Magcon Madness (Nash Grier/Cameron Dallas/Jack Gilinsky)

Chapter 22

*Vanessa*

Today was Monday, the day we were supposed to head to Dallas, Texas. It was also the Monday before Thanksgiving, which meant that all schools were on thanksgiving break. Since we wouldn't be with our families, Bart had suggested that we had a Magcon family thanksgiving dinner. All of us agreed, happy to eat food and be merry with our second family.

I had been avoiding Cameron for the past week, and it had been going pretty well so far. Although I still had to see him sometimes, I didn't actually have to talk to him, which made things a lot easier.

But it still hurt. A lot. Especially when I saw him with Brooke clinging onto him - I knew he didn't like her initially, but emotions can change, right? What if he actually started to develop feelings for her?

Shut up Ness, I told myself. He's not yours anymore. He never was. Get over it.

But it was still a lot harder than I thought it would be.

We arrived in Dallas in the afternoon, most of us carrying the burdens of jet lag and bedhead. The plane ride was actually pretty lonely - Kaya sat with Nash, who were officially a couple now, and Emily sat with Jack G. Since I didn't have Cam anymore, that left me with nobody.

While departing the airplane, we all somehow got separated. However, the limo hadn't arrived yet, so we had some time to kill at the airport. Bart told us we could go do whatever we wanted while we waited, which meant that Nash went off with Kaya, Emily went off with Jack G, and (shudder) Cam went off with Brooke.

That left me with the rest of the boys, who I'd been spending most of my time with lately. I had gotten particularly close to Aaron, and he was so sweet - almost like a brother to me. However, he still didn't give off that spark that I felt with Cam. We were just friends.

He had actually been comforting me about Cameron. Brooke the bitch was with him every chance she got, making my temper flare to dangerously high levels. She was the definition of a slut, and she was also extremely rude, too. I knew she had it out for me from that moment she saw how hurt I was when I walked in on her and Cam kissing. To her, I was a threat.

As it turns out, none of the other boys liked her either. Aaron was constantly making me laugh and taking my mind off of Cam by making fun of Brooke, weather it was her high-pitched nasally voice or her snooty face caked with makeup.

"She's just such a bitch," I gushed to Aaron as we strolled through the airport.

He nodded in agreement. "I know. I wish she would just go back to her mansion on the beach or wherever she came from."

"And take her annoying dad with her." Brookes' dad was actually involved in the creation of Magcon, but none of us liked him. The only reason he hadn't been fired by now was because of how rich and powerful he was - he could shut down Magcon in a split second if he wanted to.

"I'll pay for their flight," Aaron added with a laugh.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Not like they need it." That girl was so spoiled that her expiration date was months ago.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. I whipped my head around to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. He was standing about twenty feet away, looking the same as he had a year and a half ago. Tall, with dark blonde hair and a square jaw. A total douche.

I had to call Emily.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked me as I frantically dialed Em's number. When I didn't answer his question, he grew even more confused. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't picking up. This was bad. This was really bad. "No!" I shouted, earning a surprised look from Aaron. "Ryan's here, and I don't know why, and I have to warn Emily before he sees her-"

He cut me off, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Who'se Ryan?"

Panic had surged through me. "I- I can't tell you. Please just trust me," I begged. "We have to find Em."

He contemplated what to do for a moment, and I was afraid he would refuse. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. If it's really that serious, then let's go."

Thankfully, Ryan hadn't seen me yet, so we dashed away through the busy airport, searching for Emily and Jack. I had my phone in my hand and kept redialing her number, hoping she would pick up. It went to voice mail every time.

Finally, I spotted a familiar tall head of dark brown hair and tan skin walking through the airport, with a blonde-haired girl at his side. Aaron saw Jack and Emily, and we sprinted towards them.

"Em!" I called out. She turned around, but before her eyes locked with mine, they fell on someone else. Someone who had just seen her as well, and was making his way towards her. We were too late.

*Emilly*

When I saw him, my blood turned cold. I felt the color drain from my face, and it felt as if the world had stopped all around me. My biggest fear had come true. It was him. Ryan was here.

After a full year and a half of successfully avoiding him, I ran into him in an airport in Dallas, of all places. 1,527 miles away from home, where I had last seen him.

He was coming closer and closer with every second, and he started lifting his hand. I flinched, but he was only waving. And smiling. Wait, what?

The nerve he had to smile at me, to act like everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. I felt someone's presence appear beside me, and suddenly remembered that there were other people with me. I wasn't alone. I turned to see Vanessa approaching with a worried look on her face, panting as if she had just been running a marathon. Aaron was right behind her.

To my left, there was Jack G. Although he seemed confused, he had stepped in front of me as if to protect me. I'm sure he didn't know what was going on, but he must have seen how scared I had become and knew something was up.

Finally, Ryan reached us. "Em!" He said, a grin on his face as if he was glad to see me. As if he didn't ruin my entire sophomore year.

I was paralyzed - I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, I felt a hand slip into mine. Although I was still tense, it comforted me a bit. I saw that it was Jack, and gave him an appreciative smile.

Vanessa stepped forward. "What do you want, Ryan?" She asked with a glare.

"What, I can't talk to my girlfriend without an army surrounding her?" He scoffed. I saw Jack and Aaron exchange a puzzled glance.

I finally gathered the courage to speak up. "Ex-girlfriend," I corrected him.

He turned to me, raising his eyebrows. "So I see," he noted, his eyes flicking to Jack.

Ness rolled her eyes. "You're such a douche. Just tell us why you're here."

"I'm visiting my family for Thanksgiving break," he answered simply.

Of course - I had forgotten that he had relatives in Texas. It's no wonder his parents didn't want him home. I wouldn't, either.

"But..." he continued. "Now that I've seen you again, I only just realized how much I missed you."

Yeah, right.

"Then why did you do it?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes. I almost believed him - almost. But I knew I couldn't be fooled again.

"I'm sorry, Emmy," he sighed. I flinched again at the nickname. "I still love you."

I couldn't take it anymore. He didn't know how badly he scarred me, how much pain he put me through. Seeing him again for the first time since the incident? It was all just too much to handle. I had finally fallen over the edge.

The tears finally spilling out, I took a deep breath before saying what should have been said a over year and a half ago. "Fuck off, Ryan." With that, I turned and ran away, losing myself in the crowds.