Ashlynn Madison Richardson was in a hurry, as she jogged along the sidewalk, trying to get to work on time. At fourteen, she was expected to help hold down the fort, even though her parents were quite rich and able to afford food for her and her siblings. She was shy, though sometimes outgoing, and a very hard worker. She had to be. If she didn’t work hard, she’d have to suffer the consequences of her parents’ wrath, which meant the chance of getting kicked out.

Now, her parents weren’t cruel people, as they loved all their children very much. But, they were very strict, especially with Ashlynn, who was their favourite child. They wanted what was best for her, but sometimes, they cared too much about what others would think and never even considered her feelings. This was the result of her having three older brothers, two younger brothers, and a twin sister.

Ashlynn ran into the Subway restaurant where she worked, completely out of breath.

“About time you got here, Ash,” Alexia, her twin sister, and best friend, said. “Marcus was about to have a fit because his favourite person wasn’t here.”

“Slept in…” Ashlynn said between gulps of air.

Alexia laughed. “I thought it was my job to sleep in.”

Ashlynn straightened herself, and looked at her sister. “It is. Somebody turned my alarm off, after they got up this morning.”

Alexia smirked, then turned to serve a customer. She’d known if she’d turned Ashlynn’s alarm clock off, her sister wouldn’t get up in time for work. She hadn’t done it to be cruel - she was just a jokester who loved to pull pranks on people. Besides, she knew her sister would get her back for it later.

Ashlynn got herself ready, then stood behind the counter next to Alexia, helping to serve the customers that wandered in wanting a sub or slice of pizza and a drink. “You think Daddy will be mad if he knows I was late?”

“Nah,” Alexia answered, shaking her head. “We can say it was me who was late. Daddy won’t care so much then. He knows I like to dawdle on the way here.”

Both sisters laughed slightly as the next customer came in. When they looked up, they were surprised to see a young man, who didn’t look any older than sixteen, standing there watching them. The young man was about six foot one, had light brown hair, and green eyes. But what surprised the sisters the most, was that his clothes were torn and looked old, as the pants he wore, were more like flood pants on him. Also, his shirt was far too small, and majorly falling apart.

The young man remained silent as he came up to the counter, and eyed the menus. He then spoke, surprising the girls with his sweet southern voice.

“I’ll have a turkey sub with cheese, lettuce, and pickles, please,” he said. They didn’t know it, but he had scraped and saved forever just to be able to afford this sub, that he had loved so much when he was little.

Alexia nudged Ashlynn, who was standing there gaping at him. “Serve him!” She hissed, then smiled at him. “Ignore my twin. She’s just a little shell-shocked.”

The young man laughed softly. “I see you remember the old Ninja Turtle cartoons.”

That was all, that was needed to be said, to get Alexia going. “Oh my God! Yes!” She said, excited that someone else remembered them. “Those were the absolute best! I mean, the new ones now are cool too, but Shredder is just NOT the same anymore. I used to have this HUGE crush on him, even though he was only a cartoon character.”

“April wasn’t that bad,” he stated softly.

“April? Eew!” Alexia exclaimed. “I HATED her with a passion! Now, Raphael and Leonardo! Oh my God! They were Awesome!”

He smiled at Ashlynn, then looked back to Alexia. “I like Donatello, the introverted one. He was cool, and smart, and kept to himself.”

“Yeah. Donnie was cool too,” Alexia agreed. “And Mikey. Michaelangelo is so funny!”

Ashlynn listened to the two of them talk, while she worked on getting the sub he had requested made. She wouldn’t admit it to her sister, but she thought he looked kind of cute, despite his rugged appearance.

“By the way, I’m Alexia. And this is my sister Ashlynn,” Alexia introduced. “As I said earlier, we’re twins. I’m older by a minute, and like to remind her of that as often as I can.”

“You may be older, but you sure don’t act it,” Ashlynn piped up.

The young man looked over at Ashlynn, amazed she could actually speak. “So, you do talk?”

Ashlynn blushed slightly. “Yeah.”

