by Grace Herbst
Kyle paid for their meals. Ashley wanted to ask him, but he remained silent about their destination. As promised, he drove them through their old neighborhood first. They passed Grant High School, Ashley’s former high school. The front parking lot was full of cars. The school yard was empty.
The memories of her sophomore year began flooding back and Ashley began to realize how she would start her junior year if she would enroll back into school. Exactly like she was when she moved to Emerald. Alone. An outsider. Even though Ashley would be with her classmates, they wouldn’t be as welcoming as her friends back in Emerald.
They went by their old house. On the outside, it looked exactly the same. Ashley smiled for a few moments before the excitement began to die down. It wasn’t their home anymore. Someone else was using the tennis courts. Someone else was sleeping in her bedroom. The neighbors would be inviting the new occupants over for a barbeque.
Kyle could sense what she was feeling. “It’s not the same, is it?” he asked. Ashley hated to admit it, but he was right. “I think it’s time for me to take you to our true destination.” Ashley stared out the window as they drove out of the neighborhood and back onto the main street.
As they reached their destination, Ashley looked at her surroundings. It looked like a nice neighborhood, but nothing looked familiar. Kyle finally stopped the car in front of a duplex. Ashley couldn’t help but notice how small it was. “This isn’t where you grew up, is it?” she asked.
“No, it’s where your mother and I first lived when we got married,” Kyle told her. “And it’s the house you lived in for the first three years of your life.” Ashley looked at him surprised. “Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but we didn’t always have that big house. We wanted to start out small, but everything changed when we found out she was pregnant again.”
Ashley looked at him. “Mom was pregnant again?” Kyle nodded. “I don’t remember that.”
“Well, we didn’t want to tell you right away. Since your mom had problems with you, we wanted to make sure she would be able to make it past the first trimester. Unfortunately, the excitement was short lived.” Ashley knew what was coming before he even said it. “Sadly, she had a miscarriage. Your mom was devastated and she devoted herself to taking care of you. I think she was afraid of losing you.”
Ashley was surprised to hear her dad speak so openly about her mother after years of being silent. “I thought this was the perfect time for us to move. You were getting bigger and we wanted to have more room.” There was a short pause. “We were only in there for a short time, but it will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where I carried your mother across the threshold.” He smiled to himself as if he was going back to the memory. “It’s where you took your first steps. It may not be our house anymore, but the memories are still there.” Kyle gave her a gentle smile. “It’s like having your first baby. You can’t replace them with a new child. Not to me. Never. You are always going to be my first daughter.”
Ashley nodded. “I know,” she replied as she realized the point her father was trying to make. “But I can’t go back there right now. There are a few things I need to figure out and I can’t do it in Emerald.” She didn’t want to mention she might not ever return to Emerald, but she wasn’t going to say that to him. She could see he was already disappointed. “Dad, I love you. But as I told Lucas and Ms. Bartlett, I need to figure out who I am again. Besides, I have some unfinished business with Roxanne.”
Kyle looked at her. “You’re still in contact with Roxanne? I thought we had settled this when we moved.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not friends,” she assured him as she glanced at the backpack. “I just need to return some things to her.”
The soft gentle tone her father had used earlier had changed to more serious. “Ashley, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you certainly are not going to figure it out by winging it. You either stay with Ms. Bartlett or come home with me.” Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but her father was firm. “I don’t want you wandering the streets by yourself. Ms. Bartlett is someone I trust to look after you. Those are your two options. Take it or leave it.”
Ashley wasn’t happy with his answer, but she agreed to the arrangement. Her father still looked disappointed, but he didn’t push her anymore. The relief his daughter was going to be safe seemed to comfort him. He contacted Ms. Bartlett and she told him where they could find her spare key.
