“What the hell?” Chace’s voice interrupted us, and we pulled away, breathing heavily. I closed my eyes and wished for Chace to leave. But he didn’t. Instead, he stepped into the bathroom with us and started calling me names and demanding to know what we were doing.
A crowd of people began to gather outside the door ready to see another fight while I tried to cover the fact I was only wearing a bra and skirt and had my legs wrapped around a shirtless Ryder. Not an image I wanted half the senior class to see.
Ryder reached over for a towel and handed it to me so I could wrap it around myself while Chace continued his tirade, calling me a slut, a whore, easy, desperate, pathetic—and those were the nice names. Ryder turned and told him to shut his mouth or he’d regret it, but Chace continued, and that was how that fight started.
Ryder shoved Chace out the bathroom door and pushed him into the spectating crowd of students, who shoved him back at Ryder. Punches were thrown again. Chace tackled Ryder and knocked him down to the ground, but somehow, I couldn’t quite see from where I was in the bathroom, Ryder managed to get out from Chace’s grip and pin him to the ground. Not wanting to put a sticky margarita-soaked top back on, I hurriedly threw Ryder’s shirt on over my bra and pushed my way through the crowd until I got to the fight. I watched Ryder throw a couple of punches before kneeling down beside Chace’s head.
“Jones, baby, calm down, that’s enough. He’s had enough.” Ryder stopped throwing punches instantly and looked up at me.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I laughed and stood up, pulling him with me.
We made our way back downstairs and into the backyard, where Indie was chugging a beer.
“Hey, we’re heading off. You coming?” I asked her. She shook her head.
“Nah, I’m going to hang here a bit longer.” I didn’t like the idea of leaving her at the party alone when she was so drunk, but no matter how much I tried to convince her to come with us, she wouldn’t. The only thing stopping me from full-on panicking was that she was at least with Greg and Lizzie, and I couldn’t imagine them letting her get into too much trouble.
Chapter Seventeen
Chace’s party was the turning point. It changed everything. It set in motion a series of events creating some sort of butterfly effect I never could have imagined, and it all started with that fight. The fight that led to that kiss, which resulted in another fight, that led to that crazy hot make-out session, which led to yet another fight, that caused a shift in the social structure of our school. Ultimately leading me to where I was a week and a half later—sitting under the tree outside the cafeteria like we always did. Only it was still just Indie and me as Ryder was away.
“When’s he back?” Indie asked, kicking off her shoes and laying back in the sun.
“Uhm, I don’t know. After Easter sometime.” I shook my head. It was two weeks until Easter break. I started pulling out blades of grass and watched them blow away in the breeze as I thought about Ryder.
Ryder had taken off the day after Chace’s party. After our fight. After our kiss. He’d told me it was a family emergency and that he had to leave town for a few days, but he’d be back as soon as he could. He’d texted a couple of times to see how things were and to make sure I hadn’t changed my mind about our fake breakup. I just kept telling him we’d discuss it when he got back, to which he would always apologise for not being there and not being back before Easter.
Although I couldn’t help but think that something had changed between us at the party when he kissed me during our fight, I knew that I needed to distance myself from him because I would only end up getting hurt in the end. That kiss was a total contradiction, just like Ryder. It was rough and intense and passionate. I could feel his anger and frustration. But at the same time, it was sweet and gentle and caring. His tongue had swirled around my mouth hungrily while his fingertips had lightly danced along my shoulders and down my spine before pulling my body as close to his as possible. My knees had buckled, and I nearly collapsed, but his strong arms held me up as he laughed against my lips, pulling away slightly.
I’d become so lost in him at that moment, and I’d forgotten all about our fight and needing to end things and could only think about kissing him again and again. I had let myself imagine what it would be like if things were real between us, which wasn’t hard since he hadn’t let me out of his sight or his reach for the rest of the night.
“Well, I hope for Ryder’s sake Chace has calmed down by the time he gets back. He’s out for Ryder’s blood,” Indie said. I had to suppress a chuckle.
“I don’t think that will be a problem, In.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t know what I was thinking. Chace is a douche and won’t do jack to get back at him.” She started laughing.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, but Ryder can handle himself pretty well. Christina, on the other hand, who knows what she’s capable of?”
“I know. I can’t believe he broke Chace’s nose. He’s been whining like a little bitch since the party. And Christina will definitely have something planned.”
“So how are things going with Jayden, and what’s Linc been like?” I needed to change the subject to something other than Ryder. Talking about everything just made me miss him even more.
“Jayden’s great. We’ve been texting. And Linc…well, he’s Linc.” Indie shrugged with a smile, but I didn’t miss the sadness in her eyes.
After Ryder and I had left the party and Indie had decided to stay, she drank way too much and got to the point that she couldn’t stand. Somehow, she’d managed to lock herself safely in a bedroom and call Linc. Like always, Linc had gone running to her rescue. He was like her big brother.
“He’s acting all weird because he let me stay the night. He’s worried that my brother or my parents will find out I slept at his house. But really, where else could I have gone? He couldn’t have taken me home in the condition I was in. He stayed to look after me and let me stay in his bed, Bailey. His bed. With him!” she squealed. It was like a dream come true for her: her knight in shining armour coming to her rescue and letting her stay the night.
“Well, I understand why he might be worried about them finding out,” I said. She looked at me, all confused. “Do you think your parents or your brother would be okay with you sleeping in a bed with a twenty year old?”
“But it’s Linc. Not a random.”
“Still.”
“Hey guys, mind if we sit?” I looked up and saw Greg and Lizzie standing beside the tree smiling nervously as they interrupted our conversation. I was never going to get through to her. No matter how hard she tried, she was always going to be off limits to Linc. He valued her and her brother’s friendship more than anything.
“Uhm.” I turned to look at Indie, who just shrugged in confusion. “I guess.”
“Great, thanks.” Lizzie smiled and sat next to me.