“Haha! You’re blushing!” Alexia declared, stating the obvious. “Lil’ Ash has a crush! Aww!”

“Alexia! Stuff it!” Ashlynn snapped.

“Ooh. Touchie!” Alexia cried.

“I’m Clay,” the young man told them, while looking at Ashlynn.

Alexia watched the exchange between Clay and her sister quietly. She could tell by the way they looked at one another, that there was an attraction there. She just hoped their parents didn’t find out, as they’d have a fit.

“So…where do you go to school?” Alexia asked finally, breaking the awkward silence.

“Um…I don’t,” Clay answered sheepishly. “I…um…haven’t been since third grade.”

“What? Why not?” Alexia demanded.

“Alexia! Leave him alone!” Ashlynn snapped. “There is no rule here, saying he has to tell us his life story!”

“Okay. Yeesh!” Alexia said. “Just trying to look out for my baby sister, and get the low down on this hottie.”

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. “Obviously, my sister’s not afraid to speak her mind.”

“Hell no!” Alexia put in, as she began to mop the floor. “I call it like it is when I can. Not very often am I shy. That’s Ash’s job – to be shy, I mean.”

Clay laughed again, and shook his head, then looked at Ashlynn. “She always this talkative?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ashlynn nodded. “You should hear her when she gets in her full Ninja Turtle or Backstreet Boys mode.”

“Hey!” Alexia exclaimed. “You’re no better, Mrs. Nick Carter!”

“Shut-up, Mrs. McLean!” Ashlynn retorted, then gave Clay a sheepish look. “Sorry. We get caught up sometimes.”

“Hey, be glad you have a sister to joke around with,” Clay said softly. “I’m an only child.”

“Well, you want a bunch of siblings?” Alexia asked, standing up. “’Cause you can have our four brothers. They’re pain-in-the-asses.”

“Alexia! Quit it! You’re just mad ‘cause Daddy wouldn’t let us go on tour with Kevin!” Ashlynn verified.

“On tour?” Clay repeated.

“Oh. Whoops. Did we forget to mention our older brothers are way older than us, and that the one right before us is a Backstreet Boy?” Alexia said sarcastically. She then turned and looked at Ashlynn. “And I don’t see why we can’t go! So what if I didn’t get all A’s! Nobody’s perfect in this damn world! Yeesh!”

“

Attitude!” Ashlynn reminded her. “You know Marcus will get mad.”

“Marcus don’t even own the place! He’s just A.J.’s security guard, and here with us, ‘cause he’s the only one who can stand us!”

“Ahem!” Someone said, clearing their throat loudly. “Ladies, I do believe your brother is on the phone, and wanting to know what all the yelling is about.”

Both girls turned to look at Marcus. “Which brother?”

“Which one do you think would care to call during work hours?” Marcus asked.

“KEVIN!” Alexia shrieked, dropping the mop and making a mad dash for the phone.

Ashlynn laughed, then finished wrapping up Clay’s sub. “Don’t mind her, like I said. She’s our brother’s shadow, and follows him everywhere if she can.”

Clay nodded. “I see.” He looked over at Alexia, who was on the phone talking a mile a minute, wistfully.

“Hey, you okay?” Ashlynn asked him softly.

“Wha?” Clay said, snapping out of his trance.

“Are you okay?” Ashlynn repeated.

“Yeah. Sorry. Was wishing I’d a brother to talk too,” Clay admitted.

“Well, like Alexia said, you’re welcome to have one of ours,” Ashlynn smiled. “Well, anyone, but Kevin. Alexia would come after you with a butcher knife if you took him.”

Clay smirked. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” Ashlynn nodded. “He’s the only one who understands us. Her especially.”

“Um…Can I get a chocolate chunk cookie with that?” Clay asked nervously, hoping he’d have enough money.

“Sure!” Ashlynn chirped. She put everything he wanted in a bag, and rang it up. “That comes to $6.45.”

“Um…” Clay said, counting his money. He was relieved to see he had just enough. “Here…” He handed her the money, and watched as she put it in the cash register.

“Would you like a drink or anything?” Ashlynn asked.

