(winnie's outfit for this chapter & next chapter)
Winnie was currently leaning against the kitchen island that Ashley is sitting on while Brooke is standing by them. The girls were hanging out at Ashley's house since they all had free time to hang out. "Did I tell you guys that Tad started following me on Instagram?" Ashley excitedly asks, showing her Instagram followers to Winnie and Brooke to show that Tad is now one of them.
Brooke smiles. "That's great." She cringes. "He also follows Oreos."
Ashley's smile fell and she lays her phone beside her. "I'm telling you, Ash. Tad's a heartbreaker." Brooke commented.
"She's right." Winnie agrees. "He has had many dates after his breakup."
"So, maybe instead of spending all night obsessing over him, why not come to a girl's night at my friend Madison's house?" Brooke suggests. She shares a smile with Winnie, looping her arm with the other blonde. "Winnie will be there too."
"She's right once again." Winnie chuckled. She isn't that close of friends with Madison, but Madison invited her over and so she couldn't really say no. If she did say no she knew that Madison and her friends would find some way to make her regret it. She thinks Madison only invited her because she's friends with Brooke and honestly she's just glad that Madison even cared enough to include her.
Ashley grimaces. "I don't know." She hops off the kitchen island. "I've never been to a girls night before. I don't know any of the rituals. I'm not part of the tribe."
Winnie raises her eyebrows. "It's a girls night. Not a cult."
"Yeah, we're not sacrificing anyone or anything like that." Brooke agrees. "We're just gonna hang out. Maybe do a hair mask."
Ashley smiles excitedly. "What's a hair mask?"
Brooke looks at her sympathetically. "The fact that you don't know is exactly why you need to come to girls night."
Winnie unloops her arm from Brooke's, shrugging before she crosses her arms. "I mean, I've done a hair mask before, and I still don't know what it is."
Ashley tilts her head to the side and nods. "Maybe I do need something else to think about."
Brooke grins. "Perfect. You're gonna like my squad."
An excited expression forms on Ashley's face. "I get to be in a squad?" After Brooke nods, Ashley excitedly exclaims, "I am so into girls night! I can't believe I resisted for a second."
Her uncle, Victor, walks into the kitchen just after she said that. "Hey, tio," Ashley turns to face him with a smile. "Can I go to Madison's for a girls night?"
"Probably just gonna watch a movie." Brooke chimed in.
Victor smiles. "Chill movie with your girls?" He furrows his eyebrows, pointing at Ashley. "Wait. I'm a responsible guardian, so I gotta ask. There's no alcohol, right?"
"Only in the nail polish remover." Brooke replied and Winnie nodded in agreement.
Victor nods and shrugs. "As long as you don't drink that, my job as a parent figure here is done." He smiles and then reminds Ashley, "Keep your phone on so I can reach you."
"I promise." Ashley nodded.
"Okay." Victor claps his hands together. "Responsible," He points at the girls with a smile on his face. "Not controlling." He smirks, turning around to walk towards the door. "I'm killing it as a parent! Up top, Victor!" He raised his right hand up high and jumped to high five himself before he walked out the kitchen.
Winnie raises her eyebrows. "Did he seriously just high five himself?"
Nodding, Ashley presses her lips together. "He's lived alone for a long time."
The three girls grab their drinks they had gotten earlier that were on the table and they all walk into the living room. "Just thinking about girls night, I'm already forgetting all about Tad." Ashley admitted.
Speaking of Tad, he just walked inside from the back door that was open and it looked like he had got done working out. Ashley choked on her drink she had took a sip out of when she saw Tad. It didn't help her to not think about Tad when he only wore a tank top which showed his muscles. Tad exhaled after he took a long drink of water from his water bottle. He then used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, showing his abs in the process.
Ashley glances back at Winnie and Brooke nervously, whispering to them, "Well, that's not helping."
Tad lowers his shirt, glancing over in the girl's direction and smiles upon seeing them. "Hey."
Winnie smiles back at him and waves at him while Brooke replies with, "Hey." Winnie glanced at Ashley with an amused smile, noticing the Latina girl was dreamingly smiling at Tad, who continued to smile at her.
Brooke hits Ashley's arm to get her attention. Ashley jumps, startled when she does that and she awkwardly smiles. "Hi."
"Thanks for helping me move Ashley's bedroom furniture, guys." Victor speaks, walking towards the front door from Ashley's room with two of his football players following him who were carrying a workout bench. After opening the door, he points at the two boys. "Curl that bench on the way to the garage, you can skip weights at practice." The two boys immediately started to curl the bench as they walked out the house.
Tad frowns. "I didn't get to lift a bench."
Victor smiles at him. "You can bulk up by taking out my trash."
"Yes!" Tad cheers, patting Victor on the shoulder. "Thanks, Coach." He ran to the kitchen to take out the trash.
Winnie puts her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows at Victor. "You're just making the boys do your chores because you're too lazy, aren't you?"
