The plan

Chapter 36- Manipulator

*The Next Day*

"Aspen, we have to tell the police about this!" Ryan shouts at me.
"And put my friends at risk of getting hurt by some crazy girl? I think NOT." I answer back.

"Aspen. This girl is crazy, and I think she needs serious help." Ryan says.
"I agree with him." Chase says.

"If we tell the police, she'll just get even more upset with us. Imagine what she'll do when she gets out of jail." Anna says.

Ryan and Chase both sigh, and plop down on the couch.
"Fine. But if she does anything else, I will get the police involved." Ryan says.

****

Jace's POV:

I'm in my office working on papers, trying to distract myself from the fact that Aspen broke up with me.

It was so sudden, and it felt like my heart was actually shattering.

The way Aspen was crying, made me think something else was going on...
I just didn't know what.

I hear a knock at my door, and I look up.
"Come in." I say loud enough for them to hear.
I'm surprised to see who it is..

"Ashley. Um, what're you doing here?"

I was extremely disappointed that it was Ashley, I was hoping it'd be Aspen.

"I'm so sorry, Jace. I shouldn't have kissed you out of nowhere like that. I have no idea where it came from." She says.
"That happened a long time ago, why are you now apologizing?" I ask.
"I don't know. I just thought you needed some space."

I stay quiet, and she starts talking again.
"I miss you Jace, I miss us. We've always been such great friends, and I hope we stay friends." She says.

"Remember what your mom said to us when we were younger?" She asks me.
"No."
"She said, 'Everyone deserves second chances.'"
I look up at her, and she has a sad smile on her face.

"Your mom was a great woman. I miss her so much, but she's in a better place now." She says while looking down at her shoes.
I clench my jaw, "Yeah, she is."

"I think you should listen to her. Give me a second chance Jace."
"I don't know, you started so much drama with Aspen." I say.

"Well you guys aren't dating anymore." She says quickly.

I look up at her, "How did you know that?"
Her face turns a little red, "I-It's all over the internet."

"Just think about it." Ashely says as she walks out.

I think about my mom, and how she was always such a forgiving person. I'm sure she would want me to be forgiving too.

My mom always taught me to
'Forgive, but never forget.'
I feel like if I don't forgive Ashley, I'd be letting my mom down. 

I pull out my phone and text Ashley,

"I'm willing to forget everything that happened, but I don't think we could go back to being 'Best Friends' again."-Jace.

"As long as we're on good terms, I'm happy:)"-Ashely.

*****
Aspen's POV:

I go to Jace's office, so that I can clean out my desk and quit. I have no idea where I'm going to work now, but I'm sure I'll find something.

I walk in the hotel, and I start walking towards the elevator. When it opens, someone is already inside.

"What're you doing here?" Ashley asks me.
"I'm just quitting." I say.
She smirks, "You better be. Jace and I are friends again, so I'll know if you guys are talking."
I look at her quickly, "You guys are friends again?"
She smiles and nods.
"See? Once you got out of his life, everything is better for me and him."

I glare at her, "You're such a manipulator, Ashely."
The elevator stops and she gets off, and smiles at me.
"It's what I do best."

***

I walk up to Jace's door, and knock.
"Come in."

I breathe out slowly, and walk in.
He looks up at me, and we hold eye contact.

"Aspen." He says as he stands up quickly and walks over to me.
I step back a little, and look away from him.

"I'm here for all of my stuff." I say while looking at my desk.
"You're quitting?!" Jace asks in shock.
I nod at him.

"Aspen, why're you acting like this? You're acting strange." He says to me.

I walk away from him, and start packing up my things.

I walk towards the door, and walk out without looking back at Jace.

A/N: What do you think about Ashley manipulating Jace to forgive her?

If you're confused on how she manipulated him-- she brought up things his mom said before she died.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!❤️
& comment your thoughts☺️

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