My Past Catching Up With Me

California was probably the last place I had planned on spending my spring break. Owen was in trouble and we had to deal with his issues through our family's lawyer. Some of the gang decided to make it a vacation and tag along when they heard we would have our own private jet. A flight with Bre and Dawn squealing over the thoughts of all they'd get to do in California and two hours later I found myself staring at the very thing I left Cali to escape from...my past. I wanted to make this trip as discrete as possible. In and out without encountering people that I did not want to see, therefore I had planned on locking myself up in my room and never leave the house, I hadn't even told Adam that I was coming. As far as anyone knew, Rhyan Thatcher was no where near California.
   "Holy Shit!" TwoBit said after getting off the jet, standing before the mansion in front of him, "Why the hell would you wanna leave this?"
It may look like a big house, but it was the smallest containment that I had ever been trapped in. The door opened, exposing the tall, thin, Hispanic woman I loved since the day I was born, Daniella, our house keeper. She ran towards us with her arms open and squealing. I couldn't help but smile.
   "Hi Daniella!" I said while she wrapped her arms around me and smothered me into her chest.
I thought I was going to have to ask TwoBit or Hunter to pry her off me until she let go because she saw Owen getting off the jet. She kissed him on each cheek. She always treated Owen as her golden boy, though I'd have to say he was far from golden. I introduced her to everyone who tagged along and she went on her rant about whatever they wanted to eat or whenever or if they needed laundry done or fresh towels yada yada.... she was always too nice for her own good, that often had me wondering why she would want to work for a person like my father, but slowly I came to realize it was because of Owen and I.
     After showing everyone around and settling them into their rooms, I crashed onto my bed, wishing I was anywhere but here. I didn't miss this room at all, it was always too much for my taste. The rich purple walls, the expensive furniture, the giant closet filled with clothes I didn't even wear. I liked my house in Tulsa better, it was much simpler.

    "Damn girl!" I glanced over to find Dawn, Bre, and Audrey standing in my doorway, their eyes studying every angle of the room.
  "Is this your closet?" Dawn said pointing to the double doors on the far wall.
  "Yeah, you can open it if you want." I said.
She pulled both the doors open and simultaneously all three girls' mouths dropped.
   "Dude! You have a better closet than Paris Hilton!" Bre commented.
The closet contained a glass table which always held fresh flowers that sat underneath a glittering chandelier and was lined top to bottom with various kinds of clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories.

  "Most of it's just stuff my dad brings back from his out-of-town trips." I said.
That was always his way of trying to buy our affection, cool things from other cities or countries, it was never my taste though.
   "If you see anything you like you can have it." I said. They all turned and glared at me. "No, seriously, I don't wear any of it."
It was if I had just handed a shopaholic and million dollars to spend on a whole new wardrobe. They went crazy sifting through dresses, shirts, necklaces, shoes, purses....like they've never seen them before. It didn't take long for the closet to become nearly empty.
     Everyone gathered in the dining room for dinner. I didn't feel very hungry, so I decided to text Adam, letting him know that I was in town. It only took twenty minutes for the kid to climb the lattice outside my window and appear in my room, like he used to do countless times. My eyes got  big and my mouth drooped open.