“Ah…No thanks,” Clay replied, though he was incredibly thirsty.

“You like Dr. Pepper?” Ashlynn wanted to know.

“Ye-ah…” Clay trailed off.

Ashlynn reached into the Coke fridge behind her and pulled out a Dr. Pepper, handing it to him. “Here. It’s on the house. Consider it a reward, for putting up with my sister.” She smiled brightly at him.

Clay returned her smile. “Thanks,” he said. “It’s much appreciated.” He paused a moment, then spoke again. “Um…will you be here tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Ashlynn said. “We work here everyday, now that school’s out and summer’s about to start.”

“So…See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here,” Ashlynn smiled.

“Alright. And tell your sister I said good-bye,” Clay told her.

“I will.” Ashlynn waved good-bye to him, then turned and looked at Marcus. “Not a word!”

Marcus holds his hands up in front of him, as if defending himself. “I didn’t say a word. And I won’t say a word to anyone. You ought to know that by now Ashlynn.”

“ASH!” Alexia called. “KEVIN WANTS TO TALK TO YOU! PRONTO!”

Ashlynn rolled her eyes, then went and took the phone from her sister, who went back to mopping the floors.

“So…Ash…Whatcha think of that Clay guy who came into work today?” Alexia asked, as they walked along together, headed for home.

“What about him?” Ashlynn asked. “He seemed nice enough.”

“NICE?” Alexia repeated. “Okay, you, like, DROOLED over him! And yet, all you can say is ‘He’s NICE’?”

Ashlynn blushed slightly. “Okay… So he was kind of cute…”

Alexia snickered. “Kind of? C’mon Ash! Just admit you’ve a crush on the guy. It’ll be easier in the end.”

“Okay, fine!” Ashlynn said. “I’ve a slight crush on him.”

“Slight crush?” Alexia said, raising her eyebrows.

“ALRIGHT!” Ashlynn said a bit loud. “A HUGE CRUSH! OKAY?”

“Much better!” Alexia declared, then slung her arm over her sister’s shoulders. “Now, did the hottie say if he’d be back tomorrow? I kind of missed half the conversation ‘cause Kevin decided to call.”

“Can’t you just wait and see?” Ashlynn asked.

“No. If he is, make-over time!” Alexia cried.

“Okay, for one, you hate everything to do with make-up and fashion,” Ashlynn began. “Secondly, Momma and Daddy would get suspicious. And lastly, I think not!”

Alexia laughed. “Ash, no one said Momma and Daddy had to know. Also, we can do it at work. Daddy’s not due to visit for another day or so. And if he does come earlier than expected, just say I was experimenting.”

“Xia, you know Daddy will have your hide if we tell him that. You know his rules about experimenting before or during work,” Ashlynn reminded her.

“Yeah, and I also know not to take Kevin’s calls during work too, but do,” Alexia pointed out. “So, your point would be what?”

Ashlynn groaned. “I don’t know anymore. You made me lose my train of thought.”

“Good. That’s what I’m here for, Mrs. Carter,” Alexia smiled.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. “As always, right Mrs. McLean?”

“Hell yeah!” Alexia exclaimed, as they reached their house – well, mansion.

“Uh-oh…I think one of us may be in trouble… Ashlynn said, eyeing their huge fenced in yard.

“Why?” Alexia asked, then looked into the yard.

“Daddy’s home early. His car’s in the drive-way,” Ashlynn explained.

“Oh, shit!” Alexia cursed. She looked at her sister, grabbing hold of both her shoulders. “They ask, I was camping out in your room last night, alright?”

“What? Why? What’s going on?” Ashlynn queried. “What did you do?”

“Ash! Just tell me you’ll say that!” Alexia snapped. “And if they say they checked your room too, and I wasn’t there, then I was out in the stables with Trigger!”

“But – “ Ashlynn tried.

“Say it!” Alexia ordered.

“Yes. Alright. I’ll tell them what you want,” Ashlynn said finally. “But anymore questions after that, and you’re on your own. I don’t know a thing.”

