Persephone
I'm awoken by Peyton as she tries to violently shake me awake.
"What's going on?" I ask, tiredly, trying to roll towards my wall.
Peyton doesn't stop her assault, "Get up I need to tell you something important."
That's when it dawns on me that she wasn't even supposed to be here tonight, instead she insisted on staying the night at Brendan's.
I turn to face her, my eyes drifting to my alarm clock that tells me it's only five in the morning.
Wiping my hair from my face I turn on the lamp beside my bed.
"I thought you were staying the night at Brendan's." I say and she sits down beside me.
She's not crying so I take that as a good sign, but she doesn't look happy.
"I did." Peyton tells me and I look around, "Unless Brendan's room looks like our dorm room I don't think you did."
She rolls her eyes, "Smart ass." I narrow my eyes and she continues, "Anyways I there's a reason I'm not there right now and the moment I got back here I had to tell you."
"tell me what?" I ask and she sighs, "I broke up with Brendan."
I think my ears might be deceiving me. I pinch my arm to see if this is a dream and when I feel the sting I know my dreams have become a reality.
"Don't be dramatic, Seph." Peyton says as she watches me pinch myself again.
I can't help it, I have been waiting for this day for years. It's like the Gods have finally answered my prayers.
It must be because I let Phoenix have the last slice of pizza last night.
"What happened?" I ask because something had to have happened in order for her to finally end things with Brendan Gack.
"I finally found my worth, Seph." She tells me, "I finally realized that I couldn't keep dating a guy who put me down at every turn."
I hug her and I must take her by surprise because she freezes before hugging me back.
"I'm proud of you, Pey." I say and I mean it. I don't care how long it took she's finally seeing what I've seen this whole time.
This is the start of something good for her, I can feel it. She deserves better than someone like Brendan.
"So how are we going to celebrate?" I ask and she groans, "Do we need to?"
A snort escapes me, "Girl you finally dumped Brendan, I'll spend all my saving and take you to the Bahamas if you want."
She smiles, "Or we could just go bowling." She offers and I nod, "Deal."
* * *
Later that day I invite Asa to go bowling and it turns into a whole group of us going, Tanner and Kylie who have just made up included.
Miles and Phoenix are there as well and so is K.J. who brought along his girlfriend Mila who's visiting for the holidays.
This is the first time meeting Mila and I see what K.J. sees in her, she's gorgeous and so sweet I don't know how someone can be so nice especially while playing bowling.
My competitive streak comes out and so does Peyton's which works with the idiots we're playing against.
"Take that, loser." I say to Phoenix when I bump him out of first place.
He flips me off, "Just wait Seph, I'm feeling another strike coming on." Then he actually gets a strike.
Peyton goes after him and gets a gutter ball. "Bastard." She says to the ball and we all laugh.
After we finish the game we decide to take a break and eat before going for another round.
"So what are we celebrating?" Miles asks, "Seph's text said we were celebrating something huge."
I smile, wrapping my arm around my best friends shoulder, "Oh just the best day of my life."
"I thought that was the day you realized you loved me." Asa scoffs and I press a kiss to his cheek, "Second best day, then."
"Well what is it?" Kylie asks.
Peyton clears her throat, "Not that it's a big deal but I broke up with Brendan." Before she can finish everyone starts to cheer.
I'm glad we all collectively hated the guy.
I watch Phoenix's reaction. He doesn't cheer like everyone else but he watches her intently, his forearms resting against his thighs as he stares at her.
"What are you going to do now that you're finally single?" Kylie asks, "I have some guys I could set you up with, or if you want something casual I have some friends for that too." She offers and Phoenix tenses.
Peyton shakes her head, "Thanks but I'm good." She says and his shoulders loosen, well until she says what she says next.
"I'm taking a break from guys, and I mean all guys." She announces, "I've spent too much of my life relying on a guy to make me happy, I need to focus on my self for a change. Maybe one day I'll meet a guy that can give me what I need without suffocating me."
I can see the hurt on Phoenix's features before he masks them, clearing his throat as he stands, "Excuse me, I have to take this." He waves his phone in the air but it's clear as day there's no phone call.
