“Oh you’re up!” Lance said as he entered the living room and was surprised to discover his friend sitting on the couch. She looked much better after her nap. “Feeling better?”
“Much,” she smiled and nodded.
“Good. Make me a promise?”
“Um…depends,” Ashleigh laughed.
“Promise me that you won’t overdo it tonight. I can just hear it now. I send you home and your mom finds out that you were here partying and you got sick or something because you didn’t take care of yourself and you got too weak. She would never let you come out here again!” Lance spoke as he paced back and forth in front of the couch. He ran his hand through his hair before he plopped down beside her.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you worry too much? I’ll be fine. I promise!”
“I am gonna give you fair warning now. If you start looking like you are about to collapse I am gonna drag your ass home and put it to bed.” Ashleigh laughed at him. She had no doubt that he would try it.
“Why are you down here harassing me. Don’t you have a wife that you could be harassing.” Lance chuckled before responding.
“I get to harass her all the time. You are only here for a few days!” he said, grinning at her. She rolled her eyes before glancing at her watch. She realized it was almost time for the party.
“Where is she anyway? I’m ready to go. I wanna see everyone!”
“Knowing her, she is upstairs looking for her shoes. Somehow she is constantly losing them.”
“That isn’t true!” Monica exclaimed as she walked into the room. She walked over and plopped down in Lance’s lap, facing Ashleigh.
“Then what were you doing?” Lance asked. Monica blushed and began to chew on her lower lip. “See?”
“I couldn’t find the right shoes. There is a difference!” she told him in exasperation. Lance shook his head before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close so he could kiss her cheek. Ashleigh couldn’t help but smile when she saw Monica’s lip begin to turn up into a small smile.
“You girls about ready to go?” Lance asked. Monica gave him a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”
“About ready? Lance, I have been ready to go over there and party since you two came up with the idea!”
“Am I gonna have to keep my eye on you and make sure you behave yourself?”
“Me, misbehave? Never!” she told him before turning and giving Ashleigh an evil grin. “Let’s rock and roll baby!” she said as she jumped up off Lance’s lap and pulled Ashleigh to a standing position. A huge grin formed on Lance’s face as the trio walked to the door.
‘This is going to be one heck of a night,’ he thought to himself.
Lance knocked on the door and waited with the two women. A minute went past, then another. “What the heck are they doing in there?” He said to no one in particular. He reached up and tapped his knuckles on the door again, still no answer. He looked at Monica questioningly, but all she could do was shrug. Finally he reached forward and grasped the doorknob and twisted. The door flew open.
The trio gazed into the house. There was no one in sight but they did see the back door open. They made their way through the house towards the back. Lance, Monica and Ashleigh were the first to arrive at the party. They noticed that the DJ was just finishing setting up his booth. Looking farther into the back yard they saw Justin lighting all the torches and lanterns.
“Hey!” Lance yelled to his friend. Justin looked up and smiled and waved. A moment later he walked over to the group.
“Hey guys, you’re the first to arrive,” he looked at Lance and gave him a wide grin. Lance winked in return and turned around when he heard footsteps behind him.
“Hey you guys!” Keeley exclaimed as she walked up to her circle of friends.
“Hi Kee!” Monica said as she gave her friend a hug.
“Keeley you look great,” Lance said as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was wearing her new jeans with a black spaghetti-strap tank top. Her hair was down and flipped out in her trademark way. Her neck was adorned with a simple black choker with clear crystals.
“Thanks, you don’t look to shabby yourself,” she replied with a grin.
“So when is everyone supposed to arrive?” Ashleigh asked.
“They should be here any minute,” Justin replied. Before he could finish his sentence they all heard the doorbell. He looked up and smiled at the group. “I’ll get it!” He called before he dashed into the house to greet the guests.
A couple hours later the party was in full swing. The dance floor was packed and the yard was full of people standing around drinking and chatting. It seemed like it was a success.
Monica and Keeley were standing next to a tiki torch chatting with JC and his date. She was a tall brunette that neither girl had met before. The four were in the middle of a conversation when Chris jumped into the middle of the little circle they’d formed.
“Ladies, care to dance?” He said as he raised his eyebrows suggestively. The three women along with JC just stared at him. When he got no response he grabbed Monica by the arms and swung her around towards the dance floor. Monica looked over her shoulder towards he friends in a silent plea for help. Keeley just shook her head and smiled.
“What was that all about?” Heidi, JC’s date, asked as she stared at the blond girl getting thrown around by Chris.
