In the End

28 ~ Memories

"Jojo, where are you?"

I try to hide myself in the snow, not in the mood to deal with him.

"Jo, stop hiding." Gentry adds. "You're freaking me out."

Feeling bad, I stick my hand in the air. "I'm over here."

"Thank fuck." They mutter as they shift towards my direction.

Two of the best people in my life come to a stop, staring down at me.

"How are you not freezing?" Gentry demands in mild shock.

"Oh, I lost feeling in my ass like an hour ago." I try to joke but a shiver racks through me.

"Put these on." Aspen throws an extra pair of sweatpants at me. "I swear to God, you'll be the death of me."

Fumbling to keep the pants put of the snow, I try to get up and can't. "Um, guys, I think my legs are frozen."

They yank me up and help me dress, the pants offering a little extra warmth as a wind sends chills through my body. Next thing I know, I'm wrapped in a group hug.

"So, is this where you guys lecture me for how I acted back there?" I ask, my voice muffled from Gentry's chest.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." He assures me.

"AJ could use a swift kick in the ass." Aspen mutters.

"I mean, am I the only one who never saw that coming?" I demand. "I'm still in shock."

"Join the club." Gentry scoffs. "It's AJ."

"Forget AJ, Peyton never hides things from me." I point out. "What did I do to make her feel like she had to blame it all on me?"

"It's not your fault." They say together.

"They can go to hell if they continue to use that card." Aspen squeezes my arms.

We head for the cabin, taking our time to trudge through the snow. I end up on Aspen's back after my legs refuse to thaw. Stopping on the back porch, we share a look.

"I don't want to go in." I admit. If I see Peyton, I'll either hit her or share all of AJ secrets in bed. Haven't really decided on which yet.

"We'll make a fire out here." Aspen sets me down.

"Sure, but I'm getting you blankets and something to drink." Gentry says, heading for the house.

Watching as Aspen gets to work on the fire, I try to jump in place to warm my bones. He sends me a smile everyone and a while and something close to guilt creeps over me.

"I-I didn't mean to bring up the whole sleeping with AJ thing in there." I offer.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" He fixates on the baby flames.

"Because..." I don't really know. "You're you and we're..."

"What are we?" He echoes my thought.

"We're us." That's the only way I know how to explain it.

Nodding his head, he stabs the logs. "You don't need to apologize. All you did was state a fact."

"I did, but still."

"Don't beat yourself up about something I already knew about." He walks towards me, forgetting all about the fire. "People have to come to term with what happened in the past, including Peyton."

"Thanks." I relax, hugging him.

"Of course, Sunshine." He pecks my forehead.

"I brought hot chocolate." Gentry cheers, carrying three cups.