“Good. ‘Cause you don’t know a thing of what went on,” Alexia stated. “Now, act normal, or I swear I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yeah, and Kevin’s gonna kick yours,” Ashlynn retorted with a smile. “And I’ve a feeling if anyone finds out what went on with you last night, they’ll all kick your ass.”

“Damn straight!” Alexia replied. “Now, shut-up about it. Talk about something else. Anything else!”

“Can’t believe Daddy won’t let either of us go on tour with Kevin, because of you!” Ashlynn complained.

Alexia smiled quickly, then looked serious. “I know! It’s not my fault the stupid gym teacher is a dumb ass!” Technically, neither of them were allowed to swear, but Alexia was well-known for getting in trouble for her filthy mouth – the result of hanging around A.J. too much.

The two of them entered the house, only to be met by a very angry looking father. “Living room! Now!” He barked. “Both of you!”

The girls went wide-eyed, then scurried into the living room. They were surprised to see everyone, minus Kevin, there waiting on them. There were also a few other people in the room as well, and none of them looked too happy.

“Now that you two have decided us to grace us with your presence,” their father began. “Which one of you was sneaking around last night? I’ve been informed one of you was out late with a bunch of hooligans.”

Both girls looked at him with the same puzzled expression upon their faces. The only difference between them was that Alexia was wearing her glasses, and Ashlynn her contacts. “What do you mean, Daddy?”

“These kind people here, have informed me that at least one of you was out last night causing mischief,” their father stated.

“Not us Daddy,” they replied in unison.

John eyed his twin daughters suspiciously. “Ashlynn, where were you last night?”

“Asleep in my room, Daddy,” Ashlynn answered honestly. “I was studying my algebra with Alexia, and fell asleep on top of my bed.”

John’s gaze immediately shifted to Alexia. “And where were you all night?”

“I was studying algebra with Ashlynn,” Alexia lied. “Then fell asleep too.”

“If you were both sleeping in Ashlynn’s room, then how come when I checked later on, only one of you was in there?” John demanded.

“I must’ve already gone out to the stables,” Alexia answered. “I went out to visit Trigger. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“She was Daddy!” Ashlynn added. “She left me a note. I woke up to go to the bathroom and found it.”

“I would like very much to see this note. Go get it!” John ordered. When he saw both girls move, he put a stop to it. “Ashlynn! You get it! Alexia! Stay put!”

Alexia froze, and Ashlynn ran upstairs to get the note, trying to figure out what to do now on the way up.

John glared at his eldest daughter. “And just why were you going to go up and get it with her?”

“You didn’t specify who was to get the note, Daddy,” Alexia responded. “That’s why we both moved at once. We didn’t know who you wanted to go get it.”

“Mm hmm… Sure…” John nodded.

Meanwhile, Ashlynn was up in her room, frantically searching for a piece of paper, when she spotted a note lying on her desk atop her algebra book. She picked it up and read it.

Gone to stables, to be with Trigger. Missing Kevin. Be back later. ~Alexia~

Ashlynn smiled to herself, when she realized that her sister had probably thought ahead, and written this in case of an emergency. It was times like now, when the girls knew each other a little too well. She clutched the note, and ran back downstairs to the living room. “Here Daddy!”

John took the note from his youngest daughter, read it, then eyed both girls carefully. “Be very glad that you were both home last night I will not stand to have any child of mine off causing trouble with a bunch of uncivilized hooligans!”

“Yes, Daddy,” both girls chirped.

“Now, be off with you!” John barked. “And no getting into mischief!”

“We won’t Daddy!” They called, as they ran out to the stables to feed their horses. Once they were both safe from earshot in the stables, and had dismissed the workers, they burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe there was actually a note!” Ashlynn exclaimed. “I thought I was gonna die when Daddy told me to go get it!”

“Yeah, well, I thought ahead this time,” Alexia laughed. “But the look on his face when he saw the note was priceless!”