Keeley turned and gave her a grin. “Oh, once you’ve hung around Chris for a little while you’ll understand perfectly!” Heidi just looked at her and shook her head.
“Don’t worry about him, we’ve been around him for years and we still don’t get him!” JC said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “Would you like to dance?” He whispered in her ear.
“Sure,” she replied. He leaned in and kissed her cheek and led her towards the dance floor.
Keeley stood by herself looking at the scene in front of her. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Chris still swinging Monica around the dance floor. She continued to look over the dance floor. JC and Heidi were pressed together dancing towards the edge of the floor. They both appeared to be lost in their own world. Lance was dancing with Ashleigh. He’d just said something to her and they both broke into fits of laughter. Keeley instinctively wrapped her arms around her middle when a breeze hit her. The days may be hot, but the evenings can sure get cool in Florida. A moment later she felt two hands cover her eyes.
“Guess who?” She heard a whisper in her ear. She shivered as his warm breath tickled her ear.
“Mmm, hey babe how’s it going? She said as she leaned back into her boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and pulled her close.
“Great! Everyone’s having a great time!” He replied. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “Hey, would you like to dance?”
“She turned around and looked up at him and smiled. She nodded and allowed him to escort her to the dance floor. He lead her towards the center and they began to dance to “Say It” by Voices of Theory. He wrapped his arms around her and settled them on the small of her back. She in turn wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.
The couple swayed to the music. Justin gently ran his hand up and down her back. To Keeley it felt as if they were floating on air. She didn’t even notice when a minute later the music began to fade away. It was replaced by the angelic sounds of JC, Joey, Chris and Lance. The quartet began the first verses of Now and Forever.
Whenever I'm weary from the battles
that rage in my head
You make sense of madness
When my sanity hangs by a thread
I lose my way but still you seem to understand
Now and forever I will be your man.
Keeley’s eyes fluttered open when she finally realized that the recorded music had been replaced with the live voices of their friends. She looked around the dance floor to find it empty. She and Justin were the lone dancers in the middle of the square wooden dancing area. All of their guests were standing around the floor staring at them with smiles on their faces.
Sometimes I just hold you
Too caught up in me to see
I'm holding a fortune that heaven has given to me
I'll try to show you each and every way I can
Now and forever I will be your man
She looked up at Justin in confusion. He grinned at her and placed his hand behind her head and guided it back to his shoulder. The two continued to hold each other close and dance to the a Capella song. When the final verse came Justin joined in. His beautiful voice ringing clear through the night.
Now I can rest my worries and always be sure
That I won't be alone anymore
If I'd only known you were there all the time
All this time
Until the day the ocean doesn't touch the sand
Now and forever I will be your man
Now and forever I will be your man
When they had finished the song Justin pulled back from Keeley, his face lit with a smile, his eyes shining with love.
“Awe, baby! What a nice surprise! Thank you!” She exclaimed as she hugged him.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he replied as he smiled at her. He reached forward and took her hands in his. “But the surprise isn’t over yet.”
“Ever since I was little I always knew that God would bring me the perfect girl, so I never put too much thought into it. I thought my life was full, my life was going great till I met you…then you turned my world upside down. I never realized how incomplete things were until you came into my life. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. It amazes me how my heart can be so full of love that I don’t think it can hold any more, but my love for you keeps growing stronger and stronger. Keeley Brianne, there is nothing in this world I want more than to be your man now and forever. Will you do me the honor of making my wish come true?” He got down on one knee and concluded, “Will you marry me?” As he finished those words he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box. He opened it and held it up to her.
She stared up at him wide eyed as she processed all he’d just said. Did she imagine it? As her mind drifted over the last words he’d said ‘Will you marry me?’ she knew it was real. Her eyes began to well up with tears.
“Well?” He asked a moment later when she still hadn’t responded. It seemed as if everyone there was holding their breath.
A huge smile broke out on her face as a tear streamed down her cheek. “Of course! Yes! Yes!” She exclaimed as she reached forward and pulled him into a standing position. She threw her arms around his neck and he lifted her up and swung her around.
The crowd all began to cheer. He gently set her back on the ground and pulled her forward to kiss her. His lips gently pressed against hers. When he pulled back he reached into the little box and pulled the ring out. He carefully slid it on her left ring finger. For the first time Keeley got a good look at her engagement ring. Her jaw dropped open in surprise. It was the exact same ring she had shown Monica earlier that week.
“Do you like it?” Justin asked with concern when he saw the look on her face. He had mistaken it for disappointment.
