“Yeah, but coming from those lips…” I reached up and dragged my thumb across Ryder’s bottom lip. “Everything sounds good coming from this mouth,” I said, staring at Ryder’s mouth as it curved into a smirk. I couldn’t look at anyone else or I’d begin to freak out again. I couldn’t believe I’d said it.
“Damn, B,” Ryder breathed before crashing his lips to mine, immediately tightening his grip on my waist. “I’m not hungry anymore. Let’s get out of here,” he mumbled into my mouth. I found myself nodding in agreement, happy to get away from them.
Ryder grabbed my hand and started leading me away when Chace stopped him. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked, gripping Ryder’s arm so tight it was sure to leave bruises.
“Taking my girl away from here. Back off.” Ryder glared down at Chace’s hand on his arm. Christina tried to get Chace’s attention but failed miserably, and I was just left standing there staring between my fake boyfriend and my ex-boyfriend, wondering who would throw the first punch. My money was on Ryder if Chace didn’t let him go soon.
“Chace, baby, let them go. It’s not worth it. Why do you care anyway?” Christina pleaded with him, but he ignored her. I couldn’t help but feel a little smug that he was brushing her off. Ryder was right. Chace was jealous. And it made me smile.
“You’re not leaving with him.” Chace turned to me, dropping Ryder’s arm. “Come on, B. You’re smarter than that,” he said, reaching out to me instantly. I stepped back. I didn’t want him touching me. Before I could respond, Ryder had moved in front of me. His shoulders were hunched, and his back was tense. If he screwed his hands any tighter into fists, he would draw blood. I could feel the tension in the room. Everyone was watching with bated breath.
“Get lost, Chace. Don’t you dare touch her. She told you not to call her that. She’s my girlfriend, not yours, and we’re leaving.” Ryder glared at Chace, tilting his head to the side as if he were challenging him.
“You had your chance, and you screwed it up for…that.” Ryder looked at Christina, whose mouth fell open at his insult. He smiled before giving them a little wave and dragging me out the door before they could say anything else. The way he claimed me as his girlfriend made my stomach twirl. Even if it was for show, I liked hearing it.
Glancing over my shoulder as we walked through the door, I saw Christina waving her arms around with her mouth moving a hundred miles an hour. I could guarantee she was chewing Chace out for not standing up for her. Chace was trying to calm her down, but he seemed to be making things worse. It was impossible to reason with Christina when she was furious.
I started laughing, a real honest laugh—not like the crazy, nervous laugh from that morning—and it felt good. I felt lighter. I couldn’t believe that had happened. My life was a mess.
“Did you see his reaction? I thought he was gonna blow a gasket. And that comment you made about my lips, that was seriously sexy. You could see the steam coming out of the jerk’s ears.” Ryder laughed as we got into his car. I laughed with him until I eventually broke down in tears. I’d held it in for as long as I could.
That light, happy feeling faded as quickly as it came. I felt as though my chest had been ripped open. I thought I could face him, but I really couldn’t, and now I was even more confused. I couldn’t understand why Chace cared so much about me being with Ryder. If he cared about me, he wouldn’t have dumped me for Christina. But if he did care, did he finally realise what he’d lost? Did he still love me? And then there was Ryder and the way he managed to make me calm down with a single touch. I didn’t get it. I didn’t get anything. It was too much to deal with. Too confusing. I tried to stop the tears, but it was useless.
“Ah, crap. Bailey, are you okay? You did great in there. Don’t cry. Don’t let him get to you, all right?” Ryder cringed at my tears but reached across and grabbed my hand to comfort me.
“Bailey. Hey, come here?” Ryder was suddenly dragging me out of the car and into his arms. I hadn’t even realised we’d left the school or pulled over on the side of the road. He held me and gently rubbed his hands up and down my back until the tears slowed and I could breathe again. I was left wondering for the millionth time that day how he could manage to have that effect on me.
Chapter Eight
I couldn’t return to school after lunch. I think I would have broken down in the middle of class or something. Instead, after calming me down, Ryder took me to get some of the best ice cream I’d ever eaten.
My mother wasn’t at home when I arrived, so I knew she must have been teaching a class. Maybe in the park, down by the river, or at the community centre. She taught so many classes in so many different locations it was hard to keep up, so I quit trying. Deciding to take advantage of the empty house, I immediately made my way upstairs. I flopped down on my bed and replayed my disastrous first day in my mind.
I couldn’t even do homework to keep my mind occupied because I had left all my books at school. Instead, I was left replaying the day over and over. I think we pulled off the fake relationship quite well. Ryder made it easy, though. He was surprisingly good at being a boyfriend, considering he’d never dated anyone seriously. He was always controlled and didn’t care what people thought of him. I could probably learn a lot from him. I tended to worry about people’s opinions and reactions, and I knew it was stupid.
I was a nervous wreck when we got to school that morning—all that unwanted attention that came with being Ryder’s girlfriend was daunting. I wasn’t used to that kind of exposure. Sure, when I was with Chace, I was fairly popular. Being best friends with Christina certainly put you in the spotlight, too. But it wasn’t nearly as intense as the first day back at school with Ryder. I had gone from having a preppy boyfriend who was preparing for one of the top universities to seeing the bad boy everybody wanted or wanted to be. It drew a lot more attention than I was anticipating. It was certainly different.