The two girls giggled again, then went to their respective horses to feed and brush them. Each member of the family had their own horse. Ashlynn had a white mare, and Alexia had a brown horse, which resembled Kevin’s horse, Trigger. Trigger was a brown horse, with white down the front of his nose. Alexia’s horse was the same, but had a white diamond on its forehead, instead of a white streak down it’s nose. She had also named him Diamonté, after watching too much Zorro. Ashlynn had named her horse Snowbunny, as it was white like snow, and she’d watch too much Little House On The Prairie. The girls didn’t see their oldest brother enter the stables, as they laughed and took care of their horses.

Alexia had just finished giving Trigger, Kevin’s horse, a sugar cube, when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned and was surprised to see their brother standing there, looking anything but happy. “Um…hey Jerald,” she said softly. “What’s up?”

Jerald Jr., who was named after their mother’s first husband, eyed both of them warily. ”We need to talk. Now,” he stated, then ushered them into an empty stall, where he closed and locked the gate behind him.

“What’s wrong? “Ashlynn asked, not too sure what to make of their brother’s strange behavior.

“What’s wrong, is that I know the two of you lied to Dad,” Jerald snapped. “I know for a fact that Alexia wasn’t out here, nor was she in your room Ashlynn.”

“What are you talking about Jerald?” Alexia asked. “You saw the note. I was where I said I was.”

“NO YOU WEREN’T!” Jerald said as loud as he dared. “I was out here in the stable most the night, and saw you sneaking back in later on!”

Alexia paled at those words. She knew they were in trouble now – well, she was anyway.

“Do you not think first?” Jerald yelled somewhat. “Here I am trying to convince Dad to let you guys go with Kevin, despite your grades, Alexia! And meanwhile, you’re sneaking around causing mischief and doing things you know are wrong, and that everyone in the family, Kevin included, would disapprove of!”

“I – I’m sorry,” Alexia managed sheepishly. “I – I didn’t know.”

“Well, you do now!” Jerald growled. He paced in front of them angrily. “Now, Dad may have let you two get away with this, but I will not! If I am to continue to try and convince him to let you guys tour with the Boys, you both will have to be punished by me right now.”

“But I didn’t – “ Ashlynn tried to protest, but stopped when she saw him glare at her.

“Yes, Ashlynn, you did do something,” Jerald said calmly. “You helped Alexia lie – Again. That’s why you both must be punished, and not just her.”

“You’re not our father, Jerald!” Alexia growled.

“Oh, would you rather Dad did it? ‘Cause if so, I’ll be glad to inform him that you lied, so that you both won’t stand a chance of seeing the guys until sometime next year!” Jerald retorted.

Alexia cursed, and kicked the side of the stall angrily. “Dammit! I can’t win!”

“Now, who would like to go first?” Jerald asked.

“Me…” Ashlynn squeaked. She slowly made her way over to their brother, knowing what was to come. She also knew she hadn’t had to help her sister out, but had anyway. She winced as she felt her brother’s hand came in contact with her bottom, and felt her eyes well up with tears, when it came in contact with it a second time.

Jerald turned Ashlynn to face him, after having had smacked her bottom twice, and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Hey, you’re not even the one I’m really mad you. You got off easy, believe me.” He kissed her head, then let her out of the stall, before turning upon Alexia, who had backed herself into the one far corner. He shook his head and made his way over to her. “You know the routine,” he said.

Alexia gulped and nodded slightly, then took her pants down and turned around, so that he could spank her. She felt like such an idiot when she began to cry, as she hated for people to see her cry.

After swatting his sister’s bottom a few times, Jerald hugged her too, once she’d yanked her pants back up. “Honey, you know I’m only looking out for you. And you know Dad would have beaten your ass a whole lot harder than I just did, if he knew the truth. Hell, Kevin would beat your ass a whole lot harder than I just did.”

“I know…” Alexia whimpered, burying her face into his chest. “Please make Daddy let us go with Kevin…Please…”

“I’m doing the best I can, Honey,” Jerald said, rubbing her back and kissing her head. “Just stay out of trouble, or I’m not going to help you anymore. Okay?”

