It's Not Fair (part one)

Part One-Where for art thou, manners?

The entire classroom erupted with chatter about last night’s American Idol winners. Ashlynn fell back in her seat behind a boy that had a name, she just couldn’t remember what it was; not that she’d actually greet him or anything. He was one of them, one of the popular kids in her school. She saw him hanging around those sporty tan girls that wear their lacrosse uniforms on game day. She didn’t wear a uniform; she hadn’t made the team.

Ashlynn tried to concentrate on what her teacher talked about, but when Ms. Sullivan got off topic, she stared out the window and fell asleep with her eyes open. It wasn’t Ashlynn’s fault: with her five page research paper due the next week and taking on extra shifts at the deli mart, sleep wasn’t her highest priority.

“I think Kris should definitely win,” Ms. Sullivan said to her class. A few of the girls sitting around her claimed their rebuttal all at once.

Ashlynn drowned them out, thinking of her paper. She hadn’t even touched it yet. She had to find three quotes to somehow throw into her opinion on if The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is appropriate for the classroom or not. She was good at writing, but mostly she just likes to rant about any topic in general. Her way of just letting go.

“I can’t tonight, baby,” Ashlynn heard a boy say behind her. Her ears twitched slightly at this new sound.

The girl he was speaking to whined, “But, Rex, you promised we’d go out.”

It was Rex and Robin, the little R and R action going on behind Ashlynn almost made bile rise to her throat.

“I have a new job for work that needs to get done this week.”

Ashlynn could almost hear Robin roll her eyes at her boyfriend. “Fine. Whatever.” She huffed and started talking to one of the people sitting near them. Ashlynn couldn’t hear that conversation. She did, however, hear Rex muttering under his breath.

“Why am I even with her?”

For a moment, as brief as it was, Ashlynn pitied Rex. Rex has had to put up with Robin’s constant need for attention and superficial things for almost three years. Ashlynn had seen them in the halls, her whiny voice and his hurt expression. She had never thought anything of it until she heard his pen tapping impatiently on his desk.

The boy sitting in front of Ashlynn turned to her, or turned to Rex, she couldn’t tell. He smiled as his gazed passed right by Ashlynn and towards Rex. Ashlynn knew exactly what that smile meant.

Behind her, Rex started laughing hysterically the same moment Ashlynn reached up and pinched her nose. Pity party was definitely over.

The crowd around them all moaned and moved away from Ashlynn and Rex.

“Nice, Darren,” Ms. Sullivan said with as much sarcasm in her voice as her preppy tone could allow.

Thankfully, Ms. Sullivan called the class to order and actually began teaching. Ashlynn got the chance to catch up on fifteen minutes of gas-filled sleep.

Ashlynn kicked at the rocks in front of her house before she made her way up the driveway. The landscaping truck was parked close to her garage in her driveway. She walked right past the trucks and stepped onto her grey porch. The front door was open a crack. Ashlynn nudged it with her toe and it swung open. Her jaw fell.

Standing next to her father was none other than the boy that sat behind Ashlynn in her English class. Rex shook her father's hand. Dad! She thought. He's corrupting my dad!

“Ashlynn,” her father said in an overenthusiastic voice he only used around company.

Ashlynn’s father was a business man. He was a suit and tie, by the books, always making complete stops at the stop sign kind of guy. His receding grey hairline and slight gut wasn't what drove mom away two years ago. It was his tendency to hide away in his office for hours doing God knows what, never paying attention to either Ashlynn or her mom.

“This is Rex. He will be working on our hedges and what not for the week.” Rex turned to Ashlynn, a half hearted smile on his face. She knew that face was just a façade he used; he wasn’t glad to see her at all.

She nodded and turned towards the stairs.

“Hey,” her father called behind her.

Ashlynn sighed. So close, she thought to herself. She stopped halfway up the white carpeted staircase and glanced at her father. "Yes?"

“How, uh, was school?” He scratched the back of his head. Ashlynn fought the urge to roll her eyes. Ever since her mother called, screaming at her father about neglecting Ashlynn, her father had been trying to bond with Ashlynn, doing things she didn't really care about.

Ashlynn didn’t mind the space her father gave her. Some days, she even enjoyed the alone time. She was related to her solitary father, after all.

“Fine,” she replied.

Behind her father, the front door opened as Rex nodded to her father, excusing himself.

“Dinner will be around five?” He said it as a question, as if dinner was at any other time of the day for the past year.

She nodded.

Ashlynn ran to her room as quickly as she could. She threw on her earphones, Framing Hanley blasting into her ears. Swaying her head from side to side, she paced her bedroom. A glance outside her window told her Rex was hard at work. He was by the edge of her yard, digging some dirt. With a sigh she closed her blinds and lay belly up on her bed.

After who knows how long, Ashlynn’s father was pulling out her earphones, an angry expression on his face. She sat up abruptly in shock of her father’s presence in her bedroom. She quickly glanced at the growing dirty clothes pile by the door and the overflowing closet. Her dresser was a mess; makeup and hair accessories lay scattered sporadically around her room as if a tornado went through it.

“I’ve been calling you for the past ten minutes. I thought I told you not to put these things so God damn loud.”

Ashlynn stood up to face him. “Sorry, Dad. I wasn’t really thinking.”

He threw down her Ipod on her dresser and crossed his arms. “That boy is working pretty hard out there. You should offer him some water or PowerAde or something.”

Without missing a beat, Ashlynn’s jaw dropped and she threw up her arms. “What? No way! He is supposed to be a professional, he should have his own.”

“Ash,” his tone suddenly gentle, “he is fixing our front yard. The least we can do is offer him refreshments.”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

Her father’s jaw clenched. “Because I asked you to do it.” His eyes tightened and that meant the final word had been said.

Ashlynn stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Throwing open the refrigerator door, she grabbed the last remaining water bottle off the top shelf and slammed the door shut.

“Don’t be rigid. It’s not a very attractive trait.”

Ashlynn swallowed as much air as she could and let out a belch in her father’s face.

“Nice,” her father said sarcastically as he stifled his laughter.

She smiled as she walked out onto the porch.

Ashlynn’s smile suddenly faded as she saw Rex shirtless digging in the same pile of dirt. His back was tan and perfectly ‘V’ shaped. She reminded herself who he was and walked over to him.

Ashlynn stood a foot from where he was kneeling and dropped the water bottle in his view. “Thought you’d be thirsty,” she said to him, putting as much venom in her voice as she could.

He put down the gardening rake and replaced it with the bottle of water. He faced her as he started chugging the water. Her vision fell on his perfect chest and abs. A well toned six pack that led…

Ashlynn wouldn’t let her thoughts go there.

Rex handed her back the empty bottle and wiped his lips on the back of his arm. A trail of dirt formed across his left cheek and Ashlynn stifled laughter.

He smiled at her. “What?”

She shook her head and turned towards her home. “Nothing,” she said over her shoulder.