Fighting with Fire #2 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖 - 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

"Hey, hot stuff." Ryder turned around instantly before the bus engine had even started, grinning at me.

"Can we not?" Theo said irritatedly through gritted teeth.

"I think it's kinda cute, actually." Maia giggled, much to Theo's annoyance.

"Yeah, well as 'cute' as it might be," Theo retorted, "I am not listening to it for the next three hours of my life."

He took some earphones out and started listening to something on his phone, probably music; he didn't look like the podcast kind of guy.

I rolled my head back onto the seat, because, as much as Theo could annoy the hell out of me and even though I was getting closer to Ryder, I still wished that he would at least look at me — instead of acting like I just wasn't there.

"You okay?" Maia nudged her shoulder again mine.

"Fine." I sighed, looking out the window and the scenery flashing quickly by.

"Oh yeah right, like I'm gonna believe that," she huffed, before asking, "You hungry?"

"Maia, no; we had lunch less than an hour ago. I'm not hungry. Just like I'm not in the mood for a round of Twenty Questions." I crossed my arms.

"What's wrong with Twenty Questions?" Ryder turned around.

"Everything," Theo grunted and pushed his earphones deeper into his ears.

"Hell, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Ryder grunted back, turning to the front of the bus.

I sighed heavily. "I thought Jason told you two not to bicker?"

"Yeah..." Maia contributed, "And I thought Jason told you, Ember, not to get between the two of them too much?"

"What did I do?" My eyes widened as I raised my hands in mock defence. "Let's just talk about something else, or nothing at all, okay?"

"It feels weird to be leaving Missoula, and home all over again." Theo put in — taking one earphone out. "It feels like I've only just got back."

"We're only leaving it for a couple of days," Ryder reassured, placing a hand on Theo's shoulder, "We'll be back soon."

The pack solidarity was still present between the two of them; it was just my presence disrupting the harmony between them. After mulling this over, I kept my thoughts to myself. We fell into silence for the next half an hour, none of us really having anything to say. Until my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Frowning, I pulled it out and checked it.

1 New Message from Mum

My heart stopped.

My mum hadn't bothered texting me in so long, the last time we'd talked, I was still on Svalbard, and she'd told me that my dad had been seriously injured in a car accident.

With shaking fingers, I unlocked my phone and read the message.

MUM:

Hey honey, just texting to see how you are. So, how are you? How's Montana? How's Theo? What are his friends like?

Mum x

I swallowed and began to type back.

ME:

Hi Mum. I'm fine. Montana's beautiful. Theo's fine, and his friends are really nice. I joined their high school here in Missoula because I didn't really have anything else to do.