24 | in which he has a type

Don't judge yourself by your past,

You don't live there anymore.

.\.|./.

Ryan Falls

Apparently, Crystal loves to drive. And since I love seeing her smile, I suggest we go driving.

Where?

Who the hell cares?

Sometimes, she goes to class. She doesn't seem very interested in the course she's taking but she goes anyway, returning soon and telling me it was a waste of time when I ask her how it's going. With exams approaching, she seems even more aloof, avoiding studying even when I tell her she should probably open a book. She would much rather just live.

Probably because she hasn't been herself in a long time.

With Skillet blaring in the silence between us and our terrible voices causing distress to the dead Alaskan people around, we zoom through the city. The weather is warmer now, but clouds hang low, causing the wind to grow colder as evening approaches.

As Crystal drives, I take in the sights around us. In LA, the world was always alive, people hurrying this way and that, laughing, chatting, running. There was life there, and though the smiles were fake sometimes, everyone cared about looking the best. In Alaska, who you are or where you come from doesn't matter. You can be anyone, and nobody would question your choices.

By the time we get back to my house, Crystal is smiling and her cheeks flushed. Her hair is a mess from the wind rushing through them, and she attempts to sleek them back. They only become fizzier, giving her the look of someone who just got out of bed.

I unlock the door and open it, flicking the lights on and turning back to look at Crystal.

"Don't laugh at me," she says to me when she catches me smiling at her. "You Mr. I'm-so-good-looking-without-even-trying, " she grumbles as she passes me by and enters.

"You think I'm good-looking?" I pick up, closing the door of my house behind us.

She looks back at me, suddenly appearing awkward. "Well ..." she hesitates, giving me a once-over. "You are."

Her answer is unexpected, but I'd be lying if I say I don't love it. Trying not to smile -- and failing -- I step closer to her, reaching up to touch her fizzy hair. Her eyes stare back at me.

"And you are beautiful," I say.

Crystal blinks, and I have half a mind to just kiss her silly. Oh, who am I kidding? I have a full mind to kiss her.

Apparently, fate has other things in store.

The doorbell rings, and I sigh, giving Crystal a 'what-am-I-going-to-do' look before walking over to the door. As I pull it open, Olivia comes barging in through the open door.

"I've been calling you all day, where the hell have you --"

Her rambling stops suddenly when she sees Crystal standing in the middle of my room, fizzy-haired and pale-faced, a ghost who just wants to sneak through the wall and never be seen again. As for Olivia, she stares at Crystal for a long time, blinking only when I clear my throat.

"Olivia, this is Crystal," I introduce her, keeping my voice as even as possible. "Crystal, my sister."

Crystal makes no attempt to react to my words, and I can't help but roll my eyes at her unwarranted fear. The only way to face her fear, then, is to see that it's unwarranted in the first place. Maybe Olivia's sudden arrival can help.

"So ..." Olivia begins. "You're the friend Ryan was talking about?"

"Yeah, she is," I speak for Crystal, wanting to save her the trauma. "Turns out she lives next door. She's been amazing, helping me out while I could barely move."

Olivia nods thoughtfully, looking at me before looking back at Crystal and smiling. To Crystal's surprise -- and my joy -- Olivia walks over towards her, extending a hand.

"Olivia," she introduces herself. "It's nice to meet you, Crystal."

Despite the fact that Crystal looks like she has just been hit by her own car, she glances at me and relaxes.

"Nice to meet you too," she says, shaking Olivia's hand. "Ryan talks about you all the time."

I have to make a conscious effort not to laugh -- I never talk about Olivia, but clearly, Crystal knows how to win hearts. Maybe she can teach me how to make small-talk some time.

"Really?" Olivia raises her eyebrows, shooting me a questioning look. "Hope he doesn't make me out to look like a total bitch."

"I most definitely do," I say to Olivia, heading over to the kitchen to see if there are any leftovers from the lunch Crystal made.

Olivia laughs behind me, and I'm relieved to see that her reaction isn't like Crystal was afraid it was going to be. I can't help but blame her boyfriend for instilling that fear in her, an anxiety that people will hate her for some unknown reason. One day, I hope I can free her of his voice inside her head.

"Here," I say to Olivia, placing a dish of the salmon Crystal baked in front of her on the table. "Try some of Crystal's cooking. It's to die for."

Olivia narrows her eyes at me, knowing fully-well how I never compliment her cooking. There is nothing to compliment, and I'm not a liar, nor do I plan to be. It's with a bitter look that she breaks a part of the fish fillet with the fork, putting it in her mouth.

"It might be poisoned, though," I add as an afterthought. "Just a heads-up."

Crystal shoots me an incredulous look, and I smile back at her before turning back towards the kitchen. I've been craving coffee all afternoon, and now that it's evening, I doubt my headache will go away without a huge dose of caffeine. My therapist told me he could help me find other ways to satisfy the craving, but if I was quitting alcohol, I needed something nice to replace it with. Thankfully, caffeine fit right into the void.

"Hmm, this is so good!"

