Two weeks later, Ashley was on the bus on the way to Porland to get her hair done, when she got a text message from an unknown number.
So I hear u got a boyfriend, it read.
Ashley frowned at the message, wondering who could have sent it, and what the hell they were talking about.
She didn’t wanna be rude, in case this was someone she knew, just a number she’d forgotten to get, so instead of sayin the first thing that popped into her head, she responded:
New phone. No numbers. Who’s This?
She stared out the window with her iPod playing while waiting for the response. She glanced at the phone to make sure she wasn’t going to be late for her appointment, and when she saw that everything was going according schedule, she took out her book and started reading, it was a really good story, and she’d been thinking about what might possibly happen to the characters all day.
Just when she got settled in good, her phone vibrated, she pulled it out to look, and was hit with the familiar mix of excitement and irritation. It made her head hurt a little and her stomach ache a lot. The text said one thing.
Wifey.
She immediately saved the number as Whitney, so that she’d know if Whitney ever called or texted, whether or not to answer. Where she had once been like an addiction, like air to Ashley, now she was like some rare food that you could only eat in very careful moderation. You could really do without it entirely but if you ate some everynow and then you’d be fine. But if you ate too much it’d fuck you all up. Yeap. That was Whitney.
No, no boyfriend. Where’d you hear that? She responded in what she hoped was a friendly matter. She didn’t want the girl to think she was being rude. Not tha she was afraid of Whitney, she just really didn’t need anymore trouble with the girl. Her and her family had been through enough already at the young girls expense.
Ashley shook her head and went back to her book, knowing now that she wouldn’t get comfortable until her conversation with her ex best friend was over. She looked at the words on the page but they were all gibberish, because her mind was really focused on how Whitney would’ve found out anything about her life at all. But really she already knew. Brandon had done it.
Brandon was probably still talking to Jasmine who was the other girl who had helped ruin her life. And as far as she knew, Jasmine and Whitney were still in contact. So there it was. Even though she really didn’t wanna think that Brandon would put her business in the street like that.
But as far as he knew, Ashley, Jasmine and Whitney were still friends, they just weren’t the best of friends anymore, so there wouldn’t be any reason for him to not tell her.
She shook her head in disappointment. Silly dumb dumb had gone and fucked everything up. And she couldn’t even be mad at him for it. Poor thing didn’t know any better.
The phone vibrated, she rolled her eyes. Excitement and dread had both disappated. She just didn’t wanna do this anymore.
I know everything about you Wifey, the text read. And Ashley rolled her eyes again. Oh this bitch was on something, she thought to herself, and we need to stop talking, cus if I tell this girl what I actually think, its gone be a fight. Ashley smiled, and then made herself stop. No, I really don’t need a fight right now, she thought. But she still responded sarcastically.
Obviously not, or you’d know I didn’t have a boyfriend. Check your sources. =]
Rude. Yes. But she wasn’t just gone let this girl run her life. That was against all sorts of rules. This one was responded to quickly.
I shoulda known nobody wanted you. It said. Ashley laughed. Out loud. People on the bus turned and looked but she didn’t care. Ohh if Whitney only knew. She decided that this conversation really did need to end, no matter how much fun she was having.
Lmao. Yea, for knowing everything you really shoulda known that. She responded, knowing there was nothing else Whitney could say. Ashley chuckled at the stupidity of the whole situation. No matter how stupid and rude and hurtful Whitney was she never seemed to forget that they had been best friends once, more than best friends once, and so it was hard to hate her, no matter how hateful she was.
