#deep thought (the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

spongeguyandlelouchvibridankia · 1 month ago

Text

New chapter down here:

February 6th, Friday, 1998.

Good afternoon, Galileo.

Good afternoon, Gretchen. It’s been a few days, I hope you’re feeling more confident about tonight’s undertaking!

Well, I’ve been shaking, sweating and periodically struggling to breath, so I’m pretty hunky dory right about now.

I see. M ight I suggest a mite of Chopin?

Might I suggest not? Give me Liszt any day. Oh, wait, we’re approaching the destination. Hold off on that music, Galileo.

Affirmative. Everything accounted for?

All in my backpack. I’ve got my trapper keeper dedicated to sleepover intel, pastel pink for the Ashley theme. I hope reading all those trite magazines won’t give me permanent brain damage. I’ve also got a Rubix Cube to solve just in case I get too anxious, a protractor and a compass since you never know when you’ll need one, “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” if I have a particularly bad nervous episode and need a little time for myself, gel pens for the trapper keeper for a lil pizzazz, eclipse glasses…

Eclipse glasses?

The odds of a random eclipse are low, but NEVER zero.

Fair, carry on.

Haribo Gummy bears for a sugar boost, the friendship experiment notebook of course, my graphing calculator, Cranium in the unlikely event she’d find it fun, my N64…

All good. But what of your confession? Is THAT accounted for?

…You know, many of the greatest scientists insist that improvisation was integral to their discoveries.

Gretchen, don’t tell me you intend to block the confession out of your thinking until the last minute?

What? Of course not!

Oh, good.

I’d far prefer to wait for the last second.

GRETCHEN, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A DIFFERENT SOLUTION…

Sorry, can’t hear you, the car is parking, live long and prosper!

BEEP!

Galileo was put to bed, and so, Gretchen stepped out of her dad’s car, ready to embark on a journey she never thought she’d take. As a scientist, the thought of uncharted territory was exhilarating, exciting, electrifying.

As a shy and dorky 9 year old lesbian about to enter her first ever “normal” sleepover with a girl richer than God, she was starting to wonder if it was too late for an impromptu root canal.

‘Well, this is the place!’, Phil commented, letting out a low whistle. ‘Picture the yearly salary required for this behemoth.’

‘18.4 million.’, Gretchen answered mid blink. Phil couldn’t help a tiny smile at that. ‘Yeah, that’s an exorbitant amount of gummy bears.’

Gretchen didn’t even chuckle, so Phil decided to be more straightforward. ‘Are you sure you’re up for this, Gretch? I know you like Ashley, but this isn’t quite your cup of tea.’

‘We don’t know if it is, just yet. If it isn’t, then perhaps we’ll all stop worrying about this.’, Gretchen retorted, taking a deep breath. The mansion before them was massive, a hulking white and pink colossus with two floors, a balcony, unreasonable width, and a genuinely beautiful garden full of Apple trees.

‘...In February?’, Gretchen asked aloud, and Phil answered her question. ‘They’re plastic, it’s for effect.’

‘I see.’, Gretchen rolled her eyes, though she made a mental note to get Ashley some proper apples. It must have been torture to see all those apples and not be able to eat them.

An awkward silence settled between father and daughter. ‘I better go in.’, Gretchen finally commented after a while, and Phil nodded, walking towards the car, but not before first turning to her and saying ‘It’s gonna be fine, Gretchen. After all, if it’s meant to be, it will happen.’

As he drove away, Gretchen couldn’t help but think ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’

A few more moments passed among the artificial apples and the smell of green, citrus and patchouli. Finally, Gretchen decided it was time to stop being a coward and take a step towards destiny. As she got onto the front porch (flanked by pink orchids, of course), she had a startling realization, one that made her gasp a little: She was the first ever non-Ashley invited to an Ashley sleepover, even if it only contained one of the quartet. This made her a kid pioneer.

‘...To boldly go where no one has gone before.’, she quoted her favorite sci-fi franchise, and thus, she clasped the peacock door knocker and clattered it against the ivory white door three times.

The door swung open, and Gretchen decided it was best to gain a strong first impression, even though she and Ashley already knew each other. ‘Greetings, Ashley. It’s an honor to be invited to a gathering of such pedigree and exclusivity.’, she curtsied, hoping that was fancy enough, but slipped and fell on one knee. ‘Ow…’, she muttered, looking up, expecting the enthusiastic help of her comrade in arms.

Instead, she met face to face with a woman she had never seen before, one with a black bob that bounced around like a Joey Kangaroo, and eyes that indicated no intelligent life anywhere. ‘...Madam Armbruster! Back so soon? The trip musta been exhaustin’, you’re shorter! And ginger! And wearin’ glasses!’, the woman replied, making Gretchen wonder if she went to the wrong house. Was the stupid convention in town? ‘Um… I’m not Ashley’s mom.’, Gretchen replied, hoping it was just a bad joke.

‘...Am Ah?’, the woman asked quietly, accent pointed as she pointed at herself. Gretchen bit her tongue. She wasn’t normally one to insult someone’s lack of intelligence… But this made her question if it wasn’t better for the sun to hurry up and blow up yet. ‘Look, miss…’, she started, and the woman shrugged. ‘Heck if ah know.’

Gretchen squinted, spotting a name tag. ‘Nellie?’

Nellie, as it seemed, looked down and found the name. ‘Oh, yes! Silly me! Ah’d lose mah head if it wasn’t attached!’, she joked, chuckling at her mistake. ‘Not that you’d notice.’, Gretchen whispered under her breath. ‘Anyway, Nellie, I was invited here by Ashley A. You know, the little girl that lives in this house? Is she home? I was sure she’d greet me inside…’, Gretchen mused, a little concerned now. Was this a sign it wasn’t meant to be?

‘Oh, she’s home, sugah! I believe she said she needed 5 minutes to get ready about… How long ago was 14:00?’, Nellie asked, and Gretchen rolled her eyes, albeit affectionately. ‘I see she’s just as nervous as I am.’

And indeed, Ashley was.

Up in her room, holding up two different outfits (one very frilly and purpley, the other better suited for the beach), the young Armbruster heir hoped her feline companion would assist her in this most pressing problem. ‘Muffin, please! What do you think is better for the pre-sleepover outfit? Something fancy, or something that says “You’re as fun as a day at the beach”?’, she pleaded for an answer, but Muffin simply gave her a dirty look, as if to say “Really?”.

Grunting dramatically, Ashley tossed both outfits back into the closet and fainted onto the bed, delicate fingers on her forehead. ‘Oh, I know, I know it’s silly! I already am wearing a simply magnifique outfit! It’s just…’

She grew shy and nervous, clutching her pillow like it were a life raft. ‘It’s my first EVERY slumber party with Gretchen! It’s HER first slumber party EVER! You know how integral sleepovers/slumber parties are to us Ashleys!’

Muffin nodded, having to agree. She slowly made her way to Ashley and nuzzled her forehead a little. Ashley smiled, a silent thank you not needing to leave her lips. ‘I just wanna make it special… Like she is.’

She sat up a little, twiddling her thumbs, a secret hiding in her pocket. ‘Besides, today might finally prove we CAN be friends… Which is great, because it would make this gift I got a teeny less embarrassing.’

Suddenly, Nellie’s voice ding a linged up the stairs and straight into Ashley’s ears. ‘Madam Junior! Your company is here! Though ah always thought a company was a buildin’, not a people!’

‘Company… Eep! Gretchen!’, Ashley squealed, and she hastily went back to the mirror to make sure she looked nice. After all, a girl had to look her best for a slumber party! ‘Oh, I could use a little more blush… No time, no time!’, she cried, brushing her teeth once more JUST in case. She didn’t wanna have stinky breath. Then Gretchen would probably not wanna be friends with her.

‘Wow… I am really worried about this, huh?’, she thought to herself, chuckling nervously as she gazed at the girl in the mirror. Who was this girl? Not the egotistical, demanding, bossy and, frankly, bitchy Ashley she once was, though she still retained trace elements of those traits.

No, staring back at her was an all together different girl. A sweet, yet sassy girl. A confident and stylish yet adorkable girl. A popular yet nerdy girl.

And you know what?

She didn’t mind that girl one bit.

‘Ashley! You there?’, Gretchen’s voice suddenly rang out, sounding just a tad impatient but also clearly on edge, and Ashley decided she looked fine enough. It was rude to keep guests waiting after all!

‘COMING!’, she squealed, giggling as she opted to slide down the bannister rather than just go down the stairs, as her mother would prefer. She would never have done this before, but something about her new path made her take new risks. Zipping down the golden staircase bannister, Ashley’s hair fluttered with the wind and she closed her eyes, feeling as free as a butterfly.

Reaching the floor, Ashley hopped gracefully, then curtsied daintily, head slightly bowed towards Gretchen. ‘Welcome, Gretchen, to my humble abode.’

Then, unable to contain her excitement, she squealed and clapped her hands, practically vibrating with anticipation. ‘Oh, this is gonna be LITERALLY the BEST day EVER!!!’

Gretchen struggled to suppress a smile. ‘Nice to hear you say best instead of worst for a change.’

Seeing she only had one bag, Ashley raised an eyebrow. ‘Huh, I thought you were bringing a lot. Here, let me take it! Nellie’s only here to make sure the house doesn’t catch on fire after all!’. Grabbing the bag, Ashley suddenly breathed out in shock as she lifted a heavier weight than all her concerns over Gretchen. ‘Like, holy gucci! Who have you got in here, Mikey AND Sue Bob?’., she asked, only to see Gretchen’s unamused look. Old habits die hard. ‘Heh, um… Sorry. That was… Not nice of me.’, Ashley apologized, feeling bad. Gretchen shook her head and took the backpack away. ‘No worries, just a slip. I know you’re better now.’ The two shared a knowing smile.

‘Better? Was she sick? Oh no, I’m feelin’ faint…’, Nellie fanned herself, then fainted hard on the floor.

‘So, I see you met Nellie!’, Ashley made conversation, as she put a hand out for Gretchen’s coat. Gretchen, handing said coat, tried not to be too harsh. ‘Oh, yes, she’s… A colorful character.’

Ashley chuckled, walking over the fainted au pair. ‘It’s okay, you can say it. She’s pretty whomping stupid.’

‘Dear lord, yes, thank you.’, Gretchen breathed out, unable to contain the derision anymore. ‘Why did your parents hire her?’

‘Eh, she was cheap.’, Ashley shrugged, as she placed herself in the middle of the welcoming hall, beaming so bright you’d think she was a lighthouse. ‘Well, what do you think?’, she asked, spreading her arms wide and presenting her home, hoping it was to Gretchen’s liking.

Gretchen, finally given a chance to take it all in, gasped a little. It was… Well, it was a LOT. Halls upon halls painted pink and purple, adorned with expensive paintings, fancy mantle pieces and even…

‘A grand piano originally played by Franz Liszt?!’, Gretchen cried out, not daring to even touch the thing, but hovering over it with starry eyes. Ashley raised an eyebrow. ‘Who?’

Gretchen bit her lip. She wasn’t gonna call her potential friend “an uncultured neanderthal” before they’d even gone to her room. ‘Um… Never mind.’, she stated, then gasped again as she ran over to another corner. ‘That carpet is bigger than my room!’, she exclaimed, excitedly taking out her tape and measuring the width and length (of course, she knew her room’s measurements by heart).

Ashley wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not, but she decided to take it as such. ‘Oh, um, yes! We make a habit of having carpets that… Big?’, she tried, hoping that didn’t sound dumb. Ugh, she was so nervous, even her hands were sweaty! Was it too late to wash her hands again?

‘Oh, oh, THIS I love!’, Gretchen suddenly shouted, grabbing Ashley’s hand (too late) and dashing towards a golden statue in the corner of the room, one of, of all things…

‘Ceratops Horridus! A.K.A Triceratops! My 5th favorite dinosaur!’, Gretchen grinned unabashedly, bouncing a little on her tippy toes as she admired the creature from every angle. Ashley, cringing at the statue, turned to look away, grimacing the entire time. ‘Oh, yes, ugh, that. My dumb little brother really liked that one dinosaur movie, so naturally mommy paid someone to make this. It’s stupid, I know…’

‘What? It’s fascinating! What an accurate recreation! Though I must admit, the frill COULD be larger. This one would barely service an infant…’, Gretchen began to science babble, and Ashley couldn’t help but smile at that. ‘Dork…’, she thought, a tiny heart floating above her. How did she make something so humiliating kind of cool? Maybe this would work out after all.

‘Speaking of your brother…’, Gretchen asked, as she kept admiring the statue and taking little notes. ‘Where are your siblings and parents? How DID you wiggle out of the Annual Ashley Sleepover?’

‘Well, for one, today there’s some BIG party at mommy’s work.’, Ashley began, leaning on the statue and feeling proud of her smarts. ‘So that instantly cancelled the sleepover. Q was apparently really moody about it, wonder why.’

‘Well, that’s helpful.’, Gretchen responded, before popping her head up from behind the statue, eyebrows raised. ‘But then how did you wiggle out of the work party? That must have been a challenge.’

