“No worries, enjoy ‘em.”

“Thanks.”

Ashley smiled at Spencer, but her smile was met with a downward gaze.

“Hey, why don’t we go get some air before we head back upstairs?” Ashley once again wondered if Spencer had heard her.

Her musing was interrupted by a small voice, “Um, yeah, sure. That’s fine.”

They went onto the deck off of the cafeteria and Ashley sat upon one of the tables. Spencer followed shortly after. Both girls were far from dressed for sitting outside at 2 in the morning, but they sat, the silence occasionally punctuated with the crinkle of a food wrapper or the opening of a soda bottle. It was a surprisingly clear night. The stars shone brightly. They were beautiful. In Spencer’s opinion, they were too beautiful. They didn’t belong on a night like this. She barely realized she was speaking her thoughts as she mumbled, “This night was supposed to be perfect.”

Ashley looked over at the blonde, who was still examining the heavens.

“I know, Spence. It was. I’m so sorry things happened the way they did.” Spencer didn’t respond, but Ashley knew she had her attention. “Before the shooting, I’m so sorry about how things went down. It was just so confusing, and I…”

Spencer couldn’t even begin to deal with the subject that Ashley was broaching. She cut her off, “Ashley, I can’t talk about this right now. I just… I really…” The tears had begun to fall down the blonde’s cheeks. “I can’t.”

“Alright.”

The silence returned. The only sound was the periodical sniffle as Spencer wiped each new set of tears away. Around the fifth sniffle, Ashley placed her hand over Spencer’s on the cold metal table and intertwined their fingers. They didn’t speak. Their eyes remained focused on the beautiful sky, their only escape from the ugliness they found themselves trapped in on what was supposed to be a beautiful night filled with good friends and good memories.