•Chapter 2•

*You Are Allowed To Be Both A Masterpiece And A Work In Progress Simultaneously.*

•••••••

The knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. I forced my feet to move towards the door and I placed my hand on the doorknob.

Why am I nervous to open the door??

Taking one last moment to compose myself I opened the door and this blonde girl with grey highlights and ocean blue eyes leaped onto me in a bone crushing hug. I stumbled back a little but found myself returning the tight embrace. I closed my eyes as I listened to my best friend cry on my shoulder.

"How could you leave me..." Her voice cracked as she spoke and my heart twisted at the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing that I could have said. When I left...I left without telling my best friend. I shut her out when all that she wanted was to get in. I kept her in the dark and when she eventually found out that I left she was heartbroken.

Heartbroken that I left without telling her.

Heartbroken that she didn't get to say goodbye.

Rylie understood why I had to leave. In fact she wasn't even going to stop me. She tried to reach out to me on multiple occasions but all I did was just ignore her and everybody else that tried to come into contact with me. My best friend was my safe haven. She was my doctor Phil each and every time I needed her.

She was there.

And what did I do?? I left her broken hearted just like how I left everyone else. With no contact. No goodbyes. No I love you's. Nothing. I just left. I don't deserve her as my best friend. I don't deserve her at all.

As if she knew...she sensed what is was I was thinking about and she pulled away from the embrace.

"Don't you dare think about that. I'm your best friend. I wouldn't have it any other way..." She reassured. I didn't have any words so I just simply nodded my head and gave her one last hug.

"I know that this is probably not the right time for this but....happy birthday." She gave me a small smile and I saw a small flash of sadness in her eyes.

"You remembered." I whispered.

"How could I forget?" She replied.

I looked up at her with pain and sadness in my eyes and I gave her a smile that didn't fully reach my face.

"Thank you."

•••••••

"So how have things been since I left??"

We took a seat on the couch and immediately Rylie pulled her knees up to her chest. I just knew it. Whenever Rylie does that it's either she's hiding something from me or things aren't as great as it seems.

"Do you really want the answer to that question Elena??"

I looked down at my lap. I couldn't bare to see the look in her eyes.

"The triplets miss you."

At the sound of her mentioning her brother's I lifted my head up and smiled. I haven't seen them since I left.

I missed them too.

"How are they??" I asked softly.

"Well to put things nicely....Rylen hates you. Ryder still doesn't believe that you're gone and Ricci still isn't talking."

"What?? Why does Rylen hate me??" I asked confused.

"Really Elena??" She raised an eyebrow at me. "You left. You just fucking left. You didn't say a single fucking thing to us. You know how Rylen is. You know that he's not great with sharing feelings and when mom and dad.."

She stopped herself from telling me any further information and I eyed her suspiciously.

"What Rylie?"

She sighed. "We were going through a really tough time as a family and Rylen really needed you. He took it he hardest. We know that he seems like this badass fucker who doesn't care about shit but he hurts the most. When everything happened he was heartbroken. And the first person that he always turned to when shit hit the fan was you. And you were not there." She said in a sharp tone.

My eyes widened at her tone.

"He was lost Elena....and there was no way of ever bringing him back. He's still lost."

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. "Look I'm not saying that what you did was wrong and that you shouldn't have to grieve but what you did hurt. It didn't hurt just me. It hurt the guys. It hurt Rylen the most."

"Rylie you don't understand how sorry I am for leaving you guys in the dark. For leaving you guys the way that I did. I just couldn't be here anymore. I couldn't stand being in a place where they're not here with me anymore. I know that I should've come to you. I should've stayed with you but I didn't want to be a burden in your life." Shit. The tears want to fall out. But they never do.

"What made you possibly think in that tiny fucking brain of yours that you would ever be a burden in our lives??"

"I went from having everything to losing everything in the space of a fucking day Rylie."

"You're wrong. Again. You still have everything Elena. You still have us."

At that moment...I knew I had to go and make things right.

•••••••

The ride to Rylie's house was more nerve wrecking than the car ride back to my original home. Rylie tried to make it better by engaging in some small talk and letting the radio play in the background but that only made it worse for me.

I haven't seen the triplets since that time and from all the information that I gathered from Rylie...they don't seem quiet pleased with me.

Ryder was imagining that I never left.

Ricci was still not talking....well he never talked as far as I can remember.

And Rylen hates me. Just flat out hates me.

I could've just been a chicken. I could've just backed out from this whole thing and told Rylie that I wasn't feeling well or that this is just too much to handle in one day.

But nooo...I had to want to be the bigger person and want to fix things. I know that I was doing the right thing heading over to the Braun residence to try and reason with Rylie's brothers...but there's just this little voice in my head that's telling me that I should just turn around and give them time to themselves. I caused them enough pain from leaving. I should've been there for them when they need me.

But I wasn't.

When we arrived at the gates of Rylie's parents house I started to really panic. She pressed the button for the security to open up the gate and within a split second the double door gates opened up revealing a two way gravel road leading to an overly large white walled house with a glass door opening showing two long staircases leading upstairs and a beautiful diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Rylie drove her Mercedes Benz down the gravel pathway and parked her car right around the curve. She got out the car and I followed pursuit.