‘Oh, not really…’, Ashley smirked haughtily, already gearing to brag about her success, her eyes all teasy and alluring…

(Armbruster Reality, the same time)

‘Ugh, this is, like, LITERALLY the WORST day EVER!’, Ashley Q stomped her foot, wearing a blue business blazer and munching angrily at a hors d’oeuvres. ‘Of ALL days for Ashley A to practice the ever important CEO tradition of “Not even bothering to show up for work”!’.

Ashley T, in a green business blazer, nodded quietly. ‘Yeah. This would be a lot easier the four of us. Then maybe I wouldn’t have to hear more crap from the Backstreet Boys.’

‘Huh?’, Ashley Q asked, but Ashley T simply blushed and shook her head. ‘Um, look, something pink!’

‘WHERE?!’, Ashley Q cried, desperate to find it. ‘That’ll distract her for a good 5 minutes.’, Ashley T thought, blushing a bit. ‘She’s so… Dumb~’

Ashley B, meanwhile, in a yellow business blazer, rolled her eyes at the two. ‘Girls, why complain? This is PERFECT! If we want prime positions in Armbruster Reality moving forward, we need to be as impressive as Ashley A! I, for one, am THRILLED to be here!’

‘Butt kissing. Very nice, Ashley B. Have a cookie.’, Ashley A Sr. complimented as she passed, tossing a cookie at Ashley B, who jumped up to get it, missed, and fell on the floor. ‘It’s okay! Falling for the company is an honor!’

‘...God, I think she means it.’, Ashley T whispered, as Ashley Q kept looking for the pink thing, staring at a green poster on the wall that said “This is not pink”. ‘I’m sure if I look even harder, I’ll find it.’

(Back at Ashleys)

‘Using your own mother’s ways against her. Color me impressed.’, Gretchen complimented Ashley, who fist pumped with joy. ‘Now, why don’t you show me the rest of this place before we get started?’

‘You really want to? I was afraid you’d find it tacky and extravagant and other smart words you’d use.’, Ashley replied, surprised in a good way, but still worried. She didn’t wanna be a mean rich girl anymore.

Gretchen patted her shoulder reassuringly, smiling affectionately at the brunette. ‘Well, like a certain girl I know, it grows on you.’

And so, the two continued their tour, while a certain spectacled “girl” spied from a nearby tree branch. ‘This will be my masterpiece! Hours of Ashley and Gretchen together! Surely I can find SOMETHING here I can use!’, Penny cheered, only to get met with a dirty stare from Muffin, who made a “I’m watching you” sigh with her claws.

‘Well, this surely isn’t going to be my subplot, right?’, Penny asked herself, only to realize what kind of story this was so far. ‘Oh, criminey.’

Back inside, Ashley gave Gretchen a quick tour of the rest of the house (for she didn’t want to waste valuable sleepover time, nor did she want to brag… Too much).

First, she showed her the kitchen, fully sculpted with ivory. The natural stone flooring of the house made the already sparkling area look even shinier, as did the pink Aga-Rayburn, with its multiple ovens and burners. The device made the whole room feel ridiculously warm and toasty, and Gretchen hoped the other rooms were colder. ‘Dad’s really proud of it all for some reason, but I don’t get it. What’s the big difference between golden cutlery and silver, you know? There’s also a dishwasher and an espresso machine mommy’s practically married to. Oh, and we have a few snacks here.’, Ashley explained, sounding like she was talking about a pretty standard thing. When she opened the fridge and revealed a stock of pizza, candy, cookies and assorted junk foods that could feed an army, Gretchen struggled to close her mouth from gaping. ‘Ashley, I’m pretty sure that’s more food than I eat in a year. If not two.’, she commented.

Ashley, worried it was too much, quickly shut the fridge and took her to the next room. ‘We can always come back here later (and we will), let’s check out the bathrooms!’

‘Bathrooms? As in plural?’, Gretchen questioned, and Ashley raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, duh! It would be gross if we all went to the same bathroom!’

Gretchen realized, now more than ever, that Ashley just lived in a different reality to her, and it was best not to make her feel bad for that. She wasn’t the hideously wealthy real estate CEO splurging on all this splendor, after all.

Still, she couldn’t fight back a remark when she saw the Ashley specific bathroom, which was twice as large as her own bedroom. ‘Shouldn’t someone a little larger use such a gigantic bathroom?’, she joked, as Ashley blushed furiously. ‘I’m not tiny! I’m petite.’, she corrected, all fancy like.

‘Mmm hmm. Can you even reach the shower head?’, Gretchen asked, and Ashley, huffy, turned away. ‘See, this is why having two shower heads is useful.’

‘Also, why is it all pink? Do all your family love pink so much?’, Gretchen puzzled, and Ashley shook her head. ‘Just mommy and me, but she usually makes the decisions around here, so…’

Gretchen nodded, still unsure if she liked that. Ashley’s mom seemed… Like an acquired flavor at best. ‘Oh, and speaking of my mommy…’

The next room took them downstairs, to…

‘Ta da! The cellar!’, Ashley announced, switching on the light that revealed a wooden cellar that looked straight out of revolutionary war times. Gretchen was honestly impressed this time. ‘This house must be more than 200 years old!’, she observed, patting the wall. Ashley, confused, stared her up and down. ‘Why are you doing that?’

‘I’m looking for secret passages. These old houses had tons, and unlike mine, this one might have something really cool!’, Gretchen explained, tongue out in concentration as she listened in for air pockets. Ashley, scratching her head, leaned on the wall and shrugged. ‘My mommy’s literally here ALL the time. I think she’d have said something about a secret passage by now. Are you sure it’s that old, because that makes me feel uncool…’

Suddenly, the wall opened and revealed a genuine secret passage, Ashley tripping into it. ‘Owchie…’, she muttered, as Gretchen walked towards her and gasped, excited. ‘Eee! Ashley, look! You found it!’

‘I did?’, Ashley asked, confused, before seizing the chance to impress Gretchen (not desperate at all of her). ‘That is, I did, ha ha! Must be my… Living in the house sense! Like, every rich person has it.’

Gretchen rolled her eyes and elbowed her. ‘Sure, sure. Come on, let’s see what’s inside!’

There wasn’t much, of course, except for a desk with some long dried and melted inks and candles, a bookcase with scrolls that looked like they could disintegrate from the lightest touch, a mess of cobwebs and empty wine bottles, and most curiously, an old diary, that Gretchen hoped she could read if Ashley ever invited her back. Outside of that, there was a lot of space too, not even a single chair to sit on. ‘This place isn’t so bad. Could be a cool hideout.’, Ashley commented, and Gretchen thought the same thing. ‘Maybe we could go down here sometimes, when we don’t wanna get caught by your family!’

Ashley clapped her hands, loving that. ‘A secret clubhouse! That’s SO chique! We should put up a sign!’

‘...Then it wouldn’t be secret.’

‘Oh, now, it wouldn’t be polite to enter if it said it was a secret one! Plus, we could just write ‘Please don’t enter’ on the sign! Voila!’

‘...Your mind astounds me sometimes.’

‘Thanks!’

After a quick glance at the exuberant bedrooms of the rest of her family (“how many chandeliers does one family need?”), plus a peak at her dad’s work office (“the only room that looks mildly normal, and even it has an in built jacuzzi”), Ashley finally reached the main event of her tour, and the start of her sleepover.

‘Lady and Gretchen…’, Ashley joked, as Ashley M joined them outside the door. She smirked mischievously at Gretchen, who laughed sarcastically, though she was amused. ‘Hardy har har. How droll.’

‘I do my best.’, Ashley bowed, then opened the door, announcing with pride and joy ‘I present to you… My room!’

And what a room it was. While we’ve seen it before, dear readers, this was Gretchen’s first time, and her perspective really made it clear what a monster of a room it was. There was the deluxe queen sized bed with silk white sheets and pillowcases that were as frilly as an ocean wave. What wasn’t adorned with rose floral patterns was covered with heart shaped pillows and plushies of every kind. Next to it, to add to the already clear comfort, were bedside cabinets with fibre optic lamps on them, which almost looked like a shower of stars coating the room when it was dark. Alongside those were fluffy picture frames of Ashley B, Q and T, each fluff looking like it belonged on the skin of a main character of a Pixar movie that wasn’t even out yet at the time. Back on the bed, Ashley M snuggled up, all nice and comfortable, going out like a light. When Gretchen sat on it, it felt like sinking into a marshmallow. ‘Are beds supposed to be this comfortable?’, she asked herself quietly, but the sad question wasn’t allowed to persist, as Ashley began showing off the rest of the room. ‘Here’s my makeup area!’, she pointed at the (of course) pink desk, full of eyebrow tweezers, eyelash curlers, mascara and pink lipstick. The mirror had kiss marks on it, Ashley having practiced to see which ones looked nicest. Gretchen, meanwhile, tried to ignore how one of her dreams had always been to see a girl’s lipstick marks on something. It reminded her of the future confession, and the thought filled her with dread.

Thankfully, Ashley’s next thing to show off was a lot less homosexual in nature. ‘And THIS is where I keep all my schwayest stuff!’, she proclaimed, opening up a bunch of cabinets under her personal TV set, which Gretchen didn’t feel just a little envious of, no sir. Inside the cabinets were little treasure chest looking boxes that Ashley removed, gently opening each one with a key. ‘Here’s where I keep ALL my magazines! Tiger Beat, Seventeen, Vogue, a little Cosmopolitan when I’m feeling fancy…’, Ashley waved off the absurd pile of paper like it were just a few comic books. Then, she moved onto box number two. ‘THIS is where I keep all my toys. We got all the cereal box ones, all the latest movie release ones, more plushies since you can never have enough…’

Gretchen, buried in a pile of them (the comfort was not to be denied), muffled out ‘On that we can agree.’

‘Including my most prized plush, pa pa pa pa!’, Ashley declared, lifting up a cartoonishly massive plus of adult Simba from The Lion King. Resting her head on the mane, which made it seem like she had one, she shot Gretchen a toothy grin. ‘You know, for special occasions, when all the others aren’t helping.’

Gretchen, who didn’t find Ashley ridiculously cute at that moment, decided it was opportune to ask if there was anything else she wanted to share. ‘Um, what’s in the third box?’, she asked, and Ashley got a lil less braggy there. ‘Oh, um… That’s where my art supplies are. You know, playdoh, collage making stuff, hama beads, gel pens, Art Studio, Mix and Spin, fashion plates, etc.’., she said in a strangely quiet voice. ‘That sounds really cool, no?’, Gretchen asked, confused at first, before remembering. ‘Oh, right, the other Ashleys are less interested.’

Ashley A nodded, starting to move onto box number four. Gretchen, sensing her sadness, coughed out ‘I mean… For what it’s worth… I think it’s quite the worthy pursuit.’

Ashley’s relieved smile eased Gretchen’s heart, but it did make her wonder if she could confess or not. Ashley was so often influenced by what the other Ashleys thought, and there was a big difference between kitschy art supplies and sexual identity.

‘Anyway, this one is the one I REALLY love…’, Ashley geared up for the reveal, tapping a little on the box as if it were a drum roll. ‘I present to the esteemed audience the Ultimate VHS Collection, the Ashley A Agglomeration!’.

‘Ooh, nice alliteration.’

‘Thank you!’

Opening the box, Ashley revealed an assortment of VHS tapes of the likes that could have belonged in an entire Blockbuster, if not two. Gretchen couldn’t quite comprehend how one could own so many, yet here they were, all present and accounted for, clamshell cases all spotless and gleaming. ‘Yep, I’ve got it all! From “Free Willy” to “The Bodyguard”, “Groundhog Day” to “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Sister Act” to “Goldeneye” by way of “Romeo Plus Juliet”!, Ashley passed by each clamshell, lovingly caressing each one, before dashing to her bag. ‘Of course, my proudest collection is my Disney movie one!’

‘Naturally.’, Gretchen bantered back, but she still allowed Ashley to enjoy herself. The girl had made leaps and bounds lately, she could be a lil Ashleyesque and brag about video tapes.

As she hid one behind her back, Ashley presented that specific part of the collection. ‘Now, you’ll notice I don’t own EVERY single animated movie just yet. The release order is often arranged either by anniversary or popular demand, so certain picks that are deemed more, shall we say, unappreciated, can tend to take a while to get their due. Still, I’d say it’s pretty good! I’ve ordered it by theatrical release date, but you must know that these are of two different series printings, and some movies I have versions from both printings! These ones are from the Walt Disney Classics series from 1984 to 1994, or as we collectors say, the “Black Diamond” collection, observe the logo on the spine…’, she quickly pointed at cases of “Pinocchio” (first release), “Pinocchio” (second release), “Fantasia”, “Dumbo” (first release), “Dumbo” (second release), “Bambi”, “Cinderella”, “Alice in Wonderland” (first release), “Alice in Wonderland” (second release) “Peter Pan”, “Lady and the Tramp”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “101 Dalmatians”, “The Sword in the Stone” (first release), “The Sword in the Stone” (second release), “The Jungle Book”, “Robin Hood” (first release), “Robin Hood” (second release), “The Rescuers”, “The Fox and the Hound”, “The Great Mouse Detective”, “The Little Mermaid”, “The Rescuers Down Under”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Aladdin”. ‘You know, the “Lady and the Tramp” one uses a cropped pan and scan version of the theatrical cinemascope release, but I’ve heard the alternate theatrical academy ratio version might come out in September.’, Ashley geek babbled, before moving onto her other collection. Clearly, she was a little excited about this, and Gretchen couldn’t help but find that oddly endearing, even if it WAS a rich girl showing off her absurd amount of video tapes, including multiples of the same movie.

