Heather is determined and hurts Ashley in the process

Meanwhile, Ashley was in the room she currently shared with Victoria and Heather, organizing some of the clothes Zack had brought back.

A nagging feeling of doubt bugged the petite blonde, just a few minutes ago she had tried to talk to Brandon, but her ex-boyfriend just brushed her off and resumed walking to the deck, leaving her alone at the kitchen, befuddled.

”What happened with always being there for me?” She asked herself, frowning. ”Did I do the right thing by breaking up with him?”

Her thoughts were brutally interrupted by the door suddenly opening with a loud bang. Before Ashley could look at the threshold, an angry-looking Heather stormed inside, slamming the door behind her and throwing herself on the bed.

Ashley approached the bed with caution, knowing beforehand how difficult it was to handle her friend when she was angry. “Uhn, Heather, is everything okay?” She asked tentatively.

Heather turned to her fellow cheerleader. “The plan is off.” She simply said, a hateful expression on her face.

“Plan?” Ashley replied in confusion, a second before the meaning of her friend’s sentence came to her. “Oh, you mean the plan to bring Vicky and Zack together?” She asked again, a sly smile growing at her lips. “Why? Did something happened between you two?”

“Yes!” Heather shouted. “Something happened, and he couldn’t own up to it, he just stood there at the car looking all guilty!” The brunette continued. “Ugh, I want to vaporize Victoria from his head!”

Ashley blinked twice, her friend’s rant slowly sinking in. So, Zack had finally chosen Victoria. She had genuinely thought that what Zack felt for her best friend was just a little crush and that he was starting to get close to Heather. ”Guess I was wrong on that.” She thought.

However, Heather certainly wasn’t taking it very well, judging by the reaction Ashley had just witnessed. “Heather, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” The blue-eyed blonde asked. “He might just be a little confused.”

Heather jumped to her feet, rounding up on her friend. “Whose side are you on?!” She demanded, her voice raising a few volumes.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Don’t ask me to choose between you and Vicky on this!” She answered, arguing just as loudly. “You’re both my friends, okay?”

Heather rolled up her eyes. “Ashley, Ashley, Ashley,” The busty brunette drawled. “Can’t you see this silly indecision is the reason you couldn’t keep Brandon?” She inquired, venomously. “You couldn’t choose between him and a guy you never even met, you dumb blonde!”

Ashley’s eyes widened, shocked at Heather’s hurtful words. She had no idea her friend could be so mean like that, she never had been. Tears threatened to fall from the little blonde’s blue eyes, but she kept them bottled up until she was safely out of the suddenly constricting air of the master bedroom.

With unshed tears in her eyes, Ashley had every intention of running to the other bathroom across the cabin to cry her eyes out, both for Brandon and for Heather, but the sound of three firm knocks on the front door startled the younger of the Woodsen siblings, causing her to stop in her tracks and look at the source of the noise.