“Kay…” Alexia whispered. “Thanks…”

Jerald smiled at her. “You’re welcome. Now go finish brushing Trigger, before I call Kev up and tell him his horse is being neglected.”

Alexia giggled, kissed his cheek, then quickly returned to brushing Trigger.

    The next day the two sisters were stuck at work again. They worked all day, every day, except Saturday and Sunday. The only reason they got the weekends off, was because Saturday was for chores and stuff at home, and Sunday was for church. Their father owned the Subway in which they worked – actually, he owned a whole chain of them clear across the continent. They were the first Richardson children to be stuck working at a food place at age fourteen. When their real father had been alive, he had made his sons, their older brothers, work at his Summer Camp, but had had different plans for the girls. Oh, sure, if he was still alive, they probably would’ve been working at the Summer Camp too, but he would have let them work elsewhere if they’d wanted. The man they called ‘Daddy’, was actually their stepfather, but they called him Daddy, as they had been young back then. They had been six when their father had passed away; Kevin only 19, almost 20. They remembered him better than everyone thought they did, but not as much as they wished too. Though, Alexia had been closer to him, always wanting to be with her Daddy; Ashlynn was Mommy’s Girl, always wanting to dress-up and be pretty like Mommy was. Thus being why, it had been harder for Alexia, than Ashlynn, to accept the fact their father was never coming back, and that this new man was to be their Daddy now.
    
    The two girls reached the Subway, and raced each other to the front door, Ashlynn winning by a smidgen.
    
    “Cheater!” Alexia exclaimed, as she hated to lose at anything, especially Nintendo.
    
    Ashlynn rolled her eyed and unlocked the door. “Quit you’re whining. Jeez. I’d swear I was the older one, and not you at times like now.”
    
    “Well, maybe you are,” Alexia rejoined. “Maybe they got us mixed up at the Hospital, and you’re really the older one.”
    
    “Maybe…” Ashlynn trailed off, thinking about that for a moment. She spoke again suddenly. “Nah! I’m the cuter one…”
    “So what if you’re the – What?!?!” Alexia exclaimed, as her sister opened the door and ran inside. “Ooh! Get back here Ashlynn Madison Richardson! You’re so gonna get your ass kicked!”
    
    “Ahem!” Someone said, clearing their throat.
    
    Both girls turned to look where the noise had come from, and laughed when they spotted Marcus. Ashlynn flashed him one of their famous grins, and went to get the food ready, while Alexia eyed him warily.
    
    “Quit scaring us like that!” Alexia exclaimed. “That’s twice in two days, you’ve scared the crap out of me!”
    
    Marcus chuckled and hugged her when she came over to him. “I know. But it’s my job to scare you shitless.”
    
    “No it’s not. It’s your job to make sure Kevin’s crazed fans don’t mob us for being related to him,” Alexia rejoined playfully. “And the problem with that is, we’re crazed fans ourselves.”
    
    “You especially, right?” Marcus smiled.
    
    “Damn straight,” Alexia grinned. “No one loves Kevin more than me. No one.”
    
    “I HEARD THAT!” Ashlynn called from the kitchen, where she was making up some new buns for the subs.
    
    “YEAH! YEAH!” Alexia called back, going over behind the counter and organizing the stuff there. She was busy re-filling the mayonnaise bottle, when she happened to look up and saw the same guy as before, standing outside the locked door. She smiled, and went over to unlock the door. “C’mon in.”
    
    Clay entered, and looked at her weird when she locked the door behind him.
    
    “We don’t open for another half hour,” Alexia explained.
    
    “Oh… Well, in the case, I can always come back…” Clay started, as he turned to leave.
    
    “No. It’s all right. You can stay,” Alexia assured him. “I mean, I did let you in and all.”
    
    “Thanks….” Clay said softly.
    
    “No problem,” Alexia told him, then yelled, “HEY ASH! YOUR CRUSH IS HERE!”
    
    “LENNI! QUIT CALLING HIM MY CRUSH!” Ashlynn yelled. “AND HOW CAN HE BE HERE, IF WE’RE CLOSED?”

“Simple. I let him in!” Alexia smirked, as she led Clay into the kitchen.

