The next morning when Ashley woke up she was still tired. Her parents had spent most of the night yelling while she had holed up in her room with her pillow over her head to stop from hearing them but it hadn't worked.

She didn't want to be here, she couldn't spend another moment in the crossfire between her parents. She needed to get out but she had no where to go. Her only option was to either go visit Diane or Sally but she didn't want to be confronted with more questions about Maddox and her association with him. The thought of the false rumour darkened her mood.

She could work and it would get her one step closer to becoming independent so as soon as she was able she was going to leave and never come back.

Her parents couldn't see anything further than the animosity they held for each other and the issues that had been tearing them apart for years. There was no way they were ever going to sort things out. She knew they were headed for a divorce, it was only a matter of time before it happened.

She checked the time before she called Penny to ask her if she could work her shift.

"Sure," she said, sounding like she had just woken up. "You work too much."

She mumbled a thanks before she raced into the shower.

No one was awake when she went downstairs so she left a message on the door of the fridge to say she had gone to work. She didn't have a chance to have breakfast so she would try and grab something while she worked. The moment she stopped outside the house she inhaled a deep breath feeling like she had been released from jail but knowing she would have to return in a few hours. Her freedom would be short lived.

The morning it started off quiet with a few regulars trickling in. It was closer to lunch time when it started to get busier. She was taking down an order from a table when the door opened and out of the corner of her eye she watched Logan enter with a few of his friends. He stared at her as he sauntered the to the booth in her section. She tired to focus her attention from him to finish up taking the order.

Just wanted she needed. Logan had never eaten at the diner before. She believed they had said everything they had needed to. Why was he here?

She didn't even bother fixing a smile on her face when she adjusted her writing pad to a new page to take their order.

"Logan," she greeted him stiffly. He didn't say anything back as he leaned back in the seat.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked with her pen hovering the paper as she looked at him expectantly.

Jim one of his friends looked her up and down which made her feel uncomfortable like he was imagining what she looked like beneath her clothes. It made her skin crawl.

"Can I have you?" Jim said with a lazy look. The rest of the group laughed.

She frowned. "I don't have all day. Either tell me what you want to order or get out."

What was with them? Was this Logan's way of getting her back for breaking up with him?

"I'll have a burger," Logan ordered without opening a menu. "And a some fries."

She jotted his order down trying to keep her nervousness at bay. In between the rest of the orders there were a couple of innuendos but she refused to let them rile her up. If she ignored them they would soon lose interest and stop.

When she was done with taking their orders she headed to the kitchen and took a moment to get herself together. She let out a breath trying to figure out why they were being so mean? Was it their way of getting her back from hurting their friend?

But surely if they had heard the rumour Logan would have told them it wasn't true. Or was this just guys being guys?

She tried not to think about it took much and kept her focus on her other customers.

While she worked she felt Logan watching her but she refused to meet his gaze. She had been honest with him, she had apologised before letting him down as easily as she could have given the circumstances.

She hurried three drinks to their table ignoring the whispered remarks. Even though her cheeks heated she still refused to let them get to her. Maybe Logan needed this to get back at her for not returning his feelings. She had strung him along, if she had let him go earlier she wouldn't be facing this backlash now.

Those thoughts led inevitably to Maddox. Mad. She let out another sigh. How had her life got so complicated so quickly? She thought she would have at least until Monday before she had to face the consequences of the rumour going around her.

Why couldn't things just go back to the way they had been before? Granted the one good thing that had come from her time with Maddox was that she had finally let Logan go. It hadn't been fair to him to keep him as a boyfriend when she hadn't feel the same way about him. She had wanted to but she couldn't force herself to feel things she didn't.

When Logan's order came through she tried to ignore the nervous knot in her stomach. She was determined not to allow them to get to her. Once they saw they weren't going to get a reaction out of her they would leave.

But she would have to face them again tomorrow at school. There was no getting away from that unless she skipped school. But wouldn't that make her look more guilty? She couldn't hide, she would have to face it. All she could hope was that it blew over quickly.

Taking a long breath she soothed her apron before picking up the tray with their orders. She balanced it with ease up to the table.

"Your burger and fries," she said mechanically putting Logan's order in front of him.

He was staring at her but she refused to give him any attention. They were over and there was nothing more to it.

"Come on Ash." Jim leaned closer to her as she set the last plate in front of him.

"What do you want Jim?" she asked politely trying to keep herself from snapping at him. He was annoying her.

"You me naked in bed."

She gritted her teeth and rode the anger that wanted her to reach out and slap the confident look right off his face.

"Not even in your dreams!" She shot back and left before she changed her mind and tipped his drink into his lap.

She needed this job to escape the hellhole she forced to live in so she couldn't do anything that would jeopardise it even if the thought of teaching Jim a lesson hard to resist.

She was seething when she went straight into the staff room to hide her reaction. Jim. Ugh. She wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. After a few minutes of calling him every name under the sun she shook the encounter off and exited with a sunny smile on her face.

While she waited on the rest of her tables she was aware Logan's table were getting rowdy. She couldn't wait for them to signal for the bill so she could get rid of them. It seemed to last for forever before they were ready for their bill.

She approached them knowing there would be more comments but she just had to keep her cool. She reminded herself she needed this job.

She gave them the bill.

When Jim opened his wallet and set some bills on the tables he looked her up and down suggestively. It made her skin crawl. He was from a wealthy family and was used to getting what he wanted.

"Don't be shy Ash," he said. She hated they way he shortened her name. "I hear you're dynamite in bed."

She couldn't stop her jaw from dropping open in shock. That was a lie. She had never slept with anyone.

"I'd rock your world." He smirked and all control she had been able to exercise to that point evaporated. She tipped his half drunk soda into his lap.

His gasped and shot up. His jeans were wet and he glared at him. "Bitch," he murmured under his breath before he glared at me.

She crossed her arms and surveyed him with a satisfied smile.