Chapter Text
Ashlyn Banner never had friends before.
She had never wanted friends before.
She never thought she’d have friends before.
Now, surprisingly, she had a gun-wielder, a bat-bearer, a mute healer, a badass girl to be friends with and finally her totally least favourite, her pyscho.
To say it shocked her to actually have friends, well, it was an understatement. Quite a large one, really.
It wasnt like she was lonely due to her low popularity status — Infact, plenty of people attempted to be her friend, yet she always tried to give the coldest answers possible (and she succeeded).
All in All, Ashlyn Banner had never wanted friends.
However, she was happy.
She had Logan, her smart friend with his caramel hair and intelligence that can help everyone complete their homework. Ironic how the quiet kid is the one who masters a gun.
She had Tyler, a pain in the ass, worse than a cramp, yet he knew what to do, how to pump people up; how to protect and care. He carries a hard exterior, popular and strong, yet on some occasions, he is vulnerable and caring, nurturing, like a parent.
She had Ben, a gentle giant. A healer. Someone, who despite being undoubtedly the strongest and largest in the group, he still had the capacity to be careful and delicate with his movement, as graceful and polite as a ballerina in a music box.
She had Taylor, her only girl friend, and her best friend. Despite being a badass, Taylor was there for her, there to lift the moods and there support and encourage and defend. A girl who provided a mean punch, and a kind encouragment. Ashlyn’s bestfriend, who helped her with everything, especially her feelings she’s never felt before.
Finally, she has Aiden.
Aiden, the maniac.
Aiden, the pyscho.
Aiden, the one who bears all his teeth in every smile.
The annoying kid who chatted nonstop on his first day, down to the soft smiler who comforted her before going into hell with a single look.
Aiden, the one who caused her stomach to flutter on ocassions and the one who her eyes were drawn to, all the time, everytime.
Aiden, the bleached-blonde.
Aiden, the one who bears the smirk that once irritated ashlyn.
Aiden, the one who bears the smirk that now endears ashlyn.
—————————————————
“Not my thing.” Ashlyn says blandly. Taylor frowns at the ginger, as she holds out a dress, attempting to put on her best pout and puppy eyes.
Ashlyn doesn’t succumb, too used to the attempt at convinction, and merely repeats, “Taylor, don’t give me that look…”
However, Taylor exaggerates the look even more, even quivering her bottom lip.
Ashlyn rolls her eyes.
They were both in Taylor’s bedroom.
Taylor stood hanging out of her walk in wardrobe, and for the last hour and a half, she’s been choosing various outfits for Ashlyn to wear to a Halloween party.
Frankly, Ashlyn hadn’t been to a halloween party since she was a kid, when she used to just wear Wonder Woman or Cat Woman costumes.
Even recently, a party has been the last thing on her mind, all considering every night at 12am, she would go into an immediate sleep and live in a hellish world with her friends for 7 hours.
Nonetheless, Taylor insisted the whole group go.
Once again, she popped out of the wardrobe like a meerkat and held something more appropriate to Ashlyn’s style.
It was a little white baby tee that Taylor graciously paired with a jean skirt and a brown leather jacket. With some struggles, Taylor kicked some shoes buried underneath her wardrobe’s shelves to match with the outfit. They were Doctors Martins.
“Cmon, Ashlyn!” Taylor whined, “This would be so good.”
Ashlyn took her time, looking the outfit up and down and judging it while she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Just imagine Aiden!” Taylor added on, a teasing mirth hidden beneath her voice, practically singing the words as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Ashlyn felt her face flush whilst she exclaimed hurriedly,
“I do not like Aiden, Taylor!”
“Sure you dont.”
Ashlyn groaned as she begrudgingly took the outfit off of Taylor’s fingers and stomped to the bathroom. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see Taylor fist-pumping the air and saying something that suspiciously sounded like,
“The Aiden thing always works!”
Ashlyn reluctantly changed, scowling to herself all the while. Who am I and what have they done with me?
Still, the outfit looked good. Ashlyn had to admit it, Taylor sure had a knack for fashion. She always made everyone look good, no matter what, and that includes herself.
The other girl wore a red dress, silky and smooth and reaching to just below her thighs but above her knees. It contrasted beautifully with her dark skin and wavy hair that flowed down her back like a cascading river.
As Ashlyn sat on Taylor’s bed, scrolling mindlessly through her phone as Taylor finished her last makeup touch-ups, Tyler walked in, flinging the door open recklessly with no inhibitions in the world.
“Are you done yet? Everyones downstairs waiting.” He asked with a tone of annoyance, and Taylor came out frim her ensuite where she was adjusting her mascara, grabbing her tote bag and meeting her brothers eye as she hastily piled things into it.
