Four Doors Down(28)

“You mean it?” I ask. He nods. “Thanks. My parents will be back by six so just bring him back to the house. Then you can get on with your night. You guys clearly have plans.”

Ryan nods. “You’re just gonna sit at home on your own?”

I shrug. “I can go see Charlie now since you’ve got Jay.” I know my mom is going to be pissed with me, she’ll definitely see this as me shirking me responsibilities. I know I don’t like most of the crowd that have turned up, but she’s known Ryan since he was born and I know she likes him and it’s only for a couple of hours until they get back. To me, it’s worth dealing with her wrath and leaving Jay with Ryan. The truth is my want to see Charlie outweighs my worry about annoying my mom. For me, Charlie trumps everything.

Ryan nods abruptly at me and I turn and walk away. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve been caught doing something wrong, being seen with Ryan in public outside of school. I shrug it off. I get to the bottom of his driveway and glance back up, expecting everyone to be inside now, but Ryan’s still standing there watching me leave.

I look away quickly and walk home.





School’s over for the day and I’m shoving my books into my locker before meeting up with Paige and Sara, two girls in my history class who I eat lunch with. We’ve been assigned to work together on a history project on the German Holocaust, and we’re supposed to go through the work and figure out the best way to do it. I slam my locker shut and nearly jump out of my skin when I see Mason Blackwell leaning against the locker next to mine looking at me. I didn’t know he was there and he grins at my reaction.

“Scare you?”

I shrug and my eyes dart past him to his friend John, who’s also on the football team, standing next to him. Both of them are pretty tight with Jake and Ryan, but I don’t think I’ve ever spoken more than a couple of words to them before I saw them at Ryan’s house for his grandma’s wake. Mason and John went to my middle school and were some of the new friends Ryan ditched me for. I shift uncomfortably, unsure why they’re both looking at me. Surely they’re not here to speak to me? Usually, I’d only cross paths with them if they were with Jake, or even if they’re with Ryan when he’s trying to irritate me, but there’s no sign of either of them right now. In fact, the more I think about it, I realize I’ve seen a lot more of them recently, especially Mason. He’s always saying hi to me and dropping into step with me when he sees me in the halls. He acts like we’re friends or something, like he knows me. Reluctantly, I’m having to concede that he seems quite cool.

“So what happened to you on Saturday?” Mason asks.

“Saturday?”

“Yeah, when we turned up at Jackson’s you were there, but then you disappeared.”

Oh right. I feel my face warm slightly. How embarrassing that they actually think I was at Ryan’s house out of choice. And that he’d want me there.

“I had plans. I was only there looking for Jay.”

“That’s a shame. You should have stayed. Jackson was in a shitty mood all afternoon after you left. What did you say to him, anyway?”

“Nothing,” I say defensively. “He’s probably just annoyed that he got stuck with Jay when he was trying to get laid or something.”

A lazy grin crosses Mason’s face. “Nah, Ryan doesn’t care about getting laid, at least not by anyone who was at his house on Saturday. And he loves Jay, we all do.”

“You guys all know my cousin?” I ask surprised. How did I not know this? Honestly, no one tells me anything.

John nods. “Yeah, we’ve seen him over at Ryan’s a bunch of times. He’s a good kid.”

I screw my face up at that. “He’s kind of annoying.”

John laughs. “He’s got a lot of energy.”

I snort. “That’s one way of putting it.” I pick up my bag off the floor and turn to walk away.

“Do you know where Jackson is?” Ah, so they are looking for Ryan. That makes sense then. I turn back to face them; they both have these weird smirks on their faces. I shake my head. Why would I know where Ryan is? He’s their friend, not mine. “No.”

“If you do see him, tell him we’re looking for him,” John tells me

“I won’t see him. We don’t talk. Just look for the biggest group of girls, he’s probably creeping on them.” They both grin back at my words and I turn and walk out the doors knowing I’m late meeting up with Paige and Sara.




I’m seated on the benches outside of school with Paige and Sara. We’ve been here for nearly half an hour but haven’t really got much done. They’re totally distracted and I keep having to repeat myself.

“Paige, does that sound okay to you?” I ask glancing up from the paper I’m scribbling the information I need on. She’s not even looking at me. I sigh in annoyance. I pushed back a date with Charlie for this and they’re not even listening to me. Her eyes are fixed behind me and I turn to see what they’re so focused on.

Yup, that’ll do it. What looks like most of the football team are on the grass behind us throwing around a ball. I roll my eyes when I notice half of them don’t have their shirts on. Trust them to play skins vs. shirts…another excuse to show off their bodies. Paige and Sally are not the only girls looking their way. When I glance around, I see more members of the female student population than were here when I sat down.