Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)

Archive: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Scent/Index.html

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"I can't fuckin stand you bitch, you're a pathetic little poor girl who no one loves" Ashlyn said in a bitter tone right to my face and had to be held back from attacking me. Thankfully the security guard who was standing between us was a rather large black man with muscles the size of grapefruits. I smiled with a proud, victorious smirk, knowing finally the little skank of the rich crowd had gotten hers and nothing she could say was gonna change the fact that I for once had gotten under her skin. Now maybe her and that skank Vanessa would leave me alone and stop torturing me for sport. The red paint on Ashlyn's $500 cowboy boots and sweater would signal to her that I was tired of being treated like her stepping stone. Problem is, as is always the case in my life, something just had to happen to completely spoil my good mood.

"Ms. (Ashlyn) Kersh, Ms. (Miranda) Asher, if you only knew how sick I am of hearing about your petty fights and the disgusting things you have done to each other" Mr. Steele (the Prinicipal) said.

"Excuse me with all due respect sir, this is the first time I have had the courage to stand up to this spoiled little princess" I said and rushed on before he could say anything to stop me. "She destroyed my clothes, my books, my reading glasses and even pushed me down a flight of stairs and about broke my arm. So pardon me for finally standing up for myself and paying her back, I'm not gonna be her doormat anymore, and if you wanna suspend me, that's fine cause from now on when she starts someone's gonna have to pull me off her."

"I hurt your arm?" She asked as she looked at me and touched my hand gently. I jerked it away and saw, what looked like, an honest look of hurt in her eyes. I still wanted to punch her face in though.

"Yeh you did and when you're not a spoiled little princess you don't know how bad it hurts when you don't have the money to get it treated, try crying yourself to sleep with that pain, BITCH" I spat as I turned away and started crying. God I hated her, why was I the object of her wrath I wanted to know. Honestly, I had never did one thing to her in my life until this point to cause her grief. God knows I'd apologize if I had. I'm that way, I hurt when I hurt people. Unlike this heartless barbie doll beside me.

"Ashlyn, you have all of the gifts in this world, brains, beauty, and striking personality, but why you choose to use those gifts to pursue such a bias and harmful agenda is beyond me" Mr. Steele said. "I happen to know much of what Miranda has spoken has been the truth. She has never once come into this office in any kind of trouble, except when you're involved. Which leads me to believe her side of the story unless you can rebutt her argument."

"No" Ashlyn said softly as I looked at her and saw her looking down and suddenly the venom was gone and I swear she looked like a girl with a broken heart. "All of it, what she said. Yeh."

"Well, maybe we've had a break through here" Mr. Steele said. "I still think my plan of attack though is a good one, for the remainder of the school semester, about 8 weeks. You two will be joined at the hip."

"HUH?" We both asked in shock.

"You heard me" He said, "You two will be together every minute you're on this campus for the rest of the school year. I have already made the arrangements to your class schedule and made a note to pass along to your instructors."

"This isn't fair she hates me, this'll just give her and her friends more reason to make my life a living hell" I said in anger. "I'll quit school before you do this to me. I cry myself asleep enough over this shit. FUCK YOU."

"Miranda that mouth is not far from getting you suspended, but I get the feeling you'd prefer that" Mr. Steele said as he raised his hand to quiet me and went on, "There is one stipulation, and this is serious young ladies. Both of you must give the other a grade on how she treats you, once a week for the next 8 weeks you will report to this office and give me a letter grade on your associate's performance. If that letter grade is below passing, I will suspend that person for three days."

"What?" Ashlyn said as I suddenly smiled. This might not be so bad after all. I could seriously get some pay back now. "My mother is not gonna..."

"It was her brillant idea" Mr. Steele said as I listened in shock. "So you Ms. Kersh had better make some changes to your attitude towards your new friend here and Miranda, the same goes for you."

"Oh" I said and not realizing till that moment that I was in as much jeopardy as her. Ok, maybe this wasn't gonna be as much fun as I thought.

"And it begins this very second, you are to leave this office together and if anyone reports back to me that you two are seperated, suspension" He said as he motioned for us to rise. "Are we clear on the ground rules?"

