Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Makeup
"Ashley, be home by five. No going out late tonight," said her mom over the phone.
"Okay, mom. See you," she said, snapping the slim phone shut. She glanced at the clock with wide eyes.
"She's gotta be crazy! I've only got ten minutes to get home!" Ashley quickly stuffed everything in her backpack, carrying her laptop, and hauled the bag onto her shoulder. She left so quickly that she didn't notice the plastic bag fall out of her backpack. Brian noticed that she was gone, and saw the plastic bag marked 'Ashley' lying on the floor.
'She must have dropped it,' he thought, picking it up and stuffing it into his own backpack. 'I'll bring it by her house later.'
-----
Ashley rummaged through her backpack, unloading the various papers and CD's, hiding the latter under her bed. It would be bad if her parents found out how much she had spent on music that day. She realized something was missing, and frantically searched her room to see if she had dropped it somewhere. Just then the doorbell rang. Ashley raced downstairs to answer it and threw the door open.
"Ashley, no friends can stay over," warned her mother. She nodded, seeing Brian at the door.
"Brian what are you-" She stopped mid-sentence, seeing the bag dangling from his right hand. She snatched it out of his hand, crumpling it into a loose ball to hide it from her parents' view.
"Where was this?" she asked, ignoring his shocked face.
"You dropped it at the shop. I thought I'd bring it by," he said with a shrug. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Thanks for bringing it, but next time I think you should call first. Okay?" He nodded casually and left. She quietly shut the door and returned to her room before her parents had the chance to ask any questions. She downed another half of a pill with the half-finished water bottle, tossing it in the trash can and flopping back on her bed. She was asleep within a few minutes.
----
"Ash? Are you awake?" asked her mom quietly as she entered the room. Pale light flooded the room, casting long shadows on the walls. She was about to wake Ashley when she slipped on something and almost fell on the carpet. Regaining her balance, she glanced down to see what it was. Her eyes widened, and she shook Ashley awake.
"What are these, young lady?" she asked abruptly. Ashley rubbed her eyes.
"Well?" her mom demanded. Ashley's face tightened into a frown.
"I can't tell you."
"Are they drugs? How did you get them? From a friend?" She froze momentarily, but did not speak. Gerard and his friends had already gotten in trouble for no reason. She didn't want them to get in trouble WITH a reason, especially one where they could get negative attention.
"I was coming up here to take some time off of your grounding, but now I see the problem is much more serious than that," she said, briskly exiting the room to get her husband. Ashley became angry. Before she could act, however, her phone buzzed. She quickly answered it, heading into the bathroom so no one would bother her.
"Hello?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"It's Frank. Could you meet me at the record store soon? I've got some bad news."
"It'll have to wait until later. Maybe sometime around ten. I'm in huge trouble right now."
"Okay. See you there." She quickly hung up the phone and stuffed it in her pocket, running some water through the sink to make it realistic. She cautiously opened the door, and her parents were both standing there, as expected.
"Care to explain these, young lady?" asked her dad.
"I already told mom, I'm not saying how I got them. And they're not illegal drugs, if that's what you're thinking."
"That's not good enough. Tell us who gave you these or you lose the car." She stoically shook her head.
"Fine, you asked for it. You're grounded for two extra weeks. No car, no phone, no computer. Is that understood?" said her mom, crossing her arms. Ashley's anger escalated, and she ran down the hallway and into her room, slamming and locking the door. She made up her mind. This had to stop.
Grabbing a large bundle of money out of her sock drawer, she stuffed that, the pills, and her purse into her empty backpack. She glanced at the clock, deciding to wait until after her parents had gone to bed to leave. This time, however, she wouldn't be coming back.
----
Nine thirty came, and her parents retreated to their room. Ashley hoisted her light backpack onto one shoulder and tentatively opened her door. The house was almost entirely dark, but she managed to get outside without being detected. Thankful she had parked in front of the house instead of in the driveway, she took a last glance at the house and started the dark Altima, barely hearing its quiet engine rumble to life. She waited to turn her headlights on until she was nearly a block away, glad she lived in more of a residential area. She reached the record store in about twenty minutes, parking in the back next to an expensive black Mercedes. Frank's expensive black Mercedes.
