Angels and Guardians Pt. 01

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Joe responded, "Yeah, I wish they wouldn't, but they are 18 and it is their life. Now that the girls have accepted you into their group, you'll find out more about them than friends normally do. It doesn't change who they are, but it may change your perception of them. It is important to both them and me that the image you initially held of them be supported by you. They will do the same for you. All secrets are upheld here, and it's the reason their friendship is so strong." Ashley didn't know how, but she understood. They sat quietly for a few minutes, watching Jill and Sally chat and finish their smoke. They disposed of their butts and came back in. Jill offered a ride home to Ashley. She called her dad on her cell phone and got his permission. Jill and Sally went to the kitchen to help finish cleaning up, while Ashley and Joe went to the breakfast nook to pack up. Joe gave her the two subjects he finished that day. Ashley commented that his teachers were impressed at the speed he was finishing them. Joe replied that he had nothing else to do and should be able to finish the last two subjects tomorrow. "So, we can work on current assignments tomorrow night."

The girls were finished in the kitchen and retrieved their bags from upstairs. Joe said goodbye to them all and received a hug and peck from each. They piled into Jill's SUV and he waved as they disappeared down the driveway.

Chapter 3

Mall Brats

Jill dropped off the other four and pulled up to Ashley's house. "This is nice," she said.

"Thanks, my dad works hard on the lawn" Ashley replied.

"It shows." Jill paused, then, "there's something I want to give you. I wanted to give it to you since the first day we met you at lunch, but Joe said no. He wanted to get to know you better before you got this." At that she handed Ashley a small jewelry box. Ashley opened it and found a necklace identical to Jill's. Thinking back, she noted it was identical to all the other six "Angels". Hanging from a well crafted gold chain was a rectangular pendant with black opal set into it. At the top of the pendant was a single diamond. Ashley was stunned and started to hand it back. Jill stopped her. "It's yours. The jewelry is expensive, but the most valuable part is on the back side." Ashley flipped it around and saw her name engraved. On closer look, there appeared to be a tiny lever. She pushed it and out sprang the teeth of a key. Jill continued, "that key will open Joe's house. You may use it whenever you wish. No call in advance, nor reservations are necessary." She handed Ashley a business card with two sets of 4 digit numbers. "The first code controls the gate, the second works on the alarm. I suggest you memorize them and then burn the card as soon as you can. A lot of folks in the town would love to get their hands on the treasures in that house." Ashley promised she would do that tonight. Jill gave her a hug, then drove away.

Ashley went inside and faced a barrage of questions from her parents. What was the house like? What did you do there? Did you have dinner? She answered most of them, but left her friends out of the story completely. She told them that she was heading to bed, but her mom stopped her, saying she needed to finish her homework. Ashley knew there was no point in arguing. Her parents subscribed to the practice of "trust, but verify." So, she took out the assignment notebook, opened it to today's list. Then took out the three notebooks she worked in at Joe's. She opened each to tonights assignments, laid them on the counter, and went to her room, leaving her parents to flip through her homework.

Pulling the chain out of the box, Ashley turned it in her fingers and marveled at its creator's craftsmanship. It was a well made piece of jewelry, everything secured tight, even the hidden key did not have any play at the tiny hinge. Looking into the opal, she noticed more engraving barely visible through the dark stone. If she looked hard enough, Ashley could make out her name at the top. Under her name in smaller font were the names of the other six in the group. She put the necklace on and found the chain to fall perfectly about her neck. It was a short chain, almost a choker style, with the pendant resting lightly at the base of her throat. She realized that the others' necklaces were worn in identical fashion. It was the perfect length for their active lifestyles. They could wear it to bed, or while cheering and not worry about the chain getting tangled in clothing or their hair. Ashley smiled to herself in the mirror. What a gift, where no detail was forgotten! It was then she realized that there was a message in that point. The necklace itself said none who wore one would ever be forgotten. Pulling out the business card, she memorized the numbers. Ashley folded the card and placed it on a saucer like a tent. She opened her window, propped the screen away, and lit the card while holding the saucer outside as promised. When it finished burning, she scattered the ashes by blowing gently over them. Ashley put the window back, undressed, put on an over-sized t-shirt, and went to bed catching one more glance in the mirror of the gift. "It really is perfect," she thought as she drifted off.

