Scarlett
We spent the morning with everyone at our apartment, laughing and swapping memories between the groups that now have merged into one. It honestly felt like we have all been friends for so long already...like we were always meant to be in each other's lives. We only had two missing, but I already know that when Mia and Lily met everyone, it would feel the exact same way...it will be complete.
Everyone was filled in on the events of the night before, which brought more support for Vee from my parents, and of course, Jack and Luke. They had only just met this morning but were already so warm and accepting towards her. I think she was surprised by that at first, yet I can tell that it made her comfortable and more open because of it.
It was the same with Sam. Hell, Dad was proud to hear how he stood up against our so-called friend instead of letting his choices slide and was there for Vee. He told him that sometimes there would be people you love that go off on a destructive path even though you warn them. You try to save them, but they don't listen, and you have to decide whether to be dragged down with them or cut the ties, moving forward without them in your life.
It was true, though. Jesse made it the easiest decision for all of us. He not only broke Vee's heart, but he betrayed his own friends...the true ones, for some fake ones. But now we have to move past it as a group, together, and let Jesse fall alone until he's left with nothing and he realizes what he did. And when that day comes, not a single one of us will look back with sympathy. As the saying goes, "you've made your bed, now lie on it."
When the guys were all chatting about baseball, and my mom was helping herself to a mid-morning snack, I had a chance to talk to Vee. She told me how she didn't want to stay another second in the apartment she shared with Jesse and needed time to figure out what to do. To ease her worry, I made sure that Vee knew she was more than welcome to stay with the three of us as long she needed. Kole and Sam have one-bedroom apartments, and I'm pretty sure that Kole doesn't even own a couch, so I think our place was a slightly better option. Plus, it will be nice to be there for Vee and have another girl around, especially a friend. It might not be for terribly long, but it will be fun for a bit, at least.
Vee gratefully took the offer, and with that, we decided a little later to head over to gather some of her things that she needed, hoping that there was no Jesse when we arrived.
All the guys wanted to come along this time, and by all, I mean Nix, Ryder, Kole, Sam, Luke, and Jackson. There was no talking any of them out of it, so we pulled into their complex, gathering in the parking lot with a group of crazies that were ready to go to war if need be. And all I could think was, please, let there be no war because I don't want to have to pick up anyone else from jail.
"Well, there's his car," Vee said as she pointed at Jesse's car that was sitting in the parking space in the front. "It's in the same spot as before."
Jackson scoffed. "Of course he drives a Prius. That explains a lot, actually."
"Do jackass cheaters tend to buy Prius's? Because I wish someone would have warned me," Vee said with a small smile.
"Usually guys with big egos and a small dick, but hey, just add it to the list," He told her.
She nodded slowly. "Sounds just like Jesse then."
"That's our girl," Sam chuckled. "Don't hold back now."
Ryder and Kole let out a few laughs as Nix took my hand in his while we were walking towards the stairs. I glanced back to see Luke had stopped in place for a second. "Uh, Luke, you good?"
He looked at me with a furrow to his brows. "Yeah...but I think Chase drives a Prius."
We all turned towards him before erupting in laughter at his words.
Jackson patted his back. "It's alright, buddy. He's probably one of the only good ones."
Once we got to the front door, Vee stood there staring at it, hesitant to unlock. She placed her ear against it to listen.
"Anything?" I asked.
She pulled back, shaking her head. "No, I don't think so."
Nix spoke up. "If you haven't heard from him yet, then he's probably not even out of jail."
"Yeah, which means nobody went to save his sorry ass," Ryder said.
"I hope not," Sam added coldly. "Let the fucker sit in there and find out the hard way that he has no one."
Kole scoffed. "If he thought Grant and the other assholes that follow him around on the team were going to have his back, Jesse really must be an idiot. He doesn't think about anyone else but himself. All those fuckers are ungrateful pieces of shit."
