drifting; part one

For a contest. So far I really like this short story. More parts to come :)

--

"Ash, look who's here."

Yanking her hand away from the sleazy sophomore trying to get her to dance, Ashley shoots her friend a confused look, "Who?"

The music is blaring from the speakers so loud it's causing the whole house to vibrate, and priceless figurines are quivering in their cabinet display.

"That guy you told me to stay away from," Christine yells over the sound of Rihanna and Eminem. The music is so high school, but it doesn't really matter once you've downed a couple shots and started grinding on random people wearing way too little clothing. It's the realm of college parties, something Ashley hasn't been invited to until recently.

Because, let's face it, she's not that popular; her blonde hair looks grungy, and her eyes are a muddy hazel. Nothing special, especially when you compare her to her best friend: the model-esque Christine, with her skin and bones frame and the perfect smile

"Who?"

"I think she's referring to me," a cold voice says.

'I really shouldn't have come to this party' is the first thought that crosses Ashley's mind as she drowns in the brown eyes of her ex-best friend.

"James," she mumbles, tugging at the neckline of her peach colored blouse, "what are you doing here?"

"I figured that it wouldn't be a problem if I crashed," James mutters, his eyes running up and down her body as though he's detachedly dissecting her. "After all, they let you in."

'Ouch.' He's so right, because this normally isn't her scene. Ashley feels the most comfortable with her butt in a seat in the library, the soft sound of an instrumental playing through her ear-buds as she studies for her classes. She's the one who ties her brown hair into a simple ponytail and has to wear nerdish burgundy glasses to see the words in a textbook clearly. She's the nerd that everyone teases; the only reason she's here is because no one dares say no to Christine.

She's not vindictive though, so she lets their taunts go. Not vindictive, at least until she saw James' eyes on Christine and wondered if she was losing her best friend to the bottle blonde.

"I didn't think you liked parties," Ashley says, trying to sound brave.

"You don't know anything about me." The cutting tone of his voice is back, and she feels her heart crumple.

A pause as Ashley rakes a hand through her dirty blonde hair; she can't think of the words to say, the words that will fix this. All she can think to do is meet his eyes, take a deep breath, and say, "I lied."

Then she takes off for the nearest table, her hands reaching for the shot glasses.

tbc;

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• yt:stretch=16:9
• contest
• 2011
• oneshot
• love
• sad
• friendship
• lies