'Ashlyn Robinette'
Ashlyn woke up to a rapid knocking on her door. She groaned, pulling the sheets over her head and curling up. She rolled over to her side to face away from the brightness while kneading her forehead with her knuckles. The knocking persisted, prompting Ashlyn to sit up groggily. Standing up from the bed with the sheets still tightly wrapped around her, she shuffled over to the door with the blankets dragging behind her, half-asleep with her hair ruffled in a typical bed hair fashion.
"Hello...?" she muttered, rubbing the heel of her hand against her right eye. There was a short pause.
"IT'S MEEEEEEEEEE!!" someone shouted from outside. Ashlyn stumbled back when an invisible force pushed on her.
Recognizing the voice, Ashlyn opened the door hesitantly before she was given a wakeup call when Celine hugged her tightly. "C-Celine, it's 8am!"
"It's never too early or too late!" Celine said brightly as she pulled away. She was dressed up in a short-sleeved denim jacket with a black t-shirt, along with a punk skirt and matching stockings, while her leather boots tapped against the ground. In other words, it looked like Celine was in her street clothes. Ashlyn wondered as to why Celine was here, dressed up as she was. Band practice?
"What are you doing here...?" Ashlyn asked, yawning widely as she continued rubbing his eyes.
"We're all done our tests, so I figured maybe the band could head out to celebrate!" Celine replied, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Ashlyn froze upon hearing that. Heading out? As in... out into the city?
"W-What do you mean exactly?" Ashlyn asked, hoping that they weren't going out in public. She didn't do well with crowds. She considered refusing, but Ashlyn didn't have the heart to say no to Celine... or to anyone for that matter.
"All of us are going downtown to hang out! Me, you, Ty, and Rey!" Celine answered cheerfully, smiling widely.
Ashlyn felt her heart quicken for two reasons: downtown and Reyhan. The first of which was all the reason she needed to not go. She couldn't even function well enough in a small group, she would shut down amongst such a crowded place. However... Ashlyn took a bit of comfort knowing that Reyhan was going to be there. She felt safe and comfortable around him... At least, as safe and comfortable as she could be.
"Hee hee, I see you waking up a little there. I'm glad you like us that much!" Celine remarked, pointing towards Ashlyn's face. Ashlyn hesitated, knowing that this was her last chance to back out. However, she knew she would feel guilty if she didn't go along with them. She didn't want to disappoint them.
"Give me a bit to get ready," she said a little sleepily, while giving one final big yawn.
"YES! CAN'T WAIT!" Celine shouted, prompting three small shockwaves to blow on Ashlyn's hair and reel her head back. "Meet you in front of the school!"
"O-Okay..." Ashlyn mumbled as Celine skipped away and left Ashlyn to stand there a little winded.
Ashlyn was about to close the door when another opened beside her room. Her sister peeked her head out, looking much more awake and cleaned up than Ashlyn.
"What was that...?" Col asked, raising an eyebrow.
"T-That was Celine... She's invited the band over to do something... downtown," Ashlyn explained, hesitating with that last word. Upon saying it, she realized what she was about to do. It was something she would've otherwise considered unthinkable to do. Her sister did a double-take, seeming to have the same line of thought.
"You gonna be alright, sis?"
"I... I-I think so," Ashlyn replied, though she didn't sound particularly alright. Col sighed, bowing her head before reaching her hand out to rest on Ashlyn's shoulder.
"Hey, you'll be amongst friends. Cel, Ty, and Rey are gonna be there," Col pointed out. Ashlyn was a little reassured that the very latter was coming along with her.
"Y-You're right... Thank you, Col," Ashlyn acknowledged, letting out a deep breath.
"You'll be fine, sis. Try to have some fun, all right?" Col said, patting Ashlyn's shoulder.
"I-I'll try..." Ashlyn promised before Col headed back into her room.
Walking back into her own room, Ashlyn opened up her closet and looked over her clothes on the hangars. She wondered how she should dress up for this. Considering Celine's attire, she figured he should go for a more casual angle... But she was also anxious to go out into public and worried that she might be judged for what she wore.
Ashlyn was left there pondering for quite some time before she changed out of her pyjamas into light blue jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a dark-grey hoodie. It was a fairly simple outfit, so she wouldn't stand out as much. The less attention on her, the better.
Putting on her socks and white sneakers, Ashlyn hesitated at her door, wondering whether this was a good idea. She had never done something like this, going out into downtown. However, she remembered that she promised Celine she'd come. Ashlyn headed down the stairs and hallway of the dorm building and into the outdoors.
A nice cool breeze hit her as soon as she stepped outside. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the fresh air before shivering slightly at the wind. Ashlyn considered going back into the building to get a jacket, but she was afraid she might weaken and just never come back out. Instead, she put up her hood and continued on her way.
Thankfully, because it was the weekend, there weren't very many students, if any, on the school grounds. That made it easier for Ashlyn to walk across the school grounds and towards the main building.
Tyler was sitting on the stairs, dressed in a light orange t-shirt with a brown zip-up hoodie, light-blue jeans, and red sneakers. He was deep in conversation with a cheery-as-usual Celine. Of course, there was still one more person of their band that was missing. Ashlyn admitted to herself that it was the person she was looking forward to the most.
Ashlyn faltered in her step, clutching the collar of her t-shirt and looking down. She hadn't seen Reyhan since the end of that practice session. While she did soothe him and calm his nerves down, Ashlyn was still frightened by his sudden breakdown. She hadn't seen him act like that before nor did she consider that he would ever act like that. Honestly, Ashlyn hadn't talked to him since, feeling guilty for what had happened. Before Col had entered the room, Ashlyn had shown Reyhan her power and asked if she could see his. As soon as she asked that question, he became nervous and was hesitant.
Ashlyn covered her mouth with her hand, wondering if she played a part in Reyhan's sudden outburst. She didn't want to seem like she was pressuring him into anything. While she was relieved that he became more comfortable with using his powers after he calmed down, Ashlyn couldn't help but wonder whether he resented her for asking in the first place and if he blamed her for his breakdown. Ashlyn hunched her shoulders, hoping that wasn't the case. She... liked him, he never pushed too hard on her or was impatient with her. He seemed to understand her. Ashlyn raised her head and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Reyhan walking over to Tyler and Celine. He was wearing dark blue jeans with dark brown shoes and dark grey sweater, a thin scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. She was nervous as to what he'd say if she walked up right now. Would he be happy that she's here? Would he be disappointed to find out she's coming? Would he be angry that she hadn't talked to him? Ashlyn found herself taking a step back, too anxious to find out an answer to these questions.
