Chapter Eighty-One:
Bryce's POV
"Why the fuck are you wearing nail polish?" Jordan asks me from where he's sitting in the backseat of the car, behind the driver's seat.
I glance down at my hands, more specifically at my fingernails. After the pink nail polish Blossom had put on me a couple weeks ago began to chip, she took that polish off and painted my nails black instead.
"You just noticed?" I ask, staring out the window and refusing to make eye contact with Jordan.
He laughs, obnoxiously. "No. I noticed at the airport, but Lexi seemed really sad and so I wanted to focus on her a little bit. Speaking of that, why was she talking to that little girl? She hates kids. And why the hell was she crying?"
I shut my eyes, exhaling loudly. I don't really know how to get out of this conversation other than by telling the truth.
"If I tell you guys something right now, you have to swear to God that you will never speak about it ever again. If you do, I will cut your dick off. And that isn't a joke. I really will," I say sternly.
Jordan clearly believes that I'm being serious because he doesn't have any rude retort to say in response to that.
Mateo turns to look at me once we reach a red light. "All right. I promise that neither of us will say anything."
I nod at him. "Thank you. Well, Lexi never used to like kids. You're right about that. But her feelings changed a couple months ago when she found out that she's infertile. She has a condition that makes it impossible for her to get pregnant. She's heartbroken, as I'm sure you can imagine. I think that seeing that little girl with her mom made her realise that that's something that she'll never be able to have."
Jordan and Mateo both fall silent upon hearing this news, and for that, I'm grateful.
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"I was expecting a welcome home party. This is sort of anticlimactic," I call out, rolling my suitcases over to the bottom of the stairs so that I can carry them upstairs to my bedroom later on.
Mateo sighs as he shuts the front door after us. "You are so obnoxious sometimes. I don't know how it still manages to surprise me, and yet it does."
I spin around to grin at him before dropping my backpack on the ground, kicking off my shoes, and then hurrying down the hallway.
Just as I turn the corner into the kitchen, I crash right into my dad, who immediately pulls me into a fierce hug.
I smile like an idiot as I rest my head on his shoulder and wrap my arms around him, hugging him back. "Hey, old man."
My dad squeezes just a little bit harder. "Hey, kid. I missed you like hell."
"I missed you too. I don't like living alone," I respond quietly.
My dad sighs, but when he releases me from his embrace he smiles as he ruffles my hair. "I know, kid. I know. I'm sorry."
I do my best to smile back at him. "Don't worry about it. I've had a miserable past few months, and so I just want to talk about you guys. How have you all been?"
On cue, Elena pops up beside my dad. She grins so impossibly wide as she looks up at me that I can't help but so grin back at her.
"Hi, Bryce!" she exclaims. "We've missed you so much! I'm so excited that you're finally here."
She then pulls me into a shockingly fierce hug for such a tiny woman. I hug her back for a few moments before she lets go and reaches for my dad's hand with another wide smile. "Come sit in the living room so we can all talk together. Vanessa is upstairs, but I'm sure she's eager to meet you and so Mateo can go and get her."
At this, I turn around to see what Mateo is up to. When we all see that he's no longer in the foyer, we assume that he's already headed upstairs to get Vanessa, and so the three of us make our way into the living room.
I take a seat on the sectional sofa while my dad and Elena curl up together on the loveseat. Elena rests her head on Dad's shoulder, and I can't help but to smile when I spot her engagement ring as she takes my dad's hand yet again.
The diamond is huge, but I don't think I expected any less from Leo Bradshaw.
"How was your flight, kid? Did you have to take your medication?" Dad asks me, wrapping one of his arms around Elena's shoulders before kissing the top of her head.
I ignore the way that my heart aches upon seeing them so happy together. I wish I could be happy like that too, but the only girl I want to have that kind of relationship with is Blossom.
And Blossom told me that she doesn't want to see me anymore less than half an hour ago.
"My flight was fine, I guess. I didn't have to take my medication. I think that that's because Lexi was with me. She makes my anxiety much more . . . manageable. She always does her best to distract me," I respond quietly, forcing myself to look away from Dad and Elena
Instead, I stare down at my feet, not able to stare at their happy faces any longer.
"You're a jerk! You didn't even let me finish the chapter that I was reading! I only had a page and a half left!"