‘Anyway, THIS is the Collection Chefs-d'oeuvre de Walt Disney” (that’s canadaian french for Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection, Gretchen!), which began releasing 4 years ago. Instead of the sorcerer Mickey intros from the old series, or the pretty standard logo spaces, these ones have Tinker Bell sprinkling pixie dust on a boring version of the logo and then it looks all fancy and castley! Tons of the movies here as you can see weren’t released in the previous one, because they used to get re-released a lot in theatres.’, she explained, pointing at cases of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Dumbo”, “Bambi”, “The Three Caballeros”, “Fun and Fancy Free”, “So Dear to My Heart”, “Cinderella”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Mary Poppins” (first release), “Mary Poppins” (second release), “The Sword in the Stone”, “The Jungle Book”, “The Aristocats”, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, “Robin Hood”, “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”, “Pete’s Dragon”, “Oliver and Company”, “The Lion King”, “Pocahontas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. ‘From what I saw, I know there’s gonna be more THX special editions (like some of these here) for Peter Pan and Little Mermaid next month, plus Melody Time and The Black Cauldron, both of which I’ve never seen, so I’m pretty excited!’, Ashley info dumped again, before bouncing a bit. ‘But right now, video family, I would like to introduce the latest schway addition to our happy home! It’s…’, she trailed off, then lifted the newly bought tape to the sky, as if she were Rafiki holding Simba. ‘Hercules!’, she announced happily, placing it neatly at the end of her current order. ‘My new favorite, it feels right to add it here next to you!’, she complimented Gretchen. ‘Came out just a few days ago!’

While Ashley sniffed the clamshell of the new tape like the weirdo she was, Gretchen looked a little uneasy, rubbing her neck. ‘Wow, that’s really cool, Ashley. You’ve got so many.’

‘I know, right? I haven’t even shown you my other related ones, like my Toy Story VHS, or some of the other live action movie ones, or “Return of Jafar”, “King of Thieves”, “Pooh’s Grand Adventure”, “Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas”, I know there’s a Pocahontas 2 and Lion King 2 coming soon, oh I can’t wait… Oh, what are the favorite parts of your collection, I forgot to ask!’, Ashley fell from her geek out, then down to earth when she saw Gretchen’s uncomfortable face and remembered that she wasn’t exactly like her, and that her VHS was kinda… Broken.

‘Oh… Yeah… Sorry…’, she began, feeling like she did in her last sleepover with the Ashleys. How could she be so self centered and stupid??? They were wasting valuable fun time while she was being a spoiled brat!

Thankfully, Gretchen was more than understanding. ‘Hey, no worries! I know you were just excited to show me. It’s cool, honest. Just, you know… Wish I could tell you my favorites.’, Gretchen remarked, biting her lip. ‘We can barely afford to rent, especially when ours is so broken. Otherwise, trust me, I’d be replaying “Jurassic Park” and Star Trek episodes until it broke for real.’

Ashley nodded, taking that into account. ‘Okay, thank you. I promise, the real fun’s gonna start now, I just really wanted to show you my place!’

Gretchen, heading over to the bean bag in the corner (how she wished she had that too), sat down and smiled kindly. ‘Seriously, don’t worry! I’m already having a good time! I mean, after the last few weeks, it’s nice to just see you happy.’

Ashley blushed a little, grateful. ‘It HAS been a hard time for both of us, huh?’

‘Yeah… So, truthfully, whatever you’ve got planned, I’m sure we’ll both enjoy it!’, Gretchen again reassured, and that really helped Ashley. Gretchen was happy she could help. If she could only motivate herself to confess that way.

‘Well, if fun’s what you want, then I can give it to you, the Ashley Way!’, Ashley announced, suddenly dashing off. ‘But first, get your PJ’s on! It ain’t a slumber party without PJ’s!’

Gretchen chuckled and raised an eyebrow, bantering again. ‘And who exactly died and made you president of Sleepovers?’

‘Girl, I INVENTED sleepovers.’, Ashley bantered back, head popping out of her clothes closet. Stepping out, she gladly presented her look: her iconic heart shaped pajamas. ‘Now, check it out! These are my most beloved pair of pajamas!’, she cried, hugging herself to feel the soft fluff. ‘Heart shaped! Oh, how romantic!’

Gretchen smirked, raising a finger in doubt. ‘Not sure you’ll be charming countless boys in that.’

‘Oh, what do you know?’, Ashley stuck her tongue out, then lent out her hand. ‘Go ahead, feel! Isn’t it SO SOFT? Like a kitty cat!’

Gretchen felt it and had to admit, it felt really soft. Hugging Ashley in that must have felt incredible…

Ignoring that gay thought that made her blush a little, Gretchen opted to change her clothes too. ‘Guess I’ll put mine on too. But they’re nothing amazing…’, she began, but Ashley tutted and pushed her in. ‘Oh, pish posh! Just show us the goods!’

After a few minutes (Ashley’s closet was so massive you could get lost in it), Gretchen finally came out, wearing her own set: one with a huge atom on it. ‘It’s not nearly as nice or soft as yours, I’m afraid. Hope I’m not committing some kind of slumber party faux pas.’, Gretchen apologized, feeling a little bad. Ashley had put a lot of effort when she visited her house. She felt like she wasn’t coming up to scratch.

Ashley, who had never seen Gretchen look so cute, momentarily felt a headache so painful, it could only be contracted by “Lesbians worryingly unaware of how gay they are”. Once she shook it off, she clapped her hands and cheered. ‘Woo! Look at you, Gretchy! That pair is SCANDALOUSLY CUTE!’

‘It is?’, Gretchen asked, staring around at herself. ‘Are you sure you’re not just being nice? I can take it.’

‘I NEVER mince words when it comes to fashion.’, Ashley reminded her, and Gretchen nodded in agreement. ‘True.’

‘And speaking of fashion, that’s our first sleepover activity! If that’s okay with you, of course.’, Ashley stated, then corrected, not wanting to be bossy like B was recently. Gretchen tilted her head, confused. ‘Fashion? How so?’

‘Well, I have quite the closet, as you can see!’, Ashley reminded, and Gretchen laughed, nodding. ‘Yeah, no shit. You could get lost in there! In fact, I already did.’

‘Well, get ready to get lost even more! We’re gonna have a fashion show!’, Ashley cheered, doing a little happy dance as she shimmied over to the closet. Gretchen scratched her head, still confused. ‘But then why did we put on our pajamas?’

‘Don’t question my methods.’, Ashley waved her off, and Gretchen shrugged, still puzzled but happy to get the fun started, open minded to this new kind of game. ‘Anything to distract me from the confession later.’, she admitted to herself, as she and Ashley entered the deep closet….

Meanwhile, back at Armbruster Reality…

(Heart of Glass - Blondie)

‘Ashley, I must say, the canapes are simply divine!’

‘Agreed, Ashley, but I personally think the caviar and lobsters on ice are bolder!’

‘All true, Ashley, but how about that gold leaf puree?’

‘Oh, Ashleys, you’re all right, but nothing beats strawberries coated in white chocolate, they’re simply…’

‘SCANDALOUS!’, all 4 senior Ashleys chorused as they tittered heartily by the snack table at the office gala. Despite the location being more than a little bland (it was a real estate office, full of grey walls and greyer faces), the 4 ladies in their mid 30’s were living it up, gorging themselves on a feast fit for queens.

‘Heh heh, yes, scandalous!’, Ashley B added quite lamely, hoping she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Sure, she was more than half their size, but she was clearly far more suited for this world than Q or T, or so she thought. Trying some of the Moroccan Salmon, she fought back a gag reflex. What were the odds that everything tasted terrible, even the supposedly scrumptious strawberries? ‘Kid Cuisine. Kid Cuisine. My kingdom for a Kid Cuisine.’, she whispered, but didn’t dare voice it aloud. She wouldn’t hurt her future at the company, even if it meant scarfing down food that tasted, how ironic, a little too rich.

‘Why, quite right, Ashley B Jr. It’s encouraging to see a youth take real interest in what truly matters in this horrid world of ours.’, Ashley Q Sr. lectured, stirring her appletini and eying the workers who were also at the gala, attending a far cheaper snack table. ‘Ugh, common riff raff. You know, if I was in charge, I’d install a glass wall between the workers and the executives.’

‘But only the Glass Fairy can do that! Gasp! Are YOU the Glass Fairy, Q?’, Ashley T Sr. asked, as she slurped her Long Island Iced Tea and stared at her friend wide eyed. Ashley Q Sr. did all she could not to slap her back for being so dumb.

‘Hmm, the first quarter is shaping up well, but I think we could be more aggressive in the west and south. You know, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, they’re projected for major population increases.’, Ashley B Sr. remarked as she wrote down a billion notes in her yellow spiral notebook. Her Tequila Sunrise remained undrunk on the table. ‘Junior, dear, why don’t you go play with your friends? I REALLY need to talk to Madam CEO about this projection.’

Ashley B sighed, waved off by her mother once again. Shouldn’t she be proud she was taking an active interest in their future shared job?

Ashley A Sr., downing another cosmopolitan, tutted at Ashley B Sr. and patted the younger B’s hair with her sharp pink manicured nails. ‘Now, now, B, no need to be so dismissive! I find it, like, literally schway that your mini me is invested in what really matters.’

This was a test, of course. What wasn’t with Ashley A Sr.? She wanted to make sure Ashley B Jr. was ready to stand up for what was right for Ashley A Sr./the company, even if it meant disagreeing with her mother. Thankfully, she had only needed a compliment or two to already have her be so devoted. ‘Yeah, mom! Isn’t this better than me being all obsessed with, I don’t know, toys and crap?’

Ashley B Sr. gasped, shocked and startled at the language. Dropping her notebook, she pointed angrily at her daughter, her fancy yellow beret/beanie nearly falling off as she berated her for such behavior. ‘Ashley Boulet Junior, you shall NOT speak like that under any circumstance, let alone in such esteemed company!’

Ashley B was fuming, but whether it was because she got scolded like a child in front of the adults she wanted to belong with, or because this was the most attention she had received from her mother in ages, she couldn’t tell. Regardless, Ashley A Sr. stepped in to solve the problem… Sort of.

‘Oh, B, you’ve always been such a prude! I admire this girl’s initiative to mature! Here, let me help you along, sweetheart.’, Ashley A Sr. purred, and with a quick flourish, she suddenly had a freshly poured cosmopolitan tipping towards Ashley B’s lips. Ashley B had so little time to think, she could barely register what she was doing before she opened her mouth, desperate to please her future boss.

The moment Ashley B Sr. noticed this (having been busy picking up her notebook), she turned red and grabbed the glass from Ashley A Sr.’s hands. ‘What the HELL are you doing?!’, she asked, sort of contradicting her own language spiel from before, if understandably so. Ashley B Jr., fighting back the cough she had from how strong and weird the taste was, looked up with curiosity at the conflict between her mother and Mrs. Armbruster.

Ashley A Sr. didn’t get angry, at least, not on the outside. Instead, she simply stared back at her friend and spoke coldly, calmly and firmly. ‘My mother let me try alcohol when I was younger than her. Are you implying there’s something wrong with how my mother raised me, Boulet?’

‘What? No! I mean, if she did that, that would be bad, but…’, Ashley B Sr. began, but she began to stammer and stumble over her words, while Ashley A Sr. didn’t even blink. She leaned closer, thin fingers lacing around the glass like a snake coiling its prey. ‘Are you saying there’s something wrong with ME? If that could hurt Ashley B Jr. over here, does that mean I was ruined by such a practice? Hmm?’

‘I would NEVER imply that, I just…’, Ashley B Sr. tried again, but clearly she was afraid of something… Or someone…

‘If there WAS something wrong with me, I’d shudder to think what would happen to the company. It probably wouldn’t last long. That would be quite messy… Wouldn’t you say, Ashley B?’, Ashley A Sr. asked, and Ashley B Sr. gulped and regretfully chose her family’s financial security over her daughter’s security. ‘...Yes. Quite messy.’, Ashley B Sr. looked away shamefully, as Ashley A Sr. grabbed B, Q and T’s drinks and placed them next to Ashley B Jr. ‘This is good practice for the future, honey. Drink up.’, she insisted, that pitcher plant flavored smile making Ashley B Jr. edge towards the drinks. Whatever helped her future, no?

Meanwhile, Ashley Q Jr. was struggling to stay interested in this boring gala. Everyone there was so dull and boring, she wanted to die! It had taken her ages to find some people with a common interest, though it was pretty inconvenient.

