-third person-
Lexi, lately, has been spending a tremendous amount of time at the county jail over the past few days.
After the whole incident with Cassie, Lexi wanted to do something for Ashtray, as a thank you.
"He'll be available for visitation on the 14th there's a spot open from 2:45 to 3:00. The next opening isn't until next month," the monotone receptionist said, not even looking up at Lexi.
"That sounds great," She responded awkwardly.
The lady looked up at her with a bored sigh. "How many visitors."
"Me and two others." She stated, almost sounding more like a question.
"Okay, I need there full names and relation please." The lady looked up to her computer, then back to Lexi, ready to type.
Lexi stood on her toes, looking over at the monitor. "Uhm Cassie Howard, my sister, and Ash- oh shit aren't they technically looking for Ash still?
She quickly composed herself. "And uhm Ashton.. Tracy! Ashton Tracy, my sisters...boyfriend." Lexi gulped, yikes
"And my mom Suze, who is the inmates aunt-" she added, getting more and more nervous about lying to a cop.
The lady gave her an odd look and proceeded to type away. She printed some papers and stapled them, handing them to Lexi. "Bring this with you on the 14th, it's your ticket in."
Lexi smiled, despite the boredom emanating off the receptionist, "Thank you!" She smiled happily, leaving the station and heading home.
~
"Ashtray, you cannot tell me that you're both a hardcore scary ass drug dealer AND terrified of scary movies." Cassie teased Ash, who had his head under a blanket.
"I fuckin' told you Ma, ion fuck with this scary shit." He said, peeking his head out at the screen. They were watching Insidious, much to Ashtrays disapproval.
Cassie chuckled to herself and shook her head, "Funniest shit ever."
Ashtray rolled his eyes and smirked, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at Cassie.
She gasped and looked back at him, her hair now a mess. "Oh so you wanna fight little boy?" She teased, grabbing a pillow.
Ash laughed at her, "Whatchu gonna do lil girl?"
Cassie smirked and threw the pillow right at him, Ashtray obviously catching it.
Fuck-
Ash gave her one of his evil smirks and Cassie darted away. Ashtray immediately chasing after her.
"Oh shit where you goin ma? I thought you wanted to fight!" He laughed while running after her throughout the second floor.
The pair were giggling and running around. Ash almost got her a few times but she was surprisingly agile, so was he.
Finally he managed to tackle her, right down the stairs.
The two tumbled down the stairs and crashed at the bottom. Ashtray groaned, picking his head up from the ground. "Damn."
He rubbed his head and looked at Cassie, they were all tangled up. He reached over to Cassie. "Ma, you good?" He pulled her up and rolled his eyes. She was laughing, hysterically.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She giggled, looking up at him as he lifted himself up. He gave out his hand for Cassie, who took it gratefully.
She stood up smiling, Ash looked back at her. He looked confused, Cassie stood there looking at him, "Are..you oka-"
Cassie was interrupted by Lexi coming through the door.
"Hey guys! Oh-" She stopped
Ashtray and Cassie took a step back from each other. Cassie looked away and Ash nodded, "Sup Lex." He said.
Lexi let a smile curl up on her face. "I got us a spot to see Fez in two weeks." She said happily.
Cassies face lit up, but Ash froze in place, it was almost like the world around him was in slow motion.
Ash snapped back to reality and looked at Lexi, giving her a light, but grateful look. "Thanks Lexi." He said.
She smiled at him, nodding before heading up to her room. Ash could feel Cassie's eyes on him, so he turned around, looking down at her as she gave him a knowing look.
He frowned and looked at his feet. "I'm why he's in there. What if he doesn't want to see me?"
Cassie chuckled lightly, tilting her head. "Ash, don't be silly-"
Ash turned to her quickly, frustration in his voice. "I'm serious Cassie."
She kept her eyes on him, her expression growing more serious. She gulped and stepped forward, putting her hands gently on his arms.
"Ash. He took that blame so you could have a chance for a better life. Of course he wants to see you, he loves you." She spoke genuinely, in a way that Ashtray never really let anyone talk to him before.
Ashtray started to make that face again, the same confused one from earlier. Cassie of course noticed but didn't pry.
The boy reaches forward and wraps his arms around her. Cassie leans into the hug, holding on to him. Neither of them were crying, or necessarily sad, but they both wanted this.
"Kids, dinner will be- oh!" Suze, Cassie and Ash all jumped, the two pulling apart. She gave the kids a suspicious look and walked off to the kitchen. "Dinner will be done at 7:00." She says.
~
Today's the day Ashtray got to see Fez. Suze packed up Lexi, Ashtray and Cassie in the van and made an event out of it.