"Guys, we should probably go in soon because we're looking weird huddling in a hallway by someone's door," Luke said.
I let go of Phoenix's hand, standing beside Vee. "You've got this. Just get what you need, and we'll leave, okay? You have all of us here with you."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Okay," She took a deep breath before unlocking the front door and walking inside with the rest of us trailing in behind her.
The lights were off, and there was no sign anyone had been inside at all.
Vee made her way towards the kitchen and grimaced, holding up a bag with a few flies flying around it. "Gross, I totally forgot about the tacos from the other night," She threw it in the trash can, shaking her head with a scoff. "The "I fucked up and feel guilty for cheating on you" tacos from my favorite restaurant. He had to go and ruin that place for me now too."
Everyone glanced around at each other with the same sad expression on our faces.
"Hey," Sam spoke up, walking into the kitchen and looked down at her. "We'll find a new restaurant that has way better tacos...promise."
She gave him a soft smile and nodded, looking like she was going to cry.
Luke picked up a shattered picture frame as glass fell from it. "Is this the boyfriend?"
"Ex-boyfriend," Vee corrected him, going over to him. "But yeah...that's us."
He raised a brow. "Yeah, he definitely has the face of a dumbass and the guy isn't even near the league you're in."
"Agreed," I added, crossing my arms.
"Sorry about all the mess, Vee," Sam spoke with a guilty face.
She looked back at him. "It's okay. You kind of did me a favor because I wasn't planning on keeping these pictures anyway."
"I would say that we would clean it up for you but seeing as though you aren't staying here, then maybe we should leave it to the one that started this all in the first place," Nix said, leaning against the back of the couch.
Ryder nodded. "Seriously. Leave it the way it is and let Jesse deal with it. This isn't your responsibility anymore, Vee. It's all on him."
Vee looked hurt and angry, staring down at the broken picture before lifting her head back up. "You're right," She took it from Luke, flipping it around face down before laying it against the wall. "He can clean up the mess he made."
I gently placed my hand on her arm. "Come on, hun. Let's get your things and get out of here."
"Okay," Her voice came out quiet.
"Hey, out of curiosity, what all is technically yours around the apartment?" Jackson's forehead creased.
"Um," She looked around. "That damn bent lamp in the corner, all the silverware, the microwave, and the bed."
"Then that's all coming too," He smirked mischievously.
"Well, I," Before Vee could say anything, Ryder stood in front of her.
"Hey, you bought it, then it's yours. We'll pack it all up for you," Ryder offered.
Nix spoke up. "A bent lamp would look good in our apartment for the time being, too, don't you think, Shortcake?"
He winked at me as a subtle smile appeared on my lips. "Definitely."
"We can take everything except for the bed...I feel sick knowing I slept in it after...everything that happened in it. I don't want that disgusting thing at all," Vee spoke with a saddened expression.
"Deal," Sam said. "But if you change your mind, we can always drag it somewhere and burn it into ash."
"Good thinking. We could always use it for a bonfire at the beach," Luke added.
"You all are insane," Vee said as the corners of her lips curved up. "But thank you...really. I feel like I would be crumbling to pieces in here without each of you."
Sam tilted his head to the side. "We always got your back, Vee."
Kole began to talk. "Now go get a bag packed and let us take care of everything else so we can get the hell out of here."
By the time we were done, we had walked out of that apartment with two suitcases, two tote bags, a bag of silverware, a broken lamp, and a nearly new microwave, leaving behind any awful memories with it.
~~
Once we got back to our apartment, we hauled everything up to find my dad making dinner for us with my mom's help. It felt like we were back home for a minute, and it made my heart feel full.
After enjoying the meal together, all of us were lounging around the living room when my mom brought over a platter of chocolate chip- cookies as my dad followed behind. "Okay, guys. We have something we wanted to talk to you about," Mom spoke in a kind voice, slightly worrying me about what it could be.
Dad stood next to her with a grin, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "You ask them, Angel."