I look up from my feet at the sound of an unfamiliar female voice.
Sure enough, Mateo is entering the kitchen, a girl walking alongside him.
She has dark, wavy, chocolate brown hair that falls about midway down her back and wide hazel eyes that remind me just a little bit too much of Blossom's eyes for comfort. She's wearing a plain white camisole and a pair of denim shorts, and I like her already just from the way she has her arms crossed against her chest as she glares at my brother.
Mateo rolls his eyes at her as they make their way through the kitchen and into the living room. "You've been reading all day, Nessa. You read all night, too. I think you'll survive."
Vanessa narrows her eyes at him. "And that's a problem because?"
Mateo sighs, shaking his head as he mutters something to himself.
The two of them finally make their way into the living room. Vanessa plops down on the opposite side of the sectional sofa from where I'm sitting and Mateo sits down beside her, placing himself in between Vanessa and I.
Vanessa is still glaring at Mateo, sitting with her arms crossed, but she suddenly seems to notice me because her eyes widen, her jaw slackens, and she lets her arms flatten against her sides.
She blinks several times as though taking in my appearance before turning to face Mateo. In a whisper, she asks him, "I know you said that your brother is hot, but why didn't you tell me that he looks like that? He looks like he could be the hero in a romance novel."
This makes me smile with genuine glee.
Mateo groans, and I flash him a smile before turning back to grin at Vanessa. "Hey. I'm Bryce. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I watch as Vanessa's cheeks flush a deep shade of pink.
"Hi," she eventually manages to say, her voice breathy.
Mateo groans once again.
I glance to Dad and Elena, who look thoroughly amused by the conversation unfolding in their living room right now.
"We thought we would go out for dinner in a little bit. Is that okay with all of you?" Dad asks the three of us.
I nod my head, and when I turn back to Mateo and Vanessa I find that they're doing the same.
I also find that Vanessa is still staring at me with wide eyes.
"Is something the matter?" I ask her.
She somehow blushes an even deeper shade of pink. "No. I'm sorry. You just look so much like Leo. And you're very handsome. That's all."
"Nessa!" Mateo hisses.
She gives him a sheepish smile when she turns to face him. "Sorry, Matt."
He stares at her for a few seconds before brushing some of her hair back behind her ears and gently telling her, "Don't apologise. There's no need. It's all okay."
She bites her lip as she stares up at him, but neither of them say anything else. They just smile at each other like idiots for a few moments before Mateo awkwardly wraps an arm around Vanessa's shoulders.
Ah. Young love.
They both look really do look incredibly awkward, though. They're stiff as boards, and I cringe internally when Vanessa slowly leans in to rest her head on Mateo's shoulder.
I wince. I guess my new mission for the summer is fixing the fact that they're acting as awkward as middle schoolers at a school dance.
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Lexi's POV
"What an asshole! I seriously cannot believe that he did that to you. Know what? We're making you a Tinder profile. We're finding you a boyfriend. One who actually knows how to properly treat a woman. Give me your phone," Jasmine exclaims incredulously from where she's sitting across from me on my bed.
Jordan and I are leaning against my headboard while Jasmine sits at the foot of the bed, facing us. After eating dinner with my family and then chatting with them in the living room for a little bit, I invited Jordan and Jasmine over because I really wanted to see Jasmine today and I also just missed hanging out with my best friends.
I invited Ryan over too, but he said he was busy tonight and that he would meet up with us tomorrow. Even though I've texted him several times since Bryce and I broke up, I haven't told him about the breakup. As guilty as I am for feeling this way, I'm sort of thankful that I don't have to explain what happened to him tonight.
I don't think I could emotionally handle that right now.
"My roommate, Kennedy, has already offered to do the same thing. I don't need or want a boyfriend right now though, Jazzy. I know that nobody will love me like Bryce did, and that's okay. It just means that there's nobody else out there for me. That's really fine, though. I'm happy being single," I say softly.
Jordan has his arm around my shoulders, and at this, he pulls me closer so that I'm snuggled up against his side. I rest my head on his chest as he holds me, rubbing gentle circles against my back.
"You've said that you're happy being single before, and that's cool, Lexi. I'm glad that you're happy," he says softly, giving me another squeeze. "It isn't that we don't believe you, Lex, but what about in the future? We don't want you to be hung up on Bryce forever. Just because you're happy being single now doesn't mean you won't change your mind in the future."
