of this so called lameness. I don't even know the meaning of the word." She says superiorly.

I snorted and bumped my shoulder into hers.

"You're unbelievable."

"Hey thanks." She smirked.

I rolled my eyes.

She chuckled as she looped her arm around mine as she lead me in the direction of my next class.

"So are you ready?"

Ready...?

"Ready for what?"

"Rehearsal. It's after school. Your first one if I'm not mistaken." She grins as she caressed the soft hairs on my bare forearm.

Oh. That. Right. I had almost forgotten about...that.

"Oh auditions. Yeah. Totally ready." I pull what I'm hoping is a confident smirk but the feel of my face indicates it looks more like a pained grimace. Oh dear.

Is this supposed to suggest confidence or constipation, Carlin?

"Really?" Ashley drawls.

At this point I know that she knows that my smile is paper thin. It's more than obvious.

My face falls quickly though and I frown slightly.

"Okay no. No I'm not. Well, at least... I don't know."

"Talk to me. What's eating you?"

I snort. What isn't? The only reason I went along with this whole play thing was to get close to Ashley and now that we are...closer, or whatever, I'm unsure about what I'll actually have to do.

Act.

I know we've gone over this but this isn't like my thing or anything. This is Kyla's thing and by extension Ashley's thing. Not mine. I don't have...things. I have small interests that keep me out of trouble and require less energy than I know I'm going to have to exert on a regular basis with this play.

Meh. Get over it. It's like two months out of your life. It won't kill you to wear a wig and prance around on stage for an hour or two every night until this thing is over with.

I make a good point.

Damn right I do.

"It's nothing. Just nerves I guess."

Ashley frowns a bit but doesn't push the issue. Her arms lace more tightly around my arm and I smile as her hand squeezes my bicep in comfort. Ashley reassures me that I'll do fine and that I'll be great, and I kind of love her more for it but I know I'll be a nervous wreck till rehearsals.