july 2014
houston, tx
"Holy shit," Ashley's mouth gapes, as Awsten enters the kitchen.
"I told you it was really pink," Gracie laughs, causing Awsten to turn around, realising they're talking about him.
"Oh, hey!" He grins, spotting Ashley. "D'you like it?"
"I actually love it," she smiles, as he tilts his head forward to show off his bright pink hair, and bends down as a silent sign of allowance for Ashley to run her hands through it.
Gently, she combs her fingers through the pink strands, attempting to ignore the way her heart flutters.
"Still soft, right?" Awsten raises a pleased eyebrow.
"Yeah," Ashley nods, stepping back, trying to push out more than a one-word answer, "it's not dead, like Gracie said it would be," she shoots her best friend a look.
"It's only a matter of time," Gracie hums, as Ashley shuffles around Awsten, wandering to the other side of the kitchen.
"No, I'm gonna take such good care of it," he assures, earning a look of disbelief from his sister. "I'm serious!"
"Okay, okay," she holds her hands up in defence.
Ashley looks between the two siblings, rolling her eyes as she leans against the kitchen island.
"Anyway, are y'all ready?" Awsten asks, checking the battery percentage on his phone.
"I am," Ashley nods, excitedly.
"I didn't realise you were actually being serious about going to this museum," Gracie groans.
"It looks fun," Ashley insists, frowning.
"It's literally a museum," she retorts.
"Come on, Gracie," Awsten chips in. "It'll be interesting."
"Why can't y'all just go?" Gracie suggests.
"Seriously?" Ashley glares, subtly.
"I don't mind," Awsten answers.
"Yeah, fine," she replies, still shooting an unimpressed look in Gracie's direction.
She doesn't seem to pay much attention to it, as she shrugs, wandering off down the hall.
"Are you actually that pissed off at her?" Awsten chuckles, catching her attention again.
"No," Ashley waves it off, "just want to make her feel bad for bailing," she earns a loud laugh as Awsten grabs his keys.
"She's the one that's gonna miss out on all the cool science stuff," he smiles, opening the door and stepping aside to let Ashley out first.
"Awsten Knight, I never thought I'd hear the day you'd call science stuff cool," she retorts, raising her eyebrows.
"Hey! I think science stuff is cool," he frowns, skipping ahead to open the car door for her.
"Nuh, uh," Ashley shakes her head as the two of them climb into the car. "I distinctly remember you bitching to me for the whole of your senior year of Chemistry."
