*NOT EDITED*

Chapter 42

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We went back home four days into school. Damon did his best to make me forget about Ryder. And it almost worked, keyword; almost.

"Ahh, the freeze-your-balls Alaska weather," Damon said, shutting the car trunk with force, "it's good to be home."

"No, it's not," I grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Dad laughed and paid the taxi driver the money. We walked into the house and I immediately headed up to my room. I opened the bedroom door and left my traveling bag in a corner. Flopping on the bed, I heard Damon enter his room and shut the door.

I untied the thick scarf around my neck and pushed the beanie off my hair, feeling suffocated. Soon enough, I had shimmied - struggled, actually - out of the layers of clothing I had on. Feeling satisfied, I discarded the clothes and jumped under the comforter.

As much as I hated the weather here, I did miss my bed.

I was about to doze off when the door to my room burst open. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Damon, get out. I'm so tired and n-"

"YOU'RE BACK!"

My face morphed into one of surprise as Emma jumped on the bed with a giggle.

"Emma? What are you doing here?"

"Okay, I'll just leave then-"

She started to get up with a faked angry expression, but I pulled her back from her arm.

I laughed and sat up straighter. "I didn't mean it like that. Yes, we just came back . . . literally, like right now."

"I know. I told Damon to text me as soon as you guys came back."

"Why didn't you text me- oh, wait, nevermind."

"Yeah, I kept texting you, but you never returned any of my texts. I started to get worried, you know, and so I told Damon to tell me when you guys come."

I nodded in understanding and a silence took over us. I noted the water bottle in her other hand.

"So? Aren't you going to tell me why you weren't answering you texts?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah right," I chuckled nervously, "I-uh-"

She clicked her tongue with a shake of her head after taking a sip from her bottle."Nope, this isn't going to work for me. Spit it out, girl."

"It's Ryder. He may or may not be cheating on me."

She spat the water that was in her mouth on my face.

"Eukh!" I spat the water that managed to land itself in my mouth in the garbage can next to the bed. "Emma!"

She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "W-what are you talking about? That's impossible, period. There is no way that could be happening."

I laughed cold and humorlessly. "Why not? He's attractive, a player, and I was gone. Gosh, I can't believe I let myself think that he . . ."

"That he what?"

"Nothing, i-it was stupid."

"Well, what made you think that he's with another girl?"

I explained everything to her from the beginning, not leaving out anything. There was no point, really.

"What's the bit**'s name, again?"

"The account didn't specify her name, it was Julia's Jelly."

Her eyes widened. "That's where Ryder goes to all the time. He'd go there before he knew you too."

"I'm just sick and tired of everything. Ryder can screw that girl all he wants to do. He can screw himself while he's on it as well." I shook my head and leaned back against the headboard.

"That's not the Ash I know. What did you eat back there in California?"

"Nothing, Emma. It's just-"

I was interrupted when my phone rang and I looked at the caller ID to see that Reece was calling. I pulled up a finger in the air to silently ask Emma for a second as I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ash. Listen, I don't have time, but I got the info on the girl. Her name is Chloe Moridson. She goes to the school next to us, Clarckson High, and I was able to get her address. I'll text it to you after this call. Also, there's one more thing . . ."

"What is it?" I asked urgently.

"Her sister goes to school with you, and she's-"

"Hello? No," I groaned and shut the phone with the cracked screen.

"What's wrong?"

"Reece got all the information on the girl. Her name is Chloe Morisdon, she goes to Clarckson High, and I was supposed to get her address any second now."

"How'd she get all of this? Jesus Christ," she said incredulously and shook her head.

"Don't ask," I muttered, checking the phone again for the address.

"Why were you so angry, then?"

"There was another piece of information that seemed really important. Chloe's sister is a student in our school."

"I know anyone and everyone in this school and Moridson isn't a familiar last name."

"Weird," I said thoughtfully. Reece almost never got inaccurate information. "Maybe she's new."

Emma shook her head. "Just how we trust Reece to be a super techy, you should trust me to know everyone better than all the teachers and the principle herself."

I raised my hands in defense. "I trust you."

"Well, I better get going," Emma said as she stood up and brushed her hands on her jeans, "mom wants me to come back to prepare for the charity event she's forcing me to go to."

You're not going by force," I said with an amused smile.

"Correct," she said slyly with a wink.  She gave me a quick hug before leaving the room.

Not two minutes later, my mind jumped back to Ryder. Trying to get him out of my mind, I got up and started unpacking the travel bag. I separated the clothes in an organized way - the heavy clothing, the light ones, the jeans, the shirts. After hanging them on hangers, I hung the hangers on the racket in my closet.

Then, I fixed the linings, comforter set, and puffed up the pillows on my bed. Finally feeling content, I sat on the beanbag in the corner of my room.

Fu**, I can't do this anymore.

I stood up and got out of my comfortable clothes into something suitable for the weather. After slipping into my uggs, I left the room and quickly got down the stairs, taking three at a time thanks to my long legs.

"Hey, where are you going?" I heard dad ask from the kitchen. He was holding a banana still in the clothes he came with.

"I need to talk to Ryder urgently and it can't wait."

"Okay, just don't be too long."

I nodded and left the house, shutting the door behind me. Small, imperfect, white snowflakes were falling everywhere and there was a sheen layer of snow on my car.

I quickly got in the car and turned on the engine before backing out of the driveway. I was pretty much the only one in the streets so that allowed me to speed up.

Ryder's Victorian house came into view as I drove into his neighborhood, and I parked the car, not really caring if other people would've been able to get past it.

I shoved my hands into my pocket as I walked up to their front porch and rang the doorbell.

The big, oak door opened to reveal Benjamin standing inside.

"Hi," I said, a cloud of frosty air blowing from my mouth.

"Hello, Ash," he grinned, opened the door wider, and thankfully stepped raised to let me in, "Ryder's upstairs."

"Thanks," I said, rubbing my hands together before walking up the stairs.

I realized I hadn't asked Benjamin where Ryder's room was so I had to go through a room before finding his'. I knocked on it twice, feeling my heartbeat thud in my chest. It had been so long since we last saw each other, and he was finally going to explain.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Ash."

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans waiting for him to answer back. When he didn't I knocked again. I frowned. Maybe he didn't hear me. I knocked twice more before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open.

The first thing that I saw was his back. Someone else was standing behind him, but I couldn't tell who it was. He turned around with a startled expression.

"Ash, hi. What-"

The person behind him stepped aside to reveal herself. She had a kind smile on her face as she spoke. "Hello. Dressed quite heavily."

"It is negative weather outside," I replied sweetly, eyeing her black tights, light, burgundy sweater, white beanie, and chic boots. I bet she was freezing her a** outside and shaking like a naked chihuahua. Except she might as well be Miss. USA.

Ryder cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "This is Ash, Ash this is-"

"Chloe," I said with a nod, "Chloe Moridson."

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Author's Note:

Hey, guys! It has come!!!!!!! Things are about to get juicy. I've been waiting for this for quite a long while lol.

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