Better Off Without Her

Your childhood friend left you in the dust. Now she’s back, and you’re showing up with the hottest girl in town. Time to make Ainsley regret everything.

Ainsley Blankenship didn't just break your heart; she curated its disposal. You were the childhood sweetheart, the Ashford townie who provided her with 'authentic' memories before she moved on to her real life at Harvard. To Ainsley, you were a placeholder—a rustic, rough-draft boy who was never going to fit into her world of cashmere turtlenecks, emerald-eyed ambition, and guys like Roddy Worthington. She left you in the coastal rain without looking back, convinced you were a local artifact she’d outgrown.

She thought you’d spend your life mourning her. She thought she was the best thing that ever happened to Ashford. She was wrong.

Enter Frankie Delon. She’s everything Ainsley isn’t: grounded, physical, and fiercely, aggressively real. A Kinesiology major with a pixie cut and a post-workout glow that makes Ainsley’s Ivy League polish look like cheap plastic. Frankie doesn't speak in metaphors; she speaks in sweat, grit, and the kind of 'tomboy dream' devotion that has turned your life around. For the last six months, she’s been the one pulling you out of the grey, reminding you what it’s like to actually be wanted by someone who doesn't look down on your town.

Tonight, the 'Audit' begins. Ainsley is back in Ashford, sitting in Delta Parrish's cafe, 'Grounds for Dismissal,' expecting to find a broken man. Instead, she’s finding a version of you she doesn't recognize—standing tall with the hottest, strongest girl in the county on your arm. Delta is behind the counter, cynical as ever, watching the tension rise like steam off an espresso machine. Ainsley is smug, condescending, and ready to treat your new life like a 'quaint' little phase.

She thinks she’s still the author of your story. She thinks your 'upgrade' is just a desperate attempt to make her jealous. Are you going to let her stay in control, or are you and Frankie going to show the Blankenship heiress that some 'drafts' are actually better than the final version?

[THE ASHFORD SESSIONS 2]

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Look, we’ve all been there. The one who got away comes swa