Run For Cover

Chapter 2

Hey guys! This is just kind of a filler chapter almost! I wanted to get some interaction between characters and introduce someone special! ;) But I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

Easing off the accelerator, I gently press down on the brake pedal as the light changes from green to yellow. Now stopped at the traffic light, I watch as the cars turn and maneuver their way through the busy intersection.

A woman in her mid-forties takes a leisurely stroll in the crosswalk, giving me a friendly wave as she passes by my sleek Honda Pilot, my ultimate true love in the form of a car, and I smile back politely. I had seen my car when it’s prototype was show cased at a auto show and knew that day, that I needed to have that car. I will never know what exactly lured me to it, but it’s a great car that I definitely do not regret buying.

“Ugh,” Tammy scoffs, pressing the button to turn off the radio. “They play such shitty music nowadays.” I nod my head in agreement, keeping my attention focused on the road, though my mind is somewhere else.

After reading the not-so-pleasant letter sent to me by the ticket company, I became caught up in my subtle rage. I stormed out of the house, Tammy following me of course, grabbing nothing more than my keys and my wallet full of cash that I had earned myself. I knew it was not the greatest idea to drive when I was upset, but I needed to go somewhere and blow off my steam; to ease my mind off of the horrible news. Shopping just so happened to be my stress reliever; my pathway of escape that always made me feel better.

I saw the exit approaching sooner than I had expected and sharply jerked the wheel without being able to signal my turn. My car quickly swerved to the right, just barely missing the car coming out of the street I was entering. A symphony of car horns blare at me, orchestrating from the guy I nearly hit and the car that had been riding my bumper.

“Shit, Ash!” Tam shouts, her hand flying up to grab the handle for support or balance or probably both. “Watch out, will you?”

“Sorry,” I mutter back, shaking my head to clear it of any thoughts that didn’t involve driving her and I safely to the mall. If I didn’t focus on what I was doing, Tammy and I would be dead before we even got to spend a dime, which would be pretty depressing considering I have a boat-load of fresh money just screaming to be spent on something new.

I finally found a spot not too far from the entrance of our favorite mall and pulled cautiously into the parking space. I shifted the gear to park and the engine silenced as I pulled the key towards me. Shoving the key in my back pocket, I make sure Tammy’s door is open before I lock the doors.

My mood slightly lifts as Tammy and I meet at the back end of my car, linking arms and beginning to skip towards the front doors with a pair of foolish grins plastered on our faces. I can always expect a fun and light-hearted time when I am with any of my best friends. I would be totally lost without them.

                                                                                 ~

“Tams!” I cry out in the dressing room, my voice bouncing off the walls of the small cubicle and echoing into the other stalls. I wail softly, only loud enough for her to here just in case someone else might be trying something on, causing her to snicker.

“You are something else, Ashlyn.” Her silly laugh rings out into the air, followed by the click of her stall opening.

“Finally! Hey, what do you think of this skirt?” I ask, twirling around to make it flare up subtly. We were going into our favorite store, Hot Topic of course, when it caught my eye even though it was all the way in the back.