(Billy Joel - My Life)

‘I’m telling you, hand on my Gucci bag, the Heat aren’t that good. The moment they get into the playoffs and face a semi decent team, like, say, the Knicks, they’re gonna get sent home to mommy.’, Ashley Q argued, sipping a tepid cup of water by the cooler. The two workers next to the cooler both laughed her off. ‘Are you kiddin’? Ewing ain’t even there! What are they gonna do, make him play with a broken wrist?’

‘Allan Houston and Larry Johnson are more than enough, and you’ve seen John Starks dominating downtown! Besides, their defense is what really carries them.’

‘Okay, but in the hypothetical situation that a team that couldn’t even beat Minnesota reaches that specific playoff, how are they gonna beat a team that has potential all star basketball players on the bench? Isaac Austin, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, who’s in the all star game may I remind you! They just schooled our local team!’, the other guys countered, but Ashley Q shook her head as if she were taking to children. ‘Our local team bites and you know that. Pat Riley’s proven he can’t win championships AND be president. The old man’s not what he was. Unless Miami pull some new Michael Jordan out of their proverbial ass, it ain’t happening! Heat aren’t facing Bulls in the finals. It’ll be Utah Jazz again. And they’ll lose.’

'A double three peat for Jordan? Are you serious?’, the two others mocked her, but she held her ground. ‘Yeah, the Celtics ain’t holding onto that record anymore. If anyone can do it, it’s MJ.’

‘Didn’t they JUST lose to Jazz, though?’

‘Oh, please, everyone knows the February games don’t mean nothin’. Once they hit the playoffs the Bulls will be unstoppable. Real question is who replaces them once MJ inevitably retires, which is probably soon. They surely can’t keep this up.’, Ashley Q sipped her water, pleased with her argument.

‘Maybe someone new. Someone who hasn’t won it before, like the Pacers or the Spurs.’, the two others mused, only for Ashley Q to suddenly notice her father walking by. ‘Shit! Um, quick, talk about your jobs!’, Ashley Q pleaded, and the two workers, confused, started blabbing about deals they pulled.

Ashley Q’s father nodded in approval, and she sighed in relief, tapping her fingers on the cooler out of ADHD impatience. ‘Ugh, I hate this! I hate this stupid place, and this stupid secret, and these stupid real estate agents! No offense, guys’, Ashley Q apologized, and the two workers waved it off. ‘No worries, this job sucks, trust us.’

‘Sigh… If only I could feel safe being this way.’, Ashley Q lamented, while the two workers took a little pity on her. ‘Say, how’s this, kid? If your theory about the Heat is right, we’ll give you something nice, huh? Anything you ask for!’, worker 1 offered.

Ashley Q, always up for getting something, nodded enthusiastically. ‘Oh, yes, I’d love that! EEEEE!’

‘Dude, you can’t promise her a gift, she’s rich!’, the other worker pointed out, but the first one calmed him down. ‘Even if she is right, what would she want, she’s 9! Probably just free ice cream or some shit.’

And while all this happened, Ashley T was dealing with her own problem.

(Lonesome Loser - Little River Band)

‘Papa, please, stop! How many times do I have to tell you, money doesn’t grow on trees?!’, Ashley T held her face in embarrassment as her dad slapped the plastic tree inside his office, trying to get it to drop money. ‘Duh, where else does the Glass Fairy get her money from, T? Now pipe down and let your old man get you some new shoes!’

Ashley T sighed, happy at least that her dad’s idiocy meant he was too distracted to see what she was reading. Having already read 3 other issues that evening (Uncanny X-Men #354, Sensational Spider-Man #26 and Nightwing Vol.2 #19), she was well into Daredevil #374, gripped by the current drama concerning Daredevil and his best friend’s sister. As she saw the Man without Fear defend the wild child from a potential assailant, she couldn’t help but dream. ‘If only I was so fearless! Imagine, committing such acts of daring do, and in such tight clothing too!’, she mused, giggling at the thought. There she was, in a brand spankin’ new red outfit, all dashing and bold, punching bad guys and carrying Ashley Q in her arms…

‘Oh, ding dong darn it!’, Ashley T “cussed”, legitimately upset as she crossed her arms and huffed. ‘Enough with the dumb Ashley Q thoughts! It’s bad enough I can’t help this TEMPORARY superhero phase, but can you at least leave me as just a geek, and not a freak?’

‘Well, baby girl, that would depend on your definition of a freak…’, familiar voices called out, and Ashley T’s eyes widened in horror. ‘No, not now!’

‘What not now?’, her dad asked, confused, and Ashley T decided this was the perfect time to run away to another room.

She was right. As she closed the door, she saw her comic book now littered with tiny Backstreet Boys, the band members hanging off the pages. ‘Hey, careful, I just bought that and I didn’t even finish!’, she whined, as they all grinned at her. ‘Girl, the only thing you need to finish is the puzzle that is your heart!’, Kevin sang out, as Nick and AJ both nodded, transfixed. ‘Woah, deep.’ ‘Thank you.’, Kevin replied, flattered.

‘No, I don’t! Especially not here! This is my future!’, Ashley T explained, trying to get them to shush. She stared around at the boring white office and beamed. ‘Isn’t it schway?’

‘More like schwarbage. Girl, you know you want to be a singer!’, Howie reminded, and Ashley T sighed. ‘Can we deal with ONE identity crisis at a time, at least?’

‘Okay, but that means we sing a song now.’

Ashley T sighed. ‘Fineeeee, get it over with.’

And while all THAT happened, let us return to the girls and their sleepover, as they ventured deeper into the closet of Ashley A, which was ironic, considering what Gretchen was hoping to do later that evening…

‘Through dark, yet unnervingly clean paths the Ashley-icus Spoiled-icus led me, as I ventured through uncharted kid territory: The closet of a popular girl. Sleeves brushed up against me like vines of the Amazon rainforest, and wherever you looked, all you could smell was ? softener. Cherries. How fitting.’, Gretchen narrated, like she was a documentary host from PBS, as she and Ashley traversed the latter’s absurdly full closet. Seriously, there were so many articles of clothing, Gretchen wondered if Ashley could open a store just with what she had. Seeing as she wasn’t the only one with a possibly stuffed closet…

‘And we’re gonna need a bit of this, a little of that, a splash of this, a whole lot of that…’, Ashley spoke, to herself, mostly, as she yanked piece after piece of clothing, now only her little shaking knees visible as she somehow held that mountain of outfits up. ‘Gretchen, level with me, are you a gingham or a tie dye?’

‘...What?’, Gretchen asked, as if Ashley had just spoken to her in Crimean Gothic (she was still only decent at that dead language). Ashley, remembering who she was dealing with, shook her head. ‘We’ll figure it out! Now, I have enough clothes here…’

‘Ya think?’, Gretchen quipped, and Ashley stuck a tongue out at her, which was hard to tell, because of the mountain of clothes hiding her face. ‘Let’s head back outside now!’

Gretchen bit her lip, still unsure. ‘Not to be a spoilsport, but are you SURE this is an ideal game for us, considering… Well… Me?’.

Ashley waved her off, nearly dropping all the clothes. ‘Nonsense! You’ll be fine! I made sure to pick clothes that suit you!’

‘But you have the latest fashions, surely?’, Gretchen asked, confused. ‘Yes, but first of all, who’s to say you can’t pull of something chique, and second of all, I’ve recently gotten into the habit of purchasing clothes that could serve as a costume for any Gretchley related shenanigans, so I have loads of, um, alternative fashions too!’, Ashley tried to be gentle, even if clearly she had insulted Gretchen’s style. She was in luck, though. Gretchen was far too busy trying to ignore the usage of Gretchley again. It made her want to get out of the closet… Literally, that is, not metaphorically. That was for later.

A few minutes of walking later, and the two arrived back in Ashley’s room. The moment they got there, Ashley neatly laid all the clothes on her bed, then dashed towards her curved CD rack, the spirally metal thing housing more CD’s than… Look, you get the picture, whatever Ashley owns is probably more than what a store has. ‘I’ve got JUST the right modern flair for our fashion show’s soundtrack! It’s all ELECTRONIC, how fancy, not to mention FRENCH! You know how much I love that!’, Ashley announced, as she flipped through her CD’s by order of length (by the second, mind you), and clasped the one she needed. Soon, the room filled with the electronic sounds of Daft Punk and their debut album, Homework.

(Daftendirekt - Daft Punk)

Gretchen nodded a little to the hypnotically repeating beat. ‘Well, it’s better than Will Smith.’, she joked, and Ashley rolled her eyes. ‘One day, you’ll get his appeal. Him, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls…’

‘I’m about as likely to sing a Spice Girls song as you are of becoming a Trekkie.’, Gretchen commented. ‘...A what?’, Ashley asked, and Gretchen waved it off. ‘Never mind.’

Finally, it was time for their game to start. Ashley led Gretchen to the bean bag, seated next to Ashley M, who adopted a most judgmental pose, stroking her chin with her paw. ‘Okay, so here’s how the game works: We will each have 5 rounds to impress the judges (whoever’s not participating and Ashley M here). Whoever ends up having the best overall outfit wins!’, Ashley explained, before quickly adding ‘Not that it really matters who wins, since we’re just having fun, but you know!’

‘Well, okay… I’m not sure how to judge this, nor compete, but I’ll give it the college try!’, Gretchen promised, and Ashley clapped happily, then dashed with her chosen outfit to the closet. Once she was out, in 10 seconds flat (Gretchen couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly Ashley could change an outfit), she began strutting across the room in her bomb look: an icy mint slim-fit turtleneck with spots, a charcoal black miniskirt, black tights, and black knee-high boots. ‘And first down the runway we have Ashley Fine with her “The Nanny” inspired look. She’s as clean as the house she serves in!’, Ashley commentated herself, spinning around and making the skirt flutter around a bit. Posing, she asked Gretchen ‘Well, thoughts?’

Gretchen wasn’t sure how to articulate it the way Ashley wanted, so she tried to speak honestly. ‘I mean, I think it looks stylish! You always look stylish!’

Ashley grinned a little but shook her head. ‘Yeah, silly, but anyone can say that. What do YOU think?’

Gretchen tried again, honing in on the outfit. ‘Well… I like the whole sweater thing.’

‘Oh, you do, huh?’, Ashley noted, filing that away in her brain. ‘How come?’

‘It… Looks comfy?’, Gretchen stuttered out, unsure how to convey her thoughts. ‘Sorry if I’m not doing this well.’

‘No, no, don’t worry, your input is helping!’, Ashley reassured her, spinning again. ‘Ooh, I feel so fabulous in this!’

Gretchen, thinking the most fabulous thing about the outfit was Ashley’s unbreakable grin, inclined to agree.

Ashley M, however, offered a simple ‘eh’ with her paw, making a so-so gesture.

‘Wow, I thought she’d like it.’, Gretchen remarked, and Ashley brushed it off, shaking her head at her kitty. ‘She’s a picky pussycat, I can tell you that. Will take a LOT to please her.’

‘Oh, gee. That doesn’t bode well for me, then.’, Gretchen gulped, but Ashley assuaged her fears again, patting her shoulder. ‘I’m sure you’ll do great! Come on, pick an outfit, girl!’.

Gretchen stumbled towards the bed, then surveyed her options. What WAS stylish? What would look good on HER? She really didn’t wanna let Ashley down on the first activity. After a minute of consideration (Ashley reassuring her to take all the time she needed), Gretchen picked a few items she thought Ashley would like, unaware if they fit or not together.

(Revolution 909 - Daft Punk)

Once she came out, however, it was clear they didn’t fit too well. Gretchen had picked yellow parachute pants, an orange bucket hat and a burgundy babydoll slip dress.

Ashley A tried not to cringe or laugh. Ashley M didn’t bother. Gretchen had never been laughed at by a cat before, but she wasn’t enjoying it, she could tell you that. ‘Ha, ha, fuzzball. At least I can wear clothes.’, Gretchen stuck her tongue out, and Ashley M stuck back. ‘Okay, okay, let’s not fight!’, Ashley cried out, having had enough of that during her last sleepover. ‘It’s nothing funny, just… Let’s just say these clothes don’t fit together, and neither do these colors with yours.’

‘Which is?’, Gretchen asked, confused. Ashley shrugged, confused as to why she was confused. ‘Auburn and blue, duh.’

‘Oh. Yeah.’

Ashley patted her back and sat her down again. ‘No worries, you’ll get it next time! Here, let me give you another outfit example!’, and so, she quickly changed into a new outfit.

(Da Funk - Daft Punk)

Ashley’s next outfit was from another piece of media she liked: “Romi and Michelle’s High School Reunion”. ‘Sporting a salmon pink latex minidress, a silver choker and sparkling platform sandals, Ashley A is making Lisa Kurdew look like Lisa Kurpeeyoo!’, Ashley joked, and even Gretchen smiled at that. ‘So humble, too.’, she barbed, and Ashley giggled. ‘Very!’, she retorted, then whipped her hair while striking a confident pose. ‘Well, judges, what do you think? Perfect or Magnifique?’

