“Sorry…I know we haven’t talked since prom because of the whole Madison thing being really pissed at you…well more pissed at me, but she’s still a bitch to you too.  So, sorry.”  She says taking my free hand without the flower and intertwining our fingers together as we walk down our street. 

We walk in silence for a few more block because I don’t think either one of us really wanted to talk about what we needed to…we just felt so comfortable around each other even without talking.   

“Soooo…. May I ask why you’re wearing jeans in weather like this… I mean it’s a little chilly, and I’m always cold, so that’s why I have my jacket on…but you’re normally always so hot.”  I say finally breaking the comfortable silence we had going.

“Well.. First off I’m ALWAYS hot Ms. Carlin.  And second of all, you love my wore out jeans and Mads absolutely hates them, and I happen to love them too and I found them in my closet when we were on the phone, so now here I am… in these jeans walking with a beautiful girl.” Ashley says all smiles… God I hadn’t seen that nose-crinkling-one-of-a-kind-signature-Ashley smile in a loooooong time.

“Ha. Ha. Ha, Ms. Davies… aren’t you always the charmer.  And I’ve missed your smile, and talking to you Ash…I just really, really missed my best friend.” I say bringing up the inevitable.

“Yeah, I know….I’m really sorry about all this.  It’s just hard…. You know?  Like, Madison has been there for me and everything from the beginning, but now she’s starting to act the way she used to when I first met you.  It’s like she goes through these cycles and one of them is bitch at the world and make Ashley’s life hell time.  Remember a couple weeks before prom when I still hadn’t figured out a way to ask her there because, I mean I really hate those things and I had to come to your house in the middle of the night and talk to you about it…then I just broke down and started crying for almost no reason…it’s like that but twenty times worse.  She just doesn’t get me…” Ashley says as we sit on a bench in the park we somehow managed to get to….it’s about 4 miles away from our house, so I know we’ve been walking for awhile now.