It Started With A Bet *Jordan Baker love story*

Chapter 35

Jordan and Spencer both stepped out into the slightly cool air and made their presence known to Liv and Lexi who sat still on the back porch steps. Lexi had silent tears still running down her cheeks, overwhelmed by all the emotions and stress she'd just left bottled up and untouched. Liv lifted her head from resting atop Lexi's as she gave the two boys a pointed glare.

"Liv I need to-"

"Inside." Liv said sternly as she gently rose from her spot beside Lexi, "Now." She emphasized as the two just stood there.

Lexi reached out to grab Liv's hand, her eyes pleading, begging even, that she didn't leave. To which Liv simply smiled kindly and squeezed her hand, leading the defeated looking boys inside.

'I don't wanna be alone...' Lexi thought as the three bodies disappeared and she was left to her head pounding thoughts.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?! You should be ashamed of what you just did!" Liv scolded, her voice rising with the anger in her tone.

Jordan sighed, "Liv, if you two could just lea-"

Liv cut him off with the most disbelieving face she could muster, "Are you kidding right now??" When she got no response she continued, "You come here, knocking on her door late at night after drinking to do what Jordan? Beg for forgiveness? Apologize? Try to pick up the pieces of your beat up pride?"

Spencer stifled a laugh, but his smile faded immediately when Liv placed her hands on her hips, raising an incredulous eyebrow, "And you? Picking a fight, seriously? And you weren't even fighting about Lexi!"

"That's not-" Spencer tried to defend himself.

"We could hear you both." She spoke through tight lips, "She has been through so much in the last year and you two can't stop bickering over your petty boy problems to realize that?!" She looked between the two as guilt began to fill their expressions, "She's lost three people, been kicked out, changed schools, been lied to and left behind," Liv emphasized her point as she acknowledges their faults directly, "And all we've done is ask for her to be there for us. Time and again. What we want Lexi to do. How we want her to act. How we think she should feel about something. And I'm guilty of it too. But this has gone on long enough!"

Silence rang around the room for a moment as no one dared to contradict the words she said, knowing she was right. All the while, on the back porch Lexi had made herself into a ball, curled into her flannel and lying on her side. The tears didn't stop, and breathing felt harder and harder. So she lit the joint against her better judgement. All she really wanted right now was someone by her side. But she was used to wallowing in her own self pity.

Pity party: Table for 1

"Now you two can either apologize and leave or just leave. The last thing Lexi needs is you two breathing your problems down her neck." Liv glanced towards the back door warily, knowing this was taking a bit longer than she had meant for it to.

"If I could just get five minutes-"

"Stop being so damn selfish!" Spencer cut in, turning to face him, "Look, we can argue and scrap or whatever later. But you need to take a second and realize you can't force your apology on her or make her take you back Jordan." Jordan's eyes narrowed in anger, but felt the sting of tears behind them, "Liv is right. We need to stop focusing on ourselves for once and remember someone we both care about is hurting."

Before anymore could be said, the back door shut, drawing all eyes to Lexi. She stood there, cheeks still stained with drying tears, cheeks and eyes puffy and red, though it's unclear if it's from crying, being high or both. The lingering smell of the joint wafted into the house, causing the three teens in the living room to tense up. As her tired eyes met with each set of brown ones, and slowly walked towards the living room.