The Risk Takers

Part 11 | Thankful

I glance to Liam and grab his hand to pull him downstairs with me. I see Stephanie and Ryan standing awkwardly in the foyer and Teddy flounces down the steps to go greet them. We still haven't gotten a chance to fully talk about what happened at Liam's house so I am kind of glad my mother is forcing us to sit alone and away from the other guests. I force Liam to come down to the basement to help me with finding the card table and as we are rifling though storage, he says, "You know, I had seen what you were posting on social media and I saw the picture of you and Teddy kissing on Halloween."

I look up from moving a box out of my way and respond, "Liam, I'm sorry. It didn't mean-"

Liam cuts me off, "No, I know it didn't mean anything. But I thought I was going to punch him in the face when I saw him. I thought I was going to hate him and be all jealous but to be honest, it's kind of hard not to like him."

I giggle and nod, "He really is a good friend. He's just...I dunno, a good guy. I'm glad you don't hate him." I go to move another box out of the way and add, "You guys have something in common though, he can't stand Derek."

Liam laughs, "Oh yes, he got to meet Lord Derek didn't he?"

I nod, "Yep. He met the gang. But honestly, I think he's relieved the charades up. He can go out and do what he wants with other girls. I've kind of been restricting his game, what little he has."

"It's nice you had someone to lean on," Liam says and we give each other a soft smile. Things aren't quite perfect again, I think some damage has been done and there is still a bit of hurt and regret on his side but I don't think it's anything we can't get past.

Liam helps me slide the table out and we quickly make our way back upstairs. The five of us rapidly set up the small table and Stephanie finishes putting the silverware out right as the first guest arrives. My Grandmother walks into the kitchen and I realize my mother thinks I am still dating Teddy. I want to introduce Liam to my family but it wouldn't make sense if she thought Teddy is the one I should be introducing. I decide now is the perfect time to tell her about my boyfriend switch since she is so busy hosting she won't have time to drill me with questions. She's putting a wooden spoon into the mashed potatoes when I find her.

"The card table is all set up for me and my friends. Also, Teddy and I broke up and I am back together with Liam. Let me know if you need my help with anything else," I say quickly and I dart away from her before she can say anything. I catch her evil eye as I am escaping the kitchen but I stay out of her range while the rest of the guests arrive. I introduce Liam to the majority of my family and he attempts to keep all of their names straight.

I notice Teddy, Ryan and Stephanie chatting it up with my cousins and I don't feel any strangeness with them being here at all. It's amazing how quickly we all banded together. I pull Liam over to the small tabletop when my mom announces dinner and we all cram in around the table. The chatter at the main table is so loud that I know no one will be able to over hear any discussion we'd have over here. I pass the rolls over to Ryan and dip my head closer to the others before asking, "Okay, so can we finally go over what happened today?" I watch as everyone eyes each other. We continue to pass the food in a circle and Stephanie responds, "Shockingly everything went according to plan. Right before Ryan came and got me I watched Topher have a complete meltdown. It was epic, he lost his damn mind. He knows he's done."

I dump a hefty serving of potatoes on my plate and ask, "So do you think we're safe? What now?"

I watch Teddy cram an entire fork full of green beans into his mouth before saying, "I'm not scared of him now. What can he do?"

I glance to Liam, "Will your parents still press charges against me? He can still ruin me legally."

Liam shakes his head, "He threw you against a wall. If he takes you to court over the damages you could turn around and ruin him for physical and mental abuse."

"Yeah Ellie, you should have your shoulder looked at by a doctor so it's on file. That way he can't say you are making it up," Ryan adds and I agree that that's actually a good idea.

"What's your deal now? Are ya coming back to Malibu?" Teddy asks Liam and I watch him nod. The rest of the group looks to Liam as he answers, "Yeah, I'm coming back. I'm gonna go to school. I think I need a good break from the paranormal community." He lets out a light laugh but Stephanie fakes a frown, "But not us right?"

"I guess I can keep you guys around," Liam jokes and I look around to our group. We came from all different backgrounds with all different abilities and bonded quickly over a common enemy. I still want to smack Stephanie most of the time but I can at least handle being in the same room as her now. We needed each other today and we all came together and accomplished what we wanted to. I don't know what Topher's next step is but I'm glad I can count on these four people right here to help me if I need it. We can all count on each other to be there.

I grab Liam's hand under the table and he quickly squeezes it back. My heart flutters knowing I get to take him back home to Malibu with me and I'm excited to see what he chooses to do next with his life. We've both had our own separate adventures these past three months and it will be nice to take what we've learned apart and use it to grow together.

I raise my champagne glass to the rest of the group and they all follow my lead. With my glass raised I say, "To new friends. I'm thankful for all of you and I'm even more thankful to have Liam back."

Keeping her glass raised Stephanie adds, "Yes. To new allies. I never thought I'd be spending Thanksgiving at Ellie Adler's house, but I'm glad we were able to come together today. I'm thankful for being able to trust you guys with my life."

Ryan follows Stephanie's lead and says, "To a new future. I'm glad to not have to worry about Topher popping up unexpectedly at the coffee shop anymore. I'm thankful that I won't be an unwilling informant anymore." Our eyes move to Teddy who is sitting next to Ryan and he cheerfully says, "To new girlfriends. Ellie, I love you to pieces but I'm excited to be able to date again and go back to banging sorority chicks. I'm thankful my dry spell is over." We all laugh at Teddy's honesty and I give him a dramatic eye roll.

Finally, we all look to Liam and he says, "To new beginnings. The Topher/John/Christopher/dad chapter of my life is over. I'm looking forward to focusing on me for a while and starting school to better my future. I'm thankful for all of you, but most of all I'm thankful for Ellie. Thank you for not giving up on me."

We all raise our glasses and in unison we clank them together. It was a perfect end to the most stressful day of my life and I'm ready to just sit back and relax for awhile.