Never the Same

Chapter four

Me and Ryder make eye contact and he jogs over to me; he looks stunning in his white V-neck, black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a cigarette between his lips. I turn and walk away from him and into American Apparel, I hear his voice echo through the store, "Aspen, baby!"

I go into the back room and set my purse on a hook when he comes in. "Get out," I shriek and start pushing him near the doorway, he doesn't budge, that fat ass.

"Seriously I could've been changing, you need to get out," I say and stop trying to push him, instead I point my newly black nails to the door.

"What's wrong? You were fine last night. I don't understand," he says and makes eye contact with me.

"Last night I didn't get any sleep hardly, my phone keeps buzzing with texts from Connor and Blair. I'm not in the mood for your... Your crap," I say and leans against the wall, I slide down onto the floor and I put my head in my hands. I hear the door close and Ryder is gone.

I pick myself up off the floor and head out to get started with work. The second I come out, the devil in teenage girl form shows up, Hailee. "Awww, look at you working and stuff, now go put these in a dressing room for me," her voice pierces my ears. I snatch the clothes from her hand and storm off into a dressing room for "Queen Bee" herself. I put the clothes on a rack, I sit down softly in the chair and bury my head in my hands until I hear her voice show up again, "Now listen to me, very carefully, it's either Ryder or Connor, you can't have both. I can have one and you can have one."

I shot my head up and snort, she can have Connor, that's exactly what I tell her, "You can have Connor, and last time I checked I'm not into Ryder like that."

"Wait but haven't you and Connor been going out for like almost a year." She says and raises a perfectly arched blonde eyebrow.

"Nope not anymore. I broke it off last night." I feel tears sting my eyes, I will not cry in front of my enemy.

"Oh well that's pretty depressing," there was a pause, "For you! Now get out of my dressing room." I get up and walk out to find Alison here at work, late as usual. She waves to me with her perfectly white smile, Alison's dad is a dentist and her mom died a couple years ago but her dad and Alison have perfect teeth.

"Hey bae," Alison says and hip bumps me with her perfect curve.

"Hello dork," I say and wink at her. She acts offended and flips her auburn hair that reached her butt off her shoulder. She stomps her black converse on the floor, I notice she's wearing her "Stressed, Depressed, but well Dressed" shirt and a high waisted black skirt.

"Aspen, do I look like a library book," Alison asks me and cocks her head to the side.

"No," I roll my eyes at her.

"Well then why are you checking me out?" I laugh as she sends me a wink when our boss, who has a major crush on Alison, tells us to get back to work. He was pretty good looking, blonde hair that was pushed up in the front, his jawline was well defined and his tan was to die for. Alison says he's too clingy though.

"Yes sir," we mumble and start on the clothing rack of clothes people didn't like in the dressing room. "So what's been going on with you. Haven't seen you since Detention 101," she asks and starts folding jeans.

"Well I met them and their really nice, I bet you that I could set you up with one. If you wanted," I say and fold a shirt.

"I always thought Camden was really cute, his hair is so cute, anyways what happened at the party? Didn't you go? I didn't see you," she folded a Creme sweater.

"No. I hung out with Camden, Jaydon, Ryder, and Trenton instead, no big deal," I shrug.

"Speaking of Ryder, I saw him today. At the mall. Hey after our shift ends do you wanna go see him?" The excitement was in her eyes as well with desperation. Ryder never came up to girls and she wants him to come up to us.