🪩 ·˚ ༘ ┊CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE ! ˊˎ
corpus, texas
( real life , flashbacks )
✯꙳˙💿٭∘*🧷˚⊹♪
𖤐 — STURNIOLO HOUSE
TWO WEEKS BEFORE BIRTHDAY
"GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS!!" clover announced as she walked into the triplets house, a smile on her face as nick looked up at her. it had already been a while since she had been at their house and none of them had any suspicions about her and chris
"what?" matt asked, a genuine look of wonder in his eyes as aspen laughed "it's aries season, aka clovers birthday in two weeks." clover held up her phone where a venue was plastered on her safari
"your renting a club for the night?" chris laughed looking at the phone, and aspen watched as he stared at clover with a different longing- one that his brothers were too dumb to process
"fuck yeah!" she announced, dancing around "it's my big double two! ugh i'm so excited" she beamed, plopping herself down on the couch in between nick and chris, aspen sat on the opposite side of matt, her legs draped across him
"whose invited?" nick asked, "and can i invite someone?" he sheepishly smiled "is it andrew? am i finally meeting him?" nick shrugged "maybe if he's down, but it's up to you, it's literally your birthday "oh my god, nick what? of course he's invited what the hell"
"are you gonna invite one of your hoes, chris?" matt joked, and clovers eyes immediately looked up. seeing chris as he scrambled to find an answer "no, i don't take them out. plus, everyones been pretty boring lately."
"i haven't seen a girl walk out in a while, are you healing?" nick added on "yeah, like in a good month or so" aspen smirked at clover, seeing the corners of her friends lips turn into an upward smile as she stared at chris "whatever, just drop it. i don't really need to be fucking around like that anymore."
clover nodded her head, her lips now turned into a downward smile as she scrolled through instagram and pinterest gathering inspiration for her birthday "or wait- house party?" she asked
"haven't you already rented the club?" chris asked "uhh, okay not really.. but! it's on the options of places where to throw my birthday bash" she smiled. "alright buddy, your insane for not even picking a place. how do you know it'll be available on the day?"
"you know her birthday?" matt asked, aspen looked over at her boyfriend "of course he does, chris is maturing" the redhead explained as she looked at clover, who hadn't lifted her head up.
aspen ( unknowing to clover ) had been keeping a watchful eye on her best friend since a couple days prior when clover had told both rowen and aspen about her and chris.
she could tell that the things rowen said bothered her, especially when she basically outright slut shamed her for the past few stressful weeks of projects and shoots. it bothered aspen as well, and set off the search for what was making rowen act crazy
and ever since then the three of them had grown apart. rowen was slammed with projects left and right, with no time to resolve the issues between her and clover.
meanwhile clover on the other hand, had plastered the biggest smile on her face any had ever seen, she was in a somewhat relationship and was forcing herself to believe it was all going to work out with her childhood friend in the end.
the two of them had always come back together, even through all the shit they went through in their small town of Corpus, Texas.
✯꙳˙💿٭∘*🧷˚⊹♪
𖤐 — CORPUS, TEXAS
TEN YEARS AGO
"CLOVER, HE KISSED ME." rowen grabbed her best friend by the shoulders and shook her violently, the young clover laughed as she jumped up and down with her friend "no way!" she screamed
"yes! yes! i swear! we were by the park near the uh- fuck! you know which park? the one by the burger king?" she asked as they grabbed their bags and walked up the street to clovers house
the salty air of the beach blew against their hair as they walked and talked, before stopping at their favorite gas station to grab sour candy and gatorades "no way, so you kissed? i can't believe it. first kiss season" she laughed
"wait who was it, jaiden?" clover asked. rowen grew quiet, as they now sat outside in the back of clovers house. a large wooden porch that went curved around overlooked their pool. that was the girls spot, sitting on the edge with their feet hanging
"uhh" rowen began "well? tell me! i can't wait any longer!" clover giggled out. "it was mateo.." clover smile dropped at her friends confession
"i thought you didn't like mateo" clover asked, looking down at her hands, trying to contain her own sadness. "i liked mateo.." she whispered "i know! but it's okay! he's just a dumb boy anyways!"
"you always say how we wouldn't let a guy get in between us! and how was it my fault that he wanted to kiss me? i didn't even know he was going to do it!" excuses poured out of the girls mouth as clovers eyes teared up
it was silly, to be twelve and already crying over a boy. but that boy happened to be her best friend who she fell in love with. "you could've said no." clovers said sternly "don't be a baby clover, we are in middle school now, we have to stick together"
clover stood up, blinking away her tears once again as she threw her soda away "come on clover! let's-" the sound of rowens mom honking outside cut her off "i'll see you tomorrow?" she asked
clover just nodded her head and watched as rowen ran to the front seat of her moms car, before waving and getting in.
the following day at school clover didn't speak to her. avoided her in the halls, kept her head high.
she had seen what cheating looked like before, her dad cheated on her mom when she was very young, and abandoned them weeks later.
clover didn't like cheaters, or players or whatever you would've called them at that age. but she always assumed she would have rowen, it was the first of many times that rowen would betray her trust. and after a week of missing her friend and crying to her mom about it she forgave her.
it was the first of many forgives.
she should've seen the signs from a mile away.
✯꙳˙💿٭∘*🧷˚⊹♪
𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙀 ✧ 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙎!
sad flashback scenes always hit
this chapter is dedicated to —
luverboychris maieszn faerieribs sexybarkbark bcwitchcd joaoflms vcmpcre yoongidoyeons tearburns starsturns DYLVNSTAPE flowerdiors sacredsuns deitystears