Fate's Intentions (3 page)

Scarlett nodded. "That's fine with me. I'm hungry and I don't feel much like unpacking either."

The girls pulled some things from the cabinets and dug through some of the boxes they had unloaded, gathering some dishes and skillets. Scarlett pulled her long brown hair up into a ponytail and then began to make dinner. She had decided on spaghetti since it didn't take long to prepare.

"I'm glad you have an appetite Scarlett!"

"Yea, well I think all the not eating over the last week has finally caught up to me."

After Scarlett was finished making dinner the two piled on the sofa, wrapped in blankets, each with a bowl of spaghetti. "I really wish you would've grabbed some Parmesan cheese at the store, Scarlett!"

"Well if you wouldn't have been flirting with the other customers, maybe you would've noticed the things I was forgetting!"

"How could I not flirt with him? I mean come on, did you see him? I sure hope I run into him again! Preferably with my lips!" Ashlynn had a wicked smile on her face.

Scarlett laughed at her friend.

"He doesn't seem like the party type. Doubt we'll see him tomorrow night at the campground."

"You mean you actually plan to go?" Shock laced Scarlett's voice.

"Well of course. How else are we going to make friends if we shoot down the opportunity to hang out with the locals?"

"I don't really want to go Ash."

"Scarlett I told you I wasn't letting you sit around this house and I'm not. You're going with me, like it or not." Ashlynn grinned.

"We can argue about it later, the movie is starting!"

Chapter 3

The next morning, Ashlynn woke up to the sun shining through her bedroom window. She sat up, stretching and yawning. She looked around the room at her bags laying around on the floor.
I really need to unpack this stuff! I can't have my clothes getting wrinkled in there
. Ashlynn thought to herself. She flung the covers off of her and slid out of bed. She unzipped one of the backpacks and pulled out some clothes, piling them on the bed. She turned and opened the closet door behind her, and stood staring into the tiny space. If only this had been a three bedroom cottage, I could've still had my giant closet. She pulled all the hangers off the rod and piled them onto the bed next to the clothes. She separated the clothes into four different piles. Shirts, pants, socks and underwear. She put the shirts on the hangers and hung them in the closet, then gathered the pants and took them over to the dresser on the left side of the bed. She put all the pants away, refolding some as she did so. She then grabbed the underwear and stuffed them in a drawer, and next the socks. She picked up another bag from the floor and opened the bedroom door trying to be as quiet as possible just in case Scarlett was still sleeping. She walked out to the end of the small hallway and peered around to see if Scarlett was up. She was sitting at the tiny table with a bowl of cereal and a book. "Hey you! Good morning!"

"Hey Ash, good morning. I was beginning to think I should come check on you!"

"What time is it? I never even looked."

"It's 11am!"

"All that driving the other night must have worn me out worse than I thought! I'm going to put a few things away in the bathroom and brush my teeth, then I'll be back." She turned back the hall and went into the bathroom.

Scarlett sat at the table reading one of her romance novels Ashlynn made fun of her for. She closed the book and slid it to the side of the table and finished her cereal. Ashlynn came back out of the hall a few minutes later and sat down across from her. "So Ash, how many bottles of hair product will I have falling out of the medicine cabinet at me when I open it for my toothbrush?"

"I traveled light. All I brought was like two cans of hair spray, couple cans of mousse, styling gel, heat protectant, oh and some conditioning spray."

"Oh is that all?" Scarlett asked in a very sarcastic tone.

"Well of course I also have my hair dryer, straightening iron, curling iron, a big bag of clips, bobby pins, hair bands, etc."

"Maybe I'll just keep my toothbrush and toothpaste in my room so I don't get buried alive when I open it!"

"Okay, whatever you like. More space for me! I certainly need it! I did manage to get most of my clothes and things put away before I came out. I'm still wishing I had an extra room to transform into a closet, but I guess I'd rather have you." Ashlynn stuck her tongue out at her.

"Gee Ash, I would hope that I'm more important than a closet!"

"Of course!" Ashlynn glanced around the kitchen. "We need to finish putting things away out here."

"I was going to do that when I finished my cereal. I put away stuff in my room when I got up too."

"Let me guess, you've been up since the crack of dawn sitting out here with your sappy book?"

"I like my sappy books thank you!"

"Yea and I guess I love you anyway!" Ashlynn said, laughing at her.

Scarlett got up and walked to the boxes at the edge of the kitchen. She began pulling out pots, pans, skillets, plates, bowls, cups and a bag of silverware. She stacked everything on the counter and looked around deciding where to put it. She put the pots, pans and skillets in a cabinet to the right of the stove and then put the plates, bowls and cups in an upper cabinet. She opened the bag of silverware and pulled open the top drawer to the left of the stove. As she put the silverware away in its places in the tray in the drawer, she glanced back at Ashlynn who was making herself a bowl of cereal. "I was dreaming about wolves last night." She said in a whispered tone.

"That doesn't surprise me." Ashlynn said shaking her head.

"It was weird though. There were wolves all over the forest howling and when I woke up I thought for sure I could still hear them."

"Girl, you got some imagination!"

"That's what I kept telling myself so I could get back to sleep." Scarlett said, looking kind of scared.

"It's possible there are wolves running around out there. Maybe you did hear some and that's why you were dreaming about them. Well, between that and the fact that you got freaked out by the old men in the grocery store yesterday."

"Well if that's so, I'm not going to be spending time outdoors!"

"Well, you can stick to the indoors all you want starting tomorrow, because tonight, we are heading to a campground!"

"Er, I was hoping you'd change your mind about that! You really aren't making me go are you?"

