𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝙀𝙅 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡

↳ 11

Ricky's words rang in EJ's ear as the senior stared, dumbfounded, at his girlfriend's phone. Ashlyn narrowed her eyes at EJ – she couldn't really understand why he was acting that way. (A/N: Contrary to the series, they actually listened to Ricky's message.)

Ashlyn thought that maybe he was insecure, but his motivations were much deeper than that. Deep down, EJ knew that Ricky and Nini had incredible chemistry. He was more than a little insecure.

He just knew Nini and Ricky were made for each other, and no matter how hard he tried to give her the love and attention she deserved, he knew that those two would eventually find their way to each other.

Unaware of the tangle of thoughts inside EJ's head, Ashlyn decided to be the one to break that awful, unbearable silence left by Ricky's voicemail on Nini's phone.

"You need to return this, now," Ashlyn warned her cousin, giving him a stern look.

"I know," EJ mumbled, biting the inside of his cheek. He was still trying to make sense of everything going through his mind.

"Nini could still be inside." Ashlyn reminded him. She narrowed her eyes at him when he repeated his previous words, a little louder this time. "For the love of God, do not delete that voicemail."

"I will!" The words escaped his mouth so fast that he only processed them once they were already out. His eyes widened slightly as he corrected himself quickly. "I mean, I won't. I know."

Ashlyn bit her lower lip, her gaze so intense it seemed she was looking at his soul. She could see right through his crap, as usual – of course she would, she grew up with him. She was the person who knew him the best, and that saddened her.

It saddened her that he wouldn't allow anyone else to know him, the real him. That he built these enormous walls around him that wouldn't let anyone see past his popular persona.

The worst part is that he felt obligated to act that way, to meet all the ridiculous expectations everyone placed on his shoulders, especially his father.

"You're going to delete it, aren't you?" She questioned EJ. It was more of a rhetoric question, the redhead was pretty sure the boy had those intentions.

"Why don't you believe me?" He asked suddenly, prying his eyes away from Nini's phone for the first time after they heard Ricky's voicemail.

He looked so incredulous. But the glint in his eyes was all the confirmation Ashlyn needed to guess that, yes, EJ was really going to delete that message.

Ashlyn scoffed, grabbing her backpack. "Forget the ride. I'll walk home." With those words, she opened the door and, seconds later, she was gone.

EJ sighed, his mind racing with all kinds of thoughts once again as he watched Ashlyn walk away from his car. He wanted to talk to someone, he wanted to relieve his brain of such dark thoughts.

His eyes fell once more on Nini's phone and, after a moment, it seemed like a light bulb just flickered above his head. EJ pulled out his own phone from his jacked, looking through his contacts until he found the name he was searching for. Tulip.

﹏﹏﹏

Autumn was intrigued, to say the least, when 'Willow', her ringtone, started echoing through the rehearsal room. Who could be calling her at that hour?

She was pretty sure Ricky and Big Red were hanging out, having one of those 'bro talks' they liked to have whenever she wasn't around. Gina was home, helping her mother with the last of the unpacking.

The brunette was even more intrigued when "Slytherin boy", the nickname she set for EJ as a reference to one of their recent conversations, appeared on her screen.

She picked up immediately – it was the first time EJ called her since she gave him her number, and she didn't want to dwell too long on what his motives could be.

He sounded so broken over the phone, mumbling about something terrible he did, how he felt awful, and how we might have destroyed the best thing in his life.

That's how she ended up on a park bench with him, sitting side by side. His gaze was cast on the grass below their feet, his fingers fidgeting with each other on his lap as he told her what happened earlier with Nini's phone and all his not-so-small insecurities about Nini and Ricky getting back together.

Autumn listened attentively to everything he said. She was happy he felt so at ease with her to the point of sharing his deepest fears. His eyes were shimmering with tears once he finished speaking, and the girl enveloped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting hug.

"It's okay. Everything's okay. I'm here for you." Autumn reassured him as she softly caressed his back. "All you have to do is give back Nini's phone. I'm sure she'll understand and forgive you."

"Do you think so? She's such a nice person, I'm not sure how she can continue dating a guy like me." EJ replied weakly. "She deserves someone that treats her right, not someone who deletes her ex's voicemails."

"Stop saying that. Everyone makes mistakes, J. I'm sure you're an amazing boyfriend. Nini always looks so happy when she's with you. You need to stop thinking so low of yourself." The girl scolded him, although her voice was gentle.

EJ only nodded, using his jacket's sleeve to wipe the small tears that managed to escape his eyes. He took a few moments to collect himself before he pulled away from the hug, a grateful smile on his lips.

Autumn smiled back, proud of herself for making him feel better. "Come on, let's lift your spirits. I heard there was a little shop around here that sold the best ice cream of Salt Lake." She said, standing up and gesturing her head for him to get up as well.

At that moment, EJ knew he made a truly amazing friend. He was so hostile when they first met, yet he felt like they created a deep bond in the short time that passed. He felt like he could always count on her to lift his mood whenever he was feeling down.

And, for the first time ever, EJ Caswell forgot all about his worries.