Gretchen rolled her eyes, then judged it again. ‘Hmm… It’s very flashy, so it fits you.’,

Ashley blushed a little, chuckling. ‘Oh, stop. Don’t, please, I really needed to hear that after the museum.

‘And…’ Gretchen continued, squinting at the ensemble. ‘I like the sandals! They make you taller!’

‘Says the tall person.’, Ashley reminded, and Gretchen smirked. ‘I’m not one of those with a complex. I say the taller the better.’

Ashley nodded, taking note of this too. ‘I see, I see. Yes, white ones for sure.’

‘Hmm?’, Gretchen asked, and Ashley shook her head. ‘Um, nothing! Say, Ashley M, what do you think?’

Ashley M once again offered a shrug sort of score. ‘Dang, she really IS picky!’, Gretchen stated, and Ashley clicked her tongue. ‘I see I’ll have to pull out the big guns. But first, you next!’

Gretchen seemed less enthused again, but she refused to give up so easily. She had to try, for Ashley.

A minute or two later, she had her latest effort on, having spent some time thinking what might look a bit better (and perhaps what already belonged with each other. Mixing and matching didn’t work last time).

(Phoenix - Daft Punk)

This time, she had something more resembling an outfit, thankfully. A black caterpillar-esque faux fur collar duster, a black minidress adorned with flowers and a green mini skirt seemed a far nicer match on her. Ashley thought as much, offering two big thumb’s ups. ‘Oh, schway, double schway! That’s a lot better, Gretchen! Come on, strike a pose!’

Gretchen tried, throwing back her collar duster over her shoulder (like how Ashley whipped her hair), but she accidentally threw it right at Ashley M, who meowed unamused and offered two thumbs downs.

‘...How’d she do that, she’s a cat.’, Gretchen questioned, but Ashley ignored her. ‘Hmm, tough crowd. I still think it looks really nice though! Emerald green really brings out your coolness, and that duster makes you look tres fancy!’

Gretchen’s cheeks reddened, flattered, if conflicted. ‘Thanks, I guess.’

‘What’s wrong?’, Ashley asked, genuinely concerned. Gretchen shrugged, unsure. ‘I don’t know, just… It’s a nice outfit, but I don’t know if it fits ME, you know?’

Ashley nodded, understanding. ‘Fair, fair. But you’re getting better! I’m sure you’ll find something that screams “Gretchen”!’.

Gretchen hoped. She REALLY didn’t want to ruin Ashley’s fun. She just wasn’t sure if this was her kind of game.

Still, she DID enjoy seeing Ashley’s giddy affection for all things fashion.

(Fresh - Daft Punk)

Once Ashley came out with her latest ensemble (a matching soft pink shirt and midi skirt that showed off her belly button like a crop top and definitely didn’t make Gretchen 10% gayer) and started swaying around, performing little dance moves and making flirty faces, Gretchen decided that she liked this game specifically BECAUSE it made Ashley happy. She wasn’t sure if she liked it for herself just yet, but she was happy for Ashley all the same. ‘Quite, um, evocative! I think that’s a good thing. I like that midi skirt thing too, it’s very, um… floaty. Like a cloud. Gosh, I don’t know what I’m saying.’, Gretchen snorted, and Ashley smiled at her, appreciative of the effort and taking note again of what she liked.

Ashley M, however, still wasn’t pleased, and she smirked maliciously as she shook her head and crossed her arms. ‘Wow, what will it take to get a thumb’s up from you?’, Ashley rolled her eyes, while Gretchen gulped. If even Ashley was struggling…

Still, she tried once more. Perhaps she could find something more her style? ‘You said that emerald green fits me. Maybe I can try that? But it didn’t seem to impress Ashley M. Wait, did the bucket hat work or not? Ashley Q wears blue and basically has the same hair color as me. Maybe I should dress like her? Ugh, I don’t know how to play this right!’, Gretchen whined, acting like a kid her age for once, and Ashley, instantly alert to the potential problem, stepped up to bat. ‘Hey, hey, don’t worry! Maybe I shouldn’t have done the whole judging thing. This is supposed to be fun!’

Gretchen sighed, feeling bad instantly. She didn’t want this sleepover to get off to a bad start. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be difficult. I’m really trying to be open minded. But I just don’t get this stuff.’

‘Well, that’s the thing, Gretch! You can! There’s no REAL right or wrong in fashion. Sure, there are general trends and rules, but what really matters is finding what feels like you. You should never conform, unless of course you’re me and you wanna look perfect.’, Ashley explained, making Gretchen feel a little better, though she raised an eyebrow at that last statement. ‘But I can’t tell what feels right for me, and I don’t wanna ruin a game with my total lack of fashion sense!’

‘Ah, but I wouldn’t agree! You’ve been figuring out what you like the whole time!’, Ashley wiggled her eyebrows, as she picked through the piles of clothes on her bed. Gretchen, totally lost, peaked her head from the mountain of clothes to talk to Ashley. ‘Wait, what? Do explain.’

‘Well, on all my outfits you pointed out clothes you like. If we take those clothes and find the right colors for you, I think we just might find something that spells out “Gretchen Grundler”.’, Ashley explained, and she tossed three articles of clothing at Gretchen. ‘Give these a go! Oh, and maybe try and accessorize? I know you like carrying your backpack, maybe that will make it feel more natural!’

Gretchen still wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to give up just yet, so she gave it one last fair shot, sadly sure that she was gonna wipe out once more.

But when she studied the outfit in Ashley’s closet mirror, she felt different. This felt less like putting on a costume, and more like shedding a skin. Like a lizard, she was finding what she really looked like inside, a fresh coat of paint on an old idea, and she… Didn’t mind it at all.

(Around the World - Daft Punk)

When Gretchen came out, Ashley A gasped and Ashley M��s eyes widened, as the resident geek of Third Street finally wore a genuine smile. She was wearing a white and blue plaid/criss cross pattern turtleneck sweater, a burgundy corduroy midi skirt, white platform sandals, and her pink bow now around her neck. It wasn’t exactly in, but it wasn’t exactly out either. It didn’t look like any outfit anyone would wear… Except for Gretchen.

For the first time, she felt confident enough to do so. Draping her backpack on one shoulder, she whipped her pigtails (she wondered if a ponytail could be a good upgrade) and winked at Ashley. ‘And in comes Gretchen Grundler, wearing a look that could only be described as “Schway Academica”. She gets A Pluses and a sur-PLUS of praise, I’m sure.’, she tried to announce herself, unable to not snicker. This was silly and weird and different…

But also kinda fun.

Ashley A stood up and applauded, enchanted. ‘Bravo! Bravo! That is a SCANDALOUS outfit, and I mean that in the good way!’

Gretchen let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. ‘Thank goodness. But I mean, you DID choose the outfit.’

‘No, you did. I simply arranged it.’, Ashley smirked, and Gretchen couldn’t help but smirk back. ‘It really DOES fit me, huh?’, she asked again, and Ashley nodded, before the two remembered the other judge. ‘Oh, Muffin, try and go easy on her. I know it’s not exactly in, but…’, Ashley started, only for Ashley M to get on her 4 paws and start to walk all around Gretchen, observing every angle. After much consideration, and the two girls almost shaking in anticipation, Ashley M finally offered her verdict: A nod, a smile, and a thumb’s up.

‘Oh my gosh! Gretchen, you won! Again, not that winning matters, but still! You won on your first try!’, Ashley whooped, clapping her hands, while Gretchen sat down on the bed, a little dizzy. ‘Wow! Really? That’s… That’s honestly such a nice feeling. I always thought I was, well… Unstylish.’

‘I told you once you weren’t and I’l say it again.. Your looks fit you. And I like you.’, Ashley doubled down, and Gretchen could have cried right there and then, but she chose not to. ‘Could we maybe try on a few more outfits? Just for fun?’, she asked, and Ashley happily nodded, adding a caveat. ‘But let’s just try some random ones! I think it will be more fun than competing!’

Gretchen agreed, and soon, the two were laughing and enjoying each new outfit they tried. They went for matching Metallic minidresses with dark eyeshadow (‘We look like robots!’, Gretchen pointed out, and after a laugh, the girls both started making beeping noises. ‘That really fits the music!’, Ashley pointed out too), Sparkly long sleeve crop tops with matching flared pants (‘Watch out, I’m a spinning disco ball!’, Ashley cried as she and Gretchen spun into each other), and red one piece swimsuits with rescue tubes (‘Baywatch: 9 Year Old’s bedroom edition’, Gretchen suddenly remarked, making Ashley belly laugh hard). Eventually, they were both exhausted, each one wearing leopard jumpsuits with oversized sunglasses and black gloves. ‘Darling, as much as I do enjoy dressing up with you, we do have a lot on the agenda for today. Perhaps we shall venture forth to our next activity?’, Ashley asked in a fake posh accent, making Gretchen giggle, before she attempted the same. ‘Oh, I suppose, old bean, I suppose.’

Ashley giggled again, playfully slapping Gretchen’s bucket hat off. ‘Old bean?’

‘I don’t know, it was the first thing that popped into my head.’, Gretchen chuckled, as the two sighed happily and leaned their heads. ‘Good start so far, I’d say.’, she said, feeling a little lighter. ‘I was worried I’d find a way to screw things up.’

‘Oh, stop. If anything, I was worried I would. Especially after my last sleepover.’, Ashley voiced sadly, and Gretchen hummed sympathetically and patted her friend's head. ‘Hey, no thinking like that, from both of us. Put aside the friendship experiment. We both REALLY need a day like this.’

‘You’re right. What we need is a day with no bossiness or anxiety or limits. A day where we’re free just to be ourselves. Which is why I think our next activity should be chosen by you.’, Ashley replied, agreeing, and Gretchen’s eyes widened with surprise. ‘Wait, really? But I’m the guest, and you’re the slumber party expert!’

‘While both things are true, I insist. I don’t like it when I don’t get to choose. Why would I want you to feel that way too? Besides, when I was at your house, we tried things I like and you like. I think it’s only fair we do the same here.’, Ashley stood her ground, and Gretchen felt very thankful. ‘I’d be honored to choose an activity! And I think I have just the one!’

A few minutes later…

SLAM!

Gretchen, now back in her atom PJ’s (though she hoped she could wear that outfit she made one day when she visited again), slammed her activity choice onto the bed she and Ashley were now lying on, both surrounded by comfy plushies, with some nice jasmine tea to soothe their spirits. ‘Ta da! I present to you my favorite board game: “Trivial Pursuit”, Tenth Anniversary edition!’

Ashley, back in her heart PJ’s, ooh’d without any knowledge. ‘Ooh! …What is that?’

Remembering a show Ashley had referenced once, Gretchen used it as an example. ‘It’s like Wheel of Fortune, but without the wheel and the questions aren’t just guessing a word.’

‘Ah, so Jeopardy, but without answering in the form of a question!’, Ashley snapped her fingers, then pouted. ‘I’m bad at Jeopardy though! Except for the Pop Culture questions, of course!’

‘Well, there ARE pop culture questions in this, but… Okay, you’ll see.’, Gretchen began explaining, as she set the colorful board up. It was a circle with 6 rectangles that led into a hexagon, the starting point. ‘Each color here corresponds to a different category: Blue for Geography, Pink for Entertainment, Yellow for History, Brown for Arts and Literature, Green for Science and Nature, Orange for Sports and Leisure.’

Ashley bit her lip. She was confident in only one category. ‘Ooh… Tricky.’

Gretchen, seemingly ignoring her concern, pressed on. ‘So, we gotta move around the board and anytime we land on a square, we have to answer a question corresponding to the color. So let’s say you land on Green, you’ll have to answer a Science and Nature question. If you get it right, you get another turn. You use that to get to these spaces here on the outside circle, the ones with wedge symbols on them. So if you get the corresponding question right, you get a wedge.’, she picked up a green wedge. ‘You then place it in your playing piece here, this circle.’ she did just that. ‘If you answer incorrectly, you have to go back and try again. Once you collect all 6 category wedges, you can go to the hub here right in the center, where we started, and the other player will choose a question for you to answer. If you answer right, you win! Simple, no?’

Ashley, eyes all dizzy, laid out her only observation. ‘...This is making me think of Pie. Now I wish we had Shoofly Pie.’

Gretchen chuckled and took the dice. ‘I promise it’s not hard! You’ll see, it will be fun, just like those game shows you like!’

‘Is there a prize?’, Ashley asked, eyes lit up and sparkly. She almost begged like a dog, hands clasped to each other. Gretchen shrugged and decided to throw her a bone. ‘Sure, um… Winner gets to pick the toppings on our pizza order.’

‘Yay! Wait, I never said we’re ordering a pizza. Gretchen, are you using my wealth?’, Ashley teased, and Gretchen whistled innocently. ‘Me? Never. Just saying, we’re gonna need something before dinner…’.

Ashley smirked and let it slide. ‘As if I’d say no. But I hope you like a lot of hot sausage and roasted peppers!’

Gretchen didn’t often buy at fast food places, and when she did they kept toppings down to, well, none. So she was down for anything. ‘Sure thing! But that’s IF you win.’, she reminded, and that made Ashley gulp. Could she?

