Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)

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

_--_--_--__--_--_--__--_--_--__--_--_--_--_--_--__--_--_--__--_--_--__--_--_--_

I hated her one minute and the next minute she's changed my life in so many ways I can't even count and the worst (or best) thing about this is I am stuck being with her for the next 8 weeks, no matter what. Ugh. I lay in bed that night still buzzing from the events of the past day. The fight with that airhead Vanessa when Ashlyn defended me, made me smile. The visit to the 'Lens Crafters' that suddenly cleared up my apparent lack of a vision problem, who knew. And that kiss, oh wow that sweet kiss, it was nice alright, but I wasn't sure I wanted to think about it as much as my mind and heart wanted too, for fear of developing feelings for this girl I still barely knew (more on that later). Lastly, and most unbelievably, my mom, came home with some phenomal news, she scored an interview with a huge law firm they might just be willing to hire her as a secretary. WOW, I must have done something right in the last 24 hours cause suddenly I was finding the silver lining in every dark cloud that drifted by.

"You've still got school and I still got work, so no big plans I might not get that job Miranda" Mom said with a smile as she kissed my cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too" I said as she ran out the door headed for the bus stop and I grabbed my back pack a moment and looked at my less than stellar looking wardrobe in the mirror and headed out our front door. Locking it and circling the corner I was stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted Ashlyn laying on the front of her car, asleep it looked. I approached slowly, not wanting to wake her and not wanting to be scared if she jumped at me.

"Hey..." I said as I gently shook her and found she really was asleep. "...what's up?"  

"Need a ride to school?" She asked with a goofy smile as I grinned.

"Yeh if you're offering, beats riding the bus, I'm stuck with you anyway" I said and she smiled. "What are you doing asleep on the hood of your car?"

"Had a huge fight with my mom and I left in the middle of the night" She said, "I knew you'd be out around 6 or 6:30 so I came over here and waited."

"All night?" I asked as she shrugged. "You get any sleep?"

"Some, I'm ok" She said as she sat up.

"Next time just knock on the door" I said, "3C, I wouldn't turn you away."

"You promise?" She asked with a half-smile.

"Yeh, our place ain't much, but we do have some nice stuff and the couch is old but comfortable" I said, "Beats fighting with your mom and sleeping in your car I would think."

"You might just have a house guest tonight" She said with a brighter smile as she seemed to be looking at my clothes. "You look nice today, I love that sweater."

"You're not funny" I said with a dirty look, "Ok, so it's second hand, it's clean and it fits."

"I wasn't being a smart ass" She said as she touched the fabric and said, "I like that it brings out the color of your eyes, can I borrow it sometime?"

"Only if I can borrow this" I said putting my hand on her stomach and referring to a very expensive looking blouse she was wearing.

"Not this one..."

"I didn't think so" I said before she stopped me and said in a firm voice, "Will you stop giving me that look of me setting you up for a fall. This is not some stupid joke, that would be beyond cruel and I am so tired of hurting people the way my mother does. Please will you just stop treating me like crap for five minutes and give me an honest chance?"

"Well.."

"This blouse is not your color but I have another one just like it that would suit you perfectly" She said, "You can borrow that one."

"Why do you wanna be my friend so bad for?"

"Because I am stuck with you for the rest of the year and I want someone to actually be excited to see me or someone who would just treat me nice once in a while and not in a fake nice way" She said, "I thought yesterday was the day that changed my life for the better, that fight with skanky Vanessa the airhead, your eyes are better, that kiss."

"What was that kiss anyway?" I asked as she blushed and I found a smile forming on my face as she did the same.

"It was a moment I'll never forget, I just thought you were so cute without those glasses and I wanted to kiss you" She said, "So I did, and you didn't resist either Miranda Asher, and don't tell me you didn't like it a little bit."

"Ok, first, back tracking a bit..." I said as I stalled for time to let my brain download all of the info I had just recieved. "...I'll give you an honest chance, but I'm not gonna trust you yet."

"Fair enough" She said softly.

