The day I was leaving, all I felt was regret. Regret for leaving everybody behind. Regret for not being able to properly say goodbye. Even regret for not trying more food at that little grill where Sawyer had offered me the lemon grass grilled chicken. Everything was a total mess! All I could do was leave. It's been 3 months since I left and I have been counting. It's exactly 3 months at 7:04 tonight, which is when our airplane had took off. I am back home and ready to start my new year of college. There hasn't been a day where I don't remember them. It always comes back. The nightmares, the boys, everything. My time in the freezer had given me nightmares before, but now everything has changed. I keep on trying to make it look like I'm okay, but I'm not. Everyday it gets harder. He's not that easy to forget you know he's just the type of guy that you could remember for ages and still not forgot a single detail about him. I know that I practically dated Sawyer, and I'm not being fair and all, but something about mason just intimidates me. I know that I won't be able to talk to him for a while. My decision had hurt him pretty badly. I guess he really did like me more than I expected. I miss him everyday of my life. I miss all of the boys. Very very much.

------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight I have decided to change. I'm going to call Vincent on Skype. My hands are shaking as I press the power button.

What if mason or sawyer come on? I won't be able to stand it. As much as I want to get over these boys, I can't face those two just yet! Suddenly, I hear a voice! It sounds so familiar! I look down and there are two of the boys! Vincent and Wesley, just the two I wanted to talk to.

"Okay wait, am I hallucinating? Is this real? No I'm dreaming," Vincent says surprisingly. That's not what I expected him to say.

"Uh no, I'm pretty sure I'm real."

"Riley, Riley, Riley, Vincent says jumping up and down!

All of a sudden I got bombarded with questions.

"Where have you been? Why call us now? Are you okay?," Vincent asked.

"Vince. Vince. Vince! Stop asking questions. Oh and thanks for keeping your mouth shut Wesley."

"Oh, I'm going to call Mason and Sawyer and everybody else up here. They probably want to talk to u," Vince said excitedly.

Just the idea of it made my stomach churn, and then even worse when Vince started jumping up and down.

His mouth opens to yell at somebody downstairs, but I interrupt him first.

"No! I don't think I am ready to face anybody else."

"Ya Vincent, didn't u think about her feeling first?" Wesley said with a 'duh' motion.

"You guys, I miss you, but I'm in no condition to talk to anybody else. It just brings up bad memories."

"But Riley!," Vincent argued

"Shut up, Wesley said, I'm trying to hear Riley talk!"

"Fine, we won't tell them," Vincent said with a sigh.

"Good," I said smugly!

------------------------------------

2 months later-

"Okay, okay! I get! I need to get out of the house more. There I admitted it. Happy?"

"No!"

"We are not kidding," Wesley said!

"Wait what are we talking about?"

"Vincent catch up! We don't have time for your rubbish!"

"Oh, it's not like u have been listening to her going on and on about her boring college!"

"Actually yes I have and it's not boring, it's her college"

"Ugh! You guys, shut up!" I said loudly.

"Huh, I never thought you could shout so loud," Vincent said thoughtfully.

"Shut up Vince!" Wesley and I said at the same time.

"So what did you guys want to tell me?" I asked.

"Oh, should we tell her?" Vincent asked Wesley.

"Wait what? You told her that? You were not supposed to do that, dummy," he said as he smacked Vince on the head.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"It's nothing Riley, just an upcoming surprise. Bye!" He said as he quickly turned his computer off.

Huh, what could that be? Riley wondered.

----------------------------------------------------------

Middle of the school year. 4 months after the conversation with Vince and Wesley.

You are ugly! You can't do anything right. You are worthless. Damien should have killed you when he had the chance! I shouldn't have saved you. You are anything but worth saving.

These words rang through my head as I ran. Mason had just said them to me at my college, in front of everybody in my photography class. I could have bore through it if one of the college bitches had said something to me, but when Mason had said it, the facade I had put up for my family had crumbled down to nothing. Now I was running away from him instead of confronting him.

"Riley wait up I need to tell you something," someone called.

