The cold rain drops washed over her as she ran down the sidewalk back to the house. She was freezing but she didn’t care, she needed to get to Spencer now.  She bounded up the front steps and with shaking hands opened the front door.  She saw Spencer sitting on the staircase with her head in her hands; she hadn’t heard Ashley come in. 

“Spence” Ashley said to her, not sure if she should touch her.

Spencer’s head raised up suddenly and she got up and wrapped her arms around a rain-soaked Ashley, burying her head in the brunette’s neck.  Spencer had tears in her eyes and when she opened her mouth to talk, a sob escaped.  Spencer tried again. 

“Ashley, I’m so sorry…sniffle ….. don’t know what I did to make you leave…sniffle..  I’m sorry, I promise…sob… won’t do it again, just please..sniffle… please, don’t leave me.” Spencer said near-hyper-ventilating through the onslaught of tears.  Spencer was holding onto the front of Ashley’s shirt for dear-life.

Ashley felt her heart being squeezed .  Yes, she had succeeded in hurting Spencer Carlin….fuck she was such a screw-up.  She could fell her own tears welling up.

She couldn’t believe Spencer thought she had done something to make her leave.

“Spencer…” Ashley fought to get the words out of her mouth without crying. “Spencer…oh god, baby, no, no, how could you even think that you had done anything wrong?” Ashley held onto Spencer tighter.  “It’s me, Spence, I’m such a screw-up, and I can’t do anything right and now that I’ve made you cry…” Ashley stopped to swallow a sob “Spence, you don’t deserve this from me, you can do so much better.” Ashley said just telling Spencer what she knew was the truth.

“How can you say that, Ashley?” Spencer asked her.  “How can you say that when you’re the one that makes everything bad in my life disappear when I’m with you, you’re the one that makes me feel more alive than I ever have, and you’re the only one who respects me and cares for me…”Spencer paused. “How can you say you don’t deserve me, when you’re the person that makes my life worth living?”

Spencer looked deep into Ashley’s eyes.