Victor nervously smiles and laughs awkwardly. "What?" He scoffs, shaking his head. "No." He grows quiet, pointing at her and looks at her with a stern expression. "You don't tell anyone and I'll let you off the hook of doing weights at practice."
Winnie grins and immediately nods. "Deal."
"Are there any more football players in Ashley's bedroom, or can we finally go in there?" Brooke asked Victor.
Victor crosses his arms. "They're all done, and," He looks at his niece with a stern expression. "They'll never be in there again." Ashley looked at him with annoyance before she followed Winnie and Brooke to her bedroom.
****
It was now time for girls night. Winnie was standing outside of Madison's house with Brooke and Ashley. "Okay, Ash." Brooke stops Ashley from pressing the doorbell. "Quick review of my post, 'how to fit in with a new squad'. What are the ABCs?"
"A, ask questions. People love talking about themselves. Be, be relatable. C, connect by doing something together." Ashley responded with a smile.
Brooke raises her eyebrows. "And D?" Ashley looks at her worriedly as if she forgot that one. Brooke smiles, putting a hand on Ashley's arm to comfort her. "Don't worry. You're gonna crush it, girl."
Winnie chuckles and smiles at Ashley. "Yeah, you have nothing to worry about. You'll be fine."
Ashley sighs with relief. She smiles. "Oh, I just thought of an E." She equals excitedly. "Eeee! I'm so excited!" The three girls laughed with each other before they dinged the doorbell and was allowed inside by Madison.
****
Winnie sat on the couch towards the end with Brooke sitting beside her left side. She had just got done painting her nails a light purple color (purple was her favorite color) and was waiting for them to dry while most of the other girls were still painting their nails. But Ashley was the only one who had her nails being painted by Madison.
"This is so fun." Ashley smiles at Madison. "Thanks for having me, Madison."
Shaking her head, Madison smiles back at her. "No problem. Brooke's told us so much about you We wanted to meet you."
Ashley leans over to her best friends to quietly ask them what she should do first and after Winnie and Brooke share a look with each other and they nod, Brooke whispers to Ashley, "Start with A, ask questions."
Ashley smirks, whispering, "I so got this." She glances at everyone with a smile. "So, what's everyone's fastest time doing the Rubik's cube?" No one replied to it and all she got were confused looks by Madison and her friends.
Winnie bites her lower lip nervously and Brooke looks at Ashley with a slightly panicked expression, whispering to her, "Not that question. Not that question."
"Uh, what's everyone's favorite noble gas?" Ashley tried again, but still got confused looks.
"Favorite what?" One of Madison's friends, Harper, asked.
Brooke awkwardly laughs. "Mine's helium."
Winnie awkwardly smiles. "Definitely helium." She glances at Ashley with an encouraging smile, whispering to her, "Try connect, Ash."
Brooke nods in agreement, whispering, "Talk about nails."
"Right." Ashley smiles, looking at everyone else. "It's so much fun connecting by doing something together." She raises her left hand up, wiggling her fingers as she grins. "Specifically, our nails." This time she got a better reaction from Madison and her friends since they all smiled at her. Ashley looks at both of her hands, specifically her nails with a smile on her face. "I've never gotten a manicure before."
Madison looks at her with shock along with her friends. "Wait, never?" She asks. "Why not?"
"Let me," Ashley smiles at her two best friends. "Be relatable," Winnie and Brooke smile back at her, but they had more nervous smiles on their faces than Ashley did since they had no idea what she would say next. "With a story. When I was eight, I learned there's formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate in nail polish which are human carcinogens, so that kind of killed my desire."
Winnie nodded, a sigh escaping her lips as she glanced at her nails like Madison and her friends were doing. She kind of figured Ashely would say something along the lines of that so she wasn't surprised. But now she kind of regretted painting her nails after hearing that information.
"So, you're saying we're going to get cancer from this?" Harper questioned, looking at her worriedly.
Ashley shakes her head and assures everyone. "Don't worry about nail polish." She smiles. "Worry about your phone." The brunette-haired girl, who had been holding her phone during this time, set her phone on the coffee table with a worried look on her face.
Brooke nervously laughs. "So many relatable things." She glances at Winnie, seeing she was still looking at her nails. She elbows Winnie to get her attention. "Isn't that right, Winnie?"
"What?" Winnie looks up, glancing around at the girls before she nods. "Right. Yeah. Many relatable things."
****
It was now movie time and so the three best friends were now in the kitchen since they had offered to get some snacks and Winnie and Brooke took this as a chance to give some advice with Ashley connecting with Madison and her friends. "Okay, I made a few mistakes in there." Ashley confesses. "But I really want to get in with these girls. What should I be talking about?"
"You know. Be relatable. Keep it light." Brooke answered, picking up the bowl of popcorn from the table.
"If you don't talk about death then I think you're good." Winnie suggested, smiling slightly at Ashely. Ashley smiled and nodded in response.