Ashley left the car and met Frank by the front of the shop.
"So, what's the problem?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"We lost the case," he muttered solemnly.
"What?" she asked breathlessly, full of disbelief.
"Your boyfriend's parents won. We're considered at fault for the accident. Gerard had a breakdown over it. He left a few minutes after we found out. We haven't seen him for nearly three hours now." Her eyes widened. Frank started heading back towards his car.
"I'm going to go look for him. You can come if you want. I just thought you might want to know." She caught up with his long stride.
"I'm coming...and maybe we should take my car." Frank raised an eyebrow, hesitant to leave his beloved car behind. He almost never got to drive it.
"Any particular reason you couldn't just follow me?"
"I'm running away from home, and if they find my car here, they'll know where I was. It wouldn't take long after that to find me. Please, Frank?" she asked, voice beginning to break. Frank sighed.
"Fine. I'll call the guys and tell them to come get it." Ashley thanked him and handed him the keys.
"It's the least I can do."
----
They drove all over the city, looking for any sign of Gerard's Corvette.
"How will we be able to recognize it? Every other person here drives a Corvette," said Ashley, scanning the streets through the tinted window.
"Oh, it's reasonably easy to spot. It's red, and the license plate reads 'KNIVES'." She suppressed a smile and continued her careful vigilance.
"There!" said Frank suddenly, pulling the fastest parallel parking job she had ever seen. He jumped out of the car with her close behind, racing over to the car. He sighed.
"He's not in it, passed out or otherwise," he said sadly, looking around for any trace of his friend. Ashley looked around as well. They weren't in the best part of town; a lot of gangs took up residence here. She stayed close to Frank for safety.
They wandered the side streets and alleys, seeing nothing for several minutes, until Frank abruptly stopped to pick something up.
"Gerard's lighter...he's been smoking, and judging by the smell, he's not too far away." His eyes narrowed. "But he would never intentionally leave this behind. Something must be-"
That was as far as he got before the gunshots were fired. Frank ducked into a nearby alleyway, taking Ashley with him, and flattened them both against the wall. They heard several shouts and a cry of pain that could only have belonged to Gerard. He cautiously looked around the corner and saw his blonde-haired friend thrown into the pale glow of a streetlight by two men, one of which was holding a handgun. They were kicking and punching Gerard endlessly, not even giving him a chance. They intended to kill him. He fell to the ground helplessly, and the barrage continued. Frank growled. That was it.
"Stay here," Frank said to Ashley, running out to join the fray. She watched as he swung mercilessly at them, trying to save his friend. He attacked the gun-wielding one from behind and managed to wrestle the gun away from its owner. He stood protectively in front of Gerard, who managed to weakly stand, aiming the pistol threateningly at the two men. He shouted at them to get out of there, and they obliged.
Thinking it was all over, Ashley began to come out of her hiding place, and one noticed her movement. He ran towards her, hoping to get a hostage.
"Ashley, no!" shouted Frank. A single shot was fired. The man fell to the pavement, unmoving, and a thin stream of smoke rose from the barrel of the pistol Frank held. He threatened to shoot the other one as well, and the thug disappeared into the maze of alleyways. Frank relaxed and unloaded the gun's clip, letting it drop into his waiting hand and placing both of them on the ground. Ashley ran toward him, shaking from shock.
"I can't believe you just-"
"It was self-defense. He was going to kill you," he murmured, a cold look masking his features. Gerard suddenly wavered, and Frank caught him, helping him limp back to his beloved car.
"We need to get you to the hospital," he said urgently, taking out his phone to dial 911. Gerard took it away from him.
"I'm fine. I've got no broken bones, and even though I'll probably have a concussion tomorrow, I'm not about to die. Let's just get back to the guys." Frank shook his head.
"You're in no condition to drive." Gerard smirked at Ashley, who was breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.
"Ever driven a Corvette?" She shook her head. He handed her the keys. "Now's your chance."