Her two friends Jill and Sally were standing by the pool, having another cigarette. Ashley just couldn't get over how she didn't know. The same two who launch her into the air during competitions, the same two who invited her to their 18th birthday parties over the summer. And yet, she never knew they smoked. What would drive them to try such a dirty addiction? When did they start? Any of the others smoke? All these questions and feelings of disdain, but Ashley also knew that there are far worse habits out there they could be hooked on. Jill turned to her, reading her mind and said, "Don't worry little one. You will find out all the answers you seek over time. But right now, you must wake up."

"Wake up? I don't understand."

Sally turned and screamed, "Wake up you little bitch! You're gonna be late for school!!"

Ashley bolted upright in her bed, her dad yelling from downstairs that she better be down in 5 minutes or she was walking to school. She realized she had forgotten to set the alarm. 5 minutes? She could barely get dressed properly in that time. Her dad burst through the door, and saw she was still sitting in bed. He yelled at her, the worst she's heard from him in a while. He was cussing that she was making him late for work, and before long he lost his patience and decided to leave without her. She picked up her cell phone after he left and was scrolling the phone list to see if someone could pick her up. Tears prevented her from seeing the screen, when suddenly it rang. She answered with a sniff, "hello?"

Jill was on the other end, "Hey, it's me, we're running a bit late."

"Oh my God, could you pick me up? My dad left without me," was all Ashley could muster.

Jill heard the panic and answered simply, "leave the door unlocked, we'll be there in two."

Ashley snapped her phone closed and unlocked the front door. She went upstairs and jumped in the shower. Jill, Jasmine, and Sally got to her house and entered. Jasmine looked around the room and said, "She's not even packed." She pointed at the counter where Ashley's books were laid out. Without another word, the girls split up. Jasmine collected her books and packed Ashley's backpack. Sally and Jill ran upstairs to Ashley's room. Jill picked out an outfit and headed for the bathroom where Ashley was. Sally found Ashley's gym bag and packed it for practice. In the bathroom, Jill saw Ashley standing behind the shower doors with the water running. Ashley jumped at the sound of her name. She turned to see there was Jill holding a towel for her. She turned off the water, and stepped out. Jill wrapped the towel around her and started brushing her hair. Ashley was whimpering, still shaken by how angry her dad was. She started babbling to Jill about how she over slept, her dad just yelled at her, she's not ready, etc. Jill just continued working with Ashley's hair, then helped her into her clothes. She turned Ashley by the shoulders toward the mirror. "What do you mean you're not ready?"

Ashley looked up and saw she was dressed, even her red hair pulled back in a perfect, albeit soggy, pony tail. She protested, saying that her books weren't even packed. Sally came in and said all was done. Bewildered, Ashley let herself be led to the SUV while Jill locked the house behind her. Ashley buckled in and saw her bags on top of the others in the back. Jasmine was already riding "shotgun." When Jill started the SUV, Ashley blurted out "How did you do that?"

Jasmine turned around with a smile and said, "relax, Cutie. We've all had our moments. We just do what we can to pick up each other's pieces."

"Well, thank you all so much for..." Ashley started, but Sally cut her off.

"Ah ah ah...no thanks allowed. Just accept the help and make sure you return the favor if it's needed. Joe's Rules." Ashley was puzzled, but decided to keep quiet the rest of the way to school.

Jill whipped into one of the reserved senior spaces at the front of the school. They all piled out, grabbed their bags and headed in. Jill walked up next to Ashley and said quietly, "don't worry about your dad. You over-slept, no big deal. He'll pick you up from practice today as usual, just you see."

"Oh damn," Ashley said as she slid her phone out of her back pocket and texted her dad to tell him about practice. "I'm such a scatter-brain" she thought to herself. The four entered the hallway and split up toward their classes just as the first bell rang.

At lunch the group met up at the familiar table. "Aww, she's wearing it!" quipped Allison. Ashley quickly turned red, but then realized that they all were wearing their pendant.

"So, I have y'alls names on mine, but y'all don't have mine on yours." The girls giggled. Ashley looked perplexed.