“Are you kidding?? This is my dream ring!” She exclaimed as she hugged him again.
He laughed at her response. “I’m glad you like it!” He led her over to their friends who were standing nearby with huge grins on their faces. When they reached the group Monica jumped forward, practically knocking Keeley down.
“Oh my gosh congratulations!” She exclaimed. She beamed at her friend. Keeley laughed as her friend hugged her tightly. As soon as she let go Monica grabbed Keeley’s hand to examine the ring. “Kee, it’s the one you wanted!”
“Like you didn’t know,” she exclaimed as she eyed her friend suspiciously.
Monica’s eyes grew wide. “But I didn’t know!” She turned to Lance and Justin and saw the huge smiles on both of their faces. “You knew?” She asked Lance incredulously. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s true. She was just as in the dark about this as you were!” he told Keeley before speaking to his wife. “Like we’d tell you! We know you can’t keep a secret from Keeley!” Lance exclaimed as he pulled her towards him and kissed her on the cheek.
“Buddy, you’re going to have to do a heck of a lot more than that to make up for this!” She exclaimed playfully.
Keeley stood there still deep in thought. ‘Well, if Monica didn’t tell him which ring I wanted, then how’d he know?’ A moment later she voiced her question out loud.
“That was sheer luck actually,” Justin told her. “Last weekend when I went to run ‘errands’ with Lance we went to the mall to some jewelry stores. When I got to one of them I told him what I was looking for and he told me that a couple girls had just been admiring this ring. As he talked about the girls they began to sound awfully familiar.” He exclaimed with a grin. “He described the two of you and said that the blond girl had called the brunette Kee. We knew it was you two, so I got the ring.”
“Wow,” was all Keeley could say. She was still in total shock. ‘How could I have not seen this coming?’ She thought to herself.
The rest of the night Keeley and Justin were lost in their own dream world. Finally people started leaving and soon the five bandmates, Ashleigh, Heidi, Keeley, and Monica were the only ones left. They sat on the back deck as they discussed the events of the evening. Keeley had a far off look in her eyes, Justin didn’t know whether to take it as fear or sheer happiness.
“You ok sweetie?” he asked as he draped his arm around her shoulder. She turned and looked at him and slightly nodded before a small smile appeared on her face.
“Just trying to remember how to breathe,” she told him. Justin quietly chuckled before reaching over and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“What do you think Justin?” Joey asked. Justin pulled away from Keeley and looked at his friend in confusion.
“Huh?”
“I think that we all ought to go skinny dipping in the pool! What do you think?” Justin’s eyes went wide as he stared at his friend.
“Are you serious?” Keeley asked him.
“Sure why not?” Chris asked.
“Hell, why not?” Justin said as he peeled his shirt off, grabbed Keeley and began to make a mad dash for the pool. Chris and Joey were soon to follow. Chris was pulling Ashleigh along behind him. Lance and Monica looked at each other and shrugged before making their way to the pool. JC looked at Heidi with fear in his eyes. This was the first time this girl had met his friends and now they were all running around naked.
“Um we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I can tell the guys that we are leaving,” he explained to her. She looked at him like he was crazy.
“Why would you do that?”
“I just thought that you would be uncomfortable.”
“Nah, you only live once right?” she laughed before getting up and sprinting to the pool. JC looked around and realized he was the only one still dry.
‘Hell, I am the only one still dressed!’ he thought to himself. “HEY! Wait for me!” he called as he chased after her. Soon there were clothes everywhere and the young adults were carrying on without a care in the world. Chris tried several times to get Justin to do a cannon ball off the diving board.
“Oh please don’t! I don’t want to go blind,” Ashleigh begged.
“I would have to agree with Ashleigh!” Monica threw in.
“Oh hell no! I wanna have children some day. Don’t want to damage the goods!” Justin laughed. A chorus of ‘thank-yous’ and sighs of relief could be heard.
A little later Lance noticed that Ashleigh’s arms were pulled close to her chest and her teeth were chattering. ‘It is way to cold for her to be out here. She is gonna get sick,’ he thought to himself. He drew Monica’s attention to Ashleigh and suggested that they needed to go home. Monica quickly agreed.
“You guys, I think the three of us are going to call it a night,” Lance told the rest of the group.
“Yeah me too! I’m getting really tired,” Chris added in.
