Chapter 5: The invitation

"Well I think kissing is cheating, John and you know Dorothea would too."

"Let's not talk about her. I told you we haven't been getting along lately, and to be honest she probably doesn't give a damn what I'm doing."

"If you are so miserable with her why do you stay with her?"

"I really don't know. I think I loved her at one point, but she has changed so much. When I met her she was so cool and tough and she didn't take shit off of anybody. I fell really hard for her. But now, she's so jealous and we fight so much, it just kind of ruined it."

"You should tell her how you feel. Maybe y'all can work it out."

"I've tried, Ash. Lately all she wants to talk about is tying the knot and settling down. I mean I'm young and I'm not ready for that. She has three older sisters that are all married with kids and she can't wait to be tied down and she wants to have five damn kids. I just ain't ready for all that shit yet."

"Wow that's alot of kids!" She giggled. "If that's what it is, just tell her you're not ready to get married. I'm sure she'll understand."

"It's not just that, she hates me being in the band or doing anything with my friends. She says I ignore her and I'm too busy to spend time with her. She told me to get a real job at the factory and give up my music or just do it on the weekends. I can't give it up, I love it. I want to make it big, and get out of this town one day. Not work a job I hate, and be stuck here with six mouths to feed, doing hard time."

"Oh, bless your heart. You should see the look on your face right now. Is that really how you feel about marriage, like it's prison?"

"It can be a prison if you're not ready for it, or in it with somebody you don't really love. I might get married one day, but a long time from now. I've got a lot of living to do. Now I've got to ask you something."

"Oh God, what?"

"You already avoided this question one time. Did you and Bret have sex?"

"God, why do you have to know that?"

"It has been driving me crazy, since I found out you knew him."

"Not that he didn't try about a million times last summer but, no. I never went all the way with Bret."

"What stopped you from doing it with him?"

"I guess, it just never felt right to me. He always had a lot of girls hanging around. They all wanted to be with him. From the first day I met Bret I knew he was leaving. He was only there for the summer. He begged me to be his girlfriend, but I told him no. I didn't see a future in it. I thought it would hurt less when he finally left. I was wrong, it nearly killed me. I tried to fight it, but I fell so hard for him. When he never called me I thought he was just using me while he was in town and had just moved on and forgot about me. I was devastated."

"I'm sorry he hurt you Ash, I wish I could have been there for you." 

"How did we get off on such a depressing topic?" She asked with sadness in her eyes.

"Because we stopped kissing." He grinned.

Shaking her head. "Oh no, that was a one time deal!"

He laughed. "Oh, you'll kiss these lips again baby. Now that you've had the best, the rest will just be disappointing for you." He chuckled.

She laughed. You're not lacking in confidence, are you?"

"No I'm very confident and you can get ready because one day Ashley, you're going to be all mine."

"Oh really now? Do I get a say in this?"

"Only if you agree to be my girl."

Well it's getting late, so I guess I need to go home."

"Okay we can go. Give me your number, so I can call you."

She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse and wrote her number, name, and a little heart on it. Sort of like the one he saw Bret had in his wallet. 

He folded it and stuck it in the back of his wallet. He really liked this girl and planned to use it soon. They walked back to the car and drove home. He stopped in front of her house.

Smiling at her. "I guess this is good night. I would kiss you again, but I know you've sobered up too much, to let that happen.  I'm so glad I met you, Ashley. I'm going to call you tomorrow."

"I'm glad I met you too, John. Good night." She got out and walked to the door and walked inside.

He sat in front of her house smiling to himself. His mind was racing with thoughts of her, and how he had talked her into kissing him. She was a great kisser and he hoped to do it again, really soon.

He drove over to his driveway and went inside.

The next morning, John woke up to the sound of the phone in his room ringing. He reached across to answer it and knocked his guitar over. 

"Damn it." He yelled and picked it up off the floor. "Hello!" He shouted into the mouthpiece as he answered.

"Johnny, hi it's me."

"Dot, what time is it?"