I watch him sadly, as he walks away and turn just in time to see the sadness etched on Peyton's face as well.
Part of me this morning thought she finally ended it with Brendan for Phoenix. I'm glad she ended it for herself and not for another guy but lets be honest, Phoenix isn't just another guy.
I look over at Asa and he shrugs, clearly as lost as me on this whole thing. We've suspected for a while something was going on between Phoenix and Peyton, I think most of us have.
We see their secret smiles and looks they shoot at each other. I know cheating is wrong. but no matter what I could never find it in my self to feel the least bit bad when it came to Brendan. He dug his grave long before Phoenix was ever in the picture.
"Who's down for another round?" I ask, breaking the sadness bubble we've found our selves surrounded in.
Phoenix returns but he's clearly not himself and even though he and Peyton sit next to each other the distance between them is noticeable.
"They'll figure their shit out on their own time, Percy." Asa tells me as we head back to his house after dropping Peyton off at the dorm.
She said she wanted some alone time and I wanted to grant her that even if all I wanted to do was be there for her, I knew she needed this from me.
I trace the veins on the hand he has resting on my thigh.
"I know but it's so hard not to meddle when I see it's hurting two of my closest friends." And Phoenix has become a close friend over the past few months.
I know I owe him a lot for the way he worked to get Asa back to me.
Asa squeezes my thigh, "It'll work itself out, baby, trust me." I nod, turning up the radio for the rest of the drive.
When we get thereI notice a Phoenix sized absence in the living room.
"He's in his room moping." Miles tells us and I sigh.
Poor Phoenix.
Asa leads me up to his room and we change into comfy clothes before laying in his bed. Asa pulls out a book to read and I scroll through social media.
Obviously I check Peytons account to see she's deleted every picture of her and Brendan and I see she's unfollowed him too.
I unfollow him, finally, and delete any picture of the three of us before texting my dad to tell him we'll be over at his place in three hours.
"Hey." I use my sock clad foot to poke Asa in the chest, "Should we invite Phoenix tonight?" I ask and Asa shrugs, "If you want, I think he'll probably want to spend tonight in his room alone though."
I think that's the last thing he needs.
Getting up I head over to Phoenix's room and knock softly on the door.
"Come in." His voice sounds on the other side and I push the door open to see him laying on his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"So Asa, Miles and I are going over to my dads and Janets place. I was wondering if you wanted to join. Janet is making cookies." I tell him.
He peers over at me, "Is this a pity invite? I don't do pity, Seph."
I shake my head, "I want you to come and I know Janet would love to see you."
"I do miss her and her cookies." He says making me laugh, "So, you in?"
He nods, the first smile on his face since Peyton told us her news, "Yeah, I'm in."
That night Janet gives Phoenix a whole plate of cookies and I know her and dad can see the sadness radiating off of him.
"Give her time." I hear Janet tell Phoenix in the kitchen. Yeah I'm eavesdropping, sue me.
"Easier said than done, Mamma. She didn't say she needed time she said she hadn't met the guy for her yet."
My heart hurts for both him and my best friend.
Janet pats his shoulder before pulling him into a hug.
"She'll come around, she cares about you she just needs to heal first."
I really hope Janet is right.
"It's not nice to listen on other peoples conversations." My dad whispers from behind me making me jump.
"don't do that." I say and he chuckles as we head back towards the living room where Asa and Miles are playing uno against each other.
"He makes you happy, huh?" My dad asks and I nod, "Very."
"Uno out, you bitch." Asa says and I laugh. "Language." Dad says and Asa sighs, "Sorry, coach."
"I'm happy for you, even if you had to date one of my players in order to find your happiness." He says and I know that means he's accepting us even if it's begrudgingly.
"I'm happy for you too." I tell him, "I'm glad you found happiness again."
I know mom would be happy he did too. All she ever wanted for us was to be happy in the life we were given.
"I love you dad." I tell him and I think I see his eyes shine. "I love you too, Seph."
And I just know, everything will work out the way it's supposed to.
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Edited
One chapter left!!! See you guys at the finish line 💜