Without Me

Airplanes

1998
Ashley:19

Ashley left the laughter of the guys behind her as she wandered through the club and towards the balcony. With one last look behind her, she shook her head smiling slightly, watching Marshall and Proof collapsing on each other in fits of giggles. It was then as she pulled open the glass door, she realised it would be a while before they noticed her disappearance.

Once outside she breathed a sigh of relief, running her hands through her dyed black hair. She'd dyed it recently and was already regretting the change, but all the guys said she looked nice with it, so she kept it. A cool well needed breeze swept through it causing it to fall into her eyes. Huffing, she brushed it away, making her way to the metal railing that ran along the edge of the small balcony.

''I'd complain about the group in there, but I noticed they're your friends, so I won't,'' the voice startled her a first since she had thought she was alone.

''Thanks...I guess,'' Ashley replied raising a confused brow at the man who sat at a table in the left corner. His appearance puzzled her even more, they were in a club, and he wore a suit. Granted he had undone the tie so it draped across his chest, but he was still in a suit.

''Picture might last longer, little lady,'' he commented, his lips twitching into a small smile. Ashley shook her head and turned away from the man to gaze out at the view in front of her.

She was still looking out in front her when she heard the distinctive scrape of a chair across the stone tile. It didn't take long for her to feel the sudden added body heat to the left of her.

''Can I help you?'' She asked not turning to look at him.

''You're too young to have been allowed in.''

''You're too formally dressed to even be here,'' she bit back, this time she turned to look at him. There was a brief silence before he started laughing. Her brow creased not understanding what he was finding so funny.

''Unlike you, I'm not here to have fun. Although it seems you're not having much of it anyway,'' he pointed out, jerking his head to gesture over to her friends; too busy trying to chat up girls to notice her absence.

''All my friends are guys. Parties get boring real first once their attention gets caught by the female of the species,'' she explained sighing.

''You're a female,'' he pointed out.

''And six, seven years younger than them. I'm seen as a little sister,'' she reached inside her jean pocket to pull out a lighter, before then a packet of cigarettes out of her grey hoddie, ''Want one,'' she offered to hold the packet out to him. She held one in her mouth, lighting it with the lighter in her right hand.

''Thanks,'' he replied taking one, allowing her to light it for him.

''Who are you? If you don't mind me asking,'' Ashley spoke taking the cigarette out of her mouth, smoke billowing out after it.

''Arthur Calderon, lawyer to the rich and famous. You,'' he replied tapping the ash over the side of the railing.

''Ashley Jackson adopted English kid and friend to a budge of drunk, high assholes,'' she paused before then adding, ''the suit now makes sense.''

''Yeah well I had a client who I needed to see before the morning and this was the only place he'd meet,'' Arthur explained shrugging his shoulders as he brought the cigarette back up to his lips.

''Wow,'' Ashley breathed out, not wanting think of the other places Arthur had been dragged to.

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Arthur looked down at his watch sighing, ''I better go, got Court in the morning.''

''Oh... Ok,'' an overwhelming feeling of sadness overcame her, ''umm I guess I'll see you around.''

''No,'' she looked up at him, straight in his green eyes, ''you'll call me,'' he finished tucking a card inside her hoodie pocket.

''Yeah,'' she whispered, watching him pick up a black briefcase from behind the table he had been at before he then left.

Ashley was left alone in silence and her own thoughts. The cigarette now lay discarded in an ashtray on the table. Her hands were now stuffed inside the pocket of her baggy hoddie, fiddling with the card Arthur had given her. She stopped when the door opened slamming against the brick wall, the noise immediately followed by a familiar voice.

''Now that's tough glass. Could do with some of that,'' Ashley turned to find her blond-haired friend inspecting the door as if he'd never seen one before.

''Probably bulletproof glass, not exactly a revelation Marshall,'' she turned around so her back was resting against the railing.

''Why the fuck are you out here?'' She jumped a little at the harsh tone he used, reminding herself it wasn't him really talking.

''Smoking.''

''You can do that inside, who was that guy?'' He'd moved so he was now stood in front of her. He was drunk, Ashley could tell by the way he slightly swayed from side to side.

''What guy?''

''The one in the suit who you got friendly with,'' Marshall pointed out.

"Oh, that guy. Yeah, he gave me his number," she replied moving to turn back around, but a hand on her arm stopped her from doing so.

"You're fucking kidding me. You have no idea who the fuck that guy was," he was so close to her now she could smell the alcohol in his breath. Ashley flinched as his grip tightened on her arm and the volume he spoke in grew louder.

"He's a lawyer and his name's Arthur. Ergo making him someone," there was silence as Marshall looked at her, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, "you need to stop worrying about me I'm not a kid anymore."

"Never said you were," his grip loosened, but his hand remained firmly attached to her arm.

"You seem to treat me like one," she pointed out, he just looked at her dumbfounded, so she decided to explain, "you go to parties and ignore me, you smoke and don't ever pass me the blunt, you drink and never offer me one, you..."

"Ok, ok stop, just shut up for a second," but she didn't.

"If you're like this with me now. What the hell are you gonna be like when Lanie and Hallie grow up," the moment she mentioned Hallie she instantly regretted it.

"Fuck you say," both hands rested either side of her on the railing. She thought better of trying to shove him away as he was leaning dangerously close.

"Marshall I..."

"No, shut up and listen. I already got Kim bitching at me. I don't need your ass in the equation. Got it," he said in barely a whisper.

She nodded and he moved back, he arms still trapping her in place.

"I wanna go home," she managed to squeak out a few seconds later, hoping he'd calmed down a little.

"You ain't going alone."

"I was gonna call cab," she defended, but Marshall still shook his head.

"Denaun will drive you. I'll go get em."

"So much for not treating me like a kid," she mumbled under her breath just as Marshall passed back out through the door.

There is a second part to this, which will be posted some time tomorrow hopefully.