“Firstly Tyler, Knock. And you’re all boys, you just wouldn’t get it.”
Tyler scoffed,
“Well no shit, Albert Fucking Einstein.”
Taylor blew a raspberry at him and to that, Ashlyn let out a little laugh.
Tyler’s head whipped towards her and he squinted his eyes at her mockingly before once again turning to Taylor, and somehow narrowing his eyes even more as he backed out the room, never breaking eye contact with his twin sister. Taylor, with a huff, followed after him.
Clumsily, Ashlyn stumbled off of Taylor’s bed and followed her down the stairs to where the boys were all waiting. Logan and Aiden were playing some sort of shooting game on their phones and Ben just stood watching, while listening to music.
Tyler was in the kitchen, saying his farewells to his mother.
Taylor went to go join him.
Leaving Ashlyn alone, She had no choice but to make her way to the boys. Giving Ben a small wave, she peered over Logan’s shoulders at the game.
“Pixel Gun 3D, really?” She judged the poor game choice of the two imbeciles.
Logan was too focused, focused to the point where his tongue was slightly hanging out, but Aiden responded,
“Its a high-quality game, Ash.”
“Youre joking, right?”
“Nope.”
Ashlyn sighed and somehow, Aiden’s eyes already wide grin managed to stretch even more.
Ashlyn rolled her eyes, more in amusement then annoyance, though that was always the case with Aiden.
Still, she watched their game intensely and found herself almost immersed in it before Tyler came trudging towards them, Taylor carrying herself lightly behind him.
Ben wrote on his phone and showed it to the group.
You got the keys?
He scrambled to add on,
For the car.
Tyler nodded and then, without warning, threw them to Ashlyn, who caught them easily. She lowered her shoulders as she sighed defeatedly.
She was always the designated driver as she couldn’t consume alcohol due to her ballet classes.
Aiden opened the door as Ashlyn walked towards it.
“M’Lady.” He said formally, as though he really was a servant in victorian times. He tried to be serious, but putting on a straight face was impossible for him and a little smile shone through at the edge of his mouth.
Ashlyn smirked and raised her eyesbrows at him teasingly as she passed.
Without waiting for the others, she got into the Hernández’s car and waited for the others to all climb in. Once everyone was seated, Ben in the passenger seat beside her, she readied the engine and began to drive over the bumpy asphalt streets as she hummed quietly to some cheesy acoustic song from Tyler’s playlist and off she drove to hell.
—————-
Hell was a little more lively then she expected. If anything, it should be remorseful bodies dragging their feet behind themselves in self-woe.
Instead, it was teenagers (that didnt surprise Ashlyn), and strobe LED lights and the sound of wet, clammy bodies slapping and grinding against eachother, their veins matching with the density of alcohol, smoothly paired with the disorientation of their brains.
When they had first got there, The house was already very… intense. And that was being generous.
There was toilet paper strawn over every tree and the LED lights shone out the windows to reflect off of the slightly wet ground and grass.
People were spread over the lawn, doing multiple things, some too bizarre to explain. For example, there was a kid, strapped to two Pepsi bottles which made a poorly made jet-pack.
Some of his other friends, who Ashlyn had recognised to be Barron and his goonies, then went and added Mentoes, only to realise it was the other wrong way round and the Pepsi hit them furiously in the face.
Ashlyn laughed at that when it happened.
Once all of the group was ready and had grabbed things from the car compartments, they all walked in together.
The smell of sweat and Alcohol was the second thing that caught Ashlyn’s attention, the first thing being the obscenely loud 2000s music and the muffled sounds of low speaking, and the loud sounds of shouting.
Regret had hit her almost instantly, and she realised how stupid of an idea it was to go to a party anyway.
And at that moment, she had been hit with the hard truth that in two small hours, her and her friends would be forced to fight for their lives in a world full of demons, phantoms, and could potentially die.
She supposed the absolute dread of the situation had just hit her then.
The sweaty teens of the dance floor were completely oblivious to this, however.
Ashlyn probably just looked like some overwhelmed kid who was seeking fun, and got overbearing adrenaline instead.
She fought her way through the crowd, being pushed rhythmically with the dancing bodies.
The drinking table was located in the kitchen on the island, as it typically was in all parties.
Ashlyn felt like vomiting out of relief when she saw it, in its white light and sparsely populated glory.
Realistically, She had only been engulfed by the crowd for two minutes but that was enough for her to get a headache, it was as though the basses vibration went through her cranium rather then chest.
She beelined for the fridge, grabbing a cold bottle of water which steamed from the ice-inducing quality of the freezer.
