Ryder (Fallen Brook High School YA Series)

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Ryder (Fallen Brook High School YA Series) Page 23

by J. L. Wyer


  She turns her head and kisses my cheek. “This is my first party,” she says excitedly. I guess that’s my answer. I move her in front of me and take her hips in my hands as we follow Fallon through the house. She leans back into me and I can feel her swaying to the music as we walk.

  “Preference?” Fallon asks us when we get to the kitchen.

  “What do you suggest?” Elizabeth asks Fallon.

  “Shots?”

  I give Fallon a withering look that says over my dead body is he giving Elizabeth hard liquor.

  “Water,” I tell him.

  “Beer?” he counters.

  Elizabeth tilts her head up at me. “Would you mind if I tried a taste? I'm curious.”

  Fallon passes me a bottle of water and takes two dark beer bottles out of a large cooler sitting on the kitchen floor. He pops the top off one and hands it to Elizabeth.

  She takes a sip and almost spits it back out. “Oh my God. That stuff is rancid!” She shoves the bottle back at Fallon. “I'll take a water, please.”

  He hands her a chilled water. “Clowns,” he tells her.

  “The color orange,” she says.

  They clink their respective bottles together in a toast.

  I bend down to her ear again so she can hear me over the music. “What are you and Fallon talking about?”

  “Our worst fears.”

  I have to admit, I'm still clueless. How are marshmallows, clowns, and the color orange someone's worst fears?

  Fallon motions for us to follow him outside. The back yard is decked out in lights strung from tree to tree and across the large, tiled patio. There’s a swimming pool on one side of the backyard and a single tennis court on the other side. Someone throws a football from across the yard to the swimming pool and cheers erupt when a guy catches it before diving under the water.

  Fallon approaches three girls and two guys sitting on one of the deck couches. They’re passing a joint around. One of the girls, a redhead, smiles when she sees him.

  Fallon snaps his fingers at the five of them. “Get off my couch.”

  The guys scramble up and walk off, but the girls linger. The redhead stumbles forward and whispers something in Fallon’s ear.

  “Later,” he tells her.

  One of her friends, a blond, has been staring at me. Her eyes widen when I catch her, and she tries to whisper something to the third girl, but it comes out louder than I think she intended. “That’s Ryder Cutton! He’s so hot.”

  I feel Elizabeth’s hands grab the back of my jeans and what sounds like a tiny growl. Fallon dismisses the redhead, and she and her two friends walk away giggling.

  When we take the seats they just vacated, Elizabeth sits down in my lap, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. I rest my hand on the side of her hip. She starts running her fingers through the short hair at the back of my head. Such an innocent touch but one that’s monumentally significant. It’s a touch of familiarity. A touch that couples who are comfortable with one another do. I settle back with my girl in my arms, and for the first time since the night at the hospital, I relax.

  “Where were you last week?” Fallon asks me. I guess Elizabeth hasn’t said anything to him about what happened.

  “Around.”

  “You’re a jerk. Nice split lip by the way,” he chuckles, and I take a swallow of my water. “So, kitten. What do you think?” he says, spreading his arms wide and looking around as if he’s showing off his kingdom. More cheers go up from the pool area. I crane my neck to see what the ruckus is all about.

  “It’s not too shabby. Where are your parents?”

  “Out of town on business. The usual.”

  “Do they know you throw parties like this while they’re away?”

  He grins at Elizabeth and finishes his beer. A guy passes by us heading inside. “Chris! Get me another beer,” Fallon shouts.

  Chris runs inside and comes back out, beer in hand like he’s offering it as a tribute to a god.

  “Anything else?” he asks Fallon.

  “Nope.”

  Elizabeth bursts out laughing. “Is one of your talents ordering people around? You’re really good at it.”

  “Nah. He’s a freshman at Highland,” he replies as if that explains everything.

  A voice interrupts us. “Hey, Fallon.”

  A tall girl with long brown curly hair sits down at Fallon’s feet. Fallon introduces her to us. Her name is Becca, and from the way she has positioned herself at his feet, she must be one of Fallon’s groupies.