Once the visit was over, Kyle dropped Ashley back at the apartment. He made sure she was in the right apartment before he got ready to leave. She could see he was having a hard time letting her go. The assurance she would be fine didn’t seem to comfort him as he embraced her in a tight hug. The embrace seemed to last for a few minutes before Kyle managed to release his arms from his daughter. They exchanged “I love you” before Kyle left the apartment, leaving Ashley with Daisy. She kept her company while Ashley looked through the contents of the backpack again. It was definitely time to return these items to their rightful owner.
A few hours later, Ms. Bartlett and Ashley arrived at Roxanne’s apartment building. Looking around, it didn’t appear to be a dangerous neighborhood. Yet, there were signs that showed she should be cautious. Colorful graffiti was everywhere on the apartment building and most of the surrounding businesses were closed or boarded up. “Roxanne left her parents and wealth for this?” Ashley muttered.
Ms. Bartlett was also feeling uncomfortable. “Maybe I should go in with you,” she suggested. “It’s probably safer.” Ashley wanted to protest, but she even felt nervous wandering around this neighborhood alone. They got out of the car. Ashley put her backpack over her shoulder and they walked into the building.
They walked through the hallway as people passed by them, giving them strange looks. Ashley couldn’t blame them. She and Ms. Bartlett both looked like they didn’t belong there. She ignored the looks as she went up the stairs to the third floor. Ms. Bartlett was right behind her.
“I think I can handle it from here,” Ashley told Ms. Bartlett as they headed up the stairs.
“I’m not worried about you talking to Roxanne. I’m more worried about the temptations at this party,” Ms. Bartlett replied.
“Don’t worry. Drinking isn’t an issue for me anymore,” Ashley assured her. “I need to do this alone. I promise I will call you if I run into trouble.” Ms. Bartlett looked at her before she turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.
It was easy to find the apartment. Knocking on the door, she could hear loud music and muffled voices. It was clear she was going to crash a party, but she didn’t care. She needed to talk to the hostess right away. She waited impatiently for someone to answer the door.
Ashley knocked on the door again. This time, Roxanne pulled the door open and gave her a wide smile. “Ashley, come on in. You’re just in time for the party.” Before Ashley could respond, she was pulled into the crowd of people. “Hey everyone! Look who’s back!” Roxanne happily announced to her guests.
Most of the guests recognized Ashley instantly and they ran to greet their old friend Ace. Ashley wanted to smile. She should have been thrilled to see her old friends again. This was what she wanted. This was why she ran away from Emerald. She wanted to go back to her old life with her friends. However, she didn’t feel that way. Seeing all the smiling faces made her feel uncomfortable. They seemed oblivious to her feelings as Roxanne spoke.
“Someone get Ace a drink,” Roxanne told her guests. Once again, Ashley had no control and she was soon holding a cup full of beer. “I want to make a toast. To the gang together again.” She raised her cup and her friends followed her lead. They all took a sip of their drinks. The only one who didn’t was Ashley. Roxanne gave her a look. “Come on, Ace. It’s a toast for you. You have to take a sip.”
There was silence as everyone waited to see what Ashley would do. She had nothing to prove to these people. Yet, it was a toast. It wouldn’t be right if she didn’t take a
sip. She gave one last look to Roxanne before she took a sip of her drink – wanting to believe it would be her only one of the night.
Chapter 20
Opening her eyes, Ashley let out a huge groan. Her head was pounding as she tried to remember where she was. Looking around the room, she didn’t recognize anything. She became concerned before she heard a familiar voice. “Good morning sleepyhead.”
Ashley became alert as she realized where she was. The events of the previous night began to come back to her. She couldn’t believe she had gone back into her old habit of drinking and partying. What was she thinking? How could she have been so stupid? “Oh no. Don’t tell me I’ve been here all night.”
Roxanne just gave her a smile, making her hopes dash. “Afraid so, Ace. Don’t worry. One night of drinking won’t kill you.” That was all Ashley needed to hear before she jumped up and she began to gather her things. It was a challenge since the apartment was a mess. Plastic cups littered the floor. Some guests were still passed out. Ashley could smell their breaths and they reeked of beer. To her relief, her backpack had been untouched.
