Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail(56)

"Rayna."

"Sorry." With my coffee in hand, I bid farewell before heading inside with an empty bag to my chest and the determination to ignore all the peering eyes. What did they care? Did they know? It was like they knew my secret. Brady didn't even know.

As I shouldered around a group of giggling freshmen, I swallowed painfully. I didn't know if I wanted him to know or not. How would he react? Probably with violence, but I wasn't sure beyond that.

Then I looked up as I neared my locker and my throat closed off. Brady was lounging against my locker. I froze in the hallway. I didn't care that students grumbled as they bumped into me. When I didn't move, they flowed around me. I couldn't look away. Brady was at my locker, just a few feet away from me, but he was talking to Matt Krone and Clarissa. All three of them were laughing, looking like the gods and goddess that could've reigned over us all.

Dressed in faded blue jeans and a white shirt, Brady looked confident and dangerous. His blonde hair was gelled slightly and the tribal tattoo peaked out from underneath his sleeve. Clarissa was his twin with her own simple white tank top and a blue jean miniskirt. Her hair had been pulled back into a high French braid that as she laughed, she twisted around and the braid smacked Matt Krone in the face. The golden giant grimaced and caught the hair. Clarissa laughed harder and leaned into him. Her hand fell on his chest for balance.

Brady watched it looking somber. And I watched him. Instead of jealousy or even annoyance, I was surprised to see a slight flash of regret. But what did he regret? Choosing me over her? Was he rethinking all of it? Is that what he wanted to tell me when he came over?

Then I realized how crazy I was becoming. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered because at that moment, I didn't even know if I could handle being his friend. I caught my breath when Brady started to turn his head. His eyes started to sweep the hallway and it was a matter of seconds before he saw me. I couldn't talk to him so I took the coward's way out and ducked behind the group of giggling freshmen to sneak away.

The library was within reach. But when I reached for the door handle, Brady spoke behind me, "Hi, Rayna."

Everything stopped in that moment. My heart. My breath. My mind. It all stopped until he added, "Can you turn around? It's humiliating enough to have to come to my old school to talk to my best friend because I know she'll avoid me if I don't."

I looked down. "We shouldn't talk here."

"You threw me out last night. I…listen, I know you think that I was taking back things, but it wasn't the case. I was just—"

I couldn't hear how he felt about me, not when he didn't know. It wasn't fair to him or to me. "Stop! Please. Please stop."

"Look at me," Brady demanded.

I did, but I looked past his shoulder. Clarissa stood in the hallway beside her locker now. She stood still as she watched us. When she saw I was looking at her, she tried to smile at me, but I couldn't take it. Who was she to give me sympathy? She wanted Brady until yesterday. People don't change, not really. She wasn't really my friend.

I knew what I had to do. So I closed my eyes and braced myself. "You should be with Clarissa. You should be with someone who can be there for you."

"Come on. Don't be dramatic," Brady tried to soothe, but I stopped him again when I stepped backwards. That's when something snapped in him. I saw it in his eyes. He looked even more determined, almost fierce, as he grabbed my arm. "I was going to tell you last night that I was worried about how people might handle us. I was worried about how you'd handle it if we were together. Last night I was just rethinking things, worrying about you not me. Do I want to be with you? Haven't I already proven that? Then last night you go crazy. You start yelling. Your grandma is almost pushing me out the door. What are you doing to me? I know that I should be calmer, but I can't take this anymore. I feel like I'm going crazy, Rayna."

I couldn't hear what else he had to say. I'd already almost convinced myself that he didn't care and now he was saying he did. I felt tears on my face. "Stop. Please. Stop."

"What? What? Why do you want me to stop? Decide what you want! Do you want me or not?"

Clarissa dropped her book and I jumped. Brady cursed. "Rayna!"

He ran an irate hand through his hair and I saw the anger in him. The problem was that I couldn't figure out what he was angry about. There was a time not many days ago where I would've spent hours agonizing and thinking about why Brady was angry. But this time I could barely handle my own emotions, much less figure out his.

I looked away. "I don't want you."

I clasped my bag to my chest and my lip trembled. Every nerve was stretched thin.

"If you don't want me, then I'm gone. Screw this." His voice was quiet, but rage came off him in waves.

I gasped for breath and looked now.

As Brady marched away, he brushed past Clarissa and I wondered if he even knew she was there. He shoved open the doors a second later and they slammed shut a second later.

My heart was ripped out. He'd dragged it behind him in the hallway.

"Hey….Rayna…hey."

It took another prodding before I realized Clarissa was in front of me. "Huh?"

"What was that about?"

I couldn't focus. I couldn't…Brady just left me.