This Is The End - Sequel to Dolan Bullies

Easier To Stay? Easier To Go?

ETHAN'S POV

*Recommend listening to when the party's over by: Billie Eilish*

The car ride was silent, neither one of us were speaking, I knew she was scared, hell, I would be too if I was about to fall to my death.

I had grown worried when Aspen didn't return my calls, every single one went straight to voicemail which was super unlike her.

That's when I decided to go out to look for her, I knew Carly was out to get her which made the entire situation even more concerning.

I searched for hours, going to all the places I thought she could be, but each place ended up being a bust.

That is until I thought of one last place she could've possibly been, a place that was stuck in all our brains forever.

I had never driven somewhere so fast in my entire life.

My feet moved so quick against the soft ground, I'm pretty sure my footprints from my shoes are still embedded in the soil.

I made sure to hold onto a tree branch as I glanced over the cliff, and to my dismay I saw Aspen holding on for dear life.

Relief washed over me as I saw her, however that was quickly replaced with fear as I saw her hand slipping, making me panic.

I frantically looked around my surroundings, thankfully finding an old rope, which I quickly ran to get and tied to the base of a tree, then to my torso.

Within and instant I began to climb down the rocky cliff, my hand grabbing hers just as hers let go of the branch, a scream emitting from her mouth that I'll never be able to unhear.

Three years ago this situation would have been completely different.

Three years ago this was what she wanted, but now, now, she wanted to live.

I quickly pulled her up, holding her close to my chest as her body shook in pure terror.

I could hear her sniffling against my shirt, causing my heart to break.

I rested my chin on the top of her head, my hands gently caressing her back as she continued to hug me tightly.

"You're safe now." I whispered into her hair, as she nodded slowly against my chest.

Now here we are, sitting silently in the car.

I couldn't help but glance over at her, seeing her blank expression worried me.

"Aspen.." I spoke up, my voice quiet as she turned her head to look at me.

"I know what you're thinking Ethan, but really, I'm fine." She spoke softly, giving me a half smile as I frowned.

"You'd think after all these years you'd know that I can tell when you're lying to me." I raised an eyebrow at her as she let out a sigh.

"Okay, fine," She leaned her head back against the seat, "I'm scared, I almost died back there, again." She spoke a bit louder, a bit of anger laced in her voice.

"I'm tired of being weak, not being able to stand up for myself, I'm tired of being here where people just want to hurt me." She vented, her brows furrowed as she stared straight ahead of her.

"So what exactly are you saying?" I looked over at her, a bit confused on what she was implying.

"What I'm saying is, is it easier for me to stay here, or is it easier for me to go and leave?" She looked back at me, as I processed what she said.

"Where would you go?" I blurted out, unable to stop myself as she gave me a half smile.

"I have a place in mind." She assured me, as I gave a slight nod in response.

"So should I bring you back to the house so you can pack up your stuff?" I asked her a few moments later as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I just need to grab a few things and then I can go from there." She spoke up as she typed away on her phone.

I nodded in response as I continued to drive.

"How do you think Grayson is going to handle this?" She spoke up a few moments later, glancing over at me.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." I sighed, rubbing my forehead as she nodded her head slowly.

"What if he tries to stop me?" She tilted her head as she glanced out the side window.

"I'll stop him, I'll explain that you need this." I assured her, tapping on the steering wheel as I pulled into the driveway.

She continued to look out the side window, a silence falling over the car as I sat there waiting for her to make the first move, not wanting to rush her.

She let out a deep breath, then opened the passenger door, stepping out and shutting it behind her.

I quickly got out as well, following a bit behind her as she stood on the steps to the front door of my house.

"Are you ready?" I looked over at her as she nodded her head in response.

"No, but this is what I need to do, and he's going to have to deal with it." Aspen stated firmly, before walking up the steps and into the house.

This was the beginning of the end.

Sup y'all, ya girl is on vacation atm and I'm in the car rn so I decided why not update??

The title of this part is inspired by 5sos's new song Easier, I'm in love with it rn and it's also what kinda inspired this part in general, but when I was actually writing this I was listening to When the party's over by Billie Eilish, to me it just gives the vibe of this part.

I also want to mention that I think there will only be 4 more parts left until this book is over, the first book has 20 parts, and I want this one to have 20 parts as well. That being said it's the beginning of the end!❤️

Love you all so much, and thank you for 10k reads!❤️