“You want the truth? You really do? Truth is, I couldn’t be with any other girls, because they all reminded me of you. That is the God damned truth. With Michael, there’s no confusion. He is everything your not down to the last damned detail.” The argument had no doubt escalated, and Spencer quickly regretted each word that came out of her mouth. No, this wasn’t how this conversation was supposed to go.

“Oh, is that it? Tell me Spencer, do you love him like you loved me? Are you actually attracted to him or are you just with him because it’s convenient?” She needed to know, she had to hear those words come out of her mouth.

“That’s…I… You….” Spencer tried multiple times to figure out how to respond. And each time it was an utter failure.

“Exactly.” Ashley shook her head at Spencer, looking more disappointed than she ever had before, “I care about you Spencer, I do… But sometimes….” She sighed, rubbing her temples as she leaned forward.

“You don’t understand. Things with Michael, they are always so easy. So simple. I just wanted it to be like that with us, but it never was.”  Her tone was soft as she looked to the ground, scuffing the pavement with the toe of her converse.

“You shouldn’t just be with someone because it’s easy Spencer. It’s not fair to them.” Ashley could feel the tide of the conversation turning, as she too had lowered her voice.

“But… I do care about him a lot. He has been like my best friend. If I left him, it’d break his heart.” The idea of that poor boy having his heart crushed by her was enough to make her feel positively cruel. “I couldn’t do that to him.”

“Isn’t stringing him along with this idea that you are into him even worse than breaking up with him?” She inquired, brows lifting as she looked up at Spencer.

“No… Yeah… I don’t know.” Spencer leaned back in the bench as she shut her eyes. She felt sick and miserable, and now she was faced with a decision that guaranteed leaving someone crushed. It was ironic how the tables had turned and Spencer found herself in Ashley’s shoes that day at prom. Now it was she who was having to choose between the boy she loved like a brother and the girl she loved like… Well a lover.

“Well you ought to figure it out pretty quick, because he is walking over here.” With that Ashley rose to her feet, casting one last look down at the blonde, “Don’t make the same mistakes as me Spence, I can promise you’ll spend a long time regretting them.”