The three girls walk back into the living room where Madison and her friends are trying to pick between a movie. "Alright, it's down to 'The Notebook' or 'Never Been Kissed'." Madison said.
"Ooh," Sadie sits down on the couch, smiling excitedly. "'Never Been Kissed'."
"Ooh, I can relate to that." Ashley smiles excitedly. "I've never been kissed."
Harper glances at her with raised eyebrows. "That's the name of a movie."
"Hold on." Madison stares at Ashley with surprise. "You've never been kissed?"
"Winnie hasn't been kissed either!" Ashley blurted, covering her mouth with her hand just after she said it, looking at Winnie with apologetic eyes when Winnie looked at her with offense.
"My vote's for 'The Notebook'." Brooke tried to change the subject, smiling awkwardly as she set down the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.
"Really, Winnie?" Madison glances at Winnie with surprise. "I figured you would have been kissed at least once."
Winnie laughs nervously, feeling her face heat up out of embarrassment. "Nope."
Madison looks at her and Ashley. "Girls, aren't you curious? I mean, do you want your first kiss?"
"Of course." Ashley replied, looking nervous as she sat down on a chair she stood by.
Winnie brings her nervous gaze to the floor, her heartbeat racing with each second. "Maybe." She mumbled, hating how nervous she felt right now. She did want her first kiss. But she wanted it with the right person at the right time.
"Then we'll help you." Madison smiles. She looks at her friends with a smile. "I know what we'll do. We'll play spin the bottle."
Sadie grins, standing up. "Yes. It'll be so fun and retro. Like Facebook."
Madison grins at Ashley and Winnie. "And we'll be creating a moment you'll never forget."
"We're basically dream makers." Harper spoke in a monotone voice.
Ashley and Winnie exchange a nervous look. "I'm gonna borrow the girls for a sec." Brooke chimes in, grabbing Ashley's and Winnie's arms and dragging them towards the kitchen while Madison and her friends started making plans. She lets go of their arms, facing them with concerned eyes. "I know the girls are excited, but are you two cool with spin the bottle?"
"Absolutely." Ashley smiles. "I'll get my first kiss, and I'll be connecting with the squad. Win-win."
Brooke glances at Winnie, who had been quiet this whole time. "Nini?"
"I don't know." Winnie admits. "I want to get my first kiss, but not with spin the bottle." She smiles shyly. "I want it to be special." Her friends smile at her. She sighs heavily, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "And you know who would never show up to spin the bottle so what's the point of me getting my first kiss if it's not him."
"I know that you have feelings for Stick," Brooke speaks quietly so Madison and her friends can't hear. "But maybe if you do this," She smiles at Winnie. "It will help you gain courage to kiss him since you'll have experience."
Winnie tilts her head to the side as she thinks for a moment. Brooke did have a point. She didn't have any experience with kissing. And she guessed her first kiss doesn't have to be with Stick, she just would've preferred that. But it would be nice to get her first kiss out of the way so she can say she has done it. Winnie nods, nervously smiling at her best friends. "Yeah, okay."
Her best friends smile at her encouragingly and nod. They walk back over to the other girls as Ashley said, "There aren't any guys here. Not to be heteronormative, but how are we gonna play spin the bottle?"
Madison smiles. "We'll text all the boys in our school." She sets the remote she held on the couch and picks up her phone off the coffee table. "I'll take the A's through J's."
Sadie picks up her phone. "And I'll take the K through Z's."
Harper reaches forward to grab her phone off the coffee table. "I'll take all the Dylan's."
****
"Woah. There are a lot of guys here." Ashely noticed.
Madison's house was now filled with students from school, girls and boys. All were talking, some were dancing to the music playing, and some were getting snacks. Winnie had to admit she did see some cute boys there, but just as Winnie thought, the one boy she wanted to be there wasn't there. She knew Stick wouldn't show up, he hated parties.
Brooke smiles at Ashley. "See? Tad Cameron isn't the only fish in Pasadena. It's a whole seafood buffet up in here."
"Wow," Ashley glances around the party with a grin. "My first high school party." She gets her phone out of her pocket. "I should text my uncle."
"Hang on. You told your uncle you were going to a girls night. If he finds out that you're at a party, he could show up and pull you out." Brooke told her which made the Latina girl stop texting her uncle.
Winnie nods in agreement. "Yeah, that would be really embarrassing if he did that."
Ashley frowns. "I don't want to lie to my uncle. But even if I don't tell him, he could call me..." Her shoulders drop in defeat. "And I'd have to lie." She smiles when she thinks of an idea. "Unless..." She faces Winnie and Brooke. "One of you take my phone." Brooke is the one to take her phone. "That way, I can't send or receive texts from tio Victor." She smiles. "So, I won't be lying to him."
"Ashley," Brooke pretends to look disappointed. "That's shady." Ashley's smile falls off her face. Brooke smiles at her and points at her. "The student becomes the teacher." Ashley smiled again as Brooke put her phone on top of the fireplace mantle.