Suze had surprisingly taken a liking to Ashtray, she saw potential in him, something greater than petty drug dealing, no disrespect. Although, she knew with the right care he could get a lot further in life.
She also noticed how he took a sort of protective role over the girls, Cassie especially.
"This is exciting." Suze commented with a smile. Lexi sat in the passenger seat, with Cassie and Ashtray in the back.
Ashtray cleared his throat, nodding. "Yeah, yea it is." He was nervous, could you blame him?
Sweat dripped from the boys head, he could feel his hand shaking, it stopped suddenly, he realised Cassie took it and relaxed.
He squeezed it gently, letting her rub her thumb over his knuckles.
Lexi looked back at them subtly. She gave them an odd look, then looked back out the window in confusion.
~
The building was freezing, unfucking livable, Ashtray was pissed.
"Fez really gotta spend how many years in this shithole?" Ash whispered to Cassie as they walked through the halls, making there way to the visitation area.
"Ash, we just have to talk to him, we don't have any information yet-" She reasoned, he grumbled.
A cop led them to a room full of different inmates on the other side of a glass window, like fifty of them.
"Tickets?" The cop held his hand out, impatiently. Lexi reached into her purse and gave it to him.
"Alright, go find your guy, you have 15 minutes." He opened the door and let them in.
Ashtray sped in front of everyone else. He was barely in sight by the time he found his brother.
Cassie tried to catch up but halted when she saw Ash. He'd frozen up, he looked guilty and terrified. As the others approached, Cassie spun around and signaled them to stop, they did.
She turned around and looked at him. "You're okay." She whispered too faint for him to hear.
The ginger, sat there reading a news article on Lexi's play.
"Fez?"
He was faced the other way on his chair, he stopped reading and lifted his head.
He turned around looking at the boy with wide eyes, not overly surprised though, but glad it was so soon.
Fez's face lit up gradually. "Ash!" He put his hands and his for head against the thick glass, Ash doing the same.
"Shit- I missed you bro." Fez exclaimed.
"Me too." Ash returned.
Meanwhile, Cassie walked over to Lexi and Suze. "Alright mom, let's leave them to talk to him, it wouldn't be fair to take up extra time."
Cassie had a point, so her and Suze decided to pull the car around when they're ready to go.
Cassie waved to Lexi. This was the first real interaction they've had since the play. Lexi waved back, a smile growing on her face.
Lexi made her way back into the building, showing the cop her ticket again. She found Ashtray and Fez, she didn't want to interrupt so she kept her distance at first.
"Fez, I promise you imma getchu' outta here man-" Fez interrupts Ash.
"Ash listen to me, you gon' find a way to go to fuckin' school, your gonna get an education and a career. So when I get out, you can pick me up an repay me by takin' me outta the game bro." Fez fought tears as he kept his hands against the glass, just like Ash.
Ash looked down and shook his head. "How long?"
Fez cleared his throat. "10 years bruh."
Ash was about to freak out but stopped when he felt Lexi's hand on his shoulder. "That's actually really good Ash, that Custer guy would've already been on death row so it lowered the charges. It would've been more like 30 years if it weren't for that."
Fez's face lit up at the sight of her, "Lexi Howard." Her smile grew as she approached the glass. Ashtray scooted a bit for her.
"How'd the play go?" He asked, of course that would be his first question. "It was a disaster." She laughed, tears falling down her cheeks. "but everyone loved it." She chuckled.
Ashtray took a step back, giving Lexi some room to talk to him. "Girl I knew they would." He complimented.
After a few moments Suze came back, she told them to say their goodbyes until next time, which Ashtray did reluctantly.
Lexi and Ash made there way back to the car. Suze stayed back to talk to Fez, Ash didn't know what for, but he didn't mind or question it.
As soon as they got back to the car, Lexi hopped in the front. Ash got in the back and laid his head down on Cassie's lap.
She chuckled, putting her hand on his buzz cut head. "You scared me."
Ash just messed with a strand of her hair, Cassie looking back down at him.
"How did it go?" She asked.
"Good." He said, he looked up at her slowly. "I wished you were there with me." he pleaded.
She smiled down at him, "Maybe next time, I didn't want to take any time away from you and Lexi since I haven't really met him." She reasoned, to which he nodded.
Soon enough, Suze hopped in and started the car.
The car ride home was relaxing, Lexi had some old french music playing that surprisingly didn't get on anyones nerves, not even Ashtrays.
Cassie traced Ash's tattoos on his face as she looked out the window.
Ash thought about that day a lot, it was a very good day surrounded by a lot of other bad ones.
For now he just closed his eyes and let the comforting feeling of Cassie tracing his tattoos sooth him to sleep.