  Several guys walk over, and soon we are surrounded by a group of people. Becca and Elizabeth start chatting, and a few of the new guys ask me about racing. It seems that word has spread that I’m here, so all the racing fanboys are making their way over. Suddenly, a piercingly loud squeal erupts behind us and Meredith pops up next to Elizabeth.

  “Hey!” Elizabeth says to her friend.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here tonight?”

  “Why didn’t you?

  “Touché.”

  “Is Trevor here with you?” Elizabeth asks her.

  “Yeah. He’s inside.”

  At that moment, Trevor walks out of the house and stops short when his gaze lands on Elizabeth. I look over at Fallon. He's watching Trevor closely. The two of them seem to get more antagonistic toward one another every time they’re in the same proximity.

  “Fallon!” Elizabeth calls over to him. I don’t know what kind of voodoo magic she has over him, but his scowl turns into a grin. He gives her a small salute and relaxes back into the couch.

  Trevor watches this play out and cautiously walks over. “Hey, Ace.”

  “Hey, Trevor. This is actually really cool. All of us together at a party,” Liz says. "Where's Darrel?”

  The music from the house changes from hard rock to pop. It’s still awful, but Meredith seems to like it because she’s now dancing around the sofa.

  “Family thing he couldn't get out of. I'm going inside to find someone to dance with.”

  Trevor looks at Elizabeth like he's about to ask her if she wants to dance too, and my inner caveman comes out.

  “Fal, I’m taking my girl inside to dance,” I tell him, and because I feel like it, I pick Elizabeth up in my arms. She giggles as I practically carry her inside to where everyone is dancing in the living room. I don’t look to see if Trevor and Meredith follow us.

  The beat of a Top 40 song is pounding and colored lights from a projector are flashing around the room giving off a strobe effect. I set Elizabeth down and she turns around in my arms. There’s not much room to move, let alone dance, but that doesn’t stop us.

  I hear Meredith somewhere, but she’s so tiny, I can’t make out where she is among the gyrating bodies. I do, however, spot Trevor. He's leaning back against the wall, apparently keeping an eye on his sister.

  Elizabeth loops her arms around my neck. “Thanks for coming with me. I’m having a great time.”

  I answer her with a kiss. Our dance quickly devolves into twenty minutes of groping and heavy kissing.

  Eventually, Elizabeth pulls back and goes up on tiptoe. “I wish we were alone,” she says above the music.

  “Want to get out of here?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I grab her hand and rush her outside so I can tell Fallon we’re leaving.

  If I thought the animosity was bad between Fallon and Trevor, that’s nothing compared to the dread that hits me when Elizabeth and I emerge to see Maria, Jacinda, and Samantha walking up the steps of the back patio. They’re wearing bikinis even though it’s October, so they must have been in the pool when we arrived. I’m going to kill Fallon.

  Maria’s eyes lock onto me, and a look of shock crosses her face. Then she notices Elizabeth and my stomach clenches when I see pure hatred replacing her initial shock. We've been able to avoid these three at school, but it appears our luck has run out.

  Jacinda follows Maria’s gaze a
nd she starts laughing. It's completely obvious the three of them have been drinking. They can barely stand up straight without weaving and stumbling into one another.

  Fallon comes over to my side. “I didn’t know they were here. Let me handle this.”

  “You’re such a liar, Ryder,” Maria slurs. “You’re here with her?”

  It’s been a long while since I broke up with Maria. She and Elizabeth used to be best friends. Or that’s what I thought. In reality, Maria was using her friendship with Elizabeth to get close to me, and I was stupid enough to ask Maria out because Elizabeth was with Jayson. The fact that Maria is still jealous over Elizabeth after all this time makes me pity her.

  Fallon crosses his arms and stands in front of the three girls. A crowd begins to gather, sensing something is about to go down. Memories of another party at Fallon’s house ending in a fight creep into the back of my mind. For once, I’m glad Elizabeth has amnesia.

  “Party's over for you three. Get off my property.”

  “What’s going on?” Meredith asks, craning her neck to see over Elizabeth’s shoulder. She and Trevor must have just come back outside.

