The rest of the evening passed with far less dram. Scott led Ashley through the party, introducing her to various influential men and women in the Silicon Valley tech scene. Scott kept an eye out for Regina, worried that she might after another glass of wine or two be encouraged to create a scene. But though he continually scanned the crowd for her wild man of red hair, he didn't spot her once during the remainder of the evening. He figured that if she was indeed still there, she was making herself very scarce.

But as the night drew on, Scott could see that despite the sunny face she was putting on for who he was introducing her to, Ashley was preoccupied with something.

What did Regina tell her? Scott wondered. If she spun another one of her lies…

After a time, Scott could sense that the prolonged socialization was wearing Ashley out.

"I think I've had just about enough meet-and-greets for one night," he said, leaning in close among the crowd of tuxedo and gown-clad men and women.

"I couldn't agree more," said Ashley.

Scott found Michael in the crowd, thanked him for the invitation, and he and Ashley bid him and his wife a good evening. Minutes later, they were in the back of Scott's car as it drove north towards San Francisco.

But during the drive, Ashley was quiet and stone-faced.

Something's definitely going on with her, thought Scott. Better to get to the bottom of it now, rather than risk letting whatever it festers, especially since it likely has to do with her conversation with Regina.

"You OK?" he asked, undoing the tight knot of his bow tie and buttoning the top button of his dress shirt.

"Yeah, fine," said Ashley, her tone flat.

A moment passed, the lights from the highway pulsing the back of the car with thin, white light.

"You sure about that?" asked Scott.

Ashley sighed and tightened her expression, as if debating whether or not to say anything. Finally, after several more moments, she spoke.

"No, I'm not," she said, turning to Scott. "It's…Regina."

"I figured as much," said Scott. "What's up?"

"She told me about what happened between you two."

"Oh?" asked Scott, wondering if what he was about to hear was truth or another one of Regina's lies.

"She told me what she did to Olivia, that she slapped her."

Scott felt his teeth instinctively clench at the memory of that day.

"Yeah, she did do that," he said.

"But then she said that you were a womanizer who only cared about yourself."

Scott said nothing for a moment, letting the accusation sink in.

"And what do you think about that?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Ashley. "We've only known each other for a short time, but that's…just not the impression that I get at all. You seem dedicated to Olivia and your work, in that order."

"And you'd be exactly right. Sure, I've played the field, but never when I was with Regina; not once did I step out on that girl."

"That's good to hear."

"And her hitting Olivia in that way was something I couldn't get past. Sure, it may've been a little slap then, but there's no way I'd risk letting someone who'd do something like that in anger be near my daughter."

"I agree," said Ashley. "I'm not a parent, so I can't say, but that sounds entirely reasonable to me."

Then what's her issue? thought Scott.

"But…you seem upset," he said.

"I am. But it's not about you, it's about Regina."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm just feeling so…stupid for thinking of her the way I used to. Back in high school, she was one of the pretty girls, one of the girls who all the boys wanted. And I could see why. Something about her seemed…I don't know- magical. I know that sounds stupid, but I was only seventeen. Then she decided to be friends with me. At the time, I had no idea why a girl like her would want to be associated with someone like me; it didn't make any sense. Although, looking back, it was obvious."

"What was obvious?" asked Scott.

"That me and the other girls Regina kept around her were the girls that she felt were ‘lower' than her- less pretty, less popular, all that. And because of that, we looked up to her. And that's what she wanted from friends, just people to look up to her and make her feel important."

"That sounds like Regina," said Scott. "She had a lot of great qualities, but she thrived on attention."

"Right," said Ashley. "She could make you feel like the center of the universe if she wanted; she's one of those people that, when she's talking to you, can make you think that there's no one else in the world. But she could turn it off just as fast as she turned it on, leaving you out in the cold. And she did this whenever she felt like you did her wrong in some way."

"And you never knew what it was," said Scott, the memories of his time with Regina flooding back into his mind, all of the words Ashley spoke ringing true.

"Exactly. Once, in college, she shut me out for a week during our freshman year. She ignored my texts and calls, gave me the cold shoulder on campus, and, basically, pretended that I didn't exist. Later, I found out that it was because she caught me talking to some guy she hooked up with a few times. I wasn't even flirting with him; I was just getting a copy of the notes from a class I missed."

"Yep," said Scott. "React first, get the facts later, if ever."

"Mhmm," said Ashley. "I learned all this as the years went on, and when she graduated she vanished, leaving me and the rest of her little crew behind like we never existed. I felt abandoned, lost, unsure of who I was. It sounds so stupid now, but looking back, I realized that I relied on her to feel good about myself. Only a word from her made me feel positive about who I was; I just wasn't able to bring myself up like that on my own."

"That's not stupid at all," said Scott. "When you're young and unsure of yourself, it's easy to be attracted to those who seem like they have it all figured out. Even if they clearly don't."

"Right," said Ashley. "And she didn't; you don't need me to tell you that. But seeing her tonight, it's like I was able to see her for who she really was. And all I can feel now is…stupid. Stupid that I let a girl like her, the stupid, spoiled kid that she is, be such a big part of my life for so long."

Scott's eyes stayed fixed on Ashley's; he could see tears of frustration welling in them, her green eyes sheened and wet.

"And it makes me feel like a stupid kid. Like, I think that I've grown up, but what if I'm just the same person I've always been, just waiting for another person like Regina to scoop me up and make me feel better about myself? What if I'm never going to be my own, complete person? What if…"

But before she could finish, the tears that had been welling began to pour, dripping down her face in darting angles.

"I'm being stupid," she said, sniffling, trying to compose herself. "Sorry you have to deal with this."

Scott moved closer to her, placing his arm around her shoulder and bringing her close. He pulled a clean, white handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. Ashley took it and quickly dabbed the tear tracks from her face.

"Don't apologize," said Scott, the heat from her body palpable. "We all have to learn these lessons one way or another."

"I know," she said. "But that doesn't make it less hard."

"Well," said Scott. "If it's any consolation, even in the short time we've known each other, I can easily see that you have a good, caring heart. You're open, trusting, and warm. Girls like Regina, who're cold and manipulative, find girls like you because they're the ones who want to be you."

Ashley looked up at Scott, her eyes still wet. "You think so?"

"Of course," he said. "Never spend a minute longer than you need to thinking about girls like her. They're doomed to make the same mistakes over and over. Never feel bad about who you are."

Scott looked down at Ashley, her eyes wide, her expression soft, her lips red. At that moment, he felt a charge, like electricity, between their bodies. Then, seemingly out of his control, the urge to place his lips on hers, to pull her close, to kiss her, to embrace her, overcame him.

But, before he could give in, he looked away, letting his gaze fall onto the passing landscape.

Now's not the time, he thought to himself.

They spent the rest of the drive in this way, sitting in silence, Ashley's head on Scott's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, no sound but the gentle passing of traffic on the streets.