“What - ” Ashlynn trailed off as she looked up and spotted Clay standing there with her sister. “Um… Hi?” She blushed.

Alexia just laughed. “I’ll let you two get acquainted,” she grinned. “I’ll be refilling the pop dispensers.

Ashlynn shot her sister a look that said, “I’ll get you for this!”

Alexia smirked, and left the kitchen, so that they could be alone.

“So… Um… How are you?” Clay asked nervously.

“Okay, I guess,” Ashlynn shrugged. “Lenni kind of got us both in crap yesterday, after we left here.”

“Oh? How’d she manage that?”

“Apparently, she’s been sneaking around with a bunch of hooligans, as Daddy likes to call them.”

“Hooligans?” Clay repeated.

“Yeah. You know, the kids who either live on the street, or are close to it. Or they at least cause a whole lot of mischief and give their parents gray hairs.”

“Oh…” Clay said softly. “Maybe I’d best go then.”

“What? Why?” Ashlynn queried, looking over at him.

“Well, if you’re father doesn’t want you hanging around hooligans…”

“What are you saying?”

Clay sighed heavily. “You got time to talk?”

Ashlynn glanced at the clock. “Yeah. Sure. I’ve still got about twenty minutes before we open.”

Clay nodded, then led her out the back door, where they both sat down on the step. Once they were seated, he stared at the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Ashlynn wanted to know.

“I’m what your father calls a hooligan…” Clay told her quietly.

“What? Seriously?”

“Yeah…” He paused. “I mean, in the good sense. I don’t cause mischief or anything, and do work hard for the little bit of money I earn. But, I do live on the streets.”

“But why? Don’t you have a family to go home too?”

Clay shook his head sadly. “No. My parents died when I was nine. They were my only known relatives.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that…” Ashlynn said softly. “I bet it’s hard to be all alone… I mean, sure, sometimes I wish I were an only child, but when you get right down to it, I’d be lost without Lenni and our crazy brothers.”

“It is hard…” Clay said softly. “Especially when you’ve no one to talk too, and people look down their noses at you, like it’s your fault you don’t have a home or nice warm bed to go too.”

“But… Shouldn’t you be in a Home, or something?” Ashlynn asked gently.

“I was…” Clay snapped somewhat. “But that’s a crock of shit, so I left and have been on my own ever since.”

“Oh…”

“I didn’t mean to snap at you Ashlynn,” Clay apologized. “I just – I feel so lost some days, and don’t know what to do with myself. I mean, I watch you and your sister, and other families, and I feel so – lost. Like I don’t belong, and have no rightful place in this world – I feel as though I should’ve died right alongside my parents that day they were killed.”

“Clay! Don’t say that!” Ashlynn said, almost shocked. “If you had died with them, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation!”

Clay smiled slightly. “I take it, you’re enjoying this, huh?”

Ashlynn turned crimson. “Well…yeah… It’s not every day a nice guy takes interest in me… Though, according to Lenni, all the guys like me more than her. But, I don’t see why, as we look exactly alike – except for the glasses she wears.”

“You may look alike, but your personalities are so different,” Clay pointed out. “I mean, Alexia started yapping my ear off from the moment I came in, while you just stood there quietly, not saying a word at first.”

“Well, our real Daddy used to say she was an attention-seeker and major chatter-box.”

“Your real Daddy?” Clay repeated.

“Oh! That’s right! You dunno what I’m talking about.”

Clay shook his head.

“Our real Daddy died of colon cancer when we were six…” Ashlynn told him. “We were his pets…Alexia especially. I’m Mommy’s Girl, and am closer to our Momma, than Alexia is. Our Momma re-married not that long after Daddy passed away. It was kind of hard to accept him as our Daddy, when ours had just left us not that long beforehand.”

“How did y’all react to that?” Clay asked curiously.

“Jerald, and Tim were okay with it, though they weren’t too happy at first. I mean, it did feel like Momma was replacing Daddy kind of soon. But they got over it and accepted him, telling Alexia, Kevin, and I we should at least give the guy a chance before we condemned him.”