"Nine fifteen."

"Damn I was sleeping so good."

"Do you want me to let you go?"

"No, I'm up now."  He pushed back his curtains and opened his window and lit a cigarette staring over towards Ashley's house.

"What happened at the Fast Lane last night? Kathy was there and she said you got into a fight with Bret about something."

"It wasn't nothing, he was just running his mouth as usual. I left before he could have me thrown out."

"Who was the blonde that was hanging out with Richie?"

"A blonde?"

"Yeah she said there was a blonde that had her chest hanging out sitting with Richie."

"Oh it must have been Ashley. Do you know Stacey Covington, she lives across from me?"

"Yeah, that blonde skinny bitch. I don't like her."

John chuckled. "Well it's her cousin, she just moved here."

"And Richie is already making moves on her?He hasn't been broken up with Erica for that long."

"I wasn't paying much attention to them, so I ain't sure what he was doing."

"Well what were you doing? Were you flirting with some of those girls up there last night?"

"Damn Dot if I was, don't you think loud mouth Kathy would tell you?"

"I asked her and she said she didn't see you flirting with anybody. I'm sorry I'm hard on you sometimes. It drives me crazy when girls flirt with you, just because you're in the band.

"Don't worry about it Dot. But, I don't think it's just because I'm in a band. I think it's because I'm so sexy." He laughed.

"Well you are sexy for sure." She giggled.

"Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah until nine."

"Okay, I'll be at the Fast Lane if you want to come by when you get off."

"Okay I will. Did you miss me Johnny?"

"Don't I always?"

"How do I know? Maybe your lying."

"Just trust me, now I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay, bye Johnny.

"Bye."

He hung up the phone and tossed a pile of dirty laundry from his floor up on his bed looking for his pants from last night to find his wallet with Ashley's number in it.

He took it out, and he was a little nervous. He mumbled, "She's probably up, but I don't want to call too early. Hell with it I'm calling her."

It rang three times and he started to hang up.

"Hello." The sweetest sounding voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Ashley?"

"Yeah."

"Hi baby it's John."

"Oh hey John. I figured you'd still be asleep."

"Nah I've been up a while. Have you been thinking about me?"

"I hate to admit it, but yes I have. Does that make you happy?"

"Ecstatic actually. You sound like an angel on the phone. I can't get that kiss out of my head."

"Thanks but, you're turning me evil. I keep thinking about the kiss too."

He chuckled. "Oh evil Ashley, now that's something I'd like to witness. So what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing I know of, why?"

"I'm going up to the Fast Lane later. Do you want to come hang out?"

"If Stacey will go with me, I'll come up there for a little while."

"I'll be up there about six. Hope I get to see you."

"Let me get off of here so I can call her."

"Okay, bye baby."

"Bye John."

"Hello."

"Stace, hey it's me."

"I was going to call you in a little bit. How'd you get home last night?"

"John brought me home, but we went by the beach first."

"Really? Just the two of you?"

"Yeah, we saw a shooting star and I made him make a wish."

"Oh my God, that's just too sweet. So did he say what he wished for?"

"That I would let him kiss me." 

"Oh my God, did you kiss him?"

"I was drunk and he was just so damn cute. Yes, I let him kiss me. Don't you dare tell anybody!"

"You know I won't. So how was it?" He looks like he would be good at that and other things. Stacey giggled.

"It was so good. It was the best kiss I ever had."

"Oh damn Ash, you sound like you've fallen for him! How the hell did you let that happen? Did you tell him everything."

"No of course not! It was just a kiss, it didn't come up. She giggled.

What about Dorothea?"

"He wants to breakup with her. His feelings have changed. She wants to settle down and have kids and he's not ready for that."

"I don't know if you can believe anything he says. He has a nasty reputation for a reason. He's always after one thing. And once he gets it, he's gone. He's so full of shit, his eyes should be brown!"

"I know you're right. I just hope he's telling me the truth."

"Well if he breaks up with Dot that's one thing, but I wouldn't trust him very much. You've been hurt too much already."