Allison explained, "the week before your wreck, didn't you notice we weren't wearing them? Joe took them to his jeweler." She showed Ashley and sure enough, her name was listed at the bottom. The girls then started chatting about plans for Homecoming the following Friday and the dance on Saturday. Jill noticed that Ashley wasn't as involved as she normally would be.

After classes were over, the six seniors met the seven underclassmen on the field for practice. "Ahh, Ashley joins the Land of the Living!" the coach announced as they walked up. Ashley grinned and handed the coach her paper from the hospital, releasing her for practice starting today. Through the drills, and some tumbling exercises, she felt a twinge here and there, but it was good to get back to some normalcy. They practiced some vertical formations, but the coach left out the aerials for today. She told Ashley that there's plenty of games left to ease back into them, and she didn't want to push her luck on Ashley's still-healing body.

Two hours later, when practice ended, Jill leaned down and whispered in Ashley's ear. Ashley looked up and saw her dad standing near the ticket gate at the end of the field. He nodded when he caught her eye. She gathered her things, said goodbye to her teammates, and hurriedly covered the distance to her dad. Tears were in her eyes as she approached. He took her book bag from her and slung it over his shoulder. She wrapped him in a bear hug as he did so. "I'm so sorry for making you late, Daddy."

He told her not to fret. He was sorry that he snapped this morning. "You over-slept, that's all. I just had Male-PMS. I can't explain why I got so mad. Where did that come from?" He referred to the necklace. She told him that Jill gave it to her for being on the squad. He noted that not all the cheerleaders had one, and she told him that it was only for the seniors. "Well, it looks expensive. I wouldn't lose it if I were you," he said. She thought to herself that it would have to be ripped from her lifeless body before she'd ever part with it.

When they pulled up to Joe's gate, Ashley leaned over her father to punch in the gate code. He looked at her when it opened, and she told him that Joe gave it to her before she left yesterday. He looked at her more intently. Ashley rolled her eyes. "So I can let myself in the rest of the week...to help him STUDY?" Her dad finally laughed, pleased he could still rile her up. "Daddy, you're impossible," she smirked.

"I'll pick you up at 8, unless you text me otherwise." Ashley nodded, grabbed her books, and bounded up the steps.

The front door was unlocked, and she heard beautiful piano music as she walked in. Looking to her left, she saw Joe's mom sitting on the living room sofa, just listening. Behind the piano was Joe, playing. "What else does he do?" she wondered. The piece he was playing was a familiar Broadway tune, and she couldn't help but start singing the refrain. One song flowed into another, and Joe's mom was treated to an impromptu concert. When Joe stopped playing, his mom snapped out of her daydream and asked Ashley if she had dinner. When Ashley shook her head, Mrs. Smith went to the kitchen to make something. Joe asked Ashley if there were any more assignments, as he had finished all the make-up work. She said no, that tomorrow was quiz day for her classes. "Well, then. Teach me the parts you are unsure of. It'll help you for your quizzes, and help me stay caught up." They sat next to each other on the sofa, and Ashley presented what was taught so far that week the best she could. Joe would ask questions once in a while, so that he could understand it from the angles he was comfortable learning from. Most of his questions would cause Ashley to stop and think of another way to explain the subject. She wasn't aware of what was happening until just before Joe's mom announced dinner was ready. His dad had arrived at some point and joined them at the table. After dinner, Joe's parents retired to their bedroom. As Ashley was clearing the table, she asked "Isn't it a bit early for bed?"

Joe told her that his parents didn't get home last night until about midnight. Besides, they usually watch TV in their room anyway. After she and Joe cleaned up after dinner, Ashley told him that her dad wouldn't be there to pick her up for another hour and a half. "Well, let's go for a walk," he said. "I need to start conditioning anyway."

He led her through the pool area and out the screen door on the side. They rounded a raised bed and looked out toward the back yard. Well, more like a park, Ashley thought. She didn't see this yesterday. The back part of the property was maybe "only" two acres, but all the stone and brick paths winding through so many gardens, it seemed much bigger. Joe told her that during larger parties, small groups or even couples would wander down here just to break out of the crowd for a bit. As they started to navigate the paths, Ashley's mind turned toward their study session tonight. She asked Joe if he was asking those questions to get her to think, or did he normally study that way. "Well, if you must know, I cheat at schoolwork." Ashley raised her eyebrows. "No, no, not cheat cheat. What I mean to say is I only pay attention to what will get me the grade I need. For instance, in most subjects if I can remember or know the 'why' behind the question or situation, I can reason out the 'how' or relate the 'what'. Does that make sense?"

