My Past Life Haunts Me!

There's a Smile!

         Dean sat quietly in the locker room and slowly turned the swim goggles over in his hand. He sighed with a perplexed look on his face. Win sat down next to him, draping an arm on his shoulder. "What's got you in a bunch," Win tells him. Dean looked to Win, shrugging off his shoulder. Win then looked at him. "I've known you since high school, and I have never seen you this out of it," Win told him.
         Dean looked forward. "I've always felt like something has been missing from my life but could never figure out what it was," Dean said to him, "I can't help feeling that that girl from today. She's that missing piece, and I can't figure out why."
         Win looked at him quietly. "Why don't you just talk to her. Get to know her. There might be something about her that will help you find the answers," Win said quietly, "Look, we're going out to eat with Team and his friends. She will be there. I will help you get alone time with her."
         Dean looked to Win quietly and sighed, looked away annoyed. Win smiled at him. "Thank you, Win, your such a good friend," Win said jokingly, imitating Dean's voice.
         Ashlyn sat down her backpack as she tossed her apartment keys to the side table next to the door and then took off her shoes. She looked around her apartment softly and sighed. "Ok, quick change, then headed to dinner," Ashlyn said softly. She then moved to the living room and lowered, peering into her fish tank. "Hi guys," she said to them. She picked up the bottle of fish food and tapped some food into the tank. She smiled again softly and then picked up her phone as it dinged. She then sighed, replacing her phone in her pocket. "Is it bad I want to move here permanently," She asked, looking at the fish.
         She stood back up and walked into the bedroom. She opened her closet, pulling out a pair of blue jeans with rips in the knees and a blue shirt that opened softly in the middle. Ashlyn closed the closet and stopped, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked down and then turned to the outfit on her bed. Ashlyn looked back to the mirror again as she let her hair down from her hair tie. It had always been hard for Ashlyn to accept her looks, as bullies ridiculed her for having braces and glasses.
         Ashlyn stepped out of the bedroom and adjusted her blue jeans; she ran a hand through her hair as a knock came on her door. She opened the door and smiled. "Hey," she says as Team and Pharm stand at the door.

"Hey, ready. I'm starving," Team said, rubbing his stomach.

"You literally had lunch enough for 3 people and ate snacks that Win bought you when you went to get water for the club meet," Ashlyn said, laughing.

Pharm smiled, laughing as Team pouted.

"Speaking of that seems Win couldn't keep his eyes off you today at the meet," Ashlyn said, looking at him.
Team looked at her. "Oi! Don't start. He's been clingy," Team says, looking at them both.
Ashlyn and Pharm laughed again.

Team sighed in annoyance. "Let's just go," Team says, walking to the elevator as Ashlyn grabs her keys and cell phone.

         Ashlyn stood looking at the shop window quietly. She held a purse down in front of her. Dean and Win were walking up as Ashlyn kept looking at the clothes. "Hey, Ashlyn," Win says, smiling and waving a hand. Ashlyn kept staring at the store window. The two stopped and looked at her, Dean moving a bit in front and waving a hand. "Ashlyn," Dean said softly, still waving a hand.

Ashlyn looked at them. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down.

"Did you want to go in and look before going to eat," Dean said, pointing to the shop and looking.
"Oh, um, no. Super girly looks, and I never get along," Ashlyn said, scratching her head.

Dean nodded quietly as he watched her.

Win put his hands in his pockets. "I will let you two chat. I"m going to go find Team," he said, slinking away.
Ashlyn watched as Win walked away and then looked at Dean. "Um," she says quietly. She then turned back to Dean and smiled softly.

         Dean looked and smiled shyly, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "The restaurant is this way," he says.
Ashlyn looked behind her and nodded as they started walking toward the restaurant.

"So, why did you come to study in Thailand," Dean asked.

         Ashlyn looked at him. "Oh, um. My mom encouraged me actually to come out here. I always did what everybody else wanted me to and never did anything for myself," she says, rubbing her eyebrow, "so, my mom entered me into this scholarship program where you get placed in a college across the world, and well here I am."

Dean looked at her quietly. Ashlyn bit her lower lip. "I think, in honesty, I don't know what it means to do for myself," she says, thinking.

Dean stopped and stopped Ashlyn placing both hands on her shoulders. "Well, what is it that you want to do right now," he says to her.

Ashlyn looked around. "Well, I thought we were going to get something to eat," she says, pointing to the restaurant.

Dean shook his head. "No, that's what we all agreed on. I'm asking you, what is it that you want to do right this moment," he says to her.

Ashlyn looked down, "Well, it would be awesome to jump in that pit of styrofoam," she said, looking at a pit of styrofoam cubes that kids were jumping and playing in.

Dean looked to the pit and then at her. He smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the styrofoam pit. Ashlyn laughed and looked at him. "Well, come on," he says, taking her hand.

Ashlyn laughed softly, catching her breath. "Your crazy," she says to him.

"You're doing for you," he says as she moves beside him.

Ashlyn nodded and smiled.

"Count of 3," he said as she held his hand. She nodded to him. "1....2....3," Dean said. They leaped into the air and landed in the styrofoam pit. Ashlyn emerged from the styrofoam laughing as Dean sat up.

"Are all guys from Thailand crazy," Ashlyn said, laughing. He laughed, breathing heavily.
Ashlyn laughed again, laid back in the styrofoam, and sighed as Dean leaned over her. "There's a smile," he says as he helps her out of the pit.

Ashlyn looked at him and smiled again, "I should be saying that to you. The first time I saw you, you looked sad and lost."

Dean looked at her and sighed. "I've always felt like something was missing from my life for as long as I can remember," he told her.

Ashlyn looks at him. "And you never tried to look for it," she asked him.

He shook his head softly. "I just continued living and learned to cope with it."
Ashlyn nodded softly, looking forward. "It doesn't sound like a happy life," she says, smiling.

Dean let out a slight chuckle. "I guess not," he says, rubbing his head.

"Hey, they are over here," Pharm yelled as Win and Team walked behind him. They looked at the three quietly, then at each other, and smiled.

"Uh yeah, sorry we kind of took a detour," Ashlyn said as Dean laughed.

Team looked at them. "Can we go now? I'm starving," he whined.

Win laughed as he placed a hand on Team's head. "You are always hungry," Win said, laughing.

Team looked to Win, moving away from his hand. "Oi, Hia," he says to him, "your always teasing me."

Pharm looked, laughing at them. "Come on, let's go before his stomach worsens," Pharm said, smiling.