"Yes, sir" We both said as we quietly took our new schedules and left the office and walked into a new world, one where it was required that we become friends. Well maybe not friends, but at least manage to maintain a peace. We silently walked down the deserted hallway until we reached the courtyard and she took a seat on the bench by the door, I joined her without a word. I groaned as I looked at my schedule and realized that we now had almost 45 minutes before our next class and that meant I had to spend that time with the rich spoiled princess to my right. She was the one who broke the silence after a few minutes as she started to cry into her hands. Not soft tears but sobbing and sniffing as she fought back the tears. I didn't know what to do, in those moments hate and hurt seem to disappear when you see someone in pain.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked softly as she looked up and I saw a total mixture of emotions in her eyes along with the streaming tears. Hurt, regret, pain and longing for something. "You might as well tell me, we're stuck with each other now, thanks to you."

"You destroyed my new sweater and my favorite cowboy boots with that paint" She said, "This cost..forget it, I no doubt deserved it."

"Yeh you did" I said as I shifted as the muscles in my shoulder began to cramp. Something that had been happening a lot since Ashlyn had pushed me down the steps and I landed funny on it. I reached back and tried to massage the muscles but that only served to make it worse. "Damn that hurts."

"Cramp?" She asked.

"Yeh my shoulder..." I said as I felt her hands on my shoulder softly and at first I tensed up but relaxed as I felt her fingers working against the spasming muscle and relaxing it. "Oh, wow, so perfect."

"Right here?" She asked as her palm pressed into the muscles and worked it harder to get it to give way and relax completely. I rolled my neck and closed my eyes for a moment as I sighed contently. Trying to erase from my mind the fact that Ashley Kersh was massaging me. Girl has magic hands let me tell you. "Better?"

"Yeh ten times" I said as she moved her hands to my shoulders and started working those muscles and my mind reeled at exactly what she was doing. I shifted uncomfortably for a few moments and had no idea how tense I had been up to this moment as I relaxed under her massaging fingers. She pressed her thumbs in to the base of my neck and expertly brought the muscles under her control as she continued to work my shoulders at the same time. The muscles in my neck and shoulders relaxed after a few more moments of her gentle but firm persuasion. "I dunno why you did that but I actually owe you a favor now."

"Nah, you just made me realize how stupid I've been" She said as I turned around and looked at her as her hands left my shoulders. "I never intended to hurt you. And if I knew you didn't have...I'm sorry."

"Huh?" I asked in shock as she cried again.

"Your books and your clothes, I had no idea you couldn't replace them..." She said in a sob, "...I didn't do that stuff to hurt you, I did it cause I wanted to be cool and hang with those stuck up snobs."

"Sure you did" I said before I could stop myself.

"You don't have to believe me" She said, "Did you ever get your reading glasses back?"

"No, I fixed the old ones" I said, "I got lucky."

"We'll go after school and I'll buy you a new pair" She said, "Let me do this please?"

"I don't want your damn money" I said.

"Those glasses are gonna hurt your eyes, please just let me do this one thing?" She asked as her tears slowed. "Buy you a really nice pair, make up for..."

"I said..."

"Well I don't friggin care" She snapped, "I'm stuck with you and you're stuck with me for the next 8 weeks and I'm not gonna see you hurt your eyes trying to read with those, when it was my fault, please?"

"I don't have to hang out with you after school that wasn't part of the deal" I said.

"True" She said, "But you could make some friends with me as your sidekick. Maybe even meet a rich guy who'd buy you shit."

"Well..." I said as I turned.

"Mmmm-hmmmm" She said. "After school, what do you say we go rollin on main in my Mustang?"

"So you go from hating me to being my friend just like that?" I asked.

"I never said anything about me hating you" She said, "You thought that, I don't."

"Yeh right, and this whole thing could be just another cruel trick so you can humilate me in public" I said.

"And then you can have me suspended" She said softly. "The powers in your hands."

Later...