-----
"Okay, mom. See you," she said, snapping the slim phone shut. She glanced at the clock with wide eyes.
"She's gotta be crazy! I've only got ten minutes to get home!" Ashley quickly stuffed everything in her backpack, carrying her laptop, and hauled the bag onto her shoulder. She left so quickly that she didn't notice the plastic bag fall out of her backpack. Brian noticed that she was gone, and saw the plastic bag marked 'Ashley' lying on the floor.
'She must have dropped it,' he thought, picking it up and stuffing it into his own backpack. 'I'll bring it by her house later.'
-----
Ashley rummaged through her backpack, unloading the various papers and CD's, hiding the latter under her bed. It would be bad if her parents found out how much she had spent on music that day. She realized something was missing, and frantically searched her room to see if she had dropped it somewhere. Just then the doorbell rang. Ashley raced downstairs to answer it and threw the door open.
"Ashley, no friends can stay over," warned her mother. She nodded, seeing Brian at the door.
"Brian what are you-" She stopped mid-sentence, seeing the bag dangling from his right hand. She snatched it out of his hand, crumpling it into a loose ball to hide it from her parents' view.
"Where was this?" she asked, ignoring his shocked face.
"You dropped it at the shop. I thought I'd bring it by," he said with a shrug. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Thanks for bringing it, but next time I think you should call first. Okay?" He nodded casually and left. She quietly shut the door and returned to her room before her parents had the chance to ask any questions. She downed another half of a pill with the half-finished water bottle, tossing it in the trash can and flopping back on her bed. She was asleep within a few minutes.
----
"Ash? Are you awake?" asked her mom quietly as she entered the room. Pale light flooded the room, casting long shadows on the walls. She was about to wake Ashley when she slipped on something and almost fell on the carpet. Regaining her balance, she glanced down to see what it was. Her eyes widened, and she shook Ashley awake.
"What are these, young lady?" she asked abruptly. Ashley rubbed her eyes.
"Well?" her mom demanded. Ashley's face tightened into a frown.
"I can't tell you."
"Are they drugs? How did you get them? From a friend?" She froze momentarily, but did not speak. Gerard and his friends had already gotten in trouble for no reason. She didn't want them to get in trouble WITH a reason, especially one where they could get negative attention.
"I was coming up here to take some time off of your grounding, but now I see the problem is much more serious than that," she said, briskly exiting the room to get her husband. Ashley became angry. Before she could act, however, her phone buzzed. She quickly answered it, heading into the bathroom so no one would bother her.
"Hello?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"It's Frank. Could you meet me at the record store soon? I've got some bad news."
"It'll have to wait until later. Maybe sometime around ten. I'm in huge trouble right now."
"Okay. See you there." She quickly hung up the phone and stuffed it in her pocket, running some water through the sink to make it realistic. She cautiously opened the door, and her parents were both standing there, as expected.
"Care to explain these, young lady?" asked her dad.
"I already told mom, I'm not saying how I got them. And they're not illegal drugs, if that's what you're thinking."
"That's not good enough. Tell us who gave you these or you lose the car." She stoically shook her head.
"Fine, you asked for it. You're grounded for two extra weeks. No car, no phone, no computer. Is that understood?" said her mom, crossing her arms. Ashley's anger escalated, and she ran down the hallway and into her room, slamming and locking the door. She made up her mind. This had to stop.
Grabbing a large bundle of money out of her sock drawer, she stuffed that, the pills, and her purse into her empty backpack. She glanced at the clock, deciding to wait until after her parents had gone to bed to leave. This time, however, she wouldn't be coming back.
----
Nine thirty came, and her parents retreated to their room. Ashley hoisted her light backpack onto one shoulder and tentatively opened her door. The house was almost entirely dark, but she managed to get outside without being detected. Thankful she had parked in front of the house instead of in the driveway, she took a last glance at the house and started the dark Altima, barely hearing its quiet engine rumble to life. She waited to turn her headlights on until she was nearly a block away, glad she lived in more of a residential area. She reached the record store in about twenty minutes, parking in the back next to an expensive black Mercedes. Frank's expensive black Mercedes.