Olivia's very awkwardness-arousing moans fill the room and I roll my eyes as I walk out of it, dropping some cocoa beans into the coffee maker and switching it on. From my place in the kitchen, I can't hear what Olivia is saying to Crystal, and make my way to the door to get a clear listening.

"... you should definitely come over sometime," Olivia is saying as she devours the last bits of the salmon I had planned to eat for dinner. "Ted would love to share recipes with you. He always cooks on the weekends, since we're both too busy to make anything over the week. He loves salmon, though, so he'd love to know how you made this."

Crystal looks more at ease than before, nodding along.

"Maybe we can go on a double-date," Olivia suggests, putting down her fork once she's emptied the plate. "Ted and I's schedules are so packed, and Ryan never goes out with us. Maybe if you come by, he'll be more interested."

The look on Crystal's face is hilarious and I bite my lower lip to keep myself from laughing.

"Oh, we're not ..." Crystal begins uncertainly. "We're not dating."

"Yet," I add under my breath.

Crystal shoots me a look.

I roll my eyes, not wanting to agree with her but knowing she's kind of right. Driving around, spending all our time together, telling each other our burdens, and having shared a kiss in the rain and one on my doorstep -- this does not classify as dating. Maybe I can start my day tomorrow by asking Crystal on an actual date. That way, at least she won't have this overwhelming urge to tell my sister about our relationship's dynamics.

"But Ryan said ..." Olivia's voice trails off, as she turns in her seat to look at me.

"Don't listen to him," Crystal says. "You know he's always joking around."

Olivia -- who had been pushing her red hair back -- stops with her hands in her hair, staring at Crystal like she has lost her mind.

"Ryan?" she repeats, staring in disbelief. "The guy is as dead as the rat in my basement, Crystal, what the hell are you talking about?"

Crystal looks taken aback, and I have to fight back my smile. She turns to look questioningly at me, and I wink.

She doesn't know that she brings out the best in me.

"Damn, with this cooking, how are you in such good shape?"

Olivia seems to have fallen in love with Crystal's cooking, and I'm wondering if I should break them apart already. Knowing Olivia, she won't take one moment in revealing she's bisexual. Where would that leave me? With already battling an absent, abusive boyfriend, the last thing I need is another person to compete against.

"Well, I think working out was kind of what I did," Crystal answers, and I don't have to look at her to know she's smiling. "Being on the cheer-squad required good shape."

I freeze, caught off guard by the sudden revelation.

"You were a cheerleader?" Olivia asks with a laugh. "Wow, Ryan sure has a type then."

I look over my shoulder just in time to see Crystal's smile fall.

"Excuse me?"

"Lilliana was a cheerleader too, right, Ryan?" Olivia asks me, completely oblivious of the turmoil beneath my surface.

"Lilliana?" Crystal repeats, her eyes fixed on me.

"Ryan's ex," Olivia says, getting to her feet. "They had a pretty bad break-up, and he never told me the reason but I thought ..."

She's still speaking, but I've stopped listening, my gaze fixed upon Crystal's. I'm hoping she'll see that I wasn't trying to keep this from her. The only reason I didn't mention Lilliana was because she doesn't matter. Thinking about her only causes me pain, and a surge of anger I don't want to experience.

Thankfully, Crystal averts her gaze and continues her conversation with Olivia like nothing even happened. I keep to myself for the rest of the evening, my mind swaying between the traumatic past and the peaceful present. As much as I try, I fail to keep them apart.

Olivia hugs me before she leaves, not before she gets a promise from Crystal to go on a double-date. Crystal and I stand in my doorway, waving Olivia goodbye as she gets in her car and drives away. Even after she's gone, we stand there, staring into the dark street.

I don't speak, not really knowing how to begin. I want Crystal to be the first to mention her, ask me what the questions on her mind. As for Crystal, she turns and walks back into my house.

"I should go," she mumbles.

"Crystal ..." I begin, following her. "I didn't mean to keep that from --"

"It's okay," she's quick to say. "You don't have to explain."

"We broke up," I say. "Before I came here. It was ... she was the final blow that made me leave LA."

I'm telling the truth, and even though her part in my past is small, Lilliana might be the only reason I decided to get my act together and finally take action. Maybe if she hadn't done what she did, I would still be in LA, reliving every painful moment of my life until I could no longer take it. If anything, I should thank her.

Crystal doesn't speak, and I walk up to her, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"I want you, Crystal," I say. "Not her."

She sighs, licking her lips. "Did she ... am I like her?" she asks, and I can almost hear her mind working. She's afraid the only reason I like her is that she's like Lilliana. The truth, however, could not be more different.

"No," I say, running my fingers across Crystal's cheek. "You are nothing like her. You are you, Crystal. Nobody but you."

And I couldn't like anyone more.

.\.|./.

A/N: The plot-twist will come in the next chapter. You ready?

P.S. the last unedited chapter had so many typos, I hope this one doesn't. I left the funniest unedited, because it made me laugh so hard. Who noticed my 'plot-twist' was written 'plat-twist' instead? :D I love you all for putting up with my weirdness <3