Ashlyn had made some lame excuse about getting something out of her locker, just as the bell rung and rushed off to get it. Which it didn't really matter, cause now that school was over I didn't have any further obligation to her. But as she had been nice to me all day I agreed to meet her in the school parking lot. So I walked slowly across it and leaned against the front of her Mustang and watched the bus pull out and still hadn't seen Ashlyn. I had the worst feeling that something wasn't right and the first thing that came to my mind was the fact that I was being set-up. I saw her cackling airhead friends floating my way and I tensed up and just knew they were gonna harrass me and no doubt she'd emerge and join in on the fun. I was right, almost, Ashlyn's 'best friend' made some smart remark about my clothes and I just looked away and just wanted to walk off and walk the four or so miles to the house and just cry myself to sleep. My usual afternoon routine.

"MIRANDA" I heard Ashlyn scream and I just knew I was in for it now as her gang of pathetics cackled about another heartless joke. She arrived in front of me and made me look at her and saw I was crying. "What did they say to you?"

"Same stuff you usually say" I spat back at her with a hurt look in my eyes.

"Not anymore" She said and I was shocked to a stand still when she hugged me.

"Tell her Ash, tell her what she looks like" Vanessa said.

"Just go on with them I'll walk home" I offered. "I won't say anything I promise."

"What are you doing Ashlyn trying to make the poor girl feel special?" Vanessa asked.

"Vanessa shut up let's go" Lila said as she tried to get Vanessa to back down and shut up. This Lila girl I had seen around school and to this point didn't know she was one of Vanessa's pathetics, go figure.

"Shut up if you know what's good for you" Vanessa said as Lila looked down and backed off.

"Look just shut up and leave her alone" Ashlyn said as she turned and faced Vanessa. "You made her cry enough is enough."

"I don't think I asked you" Vanessa said as she waved her hand in the air. "Now walk away."

"Nooo" Ashlyn growled. "I am sick of being one of your pathetics."

"But we're best friends" Vanessa said in a shocked tone. "Now stop being an ass and tell the pathetic poor girl what she looks like, now Ashlyn."

"FUCK YOU" Ashlyn exploded as she moved past me and marched towards Vanessa. "You are one cruel heartless bitch and we are so done being friends. That girl had been nicer to me in the past few hours than you ever have."

"She's poor and seriously ugly" Vanessa said as Ashlyn glared at her.

"Since when are you so perfect with your nose job and crooked teeth you fat pig" Ashlyn said as Vanessa's face showed the shock and hurt of those comments. "That feel good Vanessa? Huh nose job queen?"

"Shit" I said as Ashlyn marched closer to Vanessa. Suddenly a horrible thought occured to me, if Ashlyn did what I thought she might do she'd be suspended and I wasn't sure at that point what would happen to me. I made a dash, under those thoughts, and got in between her and Vanessa. Ashley looked at me as if I'd lost my mind, I had in a way. But I was doing what I thought was best. "Chill, Ashlyn you're gonna get suspended."

"Since when are the defender of the poor pathetic Miranda?" Vanessa asked with a snort as her pack of pathetics laughed on cue. "Did you buy those clothes at the goodwill or from a homeless person?"

"I'LL FUCKIN..." Ashlyn started to scream before I stopped her.

"I got this" I said as I turned and without comment drilled Vanessa as hard as I could in the face with a closed fist. Sending her reeling back into her pack of pathetics as she held her now bloody nose and screamed for them to jump me. "COME ON, ANYONE OF YOU STUCK UP BARBIE WHORES WANNA FUCK WITH ME OR ASHLYN AND YOU'LL GET HURT....BAD."

"Come on, let's go" Ashlyn said as she pulled me back with a firm grip as she hugged me from behind, "You put that stupid whore in her place."

"God I'm so sick of her mouth" I said as Ashlyn pushed me into the car as the pack of pethetics dragged poor Vanessa away as Ashlyn backed out and scattered them like roaches. "Am I losing my mind or did you just defend me?"

"Yeh I did and you threaten to whip them over me" She said as we pulled onto the street and drove off.

"Yeh I did didn't I?" I said with a smile. "Mom's always said, you better get the first lick in cause it usually wins the fight."

"You sure did, pow, right in that fake nose" Ashlyn said as I laughed. "God I loved that. I'll buy you a new wardrobe for that if you want?"

