WHO IS CRYSTAL CASTELINO

2. Ashlee's Past

Ashlee sat combing her hair as she slid in the misshappen looking wig. “It makes me look like a plucked chicken,” she whined.

" Much better,” replied Arabela as she drew some freckles around her cheeks.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?” Asked Kacper as he looked at her transformation on the mirror.

" it’ s just 45 days. I need a job. It will give me good money. How long could I fawn on both of you?”

" Now, that is insulting,” said Kacper coming over and sitting beside her, "We never looked at you that way.” Arabela too looked hurt. "You are letting us stay in your gran’s house,” she continued.

" I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have said this,” she said holding their hands, “It’s just that.I too wanted to make a living and save some money for my university. Hopefully by next year I would make enough to support my college education,” she said looking hopeful, "Besides KyroTime Worldwide is my dream company I could do anything for a job there.”

Arabela and Kacper nodded. Both Kacper and Arabela were her school buddies who stood by her through and through. They were her best friends, family and everything that she had now. She got herself in a mighty soup when she was framed having sex with a boy two years younger to her in the school premises. She was 16 and the boy was 14. There were pictures of them in the act all over the school.The picture did not show her face though but the girl had the same long hair as her’s and the mole on her shoulder. But the truth was Ashlee barely knew the boy. She had seen him in school...but that’s it. She later found out that his name was Roy O’Connor. They had nothing going between them. But then the boy went and complained that it was Ashlee who lured him to the said classroom and seduced him. Apparently the boy was unwilling initially but it was Ashlee who kind of forced him into it, he said.

There was a boy from her class Robert who supported Roy's claim saying that indeed it was Ashlee who preyed on younger boys and Roy was not her her first victim. However, no one from junior class actually came forward to support this claim. But it sure made the school authorities really wary of her. No one was prepared to believe her side of the story. She was jeered in school, harassed and treated like dirt. Her own step sister Irene started a disgusting campaign against her. Only people by her side was Kacper and Arabela. Seeing her young age the school did not involve the police. Roy too did not want to lodge a formal complaint. But she was rusticated from school.

Her father Rodriguez Alberto Zanetti was one of the most prestigious businessman at Napa Valley. They owned half of the vineyards there. To say he was shocked was an understatement...to say he was displeased was an understatement! He was livid beyond repair.....in reality he was broken beyond repair....

Ashlee’s mom Maria had died when she was a child and his father stayed single for a long time bringing up Ashlee. He married two years ago. Her step mom Irma seemed a nice person. She already had a daughter, Irene from a former marriage. She was two years older to Ashlee and when she joined school initially she drew lot of intetest as she was really hot, wore really hot and scimpy clothes and always had a perfectly done up face. She became popular for all wrong reasons...but then she loved it.

Ash as she was more often called was also popular. She was super good in her studies though she was not exactly nerdy. She was lively, an avid debater and president of the school debating society. Super good in computer studies. She religiously pursued martial arts and was a karate black belt...third dan. Right now she was 6th dan. She was ideally not a girlfiend material like her step sister but everyone liked her and Ash was happy in her small picturesque town in Napa Valley.

So, when the news spread about her misdeeds...it became the biggest gossip of the town....for Rodriguez Alberto Zanetti his prestige was like a chalice and his own daughter brought it down with a crash. He could not forgive her.

" I didn’t do it papa,” she cried trying to make him understand. But he would hear nothing of it. Little did she know that Irma had shown him the pictures and got Robert to defame her in front of him much before Ash could talk to him. It hurt Ash immensely that her dad did not listen to her. She was sent to a boarding school run by nuns away from home. She was not even asked to return home during vacations. She saw Irene posting pictures of her birthday being celebrated with Rodriguez and Irma smiling with her she wrote, “papa gifted me with diamond earrings. Love you papa!”

Ash wiped her tears as she watched the pictures of the lavish party. She cried the whole whole night and by next morning she woke up to realise that her tears were useless. It did not matter to anyone how she felt. She swore never to cry any more.

After she passed school she applied for Computer Science at Columbia University and got admission. She had given up on her scholarship. As a child her papa had told her, “those who can afford should never go for it....they should leave it for those who really need it. You should never apply for scholarship, sweetheart.” But Ash did not know those were utterings of happy times..and those times had changed.

Ash smiled thinking about it as she packed her bags for the first and last time in this school to go home. Phillip Evans, her dad’s friend and right hand man, had come to pick her up. On reaching home, her dad was not there for the whole day. It surprised her how Irma and Irene’s behaviours had changed completely. They did not bother to talk to her. They treated her like dirt. They did not even call her to have lunch and when Ash went to have lunch, Irma looked at her and called their maid Janet. " Give her some food, Janet.”

During dinner Ash met her dad. Her Granny was also there.

" hi papa,” she said but her father did not answer.

Irma kept talking to him but he answered in monosyllables. Then Irene squealed with sugar dripping from her voice, “Papa. ”

Rodriguez looked up smiling at her. His smile was a stab on Ashlee's young heart.

" I have got admission for a six months course in fashion designing. But then they did not give me any scholarship.”

" What college is this?”

Ash knew it was not even a recognised college.But he saw her father congratulating her. "Remind me tomorrow dear. I will ask Evans to organise the payment.”

He got up to leave.

Ash got her message. She finished her dinner quietly and went to her room. She had barely unpacked. She packed whatever she had taken out and then she looked around her room ine last time and then slugging her bags she left.