“What the hell is wrong with me?!” Ashley asked herself angrily as she walked down the dimly lit sidewalk. She kicked a plastic bottle out of her way…Spencer would have picked it up and thrown in the the nearby waste paper bin.  God, Ashley had a feeling that Spencer had just dropped from heaven or something because she had never met such an innately good person.  Ashley stopped in her tracks and sighed turning around to pick up the bottle and throw it away.  Spencer’s virtuousity was beginning to rub off on her…. “Spencer doesn’t deserve this.”  Ashley thought to herself returning to her dilemma:her mind was trying to keep her grounded but her body was not co-operating.  She didn’t understand why she was so conflicted, why was this happening now? 

The park was up ahead and there were many couples walking along the path, holding hands, kissing, laughing.  Ashley sat down on a bench and buried her head in her hands trying to get her breathing back to normal.   She looked across at their spot under a big oak tree, hers and Spencer’s.   They had their third date in the park, and their first kiss.  Ashley lost herself in the memory of it…..

Spencer was sitting with her legs extended in front of her and her arms behind her as she laughed at Ashley whose Sprite had just exploded on her.

“Oh you think this is funny?” Ashley asked pouting as she squirmed pulling at the wet shirt sticking to her skin.

Spencer nodded and continued giggling showing no sympathy for Ashley’s plight.

“Better you than me” Spencer said sticking out her tongue at Ashley.

Ashley stuck her tongue back out at Spencer and got up. In clear view of everyone, Ashley started taking her wet shirt off.  Spencer sat wide eyed but caught herself and pulled Ashley down onto the mat .

“What are you doing, Ashley??” Spencer asked her with raised eyebrows.

“Brushing my teeth, Spence…”Ashley said sarcastically.  “I’m taking this shirt off, it’s making me fell gross, and why do you care, you didn’t want to help me a minute ago” Ashley said pretending to be hurt. 

“Oh I’m sorry, Ash, it’s just that you looked so cute with that shocked expression on your face.  Forgive me?” Spencer said placing her hand on Ashley’s.