As usual, Roxanne wasn’t worried. “Would you relax? What’s the rush? I thought you didn’t want to go back to Ms. Bartlett’s apartment.”
“I never said that,” Ashley protested. “When did I say that?”
“Last night,” Roxanne replied. “You were completely ranting about how controlling she was trying to be and how you wish you could be free of her. It was so annoying. I was glad when you were finally able to shut up about it.”
Ashley frowned. She really didn’t remember saying that, but she had been drinking. She knew how alcohol affected the brain. “Do you believe everything I say when I’m drunk?” she snapped. Roxanne shrugged. “Can we just go back to your apartment? We really need to talk.”
“Alright. Follow me Ace,” Roxanne replied as she grabbed her own stuff. There was silence as she led her out of the apartment and down the hall to the stairs. They went down to the second floor to Roxanne’s apartment.
As Ashley walked into the apartment, she wasn’t surprised to see how different it was compared to Ms. Bartlett’s apartment. There were cracks on the walls and outdated appliances in the kitchen. There was a small table just for two people. The couch looked beaten up. The television was the only thing that looked almost brand new. “Wow, you really fixed this place up,” she said, finding her voice.
“Welcome to my lovely apartment. Make yourself at home,” Roxanne told her as she went to the refrigerator. “Do you want anything?”
“I’m not here as a guest,” Ashley reminded her as she followed her to the kitchen. She watched Roxanne pull out a bottle of water and tossed it to her. She pulled one out for herself. “I’m here because we need to talk.”
Roxanne rolled her eyes as she twisted the cap off the water bottle. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”
“After you left, Loretta couldn’t stop talking about you and your fine taste in jewelry. A little too fine taste if you ask me.” She waited for a reaction from Roxanne.
“Loretta taught me everything I know,” Roxanne replied proudly. “So what if I do have a fine taste in jewelry?”
Ashley glared at her. “According to Loretta, you love borrowing jewelry and giving it to your friends.” Ashley grabbed her backpack and she pulled out the contents that she had been hiding from everyone and laid them carefully on the kitchen table. Beautiful jewelry pieces were sparkling in the light. There were a couple of rings, bracelets and necklaces. Each was an expensive piece. Ashley didn’t know why she had kept them for so long.
“It makes me wonder about this jewelry that we stole from that jewelry store last spring. Loretta told me another store of hers was broken into last spring and jewelry was stolen. Coincidence?”
“You really should put those back in your backpack,” Roxanne said, dismissing everything Ashley had just said. “That’s going to draw a little too much attention.” Ashley raised her eyebrows. Roxanne gave her an innocent look. “What?”
“Really? You’re just going to ignore the fact I dumped very expensive jewelry on your kitchen table? Jewelry, I might add, that looks really similar to the jewelry on display that I saw yesterday in your mother’s store,” Ashley pressed. “This is jewelry from your mother’s store, isn’t it? How could you steal from your own mother?”
“After the way she treated me, she deserved it,” Roxanne fought back. “You have no idea what I went through with those people.”
“Those people? You mean your parents?” Ashley asked. It felt weird defending Roxanne’s parents when she didn’t really know them. “What could they possible have done that was so horrible?”
Roxanne tried not to laugh. “You really believe we’re alike, don’t you? You found out that I was also in the same social circle as you, maybe even higher because Paul is the owner of Spencer Hotels and Resorts chain. But you don’t know anything about me.”
“You’re right. I didn’t because you never let me or anybody else in,” Ashley agreed. She shook her head in disbelief. “You fooled everyone including your parents.”
Roxanne was ready to fight back. “Parents? You mean the ones who kicked me out because I wasn’t sure about my feelings towards guys?” she countered. “My parents were shocked when they found out their perfect little princess was struggling with her sexuality.” Ashley was at loss for words. Roxanne noticed the look. “You weren’t expecting that answer, were you, Ace? Well, neither did Loretta and Paul. Don’t worry. I’ve never had a crush on you. You’re a little too young for me. See, I’m not so perfect as I led you to believe.”
