Storm {A Light Novel}

. 1 9

E

According to Ryleigh, I have the stiffest body roll the world has ever seen. Given I'm not a dancer, I try not to take offense to that.

We just finished filming a Tiktok of us dancing to some song by Doja Cat, and I can't help but feel I've done something wrong. Ryleigh's been in a mood all afternoon.

I begin my question sheepishly. "Ryleigh, are you o—"

"Yes! I'm fine! How many times do I have to say that? Why do you people keep asking? Ugh!"

As terrible as she sounds, if anything, I'm glad her problem is at least 'too many' people asking about her wellbeing versus a lack thereof.

"Sorry," I whisper.

She covers her face for a good minute. "No, it's my fault." She collapses onto the seat next to me on the sofa and I find myself staring at every other place in the living room. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I shrug. "You've probably got a lot on your plate. Not everything shows on the outside. I know."

I can feel her eyes on me. I'm sure she doesn't expect my understanding pretty much all the time, so I've grown accustomed to this look.

"It was Liam," she begins.

"Huh?" I look over at her.

"The one on the phone when we were at the museum." She starts picking at her nails, and I watch as a fleck of nail polish falls away to the floor. "It was an unknown number, and when I picked up, he only said one word. My name." She glances at me. "I sound crazy, right?"

I take a deep breath, processing the information.

"But I know it was him," she affirms. "I'd be darned if I couldn't tell him apart by now."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Because! He's obsessed with me!" Her eyes flare as she rants like a madwoman. "He thinks we're like, still attached at the hip or something! Always calling me, showing up out of nowhere, trying to get my attention in any way possible and I'm sick of it! We're over! And there sure as hell is no way we're getting back together after all this. I don't care if that's what he wants."

"Have you gone to the police?"

"They won't help me. Evidence-based."

"The school?"

She opens and closes her mouth right away, as if contemplating the idea or her response. For a while, she's quiet.

"I'm hungry," she announces. Before I can say anything else, she's up and off to the kitchen.

I follow her. "You know, evading isn't all that great a habit."

"Oh, shut up, Elijah. You do it more than me, so don't patronize me."

"I'm not patronizing you, I'm just saying. Prison isn't all that nice and won't give special treatment to pretty girls."

"Aww, you think I'm pretty. That's cute."

"I think you are hiding something. That's what I think you are."

She drops the tray of Oreos on the counter with attitude and stares at me. She slides into the bar stool and drops her eyes to the counter in defeat. "Liam came and found me yesterday. More or less told me to drop you. To stop hanging out with you."

I'm not sure exactly what to say, so I just react honestly. "Wow."

"I know." She returns to her habit of picking her nails. "Says if I don't stop, things will really get ugly. Whatever that means."

"Wow."

"I know."

"Yeah, that's past being crazy about someone. He's just plain crazy. We need to get the police on this. That's a literal threat."

She looks up at me as I lean onto the counter with my forearms. "You think?"

"I know," I mimic her, then try a small smile.

She smiles too. "Okay."