𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐗, 𝖼𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗈𝗅𝗈 ✓

022, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

DEAR, EX

!!spoilers to it ends with us by colleen hoover

"was it really worth it, jade?" matt rolls his eyes as they walk into the triplet's home at four in the morning. everyone besides jade, scarlett, and chris are exhausted. considering they weren't panicking and running around.

"it would've been. if he didn't run away." jade sighs, tossing her purse onto a cushioned interior bench. chase had left tessa's house before jade arrived, and jade spent an hour and a half trying to find him.

"i'm going the fuck to sleep." nick says, trudging to his room.

"i'm going home." liam tiredly bores towards the door.

"i hate you guys." matt shrugs, walking up to his room.

jade, chris, and scarlett are now left together.

chris looks at jade, who ultimately picks up the purse she tossed onto the cushioned bench, then mumbles a subtle night before exiting the house.

scarlett sighs and looks down.

chase just continues to cause problems. the whole friend group seems to be mad. because not only did they arrive home at four in the morning, but chase is making an attempt to ruin scarlett's reputation. the exact reputation that she shouldn't even care about anymore. the one she never cared about. but for some reason, she's fiddling with her fingertips and staring at the ground.

and chris watches her. the only thing illuminating their face was the moonlight shining in from the windows, just like the night of the party. and he has no idea what to say.

chris places his hand on scarlett's upper arm, then gently pulls her in, not making eye contact. he wraps his arms around her, her head resting against his shoulder.

after just a few seconds, she exhales and hugs him in return.

the next morning, the group had regathered at scarlett's house.

scarlett had a book in her hand as liam and nick both yelled at chris and matt, and jade, who was sat next to scarlett, was recording their argument.

scarlett's already learned how to drain out their arguments. she learned a year ago, and it never went away.

she hardly does this, but she shoves a bookmark into it ends with us, slams it shut, and stares at the book.

"what?" jade asks, having learned that slamming her book shut means she needs a break.

"they were dating, then got engaged, then got married, then moved in together within three pages. it's too much." she sighs, then ultimately opens her book again and continues to read.

chris watches her as she scowls at the pages. she constantly states how much she hates ryle because he's abusive, then hates atlas because he was a pedo. chris didn't think the reader was supposed to hate both love interests, but scarlett did, so he agreed and moved on.

"chris, just shut the fuck up." nick sighs, waving his hands in the air. he exhales in with frustration.

"wh—" chris furrows his eyebrows, snapping his attention back to nick and liam. "i wasn't even saying anything!"

"yeah, 'cause you were too busy staring at scarlett." liam says, squinting his eyes. scarlett looks up. "i mean, all she's doing is reading."

yeah, well, she looks pretty when she's reading. chris thinks, but rolls his eyes. "i was not!" he defends himself, causing liam, who walks away with a roll of his eyes, and nick, who deadpans, to scoff.

scarlett shrugs and flips the page, finally beginning the final chapter.

as the four boys continue to shout and cuss at each other all at once, it becomes a 1v1v1v1. all man for himself. suddenly, chris hits nick.

nick's jaw drops, and everybody freezes. even scarlett. suddenly, nick swings on chris. liam backs nick up as the two push chris to the floor and attack him, and matt decides it's his time to step out.

suddenly, scarlett's door swings open, and her mother emerges from the corridor and into scar's room, causing everybody in the room to freeze. the screaming immediately ceases, and not another punch is thrown.

scar's mom slowly looks around, pressing all of her weight onto one leg and rising her hands to land on her hips.

"hey, mom." scarlett smiles.

"you have more people." miss wheeler sighs. "is this your version of a party? i'd honestly rather this be at any house but ours." she sighs as three people walk in from behind her. tessa, alaina, and dante.

"man, why the fuck is dante here?" jade sighs, groaning. she's just messing around. dante's her cousin, yet she only sees him at school and his stupid parties.

"why the fuck is scarlett reading?" dante picks up a hat from scarlett's vanity, then effortlessly tosses it at her, hitting her right in the face.

she squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them to look at dante. "wait, why are you here?"

"tess invited me. told me my cuz is here, so i came." he shrugs, reaching his hand out to ruffle jade's hair. she hates it when he does that, so she slaps his hand. he gasps and holds his wrist, offended.

scarlett shrugs and finalizes the last few pages of it ends with us. she has nothing against dante. he's a dick at times, but with his friends, he's caring enough.

"so..." dante plops onto scarlett's bed. "y'all coming to my christmas party?"

"we're planning on it," liam tells him.

"yeah," chris runs a hand through his hair. "probably gonna leave early, though."

dante clicks his tongue. "man, y'all are always leavinf early." he groans.

"i'll probably stay." jade says.

"jade, you're gonna pass out on my couch at three on the morning." dante says, and jade scoffs with furrowed brows.

dante stands up, then turns on the TV.

before he can get back to his seat, chris stands up and takes his spot on the bed, right next to scarlett. as she opens it starts with us, she leans her head on his shoulder. and he wraps his arm around her.