"Hey, Ashley! What can I do you for?" she asked.
"Is Taylor here?"
"Umm...no. Sorry. He's over at Mary's," she told the younger girl. Ashley sagged, and looked around.
"Oh."
"I'm sure you can go over there if you like, and hang out," Mrs. Hanson said.
"Umm...no, not really," Ashley said. "Thanks anyway though." Secretly, she knew she would not be welcome if she did go. And she would be uncomfortable too; a bit like a third wheel on a bicycle.
She headed back down the sidewalk for home.
"Hey, Ashley," someone called out her name. Ashley jumped, and turned to see Jenni coming out of her front door.
Ashley gave her a perplexed look. "Hi, Jenni..."
"Where ya goin?" Jenni asked, walking out to greet the other.
"Umm, home," Ashley replied.
"What for?"
"I came over to hang out with Taylor, but he's sorta not there," Ashley conceded.
"Oh, hanging out with Mary again, huh?" Jenni asked.
"Yeah..."
"I hate her," Jenni said. "She's a total bitch."
"Really?" Ashley asked. "I've never met her."
"Lucky you. I go to school with her. She's a back-stabbing, cheating, lying whore," Jenni said with a snide smile. "I absolutely can not stand her."
"Is that so?" Ashley asked, smiling. For once in her life, Ashley felt herself actually wanting to hang around Jenni.
"Yup," Jenni replied.
"Say, do you want to come rollerblading with me?" Ashley asked.
Jenni raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"
"Umm...yeah," Ashley said slowly.
"Hold on!" Jenni exclaimed, running back in the house. A minute later she was back in her blades, ready to roll. "I can. Don't you need some skates or something?"
"Yeah, we need to run back by my place," Ashley said.
"Okay," Jenni replied. The two set off for Ashley's house, chattering away about the many crimes of Taylor's new lady love, Mary.
"Jealous, huh?" Martha asked, pulling rollers out of Ashley's hair.
"In a sense," Ashley replied. "But really, Jenni was right. Mary was a bitch; pardon my language. I found that out soon after our first meeting..."