"And no I don't hate you for kissing me,"

"Would you smack my brains out if I did it again?" She asked.

"I don't know what I would do" I said, "Can we just stall this is and try to become friends first?"

"Nahhh, I don't like that plan, let's just make out for a while" She said as she slid off the car and grabbed me in a hug and kissed my cheek as I started to laugh and lost my balance and sent us both tumbling to the grass, laughing out loud. Feeling her grab me and thinking she was gonna kiss me I fought to get away as her fingers dug into my tickle spots and ohmigod it was torture, I was some how able to get away and get to my feet as she jumped up and chased me around the corner of the building and crashing into me as I stopped in front of old Mr. Parker, a nice older man who lives on the other side of our complex.

"Morning Mr. Parker"

"Well morning Miranda, on my way to check the mail" He said and smiling approvingly as Ashley wrapped her arms around me. "I see you have a new friend."

"GRRRRR she's not my friend, she's just bugging me" I said as Ashlyn laughed and kissed my cheek softly. I blushed and wanted to pull away but it felt nice.

"She's just shy" Ashlyn said and I swear I could have killed her in that moment. "I just came to give her a ride to school and let me ask you, is it not fair I should get a kiss good morning for my effort?"

"You realize you have to be alone with me later?" I asked as she smiled knowingly and nodded. Which only served to make my embarrassment that much worse.

"Well if she shares those feelings that you are obviously expressing for her I don't see what a simple kiss would hurt" Mr. Parker said.

"Mr. Parker we're not..." I said before I found myself being spun around to face Ashlyn as she cupped her hands around the back of my neck and kissed me softly on the lips. It wasn't like she was holding me in place or anything as I started to kiss her back this time, taking hold of the jacket she was wearing and holding her to me for a moment before I slipped my arms around her waist and kissed her back. Oh wow, her lips felt better than anything I had ever experienced in my life, then the unthinkable happened, she licked my upper lip and my tongue found hers and my hole body came online as our tongues began massaging each other as our lips moved in perfect time to the others. I felt one of her hands gently slip into my hair as my brain begged me to make these soothing sensations permanent as her tongue worked mine. She pulled away, not that she had to, and we both smiled. "...soooo good, so hot."

"I was thinking that too" She said as she started to kiss me again and I suddenly jerked away and looked to see Mr. Parker was gone.

"What? You said..." She said as she touched my hand to get my attention, "...soo hot, so good?"

"But Mr. Parker?" I said as I spotted him now turning the corner at the end of the building heading towards the mailboxes by the main road. "He's gonna think I'm a lesbian."

"So? You kissed me back like you liked it" Ashlyn said.

"I am not a damn lesbian and you've kissed me twice now I really wish..." I said as my temper flared and she kissed me again on the lips and held it a moment before she pulled away and went running off laughing. "I'm gonna fuckin kill you."

"YOU GOTTA CATCH ME FIRST" She screamed back as I groaned, with a smile no less, and chased her back to the car. Finding her not there when I did reach the car. I knew I was being set-up and out of the corner of my ear I saw her coming towards me as she grabbed me in a bear hug and I squealed in laughter. Spinning me around and leaning in she stopped just short of my lips as I flinched and was at that moment willing to let her kiss me. But she didn't she just grinned and licked at my upper lip playfully and pulled away.

"Now what?" I asked as she opened her door.

"You wanted me to stop so I did" She said pointedly. "Never again will those lips touch these."

"I didn't say ever" I protested.

"You said you're not a lesbian and you wished I would stop or something like that before I kissed you and ran off" She said. "Same difference."

"And was I resisting just then?" I asked and finally realized I was now almost pleading to be kissed again. Oh god she was getting inside my head and it wasn't even that scary anymore. She grinned, offering no audible reply and shrugged as she got in the car and closed her door and started the car and pulled out as I watched in shock. Thinking she was leaving me, I got ready to scream at her when she stopped and opened the passengers side door and looked out at me. "You coming or you afraid of me now?"