Ashley just stared at her with bewilderment. Roxanne was just spilling her secrets left and right now. She was still acting like she didn’t have a care in the world. Ashley managed to find her voice again. “So your plan for revenge is to not only steal from them, but from other people including my new neighbors?”
Roxanne tried not to laugh. “Do you really think I need to come to your little town to steal things when I have a whole city at my disposal? Don’t believe everything Loretta says about me. She just loves to blame me for everything now that I’m out of her house. So does Paul. They don’t care about me anymore. So I don’t really care about them.” Ashley couldn’t judge Roxanne’s dad because she had never met him. However, Mrs. Spencer had some harsh words for her daughter. “I don’t need them. I can take care of myself. So I think you need to point that finger somewhere else.”
Ashley didn’t believe that for a minute. She crossed her arms. “So it’s just a coincidence that the jewelry that was stolen from my friends and neighbors was either expensive or sentimental?” she asked. “I really don’t believe that. Tell me the truth: were you the one who stole from my neighbors and friends?” Roxanne just shrugged. “Oh my god! I can’t believe you! Why the hell would you do that? My life has been a living nightmare since that day!”
“So you now have a guilty conscious. Do you really think you will be able to waltz into the store and return the jewelry?” Roxanne asked as she picked one of the necklaces up and dangled it in the air. She let out a chuckle. “Have fun in jail because I’m sure Loretta will have you arrested. And I don’t think the judge will be so lenient this time.”
Ashley gave her a look. “Do you really think I would turn myself in without telling the police about our friends? After all, you were the one who planned the whole thing. I was just an accomplice.”
“You have no evidence to prove I was the ringleader,” Roxanne replied smugly as she put the necklace back on the table. “It would be your word against mine. After all, you’re the one hiding the jewelry.” Ashley didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. “Go to the police if you want, but you’re on your own.”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” Ashley replied defeated as she put the jewelry back into the backpack. She pushed past Roxanne and she went towards the door. She stopped for a moment. “Actually, I’m not going anywhere until I get every pie
ce of jewelry you stole from my neighbors back.”
“Your neighbors?” Roxanne asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t think you wanted to live in Emerald anymore.”
“Maybe you’re not the only one full of secrets,” Ashley hissed as there was a knock at the door. Roxanne walked over to the front door and pulled it open. To Ashley’s surprise, Lucas was at the door. He wasn’t alone. Ashley immediately noticed the second unexpected guest. She gasped in surprise as she noticed Penny’s black eye. “Oh my god! What happened?” she asked as the two walked into the foyer without even allowing Roxanne to protest.
For once, Penny looked embarrassed. “Simon wasn’t exactly happy when I broke up with him. I’m fine. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Having your boyfriend beat you up isn’t my definition of fine,” Lucas snapped. “I should have reported him to the police a long time ago.”
Roxanne interrupted the conversation. “Okay, I don’t know who the hell you guys are, but I’d appreciate it if you’d get out of my apartment.”
Lucas ignored her as he looked at Ashley. “We came to warn you about Simon. He went after your aunt and now he’s after you. It’s clear he blames you for ruining his relationship with Penny.”
“Not to mention you exposed his secret,” Penny added. “I didn’t want to believe it until I broke up with him. He went off the deep end.”
Knowing what her aunt had said about Simon earlier, Ashley could believe it. However, she was scared to think how far he would go to carry out his mission. Her fears were distracted by Lucas’s words. “I’m just glad we found you before he did,” Lucas said. “Now let’s get out of here before he finds out where you are. Hiding at Roxanne Spencer’s apartment probably isn’t the best idea.”
“You’re right. It’s not,” Ashley agreed before she turned to Roxanne. “After all, she’s his friend. The same friend who gave Simon Chloe’s great-grandmother’s earrings to Penny, right?” she asked. Lucas and Penny looked at Roxanne.
