252Chapter Two: Skeptics and True Believers
Would you believe me if I said I didn't need you,
'cause I wouldn't believe you if you said the same to me.
And near death, last breath, and barely hanging on.
Would you believe me if I said I didn't need you?
-The Academy Is…
The subway train screeched to the stop and the doors slide open.
Aislynn jumped out and pushed her way through the crowd, which was large and packed into the station like sardines in a can.
She ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time until she broke through the stuffy air and reached the outside. A puff of steam blew into her face and she coughed, wrinkling her nose. She smelt the construction and the metal around her face. The sky was a dull blue filled with grey clouds and people started to open their umbrellas.
A rain drop fell from the sky as she started to run down the street, occasionally bumping into people.
"Sorry!" She yelled as she knocked a man in an expensive looking suit back. She took off again, cutting off his chances to glare at her.
"Damn damn damn," She muttered and twirled in a circle to slip in between a group of tourists. Too many tourists.
Her breaths came in short gasps and her messenger bag kept flinging around, slapping her pelvis and anyone else she came into contact with.
A taxi honked its horn, hard and long, as she sprinted into the street, not waiting for the signal. The driver leaned out and yelled out to her, but she just tapped the hood and yelled back a sorry, all while running.
The building came into view and she let out a sigh of relief, sprinting through the door before slowing into a jog as she made the way to her classroom.
Luckily, the class hadn't started. She entered through the back and walked down the steps before she got to where he was sitting.
She plopped down into her seat and worked on controlling her breathing. She reached the back of her head to fix her ponytail and straightened her NYU sweatshirt, thrown on over a dress.
"How long?" She asked and turned around to his seat.
The sides of his mouth tipped up. "Twelve minutes. New record Greene."
She hit his arm. "See? I told you I would do it."
"Of course," He said and rolled his eyes.
She hit his arm again. "Shut up Oliver."
"Don't call me that!"
Ash just laughed and turned to face where their professor had entered. She couldn't help but release a quiet giggle as Olli glared at her profile. He was one of her best friends in the city. He was just one of those likeable guys, who had immediately tried to be her friend at freshmen orientation. At that time she wasn't looking for friends so she ignored him. But then she got a job at the same place he worked at and the two had been inseparable ever since.
"Remember that band I told you about?" He whispered to her. "Well they're playing next Friday."
She shushed him and set up her lap top. "Wow. Have fun."
"Ash…" He whined.
"Shut up! I need to take down notes!" She pinched his arm. "And I'm not going with you. Remember the last time?"
"Ow," He rubbed the spot she had pinched. "I can take the notes. You know I can multi task." He expertly maneuvered around her question.
She huffed. "Fine. But you better take all of them."
"Do you not trust me?" He said with mock horror. "I'll have you know I am a very honorable man! And it deeply hurts me that you, fair Aislynn, cannot trust that I will…"
"Hey!" The professor yelled up to them. "You know, it's customary to actually listen to the teacher."
Olli grinned. "Sorry sir. Me and Ms. Greene here were just having a discussion."
"I doubt your little discussion is as important as Dostoevsky's works."
"I see your point…" Olli trailed off and tapped his chin with his finger thoughtfully.
The professor sighed. "Just pay attention."
"Yes sir." Ash said grinning a little. She winked at her friend sitting next to her.
"Yes, all mighty pedagogue." Olli said. He and Ash saluted the older man and the class laughed.
A girl behind them leaned in. "Hey…has anyone told you that…"
"I look like Adam Brody?" Olli interrupted with an irritated sigh. "Yes. Many, many times."
"Oh," The girl mumbled and leaned back in her seat.
Ash laughed and patted his head before turning her attention back to the front of the room.
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"So…" Olli said as they immerged from the building, into the now clear day. "How long are you working tonight?"
Ash yawned and linked her arms through his. "Hm…seven…I think?"
"Wanna get some take out? From that Thai place on 32nd." Olli said and yawned also.
"I can't," Ash said. "Me and Aiden are having dinner tonight. His schedule has been crazy lately so we haven't seen much of each other."
"Ah…Aiden." Olli said and grinned at her.
Ash blushed. "We're just friends."
"Right." Olli scoffed. "Dude. You guys are like…soul mates. Friends my ass."
Ash sighed and held her tongue before she said the same response she always gave. 'It's complicated.' Complicated, complicated. Which it was. Olli was the only one who really understood, or most likely just didn't want to push it. She had told him about what happened during that year, and he had been sweet. He gave her handfuls of tissues when she cried.
