That One Ride

5. Brief Conversation

She really wasn't in the mood. Again. It seemed that in the last few days, she was never in the mood. She blames her parents. They were usually annoying, pestering her about her life, but they were very annoying these days. Usually, a couple of days would pass before they would mention her wasting her life again. But now, they would bring it up on a daily basis. She would start her day with a fight with them, and end it the same way.

Repeat.

She would get frustrated before her day even began, and that made it really hard for her not to snap and curse at everyone on work, including her boss. And with John showing up every minute to see if she changed her mind about going out with him and a couple of friends for coffee after work, was not helping. Not to mention the stack of files she had yet to finish. It was exhausting. And boring. And it was cutting her rides short. That was what pissed her off the most.

She walked into the elevator, glad that her shift was coming to an end so that she could finally get some rest and relaxation. Just as the door was about to close, someone yelled to hold the door. She did, but regretted it when she saw who walked in.

"Hey. Haven't seen you much today." John said as he stood next to her.

"Well, some of us actually do their job instead of asking people if they want to go out and have coffee after work every three seconds." Her voice was flat and was supposed to be serious, but John chuckled, obviously thinking she was joking. She wasn't.

"Well, some of us just really want to talk about something other than income and outcome of some product for a change. You can't blame them for trying." He told her.

"They're persistent, I'll give them that." She used Renée's usual line to reply. He, again, didn't catch the sarcasm.

"So, have you changed your mind?" he asked, for what was probably the billionth time that day. She groaned.

"Oh, come on Ashley. One coffee. Five minutes with your work buddies. It'll help you unwind." He persuaded.

"The only thing after work that helps me unwind John, is either punching someone in the face till I brake my fist, or having a nice long ride. I prefer not to brake someone's nose and get fired." She told him as the doors of the elevator opened and they stepped out. In front of the building, she saw Aaron waiting for her in the car. She was glad he decided pick her up. She didn't feel like walking home.

"So I guess that's another no on that coffee?" John asked, one final attempt to make her agree. She didn't.

"Night John." She told him while getting into the car. As soon as she closed the door, her brother started driving.

"I'm guessing that's the guy from work you've been complaining so much about?" Aaron asked, teasing her.

"Aaron, please? It's been a rough day at work and the last thing I need is you pushing my buttons." She replied, exhaustion clearly visible in her voice.

"That bad, huh?" He asked gently, deciding he could tease her later when she wasn't ready to explode.

"You don't even know the half of it baby brother." Aaron made a sound of protest at the name she used. A few minutes of silence passed before she spoke again. "Are mom and dad home?"

"No. They went out or something. Said they needed to finish some things and not to wait for them. Mom said dinner is in the fridge." Aaron replied as he took a turn.

"Good." Ashley replied, sighing.

"Glad you don't have to fight with them when you step into the house?" She couldn't help but smile at that. If there was anyone in her life she could depend on, it was her brothers. Aaron especially. Jay was there too, but he was too young to understand some things that Aaron could. Ten years wasn't a small age difference when it came to siblings. She shook her head as Aaron turned up the radio and started singing to the song that was playing. She rolled her eyes as he tried to make her sing along too. Eventually she gave in, knowing he wouldn't stop until she agreed. They tried singing the high notes, only to fail, but they didn't care. They were having fun, and Aaron was glad he was helping his sister relax. They arrived in front of the house just as the song finished, and they burst into laughter. They got out of the car, still laughing and walked into the house to find Jay yelling at the screen. They shared a confused gaze, before turning their heads in the direction of the TV, figuring out why he was screaming. He was in the middle of some game, loosing probably, from the looks of it. Ashley rolled her eyes and walked over to her brother, pulling his headphones of.