“No, not today,” I answered without looking at her.
“But didn’t he rush home just to take you to prom?” I didn’t have to look at her to know she was smirking.
“Whatever, Christina. He’s home, I saw him, and now he’s sleeping. It’s none of your business,” I snapped, briefly glaring over my shoulder at her. She was enraged. It was almost like there was steam coming out of her ears.
“Tired because he was out all night with another girl?” she said in a sing-song voice. She just couldn’t help herself. She had to get on my nerves. Geez, she was such a bitch.
“No, he wasn’t. He was at my place last night,” I told her, feeling my blood begin to boil. Would I get into much trouble if I punched her in the face? Oh damn! I had definitely been spending too much time with Ryder.
“All night?” She raised her eyebrow at me in disbelief.
“Yes, all ni…” I started to speak but stopped when I remembered he wasn’t with me all night. He had left just before dinner to deal with something and didn’t come back until this morning.
“That’s a lie, and you know it.” Christina smiled delightedly. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to whisper in Chace’s ear.
I watched their exchange, trying to work out what sort of game she was playing. It had to be a game. She was just trying to get under my skin. Ryder wouldn’t spend the night with another girl before crawling into my bed in the morning. Would he? Chace visibly paled as he listened to whatever Christina was telling him.
“Ryder wasn’t with you last night. I saw him walking down the street with another girl. A tall blonde. Looked pretty cosy too with his arm around her.” She started laughing while Chace buried his face in his hands, not saying a word.
“Whatever, Christina. Just because you didn’t get crowned prom queen doesn’t mean you need to create drama in someone else’s life. Just stay away from me. I don’t need your petty jealousy,” I hissed at her and grabbed my bag. I walked out of the room, ignoring the teacher’s calls to return immediately, and ran down the hallway and outside. I was trying not to overreact or believe a word Christina had just said, but it was hard when I knew Ryder had left me last night.
I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. I had to let him explain where he was. Let him tell me the truth. As much as it would hurt to hear that he was with another girl, I couldn’t get mad or upset at him because we weren’t together. I told him at the start to let me know if he wanted to see other girls and we’d call the whole thing off.
I needed to speak to him.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t think it through. I just left school. I walked right out the building and through the gates. My house wasn’t really in walking distance. Well, it was, but it was a long walk. I should have stayed at school until the end of the day so I could have gone home with Indie. Or maybe Ryder would have shown up.
Ryder.
That’s what I was doing. I had to speak to him. I wasn’t thinking about anything else other than talking to him. I needed to find out the truth from Ryder. I really hoped Christina was wrong, because I was starting to think that Ryder might actually care about me. But if he was seeing another girl, there really wasn’t anything I could do about it. We weren’t together. This whole thing was a charade that had got out of control. He had every right to see other girls. I just wished he wouldn’t want to. I wanted to be enough.
Who was I kidding? He was Ryder freaking Jones. He didn’t commit. He had a string of girls following him around everywhere trying to get his attention. Well, at least until our relationship became public knowledge, anyway.
I couldn’t help but think that maybe Christina was telling the truth, though. He did walk out on me before dinner last night with the weak excuse that he had something to take care of. And he was out late. He admitted that much. He was with another girl. He had to have been.
I didn’t notice the car that had slowed down beside me, and I didn’t realise I was crying until I heard his voice.
“Bailey, what’s wrong? Don’t cry. Come on. Let me take you home.”
I stopped walking and tried to wipe away the tears, but they just wouldn’t stop. The more I wiped, the more they fell.
I snapped at him and kept walking. “Leave me alone, Chace. Go back to Christina.” He got out of the car and ran to catch up with me, apparently not taking the hint. He was the last person I wanted to see.
“Let me drive you home. You’re upset. You shouldn’t be walking alone.” He looked up at the sky. “A storm is coming. You’ll get sick.”
“Like you care.”
“I do care. You have to believe that. Why do you think I am here chasing after you and not in class with Christina?” I stopped to look at him. He had his hands in his pockets, and he was looking at his feet, almost like he was nervous. Why was he here with me?
“I don’t know. Some sort messed-up game you two are playing. Go back to Christina.”
“No. I’m going to make sure you get home okay. Christina can wait. I’m pissed at her for that little stunt she just pulled. She had no right to drop it on you like that. Let me take you home.” What the hell happened? Today started out great, but now it sucked.
“Fine.” I agreed to a lift home but only because the rain was already soaking me through and I didn’t have a jacket. Plus, the sooner I got home, the sooner I could find Ryder and talk to him. I climbed into Chace’s car without caring at all that I was dripping water all over his expensive leather seats. He used to berate me for that all the time, but he wisely chose not to say anything this time.
We drove in silence for a while, the car slowly defrosting me as it heated up. It didn’t help much, but at least I wasn’t shivering anymore.
“Look, I know you think I am a jerk—” Chace started to say, but I cut him off by laughing.
“No, Chace. I don’t think you’re a jerk.” He glanced at me, looking surprised. “I know you’re an arsehole.” I finished speaking and turned to stare out the window. Wow! I had wanted to say that to him for so long.
“I deserve that. I want you to know I’m sorry for how everything happened, but Ryder? You could have had any guy in the school and you chose Ryder. He’s just not right for you.”
“You can’t tell me who or what is right for me, Chace. Once upon a time, I thought you were good for me. I was wrong there. Ryder isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. It’s mostly all talk.”
“All talk? Then why did Christina see him with another girl and a k—” He stopped suddenly, realising what he was saying and that he was saying too much.
“And a what, Chace?” I turned in my seat to ask him.
“A nothing. Just another girl.” He tried to backtrack, but I could see right through him.