  “I have no idea,” Elizabeth tells her.

  Drunken Maria has no filter. “You’re such a bitch, Lizzie! I knew you were messing around with Ryder even though you were pretending to be Jayson’s girlfriend.”

  “I said leave. Not telling you again,” Fallon warns at the same time Elizabeth says, “Are you still hung up about that? How many times do I have to tell you — I don't remember!”

  Maria isn’t listening. “You stole him away from me!”

  I try to pull Elizabeth away from the scene that is unfolding, but she’s not budging.

  “Maria, enough,” I warn.

  She never would believe me when I told her that there was nothing going on between me and Elizabeth when we were dating. Okay, so I may have been in love with, and pining away for, Elizabeth. And she may have had feelings for me as well, but Elizabeth and I never acted on it. It’s no use in wasting my breath trying to convince Maria of that now. Her jealousy of Elizabeth overshadows any logic or reason.

  Maria calls Elizabeth a few choice names that have Meredith gasping and poised for a fight. “What did you just call her?” she yells at Maria.

  I hear Trevor say behind us, “You better watch your mouth, Maria. Apologize, now.”

  Elizabeth touches my arm. “Ryder, let's just go. She's drunk and not worth it.”

  I don’t catch what Maria says to Meredith, but whatever it is causes Meredith to fly into a fit of rage. She tackles Maria like a linebacker, taking her down. Fallon, Trevor, and several other guys charge in. Everything disintegrates into complete chaos — a tangle of fists, screams, and grunts. Why does every party that Fallon throw have to end in a brawl?

  Elizabeth and I must look stupid as we stand and watch the whole melee from the sidelines. Some huge guy runs up from around the side of the patio, his sights set on Fallon.

  “Don’t move. Stay here,” I tell Elizabeth and rush to help my friend.

  Fallon’s back is turned, so he doesn’t see the guy coming. I reach Fallon just in time as the guy’s fist is reared back about the strike. I catch it mid-flight, bending it down and twisting. I shove the guy backwards and he falls to the ground, cradling his arm against his body. Fallon whips around and flashes me a huge grin.

  “Just like old times,” he says.

  He snakes a fist out and it hits some dude’s head. I grab another guy who is swinging for Fallon and flip him over in a body slam, giving him a warning to tap out. As the fighting settles down, I look for Meredith, knowing Elizabeth will be worried about her friend. I spy her and Trevor standing at the other end of the patio. I don’t see Maria, Jacinda, or Samantha anywhere. They must have high-tailed it once the fighting began.

  Fallon wipes blood from the cuts on his hands onto his slacks and shouts out to the crowd: “Party is over! I find any video of this online, I will find you and you will not like what happens.”

  I touch the side of my mouth where Jayson clocked me the other night. A small amount of blood is trickling from the scabbed-over cut. I search for Elizabeth. She hasn’t moved from where I left her. Even from here, I can see the heaviness of her breathing, and worry hits me like a ton of bricks. I run over, praying she’s not having another memory blackout. Why did I leave her there by herself?

  “Babe,” is all I get out before she jumps into my arms. I catch her easily. She locks her legs around me and grips my shoulders.

  “You are the sexiest man I have ever seen,” she says and crushes her lips to mine, taking me by surprise.

  “Everybody okay?” Meredith asks us.

  Elizabeth breaks our kiss. “Are you okay?”

  “You call me Firecracker for a reason,” she chirps.

  Trevor snickers. “Alright, sis. Let's get you cleaned up before we head home. I don't think Mom and Dad will be too thrilled if they see blood on your clothes.”

  Fallon makes his way over and gives Trevor a nod of thanks before walking inside.

  With Elizabeth still in my arms, I walk us inside the all-but-deserted house. A few guys are picking up trash and putting things away. Trevor leaves with Meredith, and I find Fallon in the kitchen icing his hand.

  “Your party was eventful as usual,” I tell him. “I'm going to take Elizabeth home.”

  “Hope we get to do that again soon.”

  I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, right.”

  “See ya around, kitten.”