"OK listen to me..." I said as I grabbed my book bag and got in and closed the passenger door as I looked at her and finally went on, "...it's not that I don't want you to kiss me, this is new and my mother might freak if she hears from Mr. Parker about my new rich girlfriend."

"Hey I know how that is" She said softly as she pulled away from the curb and zoomed us off towards school. I wanted to ask some questions about that very cryptic comment she had just made, but my mind was in the process of forming a sentence when we passed the 'The Mission of Peace' second hand store and Ashlyn pointed to it and asked, "Is that where you go?"

"Yeh" I said softly and for once didn't go onto make some stupid comment about her making fun of me.

"Can we go there after school?" She asked. "I mean you go in there a lot and you can show me where the good stuff is."

"You know it's a second hand store?"

"So?" She asked. "Look, Miranda my family has money not me, it's not my fault. I don't care about looking like a million bucks every second of the day. So maybe I can find some stuff that's nice and don't cost 60 bucks for a shirt you wear once."

"Yeh, it's run by the Church on Harden Street and they do have some nice things but you gotta dig around and find them" I said, "I go down sometimes and just get lost and waste time till bed."

"Well I'll go with ya" She said softly as we rolled into the school parking lot and Ashlyn roared the engine to get everyone's attention. "We are sooo the center of attention now."

"Yeh I wonder why" I said as Ashlyn laughed and pulled into a spot near the main entrance, no doubt 'her spot' I figured. I spotted Vanessa and her pack of pathetics marching towards us as Ashlyn turned off the engine and pointed them out as she got a concerned look on her face. "They're gonna start trouble aren't they?"

"Chances are" She said as she reached under her seat and took out a mini baseball bat and said, "Stay behind me, they gonna have to go through me."

"Hey!" I said as a rush of concern for my 'new friend' suddenly overcame me. "I got your back on this."

"You?" She asked as I nodded and she smiled. "I was hoping you would. Stay here."

"Why?" I asked as she grabbed her book bag and got out and circled around the car before Vanessa could say anything and opened my door, standing between me and them I noted. Maybe she did wanna be my friend I remember thinking. I stood and for some reason held my book bag in one hand and put the other around Ashlyn, not wanting her to do anything that wasn't necessary. "I got your back."

"I know you do" She said softly as Vanessa stopped in front of us and looked to be taken by surprise at my arm protectively around Ashlyn and her holding a mini baseball bat in hand.

"Ok, so can you please stop playing this stupid charade and me and you can become best friends again?" Vanessa asked and I felt Ashlyn relax and feared the good moments from earlier would be washed away as she would be suckered back in by 'Barbie and the Pathetics'. Not realizing Ashlyn didn't really have a decision as to what to do. She had to be friends with me in a way. "You know we are you're friends."

"Ok you're my friends? Then which one of you is gonna let me crash at their place tonight when my drunk ass mother tries to kill me again?" She asked and I finally figured out what she was doing in her car all night. To my shock several of the 'Pathetics' began laughing.

"Me..." Lila started to say as Vanessa turned on her and barked, "Shut up, I mean now."

"Ok geez" Lila said as she backed down rather easily. I had seen that twice now and I wondered what exactly Vanessa knew about Lila that made the girl bow so easily to 'Barbie's' demands.

"My friends huh?" Ashlyn asked.

"Hey I'm not getting involved in your family's fights" Vanessa said.

"I will you barbie doll with a bad nose job" I spat, "She can stay with me as much as she wants, that's what friends do."

"You just want her around so she'll pay for your drug addicted mommies trip to rehab" Vanessa spat as I started to laugh.

"That makes no fuckin sense you airhead" I said as a few cackles could be heard in the 'pathetics' line-up. Lila covered her face I noticed. "If my mommmies needs rehab, which she doesn't, cause unlike you she has a real job not a nose job, Ashlyn won't pay for it, your parents will. Taxes."

"Welfare case" She spat back.

"Billboard for whores-R-us" I said as Ashlyn started to laugh and relaxed against me with a smirk and was apparently willing to let me and Vanessa trade insults.

