by R. Linda
“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.
“So what are you sitting with us for and not with the robots inside?” Indie asked, sitting up and staring at Greg and Lizzie. Straight to the point, Indie. Well done.
“If I have to listen to Chace or Christina go on one more time about how you and Ryder will regret it, I will punch them both myself,” Greg said.
“They are driving us crazy. All they can talk about is you and Ryder, whether it’s about the fights or just you guys being in a relationship in general. It’s draining. Christina is such a bitch. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. And Chace. Don’t even get me started,” Lizzie complained, making both Indie and I laugh.
“Look, we just want to apologise to you, Bailey, for the way we’ve behaved. We knew what Chace and Christina did to you was wrong, and we wish that we’d never picked a side. We really do regret ignoring you, and we hope you can forgive us, and maybe we can be friends again,” Greg said. I was tempted to say: No, go screw yourselves. You all ditched me for them. But I had forgiven Indie, and I understood how hard it could be to go against the hierarchy in a school where social status meant everything. It would have been social suicide had anyone picked me.
“Of course.” I smiled at them. I may have forgiven them, but I wouldn’t trust them. Not yet. How did I know it wasn’t one of Christina’s plans to get back at me by making me think I had friends and then taking them from me again? I would be careful this time. I didn’t trust anyone anymore. Except for Ryder.
The butterfly effect at its finest. A fight, a kiss, a fight, a hot make-out session including sponge bath, and another fight, all leading to two more friends for me and two fewer friends, hopefully, for Chace and Christina.
Chapter
Eighteen
I spent Easter at home with my mother like always. It was quiet and nothing fancy. Just a small dinner for two. It was nice to have a break from school and from seeing Chace and Christina every day.
Indie was practically bouncing out of her seat when she picked me up for school towards the end of our first week back after Easter break.
“Guess what?” she squealed as soon as I got in the car and closed the door.
“No idea.” I tried to muster up some enthusiasm for her, but I was struggling. Ryder had been gone so long, and I missed him. I was starting to feel insecure and awkward at school again. Chace and Christina weren’t helping, either. It was the first week back, and already they seemed to be spreading rumours and gossiping about the fact that Ryder skipped town after Chace’s party and wasn’t home for Easter.
“Jayden finally asked me to prom.” She clapped in excitement. She and Jayden had really hit it off at Chace’s party, and they’d been talking and texting all through Easter.
“The dance is months away, Indie.” I frowned, emphasising that it was a dance and not a prom. He was getting in awfully early.
“Ah…no, it’s not.” She sighed at me, shaking her head as she pulled her car into the parking lot.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Her Royal Whoreness,” she paused and then giggled at her nickname for Christina before getting out and slamming her door, “has managed to convince the prom committee and the school to bring it forward. It’s the middle of next month.”
“What? You’re kidding?” I followed Indie into the school. “Why?”
“Cause she’s nuts. I don’t know. Anyway, I mentioned it to Jayden last week.”
“Last week? You knew then?” How was it Indie knew at least a week ago and I was only finding out about it now?
“Yes. As I was saying, I told him about it, and he asked me last night. Isn’t it great?”
“That’s great, In. He’s a nice guy.” I smiled at her, hoping that she didn’t notice how down I was getting without Ryder. Would he ask me to prom? The dance? Did I want to go? Yes. Maybe. But not without him. When did I become so dependent on him?
She began rambling on about the dance and wondering what she should wear and if she could wear pants. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“You cannot wear pants to a dance, Indie. How can you be prom queen if you’re not in a gown?” I laughed at the disgusted look on her face. She was such a tomboy sometimes. I had never seen her in a skirt or dress. It was always pants, except for that one time last year when she had a wedding to attend.
“I do not wear gowns, crowns, or heels, and I sure as hell am not going up against Her Majesty. She’s your enemy. You should go for queen, Bailey.” Indie spun around to face me with an evil smile.
“No. Definitely not. I’m not even going.”
“Don’t be stupid. Of course you are. You have to go. Just imagine it. You’ll be the girl who took Ryder Jones to prom.”
I screwed up my face. I wanted to go to the dance, but I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. Who knew if Ryder would even be home by then? “Whatever.” I shrugged, not wanting to discuss it further.
Indie pulled the doors open and followed me into the school building. The halls were bustling with other students trying to make their way to classes. We were headed for our lockers when we heard the screeching. Shrieking. Screaming like a banshee.
“What the hell?” Indie asked and pushed her way through the small group of people forming just ahead of us.
“Look what you did!” someone screeched, the sound high-pitched and grating on my nerves.
Christina.
