Creamsicle #7 Youth
Author: Lintels
Challenge: Youth (Creamsicle #7), Toppings: Whipped Cream
Word Count: 1,585
Rating: R - blood/drugs
Story:Summary: As Ashley is still wounded she thinks about what got her to where she is right now.
Notes: Ugh, this took way too long to write.
Ashley’s bleeding head rested against the inside of a car door. The blood smeared on the window and she shut her eyes from the lights in the city blaring by. She heard a voice telling her to stay awake but it was muffled in her ears. She wouldn’t have paid attention anyway. She had never listened to any amount of authority. Any sign of command was just taken for granted.
When she was younger, she was just as wild. Her mother kicked her out of the house when she was 16. That’s when she decided she would do anything. She looked in the mirror with nothing but the clothing on her back and vowed to die young. And with her face bruised and beaten, that’s where she was headed.
She walked out of her mother’s apartment and never looked back. It was any excuse to quit school, to quit life. She literately went door to door, visiting various friends, to tell them she was leaving town. Only one had the heart to make her stop.
“Just a second!” The door swung open, and a sweet old black lady answered the door with curlers in her hair. She had a huge smile on her face. “It’s Terra’s friend! Terra, your friend is here! What was your name?”
“Ashley.”
“Cindy! That’s right.”
“No, it’s Ashley.”
“Her name’s Ashley.” A much shorter girl showed up behind the older woman, with hair in her eyes and her words were mumbled in monotone.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” The older woman put her hands on her hips and scurried away to finish the dishes that Terra had been in the middle of. Terra looked back with a frown. She hated not doing her chores.
“What are you here for? My dad doesn’t like it when you show up unannounced.” Terra held her hands together in front of her as she was nervous about talking to anyone ever, even her friends.
“I wanted to say good-bye to you last, because after this, I’m leaving town.” Terra’s eyes widened at her response.
“You are? Where are you going? How are you getting there?” Her arms dropped to her sides and her hands made fists.
“Um. I don’t know yet. I’m just leaving. My mom finally kicked me out.” Ashley said the last part with a grin. She exceptionally proud of that. Her friend, however, was not as pleased.
“You can’t just go. You don’t even know where you’re going! You never plan anything out!” Ashley took a step back out of the doorway.
“I don’t see why I have to plan anything.” She said with a shrug.
“But you can’t just leave!”
“What else am I gonna do? It’s not like I have much choice. Besides, I’m gonna have fun. I’d invite you but you know.. your dad and all. He’d probably come after us and tell the cops-”
“You should stay here.”
“What?”
“Yeah, you can stay here.” Terra started to whisper, “You can sleep in my room and as long as you’re gone during the day, no one will notice.” This made Ashley’s eyes roll.
“And what am I supposed to do all day?” She folded her arms and glared at her friend for barging in with this plan.
“Get a job.” Ashley threw her hands in the air and walked into the house.
“I’m gonna get a job? Oh yeah. That’ll be the day.” Ashley headed towards Terra’s room.
“I dunno. But you have to do something to make money if you’re going to get anywhere. Don’t you want a career?” Terra followed her into the room and shut the door behind him quietly.
Ashley sat down on her bed and thought about it. She leaned back on the bed, reaching over to steal a piece of gum off the nightstand as her friend was awaiting her reply. She popped the piece in her mouth and looked around the room. She spotted a stereo behind her. Her other hand reached over to hit play on the cassette deck. Terra came over and sat on the bed next to her as Ashley’s mixtape started playing.
“You been listening to this?” Ashley propped herself up on her elbows, looking over at Terra with a huge grin on her face in between the smacking, chewing sounds she was making. Ashley fell back on the bed again behind her, attempting to reach over and turn the volume up. Terra grabbed her hand midway.
“If you’re going to live here, you have to take it down a notch.”
“Low profile, I got it,” Terra wasn’t convinced. “What? You’ve seen me skip class. Slipped out in the middle of the night to go to parties - oh! Remember that one time I actually managed to get out of church?”
“You were caught that time.”
“Yeah, but you know how hard it is to get out of there?”
“You never answered me.”
Ashley let out a sigh. Back then she had it in her mind she what she wanted, but she never knew how to execute it. She wasn’t even sure what she would tell people. “I’m gonna tell jokes for a living” didn’t sound so hot. That was the worst thing about her as a teen. Aside from being completely obnoxious, she had an ego like no one else. Certainly no other girl her age had this kind of exploding self esteem.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to do what I’ve always been doing. Make jokes. Party hard. Die young.” Her smile had gone as she stared up at the ceiling fan.
“You think people are gonna pay you for that?”
“Eventually. I’m going to make them laugh so hard that they don’t realize I’m pick pocketing them.” She saw Terra crack a small smile. “See that? It’s already working.” Ashley pointed up at her in a ‘ha-ha’ sort of way.
