Red Mango

eighteen

2:11 PM

Cody has never felt nervous.

Curiosity with a trace of adrenaline, yes. But inundated by nerves is a foreign feeling to her, until now. As she idles around the steps of Aspen's porch, she chews over a way that could reduce the magnitude of the fact that she betrayed three of the most important people in her life. It's not an easy feat. After fleetingly passing by Sam for counselling of some sort, Cody settled on Aspen as her first victim.

"Cody? What are you doing here?" she realises she should have known better than to flagrantly parade in front of someone's house and expecting to be disregarded. But Aspen emerges from her front door, a frown unambiguous on her kind attributes. Cody grimaces at the thought of provoking any configuration of discontent in Aspen, who can do no harm.

"I need to tell you something."

Truthfully, it could not have gone any better than Cody had imagined it to go. Aspen's apathy to the divulgence was a relief beyond comprehension. She confessed to having other things on her mind and described her crush as silly and irrelevant. But both parties were vaguely aware of a second, unspoken factor that contributed to Aspen's endorsement of information. But intrusion on privacy isn't something Cody could even consider at this time. Before the blonde begins to retire from the exchange, Aspen extends her arm to seize Cody's upper arm.

"You're not in this world to live up to her expectations and she isn't in this world to live up to yours." Cody stiffens, taking her friend's words to heart. She swallows away the lump in her throat that, without failure, always tends to lead to tears.

"Maya Angelou?" she says slowly, referring to the source of the quote. Aspen smirks slyly, shaking her head. "Bruce Lee."

2:56 PM

There is no such thing as saving the worst for last when it's a dead-tie between Gigi and Sienna. But prioritising is key and thirty minutes of reasoning resulted in the initial choice of the long-legged blonde over the fiery redhead. Cody treks up the stony passage that trails to the back of Gigi's house. As she grasps the handle of the back-door, Cody discerns movement in the kitchen. She narrows her eyes to perceive a clearer prospect and clasps her hand over her mouth after horrid realisation.

Either Gigi's mother has traded her husband for a younger, tanner version or Gigi has an extraordinary psychic abilities and a propensity for rebounds. Because what other motive would Ashley Pearson have in Gigi Foreman's kitchen. As life-guard colleagues, recognition is indisputable, especially when eye contact has been made. Both Cody and Ash freeze simultaneously, horror prominent on both expressions. But some irrational, bizarre line of reasoning leads Cody to wave with a tentative semblance. It doesn't help the circumstances that Ash is short of a shirt. Through one way or another, Ash reluctantly decides to stride towards Cody and unlock the door.

"Hi," Cody purses her lips together, uncertain of how to approach this conversation. And what better way to tackle an awkward situation than to confront it. "Ash, what did I just walk in on?" Ash reaches up to scratch the back of his neck, an indication of his lack of conviction. Based, entirely, on the look of things, Ash slept over and before today, Cody was heedless of this relationship. But just as Ash aims to correct the assumed allegations against his being in the Foreman kitchen, Gigi descends the stairs. Barely clothed.

"What about that cup of c-," she stops dead in her tracks, horror once again returning to everyone's faces.

"Maybe I should come back later," Cody uses her index finger to point at the kitchen door, urgent to flee from the circumstances. Gigi's mouth remains agape, readably struggling to process her surroundings. Trauma would be a rational repercussion for all three factions. "Wait, Cody. Just give me a second." Minutes later and both Gigi and Ash found their clothes, Cody had eased on her undiluted assumptions and an intolerable silence had returned in the living room