Chapter 2

MAY 13 – SATURDAY 11:40 AM

R en

I linked fingers with both Blake and Myles and clung to them as I closed my eyes. I knew what turbulence was and what caused it. Planes were made to withstand the sudden shaking and drops, but that didn't stop my heart from leaping up into my throat as a wild terror gripped me. This was only my second time on a plane, and all I could picture were the wings ripping off and us careening toward our deaths.

"It's going to be okay," Blake said and kissed my knuckles.

"I know," I squeaked out and then gasped as we dropped violently again. The captain had said they were going to try and fly above it, and I could feel us rising, but it wasn't getting better.

"Look at me," Myles said, and I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. "God knows I'm way too stubborn to die, so there is no way he's gonna punish everyone in here for the sake of my soul." Like he flipped a switch with his words, the plane stopped shaking, and everything was smooth once more, like nothing ever happened. "See, what did I say? But now I need to use the washroom."

The seatbelt sign turned off, and Myles jumped up to get in the quickly forming line while my heart was still getting a workout in my chest.

"If he has magical powers, I can think of a few other things he could use them on," Blake mumbled, making me smile.

"You and me both." I looked over as Theo told Ivy to stop trying to help. "I think I'm going to go save them," I said, giving Blake a quick kiss. I unbuckled and slipped out of the middle seat. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"She ruined my laptop, and I was in the middle of sending an important document," Theo growled.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know we were going to get hit with turbulence," Ivy said, her eyes filled with tears.

"Theo, why don't you go sit with the guys. I'll sit with Ivy the rest of the flight unless, of course, you'd prefer for me to come sit with you?"

He angrily stuffed his computer in his bag. "I'll move."

He looked like a pissed-off hornet ready to sting anyone who got in his way. He stood, glared at me, and then flopped down dramatically beside Blake, who was trying very hard not to laugh. I gave Ivy's arm a squeeze as she continued to stare at Theo. She looked devastated.

"Sit by the window," I said softly, and Ivy did as I asked.

"I didn't mean to ruin his computer. I was just trying to be nice and got him a drink. My first chance to hang out with the Kings, and I'm blowing it. I'm such a loser," she whispered.

"No you are not a loser, don't say that. Theo takes time to warm up to anyone. I've been dating Myles since Christmas, and I'm still not sure if we're friends." She sighed and put her head against the window. "Hey, what's going on? You have seemed off the last couple days, and I know Theo can be a jerk, but I think it's more than that."

Ivy's bottom lip trembled, and a tear slipped free and slid down her cheek. I quickly moved to the middle seat and pulled her into a hug. She softly shook as she fought not to cry.

"Ivy, talk to me, what's wrong? Is it your dad? Did he do something before we left?" She shook her head no.

"Zigzag broke up with me," she whispered and began to cry. I held her tighter. "He said I was annoying." Well, I knew whose balls I was ripping off next year. "And that he didn't want to be with a loser like me."

"That doesn't sound like Zigzag. He didn't seem interested in status stuff at all," I said, and she shook her head.

"He wasn't until he started hanging out with this new group from Meadow Grove. It's like his whole personality changed, and I don't think it helped that I took him to see my home. I guess when he said money didn't matter to him, it was a lie." I didn't know what Ivy's house looked like, but that was still no reason to break up with her. "I know it's stupid, but I thought that if I could make friends with the Kings, then he would be sorry for breaking up with me."

"He doesn't deserve you. Who you're friends with, where you live, or how much money you have shouldn't be the reason he chooses to date you."

Ivy glanced over at Myles, Theo, and Blake and sighed. "It's not that I want to date the Kings, I want to be clear," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I just…I know it's stupid, but for once, I didn't want to feel like I was being punched in the face for who I am, who my dad is, or what we don't have because he gambles and drinks all our money away." Ivy sat up straight and wiped away the tears. "It's so easy to feel like you mean nothing at Wayward." I knew exactly what she meant. "Getting to hang out with you and them…it makes me feel special, but instead one of them now hates me."

"No one hates you. Besides, you can forget all about that for the next month. You're going to meet Lizzy, and it's gonna be a blast. We'll make sure that Zigzag knows you're not sitting around pining for his jerk ass." She smiled.