“Okay. You just need something for right now.” Terra got off the bed and began walking around the room like she was a drill sargent giving out orders. “Tomorrow you aren’t here. You’re out looking for jobs, got that?” Ashley rolled over and sat up on the bed to nod in agreement.
“Does this mean we’re going to be sleeping in the same bed?” Terra just shot her a glare that likely implied she’d be sleeping on the floor.
And in the present day, her head almost slipped off the glass as the door opened on her. She caught herself before she could completely stumble out of the car. She looked up to see Damien glaring down at her, over all unimpressed with her demeanor. Maybe upset from an entirely silent car ride.
“Can you make it upstairs?” Ashley looked around the full parking lot. Her world seemed blurry. She could tell he was impatient already but she took her time to balance herself on her feet. She wiped the hair out of her face and began walking in the wrong direction. “We’re going this way.” Her took her by the elbow and led her inside.
“You need to go the hospital?” Her eyes snapped open, finding herself on one of the couches in the lobby. There were people murmuring in the background.
“No. I’m fine.” She quickly got up to follow Damien to the elevator. The entire time she nervously looked around. She didn’t even remember coming in. She wasn’t even sure of where she was at the time.
Ashley crashed against the metal walls, grabbing onto the bar behind her as she watched him pressing buttons and the doors closing in front of them. He looked over at her, even more disappointed than before.
“Are you sure?”
“I clean up just fine.” She tried her hardest to look alert but her head was crumbling.
“You couldn’t be clean if you tried.” She couldn’t help but laugh. It was true. If she wasn’t high, she was recovering from being high. At this point, she felt she was immune to it all.
The doors opened up to a hallway where Damien casually led the way. She followed behind him with her head down, watching her feet to keep from falling. The floor looked like it was going to come out from under her. Up ahead she saw a pair of feet walking towards them on the other side of the hallway. She looked up just in time to see his face as he passed by. She stopped for a moment, turned around to see if she could make him out from the back. She couldn’t, but his face looked familiar from the small glimpse she had.
She realized that Damien was waiting for her at the very end of the hall.
“Who was that?” She motioned behind her at the man who had already walked out of sight. But Damien saw him as well.
“Wren. Wren Wright. You know him, don’t you?” Her mouth dropped open, her eyes in a daze. She turned around again to look at the empty hallway. “Come on,” He grabbed her by the shoulder and pointed her towards the doorway to their room. “You’re bound to run into him again.”
Challenge: Youth (Creamsicle #7), Toppings: Whipped Cream
Word Count: 1,585
Rating: R - blood/drugs
Story:Summary: As Ashley is still wounded she thinks about what got her to where she is right now.
Notes: Ugh, this took way too long to write.
Ashley’s bleeding head rested against the inside of a car door. The blood smeared on the window and she shut her eyes from the lights in the city blaring by. She heard a voice telling her to stay awake but it was muffled in her ears. She wouldn’t have paid attention anyway. She had never listened to any amount of authority. Any sign of command was just taken for granted.
When she was younger, she was just as wild. Her mother kicked her out of the house when she was 16. That’s when she decided she would do anything. She looked in the mirror with nothing but the clothing on her back and vowed to die young. And with her face bruised and beaten, that’s where she was headed.
She walked out of her mother’s apartment and never looked back. It was any excuse to quit school, to quit life. She literately went door to door, visiting various friends, to tell them she was leaving town. Only one had the heart to make her stop.
“Just a second!” The door swung open, and a sweet old black lady answered the door with curlers in her hair. She had a huge smile on her face. “It’s Terra’s friend! Terra, your friend is here! What was your name?”
“Ashley.”
“Cindy! That’s right.”
“No, it’s Ashley.”
“Her name’s Ashley.” A much shorter girl showed up behind the older woman, with hair in her eyes and her words were mumbled in monotone.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” The older woman put her hands on her hips and scurried away to finish the dishes that Terra had been in the middle of. Terra looked back with a frown. She hated not doing her chores.
“What are you here for? My dad doesn’t like it when you show up unannounced.” Terra held her hands together in front of her as she was nervous about talking to anyone ever, even her friends.
“I wanted to say good-bye to you last, because after this, I’m leaving town.” Terra’s eyes widened at her response.
“You are? Where are you going? How are you getting there?” Her arms dropped to her sides and her hands made fists.
“Um. I don’t know yet. I’m just leaving. My mom finally kicked me out.” Ashley said the last part with a grin. She exceptionally proud of that. Her friend, however, was not as pleased.
“You can’t just go. You don’t even know where you’re going! You never plan anything out!” Ashley took a step back out of the doorway.
“I don’t see why I have to plan anything.” She said with a shrug.
“But you can’t just leave!”