He caught up to me before I could run out the door. His eyes, they looked affectionate, almost as if he cared, but then he said them. The words I knew would break me if he would say them. But he shouted them as they rang through the empty halls of my college university.

"I hate you! I will never love you! You are nothing for me!

I woke up with a jolt. My head was beaded with sweat and my tank top was sticking to my back. I picked up my phone and dialed the number that I remembered by heart. I didn't overthink it.

The phone rang three times and then someone picked up.

"Hello?" Someone said sleepily. His voice, it's been 9 months since I heard that voice.

"M-Mason, I need you. Now," I said panting.

"Umm, ok I'll be there in five-"

"Five days! I can't wait that long. Please just take the next flight here."

"No I'll be there in five minutes."

"Oh okay. Just, hurry up. Please!"

I didn't think about it. I knew I would eventually get to it, but I was to depressed to do anything. Five minutes later my doorbell rang. I didn't live with my parents anymore and I had my own apartment so it didn't matter. I also didn't know how Mason knew where I was, but I put that off as well.

"Riley are you okay! Are you hurt," he asked, scared!

"No, no I'm fine. I just need to ask a question."

He smiled as I said it.

"So u called me at 3:38 in the morning becuz u need to ask me a question," he asked sarcastically.

"No this is important! I-I had a dream," I said panting.

"Oh," he said looking almost sad.

"D-Do," I stuttered.

"Tell me, Riley! I'm getting impatient. I'm also really really tired because we flew down here today."

"Do you still feel the same way?"

"What do u mean? I have no idea what your talking about."

"About me? Your feelings?"

"Riley, do you think I'd run down here at 3:45 in the morning if I didn't care about you."

"No! You have to tell me! Do you regret saving me from Damien? Am I not worth your time?

I need to know,"I said softly.

"Riley, I don't know what you saw in that stupid dream, but I really care about you! I haven't stopped thinking about you for a second since the day you left. I've barely lived for these past few months! I need you in my life, Riley. We all do."

As he said it something turned inside of me. Suddenly I didn't care about anything that happened. The freezer and the crash didint matter anymore. Fear no longer lived in my brain. The only thing that I thought was that Mason really loved me. Not the 1 week kind of fling, but that forever love that you could live with forever.

Mason leaned in and his warm lips touched mine. It was just a brush of his lips but I could feel the love.

"Do you want to sleep now? I bet your tired."

"Ya let's sleep."

We both laid down and I fell asleep in Mason's arms.

I'm pretty sure he thought I was askeep when he said it.

"Riley, I plummeted through hell when you left, but now I'm back in heaven and I'm not going to let go."

------------------------------------------

The next day-

"So why are you here anyway," I asked.

"Oh well it was supposed to be a surprise, but me and the boys, and mom and dad decided to surprise you and come see you. We were going to come to your college, but I guess not."

"Well, at least it didn't happen, because if it did, I bet I would have ran away from there or think that I am hallucinating and smack my self in the head."

Mason laughed. "I'd love to see that!"

"Hey!" I said lightly punching him.

We were officially back together and we were driving to the hotel Mason was staying in.

I was just hoping everyone would be okay with this.

------------------------------

I guess they are because when we got there everybody started hugging me and started crowding me. Apparently, my parents were in on this and the boys and Mike and Linda had came down here and talked to my parents about it. They had planned everything out, but I just happened to call Mason about 10 hours before they came. I accidentally ruined the surprise. Later, everybody started talking within themselves and me, my mom, and Linda were left.

"Mom, after this year of college, I would like to move to Linda's house. I heard they have a great photography school."

"Umm okay. It's your choice. Your eighteen and you can make your own decisions."

"Thanks mom! We can talk about it later!"

Mom left and it was finally just me and Linda.

"Riley, do you remember when you first came to our house and I pointed something out at the dinner table, Linda asked.

"You mean when you said that me and mason are going to end up together," I said laughingly.

"Yes."

"Ya, I know. You were definitely right," I said happily.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi guys! This one-shot is dedicated to Cappuccinos! She is an amazing writer and I love her story. Read Riley's Tale on the Opposite Gender! It's really good!

-Italy12