Better Than Revenge [Chapters 1-15 Rewritten]

Chapter 12: The Great Wall of China

Life update: I finally graduated and finished college. I'm working in the adult world now and actually have extra time on my hands that doesn't involve doing homework - keep an eye out for updates on my ongoing stories!

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Chapter 12

The Great Wall of China

"We're leaving," Tori said, grabbing my arm and making a beeline for the front door.

"What?" I stopped her in her tracks. "Why? We haven't even looked at the apartment yet."

After receiving my first paycheck – and nearly crying tears of joy when I saw the number – I knew it was time to find a new place to live. We needed something with more roots than a hotel. A hotel felt like this dream could end at any time, and I wasn't ready for that when it seemed like my life was only just now beginning.

Our search for an apartment seemed like it was going nowhere at first, but after a few days we managed to find a nice apartment that met all of our requirements. We wanted to check it out in person before signing a lease, but apparently, that was no longer on the agenda.

"I saw..." Tori paused, dragging me to a corner where we were hidden from view. "I just saw Ashton."

"Well, shit." What were the odds we'd run into the one ex who had also made a move to California?

"I think he lives here. I can't take that level of awkwardness, Soph. We've got to find something else."

I nodded. "We'll find another place. There's a million apartment complexes here, anyway."

It was just kind of an unspoken girl-code thing to help your friend escape an awkward guy situation, especially if it involved an ex who had broken up with her because he realized he was gay.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as we drove to the next apartment in Hollywood Hills. Thanks to my shiny new paycheck, we could actually afford the rent here. I had high hopes walking in, based on how nice it looked from the outside, and I wasn't disappointed. It was love at first walk through. The apartment just felt like home. The beige walls, dark furniture and white carpeting reminded me of the home I'd left behind to come here.

Plus, there were no rumors of a haunted bedroom, no deceased owners who "might still be around... but probably not," and best of all, no ex-boyfriends living in the building – that we knew of, at least.

The decision was unanimous: the place was perfect. After talking to the apartment manager, we submitted an application and headed home. If the application was approved, all that was left was signing the lease and moving in.

We went home with plans to celebrate with pizza, cheese sticks and a movie. Halfway through Titanic – Tori's pick – she blurted out, Can you introduce me to Christian?"

Tori had been quoting lines from the movie for the past hour, so at first, I didn't realize she was talking to me. When she repeated herself, I carefully told her that wasn't the best idea.

"What do you mean it's not the best idea? It's a great idea! You know Christian. I love Christian. I could meet Christian through you. It's the perfect equation."

"You of all people should know I'm not exactly friends with him. I can't just show up at his trailer and introduce you to him. 'Oh, hey, Chris, what's up? I know I'm usually a bitch to you, but do you want to meet my best friend?'"

"But you're on a first name basis with him," she said. "You even call him by his nickname! You may not be friends, but you still know him."

While I still didn't think introducing her crazy-ass to Christian was a good idea – far from it – I felt bad saying no to her. She had dreamed about meeting him for so long. It wasn't her fault I had a problem with him. It certainly wasn't her fault she didn't know why. That was on me. It couldn't hurt to let her have this.