"Um, yea! Can't very well have you sitting here sulking in your own misery!"

Maybe I'll get lucky and the other girls won't be at the video store tonight.
Scarlett thought to herself.

~

Over the next six hours the two girls cleaned and organized the cottage then Ashlynn insisted they re-arrange the living room furniture because 'the feng shui was all out of whack'. When they were finished, they watched another movie they had rented the night before. 'The Back-up Plan' starring Jennifer Lopez. "That is going to be me!" Scarlett snorted. "Only without a gorgeous man showing up!"

"Scarlett you seriously need to lighten up! You will still live happily ever after. You just need to sit back and let the now happen so you can get there!"

"I wish I had your enthusiasm!"

"All the girls wanna be like Ash!"

Scarlett laughed. "No self-esteem issues, huh?"

"I'm going to get in the shower and get ready. Not like I need to intensify all this hottness but if ya got it flaunt it!" Ashlynn did a little dance on her way to the bathroom as she spoke.

Scarlett sat on the couch shaking her head at her friend. She then decided she should probably eat before they left, because Ashlynn was going to be dragging her God knows where and she may not get the chance later.

An hour later Scarlett had just gotten out of the shower and was standing in her room in a towel as Ashlynn rummaged through her closet. "It's so hard to dress in a stunning fashion when one is dressing to brave the outdoors!"

"Ash I really don't care what I look like as long as I'm comfortable!"

"A girl must always look her best! No matter where she's going, who she's going with or what she's going to be doing! You know my motto. 'Always look better than the bitch next to you'!"

"Is that why I always feel so under dressed standing next to you?" Scarlett laughed.

"I'm just glamorous that's all! And that doesn't apply to you silly! Now come on, put these clothes on!"

"I love how you think I'm your life-size barbie doll!"

"Girl don't get snappy with me! Just get dressed! I'm going to double check my make-up!"

Scarlett put on the clothes Ashlynn had pulled from her closet. She knew it was easier and less time consuming not to argue. After she was fully dressed she slipped on her boots and headed into the bathroom. Ashlynn was standing there with a blow dryer and a brush. "Alright girl let's get to work on that hair!" She combed and dried as Scarlett randomly groaned and grunted. When she was finished she exclaimed, "Work of art!"

Scarlett mumbled something under her breath Ashlynn didn't completely understand.

"Okay, make-up time." Ashlynn dug through her make-up bag and pulled out some blush, eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss. As she applied it, Scarlett laughed at her serious faces. She really looked like she was concentrating hard. "My masterpiece is complete!" Ashlynn said sounding so proud!

Scarlett turned and looked in the mirror. "Damn girl! You did good!"

Ashlynn got a serious look on her face. "Scarlett, you're already beautiful! I just helped enhance it!"

Scarlett smiled at her so happy to have a friend like her. She didn't have to say anything, Ashlynn knew what she was thinking.

They walked out of the bathroom and grabbed their jackets assuming it may get chilly later. "What should we bring?" Scarlett asked turning to Ashlynn.

"I don't know. I'd say a little cash and our IDs. I wouldn't think we'd need much else."

"Not like we wanna carry a purse out into the woods!" Scarlett laughed.

As Ashlynn opened the front door Scarlett said, "You did put the house key on your key ring right?"

"Yep! Got it on there."

"Okay. Just double checking."

"Yea, hate to get us locked outside with the wolves!" Ashlynn laughed.

"That's not funny Ash!"

Chapter 4

The girls pulled into the parking lot and saw a yellow ford focus sitting in front if the movie rental. Ashlynn recognized the girls inside the car as she drove by. She parked beside them and rolled down her window. The girl named Heather was in the passenger seat and rolled down her window as well. "Hey there!" She said smiling at Scarlett and Ashlynn.

"Hello ladies!" Ashlynn smiled back.

"So we totally forgot that the next town was having a carnival this weekend. We were thinking of checking it out before heading to the party. I think a lot of the other party-goers are going to the carnival first as well. You girls wanna check it out?"

"I'm game!" Ashlynn smiled again. "Scarlett here will be cool with that too!"

"Guess it's better than sitting in wolf-infested woods all night!" Scarlett groaned.

Amanda grinned from behind the wheel. "Okay, cool. Well you girls wanna ride with us? No sense taking two cars when we can all fit in one!"

"Yea. That works for me." Ashlynn shrugged.

Scarlett and Ashlynn gathered their things and climbed into the backseat with the girl named Rose. "It's been a long time since I've been to a carnival!" Scarlett chirped.

"We used to go every year, but haven't been to it in a couple." Rose said.

"So how far is it to this joint?" Ashlynn asked.

"It's about a half hour away." Amanda answered.

They laughed and joked all the way to the carnival. Scarlett was surprised her and Ashlynn both hit it off pretty well with these three girls. As they got closer Scarlett saw the ferris wheel. "I always loved the ferris wheel when I was younger!" She exclaimed.

"Ah, not exciting enough for me." Ashlynn replied. "I liked the cages. You know, like a ferris wheel but the cages spin upside down."

"My kinda girl!" Amanda snickered.

She circled around and found a place to park. All of them climbed out of the car stretching. They made their way up to where all the people were gathered. Ashlynn and Scarlett's eyes raced around, trying to take in the whole scene.

Amanda brought them out of their silence. "Okay, I can't come to a carnival and not get a funnel cake, but if you girls are wanting to ride anything I think I'll wait till we're leaving."

Rose looked at her and laughed. "Good because I don't want to wear your funnel cake!"

They made a lap around the circle that had been created by the rides and game booths. As they were almost back to where they had started Ashlynn said, "Look! They have a fortune teller! We gotta check it out!"