I followed Indie to where she was standing. She was staring dumbstruck at Christina, who was towering over a girl and screaming at her. The poor girl couldn’t have been older than fourteen. She was tiny, which made it all the worse as Christina continued to stand over her and insult her. The girl was apologising profusely and trying to pick up the books that had fallen to the ground in a puddle of what appeared to be orange juice. She had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Christina, trying to explain that it was an accident.
“I don’t care if it was an accident. Watch where you’re going. Are you dumb?” Christina stomped her foot onto one of the books the girl was trying to collect.
“No, I’m sorry.” She sobbed. “Really, I was just in a hurry, and I didn’t see you. I’ll pay. I swear.”
“You’re damn right you’ll pay. You’ll buy me a new shirt and…” She trailed off and looked around at the students that had gathered. Her eyes landed on a boy with glasses. In his hands was a can of orange soda. She…No…She wouldn’t.
“Mind if I borrow this?”
She would. I’d seen and heard enough. I was not going to let her embarrass the poor girl anymore. I pushed Indie to the side and stepped into the circle.
“What are you doing?” Indie hissed from behind me, grabbing my arm to hold me back.
“I’m not letting her get away with it, In.” I shrugged off Indie’s grip and turned back to Christina
and the girl. But I was too late. The girl shrieked, and Christina cackled like a maniac as she poured the orange soda over the girl’s head.
“What is your problem?” I said, pushing Christina back. I heard a few people gasp and quietly root for a fight. I ignored them and turned to the girl, pulling her to her feet. I pushed her behind me and faced a furious Christina.
“She ruined my shirt.” Christina narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, grabbing a fistful of my top. “No one destroys my stuff.”
“Back off, Christina. Don’t be such a bitch. She apologised.” I slapped her hand away and stepped back. Indie rushed over and led the girl away from the crossfire just as Christina shoved me hard in the chest.
“You think you’re tough cause you’re dating Ryder? You think you can disrespect me like that?” As Christina laughed, the silence around us seemed deafening. “Ryder doesn’t care. He doesn’t want you. You’re pathetic, Bailey. Always have been. You’re just making a fool of yourself.”
She was wrong. She was pathetic. The sneer on her face pushed me over the edge, and I snapped. “You’re the one making a fool of yourself, Christina.” I lunged for her, making her fall to the ground, taking me with her. A mixture of orange juice and orange soda seeped into my jeans, but I didn’t care. Christina thrashed beneath me trying to buck me off. Her screams were wild, and her voice was hoarse, but the hall was silent except for Indie quietly cheering me on. “Picking on a kid like that. Really? Did that make you feel important?”
“Get off me.” She struggled, but I just laughed.
“You. Are. A. Pathetic. Bitch,” I said slowly. “I have no idea what Chace sees in you, but you deserve each other.” I pushed myself up and grabbed the books that were still scattered on the ground. Christina was still spread out in a pool of sticky orange drink.
“I may be a bitch, but you’re the pathetic one, Bailey,” she called after me as I walked away from her. “I’ll be the one who’s wearing the crown at prom. Where will you be? Crying into a tub of ice cream because your boyfriend ran away to avoid you. Ha! Why do you think I had the date brought forward? Because Ryder’s not here to take you. Do you even know where Ryder is or what he’s been doing?” she hissed, her voice venomous.
I stood staring at her, dumbstruck. I didn’t have a response. I couldn’t form a coherent thought. She had changed prom so I couldn’t go. Because…why? Was she worried I’d steal her precious crown? What a joke. I couldn’t care less about that piece of plastic. Was I pathetic, though, waiting hopefully for Ryder to return? I had no idea what he was doing or where he was. He’d promised to explain it eventually but left me completely in the dark for now. I glared at Christina, and in a real act of maturity, I flipped my finger at her and turned and walked through the crowd.
A few people clapped and cheered and slapped me on the back, but most just stood there in shock, probably trying to process the entire event. Indie and the girl caught up with me as I reached the front doors.
“Are you okay?” I asked the girl. She nodded slightly and sniffed back the tears. “What’s your name?”
“Lenora.”
“Well, Lenora, would you like a lift home to get cleaned up?” I asked her softly, handing her books to her.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “That would be great.”
“Come on then. Let’s go,” Indie said, ushering us through the door.
“Thank you for sticking up for me. I didn’t mean to run into her or spill my drink.”
“We know. It’s okay. Someone had to put her back in her place, and I couldn’t stand by and watch her treat you like that.”
“But everything she said…” Lenora trailed off, a look of determination crossing her features as she continued, “She’s going to pay. I promise.”
“It’s not worth it. Believe me,” I said.
Chapter
Nineteen
The days went by slowly without Ryder to occupy my time. I was almost tempted to cross off the days in my diary, but that would only depress me more. He’d been gone so long, and the rumours just kept getting worse.
“Ryder left because she was a head case.”
“Ryder left because she was no good in bed.”
