june 2013
houston, tx
Today is Monday; the first day of the last week of high school.
The bell rang almost fifteen minutes ago, and almost all students have left the building already; but Gracie Knight is searching for her best friend, Ashley Thomas, who she hasn't seen since lunch.
Gracie and Ashley have been best friends since Ashley first moved out to Houston, around ten years ago now.
It was a little daunting for a nine year old, to have your dad move your whole family across the world for work, to a completely new place, where you had absolutely no friends; that was until her first day of school, when Ashley was seated next to Gracie in their science class.
She was naturally gifted at the subject, which meant she could aid Gracie where she struggled, and the two of them soon became inseparable.
Despite actually being a little older than Gracie, due to the big move, Ashley's new school insisted that she moved down a year group, to allow her some time to adjust.
She hated it at first, but it paid off in the long run when she came out on top in the majority of her classes.
Gracie reaches the end of another corridor, poking her head around the door frame, finally spotting a familiar figure; a brunette, with her face firmly buried in her arms, where they rest on the table.
"There you are!" Gracie lets out a sigh, wandering towards the desk where she's sat, but Ashley doesn't lift her head.
"Ley, come on," Gracie pokes her shoulder. "School ended like, twenty minutes ago. Everyone's going home."
After a little more poking, gradually growing more harsh, Ashley finally lifts her head, wearing a deep frown.
"I don't wanna go home," she mumbles, causing Gracie's expression to soften, sympathetically.
"What happened?" She inquires, "another fight?"
"Yeah, they're just so—" Ashley starts, gritting her teeth. "It's just the same shit, all the time," she rolls her eyes, letting out a defeated sigh.
"Come on," Gracie nudges her, tugging on Ashley's arm and linking it around her own.
"Where're we going?" She asks, as she's pulled to her feet. "I said I don't want to go home," Ashley relays, stubbornly.
"I know," Gracie nods, continuing to lead her out of the classroom, "we're going to your second home," she offers a smile, beginning the walk to her own house.
The walk isn't too far, but it allows Ashley enough time to vent to Gracie about the latest argument in her household.
Upon reaching Gracie's house, the two of them enter casually; the sound of the door opening, followed by their footsteps, starts Daisy's barking, but it's soon followed by Jet rubbing her face against Ashley's leg.
"Oh, hi, sweet baby," she coos, bending down to scoop the small black cat up in her arms; Jet meows in response, as Ashley scratches behind her ears.
"You're just as bad as Awsten with that fucking cat," Gracie rolls her eyes.
"Gracie! Watch your language," her mother, Ginny, scolds from the kitchen, clearly having heard their entrance. "Is that Ashley I can hear?"