“What else am I gonna do? It’s not like I have much choice. Besides, I’m gonna have fun. I’d invite you but you know.. your dad and all. He’d probably come after us and tell the cops-”
“You should stay here.”
“What?”
“Yeah, you can stay here.” Terra started to whisper, “You can sleep in my room and as long as you’re gone during the day, no one will notice.” This made Ashley’s eyes roll.
“And what am I supposed to do all day?” She folded her arms and glared at her friend for barging in with this plan.
“Get a job.” Ashley threw her hands in the air and walked into the house.
“I’m gonna get a job? Oh yeah. That’ll be the day.” Ashley headed towards Terra’s room.
“I dunno. But you have to do something to make money if you’re going to get anywhere. Don’t you want a career?” Terra followed her into the room and shut the door behind him quietly.
Ashley sat down on her bed and thought about it. She leaned back on the bed, reaching over to steal a piece of gum off the nightstand as her friend was awaiting her reply. She popped the piece in her mouth and looked around the room. She spotted a stereo behind her. Her other hand reached over to hit play on the cassette deck. Terra came over and sat on the bed next to her as Ashley’s mixtape started playing.
“You been listening to this?” Ashley propped herself up on her elbows, looking over at Terra with a huge grin on her face in between the smacking, chewing sounds she was making. Ashley fell back on the bed again behind her, attempting to reach over and turn the volume up. Terra grabbed her hand midway.
“If you’re going to live here, you have to take it down a notch.”
“Low profile, I got it,” Terra wasn’t convinced. “What? You’ve seen me skip class. Slipped out in the middle of the night to go to parties - oh! Remember that one time I actually managed to get out of church?”
“You were caught that time.”
“Yeah, but you know how hard it is to get out of there?”
“You never answered me.”
Ashley let out a sigh. Back then she had it in her mind she what she wanted, but she never knew how to execute it. She wasn’t even sure what she would tell people. “I’m gonna tell jokes for a living” didn’t sound so hot. That was the worst thing about her as a teen. Aside from being completely obnoxious, she had an ego like no one else. Certainly no other girl her age had this kind of exploding self esteem.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to do what I’ve always been doing. Make jokes. Party hard. Die young.” Her smile had gone as she stared up at the ceiling fan.
“You think people are gonna pay you for that?”
“Eventually. I’m going to make them laugh so hard that they don’t realize I’m pick pocketing them.” She saw Terra crack a small smile. “See that? It’s already working.” Ashley pointed up at her in a ‘ha-ha’ sort of way.
“Okay. You just need something for right now.” Terra got off the bed and began walking around the room like she was a drill sargent giving out orders. “Tomorrow you aren’t here. You’re out looking for jobs, got that?” Ashley rolled over and sat up on the bed to nod in agreement.
“Does this mean we’re going to be sleeping in the same bed?” Terra just shot her a glare that likely implied she’d be sleeping on the floor.
And in the present day, her head almost slipped off the glass as the door opened on her. She caught herself before she could completely stumble out of the car. She looked up to see Damien glaring down at her, over all unimpressed with her demeanor. Maybe upset from an entirely silent car ride.
“Can you make it upstairs?” Ashley looked around the full parking lot. Her world seemed blurry. She could tell he was impatient already but she took her time to balance herself on her feet. She wiped the hair out of her face and began walking in the wrong direction. “We’re going this way.” Her took her by the elbow and led her inside.
“You need to go the hospital?” Her eyes snapped open, finding herself on one of the couches in the lobby. There were people murmuring in the background.
“No. I’m fine.” She quickly got up to follow Damien to the elevator. The entire time she nervously looked around. She didn’t even remember coming in. She wasn’t even sure of where she was at the time.
Ashley crashed against the metal walls, grabbing onto the bar behind her as she watched him pressing buttons and the doors closing in front of them. He looked over at her, even more disappointed than before.
“Are you sure?”
“I clean up just fine.” She tried her hardest to look alert but her head was crumbling.
“You couldn’t be clean if you tried.” She couldn’t help but laugh. It was true. If she wasn’t high, she was recovering from being high. At this point, she felt she was immune to it all.
The doors opened up to a hallway where Damien casually led the way. She followed behind him with her head down, watching her feet to keep from falling. The floor looked like it was going to come out from under her. Up ahead she saw a pair of feet walking towards them on the other side of the hallway. She looked up just in time to see his face as he passed by. She stopped for a moment, turned around to see if she could make him out from the back. She couldn’t, but his face looked familiar from the small glimpse she had.
She realized that Damien was waiting for her at the very end of the hall.
“Who was that?” She motioned behind her at the man who had already walked out of sight. But Damien saw him as well.
“Wren. Wren Wright. You know him, don’t you?” Her mouth dropped open, her eyes in a daze. She turned around again to look at the empty hallway. “Come on,” He grabbed her by the shoulder and pointed her towards the doorway to their room. “You’re bound to run into him again.”