Now informed on how the game worked, the two girls began their battle of wits and pizza. Two rolls later, and it was determined that Ashley would start. Looking around the board, she found the entertainment wedge space, and elected to go towards that. Rolling her die, she got a 1, which meant…

‘Yellow space, History!’, Gretchen called, and she lifted a card from her nice black cardboard box. Narrowing her eyes, she asked Ashley the question. ‘What year did Pakistan gain independence and split from India?’

Ashley gaped a little, not expecting such a hard question. ‘How am I supposed to know that? I didn’t even know Countries can divorce!’

‘Oh, it wasn’t a… Well, I guess it kind of was a divorce… Well, regardless, try and guess. It wasn’t long ago!’, Gretchen hinted, hoping that would help Ashley. Ashley bit her finger, trying to rouse up any sort of genius thought. ‘Okay, so I’ve never heard of Pakistan… But India, let’s see… Wait, isn’t that where the Jungle Book is? Yeah, that’s it! Okay, so she said not so long ago, and that movie came out 4 years ago, so…’, and with that, she clapped her hands and pointed at Gretchen. ‘1994!’

Gretchen rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish. ‘Um, close…’

Ashley snapped her fingers and pouted again. ‘Oh, whomps! When was it then? Was I really close?’

‘...1948 isn’t SO far away from 1994, if you take into account this universe’s age…’, Gretchen tried, but it wasn’t helping. Ashley felt really dumb for that mistake. ‘Oh…’

‘Hey, don’t worry, that one was tricky! I’m sure you’ll get it next time! Now, my turn!’, Gretchen tried to distract, and she rolled a 3 towards her destination, the green Science and Nature wedge, which was right next to Ashley’s pink Entertainment wedge. Ashley lifted the card and smirked. ‘Well, time to put your money where your mouth is, local genius!’

Gretchen smirked back and made a “Come at me” motion. ‘Bring it on, Armbruster!’

Ashley chuckled and read the question, positive it would be tricky too and make her feel less bad. She barely understood it herself! ‘Which country’s currency features the big 5 animals, whatever that is, a.k.a the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo?’. She placed the card down and crossed her arms, smirking even more smugly. ‘Wow, you were right, Gretchy, these questions are tough! I guess we’re both gonna stru…’

But after a few seconds of thought, Gretchen shot back ‘South Africa’s South African Rand.’

Ashley’s eyes widened. She looked down at the card, back at Gretchen, then back at the card again just to make sure. ‘...Yeah! H…How did you know that? South Africa is like… All the way in Africa!’

‘I read a lot.’, Gretchen replied simply. ‘Plus, it’s been their currency for 6 years.’

Ashley gulped. Maybe it was only gonna be tough for her. ‘Well, um, I believe it’s still your turn, so…’

Gretchen nodded, smiling at her early success, and she moved 1 space towards another yellow space, History again. Ashley felt a little lighter again. She KNEW the history questions were hard, so surely now Gretchen would struggle.

Lifting the card, she read out the question with blind confidence. ‘This Civil War nurse founded the American Red Cross.’ No way would she get this right instantly!

‘Clara Barton.’, Gretchen replied instantly, and Ashley gritted her teeth, taken aback by Gretchen’s superior brain power. ‘Right again. You’re… Good at this.’

‘Yep! I beat my parents all the time!’, Gretchen bragged a little, not considering how much harder this made the game look for Ashley. ‘Her parents are literal brainiacs! What chance do I have?!’, she thought, as Gretchen rolled another 1, getting a Sports and Leisure question.

‘Wait, Sports? Leisure? That’s gotta be the one! Gretchen might be a genius, but she’s NO sports fan, that’s for sure!’, Ashley thought, rubbing her hands in glee. She didn’t mean to be mean, she just wasn’t looking forward to being wrong about everything and playing against someone who was always right. This was her chance to finally look less stupid! Picking up the card, she read the question while staring intently at Gretchen, almost daring her to answer incorrectly already. ‘True or False: a standard sized basketball has over 35,000 dots?’. Ashley chuckled sinisterly. There was no…

‘True.’, Gretchen replied instantly, and Ashley gaped. ‘W…What the…’

Gretchen blushed, a lil sheepish. ‘Vince likes Basketball, so I try to retain at least a smattering of knowledge. Plus, I got bored during one of his games once and counted all the dots.’

Ashley’s eye twitched, but she refused to act like a brat. Eventually, Gretchen would make a mistake.

Gretchen rolled, needing a 1 for the wedge… And she got a 3.

‘YES! UH HUH, UH HUH, ALL RIGHT!’, Ashley victory danced, only to realize what it looked like, and sit down, red from embarrassment. ‘Um… That is… Ooh… Bad luck…’

Gretchen raised a knowing eyebrow, trying to understand. Having just herself experienced doing badly at a game someone else was master at, she didn’t feel annoyed at Ashley’s need for her to stumble. ‘Well, sorry to tell you this, but I can land on this roll again square.’

Ashley bit her tongue as Gretchen rolled a 2, meaning she could win the green wedge after all. Hands shaking, she lifted the card and read it. ‘FE is the abbreviation for which element on the periodic table?’

‘Oh, that’s easy! Iron!’, Gretchen replied matter of factly, placing the green wedge in her circle, and it was THAT that finally set Ashley off. ‘Oh for fuck sake!’

‘Woah, Ashley, calm down!’, Gretchen cried, as Ashley M bristled up from the curse. Ashley, acting kinda whiney, threw her arms wide and complained. ‘Why should I? I’m not even getting to answer any questions, not that I’d get any of them right! I couldn’t have guessed a single one! Meanwhile, you’re treating it like it’s first grade!’

‘Well, for me it kind of is. That iron question was easy.’, Gretchen explained, a lil miffed at the reaction, only for Ashley to counter with ‘Easy for YOU!’.

The popular girl looked away, clearly embarrassed by both her failings and reaction to said failings. Gretchen, feeling a bit bad too, placed a comforting hand on Ashley’s shoulder, and the heiress instantly felt terrible. ‘Oh, look at me, I’m ruining our slumber party.’

‘Oh, you’re not ruining it! What’s a get together of ours without a lil drama?’, Gretchen quipped, which made Ashley chuckle. The sound lifted a weight off of Gretchen’s heart instantly. ‘Besides, I was struggling with our last game, remember? It’s not just you.’

‘You didn’t act like a baby. Ugh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bad loser. I’m actually shockingly okay with that when I play games with the other Ashleys, believe it or not.’, Ashley explained, and Gretchen smiled sassily. ‘I must admit, I would expect you to be a bad loser most times.’

‘I know, right?’, Ashley joked, making Gretchen laugh a little. ‘But honest, I’m usually not that bothered. I guess, just, I’m not used to feeling so... Dumb.’

‘You’re not dumb!’, Gretchen instantly corrected her, almost sounding angry. Memories of the makeup museum flooded, and she refused to relive that moment. ‘Look, everyone has different strengths! I got lucky, I’d normally fail a sports question! Here, try another, I’m not kidding!’

Ashley shrugged and tried, even though she doubted it would work. ‘Um, well, The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in which city?’.

For the first time that afternoon, Gretchen seemed stumped. Her pupils actually shrunk a little as she scratched her chin in thought. ‘Um… Oh, wow, um… Hmm… I know the New York Yankees are the most successful team… New York?’

Ashley shrugged, unsure. ‘Well, um, it DOES say New York, but I think you need to name a specific town in the state.’

‘Oh. Um…’, Gretchen really struggled now, and went for a shot in the dark. ‘Albany?’

‘No, it’s Cooperstown.’, Ashley replied, but this time she toned herself down. She wouldn’t celebrate Gretchen being wrong… Even if she did kind of enjoy that she wasn’t perfect at the game. No one wanted to play against someone who always won, after all.

‘Here, see? I really didn’t know that! I promise I didn’t pretend!’, Gretchen crossed her heart. ‘I swear on… On how annoying Randal is!’

‘Oh, gee, that’s a serious oath.’, Ashley admitted, feeling a bit better now. ‘Okay, I see. You’re right, I was just being a bad loser. But still, I wish I got to answer more. I doubt you’ll be getting a lot wrong.’

Gretchen nodded, and opted for a different path. ‘Okay, hear me out: Instead of playing the game the normal way, how about we each take turns asking each other questions, from all the categories? That way, we both get to ask and answer, and eventually, you’ll start learning all this stuff, and you’ll be able to really go up against me in a game?’

Ashley had to admit, it sounded like a plan. ‘I’d like that. Though I do feel bad that we have to change the game because of me.’, she admitted, but Gretchen reassured her. ‘And you changed the game for me when we played with your clothes! I’m here to have fun with you, not win. And I won’t have fun if you don’t have fun.’

Ashley closed her eyes, remembering last week, and how she couldn’t have had a conversation like this with the Ashleys. Gretchen could be spoken to. Gretchen was her friend.

She opened them and smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’m having fun.’

Gretchen smiled back, and so, the two girls played in a new way, both asking and answering, no stakes attached.

And with no stakes, Ashley found herself doing a lot better (or, well, at least having fun, even when she lost). She even got a few questions right, even if admittedly they were in the entertainment category.

And after a few tries, she was starting to get better at the other categories too. ‘Which Dinosaur name means fast thief: Velocirapter, Triceratops or Pterodactyl?’, Gretchen asked, and Ashley, remembering their visit to the dinosaur exhibit in the museum, and Gretchen speaking of terms such as velocity in a different exhibit, made an educated guess. ‘I, like, remember you saying velocity was about speed, and velociraptor sounds like velocity, plus you did say they were good at grabbing stuff back in the museum, so… That one?’, she tried, shrugging cutely, and Gretchen was pleased to tell her she was ‘Correct!’

Ashley cheered, pumping her fist. ‘Yay! I’m smart!’

Gretchen couldn’t help an affectionate smile. ‘I’d have to agree.’

Ding dong! The doorbell rang.

‘Ooh, our pizza is here!’, Ashley grinned, swiveling her head towards the door like a dog, before swiveling back with a sheepish smile. ‘Still not sure why you told me to pick the toppings anyway.’

‘Eh, I don’t know much about pizza. That’s your expertise.’, Gretchen acquiesced, and Ashley elbowed her as they stood up. ‘Wish that was a category in the game.’

Gretchen chuckled, before adding ‘Speaking of the game, would you like it if I lent you one of my trivia books? It could help you answer more questions correctly when we play next time! That is, um, if you want to play again.’, she added, realizing she was getting ahead of herself.

Ashley, however, smiled and nodded. ‘I’d be thrilled! And if you want, I could lend you some fashion magazines, for next time we play model runway! Like, um, if you’d be down for that and junk.’, she added, realizing she was getting ahead of herself too, but like Ashley, Gretchen was okay with that. ‘Affirmative! It was fun!’

Ashley let out a giddy squeal as Gretchen walked up the door without her. This slumber party was off to a great start!

As they opened the door, however, they both reacted with surprise at the pizza delivery man. One, the man looked like a girl with a fake moustache. Two, her Roma’s Pizza outfit seemed fake, mostly thanks to the cardboard sign over it that said “Roma’s Pizza” with crayola. Finally, there was the fact that they could hear the actual pizza delivery man huffing and puffing behind the girl, having clearly had his delivery stolen. ‘Hello!’, the girl asked in the worst Italian accent ever. ‘It’s a me, the delivery man, um, Pietro! Say, um, could you rate your delivery, and by delivery, I mean experience together so far? Perhaps it’s a lot nicer than you’d expect for a girl supposedly just testing another girl to see if she can hang out with her cousin?’

Ashley gasped, happy for an excuse to gush about Gretchen. ‘Oh, you came at a great time! It was going badly at first, but we’re just a level above, you know, and…’, she started, only for Gretchen to clasp Ashley’s mouth and shake her head. ‘Whoever you are, this is really pathetic and obvious. Who put you up to this? Was it Ashley B? I bet it was.’

The girl eeped, as the real delivery man took the box and shook his head. ‘Pardon the disturbance, ma’am.’

Ashley, now able to talk, waved it off. ‘No problem! Here’s a tip.’, she said, absentmindedly handing 100 bucks. The delivery man's eyes widened, and he tipped his hat. ‘Thank you, ma’am!’

The girl huffed, crossing her arms. ‘And where’s MY tip?’

‘Here’s one: Go play in traffic.’, Gretchen burned, then slammed the door. The girl, Penny, of course, sighed and took off the moustache. ‘Disguise over disguise. You’d think it would be a crowd pleaser!’

Gretchen clenched her fists while Ashley happily hummed and opened the box for them, getting plates and cutlery (she wasn’t planning on getting her room or hands all yucky with cheese!). ‘Ugh, even now we have to deal with this crap!’

‘Oh, don’t worry, Gretchy! We handled that… Or, well, you handled that in no time! We’re totally fine!’, she relaxed, wafting the pizza small below her friend, who looked pretty hungry. ‘Come on, let’s chow down and move onto the next activity! It’s MY turn to pick!’