“And did you guys give him a chance?”

“Well, I did… Kevin did eventually… He wasn’t too fond of the idea… But he loves Momma a whole lot, so relented his aggression for her…” Ashlynn explained. “And Lenni… Well, she was a different story… She took it harder than anyone, always asking for Daddy, and screaming hysterically when he never came. Our new Daddy would come when she called for Daddy, after he and Momma got married, and Lenni would throw a fit. Our new Daddy would get so mad ‘cause she wouldn’t shut-up and listen when told too.”

“Does she like him now?”

“Yeah… She grew to love our new Daddy, but no where near as much as she loved our old Daddy…” Ashlynn looked at Clay a moment. “And because I trust you, I will tell you this secret.”

“Okay…” Clay said, leaning a little closer to listen.

“She still screams for him… She doesn’t know I know, but I’ve woken up to the sound of her screaming and crying hysterically for her Daddy.”

“Hasn’t anyone else ever heard her?”

Ashlynn shook her head. “No. We’ve a huge house, and Lenni and I have our own wing. So, I’m the only one whoever hears her scream for him… I’ve heard her talk to him too, saying she wishes he were here, so she wouldn’t have to put up with our step-father’s crap.”

“Crap?”

Ashlynn laughed slightly. “Yeah… Crap… You heard us yesterday, say we can’t go tour with Kevin, because Lenni didn’t get all A’s. If we want to have special privileges, we have to have perfect grades. She got a B in gym class, because of her attitude, though she’s a great athlete and gymnast. She believes if our Daddy were still alive, he wouldn’t care that she’d gotten a B; he’d only care that she’d done her best. Um…She kind of flunked French too, though she’s fluent in Spanish. But, obviously, that doesn’t matter. Even if we don’t get the language at all, we still have to learn it and ace it.”

“What about you? Did you get any…ah…bad…grades?”

“Nope,” Ashlynn said, shaking her head. “I aced them all. The lowest I got was an A minus. The rest were all A’s or A pluses.”

“Wow. You’re really smart,” Clay told her.

“Nah. I just don’t wanna get yelled at for lousy grades.”

“Does Alexia give your step-father a hard time, because she misses your real father?”

“I think so… Jerald says it’s ‘cause she misses Daddy that she rebels so much. She hides her sorrow, by acting totally crazy, and trying to hog all the attention. That she wants all the attention, because the attention she really craves, is nowhere to be found. She’d always clung to Kevin too, but after Daddy died, you couldn’t get her away from him, even for a split second. Our poor brother, even had to take her into the bathroom with him, or she’d scream bloody murder, until he either came back into sight or she was spanked.”

“Wow…” Clay said softly. “You wouldn’t know all that, just by listening to her.”

Ashlynn laughed. “I know. She confides in me, but I think she tells Kevin more about this stuff, because she wants to be an entertainer too.”

“You think she’ll succeed?”

“Oh, yeah. And it’s not just because of who our brother is. Lenni can captivate an audience, and keep them captivated right up until the very end with her crazy antics. She just – she loves the attention.”

“And what about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah… What do you wanna do?”

“Write, sing, and dance…” Ashlynn shrugged. “Write mainly… Though we can both sing, that’s more of Lenni’s dream than mine. I’m perfectly happy remaining in the shadows, until someone takes notice. The only thing is, our step-daddy gives me way more attention than he does Lenni, because I’m the smarter one. Said I was prettier too, but I don’t think so, because we look the exact same; so how can one exactly be prettier than the other, you know?”

Clay nodded. “I see your point… And I think you’re both pretty…”

Ashlynn blushed, “Thanks…”   

“Hey, don’t blush. Just stated the truth,” Clay smiled, kissing her cheek. He laughed as Ashlynn’s cheeks turned an even brighter pink. “You look good in that colour. It suits you…” He teased playfully.

Ashlynn giggled, and hit his arm playfully. “Dork…”

“Dorkette…” Clay smirked.

They both laughed, then got up to head back inside, as it was now time to open the place up to the paying customers.