“Well, have you at least made some more friends?”

Spencer already exhausted from Paula’s inquisitions decided to throw her a bone, “Well, I met this really cool painter at school, Chelsea. She’s so talented.”

Paula smiled with ignorant bliss, “Oh…you should invite her over for dinner tomorrow.”

Spencer sighed, “Okay, I will.”

Paula left the room feeling like she had actual accomplished something.

*****

…

It was Spencer‘s cell phone. She flipped it open. “Hello”

“Hello….Spencer? …It’s Ashley…”

“Hey Ashley.. I was just thinking about you…”

“Look, I need to see you ….tonight,” Ashley said quickly.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but will you see me?” Ashley said hopeful.

“Sure, Ashley…but you will have to come pick me up.”

“I’m in your driveway right now…”

Spencer hurried to get fully dressed and rushed downstairs. “Hey! Hey! Where are you going this late?” Paula shouted.

“Yeah, where are you going?” Spencer’s brother, Glen added just to be annoying.

Spencer rolled her eyes, “Ashley’s outside waiting for me.”

“Wait Spencer, you tell her to come in first,” Paula blurted with her arms folded.

“But mom!” This is so ridiculous.

With the added pressure of Paula’s smirk, Spencer opened the front door and motioned Ashley inside. It was the last thing that Ashley wanted right now, an encounter with the woman breaking her mother’s heart. She sighed and stepped out of the car to go inside. Once inside, Spencer mouthed, “I’m sorry.” Ashley nodded to say that it was okay.

“So Ashley, I wanted my husband to see who our daughter was hanging around with in this new city. Ashley this is my husband, Arthur. Arthur, this is Christine‘s daughter.”

Arthur looked at back and forth between Paula and Ashley, “Huh? I thought Christine was a —”

Paula jabbed Arthur in the side before he said it out loud. He was just bent on being insensitive towards anything that reminded him of Christine. Ashley could feel herself beginning to boil. Spencer stood there astonished at her father.

Paula broke the awkward silence, “So where are you two going tonight?”

Spencer spoke up before Ashley not knowing exactly what they were doing tonight. She just didn’t feel that right now it was her mother’s business, especially with the show she had just put on with her father and Ashley. She knew it was a show because she didn‘t even introduce Ashley to her goofy brother, Glen, who was standing there gawking at Ashley. “We are just going to Ashley’s house to watch movies. The usual girlie stuff,” Spencer explained.