“That’s cuz you’re an old man!” Justin laughed. The rest of the group didn’t realize how tired they were until they started thinking about it. They were having too much fun. It had been a long night and everyone needed some sleep. Justin hopped out of the pool and yanked on his boxers before running in the house to grab some towels. The group got out, dried off and dressed, before leaving Keeley and Justin’s house. Lance thought for awhile that he was going to have to carry both Ashleigh and Monica home. They both assured him that they would live. However before they made it out of the yard, both of them were leaning on him for support.
“PIMP!” Chris yelled to him before hopping in his car. Justin and Keeley stood in the door watching the group leave. Once everyone was gone Justin closed the door. He looked at his new fiancé and smiled.
“You know, you really had me scared when you took so long to answer my question,” he told her as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
“I was shocked. I had to make sure I had heard you right. For a minute that I thought I had gone crazy.”
“I love you baby,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” she whispered back before reaching up to kiss him. She reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck as his arms slowly snaked around her waist. They stood in the doorway continuing their actions for a few minutes before Justin pulled away with an evil grin on his face. He quickly scooped her up in his arms and then proceeded to carry her up the stairs.
“Ah, what a night!” Lance said as he plopped down on the bed before beginning to pull off his shoes.
“I know. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Justin & Keeley though!” Monica said before continuing to brush her teeth. Lance chuckled at her comment.
“Tell me honestly that you wouldn’t have told Keeley.”
“Hmph,” she scoffed at him as she entered the bedroom. “You have no faith in me what-so-ever,” she told him, crawling into bed and curling up next to him.
“Speaking of faith,” Lance sighed, “I’m still worried about Ash. I really want to talk to her but I don’t know how to approach the whole situation. I just have a feeling it’s gonna end in an argument.”
“Don’t worry about honey. We’ll come up with something.”
“I just hope she didn’t overdo it tonight. She didn’t look so good when she went to bed,” Lance said thinking back. Ashleigh had been pale when they arrived back at the house. Her eyes looked dull and sunken.
“I think I’m going to bed,” she whispered as she briskly rubbed her hands up and down her arms, still trying to get warm. Then she had quickly made her way up the stairs to the guestroom. Before getting ready for bed Lance had taken her an extra blanket, which she had gladly accepted. She sniffled a few times before closing her eyes and falling asleep before he had left the room.
“Maybe after she gets a good night’s sleep she’ll feel better,” Monica’s voice broke his thoughts.
“I hope so,” he replied and pulled her close. As he lay in his bed holding his wife he said a silent prayer for his friend in the next room before letting his eyes slowly flutter shut.
“Bless you,” Lance said when he was awakened by the sound of sneezing. Monica yawned before answering him.
“Thanks, but that wasn’t me,” she groggily answered before pulling the covers up tighter around her neck.
“Oh no,” Lance groaned. His wife barely opened her eyes to look at him in question. “If that wasn’t you, then it was Ash,” he told her.
“Oh no! Go check on her. I’ll go find some cold medicine.” Lance nodded and got up. His feet sank into the plush carpet as he walked down the hall to the guestroom. Just as he was about to knock on the door she sneezed again. The young man closed his eyes and sighed. He then reached up and gently knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Ashleigh said quietly in a raspy voice. Lance opened the door and stuck his head inside. Ashleigh was propped up on her pillows with a wad of Kleenex in her hand. She loudly blew her nose before looking up at him. She looked as pale if not paler than the night before. She had a glassy look in her darkly circled eyes.
“Ash, you ok?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
“Um. Well I think I got a cold,” she smiled weakly, though Lance couldn’t help but notice the smile wasn’t reflected in her eyes. Lance frowned and gave her a worried look. He padded across the room and sat on her bed, facing her. “Don’t look at me like that,” she scolded him. He still had a very concerned look on his face.
“I can’t help it. I was afraid something like this was going to happen. We should have never let you in that pool last night.”
“Lance, you’re not my dad! You can’t keep me locked in my room like a china doll. It’s just a cold. I will be fine.” Just then Monica walked in the room carrying a cup of water in one hand and a box of cold medicine in the other.
“Here, take some of this,” Monica exclaimed as she handed Ashleigh the medicine. Ashleigh signed with resignation and took Monica’s offering. She quickly popped the two pills in her mouth and chased it with a gulp of water.
“Thanks,” she said to Monica when she’d finished. She looked at her two friends’ faces, they were both creased with worry. “Guys, don’t worry! I’ll be fine.” She smiled to emphasize her words. “So, what’s up for today?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I didn’t make any plans. I thought we’d just hang out,” Lance replied as he walked over to the window and opened the blinds to allow light to pour through.
“Yeah, I don’t have any plans either,” Monica added. “I’ll go down stairs and start breakfast. You two get yourselves together and come join me ok?” Monica said as she turned and walked towards the door.
