Maybe Someday(22)

He takes a drink of his soda, then sits upright

in the booth. He nods his head to the door, and I

agree that I’m ready to go.

The buzz from the alcohol has worn off, and as

we make our way out of the restaurant and back

into the dark, I can feel myself beginning to suc-

cumb to the heartache again. I guess Ridge sees

the look on my face, because he puts his arm

around me and briefly squeezes my shoulders. He

drops his arm and pulls his phone out.

Ridge: For what it’s worth, he doesn’t de-

serve you.

Me: I know. But it still hurts that I ever

thought he deserved me. And honestly,

I’m more hurt about Tori than I am about

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what happened with Hunter. I’m mostly

just pissed at Hunter.

Ridge: Yeah, I don’t even know the guy,

and I’ve been pretty pissed at him. I can’t

imagine how you must feel. I’m surprised

you haven’t retaliated with some evil re-

venge plot yet.

Me: I’m not that clever. I wish I were, be-

cause I’d be all about revenge right now.

Ridge stops walking and turns to face me. He

cocks an eyebrow, and a slightly wicked grin ap-

pears. It makes me laugh, because I can tell by

his smile that he’s mapping out a plan.

“Okay,” I say, nodding my head without even

knowing what he’s about to propose. “As long as

it doesn’t land us in jail.”

Ridge: Do you know if he leaves his car

unlocked?

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? ? ?

“Fish?” I ask, crinkling my nose in disgust.
We’ve made a pit stop at a local grocery store

next to the apartment complex, and he’s buying a

huge, scaly whole fish. I’m assuming this has to

be part of his elaborate revenge scheme, but he

could just be hungry.

Ridge: We need duct tape.

I follow him to the hardware aisle, where he

grabs a roll of heavy-duty duct tape.

Fresh fish and duct tape.

I’m still not sure what he has planned, but I

sort of like where this is headed.

? ? ?

When we’re back at the apartment, I point out
Hunter’s car. I run up to the apartment to grab his

spare car key out of my purse, where I still have

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it, while Ridge wraps the fish with duct tape. I

come back downstairs and hand him the key.

Me: So what exactly are we about to do

with this fish?

Ridge: Watch and learn, Sydney.

We walk to Hunter’s car, and Ridge unlocks

the passenger door. He has me tear off several

pieces of duct tape while he reaches under the

passenger seat. I’m watching closely—in case I

need to seek revenge against anyone in the fu-

ture—and he presses it against the underside of

the seat. I hand him several more pieces of duct

tape, trying to contain my laughter while he se-

cures the raw fish with it. After he’s sure it won’t

come loose, he slides out of the car and closes the

door, looking around innocently. My hand is over

my mouth, stifling my laughter, and he’s as cool

and composed as can be.

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We casually walk away from the car, and once

we’re on the stairs to the apartment, we begin

laughing.

Ridge: His car is going to smell like death

in a matter of twenty-four hours. He’ll

never find it.

Me: You’re kind of evil. If I didn’t know

better, I’d think you’ve done this before.

He laughs as we make our way back inside.

We kick off our shoes at the door, and he tosses

the duct tape onto the counter. I use the bathroom

and make sure to unlock the door to his bedroom

before I walk back out. In the living room, all the

lights are out, except for the lamp by the couch. I

lie down and check my phone one last time be-

fore turning it on silent.

Ridge: Good night. Sorry your birthday

sucked.

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Me: Thanks to you, it was better than it

could have been.

I place the phone under my pillow and cover

up. I close my eyes, and my smile immediately

fades when the silence takes over. I can feel the

tears coming, so I cover my head with the blanket

and brace myself for a long night of heartache.

The respite with Ridge was nice, but I have noth-

ing to distract me now from the fact that I’m hav-

ing the worst day of my life. I can’t understand

how Tori could do something like this to me.

We’ve been best friends for almost three years. I

told her everything. I trusted her with everything.

I told her things I would never dream of telling

Hunter.

Why would she risk our friendship for sex?

I’ve never felt this hurt. I pull the blanket over

my eyes and begin to sob.

Happy birthday to me.