Ashley left the car and met Frank by the front of the shop.
"So, what's the problem?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"We lost the case," he muttered solemnly.
"What?" she asked breathlessly, full of disbelief.
"Your boyfriend's parents won. We're considered at fault for the accident. Gerard had a breakdown over it. He left a few minutes after we found out. We haven't seen him for nearly three hours now." Her eyes widened. Frank started heading back towards his car.
"I'm going to go look for him. You can come if you want. I just thought you might want to know." She caught up with his long stride.
"I'm coming...and maybe we should take my car." Frank raised an eyebrow, hesitant to leave his beloved car behind. He almost never got to drive it.
"Any particular reason you couldn't just follow me?"
"I'm running away from home, and if they find my car here, they'll know where I was. It wouldn't take long after that to find me. Please, Frank?" she asked, voice beginning to break. Frank sighed.
"Fine. I'll call the guys and tell them to come get it." Ashley thanked him and handed him the keys.
"It's the least I can do."
----
They drove all over the city, looking for any sign of Gerard's Corvette.
"How will we be able to recognize it? Every other person here drives a Corvette," said Ashley, scanning the streets through the tinted window.
"Oh, it's reasonably easy to spot. It's red, and the license plate reads 'KNIVES'." She suppressed a smile and continued her careful vigilance.
"There!" said Frank suddenly, pulling the fastest parallel parking job she had ever seen. He jumped out of the car with her close behind, racing over to the car. He sighed.
"He's not in it, passed out or otherwise," he said sadly, looking around for any trace of his friend. Ashley looked around as well. They weren't in the best part of town; a lot of gangs took up residence here. She stayed close to Frank for safety.
They wandered the side streets and alleys, seeing nothing for several minutes, until Frank abruptly stopped to pick something up.
"Gerard's lighter...he's been smoking, and judging by the smell, he's not too far away." His eyes narrowed. "But he would never intentionally leave this behind. Something must be-"
That was as far as he got before the gunshots were fired. Frank ducked into a nearby alleyway, taking Ashley with him, and flattened them both against the wall. They heard several shouts and a cry of pain that could only have belonged to Gerard. He cautiously looked around the corner and saw his blonde-haired friend thrown into the pale glow of a streetlight by two men, one of which was holding a handgun. They were kicking and punching Gerard endlessly, not even giving him a chance. They intended to kill him. He fell to the ground helplessly, and the barrage continued. Frank growled. That was it.
"Stay here," Frank said to Ashley, running out to join the fray. She watched as he swung mercilessly at them, trying to save his friend. He attacked the gun-wielding one from behind and managed to wrestle the gun away from its owner. He stood protectively in front of Gerard, who managed to weakly stand, aiming the pistol threateningly at the two men. He shouted at them to get out of there, and they obliged.
Thinking it was all over, Ashley began to come out of her hiding place, and one noticed her movement. He ran towards her, hoping to get a hostage.
"Ashley, no!" shouted Frank. A single shot was fired. The man fell to the pavement, unmoving, and a thin stream of smoke rose from the barrel of the pistol Frank held. He threatened to shoot the other one as well, and the thug disappeared into the maze of alleyways. Frank relaxed and unloaded the gun's clip, letting it drop into his waiting hand and placing both of them on the ground. Ashley ran toward him, shaking from shock.
"I can't believe you just-"
"It was self-defense. He was going to kill you," he murmured, a cold look masking his features. Gerard suddenly wavered, and Frank caught him, helping him limp back to his beloved car.
"We need to get you to the hospital," he said urgently, taking out his phone to dial 911. Gerard took it away from him.
"I'm fine. I've got no broken bones, and even though I'll probably have a concussion tomorrow, I'm not about to die. Let's just get back to the guys." Frank shook his head.
"You're in no condition to drive." Gerard smirked at Ashley, who was breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down.
"Ever driven a Corvette?" She shook her head. He handed her the keys. "Now's your chance."
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