"Kind of."

"Okay, here's a simplified example. Let's say a question asked who fought a war for independence that was touched off by a rebellion over taxes? My way of studying would have looked at the stamp acts and Boston Tea Party for that chapter. I don't have to memorize who's involved. I'm interested in the 'why'; reading about the 'who' and 'when' is just part of the 'story'. So, knowing the 'why' brings me to the correct answer of Britain and the American Colonies. For extra credit, I could name the rebellion as being The Boston Tea Party. Does that make better sense?" Actually for Ashley, it was bright as day now. She could see the angle Joe approached things. And, coupled with the study session earlier, his method made perfect sense.

"Yes," she said. "Is that how you study music?"

Joe stopped in his tracks. "Damn, I just KNEW that was gonna come up."

Ashley looked up at him. "Seriously, Joe, how long did you take lessons?"

Joe sighed. "10 years for piano, 6 for voice, 8 on violin, and guitar and cello were self-taught. Most of the lessons were taken one after another three times a week until Freshman year. What about you? That's a very well trained voice you have."

Ashley thanked him and told him she took voice and violin for 6 years, guitar was also self-taught. Then she said that the school invited her to be in the talent show.

"Congratulations! That's a big deal at our school."

Ashley nodded. "Yeah, I'm reminded of that every period. I'm getting nervous."

"Well, you shouldn't. You have an awesome voice!"

She thanked him for the compliment. Suddenly she had an idea. "Would you play for me?" She asked.

"Sure, I just did tonight," Joe answered, not seeing where she was heading.

"No, I mean for the show on Saturday. I know I don't need to ask any more favors of you, but it would really help me out. Besides, the school would be thrilled to see you again." He reluctantly agreed and asked what she was singing. He raised his eyebrows when she told him it was "Uninvited." Ashley rushed, "I can bring you the music tomorrow morning on my way to school. Unless you don't think you can learn it in time."

Joe told her not to worry, he could play it on sight, and he knew how the song went anyway. "But it's an interesting choice. A message to someone, maybe?" Ashley didn't answer. She did ask why he was playing when she arrived. "Mom saw I was done with my homework and decided to keep my mind sharp by making me play."

"Well," Ashley said. "You seemed to be enjoying it, that's all."

He answered, "I usually don't, but it was ok tonight." Her dad was at the gate when they got back inside, and Joe punched the code on the phone to let him in. Ashley left and Joe sat down at the piano and played his accompaniment to Alanis Morrisette on his MP3 player over and over well into the early morning.

The next day Joe woke about noon, ate lunch and decided to 'test the waters'. He jogged down the driveway, did a mental check of his body, decided it felt good, and continued on down the street. He found himself running his circuit around his neighborhood. Not with great times, but never slowing more than a light jog. He was surprised when he returned home that nothing hurt. "I'll take it" he thought.

He emerged from his room after a shower and change of clothes to find all the girls waiting for him in the den. "Y'all are here early," he said as he greeted the six friends with a hug.

"Early? It's four o' clock!" quipped the blond Jill.

"Oh, right. I got a late start today," he said. "So, what are you doing here?"

Ashley answered saying, "We thought it would be nice to cheer you up!" The girls laughed at the intended pun. Jill announced that they were taking him out. He glanced around and noted that the girls were very much dressed to impress. He turned to go back upstairs.

"Where are you going?" asked Marybeth.

"To get changed, I look like the yard boy compared to y'all," Joe said flatly. He was dressed in jeans and a casual long sleeve button up shirt.

"Uh uh, you're perfect for what we want," interrupted Sally. "Come on, let's go!"

They clamored into the plush SUV, with Jill driving and Joe riding shotgun. "We just can't thank you enough for the car, Joe," Sally gushed from the back as Jill pulled through the gate. "It's come in handy so many times."

Joe grinned saying, "What did I say about thanking me?"

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