Vic’s P.O.V
I gently kicked at Ashley’s door with the tip of my toes to substitute for knocking. After the night at the police station, Ashley became noticeably happier. She still kept to herself at times, so she wasn’t exactly herself yet, but she was still better than she was.

“Yeah?” she called through the door.

“It’s Vic,” I said. “I brought smoothies.” I heard some shuffling from the inside of the room, then she opened the door.

“Come in,” she said, bearing a toothy smile. I smiled back at her and entered the room, using my hip to close the door behind me. I gave Ashley one of the fruit smoothies I’d made, and we settled into her bed, leaning against the headboard.

“So,” I began after taking a sip of my smoothie. “How are you?”

“I’m cool. Thanks again for letting me stay here, Vic.”

“No problem, Ashley. Mi casa es tu casa.”

She giggled, and I felt my cheeks get hot. “But is it true that Dylan and Drew went back to Boston?” she asked once her laughter died down. I raised my eyebrow at her, as if to ask her how she knew that. “I heard Jaime and Tony talking earlier,” she said, practically reading my mind.

“Well, yeah, they left. But they’re coming back.”

“Why’d they leave? This is my problem.” Her words may have sounded selfish, but I knew they weren’t meant to be that way.

“I think it has something to do with Drew and Jerry,” I responded, taking another sip of the smoothie in my hand.

Ashley let out a low chuckle, her mind running over what I’d just said. “That’s interesting, because Jerry’s not going to jail. Jack is. When they come back, he’s still gonna be here in San Diego. You don’t have to go all the way to the other side of the country to break up with someone. And there’s no reason for Dylan to leave, either. None of this has anything to do with her.”

As Ashley finished her sentence, the door to her bedroom opened, and both sets of our eyes shot over to the doorway to see Tony standing in the threshold. “Really, Ashley? Really? Can you be that low?” His eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

“Tony. Don’t,” I said sternly, but calmly, not wanting any arguments to stir.

“Don’t what, Vic? I couldn’t help but overhear you guys’ conversation; the walls are really thin here. You think you can just sit around, drinking your little smoothies, and talking shit? ‘You don’t have to go all the way to the other side of the country to break up with someone.’” He mimicked the words Ashley had spoken only a few seconds earlier. “But isn’t that just what you did, Ashley?” He pointed an accusing finger at her.

“You know why that’s different.” Ashley placed her smoothie on the nightstand and rose as she spoke. She walked over to where Tony was standing, and they were only about a foot apart.

“Do I?”

“Tony, get out.” I was trying to remain as calm as Ashley was, but I could feel the air in the room thickening with tension.

“As long as you tell your little pet hypocrite to keep her mouth shut, I will.” He locked eyes with her as he spoke.

“He said, get out!” She yelled as you pushed him out of the way. She slammed the door in his face before he could say anything.

Tony’s P.O.V
I angrily stormed down the stairs and into the kitchen. How dare she say those things about them? She doesn’t know anything, I convinced myself as I made my way to the fridge. I opened it and snatched out the first thing I laid eyes on; an unopened bottle of Jack. I unscrewed the lid in record time and brought the open bottle to my mouth, feeling the dark liquor burn its way down my throat. I just wanted to get wasted, even if I didn’t go out, and forget everyone. Forget Vic, and Ashley, and Dylan, and everyone else.

I won’t be needing this, I thought to myself as I tossed the lid of the bottle in trash. I held the bottle by its neck as I wandered back up the stairs and into my bedroom, where I collapsed on my bed, ready to let the silence, the darkness, and the alcohol overtake me.

Ashley’s P.O.V
Once Tony was gone, I made my way back over to my bed and threw myself on it. I laid on my side, curling up next to Vic, and took deep breaths. Thank God I learned how to control my anger when I was with Jack, I thought.

“I never thought of Tony as a particularly angry person,” I said, breaking the silence and interrupting my own thoughts.

“He's not. He doesn’t get like that very often.” Vic alternated between stroking my air and caressing my back as he spoke, helping me calm down.

“Well, I never wanna see it happen again,” I admitted, getting closer to Vic.

Vic stopped stroking my hair and curled his index finger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Forget Tony,” he said. “Let’s focus on us right now.” His last sentence was hushed, and it sent a shiver up my spine.

I’d barely managed to let out an “okay” before Vic’s lips were on mine. He kissed me over and over before his tongue flicked over my bottom lip, begging for entrance. I granted it its wish as I reconnected my mouth with Vic’s, my lips parted. Our mouths fought for dominance for a while before I finally let him win. He flipped us over so that he was now on top, and he was resting comfortably in between my legs.

We continued to make out for a few minutes. Our hands explored each other’s bodies like we were virgins, but it was fun, and I was enjoying myself. Soon, Vic’s mouth moved from my lips and found a new place on my neck. He kissed and licked right underneath my jaw line, and I stifled a moan. Then, his hands began to travel down my sides, before finally stopping at the hem of my shirt. Realizing what was about to happen, I grabbed Vic’s wrists, stopping him dead in his tracks.

“Not now, Vic,” I breathed. “I’m not ready yet.”

He looked almost disappointed for a second, but then he moved off of me and planted a short kiss on my lips before he spoke. “It’s okay, darling. We can just go to sleep then.”
I turned on my side, facing away from him, and he wrapped his arm around my waist from behind me, pulling me into his chest. “Thank you for understanding,” I whispered, unsure of whether or not he could hear me.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered back.