All Ashley could think about as she sped down the highway was how much of an asshole Jered had been. They had been dating for over two years, and she had thought she loved him. Now she wasn't sure. They had gone over to Jered's parents' house, not for the first time, but for the first time with the rest of his family there.
Ashley had always gotten along well with his parents, so she assumed that she would get along with everyone else. But Jered's older brother Cory and his wife Jill had both been rude to Ashley the whole time, and instead of defending her, Jered had just laughed, and even joined in. Later when they were alone Ashley had brought it up, and Jered just teased her more, telling her to grow thicker skin, and that it wasn't a big deal. They had argued at first, and then fought. In the end Ashley left early, not even sure if she wanted to be with Jered anymore.
Now she was on the highway, heading home, but not paying very close attention. Her thoughts were consumed with the fight, and she didn't even notice how fast she was going. It wasn't until she saw a cop hiding on the side of the road that she checked her speed. She was going over ninety miles an hour. She quickly tried to slow down, but it was too late. As she passed the cop, she checked her rearview, hoping he wouldn't come after her. But the cop's light went on, and he pulled out, and began speeding up to catch her.
Ashley pulled over, beginning to panic. She had already gotten three speeding tickets in the last two years, and been in two minor accidents. She knew that if she got another ticket, especially for going that fast, she would probably get her license suspended. That would screw her up more than she cared to think about. She was trying to think of how she might try to get out of it, when she saw the cop getting out of his car. As he walked up to her car, she recognized him. It was Scott Turner. They had gone to school together from kindergarten all the way through high school. Ashley also knew that Scott had always had a crush on her. As he walked up to her door, she began to form a plan.
Scott was sitting in his car, sipping his morning coffee, and casually glancing at the road every minute or so. He had only been a cop for five months, and he was beginning to think more and more that he didn't want to stay a cop. After he had left the marines, it had seemed like a good fit. But all he did was sit on the highway, giving people tickets. He wasn't protecting anyone, and he certainly wasn't serving anyone. He was just being a pain in the ass, and ruining people's day.
Just as Scott was wondering what else he might like to do with himself, now that he was out of the service, he heard a loud beeping. He looked up just as a silver Porsche whizzed by. Scott looked at the radar, and saw that it read ninety-six miles an hour. That was more than twenty-five over, which meant it was a felony. Scott quickly put his coffee down, and started up his car. He pulled out of his shady spot, and sped after the Porsche.
He knew he was most likely going to have to arrest the driver of the car, which he never enjoyed. He also knew that whoever was driving that silver Porsche was probably not going to take it very well. Not that anyone ever did take it well. But the nicer the car, the bigger hassle they would be, in Scott's still limited experience. Thankfully the car pulled over once he caught up to them, and he pulled in behind it.
Scott typed the license plate number into his computer, and waited a moment. The name Ashley Harper came up, but no picture. Scott had known an Ashley Harper in school, and hoped desperately that it wasn't the same Ashley. He had always had a crush on Ashley, and he didn't want to have to deal with giving her a ticket, and especially not possibly having to arrest her.
Scott took a deep breath, and got out of the car. He walked up to the car slowly and cautiously, as he always did. As he approached the car, he saw long flowing brown hair, which did look like the Ashley he knew. Then as he walked up to the window, the woman turned to him, and he saw that it was indeed the Ashley Harper he knew. It had been seven years since he had seen her last, and somehow she seemed to have gotten even more beautiful. She flashed her pretty smile at him as she rolled down her window.
"Hi there Scott," Ashley said in a cheery voice. "I didn't know you were a cop."
"Ya, I joined a few months ago," Scott said, feeling more awkward than he ever had at a traffic stop before. "After I got out of the marines," he added.
"You were in the marines," Ashley said, looking impressed.
"Ya, for five years," Scott said, and then took a deep sigh. "Uh, you know you were going way over the speed limit, right Ashley?"
"Ya, I know, I'm really sorry," Ashley said, trying to give Scott her best puppy dog eyes. She could already tell it was working on him. "I've just had a really rough couple of days. My boyfriend brought me to his family's house, and then broke up with me this morning. I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Scott said. "But I'm afraid I do have to give you a ticket. Sorry Ashley. Since you're an old friend I'll say you were going eighty-five, instead of ninety-five like you were. That way you won't get charged with a felony."
"Oh man, was I really going that fast?"
"Yep," Scott nodded, "I got you on the radar."
"Shoot, that will be my fourth speeding ticket in two years," Ashley told him. "They might take my license away for this."
"Uh, ya, they might," Scott nodded, not sure what else to say. "If I give you the real ticket they definitely will, but hopefully they give you a break."
"Can't you give me a break," Ashley pleaded, flashing her smile at him again. "I promise I won't go that fast again."
"Uh, I don't think I can do that Ashley," Scott said sheepishly, "sorry. If you were going under eighty maybe, but you were going more than twenty-five over. That's technically reckless endangerment, which is normally a felony, but I'm going to give you just a normal ticket."