She chugged it quickly, and it felt sweet to escape down her throat, comparing nicely with the clammy feeling of her oesphagus closing up.
Leaning on the counter, She took a few breaths and decided she would stay here for a while.
It was nice, people came and went and the open arch lead to a nice view to people watching opportunities in the living room dancing, not to mention the window she could taste the bitter air out of.
The sky was a midnight blue, fusing with a dark indigo and gray clouds framed the full moon.
The gardenlights turned into a nice cream as it hit off the dewy pavement in the garden of whoever this party’s was house and some people sat on the grass playing truth or dare, some pissing and or kissing.
She pulled her phone out of her back pocket as she took another sip, and checked the time.
22:08pm
If Aiden or Taylor saw this, they would have a fit.
“22?! Theres not a 22nd hour.”
Ashlyn used military time, mainly because of her parents who were ex-soldiers, but also because she wasnt bothered to change it.
She hopped up onto the counter, swinging her boots just so they could lightly kick the cabinet she sat on.
When her foot hit the cold metal handle, the vibration went up through her and made her feel that little bit more alive.
She didnt know how long she stayed there for, perhaps five minutes or twenty, yet it didnt feel like long until Aiden found her.
His hair was disheveled and his face was flushed pink from the heat of the party. His hair was usually unruly, but it was a mess and it honestly looked untameable to Ashlyn.
“Ash…lyn.” He breathed out, panting and exhausted from either dancing or looking for her.
“Hey, Aiden.” She swallowed as she took in the raw sight of him.
“Holy Guacamole, That crowd is rowdy.” He lifted his head and breathed in the crisp air of the night and then slumped lazily onto the floor beside Ashlyns feet.
“I could never go in that crowd.” Ashlyn said, uncomfortable with pause in conversation.
“I dont know how I managed, I didnt have ben or anything.”
Ashlyn laughed at the thought of Aiden just there in the swarm of teens, all alone yet somehow probably being the life of the room, as he always did. He always lit up any room he wandered into, whether that be with his pearly whites or sassy comments.
After her little visual imagery, she looked down at him and saw him already staring at her, a glint of appreciation and something else hidden in his gorgeously red iris.
Quickly however, he darted his head away and began to walk to the fridge as Ashlyn watched him in a trance.
He pulled out a coke can.
“Wanna see a trick?” He said teasingly whilst extending the word ‘trick’ and wiggling his eyesbrows.
Kind of scared to what he would pull out next, Ashlyn just nodded in uncertainty and audibly gasped when Aiden made a hole in the can with his thumb and chugged it in no more then 5 seconds.
Quickly shutting her already gaping mouth, she tried to feign an unimpressive expression as Aiden wiped his mouth ungracefully and smirked at her, clearing any hope that that Ashlyn had that he hadnt seen her face two seconds ago.
“Are you impressed, Ash?” He asked, muffling amusement in his tone, and failing to do so. His smirk etched his face in a playful manner as he tried to switch the upturned corners of his lips down.
“No.” She deadpanned, hoping it was convincing enough.
Aiden rolled his eyes and let out a whine before groaning, ”You are one stubborn girl, you know that, Red?” He complained before decisively opening the fridge and receiving another can.
She thought he was going to do it again, however in a change of events, he grabbed her hand.
Compared to her calloused and strained hands from constant dancing and training, his hands were warm and soft, and honestly a lovely contrast that Ashlyn wouldve loved if he didnt plop a freezing cold can in her hand right after.
All warmth vanished and she let out a yelp at the cold tin hitting her palm.
Aiden sniggered at that.
She looked up at him, partially in annoyance, partially in curiosity.
“You try.” He said, with no further explanation, gesturing aimlessly to where her nimble fingers gripped the can.
Hesitantly, she looked down at the silver aluminium in her hand.
She knew she was strong and generally muscular compared to other teens, although she had never learned this party habit before.
Still, she was no one-trick pony, so she took a crack at it.
“Where do I… Erm— ” She tried to put her next words carefully to prevent an inappropriate joke, “— break through the can?” She held either end of the metal with each hand and she spun it round, attempting to find the best angle; She waited for Aiden’s response.
However, it never came.
Instead, his warm hands found hers again and rested over them.
They were both standing up now and the distance was a little too close for Ashlyn’s liking.
Taking a risk, she glanced upwards towards where his face would be, and on it layed a gentle smile and eyes that focused on the can as he twirled it for her, using her hands.
Slowly, his fingers took grip of her thumb and placed it over a delicate spot on the can, about 1/4 from the bottom.
He finally looked up at her, sharing a small smile with her before he seemingly realised where he was and stepped away quickly.
If he had been wearing a turtle-neck, Ashlyn wouldnt have been able to see the blush slowly crawling it ways up to his face.
