Never the Same

Twenty-one

When I get back to my house around 6 I realize that I probably should get ready for my date, I see my moms car in the driveway and rush inside.

"Hi mom. I'm home," I yell and there was no response, she's probably over at Ryder's house. I slip my shoes off and walk into the kitchen, I pour myself a glass of cranberry juice and hop up onto the counter. I take sips of my juice and scroll through twitter, now is the time that I hear my mom laughing, I smile. My smile instantly fades when my mom comes down in some really over sized t-shirt, messy hair, smelled like sex, and some random guy.

"Oh Aspen! I didn't know you were home," my mom says when she gets into the kitchen. This guy was shirtless and only in jeans, his brown curls were tangled, his green eyes just looked at my mom, and I hated him.

"Yeah. Im getting ready for my date. I'm dating Ryder. The boy next door. Now hi I'm Aspen, her daughter and you can leave," I say and point to the guy and glare at my mom.

"This is my daughter. Aspen, this is Dave. My boss." I just laugh with disgust clear in my voice.

"Well you take the term sleeping with your boss very literally mom. Way to get ahead in life. Now as I said. Get out and let me get ready for my date." I hate the disgust in my voice, but it matched how I feel. I hop off the counter and walk upstairs, into my room.

"Hey! Were clue number one. And we're getting you read for your date," Alison says with Blair standing beside her, smiling.

"Let's get started. Hopefully this date will cheer me up," I say softly and Blair throws me a outfit and shoves me in the bathroom to let me change. I change into a tan/orange v-neck, a jean jacket, black pants, and some combat boots. Blair and Alison straighten my hair and I bring up the hair dying situation.

"What if I let Kate dye my hair a dirty blonde? Or let one of y'all cut my hair to my belly button," I ask. I'm really scared about what they'll say.

"I like it! I vote both," Alison says and smiles down at me.

"I agree! It's different," Blair agrees and continues to straighten my hair.

"Let's do it tonight! Y'all are staying over," I say and they finish my hair. Blair hands me a crumbles note with messing hand writing on it.

My dearest Aspen,

Are you ready for an adventure? You bring out the best in me. You always make me smile, since the first day we met. Meet Camden in the detention room for your next clue.

Love, Ryder

I quickly rush down the stairs, only to be stopped by my mom saying, "Aspen. Come here. Right now!" My happiness went from 183729 to 0 in a matter of seconds.

I walk into the living room gloomy and say, "Yes mother?"

"You're attitude isn't acceptable! You can't embarrass me like that!" She was sitting on the sofa with her pajamas on and her makeup all off.

"Oh yes! Because I'm not embarrassed that my moms sleeping with her boss! Because my friends probably heard y'all fucking! Yeah! Blair and Alison were in my room! Don't you think that's embarrassing! You and dad aren't even divorced! But y'all aren't together. That's no excuse to be a whore!" I'm screaming at her, all this anger inside me just shot out and went directly to her. I regret the last part because she started crying.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you Aspen! I'm so sorry!" I walk over and rub my hand on her back.

"It's okay mom. Just be careful. It's a small town and word gets around." She almost wiped her tears in my jacket. I have a date, I love my mom but hell no!

"Go on your date! Go go! Ryder is a nice boy!" She shoos me off and I kiss her cheek. I start walking to the school. I get to the detention and see Camden with a huge smile on his face. He hands me a crumpled piece of paper with the same messy handwriting as before. This one read:

My dearest Aspen,

Your lips are like wine and I want to get drunk, I love the feel of your soft plump lips on my rusty chapped ones. I love the feel of your soft kisses that slowly drown out my rough hard kisses. Remember our first kiss? Well the first actual one was on my roof. Go there and you'll see Jaydon and get your next clue baby.

Love your Ryder.

On his roof, Jaydon throws me a piece of paper, I read it.

My dearest Aspen,

Im so proud of you, you're almost done. Don't give up. If you give up on this, it's like giving up on us. Don't do that. I'd fight anything for you baby girl. Go to the car with Trenton in it he'll drive you to where I am.

The only Ryder Johnson.

I sprint to the car that I see Trenton in and he just chuckles before saying, "He really loves you. He had this whole thing planned."

I smile in awe and I can't help but let a blush creep onto my cheeks. I ask, "Really? What about him and Carmen? Aren't they together?"

He just chuckled and pulls into the park with a bunch of candles lit. "He broke up with her. Totally told her ass off. I saw it. You can ask him to show you if you don't believe me, he's right over there." He parks the car and points over to Ryder leaning against a tree. He wore a black and white plaid shirt, jeans, and white vans, if I do say so myself. He looked beautiful. "Go get em tiger." Trenton kisses my cheek lightly and I hop out of the car.

"Hey beautiful. Gonna come give me a kiss or am I gonna have to wait the whole night," I yell at Ryder and smile. I place my hand on my hip and he looks up with a huge smile on his face. He walks over to me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"You look fantastic," Ryder says and kisses my cheek softly.

"Says you! I did all this walking so this better be good," I say jokingly to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

"It is. I promise you." He smiles down at me and I smile up at him.

"Well I have things to tell you. Very important things!" Like you know, my awkwardly embarrassing dream, and my mom being fucked by her boss.

"Let's go." He grabs my hand and leads me down a candlelight path that goes all the way to a cliff that looks out to the whole city. It's beautiful.

"Breath taking huh," Ryder asks as we sit down with our feet over the edge.

"Yeah. It really is," I say softly, this small town has been through so many things and I love it to death.

"I decided to take you here because it reminded me of you." I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh.

"This is amazing Ryder. No boy has even put so much effort on a date like this. Well one time Connor threw a whole party for my birthday. It wasn't even a birthday party. It was a party for fun. Hardly anyone knew it was my birthday." He just chuckled at my nervousness, I hardly ever talked about my ex's on a first date, I'm starting to sweat. He needs to say something before I pass out from embarrassment.

"Hey. You're the only girl I would put all this effort into on me and Carmen's first date I just took her to the movies. No dinner or anything." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me close to him.

"Well I have some stories for you." I look up at his perfect face and he just smiles down at me.

"Go for it." His smile, oh god his smile is like sex. "Is it really?"

"Is what really?" I'm totally lost, what is he talking about?

"Is my smile like sex?" He sticks his tongue out teasingly and I fell all the heat in my body go to my cheeks, it feels like their on fire.

"Did I say that out loud?" Oh god I can't believed that just happened. But hey. It is like sex.

"Yes baby girl. Now tell me." He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well my moms fucking her boss and." I tell him all about my dream. Every single part, then about Taylor and his return. He listens to every detail. "And then I killed myself! And right in front of you!" I was in tears by now. I feel like I ruined his planned night.

"Shh baby, none of that is gonna happen!"