"Thank you for letting me tag along. I really am excited. I know it's hard to tell at the moment." Ivy pointed to her puffy eyes, and we laughed.

We chatted and giggled until the captain announced that we would be landing soon. My stomach flipped and twisted with the nervousness and excitement of coming home. Yes, I wanted to do this, but there was unresolved pain here that I was going to have to face. I wasn't even sure if I could walk into my mum's old room without turning into a sobbing mess, but it was something that I would eventually have to face.

Clapping ensued as soon as the wheels touched down, and with each passing second, my nervousness rose a little higher. I stood, but it wasn't until Myles rubbed his thumb across my cheek that I realized I was staring into space.

"Are ya good?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am." He pulled down my carry-on suitcase for me but held onto the handle until I reassured him again that I was okay. I wasn't sure where to head once we exited the plane, and we just followed the crowd until we reached customs. I showed my passport and said that I was going home. The words were like sucking on a lemon and then taking a spoonful of sugar separately.

Baggage was a nightmare, and none of this seemed to help Theo's disposition. I got why he was coming, but I wished he'd stayed behind if he was going to act like this was a death sentence.

The moment we exited the baggage area and I spotted Lizzy's blonde hair bobbing as she bounced from foot to foot, all the nervousness was wiped away.

Squealing, I ran to her, and her eyes lit up as we collided. We ended up hugging and spinning around in a wild, shrieking, jumping mess of excitement.

"Oh my god, you're actually here," Lizzy practically screamed in my ear. "I never thought I was going to see you again." Lizzy pulled back and gripped me by my shoulders, looking me up and down. "You look freaking incredible. God, I've missed you, Boo."

"I've missed you too." I smiled wide. "Soo, I have a confession. I brought some people to meet you."

"You didn't?" Lizzy's mouth fell open as she peered around my shoulder. "Shut the front door and smack me stupid. You brought eye candy," she squealed and then leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Holy shitballs, you could've warned me. I look like a homeless person."

"You do not," I said as she smoothed down her already perfect hair. I shook my head at her.

"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone." I held out my hand to Ivy. "This is Ivy, and she has been a godsend since the first moment I arrived at Wayward."

Ivy held out her hand, but Lizzy yanked her into a hug. "Thank you for looking out for Ren. I was so worried about her. She really needs someone watching her back."

"I'm not helpless," I said, but they ignored me as Ivy agreed. "And I'm right here." They laughed and hugged again.

"Boo, you need to face facts. You're an adorable hot ass of a mess," Lizzy said, making the three of us laugh.

"Okay, that I can't deny." I cleared my throat, and the heat began to spread as I turned my attention to the three guys. They stood out in the airport, and I wasn't sure why I was so anxious to introduce them to Lizzy. "Lizzy, this is Myles, Blake, and Theo," I said, laughing as she turned. The Kings would make anyone stop and stare, and Lizzy's eyes roamed over them with her mouth hanging open.

"Well, hello. Jesus bitch, you didn't say you added a third. Twins…damn. Now that is hot. You kinky slut, I love it!" I covered my face as heads turned in our direction. Lizzy was not quiet. She was never quiet about anything, ever.

"Theo is not…no, it's not like that," I said as he and Blake glanced at one another.

Lizzy completely ignored me as she stepped past me and held out her hand to Myles. "Hello, hottie number one. I recognize you from the photos of you and my girl here in your car. Took you long enough, but you finally wore her down. Good on you. No one else has ever been able to do that. You deserve an award."

"Lizzy…," I growled.

"Naw, let her continue. I want to hear all the stories of my Snowflake," Myles said, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Snowflake…that's adorable," Lizzy said, her bottom lip pushing out as she clutched her hands together over her heart. "And an accent…damn…I need to go to this school. How do I enlist?"

I was going to tell her to behave, but there was really no point. Lizzy was going to do whatever she wanted. I couldn't get any redder as her eyes bounced from Blake to Theo and back again. "You know, girl, I heard what you said, but I think that would be a hot-ass sandwich. Just saying, and you always have three holes." Theo's eyebrows rose as Blake laughed.

"Lizzy," I growled again, but she waved her hand at me like I was a pesky insect.