Gretchen calmed herself and skipped up the stairs with Ashley, eager to know what was next. ‘Has it got anything to do with your makeup kit, ‘cause I AM a mite curious, after our latest museum trip!’

‘Fair guess, but no! I’ve got something I’ve been hoping to do with you since, well, pretty much since our OTHER museum trip!’, Ashley announced, as she went into a different closet of hers, which was full of all kinds of toys and gadgets. Once she was out, she was holding a silver machine, one that looked a lot like a VCR or massive CD player, with Microphones attached to it. Placing it down, she then lifted a CD from her rack and placed it in, then attached the whole thing to her TV set. Gretchen, meanwhile, sat through the whole display with a puzzled expression, scratching her chin in thought. ‘I must admit, for once, I’m lost. WHAT is this?’

‘You really don’t know? It’s not anything new! Though I suppose someone like you wouldn’t know too much about something like this.’, Ashley admitted, as the screen suddenly flashed with a familiar band name and a word Gretchen had definitely heard once. Once her mind connected the dots, she paled just a little bit. This was DEFINITELY outside her wheelhouse.

‘Yep! It’s a Karaoke machine!’, Ashley finally revealed, wearing an almost sinister grin as she giggled menacingly. ‘And finally, after all this time, I’m gonna hear Gretchen sing! And not just that, but she’s gonna sing SPICE GIRLS!!!’, she screamed, shaking her fists and bouncing, while Gretchen gulped. ‘Gee, we’re REALLY testing how compatible we are, huh?’, Gretchen breathed out, wringing her hands. Still, Ashley had given her game a fair shot. It was only right to try. Besides, Ashley had proven herself to have better taste than she realized a bunch of times.

Not that it made her shake any less as she sat on the bed, one hand holding a slice, one hand holding a microphone. ‘Well, um, in the interest of fairness, I suppose I could…’

‘YAY LET’S DO IT’, Ashley exclaimed, and she locked in on the first song in the disc, “Wannabe”. The poppy melody began, and the words flashed on the screen. Some lines were written in a bold font, some in italics. ‘The italics are the other singer, let’s make it you!’, Ashley quickly explained, and before Gretchen could ask for more info, the first sentence turned yellow, indicating it was Ashley’s turn to sing.

‘Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!’, Ashley sang out loudly, shaking her hair and hips, eyes closed in pure bliss.

Suddenly, the words Gretchen had to sing turned yellow, a lot faster than she expected. Panicking and shy, she half whispered half coughed out ‘So, um, tell me what you w-want, what you really, r-really want’.

‘Louder, Gretchen, we gotta make the world hear us!’, Ashley crowed, and she sang her next part while pretending to play an air guitar. ‘I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!’.

The same words as before popped up, and Gretchen again stammered slowly through the words, constantly missing her cues. ‘S-So tell me what you want, um, what you really, really want?’

‘Okay, now you do the hey’s!’, Ashley directed, as she stepped to the beat. Gretchen, confused by what she meant, caught on late. ‘I wanna (um), I wanna (oh), I wanna (got it), I wanna (hey), I wanna really, really wanna zig-a-zig, ah!’

‘Oh, sorry, I missed the…’, Gretchen started apologizing, but Ashley shut her up. ‘No problem, but the next verse is up! Now I do 2 lines, you do 2 lines, go!’.

Gretchen gulped audibly, knees buckling, as Ashley began to make silly singing poses, dragging her open palm across the air and whipping her hair all around. ‘If you want my future, forget my past!’

Gretchen, squinting at the line, mumbled out ‘If you wanna get with me, better make it fast? Gee, that’s a little forward.’

‘Now, don’t go wasting, my precious time!’, Ashley made a “no, naughty” finger wag at Gretchen, which made her worry she was doing badly. As if talking to herself, she choked out ‘Get your act together, we could be just fine.’

And then, the refrain returned. ‘I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!’, Ashley belted out, on her knees, practically screaming the lyrics. Gretchen, attempting to copy her, got on her knees too. ‘So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.’

‘I wanna (oh yeah this), I wanna (hey), I wanna (hey), I wanna (hey), I wanna really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig, ah!’, the two girls sang together, and Ashley quickly complimented her with a wink. ‘WAY BETTER, NOW QUICK, SAME TIME!’, she shouted, and before Gretchen could feel good about her improvement, the chorus came.

‘If you wanna be my lover (oh geez),

You gotta get with my friends (gotta get with my friends),

Make it last forever,

Friendship never ends (I hope),

If you wanna be my lover,

You have got to give,

Taking is too easy,

But that’s the way it is!’

Suddenly, Ashley paused the song, and Gretchen, breathing heavily, wondered what happened. ‘Geez, did I flub my lines? I’m sorry…’

‘No, no, it’s okay! It’s just a really fast song, I needed a moment to take a bite.’, Ashley explained, biting her pizza, cheese stringing around the slice. Gretchen decided to take a bite too. The momentary silence allowed Ashley to pursue her real reason to pause. ‘So, um, first time singing next to someone else?’, Ashley asked, and Gretchen sighed apologetically. ‘Yes and no. I’ve done school plays and bus songs and stuff. It’s not like I’ve NEVER sung at all, it’s just… Different when it’s one on one. With songs I’m not super familiar with.’

Ashley frowned sympathetically, edging nearer on the bed, almost like an apologetic puppy. ‘I didn’t make you anxious, right?’

Gretchen was quick to reassure her. ‘Not at all! I’m not against doing this, promise! Just a little new. Maybe a lil embarrassed of my singing voice. Yours is way nicer.’, Gretchen confessed, red tinting her cheeks. She knew she sounded all off key.

And she was right.

Ashley, however, was fueled by friendship and undiagnosed lesbian-vision, and so she shook her head. ‘I think you sound wonderful!’, she said whole heartedly, and Gretchen felt her cheeks sting even harder, as if a bee of homosexual romance had stung her. ‘R…Really?’

Yeah, it’s super pleasing! You don’t have to hide it! Sing as loud as you want, Gretchy, no one’s here but Nellie, and she’s probably too distracted by a fly to listen!’, Ashley again reassured, and feeling a lil braver, Gretchen tried her best. ‘Okay… Press play.’

Verse 2 now started, Ashley quickly instructing that it was 2 lines each again. Gretchen, thinking of how hard Ashley kept trying with her things, narrowed her eyes with determination. ‘Come on, Grundler, it’s just a song. You can create particle accelerators in your sleep, this is nothing! Ace this for Ash!’.

‘Oh, what you think about that,

Now you know how I feel!’, Ashley sang dramatically, eyes closed and clenched fist, before grinning like a cat at Gretchen. Gretchen started to catch on: this was meant to be fun. Why not just loosen up?

Thinking back to her old pest, Jeremy, Gretchen channeled those thoughts into her lyrics, pointing as if to him. ‘Say you could handle my love,

Are you for real? (Are you for real?)’, Ashley added the repeat, then gave Gretchen a thumb’s up as she continued. ‘I won’t be hasty, I’ll give you a try.’, she pointed at Gretchen, who grinned and pointed back at her. ‘If you really bug me, then I’ll say goodbye!’

Suddenly, as if in sync, as if realizing that this song was oddly prophetic, prophetic of their friends latching onto them and over controlling, symbolic of this sleepover being a rare moment of peace, a chance to just be free, be themselves, the two girls bent over a tad, rocked their heads and backs side to side, and sang in perfect harmony.

‘Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!’

‘So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!’

‘I wanna (hey!), I wanna (hey!), I wanna (hey!), I wanna (hey!),

I wanna, really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig, ah!’

Enthused by each other’s energy, the two kept on singing the rest of the song, bouncing up and down the room and the bed, pretending they were rock stars on the grandest stage of them all. Hair flew everywhere, elbows struck corners, and arms linked as they rocked around the room, one big circle of euphoric freedom.

‘If you wanna be my lover,

You gotta get with my friends (gotta get with my friends),

Make it last forever,

Friendship never ends!

If you wanna be my lover,

You have got to give (You’ve got to give),

Taking is too easy,

But that’s the way it is!’.

And suddenly, the mic wire tangled up and disconnected alongside the karaoke machine, meaning they had to reset the disc. ‘Oh, whomps! Sorry, I didn’t mean to…’, Gretchen started, but Ashley laughed and shook her head. ‘Sorry? That was BOMB!!! I haven’t had such a fun Karaoke session in literal years!’.

Gretchen was supremely touched. ‘Wow, Ash… You know how to make a girl feel good.’, she admitted, placing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ashley grinned again, feeling a strange sort of fire from seeing her bestie so happy. ‘Learned from the best!’, she complimented again, then turned the machine on again. ‘Hmm… We pretty much did the first song, how about we do a different one? I’m feeling like we could use something slower, to calm down. Maybe…’, Ashley pondered the selection, making tiny hum noises as she rocked her head gently side to side, like she was some sort of clock. Gretchen blushed as her heart pounded a little faster. ‘Not another strange thought. I wish I’d finally get them on another girl. It’s not like I’d ever go there with Ashley.’, she thought, hopeful this was the gayest it would get until midnight.

‘Ooh, 2 Becomes 1! A little SPICY ROMANCE, eh?’, she suggested, shaking her shoulders and wiggling her eyebrows at Gretchen, who blushed so hard you’d think she was the tomato sauce on their pizza (which during this break they were devouring. 9 year old girls get hungry). ‘Me and my big mouth. Er, brain.’, Gretchen thought, as Ashley put on the next song, which had a nice, slow buildup to its beginning.

‘3 lines each this time!’, Ashley explained, and Gretchen nodded, more confident this time (if a tad embarrassed). ‘Maybe it’s not THAT romantic…’, she thought, as the first lines flashed.

‘Candle light and soul forever,

A dream of you and me together,

Say you believe it, say you believe it!’, Ashley sang sensually (well, as sensually as a 9 year old girl with a mouthful of pizza can), as Gretchen felt her bones shake, this time from gay panic. ‘Dear lord, these Spice Girls could tone it down a little.’, Gretchen mused, hoping her lines were laced with less implications concerning the girl she was singing with.

‘Free your mind of doubt and danger,

Be for real, don’t be a stranger,

We can achieve it, we can achieve it.’

‘Gee, subtle.’, Gretchen thought with an unamused frown. What, were the Spice Girls trying to get her to confess to Gretchen? ‘What an absurd proposition. Who imagines celebrities encouraging you to come out of the closet to your friend?’, she thought, unaware of the intense irony.

Still, it couldn’t get wo…

‘Come a little bit closer, baby,

Get it on, get it on,

‘Cause tonight, is the night, when two become one…’, Ashley sang even more sensually and soulfully, making a “Come over here” finger wag at Gretchen, shaking her hips like a pop star would, her eyes enchanting and alluring.

Gretchen gulped so audibly, you’d have thought she was a cartoon mouse swallowing a ridiculously large piece of cheese. ‘If someone is really up there, could you stop?’, she begged.

No can do, Gretch. The public demands more gay moments.

Passionately gripping Gretchen’s hand (oh, Ashley, one day you’ll look back at all this and explode), Ashley serenaded like all cats do when they go to a fence in the backyard: Loudly, screechily, and without care. ‘I NEED SOME LOVE LIKE I NEVER NEEDED LOVE BEFORE!’

Gretchen’s line delivery was a lot more muted, filled with a “I really don’t want to sing such explicitly romantic and suggestive lines concerning my sort of best friend” vibe. ‘Wanna… Make… Love… To… You… Baby…’, she barely managed to say, eyes shifting around, as if someone was watching.

Wait, someone (Penny) was watching, and lifting up a camera too.

Thankfully, Ashley M had foreseen this, so when Penny placed her elbows and arms on the window ledge for leverage…

SPLAT!

It moved a string that was keeping up a bowl full of gourmet cat food.

‘...Am I really getting Home Alone’d by a cat? Is THAT my role today?’, Penny questioned.

Yes.

Moving on.

‘I HAD A LITTLE LOVEEEEEEEE, NOW I’M BACK FOR MOREEEEEEEEEEEEE (Wanna… Make… Love… To… You… Baby), SET YOUR SPIRIT FREE… IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’, Ashley sang with fire, Gretchen with shivers post a dip in ice water. ‘I can’t keep singing this, this is REALLY suggestive! At least when a rap song does it you can barely hear thanks to all the fast singing! I mean, how can I rouse up the courage to come out to Ashley if I’m gonna get stupid reminders of it all the time? I should ask her to move to a different…’, she started, only to see how happy Ashley was as she was singing. The dramatic girl was twirling around with her teddy, Bear Spice, and singing as if to her, her other hand holding a slice of pizza as if it were a microphone. She had honestly forgotten her actual mic in all the excitement. ‘Silly games that you were playing, empty words we both were saying, let’s work it out, boy, let’s work it out, boyyyyyy…’.

Gretchen stared at all this endearing adorable dorkiness, and she knew she could keep going for Ashley. Plus, the last song turned fun. Maybe this one would? It surely couldn’t get more suggestive! Adjusting her glasses to observe the screen, she sang out ‘Any deal that we endeavor, boys and girls feel good together (okay, sure, for SOME people), take it or leave it, take it or leave ittttt…’

Gretchen felt good when Ashley seemed pleased. This was kinda fun when she just let go. As long as there wasn’t another really sensual line…

‘Are you as good as I remember, baby?

