Dare | e.d

1

A YEAR LATER

(Peyton's P.O.V.)

A nice quiet night next to the beach was a regular for me ever since I moved back to Florida

It's been a full year and I havent reached out to anyone I talked to in L.A.

Dont get me wrong it's been hard and weird for me to be this far and quiet from them

But it's for the best

I ruined their lives and me staying far away is keeping everybody safe

"So roomie what's the plan for tomorrow?" My roommate alex creeped up on me

I laughed a little and rolled my eyes

"Nothing, I told you I dont want to celebrate my birthday." He has been insisting on planning a party for me but I wont let him

I was turning 17 and i didnt eant to throw anymore parties for myself because every party i threw before reminded me of ethan

He was always the fun, cool, out going guy

"Still miss them huh?" He wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me closer to him

Alex was a sweet guy who had a crush on me but I had to let him down easy thankfully we are still friends

"Yea I really do" getting these things off my chest helped me feel better

All I can remember anymore is the bad times, it helped me not miss them anymore

"Have you watched any of their videos since you guys lost touch?" He pointed out

I shook my head quickly

"No and I dont plan on it so can we just stop talking about it and change the subject please" the air was getting colder and I was just really anxious

"Sorry for asking" he threw his arms up

My face began to burn and I didnt know what to say back so I just went back inside of our house

When I moved here It was like a fresh start since nobody really remembered me

But my aunt moved away once she lost me

So it took a while to find a roommate who would let me crash with them

Thankfully I met alex at a supermarket and we hit it off right away and he offered to let me stay with him

His house was a nice beach house literally right on the beach so every morning was amazing to wake up to

"I'm going to the gym, zayn is going to meet me up there" he grabbed his keys off the counter and kissed my cheek goodbye

I watched him as he rushed out of the door and there I was alone again

My mind wasnt great when I was completely alone but I tried to focus on other things so it didnt go back to part thoughts

We didnt really have any sweets in the house since alex was on this cleanse

So I just went into the living room and watched some youtube videos until I saw them

And a video that stopped my heart

My eyes scanned the words

"The girl that got away.."

Okay maybe they weren't talking about me but what if they where before I could press the button my new friend walked through the door

"Get off of the couch where going to the mall you need it" her name was caroline she has been the nicest person I have met in a while

"Alright mom.  Let me get dressed" I rushed up to my room and started to change into something more presentable

"Hurry up you take to long" she mocked me

Soon after I jogged down the stairs and quickly put some shoes on along with grabbing my phone and keys

"So why the mall trip?" My curiosity came out at her

"I just missed girl time, you've isolated yourself in that house for a month and you havent done that in a while so I'm just worried" she started to talk lower than before

"Sorry it's just this month isnt my favorite month" I came clean

I would tell you the whole story of why but I think it's best that its saved for another time

"I can tell.." a long pause took over

An hour drive to the mall was quiet but nice

"Alex told me that you didnt want a party for your birthday so this is my gift to you. You can hit up 4 stores and you have a $200 limited for each store" she looked at me with a giant smile

"Really?! Thank you so much" I reached over the seats to hug her

"Wow I mean it's just a birthday gift not like you won the lottery" she giggled

"Nobody has done something this nice for me in a while so I'm thankful" my body moved away ready to leave the car

We walked to our first store forever 21, then to H&M, then to Pink

I only went to three stores because I didnt want her spending that much on me

Besides I bought the majority of the clothes because I couldnt let her do it

"Time to head back" she elbowed me

As we jumped into the car she quickly drove back to the house

"Wait here for a second" her finger was in front of my face basically telling me to stay put

So I did what I was told until she came back to let me inside