Having spent the early afternoon having a late lunch with her friends, something that any other day would have been the highlight of her day, Miranda was lost in thought and had missed most of the conversation. The conversations about who was fucking who and how ugly someone was that were usually held around her circle of 'friends' never really mattered to her. She didn't really care about such things, mostly feigning interest and keeping mental notes of the juiciest of details for potential leverage. It was usually not that hard for her to keep up her faΓ§ade around the clique, but her mind had been wandering a lot that day. So acting as if she was having a stomach ache, she quickly drove the other girls home in her relatively new Porsche, that had been the ire of a few of them in the past weeks, and took off. Overshooting her home, she took a long drive out by the beach to clear her head. She parked the car by a park near the beach road and sat there pondering.
Her mean attitude towards others was something she had developed and sharpened over the years into a deadly weapon, meant to be wielded against anyone and everyone that got in her way. She had talked shit and chewed out a great number of people in her life, most of them more than a few times. She had even been mean to her quite a lot, but today felt different for some reason. She played back the scene in the shower again and again in the theatre of her mind, searching for what was different. It was nagging her so badly she almost wanted to tear out her hair from frustration. Why was she so bothered about a little shit talk to some nobody? Why should she even care? That big oaf had it coming as her friends had confirmed. But still she couldn't help the twinge of remorse grasping at her stomach. Or perhaps it wasn't a complete lie when she said she had stomach problems.
And that's when it occurred to her. It was the moment she had called Ashton a perv. But why? Was it because she had looked at her breasts? Bid deal, they all shower naked in there; every one of those girls could take a look. Shit, even she had done that a few times. And that girl, even if she was an idiot, sported a great pair of tits. And all the extra workout lately had made her body reach new levels of fit and sexy. Miranda couldn't lie to herself; that much she knew. She had ogled Ashton's body plenty of times, but she was discreet, always making it seem as if she was looking for something to make fun of her for. And snapping her butt today, the way it jiggled made her heart skip. But it would never work out, not with a girl like her... Wait. She was staring at my tits, but not just out of surprise, was she? Miranda's mind started to race again.
Pouring over the scene in her mind again, she looked for any kind of sign, anything she could use to determine causality. But all evidence was circumstantial; nothing was solid enough to be a lead. Maybe though? Maybe there was something there? I can't be sure if I don't try, but if I try and it backfires what then? And maybe I should stop watching so many crime series. Losing herself in her thoughts again, Miranda got out of the car and sat on the hood to enjoy a bit of the sunshine and the sea breeze to cool off. In the end, after a few calculations about the risk of such a move, Miranda whipped out her phone and started searching through her University's page contacts. Surely she would find Ashton there. Indeed, after a few minutes of searching, there she was, Emily Ashton, upcoming soccer team star of the year. Opening the DM screen Miranda pondered once again over the best way to open such a conversation.
What was she doing? What exactly could she write, how could she do what she wanted to do? It's not something that happens out of the blue. Miranda didn't even really know her, for crying out loud! And she was willing to bet her ass that Ashton -- Emily knew even less about Miranda. She collected information like a sponge, ever vigilant for details and secrets that could be used against anyone that would challenge or threaten her. But even so, Emily was a bit of a question mark for her. A few taps on the screen got her a bit more info. The girls' parents owned a small business in town and they probably made enough to live comfortably, but not to support a Uni such as Miranda's. Which meant Emily was in with a scholarship, most likely a sports one. No wonder she was working so hard for the soccer team. Great, more info to use against her maybe but nothing to help her immediate case -- questions!
Shaking her head in frustration again, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, Miranda took a deep breath. She could ask the snake pit that was her friends if they knew anything but it was risky. They would want to know why she was interested all of a sudden. Nah, she could probably shake them off, but still, she had to be careful. And it would take some time for the answers, if there were any to come that way. A DM was out of the question. Ashton -- Emily, she corrected her own brain again, would probably flinch at a message from the Queen Bitch of Uni and not respond; not ideal. Miranda laid her back on the hood, staring at the sky, ignoring the passersby that gave her weird looks. All of this left her with no options other than to wait and set out feelers. But it would take time. And she hated waiting.
She shot upright, a flash in her eyes! There was another way, if she could pull it off. Going directly to Emily, and saying she felt awful for today, which she kind of did actually, might give her a window to see through. And the best part, her snake pit would be none the wiser. Tapping on her screen again, searching and maybe breaking the law a bit, she found the folder in the data archives of the University, which she was totally allowed to do, hm. Reading through, she got the address, pasted it into her GPS and got into her car again. It was a fifteen minute drive to the Ashton residence. She pulled out of the park and was off, excitement beating in her heart. At the very least, she would not be bored for the rest of the afternoon.
Twenty minutes later, Miranda pulled up into the empty driveway, at the end of a quiet neighborhood. Picking up the bag with the ice cream cake beside her, a peace offering and a possible playing card against Emily's parents, Miranda strolled casually in her skinny jeans up to the front door. Knocking on the door yielded no results. Ah, she cursed her luck, maybe they were gone. It would explain the empty drive-in and garage, which she had already peeked through. She tried again, calling out Emily's name, in an effort to coax her out. No response.