Her head turned towards us with a sweet facial expression. "Well, we know you each have been through so much recently from Scarlett's diagnosis and the heartbreaking situation yesterday, yet you guys have been sticking together, supporting each other constantly through it all. It's amazing and makes us happy to see, but we thought it might be nice for you guys to get away from it all for the weekend. Maybe get a change of scenery and clear your heads before taking that next step forward."
Dad spoke up. "You guys deserve some fun after this week. To let loose and relax, especially you, Scarlett. You need to be taking it easy for the next couple of days."
Ryder lifted a brow. "What did you have in mind?"
"Hawaii?" Jackson grinned with hope in his eyes. "I could use a vacation over there."
"Couldn't we all," My dad said, chuckling. "But no."
Mom chimed in. "We were thinking somewhere nearby like a staycation...on the beach."
"Oh, that sounds fun," I said with a smile.
Nix chimed in. "Where at?"
"There is a beach house that isn't far from here that Sawyer and I visited to celebrate our engagement with the whole gang many years ago...almost twenty-one years to be exact."
"Twenty-one years?" I arched a brow. "Is that the place where you found out you were going to have Ryder?"
Mom smiled. "Yes, it was."
"Aw," Vee spoke up. "That's so cool."
Nix nodded. "I never really thought about it before, but that's kind of crazy that you guys visited Tampa so long ago, finding that out, and now Ryder is he down here for college."
My dad nodded. "It's funny how things work out. For sure, it was meant to be, and that was a sign from the beginning, but we didn't even know it yet."
Luke chimed in. "So, is the house available for such short notice?"
"Yep, we called while you guys were away, and it turned out they were available. We just need to call back tonight to confirm it if all of you are up for it," Mom explained.
Kole's brows lifted. "You sure you want all of us to tag along? I wouldn't want to intrude on a family visit."
She sweetly smiled. "Well, you three are part of the family, so who would be intruding?"
Vee's eyes lit up. "Really?"
My parents nod happily. "We leave Florida on Monday, and we want to spend the last few days with Scar and Ryder as well as the ones that have treated them like family and always been there when we weren't able to be," Dad told them.
"Hey, we don't have practice or classes until next week, so it may be just what we all need," Nix added, rubbing my back gently. "Everything has been so insane the last couple of days, and it wouldn't hurt to get away from the drama for a minute."
Ryder spoke up. "I'm down to see the place where you found out you were going to have the greatest gift in the world."
I snorted. "More like the dumbest," Ryder threw a pillow at me from the other side of the room as Nix blocked it with his hand. "Aw, thanks, baby," I leaned over and kissed him sweetly before another pillow came barreling towards us, smacking both of us in the face. "Hey!"
Ryder gave me a smug smile. "You asked for that."
Vee shook her head, laughing. "I think we are already getting a glimpse into the weekend right now."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Jackson said.
Luke nodded. "Get ready for a weekend full of chaos and fun."
Sam grinned. "I'm ready."
"I think getting away with all of you might be just what I need to get things off my mind, even if just for a little while," Vee spoke up as the corners of her mouth curved up into a smile.
My mom clapped her hands excitedly. "So, is that a yes?"
"I think it's a hell yes, actually," Phoenix piped in, putting his arms around me as I leaned back against his chest.
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Author's Note
Hey guys!
The next few chapters will bring some fun and lighthearted moments, including a special surprise visit by a couple of your favorites. And I was thinking of doing another small POV of Sam and Vee because I thought some of you might be interested to hear Sam open up about his past. I think it's obvious where I intend to take Vee and Sam's friendship, but I want to build up that relationship and give her time to heal while he figures things out himself. Those two are more similar than they think, and soon they will find that out.
There is a lot to look forward to coming up, and I hope you continue to enjoy reading!
PS I have nothing against people who drive a Prius! Haha It was just the first car that came to my mind when writing that part!
Much love,
Jenna S.❤️