An enormous sigh left her lips as she watched Ashley, the girl’s eyes blinking open from sleep, Spencer’s heart slowing down to a manageable pace, having recognized the bag as Dodger’s. Glancing back at Ash, the girl had opened her eyes and was wincing in pain, her right hand rubbing frantically against her right leg, forcing the blood flow to step it up a notch, her brain entirely prepared for the inevitable pins and needles sensation that was soon to follow.

The decision struck her like a smack in the face, the slight smile that had formed in response to Ashley’s cute facial expressions, dissipating, and her hand was on the doorknob in seconds, her head down, hair covering both sides of her face, not wanting Ashley to see her. She knew full well it was inevitable, yet Spencer had to prolong the post-apocalyptic reunion as long as possible, the humiliation and guilt washing over her body in prickly waves. She stumbled into her room, her eyes darting madly about, searching for clues to her behavior last night, the ruffled bed sheets and pile of clothes near the bed offering no clues to the previous night’s events.

Spence dropped to a sitting position on her bed and closed her eyes. No matter what had happened, she needed a plan; a solid plan. No matter what words Ashley and Dodger threw at her, she would have ammunition. The truth could be avoided by sidestepping, as long as her response was solid, believable, and to the point.

A lie is no longer a lie once one believes it, and Spencer could transform lie into truth in a matter of seconds. She had perfected it. The only problem was…she didn’t want to lie this time; she couldn’t.

Her hands squeezed together, her fingers fidgeting in her lap as the smell of breakfast became thick, and Spencer could hear Ashley through the door, collecting herself. The door would no doubt swing open in seconds, Ashley unaware of Spencer’s whereabouts, concerned she had left the house, or perhaps even thrown herself in front of a moving vehicle.

She swallowed, the pain in her throat jolting her to attention, prepared to fight the lies that would spew from her lips, desperately needing Ashley to fight hard, like a warrior, to rip the lies from her chest, and thrust a mirror to her face, forcing her to see what pathetic shit she had become, then promising to never let her go.