The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|64|

After they'd returned the crutches to the hospital – Sam brought them to the front desk while Colby and Ashley waited in the car – she noticed how hungry she actually felt. And the boys noticed too, because her stomach picked an awfully silent moment to growl loudly.

Colby looked up and started laughing when he saw her embarrassed expression.

"Wow, alright," he chuckled.

"Shut up, I didn't have breakfast," Ashley mumbled, crossing her arms and tensing her stomach so that it wouldn't growl like that anymore.

"You didn't-" Colby began before he turned to Sam. "Is there a drive-through nearby?"

"Not nearby, but there's one on our way," he replied. "Close to the mall."

Colby nodded and looked back at Ashley. "Why didn't you eat breakfast?"

"You think I had any appetite after what happened yesterday?" she scoffed. "No, I just wanted to get out."

Somewhat halfway through the drive – they'd finished eating already and were back to chatting carelessly – Ashley noticed that the painkillers were starting to wear off. She wasn't surprised when the cramps hit with full force, and she had to take another painkiller to make them bearable for the rest of the return home.

What had surprised her instead was how meek they'd been in the hotel. Was she really surprised, though? No, there was a part of her that knew exactly what the reason behind it was. She didn't bother to voice it in front of the boys. It wasn't a necessary detail.

When Sam stopped the car in front of the apartment, she was hesitant to step out. Just like last time, it didn't feel real. What they'd witnessed felt as if from another world, another reality. Not here, in front of these apartments, where she lived.

She blinked very slowly and got out of the car. It didn't feel real, so what?

Strengthened by that thought, she straightened her back and got her stuff out of the car. When she said goodbye to the boys, Colby was still sitting in the backseat since he had to rest his ankle. She leaned down to give him a quick hug before waving to Sam and walking over to the door.

The look on her face was slightly sentimental as she entered the apartment, but she brushed it off quickly and replaced it with a confident expression when she saw Sadie approaching her.

"Hi girl," Jerry's sister smiled, hugging Ashley tightly after she'd put down her bags. "Was it good, even without us?" she joked.

Ashley gave her a crooked smile. "It got even better."

"Wait, no way, actually?"

"Sure did. The last evening was crazy."

"You need to tell me all about it," the black girl exclaimed.

"I will," Ashley promised. "But only after the video comes out," she added quickly. Sadie frowned and crossed her arms.

"But why?" she sighed.

"I can't just go around telling spoilers. I wouldn't be able to precisely retell everything anyway, you'll need to watch the video," the redhead chuckled while putting away her jacket as well as her shoes.

"I wouldn't tell anyone," Sadie scoffed. "You know I wouldn't. You trust me."

"Yeah," Ashley sighed. "I do. Obviously. But still, telling you would ruin the vibe of the video, you know?"

"Alright," Sadie laughed. "That's dramatic. The vibe of the video. Was it really that bad?"

"It was certainly something."

That was when she saw Jerry wobbling out of his room. She walked over, expecting to hug him, but he stepped back when she approached.

"Any haunted objects I should know about before I touch you?" he asked with a tilted grin.

"Oh, come on," Ashley scoffed. "No. Not this time."

"Good," the boy said, sighing and dropping his shoulders in an exaggerated manner. "Come here."

Ashley gave him a quick and tight hug, which he was only able to reciprocate with one arm, but she enjoyed it, nonetheless.

"Were the Sturniolos fun?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and making clear what (who) he was hinting at.

"Yeah, it was nice," Ashley replied, "We split up and I was assigned to go into the greenhouse with Nick. It was... well, interesting. Especially when he left."

"I don't even want to know it," Jerry sighed, shaking his head. She could see the glint of curiosity in his eyes, but he must've heard her conversation with Sadie, so he kept his mouth shut. "Good to have you back," he said instead, "it gets boring here really quickly."

Sadie let out a playfully hurt scoff. "I can be very entertaining, thank you very much. You just can't appreciate it."

"What, me?" Jerry asked incredulously. "I'm the most appreciative person on the planet. You're just boring."

Ashley chuckled and left the siblings to their banter. She took her bags and walked over to her room, starting up her computer to see what she'd missed in the time that she'd been gone. Not that she'd actually been gone this time, but there were several emails from her team planning a soon-to-be-collab with other YouTubers. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The next few days went by in a blur. Ashley kept catching herself opening Colby's chat, trying to find a way to start a conversation. But her mind came up empty, and so the weeks passed without her hearing from Sam or Colby again.

----------

It was a Friday when Colby texted her again. She picked her phone up, expecting the message to be from Jerry, who was out filming something. Even as she read the contact's name, she suspected it'd be about the video or something similar – not the casual message he'd sent.

Hey, I'm in the neighbourhood, wanna go get lunch together if you have time?

She was baffled enough that she forgot to make him wait for a minute. Sure, she wrote in an attempt to sound casual – a failed attempt, since she responded only a few seconds after receiving the message. Did you have something in mind?

He replied with a quick Chipotle? And Ashley agreed.

Be there in five.

It was that easy. She couldn't help but scold herself for not doing this earlier, for waiting for him to do it. But on the other hand... No, there was no other hand. With a smile, Ashley checked her appearance in the full-body mirror she had in her room and deemed herself appropriately dressed. She quickly reapplied lip gloss and left her room.

"Where are you going?" Sadie asked from the couch.

"Chipotle, and probably for a walk," Ashley lied.

"Oh, can you bring me something?"

Ashley cringed. Fortunately, Sadie couldn't see it because she was just looking at her phone. "Can't you get something yourself?"

"Come on, you're going already!"

Sighing, Ashley put on her shoes. "Yeah, but..."

"But?"

"I'll be gone for a while. I'm not going alone."

Sadie's head perked up. "You're going out with someone?"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Just for lunch. I need to leave now."

Sadie looked like she wanted to add something, but Ashley didn't let her as she closed the door behind herself, cutting the girl off. She really didn't need to know who Ashley was going to meet.