friends | jeff atkins

f o u r t y t h r e e

🌸 d e v o n 🌸

"Woooo." Makenna drunkenly cheered, leaning over there edge of a pretty high up railing in Bryce's vacation home. "This is so much fun, I could probably land it if I jumped off right now."

"Do you know what would be more fun?" I asked trying to persuade her to go back inside away from all danger. "If you went inside, and drank some more."

"Oh come on Dev, won't you drink with me?"

"Maybe a little." I smiled at her even though she knew that I had promised not to willingly drink more than two drinks because I was aware of how light weight I was.

"You, You, You." She stutters. "You're a party pooper, You, Jeff, Hannah, and lame ass Clay."

"Someone has to make sure nobody kills themselves." Hannah says putting Makenna's arm around her shoulder. "Let's go get you some water."

"But I want more party drinks." Makenna whined as Hannah dragged her back inside the house.

I was left alone on the back deck by myself while Hannah dealt with a drunken Makenna inside with the girls while Jeff played beer pong with some of the drunken boys on a side deck with Clay on hand to help mediate any fights that broke out.

I looked out over the mountain and began to wonder if I had done the right thing by coming here, I was questioning whether leaving my pregnant mother alone on Thanksgiving had truly been the right thing to do. Of course she had told me to have fun with my friends because she knew a was responsible enough to handle myself, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was okay at home by herself with Uncle Phillip and Aunt Noelle.

Before I could pull my phone out of my back pocket I heard a car pulling up out front, my curiosity had gotten the best of me leading me around to see who had arrived.

What I found was someone I would have never hopped to find in a million years.

"Devon." The familiar voice called out to me, sounding just as broken and it had when we had last spoken.

"Clinton." I said, frozen in my place. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Why are you here?"

"Mitchel told me Makenna had invited him up here this weekend and he declined, so I drove myself here." He said still not making any sense. "I had to see you, talk to you."

"Clinton I-"

"No Devon listen I know I hurt you, trust me it hurts me more than you know to think I did that to you, but I need you to talk to me."

"I can't." I said crossing my arms, now turning away to go back inside the house. "I think you should leave."

"Fine, you don't have to listen to me talk." He said reaching into his car. "But give me three minutes, let me try to win you over."

I don't say anything, I just walk to the front porch swing and sit, waiting for Clinton to follow with his guitar.

"I wrote you this song." He smiled as I kept the same scared and emotionless expression on my face, as if I were ready to burst into tears any second.

"Let me hear it."

"So we've both moved on and I know, you were the stronger one. It was easy for you to let go, but I'm still in love with you." At that moment I had gotten lost in his words, it didn't matter what he had said in this song because I knew he was still in love with me.

Despite the pain I wait feeling in my heart for me to say no to him, I took his hand when he finished his serenade. At this moment it was like my mind was going against everything anyone had ever told me about Clinton and I was giving into him.

"Devon." His voice said smoothly, making myself more vulnerable to his words. "Come back to Beverly Hills with me, we can be together and this time I promise it will be you and always you."

I didn't say anything, I just had a stupid smile creeping on to my face as I took his hand and followed him to the car.

From the car I could see Makenna fighting Hannah off for a red cup surely filled with some mixed drink, I knew that if I left right now there would be no turning back. I would possibly even burn some friendships right here if I left with him, but again I felt my brain going against itself as it didn't fight back to Clinton's charm.

It was a long drive to Beverly Hills, so it was now or never.

"Let's go." I said closing my eyes as he backed out of the driveway.