ASHLEY Seven O'clock, and the sun was going down. Ashley was exhausted. She knew it was going to be hard going to school and working a part time job, but not this hard. As she locked up the main doors of the dance studio, and headed out to the parking lot, she saw two familiar faces across the busy street. Justin and Sandino walked side by side, probably heading down to the skate park. Though, Justin wasn't really a skater himself, he always went with Sandino. He was the moral support. She held out the keys to her beat up green Pontiac. Her passenger side door wouldn't open from the inside, and the right back window wouldn't roll down. Don't forget the terrible paint job she had; the green paint had started peeling a few months back, and she never thought about getting it fixed. She didn't see any point. Sure, it wasn't a bad first car, but she was ready to ride in something that had more style. Her plan was to save and maybe rent a car. After all, all she needed was her parents permi
KAHLAN After being released from the hospital about three hours later, I went straight home, and complained to Tina. I knew that I couldn't necessarily put all the blame on Doctor Meir, but at that point in time, I didn't care. All of this fear came rushing back to me, causing me to pass out. I was upset. "What the hell kind of therapist puts you on the spot like that?" I asked. The type who does what you say when you tell him you want to get straight to the point. I had answered my own question in my head. I stormed into the kitchen, grabbing dishes I needed to make a salad. I was surprisingly hungry. "A good one," Tina replied. She was right, maybe he was a good one. "Besides, he said that you asked him to get to the point." I stared. Damn, I knew he was going to tell her that. Tina's eyes stared at me as she waited for me to deny, or admit the truth. I gave her a frustrated sigh. "I didn't think he'd really do it." "So it seems to me that you brought this on yourself." I stared
THE BOYS The boys all crowded through Sandino's front door, as they did every night during the school week. The Lovett home was just that, a home. The boys appreciated the fact that Leslie, Sandino's mom, had paid, and took the time to make the basement a safe hangout spot. With that, came better heat installation, the fluffy gray carpeted floors, the huge television and a Foosball table. She liked to know where her kid was at all times and this was her way of keeping him at arms length. She made sure to have plenty of snacks, and record TV shows that only young growing men would like. The Lovett's had lived in the yellow house on Terrace Lane since Sandino was born. It was the only home he knew. It was the most stable home and family that most of the guys had ever had experience with. Justin led the way into the basement as if it were his house, and he took a seat. Chad was the last one to enter; he went and grabbed a six pack of grape sodas out of the fridge, along with a bag of Dor
DAMON AND TINA How many times a day was Damon going to find himself in this position? He held his cell up to his ear, listening to Ernistina go on and on about how fragile Kahlan was. He had to admit that after today, he felt like he did let Tina and his client down. He felt bad enough, and Tina was calling only to make it worse, whether she deliberately did it or not. Finally, he had to cut her off. "Well, what did you want me to do?" Damon asked. They had already talked about this before, why was she calling again to rehash? This time, it wasn't during business hours. Damon was on his way to take a shower when Ms. Bail called, but the longer she continued to 'talk' the more unlikely his shower seemed to be. He was tired. He had been running errands and moving furniture around all day. There was so much going on in the last two days. He just needed to rest and tackle everything tomorrow. Its not like his situation with Kahlan Mercer was just going to disappear. She went on and on ab
KAHLAN I stood at the bust stop. Again the sun was bright, the weather already so warm, I could tell it was going to be another hot day. To embrace the weather I wore a jean skirt and a yellow frilly shirt. I stared at my cell phone. The time said 7:04. The bus was supposed to have a 6:55 pick up, but it was late today. There was the sound of a car horn that caught my attention. I looked up to see a dark blue convertible across the street, and in it sat Chad, Brandon, Jason and Sandino. "I knew that was you," Brandon yelled out from the front seat, attracting attention. I smiled, giving a little wave. "Want a ride?" I stood there for a moment. It was just a ride to school, what was the worst that could happen? I was sure to look both ways before running out into the street and over to the car. "You know I do." Jason opened the back door and slid out, letting me in between him and Sandino. I got a whiff of the strong deodorant he wore, which smelled like fresh baby powder. I breathed
JAMES AND CARLY "Imagine my surprise when I knocked at your door last night, and your father answered." James said, holding Carly's hand, practically pulling her down the hallway. He noticed that her hand was cold, but he made no effort to warm them. James had waited at the front entrance of the school building for Carly's bus to arrive. The moment she stepped off, he was at her side, squeezing her hand and dragging her along. He always needed to be in control. She had gotten so used to being the follower that she didn't really notice until she almost tripped over her own feet. She was pigeon-toed and it astounded him that she didn't fall more than the average person. She moved her thin bangs from in front of her face, in one swift move and looked at her boyfriend. "Yeah, he told me that," She said, "I got in so much trouble." James glanced over at her. He didn't care about how much trouble she had gotten in. He was upset at the fact that he received no warning and was embarrassed. H
KAHLAN, SANDINO, JAMES, AND BROOKE "Everyone knows," Brooke replied quietly to James, after pulling him down by the gym hallway, in total isolation for the time being. It was still pretty early. Most students were either in the cafeteria or out on the courtyard. James chuckled as if it were a joke. Brooke wasn't the type to freak out unless it came to Sandino or Carly. And based on her attitude, it was. "Will you relax? No one knows anything. Its speculation." He had heard about the rumors. Many people have asked questions, but of course, him being the man that he was, he kept it a secret. Mysteries, secrets... that was all he was about. It was fun to him. It was a game. "Its not speculation, if its true," Brooke murmured, crossing her arms, staring her private lover down. James looked at her. "Did you talk to Ashley?" It was strange to James that Brooke cared whether or not Ashley would tell Carly. In realty she should be worried about the entire school, since she believed everyone
KAHLAN, SANDINO, JAMES, AND BROOKE James stared past the pretty brunette with a smile of satisfaction. "What?" Brooke asked. The buff man lifted up his hand, and with his index finger, pointed down the hall. Brooke turned, spotting Sandino with another girl. Her face practically hit the floor. James chuckled some more, this time a bit looming. Her facial expression was priceless. Brookes plan was to break up with James, and focus on Sandino. Its funny how things turned out. "Yeah," I said with a smile, trying to catch my breath, "Just like that." There was a look of realization in Sandino's eyes. Was he just as surprised by this moment as I was? "You look nervous." I chuckled, shaking my head ever so slightly. "No. Not at all." I lied. To be honest, I hadn't been in such a close proximity with a male in a while. He grinned. He had a nice smile. I held the fabric from his gray and black boy band shirt in my fingers tightly. "Is this working?" I moved my head to the side just a bit