"Hello, sexy number two and three." Lizzy held out her hand to shake theirs, and I prayed that was the end of the embarrassing moments, but apparently, she was just getting warmed up. "How many more are in the group that you could add? Damn, the images in my head right now would be enough to make a prostitute blush."

"Okay, that's enough of that," I said, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around. "I think we need to get going. I'm starving."

"That's fine, but we are not done with this conversation because I have questions, lots and lots of questions."

"I bet you do," I said, and I could hear the guys chuckling, but when I glared at them, they smirked. Ugh…Myles was never going to let this go. The worst part was that she wasn't wrong. Blake times two wasn't exactly hard to picture.

As soon as we stepped outside, the guys stopped and looked around. "Where's the snow and igloos," Myles asked.

I glanced up at him. "Please tell me you're joking?"

He burst out laughing. "I was tryin' so hard to keep a straight face, but ya look so horrified."

I swatted his arm. "Jerk," I said half-heartedly, but everyone smiled.

We marched through the maze of cars. Lizzy stopped in front of her mum's minivan, and I would've paid money to go back and photograph the look on their faces when the guys realized they had to get inside a fifteen-year-old minivan without air conditioning.

"This is inhumane," Theo grumbled as he wedged himself into the very back.

"You could walk," I offered, and he rolled his eyes at me. I rode up front with Lizzy, the music playing and windows down as we pulled out of the airport.

It wasn't so much that Portland wasn't beautiful because it was. And it wasn't that the people weren't nice, because they were, except for a few individuals. But this was where I'd spent my entire life. The smell of the air and the feel of the breeze all seemed different, as if nature was calling and welcoming me home. I couldn't have explained it to anyone if asked, but there wasn't a single place on the way to my home that didn't hold a memory. From eating ice cream with Lizzy, borrowing books at the library, watching movies at the theater, and going back to school shopping with my mum. Everywhere I looked was a ghostly image of me at another time.

I couldn't even say that it was a happier time. It was familiar, where Wayward and even the guys were still like a shiny new penny to me. Theo was still complaining that we ate in the vehicle and that he got sesame seeds from his hamburger bun on the seat, while Blake and Myles pointed them out as they laughed at his efforts to find them all. Knowing them, they were pointing out seeds that didn't even exist, but their voices became background noise as we turned onto my road.

We lived on a ten-acre parcel, and my heart sank as we drove up. Tree branches were lying on the ground, and the grass looked like it hadn't been touched since we left. Someone had smashed our mailbox off the post at the end of the road, and as we pulled into the driveway, all my memories came flooding back and tried to carry me away.

"I'm sorry, Boo. I should've warned you," Lizzy said.

"It's okay. I…I just thought my dad would've cared a little more, you know? But nothing he does or doesn't do surprises me now."

Pushing open my door, I stepped out and leaned back into Myles, who wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Don't worry. Ya got three guys stayin' with ya for extra hands. Between the four of us…oh and Ivy…."

"Thanks," Ivy chimed in, making me smile.

"Between the five of us, we'll get the place lookin' brand new." He kissed the top of my head. "Besides, it's not what it looks like on the outside, but the heart it has inside that matters." I looked up at him and couldn't even begin to figure out how I'd gotten so lucky.

"Oh my god. I'm gonna cry," Lizzy said as she stared at Myles. "He's too perfect. If you ever decide to give him up, can I have first crack?" I closed my door and shook my head at my best friend. "What did I say? It's an honest question?"

"And she don't need to be answerin' it ‘cause I never plan on lettin' her get away," Myles said.

"That makes two of us," Blake added and took my hand.

"Don't look at me to say that makes three of us," Theo marched past, pulling his suitcase behind him. "I'm not joining the Musketeers."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Lizzy offered, but I shook my head. I knew she had work tonight and didn't want her to miss her shift for me. "Alright, girly, I'll let ya get settled in, but I'm totally free Monday."

I leaned into the open window and gave her a hug. "Thanks, L. I love you."

"Right back at ya, Boo. Now, take all that adorable eye candy inside before someone decides to swoop in and steal it. Lord knows we could use some of that hotness around here."

"You're terrible." I stepped away from the minivan and watched as she pulled out and disappeared down the road. I slowly turned around, my eyes scanning the debris. It was like the house had become a mirror of my soul, but just like I was learning to put myself back together, we would make this place as good as new.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and took my first step toward the front door.