  Elizabeth waves bye, then calls out “inflatable tube guys” as we reach the front door. Fallon shouts back “cicadas.”

  “You guys really are weird.”

  “I like him. He’s good people. I’m glad he’s your friend.”

  “A lot of people would say Fallon is anything good.”

  “New Elizabeth, remember? I have superpowers that allow me to see past a person’s hard outer shell to the center of their inner tootsie pop.”

  I kiss her neck. “Why am I getting the feeling that having you and Fallon hang out together is a bad idea?”

  “Sometimes bad ideas can bring about great things.”

  I carry Elizabeth the entire distance to where I parked my car. Once she's buckled in, she asks, “Ryder, why does Maria hate me so much?”

  I turn in my seat to fully face her and I take her hand. “I will never lie to you. I made a huge mistake by dating Maria and I’m not proud of the reasons why I did, but they are things I won’t apologize for either.”

  “Alright.” She waits for me to continue.

  “When you and Jayson got together, it about killed me. I was lonely and I was missing you. I thought Maria could help fill that loneliness. We didn't date for long and I was never intimate with her. I couldn’t touch her like that because she wasn’t you. But I was tired of waiting on the sidelines watching you and Jayson be together. I just wanted someone to make the heartache go away.”

  “And she did that for you? She helped make the pain go away?”

  “That’s the sad part. She didn’t. I tried so hard to let her in, but Maria could never fill that ache for the one girl my heart wanted more than any other. She wanted more from me than I was willing to give, and Maria deserved better. I deserved better. What I found out later was that she used you to get to me. You, me, Jay, and Jules were always a unit. Basically, where one of us went, the rest would follow. Maria pretended to be your friend so she could get access to me. And I was stupid enough to let her.”

  “Thank you for telling me.” Elizabeth turns her head to look out the window, momentarily lost in thought. “Ryder?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what, baby?”

  “I don’t know. I guess — it’s just all the stuff I’ve been learning about the old Elizabeth…well, I don’t much like her. How could I be in love with two different boys? Be in a relationship with one and string along the other? What kind of person was I
to do that to the two people I claimed to care about the most?”

  “Elizabeth, nobody is perfect. Look at what I did. I dated Maria to distract myself from not being able to have you. We all do things to cope that we later look back on with regret. You are the most loving, caring, sweetest girl I have ever known.”

  “I will not be Old Elizabeth again, Ryder. I don’t want to be. I don’t ever want to hurt you like she did. I choose you,” she finishes in a low mumble while staring out the window.

  Why do I have the feeling that she is talking about something other than what happened tonight?

  Chapter 35

  The Return

  Elizabeth

  The following weeks fly by, and before I know it, Halloween is only days away. Fallon is planning a Halloween party, and I promised him that Ryder and I would come. Meredith took me costume shopping last week. She found this gorgeous angel costume with white feathered wings. I’m going to be a monarch butterfly.

  Jayson and Ryder continue to circle one another, but Jayson kept his promise. He apologized and there have been no more fights. I still run with Julien every morning. The four of us still eat breakfast together a few times a week. Ryder still occasionally sleeps over at the house, but only on weekends now since his parents are insisting that he stay home during the school week. We all still have movie nights and bad karaoke at Belly’s. We’re still a family.

  Julien’s pink shirt finally arrived, and he was a good sport about wearing it. He and Elijah also made up and are back to being a happy couple.

  Jayson continues to leave me silver origami stars in my bag or in my locker. It’s gotten to the point where I have to hide them in my closet. I took down the ones I hung from my ceiling and stored them all in a large jar that I keep hidden in my closet.

  Ryder and I have been hanging out with Fallon more. He met up with us a couple of times at the Fields. Meredith, Trevor, and I continue to meet every Wednesday evening for our study group at their house.

  A week ago, Daniel bought me a standup piano. It’s sitting in the living room across from the bay window. I’ve been writing music again. Last night, Ryder and I played an impromptu duet for Daniel of one of my dad’s songs. Ryder had sheet music for it and gave me a copy. I know I still can’t remember my dad, but playing music that he composed himself made me happy, like I was connecting with him in some way.

 

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