Chapter Four: If Spencer Only Knew..

Loud music, strobe lights, and alcohol. That pretty much described it. Every night, Ashley worked at the local club in San Diego as a bartender. Finally after 10 months of begging her boss, she got the job. At first she was just a waitress in the VIP room where every night she’d serve drinks to the snobby rich people hoping to get good tips.  Finally she turned 21, and her boss had no argument as to why not let her. She was one of their best waitresses, why not give her a try?  Her natural sociability helped a lot in this area, and on weekends ending up with an easy $300 worth of tips a night.

To Ashley, every night seemed to go the same way. Starting around 8, she salves away to the numerous requests of underage aspiring alcoholics, and the overage already alcoholics. Her shift usually ending around 3am, Ashley would head back to her crummy apartment, by foot, with her maze in hand, luckily only a few blocks away from the club. 2 flights of stairs later, she walked into what she called home. Going straight to the refrigerator, she’d grab a water, then reach into her purse for a pack of cigarettes. Settling her self down on the couch, with a lit cigarette in her mouth, she’d count up her tips, placing well over half of them into a jar, the rest into her wallet. Then she’d take out a little black journal, where she’d write thoughts, memories, feelings down on to paper before passing out until 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

As Ashley walked down the sidewalk, she headed  toward the room. It was just how she remembered it, the sounds, the smells, the scuffs on the wooden hall floor. Knocking lightly on the door, Ashley waited for an answer. Excited and nervous at the same time she paced around hoping, she could only hope. Spencer answered the door, wearing almost exactly what she’d been wearing the last day she’d laid eyes on her. Staring deeply into her eyes, she just stared at her, her facial expression blank. For once, Ashley couldn’t read her. She gazed deeply into the blue eyes before her. More beautiful than she had remembered. Ashley boldly grabbed Spencer’s hand, hoping to feel once again the wonderful texture of her soft fingers. Looking down at where she was holding her, Spencer starting to disappear. A scared look appeared on Spencer’s face, as she slowly began fading away. For only an instant, Ashley closed her eyes, before she knew it, Spencer was gone. Ashley ran through the door, franticly searching the room, but it was empty. Running out side, the scenery too, fading before her. She closed her eyes and leaned against the building.