“So what time does your flight leave tomorrow?” Monica asked Ashleigh as she set a cup of coffee down in front of the girl.
“I think it leaves at 4:30 in the afternoon,” Ashleigh replied. She took a long sip of the piping hot liquid and held the cup to warm her hands.
“Great!” Lance exclaimed as he rounded the corner and came into view. “So, do you think you could go to church with us in the morning? It gets over around 12:00, so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready for your flight.”
Ashleigh looked up from her coffee and gave him a stern look. Thoughts ran through her mind on how to get out of going, but none of them seemed right. ‘You are here to spend time with him,’ she told herself before finally answering, “Sure, why not.” Lance looked at her and gave her a hopeful smile. She quickly shifted her eyes back towards her drink.
“So,” Monica interjected when she noticed the situation getting uncomfortable, “what would you like to do today Ash?”
“I don’t think you should do anything too strenuous,” Lance exclaimed before Ashleigh could reply.
Her head shot up and she glared at him, “I think she was talking to me Lance.” She turned and smiled at Monica, “maybe we could go shopping or to a movie or something.”
“Sounds good to me,” Monica replied. Lance started to speak up again but Monica turned to him and firmly shook her head. She knew that Lance was concerned about Ashleigh, but he wouldn’t be able to help her if the girl wasn’t speaking to him.
A moment later there was a knock at the door. Lance gratefully called, “I’ll get it!” and made his way to the front door. He opened it to find Keeley standing there with a big grin on her face.
“Hey Lance!” She exclaimed as she walked past him and into the kitchen.
Lance stood dumbfounded at the door, “Uh yeah, won’t you come in,” he exclaimed to the air. He shut the door and followed his friend.
“Hey girls!” Keeley said as she walked in and sat down next to Ashleigh at the table.
“Hey Kee!” Monica exclaimed. “Want some coffee?” She asked as she held up the pot.
“Sure, I haven’t had any today yet.”
“Hey Keeley, still floating on cloud 9?” Ashleigh asked with a laugh.
“You have no idea!” She replied as she accepted the cup Monica handed her. “Actually that’s why I’m here. Ashleigh, I wasn’t sure when I’d see you next so I wanted to invite you to the wedding in person.”
“Of course I’ll come!” Ashleigh cried as she turned and hugged her new friend.
“I’ll send you an invitation in the mail too,” Keeley added as they hugged.
“And Mon, I wanted to ask if you’d be my matron of honor?” Keeley looked hopefully up at her friend.
Monica’s mouth dropped open. She quickly regained her composure and slammed the pot of coffee on the counter and ran over to her friend. She yanked Keeley out of her seat and threw her arms around her. As she danced in a circle while hugging her friend she cried, “Oh thank you Kee!”
“I’ll take that as a yes?” Keeley exclaimed as her friend continued to pull her around in a circle.
“YES!”
“Ok, well then I need you to help me start planning things,” Keeley said when she finally escaped Monica’s arms.
“Well by now, I’m practically an expert. I had to put our wedding together in two months and let me tell you that’s no easy task!”
“I figured you’d be able to help me with everything.” The three girls sat at the table discussing ideas as Lance sat quietly and listened. He didn’t figure the girls would care much about his opinion since he was a guy.
‘What do guys know?’ he thought to himself as he enjoyed watching the three women in front of him. They were giggling and carrying on like little girls.
“Oh Kee!” Monica exclaimed suddenly. “Ashleigh and I are gonna have a day out. Wanna come?”
“Sure!”
“WOO HOO!” Ashleigh cheered but then got a serious look on her face, “But who is gonna stay here and babysit Lancie?” Lance scowled at Ashleigh over his coffee cup.
“Very funny. Better question is are you up to going out?” he asked as he gave her a look over. He didn’t think it was such a good idea.
“Lance don’t start,” Ashleigh scolded him. “I don’t want to be treated like a child,” she informed him as she glared at him. Keeley couldn’t help but notice the look of frustration that suddenly washed over Monica’s face. Monica felt bad for both Lance and Ashleigh. She knew Lance was just concerned for his friend, but she also knew that Ashleigh just wanted her freedom. Freedom to make her own decisions, without someone constantly second-guessing her actions. Lance simply nodded. He didn’t want to make the situation any worse than it was. The big confrontation was still yet to come.