Adam

    "What?" he said, giving me a funny look.
     "Where did this come from?" I raised his shirt, exposing his ripped torso. "You have a six pack?" I squeezed the top of his arm, "damn kid."
     He laughed. "Yeah, I figured after that encounter with Jax, I might as well work on it and give myself a fighting chance."
I twitched at the mention of Jax. He for sure, was someone I was hoping to avoid on this trip.
   "I missed you kid." I said, squeezing Adam into a tight hug.
I really did miss him, more than I missed anyone from Cali. Adam was always someone I could count on. If I texted him that I needed something he'd be there in an instant, bowing at my feet. He was like a brother to me, the bother I never had, the brother I needed. The kind of brother Owen used to be.
   "I missed you too Ret." He said, calling me by the nickname he gave me when we first me. R.E.T Rhyan Elizabeth Thatcher.
After a moment he stepped back, then plopped down onto my bed.
   "So, tell me about this Dallas kid who you've been texting me about for the past year." He said.
The last image I had of Dallas was three days ago, when I left him hurt and confused standing in my driveway at 3 AM.
   I sighed. "I don't want to talk about Dallas." I sat down on the bed next to him. He looked over at me.
   "Yes you do. You always want to talk about Dallas, good or bad." The only thing I couldn't stand about Adam, was that he knew me all too well. He could read me better than I could read myself.
   "I can't." Tears invaded my eyes, "I didn't wanna leave him there, if anything I just wanted to crawl back in bed with him and pretend I didn't get that phone call....I wanted to do anything besides hurt him like that, you should've seen his face Adam.....I've dumped a few guys in my time, but none of them have ever haunted me like that..." The tears started to fall.
   "If you didn't want to, then why did you?" He asked.
   "Because! Cause Owen was in trouble, and injured, and I had to.." he cut me off.
   "You had to drop everything and run to his aid like you always do?" He said, and I have to admit, his words kinda hurt.
   "If I don't then who will?" I shouted. "Do you know how many times he could have died if I hadn't of been there? How many times I had to bail him out of something?.....if he died like that, it would.."
"It wouldn't be your fault Rhyan.....you're not responsible for him. He's never going to learn if you keep treating him like an innocent and not let him take care of himself. You can't build your life around that, or you're never gonna have the life you want to have...the life I want you to have, the life Owen wants you to have." He put a hand behind my neck, pulling my face closer to his. "You need to do what's best for you, and when it comes to Owen, you just gotta pray that someday he'll wake up, and realize that you both deserve better."
I couldn't argue with that. Adam was right, it was time to flip the switch, to think about myself before my brother for a change, to start living the life that I want, the life I left California for.
That night I lay pondering. Adam asleep in my bed next to me, just like old times. He was the only thing I regretted leaving for. I begged him to come with me, but unlike me he actually had a decent family and couldn't just pick up and leave...especially with his mom being sick.
He rolled over and threw his arm around me. Things had never been romantic with Adam. I never saw him as more than a best friend, a very close best friend, a brother....but it wasn't his arms that I wished so badly for. Only one person in the entire world could comfort me right now, and I left that person in Tulsa.

     I awoke the next morning to the smell of Daniella's cooking, and Adam shaking me awake.
   "Rhyan, breakfast is ready come eat." He said.
I glanced at the clock. It was ten, which meant it was noon in Tulsa.
   "I'll be down in a sec, I need to make a phone call first." I said crawling out of bed in search for my phone.
I couldn't talk to Dallas, as much as I wanted to, something like that needed to be done in person. So I called the person I felt was closest to him.
   "Hello?" her voice rang awake and wild.
   "Hey Jelly, are you busy?" I asked.
   "Not at all. What's up?" she answered.
   I sighed. "How Dallas doing?"
   "Well, he's in pretty rough shape." She sighed, "I've never seen him like this before."
   "What do you mean?" I asked.
   "He's not himself Rhy, something's off. If I had to guess, it's like a piece of him is missing." she said.
My heart ached. "Jelly....I need him back."
   "I don't know how to tell you this..but, uh...he's kinda fallen back into his old habits.."
I could tell she was hinting at something specific, after all we were talking about Dallas Winston.
   "How so?" I pressed further.
   "Rhyan.....he slept with Blair."
Her words hit me, slapped me in the face actually.
   "...oh....well, umm...thanks Jelly..I have to go." I think she said sorry but I was in such a hurry to end the call I didn't hear it very well.
What had I expected? Its what Dallas Winston did, he picked up broads, got wasted, and had one night stands..all the time. Why was this any different? Because it wasn't someone random...it was someone I knew. Was it pay back? or a rebound? Had he moved on? I guess I wasn't going to find out till we flew home Friday evening. So I wiped away my tears and I held it together, because I didn't want anyone to see the battle I was fighting in order to keep my heart in one piece.
          After breakfast, everyone decided to go swimming, but I snuck back up to my room instead, to wallow in my own self pity. Until Dawn found me, and forced me to spill my worries upon her.
   "Blair?" She almost screamed.
   "Shhh! Not everyone needs to know." I said.
   "Sorry...I just can't believe...Blair...of all people." She said confused.
I just sat there, my head hanging. Dawn was probably the one I was closest to, aside from Audrey, who I was too upset with to talk to right now.
   "You really liked him, didn't you Rhy......like, LIKED him." She added emphasis on the 'like'.
   "Yeah.....well, I guess that's all in the past now."
   "What? That's it? I expected more from Rhyan Thatcher!" She said.
    "We won't be home for five days, what am I supposed to do?" I asked.
   "Girl, you take that time, get your feeling straight, and if those feelings are as strong as I think they are, you  fight for it.....the best things won are fought for."
   A knock at the door interrupted us. 
     "Rhyan, come swimming...please?" Adam gave me that look, the look he knew I couldn't resist.
I nodded to Dawn. "Alright!" I said, as an answer to both of them.
We walked down the hall and started down the stairs when I noticed Owen was talking to someone in the entry way, and once I noticed who that someone was...my stomach dropped and I froze, struggling to find oxygen. Adam had yet to notice what I just had.
   "What's wrong?" he asked.
   "Why the hell is Jax Teller standing in my entry hall?"