Finding Ashlynn by Zoe Lynne Page A

been pretty if she hadn’t been trying to look so brutal.
    “Who’s this, Pookie?” she asked. Jenna assumed she was talking to Ash. “This the girl you’ve been crushing on?”
    Ash’s cheeks turned an amazing shade of bright pink. She covered her face with both hands and shook her head. “Thanks, Robbie,” she said flatly before unmasking her blushing, completely embarrassed expression. “Jenna”—she thumbed over her shoulder—“that’s my singer.” She looked back at her band and said, “Guys, this is Jenna. Be nice, ’kay?”
    Robbie stepped up first, holding her hand out for Jenna. “Nice to finally meetcha. Ash is a good one. You take care of her, ’kay?”
    “Of course,” Jenna said as she released Robbie’s hand. “That’s my intention.”
    “Good to hear.”
    The other girls proceeded to introduce themselves. None of them made a huge first impression like Robbie did, and before they even stepped into the garage, Jenna had already forgotten their names.
    Inside the garage, multicolored lights filled every corner. They’d replaced the bulbs in the fixtures with red, green, and blue party lights. Posters of gorgeous women—some on cars, some in bands—decorated the walls. Instruments and equipment filled the tight space. Jenna recognized the drums and the guitars, but didn’t know what anything else was. A single chair had been set up at the front of the room, in front of the entire band.
    With their hands locked together, Ash guided Jenna to the chair and said, “Sit back and enjoy.” She gave Jenna a wink, then strapped her bass to her body.
    “Count it off, babe,” Robbie said.
    The drummer clicked her sticks together, counting, “One, two, three, four.”
    The rest of the band started to play and the sound was so loud at first, Jenna thought she might go deaf. The rhythm was faster than anything Jenna had ever heard before. Admittedly, the music wasn’t her style. She liked a much mellower sound, something with distinguishable lyrics and pretty harmonies, maybe something she could dance to. But seeing Ash play her instrument did something for her. It turned her on and excited her. Before long, the music wasn’t so loud and indiscernible, and Ash was a goddess on earth.
    Jenna’s new girlfriend bounced up and down as she effortlessly ran her fingers over the strings. Her head bobbed in time with the music, and the smile on her face was absolutely contagious. Ash’s excitement and happiness radiated in everything she did, and it filled Jenna with a joy all her own. Jenna felt more than honored to be a part of the one thing that seemed to make Ash forget about the troubles of her everyday life.

Chapter Fifteen
     
    “ S O what did you think?” Ash asked as she walked Jenna out to her car. She swiped her arm across her forehead and pulled back an embarrassing amount of sweat. Girls weren’t supposed to perspire like that.
    “I loved it,” Jenna said with a wildly huge smile. “You were so amazing. I had no idea.”
    “Thanks. I’ve, um… been playing bass for, like… three years now.”
    “It shows.”
    For whatever reason, the compliment from Jenna meant a hell of a lot more than any of the “great shows” or “good jobs” Ash had ever gotten before, save for a few short-breath compliments from her daddy on the way out the door. With Jenna telling Ash how much she loved watching her play, she felt as if she’d done something huge. Monumental, even.
    Jenna aimed the un-locker thingy at her car and hit the button. The headlights blinked and the locks clicked, but Jenna didn’t jump right in and take off. In fact, she sort of looked as if she didn’t want to leave. Honestly, Ash didn’t want her to leave either.
    “What are you doing tonight?” Ash quickly asked.
    “I, um… don’t know. I was thinking about calling Stella. We haven’t hung out in a while.”
    “Oh,” Ash said. She was pretty sure she couldn’t hide the disappointment she felt. She