“Oh my gosh! That Heath Ledger is so hot!” Ashleigh continued ranting as the three girls rode along the highway that lead back to Monica and Lance’s. Keeley and Monica exchanged grins in the rear view mirror of Lance’s 4-Runner. Monica had convinced him that they needed to drive it since there were three of them going shopping. She had given him her best sad face, puppy dog eyes and all, as she informed him there wasn’t enough room in her Celica. He had rolled his eyes before handing over his keys. His best friend was already mad at him; he didn’t want his wife mad at him too.
Both girls knew that Ashleigh had had a lot of fun that day. That had spent a good portion of the day shopping before going to the movies to see “A Knight’s Tale.” She had told the two that she hadn’t gotten to get out much lately because of all the treatments. Monica thought that Ashleigh looked tired but didn’t bring it up. She didn’t want Ashleigh to blow up at her like she had at Lance earlier. Monica was still worried about Ashleigh though. The cold medicine was starting to wear off and she was coughing and sneezing even worse than she had that morning. She knew Lance was going to worry himself to death when he found out.
A few minutes later they were pulling into the driveway. They got out and Keeley told her two companions she was going home, but told them she would see them in church in the morning. Monica noticed that Ashleigh flinched at the mention of ‘church.’ This brought a frown to the blonde’s face. She quickly had to wipe it off when Ashleigh turned to her and began to speak.
“Man, I hope Lance is in a better mood than he was this morning.” Monica just gave her a slight smile before walking up the stairs to the house and opening the door. Ashleigh followed close behind. Once inside Ashleigh headed straight for the bathroom, while Monica began looking for her husband. She found him sitting in the recliner in the living room scowling at the wall.
‘Gosh, I hope he hasn’t sat here all day doing that,’ she thought to herself. She quietly walked into the room undetected and sat down on the arm of the recliner and began to stare at the wall.
“What are you doing?” Lance asked giving her not even bothering to look at her.
“Well you are sitting here staring at the wall. I figured there must be something interesting there, but I gotta tell you bud…there are just bricks,” she informed him as she turned to face him. “Are you ok honey?” Lance turned his heard towards her and his face softened a bit before answering.
“I don’t know what to do. I am just trying to look out for her, and then she gets sick. Her mom is gonna kill me, and now Ashleigh is mad at me.”
“It isn’t your fault she is sick and she isn’t mad at you. She gets enough parenting from her parents though. I know your intentions are good, but she sees it as you trying to boss her.” Lance sat and thought about his wife’s words, he was about to answer when Ashleigh walked in the room.
“There you are! I didn’t know where the two of you had disappeared.” Ashleigh walked over and sat on the couch and turned to face the two in the recliner. “So are you in a better mood?” she asked Lance. Lance took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile on his face before answering.
“Yep. I am much better. I’m sorry about before.” Ashleigh smiled and nodded and then continued to act as if nothing had happened. They soon got up and fixed dinner. When the meal was done they moved back into the living room and chatted for awhile. Lance pointed out to Monica that it was almost time for her and Keeley to start school again. She groaned in response.
“I quit. I don’t wanna go back,” she whined. Ashleigh laughed but then got serious.
“Don’t quit. You have already been through two years, why stop now? Believe me I would love to be back in school.” Monica processed her friend’s words before speaking.
“Actually I had thought about taking a semester off, at least. Things are so crazy right now. Lance, do you think Keeley is gonna take the semester off since she is getting married soon? I know this is her last year and all but…”
“That’s a good question. We will just have to wait and see. And what do you mean you’re taking a semester off?” he asked her and gave her a stern look.
“Um.…” she had a guilty look on her face. “Can we talk about this later? This is Ashleigh’s last night here,” she pointed out. It suddenly hit them that she was right. This saddened them all but they tried not to think about it. They told each other stories and Monica made cookies and they just sat around having fun until Ashleigh’s cold got the better of her. She finally decided that she needed to go to bed. Monica got her some more cold medicine before she went.
Ashleigh lay in the bed dreading the next day for several reasons. The main reason being having to go home. She didn’t want to leave all her friends here. She also didn’t want to have to go home and face her parents since she was sick. Ashleigh had no doubt in her mind that bright and early Monday morning she would be sitting in her doctor’s office.
The second reason she dreaded morning was that she was being forced to go to church. She had wanted so bad to tell them both no. They had both looked at her so expectantly though. Their religion meant so much to them, even though she thought it was a bunch of bull. Ashleigh reminded herself again that she was there to spend time with Lance.
‘I can suffer one morning of torture,’ she tried to convince herself. Her thoughts continued to race until the medicine kicked in and sleep overtook her body.