Rivertown FanFiction

My Girlfriends Ex: A Christmas Story

Fic by salvulcanotoes
Background:
Catherine comes to Rivertown for the holidays to spend it with her relatives. Only to find out the whole reason she moved away in the first place, Elle, has a new girlfriend. The problem? Catherine's best friend Mason refuses to let her be sad over this, and tries to make the most out of the holidays even with Catherine still pining over a taken woman. The second problem? Catherine's family business at the Christmas tree farm has a new worker: Elle's new girlfriend.
~~
Getting off the plane and smelling the shit stained city of Rivertown really brought back great memories for Catherine, whose legs were cramped and sore from the eight hour flight. Her throat was sore, too. How convenient.
"Catherineeeee!!" Masons overexcited shouts worsened Catherine's headache as Mason was in line to pick her up. He managed to keep his tan even now that it was getting colder out. He was quite adorable.
Catherine shuffled over to him in her ugg boots.
"Hey kiddo," Catherine threw an arm over her best friend, letting her head sink into his shoulder. Hopefully he didn't sense her relief of getting held again.
"Let's get you home." He took her suitcase and led her out of the airport, into his red pickup truck.
It was night, and as they passed, the miserable Christmas lights danced across the windows, blinding her with unfortunate memories.
Like last Christmas.
"You're.. quiet. Everything going okay in New York?" Mason says, one hand on his lap and the other on the steering wheel.
"Actually it's great. It feels, free? I think is the word I'm looking for." Catherine said.
Mason sighed.
"And you're trapped here?"
Catherine didn't respond, but Mason was right.
As long as Elle lived in Rivertown, the imprisonment would never end.

🎄 Chapter One 🎄
"My baby is home!" Catherine's dad, Jerry, hugged his daughter, his beard itching at her cheek.
"Fiona, your daughters home!" Jerry said, lifting Catherine off her feet a bit.
"That's nice dear." Fiona, Catherine's mother, said at the counter, refusing to move her eyes off of the kindle in front of her.
Jerry led Catherine into her old bedroom, leaving her to get settled. It felt awkward for a 23 year old to return to the bedroom she's had since birth, but it was home.
Jerry was humming downstairs, so Catherine thought it was a good opportunity to take a nap.