“Ryder was cheating because he can’t commit.”
“Ryder didn’t want to go to the dance with her.”
“Ryder left because he was scared of Chace.” That one made me laugh!
They just kept going. I only wished he were there to set the record straight. He knew how to handle these situations so much better than me.
But the approach toward me was slowly changing. People were still talking about how I finally stood up to Christina and how great it was. Though Christina was still strutting around the school like she owned the place, she stayed out of my way for the most part except to make nasty comments about Ryder whenever I was alone.
I was not surprised when Greg and Lizzie joined us again for lunch the day before the dance. They’d been eating with us on and off for a few weeks and talking to us in class more, much to Chace and Christina’s dismay. Slowly but surely, more and more people were talking to me and interacting less with them. You could see a shift in the social structure, particularly at lunchtime in the cafeteria.
Once upon a time, Chace and Christina’s table was the most popular table. Everyone sort of just congregated around it whether they were friends or not. But now the table was empty except for their few close friends who just sat there quietly eating their lunch. The other tables that were now full of laughing students having fun were a stark contrast to Chace and Christina’s.
I was relaxing under the tree, as it wouldn’t be long before it got too cold and we would have to start sitting in the cafeteria with everyone else, when Tom and Anna approached us slowly.
“Mind if we sit?” Tom asked, looking from me to Indie while Anna uncomfortably shifted from foot to foot.
“The more the merrier,” Indie replied, moving over so there was room for the two newest additions to our rapidly growing group of friends.
“Thanks. We’ve wanted to come over since Chace’s party but were worried how you guys would react.” Anna smiled slightly.
“Like Indie said, the more the merrier. You guys didn’t betray me. They did.” I nodded in the direction of the cafeteria where Chace and Christina were sitting, throwing the occasional nasty glance in our direction. We fell into an easy conversation about our weekends and other random stuff, completely avoiding the topic of Ryder, Chace, and Christina, which I was grateful for.
I decided to send Ryder a text since it had been a few days since I’d heard from him. I didn’t want to come across as clingy, but I still didn’t know where we stood after Chace’s party. I had no idea where he was or what he was doing, just that he was taking care of family stuff and would explain it all to me eventually. We hadn’t even discussed the dance, but Indie had made me go dress shopping the week before just in case he came home. “You don’t want to be caught off guard, do you?” she’d challenged. I’d argued back with her that it was unlikely he’d be home for prom. He’d been gone more than a month as it was. “If I’m wearing a dress, you can make an appearance,” she’d said before I reluctantly followed her into every dress shop in town until we’d found something we both liked.
Pulling out my phone, I typed a quick text.
Just wanted to say hi, hope it’s all going ok? It’s getting kinda weird around here, wish u were here with me. X
I tried to join back in with the conversation that Tom was having with Indie about some movie he’d seen over the weekend but found myself always checking my phone for a response from Ryder. The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, so I got up and said goodbye to everyone before making my way to class. People smiled and waved at me as I passed them in the hall. I even got a few hellos, which I responded to as confidently as I could. I wasn’t sure why they were taking an interest in me or even acknowledging me, for that matter. Nothing of importance had occurred since
the party or since Ryder had left, except for calling Christina a bitch, but that was only the truth.
I checked my phone one last time when I took my seat at the front of the classroom. I was disappointed to see that Ryder still hadn’t replied. Perhaps he’d changed his mind about this whole thing, or maybe he was busy with another girl. After all, I had kept him from his usual activities the past few months. The thought of him spending time with another girl while I was waiting for him to reply and come home made my stomach churn.
“Bailey.” I heard my name. I looked up to see Indie standing at the door to my classroom. Everyone else had gone.
“Wha—” I started to ask, but she cut me off.
“You’re in your own world. School’s over. Let’s go.” She grabbed my books from the table, and I stood up and followed her out.
“So you’re coming tomorrow, right?” Indie asked hopefully after a few minutes of driving in silence.
“No, In. I’m not.” Ryder still wasn’t responding, and I doubted that he’d miraculously make it back in time for tomorrow.
“You have to go. It’s senior prom. Please.” Indie begged as she pulled into my driveway.
“I’m not going to a school dance alone. That really would make me pathetic.” I shook my head and thanked her for the ride. “Have a good night tomorrow.”
With a sad smile, she waved goodbye and pulled out of the driveway.
I didn’t hear from Ryder all that night, and I was beginning to worry something was wrong. He never took this long to reply. Was he okay? Was he ever coming back? Even my mother seemed concerned, asking where he had been and if he was coming back soon.
“I don’t know.” I sniffed, feeling the tears well behind my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. We weren’t even really together, and I was acting like an obsessed girlfriend. “I don’t know anything,” I told her at dinner before excusing myself for bed.