I blink up at him before glancing towards Jasmine. "Do you feel the same way, Jazzy?"
Jasmine sighs, staring down at the duvet. "Yeah. I do. There's nothing wrong with feeling like you want to be single right now, but I think you should also consider that your feelings may change. Maybe you'll want another boyfriend one day, and that's totally okay."
I shut my eyes. "I know. It just . . . It's too soon after the breakup for me to consider moving on. He's my soulmate. I feel like nobody else will ever be as good for me as he was. I guess that could change in the future, but I just don't know right now."
Jasmine and Jordan give me sympathetic smiles, but their attention is drawn away from me when the door to my bedroom slowly creaks open.
Charlie's head pops into the bedroom, and his eyes immediately find Jasmine.
"Babe?" he says quietly.
Jasmine sighs at the sound of his voice. She takes a moment to collect herself before she turns around on the bed to face him. "I told you not to try and talk to me tonight, Charlie. I'm here to see your sister. Not to put up with your bullshit."
My eyebrows fly up. I know that Charlie and Jasmine have a really complicated relationship and that they seem to have a hard time distinguishing what their relationship actually is, but I could've sworn that they were on good terms right now.
Well, at least they were on good terms as of three days ago when I last spoke to Jasmine on the phone, but I suppose that things could have changed since then.
I glance back towards my brother. He's now staring down at the floor, and I'm fairly certain that I can see tears filling up his eyes right now.
I'm just about to stand up from the bed to go give my brother a hug before he speaks up again.
"I know. Please? I'm really sorry, Jasmine. I was drunk and I'm just generally pretty stupid, which is a terrible combination. I really regret what I did and I want to make it up to you. Just give me a chance to explain," he says, his voice so quiet that we're barely able to hear him from where we're sitting on my bed, across the room from the door.
His voice cracks at the end, and when she hears this sound, Jasmine's spine straightens.
She shuts her eyes for a moment before turning to face Jordan and I. "I'm sorry, guys. I should go talk to him. I'll be back soon."
We watch as she stands up from my bed and then makes her way across the room towards my brother. Once she's standing directly in front of him she takes his face between her hands and forces him to look her in the eye.
"You have five minutes, okay? Let's go to your room," she says.
Charlie nods at her, and without even glancing at Jordan and I he takes her hand and pulls her out of the bedroom.
Jasmine gives us a final, small smile before closing the door behind her and Charlie.
I glance up at Jordan. "What happened? I thought they were doing well."
He scoffs. "You and I aren't the only two with relationship problems."
I feel my eyebrows raise. "What's going on with you and Camila?"
He tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before shutting his eyes. "It's confusing. Sometimes I think that everything is fine and then sometimes she just seems . . . distant. I don't want to talk about that, though. I want to hear about how you've been."
I sigh. "I'm really sorry about that, Jordan. We don't have to talk about it. And I promise that I'm not going to talk about Bryce because I know that it's probably awkward for you considering that you're his best friend. I just have one thing I'd like to ask you, if that's okay."
Jordan nods at me with a shrug of his shoulders. "Go ahead."
I keep my voice to a whisper. "Does Bryce talk about me still?"
Jordan chuckles. "Of course he does."
I glance down at where my hands are folded in my lap. "Does it sound like he misses me?"
Jordan is silent for a moment.
Then, he says, "It sounds like he misses you more than words can describe."
A/N: I know that a lot of you guys are really disappointed with the route that this story is taking and that a lot of you are getting bored based on your comments on the last chapter. I just wanted to tell you guys why I'm writing this story the way that I am.
I know everybody wants Bryce and Lexi back together. I get it. I want them back together too. But they haven't matured enough to realise what they were both doing wrong in their relationship/how their relationship was toxic. If they got together now, they would have all the same problems that they had before.
And so they need to be apart so that they can grow and learn from their mistakes. That's the only way that they'll become better people.
I understand why you guys are frustrated, but I'd also like to remind you that before you comment, please consider the fact that I'm a real person with feelings who reads every single comment. Some of the comments I received after the last chapter were very discouraging and though I know I shouldn't listen to negative comments, I'm human. They hurt my feelings. :')