Life is Liz (LiL, #1)

Chapter 36: Run, Forest, run!

Her phone buzzed and she reached out and looked at it. She glanced up again, her eyes darting to Logan before resting on me again. She beamed. "We could go to the book store if you want." That got my attention. I sat up a little straighter.

"The bookstore?" I asked, contemplating. She nodded. Well, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all. I could always just go when it was too much for me. I sighed. "Okay." She squealed in delight. "But not for too long okay? I need to do some school stuff."

She nodded animatedly.

Ryan's POV

The moment I stepped into the empty room I let my fist fly into the wall. It hurt, but the pain was dull compared to the ache in my heart. "Alex, calm down," Sophie demanded softly. I briefly registered that she called me by my real name and that I should scold her for doing so in public.

"Calm down? Calm down! She went on a fucking date!" It felt like someone had stuck a knife into my heart.

"I'm texting Drake," she informed me just as I let my other fist connect with the wall. I couldn't care less. Another flame of hot rage ignited inside of me as I imagined anyone's hands on her but mine. I punched the wall again, imagining it was a face. "Alex, it was one date."

"Yes, and it was her first," I bit out through gritted teeth. I wanted to be her first. Her first everything. I wanted to be her first date. Her first friend. Her first kis- I stopped abruptly. "Oh God, what if they kissed?" I let my hands ran through my hair in frustration. The minute I said it aloud, an image was plastered to the back of my mind. I closed my eyes to somehow shut it out, but the picture just got clearer. The knife lodged itself deeper into my heart. Immediately, my eyes flew open and I punched the wall again.

"Alex, you really need to calm down. I-"

She was cut off when the door was opened and Jeremy and Drake came strolling in. "We are here," Drake announced as I once again punched the wall. "Man, you need to stop."

"She's dating someone."

"Stop it, Alexander!" Jeremy grabbed my arm forcefully just as I was about to punch the wall again. He pushed me into the middle of the room. "You heard her," he pointed out. "She doesn't want to see him again."

"Did you know?" I growled out, ignoring him.

Drake standing beside him, shook his head. But Jeremy... "Yes."

"You son of a bitch." I grabbed the collar of his shirt and had him pressed against the wall in the blink of an eye. "You knew and you didn't tell me." The taste of betrayal laid bitter and heavy on my tongue.

"FYI, jackass," he spit out in anger. "It was before our little drunken talk," he reminded me and I reluctantly let him go. We'd not been on the same page then. "Besides, remember what I told you that night? I will help you until she makes it clear that she isn't interested. If she isn't then I'm out of here. I'll only go as far as what's good for her."

"I'll choose Liz' side."

Yeah, I remembered that clearly.

"Besides, I told you to get a move on otherwise someone would get her before you. Take a bloody hint, mate!"

I pushed away from him, my hands fisting my hair. "Shit, okay. Let me think." What did I do now? I need to move fucking fast before she could get on another date with that asshole. Who even was her date? Damn it. All those questions and... "Do I know the guy?" Anger bubbled up in me at the possibility.

Jeremy shook his head. "No, he's not from our school or our town for that matter."

I let out a sigh of relieve. Thank God. If he was then I might have knocked him out cold without feeling any regrets. "His name?"