Tangled Hearts

Chapter Four: Nothing's Ever A Secret

Cheer practice had just ended and the girls were all in the locker room, unwinding after the long session. The sounds of laughter, chatter, and lockers slamming filled the space, but Ashley couldn't help but hear Brianna's loud voice over it all.

"Yeah, I hooked up with JT a few days ago," Brianna said, boasting about her moment with him.

Ashley's face became full of confusion and shock. She shot a glance in Brianna's direction. JT? Already? He just got here, she thought.

The other girls around Brianna immediately started with their questions. "The new football boy? Was he good?" one of them asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Brianna laughed, shaking her head. "We didn't have sex, relax. I just gave him head," she clarified, proudly leaning against the lockers. "And yeah, he's big," she added, unprovoked.

Ashley blinked, the bluntness of the conversation just continued to catch her by surprise. She didn't know JT well, but she hadn't expected him to get down like that so soon. It wasn't her business, of course, but still wow.

She quickly finished changing and grabbed her bag, heading out of the locker room. Her mind was still swirling from what she'd overheard. She was almost at the gym's exit when as if by coincidence, she ran into JT in the hallway.

JT saw her and greeted her with a smile. "Hey, Ashley. How was practice?"

"Good," she replied. She was trying her best to act like she hadn't just overheard anything about him. "How's it going? You settling in okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good so far," he said in his usual calm tone.

Ashley raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I bet you are," she said, her words riddled with sarcasm.

JT furrowed his brows, confused. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

She just waved it off. "Never mind."

JT shrugged, moving on from her odd remark. "Anyway, about the project. Are you free to work on it today?"

"No sorry, I've got plans today," she said, adjusting her duffel bag on her shoulder. "But tomorrow works for me if you're free."

"Yeah, tomorrow's fine," JT nodded. "I'll see you then."

They parted ways and Ashley headed to the parking lot. She unlocked her car and tossed her duffel bag into the trunk. She slid into the driver's seat, started the engine, and leaned back, waiting for Alana to finish her last class.

After a few minutes, she spotted Alana coming out of the building. She unlocked the doors for her and Alana hopped in the passenger seat with a grin. "Ready to put our accounts in the negatives?"

Ashley nodded, typing the mall coordinates into the GPS. "Yup, let's go." She let Alana connect her phone to the car to control the music.

Alana couldn't decide which song to choose so she shuffled her playlist. The upbeat rhythm filled the car as they pulled out of the lot. As they cruised down the street, Ashley couldn't help but spill what had been on her mind since the locker room.

"So," Ashley started, glancing over at Alana. "Guess what I overheard in the locker room earlier?" she said, slightly turning down the music.

"What?" Alana asked. She was never the kind to pass up on any type of gossip.

"Brianna," Ashley said, rolling her eyes. "Apparently, she hooked up with JT. She wasn't even trying to be quiet about it either."

Alana's eyes widened. "Already? Dang, she moves fast," she laughed. "Wait, did they...?"

"No," Ashley clarified. "She said they didn't have sex, just that she gave him head."

"Wow," Alana said, laughing in disbelief. "Brianna's something else. Boy crazy, as always. What do you think?"

Ashley shrugged. "JT didn't strike me as that kind of guy, but hey boys are gonna be boys."

"So much for you and JT getting together, huh?" Alana teased.

Ashley playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay," she laughed.

After a while, they arrived at the mall and parked the car. Their first stop was Sephora, where they wandered the aisles, testing out makeup and restocking their essentials. After spending way too much time and money there, they hit a few clothing stores, including Hot Topic, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters. By the time they were done, their hands were full of shopping bags.

They grabbed some pretzels from Auntie Anne's before heading back to the car, chatting about their purchases as they drove back home. Ashley dropped Alana off, giving her a quick hug goodbye before continuing on her way. Just as she was about to turn onto her street, her phone rang, it was her abuela.

Ashley smiled and answered, switching to Spanish as she always did with her grandmother. "Hola, abuela."

"¿Estás bien, mija?" her abuela asked, her voice soft with concern.

Ashley's heart warmed at her grandmother's care. They'd always been close, ever since her father had left. Her abuela and her mom were all she had.

"Sí, abuela, estoy bien," Ashley reassured her. Her abuela always worried, even if it was over small things.

The phone call didn't last long, it was just a quick check. Once Ashley hung up, she parked the car in her driveway and went inside the house.