-Junior Year-
"Hey Raleigh, waht's new?" Ashley asked his best friend.
"Nothing much, exceot i finally got that car I've been saving for," she told him.
"Really? that's cool."
"Yeah, wanna go for a ride after school?" she asked him.
"Sure, but I have to be at Jacob's at 7:00, ok?" he told her.
"You think I'm gonna drive you around THAT long?" she said laughing.
"Well, once you get a new car, who knows what you're capable of," he said.
"Funny, atleast I HAVE a car," she shot back.
"I have a car, it's my dad's truck, it's a nice one too!" he told her.
"But, it's not YOURS, it's your dad's," she pointed out.
He just rolled his eyes and kept walking. "So, meet me at my locker after school?" she asked him.
"I'll be there," he told her.
Raleigh walked to English class and Ashley walked to Phy. Ed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey Raleigh, over here," said her other friend Hanna.
"Hey Hann, so, how are things with you and Jacob?" she asked teasingly.
"Fine, thank you," she replied," so how come you aren't hooked up with Ashley yet?"
"Me and Ashley are JUST friends," she explained for waht seemed like the millionth time.
"C'mon Leigh, the whole school thinks you guys should go out," Hanna said.
"So? What's your point?"
"My point, is that you two should start dating!"
"Well, even if I liked Ashley, which I don't, who said he'd feel the same way?" she asked Hanna.
"You'll never know unless you ask," Hanna told her
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey, Ashley, come here," Ashley's friend Jacob yelled.
"Yo man, what's up?"
"The usual," he replied," but what's up with you and Raleigh Roberts?"
"What do you mean? Nothing is going on with us,"
Ashley said defensively.
"That's my point, you two need to hook up, man," Jacob said.
"Dude, she doesn't like me like that," Ashley told him.
"Ahh, so yo DO have feelings for her." Jacob stated.
"Well, who wouldn't? She's funny, nice, and great to be around," Ashley listed.
"Not to mention beautiful!" Jacob reminded him.
"But she doesn't like me, besides, it'd be weird," Ashley explained.
"You'll never know unless you ask, and how would it be weird? Everyone expects ie!" Jacob pppointed out.
"I dunno..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -After school-
"Hey hot stuff, ya ready to go?" Raleigh asked as she approached Ashley at her locker.
"If you promise not to kill me," he joked.
"I promise, just don't forget your seatbelt!" she said laughing.
She got her bag and they left.
"Wow, that's a coll car," Ashley exclaimed.
It was a silver 1999 Grand Prix.
"Told ya," Raleigh said.
They drove around for a little while then got some Ice Cream.
"Wow, it's already 5:30," Ashley said checking his watch.
"Want me to bring you to the school to get your truck?" she asked him.
"Yeah, i need to finish my homework before i go to Erik's so I better," Ashley told her
'Since when has she been so pretty?' Ashley thought.
' Hanna was right, when DID he get so cute?' Raleigh thought.
She dropped him off at the school and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -That summer-
"Hey ash, ya wanna go with me to the cabin this weekend?" Raleigh asked him.
"Sure, maybe I'll beat you at volleyball this year," he said.
"You wish!" she said laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, so when ya gonna come pick me up?" he asked.
"How about in an hour?" she suggested.
"Alright, see ya then," he said," bye."
"Raleigh hung up the phone, checked her hair, and started packing...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -At the Cabin-
"Ash, can I ask you something?" Raleigh asked.
" You didn't give me a choice," he said laughing," yeah Leigh, anything."
" Do you think it'd be weird if we WERE going out? I mean everyone thinks we should, would it be weird?" she asked.
"I dunno, we won't know until we try though," Ashley answered. He then leaned over and kissed her lightly. They sat on the dock just looking at the view until about 1:00 a.m, then they went back inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -Monday in school-
"YOU'RE WAHT?!?" Hanna said, VERY loudly.
"Shhh, me and Ash are going out now, ya happy?" Raleigh explained.
