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Ashlyn seemed a bit off, more than normal. She always seemed slightly out of it, whether it be because she was overstimulated or just generally pissed off, but this seemed more physical. She looked to be in discomfort.
Taylor watched her wearily in class, taking in all the little quirks that fell outside of her normal. The set of her jaw, a bit more tight than normal. The way she leaned down and rubbed at her calves, as though they were in pain. The constant shifting of her position to try and shift her body weight off and away from her lower back.
Class ended, and the bell rang to leave school, so Taylor excused herself from her brother and rushed off to follow Ashlyn.
"Ash, hey!" she said cheerily, running down the sidewalk where the ginger was limping. Ashlyn turned in her direction and forced herself to straighten up, pushing past the pain that erupted in her body as she did so.
"Oh, hey Taylor"
"You look like you're in pain or something" Taylor observed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just..." Ashlyn trailed off in a sigh, sitting on the curb to give herself a break while she talked about it. Taylor sat next to her. "Sometimes my whole body just hurts" she explained vaguely. "I mean, I'm always in some sort of pain, but sometimes it just gets worse and I don't really know what to do about it"
Taylor thought about that for a moment, not commenting on how much more relaxed her friend seemed to be while sitting down. After a moment, her eyes lit up as she got an idea. "How about we hang up in the school bus graveyard?" she suggested. "It's closer of a walk than your house" she added. "We could hang out in a school bus and just chat"
"You would want to do that?"
"Why would I not?" Taylor asked, tilting her head in confusion. "I like hanging out with you. You're my friend"
Ashlyn chuckled, seeming less burdened than before as she allowed Taylor to help her back to her feet. "Yeah" she agreed. "Let's go"