She awoke soaked. Her heart raced for a moment before realizing a fat corgi was sitting on her face, drool pooling into her open mouth.
"DAD WHAT THE HELL." Catherine shouted, shoving the thing off of her. She was a cat person, after all. And after her parents swore they never would get an animal, here Is an ugly ass dog.
"Oh! That's Tootsie. She don't bite. She's an ancestor of the Queen of Englands dogs." Jerry laughed, leaning on the doorway.
Catherine slapped her face and groaned.
"You need to get out of the house anyway, can't be in here all vacation." Jerry said.
Catherine snarkily laughed.
"That's what vacay is, dad. Staying inside. It's snowing. What would I even do?"
"Work at the farm." Jerry said. The 'farm' meant where Jerry sells Christmas Trees for a 'low' price of 40 bucks that goes to 'charity'. He's wanted Catherine to work there since she was a child, and every year it's the same response.
"N-O."
"Suit yourself." Jerry said, leaving the doorway.
Catherine glared at Tootsie.
"I know what you're thinking." She said to the dog.
"But I'm not seeing her. I'm not risking that." She said again. Tootsie tilted her head in confusion.
"It's a small town, I know. But if I even get a whiff of Elle, I'm never leaving this bedroom again, you understand?" Catherine asked the dog.
"Of course you don't understand you're fucking useless."  Catherine yanked her coat and headed out.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️
She walked to Max's house with her fists in her pockets, a scarf to hide the lower half of her face. Hopefully no one would recognize her like this—
"CATHERINE?" Maddie pulled her car up against the sidewalk where Catherine was walking.
"oh. hi..." Catherine whispered, glancing around making sure no one heard.
"I haven't seen you in forEVA!! Meet me at Sally's Sips for coffee tomorrow. I missed you." Maddie said, and before Catherien could decline, she drove away.
Catherine sprinted to Max's house now, shutting the door after her and sighing in relief. She turned to face the opening of Max's living room.
"Catherine?" Max said, a wine glass in his hand and a concerned look on his face.
Catherine straightened herself out and smiled.
"Sorry for dropping in like this," she said, reaching to give Max a hug before making eye contact with a blinding sight.
Shit.
"Hello, Catherine." Elle said, a twin wine glass in her grasp, slowly tightening as Catherine stepped into the living room.
Catherine was gonna explode.
Max took note of Catherine's stupid expression so he dragged her into his guest bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
"What the hell Max? You messing with the enemy now?" Catherine whisper-yelled, her face contorted with anger.
"Elle is not an enemy, she's a sweetheart. If you would've texted me I would've informed you about her being here. But, oh look at that." Max said, holding up his phone. No notifications. "You didn't text at all."
"Ok jeez, I get it." Catherine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"What are you gonna do?" Max asked genuinely.
She had no idea. How would she walk out of this room and face the woman who broke her heart. Or she broke her heart. Or both. It was hard keeping track.
"I'm going to hop out that window and hope a car hits me." She pointed to the bedroom window.
"No. Bad Catherine. I'm going to introduce you two." Max smiled. Before Catherine could scream, Max dragged her back out of the room, nudging her forward to Elle.
"Elle, I'd like you to meet my neighbor, Catherine." Max said. This was so stupid.
Elle's rosy cheeks dimpled.
"Nice to meet you." Elle said, holding out a hand as if it hadn't been inside Catherine multiple times.
Catherine grumbled.
She shook Elle's hand, glaring at Max. She was gonna kill him.
While planning Max's murder, Elle had already strayed off to the kitchen.
"Why is she here anyway?" Catherine asked Max.
"Oh! Almost forgot. She's house sitting while Sam and I go to Turks and Caicos!" Max giggled.
Catherine's face reddened with horror.
"But—"
"She's going to spend every waking moment here. Right next to your house." Max aaid.
Catherine nearly jumped out the window. How could this get any worse?
"Oh, and her girlfriend, of course." He said.
Catherine made a high pitched noise that sounded like roadkill.
This could not be happening. Not now— not now that she was in town. This was all so,
Terrifying.
She was terrified.
She was going to strangle Max.
❄️❄️❄️
Catherine caught Mason up to date on everything that happened in the past 24 hours while he worked his shift at Jerry's Christmas Tree Farm. Mason wore his cute little work attire that consisted of a jean jacket and a hat that literally just said "Jerry."
"This year we're selling mistletoe too," Mason groaned. "I'm not excited to see all the old couples making out."
"I'm sure there won't be that many." Catherien reassured, knowing how horny old people are.
Mason shuddered.
"It sucks. Usually me and Jerry are the only workers but we got some new chick this year," Mason side eyed a girl who was fluffing the tree's up with her bare hands.
She had a gentle fox face, with light freckles and dark eyes, copper hair that ran down her neck and over her shoulder as she bent down to the floor.
"Lola I think her name is." Mason said.
"Seems innocent enough." Catherine said, turning back to Mason but his eyes were widened in horror.
"Oh-my-god-" Mason said, shouldering Catherine as she turned back to Lola, who was currently forehead kissing Elle.
Catherine didn't know how to process Elle being here, or process Elle and Lola sharing a tender kiss. Whatever it was, they had to have been showing off their relationship in front of Catherine. This was no 'accident'
Elle had moved on. Catherine hadn't.
And by how red Catherine's face was, she wouldn't anytime soon.
"Lola. I need you to work." Mason called over to her, and they both looked at Catherine. She was mortified.
Mason threw some bows at Lola and told her to wrap them on the trees. That made her go away. Not Elle though. No, Elle came right up to Mason.
"Lola's the best worker you guys have." Elle said.
"She's the only fucking worker." Catherine mumbled under her breath, and Elle eyed her.
"I appreciate the costumer feedback. Now shoo." Mason waved her on, and Elle left the farm entirely.
Mason and Catherine high fived.
❄️❄️❄️
"Missed us," Mason said, finishing up closing the farm.
"Missed us too." Catherine smiled. She walked through the isles of Christmas trees, admiring the beauty and absorbing the smell. She closed her eyes to take it all in.
That is, until she tripped on something.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Lola said, helping Catherine up off her feet. Somehow Christmas lights had strung between the isle.
Catherine groaned. "Lola, this is my fathers farm. Clean this all up."
"Okay, okay." Lola shyly responded.
Catherine paused.
"I want you to know something." Catherine said.
Lola gulped.
"I think you and Elle are cute." Catherine lied.
"Oh. Uhm.. thanks." Lola said. Elle's car pulled up to the farm to pick Lola up. It was sad that Catherine recognized the smell of the exhaust pipe.
Catherine pivoted on her heels and turned back towards Mason.
As Elle entered the farm, Catherine jogged across in front of her, meeting eye to eye with Mason, and kissing him across the lips.
Elle froze. Lola froze. Mason froze. Catherine hadn't a clue in the world what she was doing, all she knew was that Elle's heated gaze was fire against the back of her neck, and Catherine's hands were exploring parts of Mason's body that didn't need to be explored by her.
Once Elle and Lola left (rather quickly) Catherine emerged from Masons lips, leaving a red outline.
"What the fuck." Is all Mason said— all he could say.
"I know. I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that." Catherine said dryly. She knew damn well why she did that. She wanted Elle jealous the way Lola made Catherine jealous.
Mason held a hand up. "Catherine. I've known you forever. We're best friends—"
"I know—"
"I know you know. But everyone knows. Everyone knows we wouldn't get together, you know? So if this is some weird plan to get Elle back—" Mason said.
"No! I don't want Elle back, is that how little you think of me?" Catherine said.
"Girl." Mason rolled his eyes.
"Don't girl me. What if I just kissed you cause you're hot?" Catherine asked.
"Because then you'd be kissing me all the time. I'm always hot." Mason said.
"Hm."
"Look. We can— date. Or whatever. If you truly want. But I really don't think anything will change." Mason said, looking sorry for Catherine.
She scoffed.
"Whatever. I'm going home." She pouted, leaving Mason shrugging.