I couldn’t handle it any longer. I skipped the last period before lunch and ran to my car. I was grateful to my mother for allowing me to drive myself that morning. Usually, she would drive me.
I was trying to pull myself together when a knock on my window startled me enough to stop my crying. Maybe if I went home and went to sleep, I’d wake up and find this was all a nightmare. A second tap ripped me out of my thoughts. I looked out the window into the bright green eyes of Ryder Jones. What?
Why was he at my car knocking on my window? I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. Ryder Jones didn’t speak to me. Ever. Ryder Jones didn’t talk to anyone unless it was to tell them to piss off.
He motioned for me to wind my window down, but I didn’t. I couldn’t function. Ryder Jones, the school’s most desirable bad boy, was standing at my car. I couldn’t breathe. What did he want?
He rolled his eyes, yanked my door open, and crouched down so he was at my level.
“I saw what that jerk did in there this morning. You okay?” he asked. His jaw was tense, and his eyes were burning with anger. My eyebrows shot up so far, I was sure they had left my head. He was asking if I was okay. Why? He shouldn’t have cared about my personal drama.
“Bailey?” He reached out and wiped a tear from my cheek that I hadn’t realised was still falling. I still couldn’t move. All I could think was: Ryder Jones just touched me. He touched me. Oh my God.
“Look, Chace is a douche. You don’t need him. You’re better than that. You need to show him that. Nothing will hurt him more than knowing he hasn’t broken you. I can help you.” He winked at me, but I just blinked back, confused.
It couldn’t be real. Ryder Jones didn’t talk to girls. They threw themselves at him. But there he was. Talking to me. I was most definitely not throwing myself at him. In fact, I was still staring at him open-mouthed, like a fish. He laughed and, oh, it was a glorious sound. I swear I heard a harp playing a tune and saw the light brighten when he smiled.
“So, anyway, think about it. We’ve got all summer to work on it.” All summer to work on what? He ran a hand through his curly brown hair before asking, “Have you got a phone?”
A phone? Of course, I have a phone. What teenager doesn’t these days? He rolled his eyes again when I didn’t respond. He reached across me into my car, his shirtsleeves pulling up slightly to reveal the scattered tattoos on his arm, and grabbed my phone from where it was resting on the dashboard. I watched as he called a number and handed it back to me with a smirk.
“Now you have my number. Call me if you want to get payback. I know I do.” He stood up and closed my door without another word and strutted toward the school, leaving me paralysed and staring after him.
I started my car and headed home, baffled by Ryder’s offer and unsure what to make of it. It was strange that he’d approached me in the first place but even stranger that he wanted to get payback. For what? I couldn’t understand. But I knew one thing: I wasn’t a vindictive person. Chace broke up with me for reasons unknown, and I wasn’t about to stoop to his level for a little revenge.
I sought comfort and support from my wonderful friends and avoided everyone else for the next couple of days. Christina was amazing. She became my supplier of ice cream and peanut butter, even spending nights curled up in my bed watching sappy, romantic movies. I’m a sucker for punishment.
The few times I came across Chace in town, on those rare occasions I ventured out of the house, he looked the other way and pretended he didn’t see me. Maybe because I was a blubbering mess with my tangled hair in a bun, with tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes. I was not looking my best if I was honest. But our breakup didn’t seem to affect him. At all. He was laughing and joking with his mates at the ice cream shop like nothing had happened, looking all gorgeous with his tan skin and golden-brown hair, lightened by the sun. He was happy without me, and that just made me miss him more.
I called Christina to tell her I would not be going on the road trip with them now. I couldn’t face Chace. Another month with him would kill me.
Christina begged and pleaded before calling in reinforcements in the form of Indie.
“Don’t let him ruin your fun,” they argued.
“The girls are right, sweetheart. You were all excited for this trip. Don’t let Chace ruin it for you.” My mother even sided with them. So, after much arguing and sulking on my part, which they ignored, I agreed to still go on the road trip.
Chapter Two
Christmas came and went quietly. We’d never been a family to throw a big celebration for anything really, so my mother and I just spent the morning lounging at the beach soaking up the sun and the afternoon on the sofa watching It’s a Wonderful Life and classic eighties movies. It was our tradition. Mum loved watching old movies, and we’d done this every year since I could remember. I loved it too, mostly because picturing my mum growing up in the eighties with huge hair, big hoop earrings, and leg warmers was hilarious and not at all like her now.
I kept checking my phone for a text from Chace. Anything. But there was nothing. Christina and Indie stopped by for a few minutes to exchange gifts between visiting their families. I was glad that my mum and I never celebrated and that it was just the two of us. Watching Indie and Christina both rush from one grandparent’s house to the next for huge meals was crazy.
“We will pick you up in the morning. About seven a.m.,” Christina said as she was leaving, the photo album I bought her under her arm.
I smiled and thanked her again for the Chanel handbag she had bought me. I hated it when she spent so much money on gifts for me because I could never even dream of being able to afford something like that for her, but she would always argue that money didn’t matter.
I wasn’t looking forward to the road trip at all. A whole month with Chace. Even though I’d not seen him for a couple of weeks, the pain was there. Just the thought of seeing him brought tears to my eyes. But I could never have imagined how many more tears were to come.
It was on the road trip when it happened. The worst thing ever. The most shocking thing. The Betrayal.
Knowing how unreliable Christina and Indie were with time frames, I decided I would be ready to leave at eight-thirty in the morning, even though Christina had said seven. I still had to wait another thirty minutes for them to pick me up. Honestly, it was a miracle they made it to school on time most days.