"Yes very," that was the end of that conversation.
- Ash & Jacob-
""WHAT? You're kidding!" Jacob said.
"No, I'm not, me and Leigh are goin out now,"he explained again.
"Wow, man, that's so coll," Jacob said," So, ya gonna stay together until graduation?"
"I hope so," Ashley said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -One Year Later-
"Hey Ashley," Raleigh said.
"Hey, how are you?" He said giving her a kiss.
"Awhole lot better now," she replied.
"So, we still on for tonight?" he asked her.
"Yep, I'll be at your house at 7:00," she said walking to her locker.
"Ok, I can't wait for graduation next week," Ashley told her.
"I know, it's gonna be exciting!" she said.
"Tomorrow Hanna and Jacob will have been going out for 2 years now!" Ashley told her," I hope we last that long."
"We will, trust me," she said kissing his cheek.
"What did I tell you? Now you guys are inseperable!" Hanna said approching them.
"We should have listened sooner," Ashley said, putting his arm around Raleigh.
"Now you guys are making me sick, but you're so cute together!" Hanna said smiling.
"I better get to class, Mrs. Munzin gets pissed if you're late," Raleigh said.
"Alright, bye," Hanna said.
"I'll see you later," Ashley said kissing her (author's note: YES...AGAIN!)
"You can count on it," Raleigh said walking away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -On the way to Ashley's-
Raleigh was about 3 blocks from Ashley's when it happened.
She was listening to her favorite song "Where You Are" by Jessica Simpon feat./Nick Lachey.
"You'll be smilin back at me," she sang along with it. All of a sudden she saw bright lights. She squinted to see what it was. But it was too late to turn. She collided with the pick- up. It was such a force that it sent her car into the ditch.
And hour later Jacob was driving by on his way to Ashley's. He saw two cars by the road, so he stopeed to look. One car was empty...the other had Raleigh in it.
"RALEIGH!!" Jacob yelled. He was trying to get around the pick-up to get to her car, he cut himself on something on his way there. The cut was pretty bad, but he didn't care, he had to get Raleigh out of there. He reached by the passenger side window to see if she was still alive, the drivers side was to smashed to see anything.
"Raleigh? Are you alright?" Jacob asked. No answer. He hoped she was just knocked out, he prayed she was just unconscious. Raleigh's head was stuck between the sterring wheel and the "top" of the car. Luckily she was small enough so her heard fit just in between there. Jacob couldn't get any part of her free without taking a chance of breaking her neck, if it wasn't already broken. He ran to his car and drove to Ashley's. when Ashley got the news he just about fainted. They called 911 and got an ambulance there right away. They tried to get her out of the car, and did not succeed. One of the Paramedics came over to Ashley and Jacob and told them that they were going to stop trying to get her out. Ashley didn't let him finish... "WHAT? but you can't just give up on her! C'mon hurry!" Ashley screamed at them.
"Sir, the reason we stopped trying is becaues it's too late, she's gone," He told Ashley.
"NOO!!! SHE CAN'T BE!!! SHE'S A FIGHTER! I KNOW SHE'S OK!!!!!" Ashley said between sobs.
"Ashley, she's gone," Jacob told him. Ashley was on the ground crying by now.
"She, she can't be, she can't be g--" he started, then burst out crying again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The funeral was the following wednesday. The whole
senior class was there. They read the poem "I'm Free". It made Ashley think. She was in a better place, and he would again reunite with her. The day of graduation the seniors handed her diploma to her parents and a paper explaining that the school would hve a memorial put up in her honor...
"Angel Dust"
Close by the door he paused to stand
As he slipped his class ring of her hand
All who watched care not to speak
As a teardrop slowly rolled down his cheek
All through his mind, memories ran
Of all the good times they once had had
He held his class ring & started to cry
He kissed her cheek and wanted to die
As the cold wind began to blow
They lowered her casket down below
This is what happens to those once alive
When friends let friends drink and drive....
