Secrets And Lies

Chapter 25: Let It Go

Ryan's POV

"So are you going to be like Elsa, and...let it go?" I've been pestering Quade since Sunday with my 'Frozen' references, and it was now Wednesday.  Hey, what can I say? They fit the situation. He hadn't said much about the altercation with Axel. I know he was thinking it over, but he was taking forever. In my book, he deserved to be annoyed. And my mission to annoy him started Sunday when we got home, and Sloane and I made him watch the Disney movie. He wanted to make up for being an ass to us, but he regretted his decision to let us pick immediately. 

"Fuck Ryan! Stop.." He was silent for a minute and then, involuntarily, hummed the song.

"Dude, still have that soundtrack stuck in your head?" Foster asked, sitting down across from us at the lunch table. "It's been nonstop..." He laughed. " And I'm begging you, and I speak for all the team when I say please, for the love of God, stop!"

"Fuck off, Black.." Quade face palmed himself repeatedly.

"He watched Frozen on Sunday and has been doing that ever since. This morning he was doing a rendition of 'Reindeer Are Better Than People' while in the shower. He was so loud the neighbor's dog started barking." Okay, so Rufus didn't bark until he heard Quaid singing on the way to the jeep. Quade always got every Disney soundtrack stuck in his head after watching one of their musical cartoons.

He glared at me. I couldn't help but laugh and pinch his cheeks.

"Why must you torture me?" He deadpanned and slapped my hand away. Trying to change the subject, he offered me his apple, "Do you want...." He stopped when I grinned from ear to ear. " Please don't.." He begged.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"  I asked, raising a brow. One by one, the rest of our friends started singing the rest of the song.

"You guys are insane. You need to be locked up." Quade's smile betrayed his words.  "You're lucky I love you, Ry.."

"I know that you love me, but why does that make me lucky?" I jokingly asked when I sat back down.

"Because, if I didn't, I would have you committed."

"Ha Ha." I fake laughed.  

My smile fell when Axel approached our table wearing an unsure expression. It was the same look he had on Monday and Tuesday whenever he saw Quade was with me. And just like earlier in the week, neither of them said a word. This whole thing was stupid.

"Hey, Ass-Hat," I said with a smile, trying to break the tension. My eyes wandered over his face. Axel had a bruise and a small cut on his left cheek due to my brother's rings that night. I felt a wave of guilt that I was part of the reason. I kept the slight smile, stomping down the unwanted feeling.

"Hi" 

One word was all he could muster, making the wave turn into a tsunami. I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. They needed to talk this out, and it looked like Axel was ready to make the first move. Again. Quade was one of the most stubborn people I have ever met. They needed to work this out, just the two of them. I'm done being a referee, so I would do what any loving sister would do. I would leave them to work their shit out by themselves.

"Hey Sammy, I needed you to help me with that thing.." I stood up, locking eyes with Sam, who caught on right away. Quade gave me a bewildered look, which turned into a pissed-off glare when it clicked in his brain that I was running away.

"Oh yeah...." Sam stood up.

" We need to go.... err, over there..." Taylor, figuring out what we were doing,  said to Foster, then dragged him away from the table. Smooth Tay, real smooth.