Ashes of the Future

Chapter 13

Life before the boys came was peaceful, nothing crazy ever happened to them, all of them lived in harmony. Nathly and Elise had been best friends since the day they were born, their parents being best friends too. Nothing could separate the strong platonic bond they had, but as they started to meet new people, they realized that maybe it was possible to love other people more than they loved each other.

All through elementary and middle school, they didn't try to make new friends. They stuck to what they knew. All the breaks were spent together, all their projects were done together, everything they did, they did together. But when high school came around and they were forced apart by horrendous class schedules, they formed friendships with new people.

Elise was partnered with a boy called Vykter in chemistry, her current best friend. Something clicked between them, the moment they spoke. And that's when Elise realized that she had been living her life all wrong. She had enclosed her and Nathly inside this little box, no way of getting out, no need for getting out. They had been suffocating for so long, entering the doors of high school opened that box and set them free. Not of their friendship, but of their unsafe relationship that was made up of them solely depending on and living for each other.

Meanwhile Nathly wormed her way into a group of three, Avry, Betsey and Wade. Of course, Avry couldn't thank her enough. While Avry adored Betsey and Wade with all her heart, third wheeling since the age of thirteen wasn't entirely fun. It would often just be Avry, Betsey and Nathly however, Wade also being on the football team.

And then came Lela, the new girl in tenth grade. For the first few days she felt lost, completely abandoned, Lela was not the most outgoing person. But she had caught the attention of Nathly. This girl was beautiful to her, her feathered strawberry blonde hair, her silk painted skin, her radiant smile, all of her made Nathly feel something she hadn't felt before.

Growing up with Elise, someone who barely felt any feelings like this, really rubbed off on Nathly. She didn't know you could experience anything like this, until Lela.

Everytime Nathly tried to talk to Lela, she would just ignore her, and carry on with her work as it Nathly wasn't even there. To Nathly, it felt like Lela hated her, but Lela just couldn't talk to her. She didn't know how to, how to get rid of this anxious feeling inside of her that was stopping her from talking.

And the cycle continued for weeks, Nathly attempting to talk to Lela, Lela switching off until she left, again, again, again. Until Nathly invited Lela to a sleepover, with her, Elise, Avry, Betsey and Vykter, the day their friendship group was born.

Avry welcomed Lela into Nathly's house with open arms, offering her some cookies as she walked through the door, a wide grin on her face. Elise was less welcoming at first, apparently wary of the quiet ones, but she soon warmed up to her.

Vykter instead, asked her all the questions he could think of. Where she came from previously, where she lives now, what she does in her spare time, anything and everything. Sometimes he couldn't help but be inquisitive, he can't stop talking and the first thing his brain flicks to is questions, building a picture in his mind of this unfamiliar person.

Predictably, Betsey was late. Wade dropped her off, the two of them saying goodbye through a sweet kiss, before he bid farewell to everyone. Wade would've stayed too, but football practice was tonight.

Betsey and Wade's relationship was one no one could ever understood. It all started in seventh grade, Wade jokingly proposing to Betsey as a way to ask her out. They spent all their time together, innocently hugging and holding hands as they made their way down the street. Avry witnessed them grow sick of each other after a year, the two of them mutually breaking up. But yet, just a month later they were back together.

Wade confessed he missed her in a song during his football game, Betsey running onto the pitch and into his arms. It made Avry laugh, how everything they did had to be so public and know, because it was just them. They both adored being the centre of attention, not quite as much as they loved each other but it was a close second.

Through grade 8 to grade 11 they were constantly on off, Wade or Betsey saying they loved the other not long after they broke up, and then they'd get back together. Until in grade 12 they realized something. They couldn't be apart for too long, but they couldn't be together for too long either without getting bored. And that's when they entered an open relationship, everyone knew they belonged to each other, but a little sleep around here and there wasn't too bad.

To most people it seemed really unhealthy, but to them it was perfect. The constant breaking up and getting back together was draining them, completely tiring them out.
And somehow, no one could see them with anyone else but each other.

At this point in time, they were in their on phase, and Lela had never been more confused. Betsey gave her the biggest hug when she came in, complimenting her on how shiny her hair was, then continuing to big herself up by saying it wasn't quite as shiny as hers.

To Lela, all these people were such big characters. People who were bursting to the seams with personality, love and differences. While she sat their, reserved and hollow.

She distances herself from them all, sending herself out to Nathly's porch in the darkness of the night. Not long after she sat down, Nathly opened the door to check if she was okay. Lela hoped that saying she just needed some fresh air would get Nathly to leave, but it just made her come and sit down.

The cold air hit against their skin, cracking Lela's perfect skin, as Nathly rubbed her fingers across Lela's face. Lela remembered that moment forever, the moment she realized this girl was interested in her, had a 'crush' on her. She remembered Nathly asking if Lela was into girls, she remembered Nathly moving her fingers from Lela's face to her neck, their faces so close each breath burned.

She remembered Nathly kissing her, and at the time not understand in what way she loved this girl.

It was obvious what Nathly felt for her, but for Lela it was much harder to figure out. She had never been in a relationship before, and it was known that Nathly had been. After a year of knowing going to that high school, Lela had heard tales about all the people that sat in Nathly's house currently.

Three years later, just before the boys arrived, and Lela still doesn't know how she feels. Her and Nathly had become intimate, but had never confirmed anything. And Lela had figured that Nathly had lost her love for her, after she started sleeping around again.

Now they all live separate lives, all working different jobs on different days, but still making the time to see each other most days.

But Matt, Dan, Charlie and Cody certainly changed that.

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AUTHORS NOTE

Tad short but there isn't much to the past of these lot that I can reveal just yet. Elise will be in the next chapter a lot (the past of Braidn, Damiron and Britni.) and Nathly has a big storyline coming up in the book so that's gonna be fun. A moment of silence for the fallen, Betsey, Wade and Avry.

Fancast:
Lela West - Bridget Satterlee
Nathly Banks - Paulina Singer
Avry Burlow - Lily Collins
Elise Sangus - Eiza González
Vykter Sankey - Jordan Fisher
Betsey Akers - Carlson Young
Wade Houston - Ronen Rubinstein

- Court