"And what about you, hm?" Ash said and bumped her hip against his.
"What about me?"
Ash sighed. "Who are you going to take to that show? With that band?"
"I don't know Ash."
"Howa bout Charlie?"
It was Olli's turn to blush. "C-Charlie?"
"Yes Charlie! You've been after her for…forever!" Ash exclaimed.
"Girls like Charlie," He started slowly, "don't go for guys like me."
"What do you mean 'guys like you'?" Ash asked. "You are cute and funny and…Adam Brody like. Everyone loves Adam Brody!"
Olli snorted. "The only way a girl like Charlie would go out with Adam Brody would be because he's rich. And Charlie's like…Scarlett Johansson. You don't see her going out with him."
"He was dating Rachel Bilson though," She pointed out. "And she's cute!"
Olli shook his head. "She's no Scarlet Johansson. No Charlie."
"You need some self esteem. And I love you no matter what Ollie." She said and kissed him on the cheek before pulling open the door to Suzy's.
Suzy's was a coffee shop. In Ash's opinion, one of the best around. But she was a little biased. After all, she had been working there for awhile.
"Welcome," A bust blonde behind the counter said dramatically without looking up from her Vogue. "Welcome, my dear customers, to Suzy's. We have any flavor you want. Brunette, redhead, blondes…"
"Like the new greeting," Ash said as she slipped behind the counter, closely followed by Olli.
The girl looked up. "Ashy washy! And Olli lolli! My two fav people!"
"Love you too Char bar," Ash said and leaned backwards against the counter. "New aprons?" She asked, nodding towards a pile on the floor.
"Yes!" Charlie said excitedly. "You're gunna love 'em!" She held the black apron up to Ash's face.
"A stabbed, bloody Elmo with Suzy's written in script." She took one and tied it. "Classy."
Charlie stuck her tongue out at her. "Just you wait. I'm gunna be the next Diane…the next Donatella…the next Marc!" Charlie was a fashion student. A really good designer. She went to Parson's, after all.
Charlie made herself an iced coffee, since business was slow and turned to Ash. "I'm so tired of business men. All the guys on Wall Street are the same in bed. I'm thinking I want to try out a nice…goth boy."
"Goth boy?" Ash raised her eyebrows. "That's different."
Charlie shrugged and took a long sip of her drink. If there was ever a female Casa Nova, Charlie would have been it. She could essentially get any male she wanted. It showed in the amount of marriages she had broken up. Despite that, she was actually a nice, normal girl. Well…normal would be stretching it. She was almost like Paige and any girl who could have been Scarlet Johansson's twin wasn't normal.
"Wanna go out later?" Charlie asked. "I need a drink."
"She can't." Olli called out from where he was sweeping the floors. "She has a big date with Aiden."
Charlie raised her eyebrows. "Aidy wady? A date?"
Ash sighed and glared at Olli. "Not a date. We're having dinner as friends and roommates. Can't we do that?"
They both laughed and Charlie put her arm around Ash's shoulder. "Well…with other people: yes. With you and Aiden: no."
"That's not fair!" Ash yelled.
Charlie ignored her. "Well, this date might do you good. You need to get laid badly. A good dose of wild, hot, rough, raw sex will definitely…"
She stopped as the bell over the door tinkled and a man with a lap top case stepped in.
"Hi," Ash said and smiled at him. "What can I get you?"
"A medium black coffee. And do you have WiFi?"
Ash nodded. "We sure do. That'll be two dollars please."
"So back to what I was saying," Charlie whispered.
"No," Ash said firmly. "It is not a date and we aren't going to discuss this any further."
"Yes mother," Charlie said and went to go make herself another iced coffee.
Ash grinned as she went to clean a table next to where Olli was sweeping.
"Sooo… When are you going to ask her out?" She said conversationally.
He angrily looked at her. "I'm not! Stop hassling me about it!"
Ash shrugged and bit her lip to keep her from laughing. "Ok, sure. Whatever."
She started to whistle as she wiped down the tables and ignored Olli's angry eyes on her back.
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Charlie shrugged on her rain coat and made her way to the door.
"See ya Char!" Ash said and continued to count the money in the register.
"Buy lovely! Don't stay too late! Call me later." Charlie winked suggestively before opening the door.
"Oh, hey Aiden," She said breathily and turned to wink at Ash another time before scuttling out the door, pausing in the window to make kissy faces. Ash gave her the finger.