She walked up the stairs leading to the glass door and when her hand touched the doorknob I placed my hand over hers to stop her from going any further.

"Rylie I don't think that I can do this anymore."

"Don't be a fucking baby Elena. Would you rather they find out that you were back yet you didn't make the effort to try and fix things let alone see them??" She pointed out.

"Why are you my fucking best friend??"

She grinned at me. "To get you through shit like this. Now put on your big girl panties and move so I can open the door."

I sucked in a breath and slowly removed my hand from hers. She twisted the doorknob and anxiety washes over me as we set foot into the house I shared half my childhood with.

•••••••

"What the fuck is she doing here!?" Rylen exclaimed.

Not even 5 minutes through the door and I'm already being shouted at.

"Rylen just calm down." Rylie says casually.

"No calm down for what!? Why is she here?? She lost the right to walk in this fucking house the day she left!" He stated.

"Rylen as long as she's my fucking best friend she's welcome here for as long as she wants."

"Well she's no best friend of mine so she has to fucking leave." He said through gritted teeth while looking at me.

He looked at me with pure disgust and hatred...but most of all...pain.

Rylie was right. He was lost. I made him lost.

"Well what the fuck are you still standing here for?!" He shouted, his voice booming throughout the house and I flinched.

"Rylen! For the last fucking time!! We do not need to hear another episode of you yelling at your one night--" Ryder stopped talking the minute he laid his eyes on me.

"Oh for fucks sake." Rylen muttered while rolling his eyes.

"Elena..." It came out as a whisper. You almost couldn't hear it. He looked at me with disbelief and pain...but mostly happiness.

"Ryder." I whispered back.

"You're back."

"Yeah."

"Okay yes we've just fucking established that she's back. Can we get to the part of why she's fucking here." Ryder said slowly so that he can word out his point.

"Well um.."

"Well what Elena!? I'm not gonna stand here the whole fucking day waiting for you to explain yourself."

And on cue...Ricci comes strolling in to come and check the commotion. When his eyes landed on me they widened and he stayed rooted in his place. I gave him a small smile and a tiny wave but he simple just ignored it and walked back to where he came from. The sound of a door slamming shut made me shut my eyes for a brief second.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Ryder asked sarcastically. "It hurts when someone walks out on you with no explanation whatsoever doesn't it??"

"Rylen I'm here now. I'm here to explain."

"You had 3 years to explain why you decided to fuck off."

"You have to understand that I had no other choice Rylen. This was hard for me too." My voice was starting to crack.

"Really Elena?? You expect me to stand here and listen to you tell me that you had no other choice!? Look around you Elena!! You had a fucking choice!!"

"You didn't lose your parents on your birthday Rylen!! You didn't go from having everything in your life to having nothing!! You didn't have to start over at 15 fucking years old Rylen!!" Here we go again...the tears threatening to come out but never actually do. "You have absolutely no idea how it feels to be stripped away from the only people that have made you whole."

"Try me Elena." He challenged. "You're not the only one here with a fucked up life."

"Rylen. Don't." Ryder warned.

"Don't what Ryder?? She seems to walk around here like she's the only one that's allowed to feel pain. Like she's the only one that hasn't gone through grief and depression."

"Rylen this is not the time for that." Says Rylie.

"We lost a second family too Elena." I saw Ryder and Rylie breath out a sigh of relief. It was almost as if they didn't want me know what was going on.

"I understand that Rylen but.." He cut me off with the deadliest glare known to mankind.

"Do you really Elena??" He asked. I looked down at the floor while he continues to talk. "You don't understand shit. You left. You. Fucking. Left." At this point Rylen was yelling and all I could do was just take it all in.

"Where were you when I needed you Elena?? Where were you when I felt like giving up?? You were the person that I always turned to and what did you do?? You just up and left without a single goodbye. Did that make you feel good?? Did you feel satisfied leaving the few people behind that actually gave a shit about you??"

I stumbled back in shock. "Rylen that's not fair. I wanted to stay. I really wanted to but I just couldn't. It was too painful for me. You can't be willing to just throw away our years of friendship." I defended.

"I wasn't the one that packed up my shit and left."

Wow. That hurt. I was stunned.

"Rylen..." I said softly.

"Piss off Elena. Since that's the only thing that you're best at."

And with that being said he walked up the stairs and his bedroom door slammed shut.

After a long amount of silence I decided that it was time for me to leave.

"I think that it's best that I just go home." I said softly.

"He's just hurting Lena. You were gone for a really long time." Ryder chirped. Quick to defend his brother. At the sound of my old nickname my heart clenched.

I knew that this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. This was too much for me.

"Ryder's right. Stay." Said Rylie.

"No this was a bad idea and this is just too much to take in for one day. I really think that I should get going."

"Okay. I'll take you back." Rylie was already walking to the door. Calling out her name she turned around and gave me a confused look.

"It's okay."

"It's a long way there Elena and it's already late. You can't walk." She argued.

"Yes I can Rylie. I'll be fine. I need this."

She looked at me while having an internal battle with herself and she eventually nodded her head. She walked back towards me and gave me a tight hug. When she pulled back Ryder joined in on the action and placed a tiny kiss on my forehead.

I smiled a small smile and walked towards the door.

"Elena.." Ryder spoke.

I turned around to face him.

"Happy birthday."

•••••••