june 2015
houston tx
"Hey! I actually do get the first ride in your car," Gracie cheers, earning a laugh from her best friend.
"Careful," Awsten hums, slipping into the kitchen to join them, "I hear she's dangerous on the roads," he teases.
"Oh, shut up," Ashley rolls her eyes, shoving his shoulder as he shuffles past her. "You're just jealous because we're gonna be in the fun car."
"Whichever car I'm in is the fun car," Awsten retorts, leaning against the counter and pulling out his phone.
Today, Waterparks are playing a small set at Warped Tour.
They'd played on the tour once before, two years ago, when they'd won a local band competition; but coming back to perform now that they're a signed band, feels a lot different.
Gracie has come back for the weekend, so they her and Ashley can spend the day at Warped Tour, and support Waterparks like their biggest fans in the front row.
"You okay?" Ashley asks Awsten, quietly, noticing how long he's spend frowning deeply at his phone screen.
"Huh? Oh— yeah, I'm fine," he nods, offering her a small smile.
"Nervous?" She raises an eyebrow, and he's a little surprised at how well she can see through him.
"Jeez, I thought I was hiding it a little better than that," Awsten laughs, softly.
"Come on, you're not that good," Ashley counters, nudging his side. "You have nothing to worry about, though. Everyone loves your shows."
"I know, it's just—" He pauses, letting out a sigh. "It's Warped Tour, you know? And we're debuting a new song...It's just because I'm thinking about it too much."
"Then, don't think about it," Ashley shrugs, as if it's the easiest thing in the world, and Awsten finally meets her gaze, suddenly feeling like his eyes are stuck on her, and the way she smiles at him.
"Yeah..." He trails off, wondering why his heart rate is picking up. "I won't."
"Awsten," Gracie calls, catching his attention, and he snaps his head back in her direction. "Is Grace coming?" She asks, which seems to swiftly bring him back to reality.
Ashley swivels on her heels, heading towards the fridge, conveniently turning away in time to roll her eyes.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I think so," Awsten nods. "I don't think she's coming until later, though."
Making the most of facing the opposite way, Ashley makes another face, before straightening out her expression, as she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, and turns around again.
She knows she's just being petty, but she can't seem to help it; with her emotions still running high from her breakup, she isn't exactly looking forward to still spending time with Grace, knowing that she doesn't like her.
Being in her house was tense and awkward enough— even though their interaction only lasted a few seconds, she couldn't help but feel like she shouldn't have been there in the first place.
It doesn't help that Ashley knows she's grown closer with Gracie; it's not in the sort of way that will replace her, but it still stings in an odd way.
Objectively, it's understandable; Awsten and Grace have been together for four years now— it's clear that everyone sees their future as settled, but Ashley seems to be the only person that can't quite come to terms with it.
"Ready to go?" Gracie asks, cheerily, pulling Ashley out of her daze.
"Oh, yeah, let's go," she nods, grabbing her keys.
"See you there," Awsten says, and Ashley turns back to offer him a small wave, to which he smiles in return.
"Mm, it still has the new car smell," Gracie takes a deep breath in, once the two of them are in Ashley's car.
"Right?" Ashley hums in agreement. "I can't wait to get cute air fresheners for it, though."
"I'm gonna get you an ugly ass car sticker," Gracie tells her. "And you'll have to put it on because it's from me."
Ashley scoffs, shaking her head with a laugh, as she pulls out of the driveway.
The drive is a little over half an hour, and when they get there, the two girls begin planning their day.
Ashley takes the lead mostly, deciding which bands she wants to see on which stage, and working out the best time to do so.
They manage to breeze by a couple of sets before Awsten, Geoff and Otto arrive, after having one last rehearsal.
Around forty minutes before the band are due to go on, Grace finally arrives.
Ashley had begun to think she wasn't coming at all, since all of their friends had already gotten there, more than an hour prior.
She wonders if being this late is even worse than not turning up at all; it feels careless in Ashley's eyes, but that could be down to her personal bias.
She can't help but feel a little shoved out of the conversation, too— as if Grace's presence drives a wedge between her and everyone else.
However, she doesn't rise to it, because she knows better than that. And whenever Grace sneaks her a dirty look, she only replies with the most genuine smile she can possibly work up.
It gets exhausting after a while, so Ashley removes herself, wandering off to find a semi-secluded spot to hang around by herself for a while.
"Hey," Geoff calls, jogging to catch up with her.
"Hi," Ashley replies, offering him a short wave from her spot, leant against a wall.
"Don't take any notice of that," he says, once he's stopped in front of her.
"Of what?" she asks, cluelessly.
"Come on, Ashley," Geoff sighs. "You know I see it just as much as you do, right?" He adds, mirroring her stance against the wall. "She doesn't need to act like that around you."
"Oh," Ashley responds. "It's fine. I get it, I guess."
"Don't lie," Geoff laughs, softly. "You don't get it at all. And neither do I."
"Yeah, you're right," she nods, offering Geoff a smile as she looks at him. "Thanks, by the way," Ashley murmurs.
"For what?" He questions, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I never say anything about it because I'm convinced everyone would be on her side," she shrugs. "I don't know. I think it's just easier to let it be and ignore it."
"I get that," Geoff shoots her an understanding look. "But, I've got your back, either way," he nudges her side.
"Thanks, Geoff," Ashley smiles, graciously. "But, I thought the two of you were like, close?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Uh, we were," Geoff shrugs. "I think everyone was close with her at the start, you know? Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but— now it all kinda seems like she dug herself in with all of Awsten's friends to create an outwardly solid foundation," he explains, and Ashley laughs subtly, causing him to shoot her an odd look. "What?"
"Seems like you've thought about this a lot," she points out, teasingly, earning a small eye roll.
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