She looked down at where her thumb was placed and she punched into the drink.
It made a satisfying fizz and she felt her face light up in relief that she didn’t humiliate herself. Grinning already, she looked back at Aiden who was clapping slowly to her performance.
The drink was going to overflow, so just as she, herself, was about to drink it, she found the coldness she had began to fall
numb to was ripped from her hands suddenly.
And that coldness now laid in the hands of Barron, who was already gulping it down hastily.
Her eyes immediately narrowed and her jaw clenched with her teeth gritting together at the sight of him.
His hair was sticky around the bottom, probably due to the mentoes incident from earlier.
After he finished it, in a considerably longer time then Aiden, he wiped his mouth, also considerably less attractive then Aiden.
“Thanks for the drink, Firefox.”
Ashlyn practically snarled in response,
“It wasnt yours, Mentoes.”
Seemingly taken aback by her snap-back, Barron’s eyes widened before taking a step towards Ashlyn.
In retaliation, Ashlyn stood still, not allowing Barron the satisfaction of her own response, yet she crossed her arms.
Aiden didnt get the memo though, taking a step for Ashlyn and almost covering her body with his.
“This didnt involve you, Pretty boy.” Barron told him as he attempted to push Aiden, yet he stayed in place.
“I dont recall her Pepsi involving you, either.” Aiden retorted.
“Aiden, lets just go.” Ashlyn was sick of Barron, but she really wasn’t bothered to please him today. She’d punch him another day, I mean, She’s done it before.
Aiden obliged, but not before giving Barron another glare.
They were just about to step away and get out of Barron’s horrible, yet consuming, prescence before he called out, “Yeah, Aiden, follow your own fucking dog’s orders.”
Ashlyn felt Aiden tense up beside her, hell, she felt her own body tense at being called a dog.
It was almost in a flash, and with the crunch of a bone that Ashlyn was snapped back to reality.
In those two seconds, Aiden had somehow managed to travel back to Barron and punch him.
Square in the nose.
Barron slammed against the countertop and his hands immediately found his face, where blood poured out.
“You maniac!” Barron shouted, before he prepared to fight back, Ashlyn planted a quick kick to Barrons inner knee, making him fall down.
Ashlyn quickly grabbed Aiden’s wrist, her other hand frantically pulling out her phone and managing to text the groupchat.
Carrot-top: car car car go go go to car NOW
She and Aiden ran beside eachother, her grip still firm and twisted on his wrist and they made their way out of the frontdoor.
She could feel the vibrations of the others responses in her pocket.
It took them a while to push through all the bodies but they figured out a system.
Ashlyn pushed, Aiden apologised.
When they got out, they were slapped by the harsh wind in discipline.
The others already sat there, some leaning against the car, some sitting on the steps, and then Taylor, who happily swung on the chair on the porch.
They all walked up to the two A’s.
“What the hell happened?” Tyler asked.
“I second that, what happened?” Logan added on.
“I was having a good time dancing too!” Taylor moaned.
Aiden was still regaining his breath, but Ashlyn managed to splutter out,
“ Aiden… punch… Barron!”
“Aiden what?!” The group said shockingly in unison.
Appearing to have somewhat caught his breath, Aiden scoffed and grumbled,
“We’ll tell you later, Get in the car!”
“You better tell us!” Tyler laughed fondly, clapping Aiden on the back.
“We will!” Aiden agreed, “Now, go go go!”He bounced anxiously, checking back at the door.
They all made their way to the car rapidly, some muttering in disbelief, some laughing.
They all strapped themselves in and just in time too, as Barron made his way out of the door and shouted, looking for them.
Taylor leant over to the front to open the top of the car and through her rear view mirror, Ashlyn saw her kiss her middle finger before putting it up to Barron. Wanting to join the fun, Tyler tried to get up before Logan tugged him down, as Ben tugged down Taylor in the process.
Chuckling to herself, Ashlyn turned on the Radio to which it opened to a cheesy pop song.
“Is that…”
“It so is!”
“Oh my god, I love this song.”
“So Nostalgic.”
“Ash, turn it up!”
Ashlyn obliged, turning up Party in the USA.
Everyone collectively sang it, Aside from Ben, who was pretty amused by just turning it up and down to create an 8D effect.
At first, Ashlyn didn’t sing either until when singing the chorus, the group turned every single line into,
“Ashlyn, sing!”
Varying those two words into multiple different pitches and pauses got her approval, and begrudgingly, she began to sing. All windows were down and they were definitely getting looks.
But she didnt care.
She had friends.
Friends that went to hell with her.
Friends she had experienced heaven with.
Friends she never thought she would have, yet she did, and she loved it.