"I didn't do that for you..." I said as I took a deep breath, "...I mean she had it coming and you don't gotta buy me stuff for being your friend."

"But you seem totally different that I thought you'd be" She said, "I mean the way you fucked her up, I never expected that from you."

"I got sick of being the butt of your friends jokes" I said.

"Ok first after that, you're my only friend" She said, "And usually I only repeated what Vanessa told me to say. Pathetic is a great word for that."

"Yeh, I heard you say plenty of stuff"

"Ok, I'm sorry" She said as we stopped at the red light and she looked at me. "Can we just put that behind us and..."

"Just take me home" I said as I looked away and saw Ashlyn turn down Main and pull up in front of the 'Lens Crafters' and turn the car off. "I asked you once to take me home."

"I will as soon as we're done" She said as I looked at her. "You wanna fight? Fine let's do it and get it out of the way, you can hit me as many times as you like. I won't hit you back. Or we can do it the easy way..."

"I just wanna go home" I said as tears came to my eyes and I heard her get out of the car and a moment later open my door and take my hand and I don't know why but I let her pull me out of the car.

"How about you just give me an inch to prove to you I wanna make up for some stuff before you push me away?" She asked as I looked at her, "Let's go and get your eyes checked and then get a nice pair of glasses. You can pick them out. Or maybe contacts?"

"Never had contacts" I said softly.

"Glasses would be better for you to start" She said, "You ready?"

An hour later...

"Ms. Asher" Dr. Fagan said as Ashlyn and I looked up. "Will you please take these drops for me?"

"Sure" I said as Ashlyn took them from his hand and said, "Let me, it's easier."

"In my eyes not up my nose barbie" I said as she laughed and had to stop.

"Barbie?" She asked as I blushed and we both laughed. "Just hush and let me do this."

"Good?" Dr. Fagan asked as I blinked and remarkably my vision went from kinda of cloudy and fuzzy to crystal clear. First time in literally months that I had seen this clearly. "Red this please? The small print."

"Copyright 1976" I said as I read the tiny print at the bottom of a pill bottle. "What does this mean?"

"It means who ever diagnosed you was sadly mistaken" Dr. Fagan said. "You don't even need glasses. These drops cleared your vision right?"

"Yeh they did" I said.

"Take this" He said as he handed me a box of the eye drops. "You've got enough their to last you for a while. Just come back in and see me if you need assistance."

"Thank you doctor" I said as I made my way out of 'Lens Crafters' in a daze.

"You ok?" Ashlyn said as she took the box out of my trembling hands and sat it on the car as I hugged her. She hugged me back and I didn't wanna let her go, no one had ever tried this hard to be my friend I thought. I wrapped my arms around her neck as she did the same. "Thank god I made you come."

"Yeh thank you" I said as she smiled and she glanced down the street and waved to someone for a moment as I looked and saw a handsome looking policeman as he got into his patrol car. "Who's the cutie?"

"Kenny Morton" She said proudly. "He's nice. Helped me out a few times."

"You're nice too when you stop being..." I said as she seemed to be smiling at me. "What?"

"You know your eyes are the prettiest shade of blue" She said. "Without those stupid glasses you can see them now."

"Are you hitting on me?" I asked and figuring she'd automatically change the subject. Not this girl.

"Would you kill me if I did?" She said as she hugged me again and I tensed for a moment, but feeling her hand touch my cheek gently and her adorable smile I relaxed. "Nope no resistance."

"What are you doing?" I asked softly.

"You hugged me like you wanted to be close to me" She said as she now held me in her arms. "So that's what I'm doing."

"Ummmmm, ok" I said as she grinned and to my shock leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. God her lips felt so soft on mine. But before I could even respond and kiss her back or smack her brains out, she pulled back and walked off giggling. "What the hell was that?"

"A kiss, duh" She said as she smiled knowingly from the other side of the car. "One which you didn't resist, Miranda."

"Take me home" I said as she laughed out loud and I tried to fight a smile and still tried to figure out what the hell just happened. This was gonna be interesting, that was for sure.