Letters by Her [Book 2]

Chapter 25

"Hey, is that Dusty?" Ashley sprang up from her bed when she heard her bedroom door open and positioned herself directly in front of her friend. "I'm not sure it is since I've forgotten what she looks like." Mockingly Ashley scrutinized Dusty's face. "I mean, you look like Dusty, but you can't be Dusty." Finally Ashley stood back, hands on hips, and allowed Dusty to enter the room.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I know I haven't been here much." Dusty threw herself onto her bed, exhausted from lack of sleep.

"You've been gone for, like, two days. The last time I saw you, you'd gone to meet up with her of whom we do not speak. What happened? Did you kill her, and you've been busy disposing of the body? If so, I'll be your alibi, no problem." Ashley positioned herself back on her own bed and looked across at Dusty expectantly, eager to learn about where her friend had been.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't kill her."

"Then where have you been?"

"I've been with Kyera," Dusty admitted sheepishly, knowing that Ashley would fervently disapprove of such behavior.

"With Kyera?" Ashley's eyes widened with shock and rage. "Dusty, how could you go back to her after how badly she treated you? What are you thinking?"

"I know, I know, but... well, she explained herself to me. She explained why she behaves the way she does."

"She better have a pretty impressive explanation."

"Five years ago her twin sister died in a car accident. She was driving." Dusty decided it was best to be honest with Ashley. The two girls shared everything, and she didn't want there to be any secrets between them.

"Oh my God, seriously?" Ashley was subdued and looked slightly shamed by her previous outburst.

"She opened up to me about it all."

"That's... so terrible. And with you having lost your dad, you two must understand each other."

"Yeah, we do."

"Well, now I feel bad." Ashley sighed, flopping back onto her mountain of pink scatter cushions. "I've been ragging on the girl for months, and she's actually just carrying some serious baggage about a dead sister.

Urgh, I'm a bitch."

"You're not a bitch," Dusty comforted her. "Neither of us knew. I've been hating her all through the summer, having no idea she was just going through similar issues to me."

"That's crazy."

"I know."

"So are you two like... back together now?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah."

"And that's what you want? Because if it's what you want, then I support you completely. You know that, don't you?" Ashley raised herself up on one arm so she could look across at Dusty directly.

"I feel like she's my soul mate," Dusty admitted. "We've got so much in common."

"Commonalities does not a soul mate make," Ashley commented, a bitter edge coating her words.

"Everything okay?" Dusty asked, concerned.

"Pierre broke up with me." Ashley tried to sound flippant, but her quivering lip belied her true emotions.

"And I wasn't here for you." Dusty sprang from one bed to another, immediately embracing Ashley, who began to weep. "I'm so, so sorry. What happened?"

"He met someone in Paris." Ashley sniveled. "Apparently she's more convenient for him."

"What a bastard," Dusty seethed.