Reunited (Ricegum x Reader)

Chapter 5

You and Rice manage to weed your way through tons of fans and head back to the parking lot after VidCon. It was the craziest thing ever. You had to hold on to Rice's arm the entire time to prevent being separated from him. You knew he was popular, but you didn't know he was this popular.

As you're driving back to your dad's place, you and Rice try to catch up on everything you missed.

"So, how was UCLA? I heard it's a really great school." You ask him while driving.

"It was alright. I only stayed there for a year and dropped out after I blew up on YouTube so I could focus on my channel," He says, scratching his head. "How was UNLV?"

"It was amazing. I met this girl there named B/F/N and we instantly became best friends. She was actually the one who told me last week that you make YouTube videos and she's a pretty big fan of yours."

He nods. "So, why did you come all this way to see me, anyways? Do you have a thing for me, Y/N?"

You feel blood rise to your cheeks. "No! I just missed you and I thought that this was my only chance to see you again."

"But you still live in Vegas, right?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah... I thought you moved to California for college though."

"Well, I did. After I dropped out, I decided to come back to Vegas and live with my parents. I've been living there for 3 years now."

"Bryan! Why didn't you tell me? We could have stayed friends this entire time!" You raise your voice angrily.

He raises his hands up in defence. "Hey hey, I never said I didn't try! I went to your old house and the people who live there told me you moved out. I spent ages trying to find any social media you have but I couldn't find anything. I even went to UNLV and they wouldn't give me any details because they thought I was stalking you or something."

You turn your head to look at him. "S-so you never forgot about me?"

"Forget about you? What the fuck, Y/N? I couldn't go a day without thinking about you!"

He realizes what he just says and he diverts his eyes quickly. He looks out his window to hide his blush. "I-I didn't mean it like that... I meant, you know, since we were best friends and everything-"

"I know what you meant. It's okay. I'm not mad." You try your hardest to stop yourself from smiling.

You both ride the rest of the way in a slightly awkward silence.

--

You finally arrive at your dad's house. You put your car in the parking garage and go up the elevator with Rice. The door opens, and he drops his jaw at the sight of your dad's high-end penthouse.

"I didn't know you were an heiress," He teases.

"Don't call me that. My dad may be a rich guy but I'm never going to get into that stuff. I'm always going to stay true to who I am." You say defensively.

"I've always liked that about you." He smirks.

You grin and pull him into a hug. He hugs back immediately and rests his head on top of your head.

You break away from the hug and walk over to the kitchen counter. Your dad left you a note:

"Hi hon,

I'm really sorry but I'm not going to be able to see you for the first two weeks of your trip. I have to meet up with a few actors in Sweden and I'll be very busy discussing my next movie with them. I've put money on your debit card and I also left you cash enclosed in this envelope. Enjoy and I'll see you soon. Love you."

You put the letter and money in your purse. He left you a few thousand dollars, which you thought was totally unnecessary but you were grateful all the same. You heated up a pizza for you and Rice and headed upstairs to your bedroom.

He flops down on your huge bed and pulls out his laptop. "Wanna watch some of my videos?"

"Absolutely." You lay down next to him as he opens up YouTube.

He shows you all the videos in his most popular series, "These Kids Must Be Stopped." You laugh and tease him for roasting a bunch of little kids, and he rolls his eyes.

He scrolls through the comments in his latest video, and you're shocked at what you see.

"Who's that girl you were with at VidCon? Your girlfriend?"

"That girl isn't dating Rice, she's too ugly lmao"

"That girl at VidCon with Rice is such a BITCH! He's mine!! L L L"

You lift your head off his shoulder and look a him straight in the eyes.

"Bryan... What? I-"

"Y/N I'm sorry... Look I didn't know this would happen... Everyone assumes things but they'll know the truth once I tweet about it. Don't listen to them, you're the best girl out there," He wipes the small bit of tears in your eyes and pulls the hair away from your face. "Are you okay?"

You sniff and nod. "I'll be okay. I'm just not used to all that attention and criticism."

He looks at you silently for a couple minutes, thinking of the right thing to say. Suddenly a great idea comes to his mind.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. Let's go to a party tonight. I know you haven't been to a Cali party and trust me, they're LIT. You'll forget all about the haters once you're there."

"I don't know... I don't usually go to parties and I don't know anyone here..." You say shyly.

"Well, you know me, and I promise I'll show you a good time. When have I ever let you down?" He says as he puts his arm around your shoulder.

You know he's right. He's the most entertaining, hilarious guy you know and you've never been in a bad mood when you're with him. "Ah, all right. It couldn't hurt."

He gives you a quick hug. "Yes! This is going to be amazing."