Get it on, get it on,

‘Cause tonight, is the night, when two become oneeeeee…’

Gretchen sighed. Okay, so maybe this one was more of an on and off experience.

But to be fair, it was far more frequently on than off. As they went through song after song, Gretchen found herself getting more and more into the experience, despite her original reservations concerning the band and the very idea of singing next to just one person. When the two did “Love Thing”, it calmed Gretchen a bit from all the gay thoughts (not that she would NECESSARILY mind a love thing with Ashley, she WAS pretty… And she was panicking again. Brilliant), plus it was a really fun song to dance too. When they performed “If U Can’t Dance”, which, fittingly, meant a lot of dancing, Gretchen realized she was doing something she’d never done before. She was a quiet girl, not one against a little rough housing or activity, but one most likely to be found sitting or lying down peacefully in her room, not jumping up all over the gaff and burning all her energy, drowning herself in sweat and adrenaline. Yet, the more she sang with Ashley and just let loose, the more she realized that she kind of liked this freedom. Here she was, singing and dancing without a care in the world, her beloved friend right by her side. They weren’t particularly good or particularly talented, but it didn’t matter. No one was laughing at her or judging her. It was JUST fun, and for the first time in a while, Gretchen really got to relish that.

However, after a rousing rendition of “Last Time Lover” (which, while suggestive too, was funky enough to distract Gretchen), they finally reached the one that really had a point to make for Gretchen. ‘Okay, last song for now! I’m gettin’ a lil tired!’, Ashley pitched, and Gretchen nodded, finishing her final slice. ‘Sure thing! I could use a momentary respite too!’

‘Yes, that, mmm hmm.’, Ashley nodded, clearly unfamiliar with the word but moving on. Moving between the options, she landed on “Say You’ll Be There”. Her expression turned from eager and giddy to a little shy and emotional. ‘This one’s my favorite, believe it or not. It might not sound super emotional or sad at first, but… Well, let’s just say this song really opened my eyes.’

Gretchen didn’t have the context (for those readers who do want to, that was back in Chapter 17), but she could tell from Ashley’s tone and expression that those weren’t empty words. ‘Go ahead.’, she agreed, trying her best to be supportive.

Ashley selected the song, lifted her mic, and sat down on the bed. Gretchen, sensing the change in tone, sat down too. A small intro played, then a poppier intro followed, then the song began.

‘Ah, say you’ll be there!’, Ashley suddenly chorused, and Gretchen jumped and tried to follow with her lines, though she mostly wanted to read between them, and see what this exactly meant for Ashley. ‘I’m giving you everything, all that joy can bring, this I swear…’

The two seated girls had different singing styles for sure: Ashley, even now, would rock her body side to side, hair strands floating in the wind and eyes sparkling with elation and tears. Gretchen, meanwhile, shifted between stiff and loose, voice steady yet shaky, but forever true.

‘Last time, that we had this conversation,

I decided we should be friends, hey

But now, we’re going ‘round in circles,

Tell me, will this deja vu never end? Oh!’

Gretchen observed Ashley as intently as she could before it was her turn to sing. Ashley’s voice was lacking the oomph, this time clearly more in tune with her emotions. The song was clearly more about a romance, as always, but Gretchen felt like what it meant for Ashley was slightly different. Picking up her mic, she sang her lyrics and really analyzed them too.

‘And now you tell me that you’ve fallen in love,

Well I never ever thought that would be, ayy,

This time, you gotta take it easy,

Throwing far too much emotions at me’.

This could reflect the other Ashleys and their mood swing friendship with Ashley A lately. Everytime it seemed the girls had made peace or buried the hatchet, something (usually Ashley B) terrible would rear its ugly head and they were back to square one. That seemed quite reasonable to the young science lover.

‘But, at the same time, there’s a second valid interpretation: Ashley’s relationship with me.’, Gretchen mused, going over the words again. ‘We too keep going back and forth between enemies, friends, partners, possible besties. Considering all the uncertainty with the other Ashleys, Ashley probably wishes I’d be her guarantee, but right now I’m not. And now I’m really giving her the most I’ve given. It’s probably overwhelming. She probably wishes I’d just decide if this is happening or not.’

Gretchen’s analysis was shaping up to be even more accurate with the chorus.

‘But any fool can see they’re falling,

I gotta make you understand….

I’M, giving you EVERYthing,

All that JOY can bring, THIS I swear (I’ll give you everything)

AND, all that I want from you, is a promise you, will be there.’

‘Say you will be there…’, Gretchen added, but she kept her glance at Ashley, seeing the girl’s genuine expressions. The eyes no longer reflected fun: They reflected a desperate plea, pure and utter longing for this to be true, of both the Ashleys AND Gretchen.

‘Ow, say you will be there!

Oh, won’t you sing it with me?’, Ashley post chorused, making it even clearer.

It was still her turn with Verse 2 and the following pre-chorus, and if it wasn’t subtle before…

‘If you, put two and two together,

You will see what our friendship is for, oh

If you, can’t work this equation,

Then I guess I’ll have to show you the door.

There’s no need to say you love me,

It would be better left unsaid…’

‘It’s almost like this was written for us.’, Gretchen exclaimed quietly to herself, shocked at the words. It was like a sign, like destiny. Somehow, someway, this Spice Girls song was posing her the question of this entire slumber party/sleepover: Could she truly commit? Could she truly be best friends with Ashley?

And truthfully, Gretchen wasn’t sure.

But when it was her turn to back up the main vocals, she knew that the words she sang weren’t false, either. Could she? Maybe, maybe not.

Did she want to?

With every last breath she took.

‘I’m (I’m), giving you everything (I’ll give you everything) (Gretchen looked at Ashley, able to remember the words and focus only on her),

All that joy can bring (All that joy can bring) (Gretchen sang towards Ashley, ignoring her anxiety and uncertainty, channeling her love for her into the words),

This I swear (Yes, I swear) (Gretchen vowed, again ignoring her heart palpitations at such an obligation),

And (And), all that I want from you (All I want from you)

Is a promise you (is a promise you) will be there,

Yeah, I want you!’

As the harmonica solo played, and Ashley stared at Gretchen with those blue eyes that begged and shimmered, Gretchen’s hazel eyes strengthened. ‘I’ll gay panic later.’, she resolved, and standing up, she sort of curtsied and bowed a little, then offered her hand. To dance. With Ashley.

Ashley didn’t know she was gay yet, but once she did, she would never forget this moment, and she would never forgive Gretchen for ruining her taste in girls. How was anyone else supposed to compare after this?

Gladly taking the hand with a grateful and relieved smile, the two danced, but not like they danced earlier. This one was slower, more soothing, more, let’s be real, romantic.

As the words returned, as they swayed around the room, Ashley M staring at them with a warm smile, the duo felt like they were the only people in the world. They finally, truly felt free.

‘Any fool can see they’re falling,

I gotta make you understand…’, Ashley sang quietly, leaning her head onto Gretchen’s chest, tears soaking into Gretchen’s pajama shoulder.

Gretchen, assuming the role of Ashley’s rock, held her closer, now making the hardest promise one can make as easily as 1,2,3.

‘I’ll give you everything, on this I swear

Just promise you’ll always be there.’

After all, Gretchen needed reassurance too.

Abandoning the format, as they floated around the room, eyes closed and hair flowing, they kept on singing, now both at the same time.

‘I’m giving you everything (I’m giving you everything)

All that joy can bring (All that joy can bring)

This I swear (Yes, I swear)

And all that I want from you (All that I want from you)

Is a promise you (Want you to promise to)

Will be there (Always be there)

I’m giving you everything (I’m giving you everything)

All that joy can bring (All that joy can bring)

This I swear (Yes, I swear)

And all that I want from you (All that I want from you)

Is a promise you (Want you to promise to)

Will be there (Always be there)

I’m giving you everything (I’m giving you everything)

All that joy can bring (All that joy can bring)

This I swear (Yes, I swear)

And all that I want from you (All that I want from you) is a promise you (Want you to promise to)

Will be there (Always be there)...’

And just as they sang the last words, they separated, still holding onto each other’s shoulders, though, lingering touches that refused to part just yet. Ashley stared into Gretchen’s eyes with a look that spelt gratitude, devotion and something far stronger than affection. Gretchen stared back with resolve, care, and something far stronger than fear.

Suddenly, they realized just how close they were to each other.

Specifically…

How close their lips were.

Blushing furiously, Gretchen straightened her glasses. ‘So, um, I must admit, that wasn’t so bad. Decent band.’

Ashley, blushing but for reasons she didn’t quite understand yet, let out a happy squeal and clapped. ‘YAY! I knew you’d like them! Now, if I could just get you into Backstreet…’

‘Don’t push it.’, Gretchen joked, and the two shared a hearty laugh, calming down from their emotional moment. No more words were needed, as Ashley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gratefully, while Gretchen fiddled with her glasses and smiled back.

They knew that they were there for each other.

‘...So… What’s your next idea, Gretchy? Hopefully something that involves sitting. All this singing and pizza kinda, like, totally wiped me out.’, Ashley confessed, falling back onto her bed and humming happily at the soft blankets and pillows. Ashley M got onto her chest and started purring, which helped too.

Gretchen tapped her chin in thought for a moment, then got a great idea. Snapping her fingers, she stated ‘Well, remember when we played StarFox back at my place?’

Ashley shot up, instantly invigorated by the memory. ‘Of course! That was SOOOOOOOOO much fun!! Are we doing that again, because I’ll literally scream, I’m bout it!’

‘Heh, well, I considered that, but it IS a lil hard for a beginner, which you are.’, Gretchen shot down the idea, making Ashley pout and cross her arms. ‘I’m an Ashley, I probably could play something like that with my eyes closed.’

‘Heh, sure. Point is, I thought it might be a good idea to get you up to speed on video games with something a tiny bit easier, but just as fun! So, if it’s okay with you, I brought my N64 here, and we can hook it up to the TV and play my favorite game in my collection!’, Gretchen explained, as she removed the console and a cartridge Ashley couldn’t quite see. Ashley, despite her slight disappointment at not playing the first game she saw, smiled and nodded enthusiastically. ‘Like, yes please! I’ve been hoping to play a video game again! Just, you know, the other Ashleys…’

Gretchen cut her off instantly. ‘Don’t let those jerks boss you around, Ash! Today is about us, and that’s it! No Ashley nonsense, no parental worries, no nosey friends… Just you and me!’, Gretchen pressed, clasping Ashley’s hands, her feelings post the karaoke even stronger. She HAD to make this right, for Ash.

An annoyed meow sounded, and Gretchen chuckled. ‘And Muffin too.’

Muffin grinned, settling back into her spot in the bed.

Ashley, grateful once more, nodded happily. ‘Okey dokey.’

Scooching up the bed a little so she could sit close enough to the TV, but also next to Gretchen, Ashley curiously awaited to see what the game was. ‘Do I know what this is?’, she asked, curious. Gretchen rolled her eyes with humor. ‘Ashley, if you didn’t, I’d eat T.J’s hat.’

Suddenly, 2 words and a number popped up with a little spirited sound effect, colored red, blue, yellow and green. ©1996 was marked below them. Super Mario 64. If it wasn’t enough, an Italian accent called out “It’s a-me, Mario!’, followed by a star transition that showed a bunch of blue squares in the background with the same name as before, a colorful PRESS START inscription, and a giant 3-D red cap adorning mustachioed 16-bit Italian Plumber greeting ‘Hello!’.

As the head looked around and winked, Ashley, trying to be polite, said ‘Hello!’ back, making Gretchen wish she was straight because this was too much to handle. Then, Ashley made it worse. ‘Super Mario… Nope, never heard of that!’, she said, so clearly truthfully and genuinely that Gretchen realized she had a new mission. ‘...I hope TJ has a replacement hat.’

Gretchen began teaching already, handing Ashley the N64 controller. ‘Okay, so if you remember, this is the controller, which is how you play.’

‘Grechy! No duh that’s how you play! I’m not THAT new to this, I don’t need you to break it down!’, Ashley insisted, a little insulted. Gretchen shrugged. ‘Alrighty then, prove it. Press start.’

Ashley chuckled, looked down at the controller, and let out a teeny tiny gasp. She barely remembered how the other game worked, and this grey controller had so many buttons! Ones on top, arrow keys on the left, a stick of sorts at the bottom, a red one in the middle, a green and blue one a little to the right, and on the far right, 4 yellow buttons all together. What could possibly be the start button?

Gretchen, raising an eyebrow, coughed and tried to sneak the answer out. ‘It’s…’

‘No, no, I can figure this out!’, Ashley explained, ignoring a crucial element on the buttons themselves. Instead, she pressed green. ‘Green means go, so it’s gotta be that!’

It didn’t work.

#ashley a #scandalous chemistry #disney recess #recess ashley a #gretchen grundler #recess #gretchen recess #ashley x gretchen #ashley a recess

3 notes · View notes