Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

16

Star City, Oregon

November 21, 2006

It had been over two years since Ashley had seen her father and almost two years since the last time she had seen Dick. She refused to show it, but she felt like a train that had been derailed, then burst into flames, and then had been nuked. She felt that her entire life was over now and she felt like a chapter she was only halfway through reading was but the book was shut was now gone. But now, she was at a point in her life where nothing and no one else mattered anymore and she was attempting to live her life in a way she thought normal teenagers did. That mindset, however, had led her to be at a very rambunctious high school party with Wally behind her and both had consumed more alcohol in the three hours that they had been there than they ever imagined they could. She drunkenly giggled as Wally bent down to kiss her, and while she had never viewed Wally as anything more than a friend who was practically family, the alcohol was telling her body otherwise. Even still, that would be the night Ashley lost her virginity much to the anger of her Aunt.

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"I swear to God, Ashley" Dinah said to her niece angrily. "You have obligations, you were the one who wanted to step up and rise up to hero status and you abandon it to sleep with Wally?" Dinah asked angrily.

"I didn't know I was going to be needed last night" Ashley said defensively. "And I can't put my life on hold because some bozo who looked like a knock-off Joker wanted to be a bitch at a bad time" Ashley said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I expect this behavior from Roy" Dinah said pointedly. "You were supposed to be the good child" Dinah said. "You're grounded. And since I obviously can't count on you to be smart about things, I'll pick up your plan B" Dinah said and stormed out of the house. Ashley huffed and climbed the stairs and put her head in her hands as she sat down on her bed.

"Jesus" Ashley said, already over the day. "It's only five a.m." She complained and laid back on her bed.

"What's wrong?" The soon-to-be nineteen-year-old Roy Harper asked as he came into her room and saw the girl looking the angriest he had ever seen her.

"Dinah's mad because I went to a party last night with Wally and lost my virginity there" Ashley said and rolled her eyes. "There are people dying in this world but yet that's why she's mad? The woman needs to get her priority in line" Ashley told him. "So now I'm grounded for God knows how long" Ashley said.

"You're gonna feel like shit for the next day" Roy laughed.

"Don't remind me" Ashley complained. "Can I stay in your room? I need blackout curtains right about now" Ashley said.

"Yeah whatever" Roy agreed. "But your sleeping on the left side."

"Oh come, you know I'm right sleeper and I know you're a left sleeper" She complained.

"Take it or leave it" Roy said.

"You're a dick" Ashley agreed. Roy left and Ashley changed into her pajamas and grabbed her Stitch blanket and walked over to Roy's room. She sighed and covered up and the two fell into a deep sleep quickly. They would have to get enough sleep before Dinah could come home and disrupt their sleep.

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"Please tell me Ashley didn't go to school" Dinah panicked, searching the upper floor for her niece when she wasn't in her room.

"Why?" She heard Roy ask. "Also she's sleeping in my room because I have blackout curtains" Roy said. Ashley's eyes blinked open and she wished for nothing more than for them to shut up and let her sleep some more. She huffed and pulled Roy's blanket higher over her face and tried to fall back asleep but was interrupted by her aunt barging in and ripping up the covers off to make sure she was there.