She glanced up to see Aiden and put the money into a zipped case, before locking it into a small vault underneath the counter. You could never be too safe in the city.
"I'll be done in a sec," She told him before going into the back room to change. When she immerged, she was wearing the same dress as before, only with heels and a nice sweater. Her sneakers and sweatshirt were stuffed into her bag.
"You look nice," Aiden commented and smiled. She loved his smile.
"You too." She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek but he leaned in at the same time and his mouth landed on one side of hers. She blushed furiously, even more so as they both didn't pull away. Not until Aiden cleared his throat.
"Well…we should probably go." He muttered and motioned towards the door. He patiently waited when she was doing all the necessary lock ups.
They walked in silence for a while.
"Where are we going?" She asked and moved a little closer to him so her arm was almost pressed against his.
He looked down and smiled at her. "Gino's Pizza."
She laughed. "Fancy."
"Well, I know how to treat a lady." He grinned and brushed his hands against hers.
She smiled and looked down as he hooked his pinky with hers. It was a simple thing to do, but sent intense shivers down her spine. Maybe Charlie was right…
"What are you thinking about?" Aiden asked.
She looked up at him and blushed. "N-Nothing. Nothing important."
"Oh come on. Tell me." She shook her head. "Please? It can't be that bad. Unless it was something dirty about me…"
She gulped and blushed even more.
"So it was something dirty about me." He laughed and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I wouldn't mine trying some of those fantasies into."
Her breath hitched in her throat and her mind swam for amount before she regained composure. She pushed him away. "Ew. Pervert."
He just shrugged and pulled her down the almost empty street. "Come on! I can smell the pizza!"
Her own mouth watered and she firmly linked her fingers with his.
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Ash groaned and jumped on one foot as she took of one of her heels when they entered the apartment.
"I ate way too much," She said and clutched her stomach. "I am never going to eat again."
He didn't say anything but raised his eyebrows.
"Fine! I will eat again but I'll never enjoy it." She let out a strangled noise when he only raised his eyebrows again.
She yawned. "I'm going to bed. G'night."
He nodded and she could feel him watching as she walked to her door.
Once insider her room, she sighed and rubbed her forehead. She was dead tired and couldn't wait to get into her warm, cozy bed. She unzipped her dress and let it pool to the floor; she didn't feel like picking it up. Next her bra came off and she pulled on a nightgown; her silky blush colored one.
Another long yawn escaped her mouth as she moved to her bed like a zombie. Her brows furrowed when she saw something stuck to her pillow. A post it. She recognized Paige's handwriting right away.
Honey bunches-
Miss Preggers and I came over but you were at that silly little thing
called college. Loser. But anyway, the boys want to see you tomorrow.
So we'll be over. Skip classes if you have to. Follow David Bowie, rebel rebel.
Bowie is the greatest…crappers. Janie and little niecey are telling me to hurry up.
Till tomorrow my love,
Paige
Ash sighed and laughed at the same time, before sinking into her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Minutes, then an hour went by and she still couldn't fall asleep. A rumbled of thunder and a clap of lightning made her jump.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded her way out the door and across the living room. She opened his door quickly and shut it softly.
He must have noticed the shift in the mattress from her weight.
"Ash?" He sat up and she noticed he didn't have a shirt on. Oh Lord.
"I couldn't sleep," She said softly. He seemed to relax and settled back down.
"Rough day at work?" She asked him and gently put her chin on his chest.
He exhaled and tucked his hands behind his head. "I've had better."
"Why don't you enroll at NYU? So you can actually do what you like." She said and lightly traced his defined muscles.
He snorted. "I doubt that'd take me."
"You don't know that. Anything would beat working at the law firm, right?"
He shrugged. "I guess."
She realized that was all she would get out of him that night. She lay back down onto his pillows and turned away from him.
"Tee and Quinn and Janie and Paige are coming over tomorrow," She said sleepily.
He didn't say anything.
"Aiden?" She mumbled and turned back to him.
His chest rose and fell, his breath steady. The moonlight and lights from the city streamed in from the window and fell across him, illuminating him.
She smiled softly and watched him thinking, 'What would I do without him?"
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A/N- I didn't really want to update…I was going to sooner but some stuff has been going on and I'm in…it's not really a deep depression but close to it. So I wrote this to do something. So review. Oh, and is anyone an artist? If so, please PM (don't put it in a review) and I'll tell you the reason why I need one. Thanks.