"What did you think about Dalton?" Stacey asked.

"He's sweet and cute."

"He wants me to come up to the Fast Lane tonight. Do you want to go with me, Ash?"

"Yeah, John said he'll be up there tonight too."

"Okay I'll pick you up around six thirty."

"I'll be ready."

John was sitting out on his porch glancing over at Ashley's when Richie drove up.

"Hey man, I had to drop my Mom off at the eye doctor. It's going to take a little while for her eyes to dilate, can I kill some time here?"

"Sure pull up a chair."

"Can you believe Robby's getting married, this weekend?"

"Nope, your cuz is really taking the plunge, he's such a sucker!" John laughed.

"Yep his carefree days will be over!" Richie chuckled. "You're still going, huh?" 

"Yep, I got a new suit and everything."

"What about Dot?" Is she still coming with you?"

"Yeah, she's coming."

"My Mom bumped into Erica at the store and now she's bugging me to take her to the wedding, again."

"I hope you told her no."

"I did, I said Mom I ain't taking her nowhere!"

"Good, you should just ask somebody else."

"I couldn't get anybody with such short notice."

"Sure you could, chicks love weddings. It's all romantic and shit, they'll eat it up. Hell you might even get lucky, afterwards." He chuckled. "I'd find somebody, you ain't got nothing to lose."

"I think I'll just go stag."

John stood up. "I'm going to get a drink, you want something?"

"Yeah, anything is good."

John went in the house. 

Richie was sitting there and saw Ashley go out to a car in her yard and open the trunk. He got up and walked over to her.

"Hello darlin."

"Hey Richie, what are you up to?"

"Nothing much. Whose fine ass Trans Am is this?"

"It's mine. It was in the garage."

"Damn, it looks just like the Smokey and the Bandit car! Is it a '79?"

"No it's a '78." My Grand Daddy bought it for my sweet sixteenth birthday."

"Well damn it's fine, you've got to let me drive it sometime!"

She grinned. "Maybe."

John came back out and looked around for Richie. He saw him over with Ashley. "I wonder what the hell he's up to?" He mumbled as he sat the drinks on the table and stared next door at them talking.

Do you have plans for this Saturday?"

"No not really, why?"

Richie was nervously fumbling with his hands. "My cousin is getting married in the city and I was supposed to go with Erica, but we aren't together. Would you like to go? It's a big church wedding with a big formal dinner and an open bar at the reception. If you're busy, it's okay I can just go stag."

"I have a dress I wore to my aunt's big fancy wedding, I think it would be okay. Where is in the city?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you're not from here. It's New York, it's about thirty miles from here."

"Okay, well I've never been there. Sure Richie I would love to go with you." She smiled.

John was watching and Ashley smiling at Richie was like a punch in the gut.

"Thanks Ashley, I was sort of dreading going by myself and now I'm going to have the hottest date there."

"Aww Richie, you're so sweet."

Richie was walking back with a big cheesy grin on his face.

"What's up with you?" John asked.

"Oh nothing just got me a date for the wedding. And I'm going to be with the hottest chick there."

John was stunned. "You invited Ashley?" He questioned with a harsh tone.

                      

"Yeah man, is that a problem?"

"No, she won't know very many people there. I didn't think she would want to go."

"She said yes, so I guess she does."

"Who's car is that?" 

"It's hers and I'm going to ask her if we can take it to the wedding. Can you imagine all my family's faces, when I get out of that bad ass car with that hot girl!" Richie was grinning from ear to ear.

John was getting pissed. "That should be me with the hottest chick at the wedding, showing up in that fine car." He thought.

John's face was cold and showing all the signs of being jealous, but Richie was so happy, he didn't even notice.

He downed his drink. "Thanks man, I guess I need to go check on Mom. And thanks for giving me the idea to ask somebody last minute, I wouldn't have thought of asking Ashley."

He got in his car and drove off. John sat there and mumbled, "Me and my big damn mouth."