"Food stamp case" Vanessa spat back as she clutched her fists at her sides and I could see she was on the verge of wanting to fight.

"Mommies AA sponsor" I said as Ashlyn laughed out loud.

"Dyke lesbian" She almost screamed and for a moment I started to move my hand away from Ashlyn and walk off and let her win again, but I saw the smile forming on her face and Ashlyn grabbed the hand holding her by the stomach and willed me to respond.

"God you are pathetic, jealousy is ugly on you and that's saying something cause you've obviously been beat about the head and the body by a ugly stick" I said as her lip dropped. "Unlike you barbie and your pathetic airheads behind you, Ashlyn has a real friend now, me, and if you wanna fuck with her from now you're gonna see me..."

"...and when you fuck with Miranda you gonna have to deal with me too..." Ashlyn said as she cut me off, something I gladly let her do as she held up her baseball bat and showed it to a new shaken Vanessa, "...and when you do, I'm gonna use this fuckin bat to do what every one of your boyfriends has done, I'M GONNA SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS WHORE."

"WOW" I said as she turned around and smiled as Vanessa backed away and almost ran off with her 'pathetics' in tow. "I think you scared the hell of out her."

"Don't think it's over, she's a conniving little cunt" Ashlyn said as I hugged her warmly. "What was that for?"

"Being my friend" I said as she smiled. "Feels good having a real friend huh?"

"Yeh it does" She said. "And even if it wasn't good, you're stuck with me Miranda Asher."

"Yeh well, suddenly that don't sound so bad" I said as I picked up my book bag and waited for her as she locked up the car and ran to meet me and cracked some mentally retarded joke that only me and her would understand. As luck (good or bad) would have it, just then Mr. Steele appeared at the doorway and spotted us bumping into each other and laughing.

"Ms Kersh, Ms. Asher, good morning ladies" He said as we stopped and tried to stop from giggling and keep a straight face.

"Morning Mr. Steele" Ashlyn said.

"Morning" I said in a peep and made Ashlyn start laughing at my dorkish reply.

"I hope sincerely this little display is not for my own benefit" He said in a warning voice, "And that you two are trying to become friends or at least what resembles friendship."

"Actually sir, we don't know what we are" I said as I looked to her and she seemed to get my drift and picked up where I left off, "We don't hate each other anymore, I think I just proved I wanna be her friend, right Miranda?"

"I'd say so" I remarked as she smiled.

"Well if I had known all it was gonna take was to set you two young ladies down in the same room for a couple of hours I'd have done that a long time ago" Mr. Steele commented.

"I don't think that would have worked" Ashlyn said, "See this way we are stuck with each other and I have a legitmate excuse to not hang out with my now ex-friends. Who weren't really my friends at all..."

"...and on the flip side, I'm stuck with her for better or worse and so far, sir, it's been better than worse" I said as Mr. Steele smiled approvingly.

"Ms. Asher are you missing your glasses?" He asked.

"No, sir" I said and being surprised he would notice something so small as a students eye ware. "Ashlyn about forced me to go to the Lens Crafters and I found out I didn't need glasses. They gave me some eye drops that cleared it up."

"Well I guess the benefits of this little arrangement have to this point far exceeded the draw backs, am I right?" He asked.

"Yes it has" Ashlyn said as she looked to me and I smiled as did she. "Have a good day, sir."

"Yeh have a good day, sir" I said as Ashlyn looked back after walking a few feet ahead and waiting on me. I caught up with her and linked my arm with hers. Neither of us knowing that most of the hallway had witnessed the display in the parking lot or that Vanessa's troublemaking mouth had already started spreading the rumors. The whistles and "ooohh's" and "ahhhh's" began filling the hallway as we both blushed. By lunch time we learned we were THE 'hot new couple' and suddenly I felt good about life for the first time, well, since I could remember. I found myself loving the attention of being Ashlyn's 'girl' as I was now referred to. Not caring who said what or did what, cause now I was becoming confident in the fact that someone had my back and I had someone's else's back. Friends or more? I'm not sure right now.