Most people enjoy weekends, I don't. When I came home after getting suspended, my parents yelled at me while telling me how disappointed they were. Not a shocker. My parents don't love the idea of grounding us, I have never been grounded before. At that moment, I thought they would.
But they didn't, and thank god for that. I would go crazy in this house. Most of the time I was forced to sit in the living room with them and watch a bad movie to make up for the damages I had done. Apparently. I don't feel like I did anything wrong, because I didn't.
I looked at the screen and looked back over at my father, he shot me a smile. I smiled back and looked down afterward. I wasn't speaking with my mother after the episode in the kitchen. She's the one who started the silence treatment, which isn't my fault. People choose stupid things and then it doesn't matter what happens after. The happiness is already destroyed.
"I talked to Hailey over the phone yesterday. She says she wants to sort things out with you." Dad said. She does this every time, it's like a never-ending story. She body shames me, insults me, then begs for me to forgive her. I'm tired of watching history repeat itself.
"Dad... about that—" the doorbell started ringing. I sighed and got up from the couch while walking out to the hallway. I was so close to telling him about the messages. I unlocked the door and swung it open. "Hi," Ryder said. I began wondering, how do I look? Is my hair pretty enough? And then I started wondering, why am I thinking about this?
"Are you grounded? I hope not because then my plans are going to waste." He smiled. I looked behind me and saw my younger brother standing there. "Just go, I'll cover up for you."
I smiled, harder than ever. I grabbed my coat and wrapped it tight around my body, and then slid my feet down into my shoes. I stepped out of the doorframe and slowly closed it behind me, hoping it wouldn't leave any noise. Ryder held his hand out for me and I grabbed it as we left.
"Not your type, huh? Why would you kiss me then?" I asked and took in the cold surroundings. We were still holding each other's hands for no reason, well maybe there was a reason. He glanced at me and smiled to himself. I looked down and smiled as well, I wasn't able to keep it away. His smile made me smile. My smile made him smile.
"It had nothing to do with you. It's more Milan and the other guys, I don't want them to start bothering you." Ryder explained. His friends are quite a lot so maybe this makes sense. I'm still annoyed and offended but I don't know what to believe at this point.
"I don't hate you... you know after you kissed me." I said. He chuckled. "Surprisingly." He answered. I have so many damn questions I'm too scared to ask. What is he doing? Why is he doing this? Boys are so confusing, too confusing. How am I supposed to understand what goes through their minds?
"I have treated you like complete shit, and I'm so fucking sorry. I just really want us to start over and be friends if you want to?" Ryder suggested. Friends? Seriously? I hope he's joking.
"Sure, if that's what you want," I answered.
"It doesn't matter what I want. It's what you want that matters." He continued. I rolled my eyes in disappointment at what was happening right now. The silence between us was thick, most of it was the tension that could be fixed if I said something.
"Yeah. Sounds good to me." It doesn't, but whatever makes him happy. My stomach is twisting itself and it doesn't feel good. Why would he kiss me and lead me on just for me to know that we should just be friends? Ryder stopped walking and turned to me.
"God. You are so beautiful." He leaned in and kissed me. I pushed him away and began walking again. "You can't just lead me on and then tell me that you want to be friends and then kiss me! What is wrong with you?" I turned around and looked at him, waiting for an answer.
"We can't be friends that kiss a few times?" Ryder smiled.
"No, we can't. See, this is the issue! You do exactly what you want to and I don't want to be a part of that." I sighed and pushed myself away from him. I wasn't able to tell how he was feeling right now, his face isn't giving out any emotions.
"Okay. Fine." He said and distanced himself from me. "I should get going. My parents are probably wondering where—"
"No! I'm sorry, okay? Let's just go and when we're done, you can leave and never talk to me again." He insisted. It went quiet and he took that as a sign and continued leading the way. I want to ask why he's so different when he's with me and why he is like he is with his friends.
But I know why, I don't want the answer to something I know will hurt my feelings. He's embarrassed to be seen or heard with me.
"Where are we going?" I questioned and wrapped the coat tighter around me because of the coldness hitting my skin harshly. It's mid-November and being outside while it's late, isn't the greatest idea. "You'll see." He answered. We reached a giant building after a few minutes of walking.
Ice skating. I've never tried it before so this place creeps the actual fuck out of me. Imagine if I fall and my head gets so injured that I forget everything great I have achieved?
"Are you okay?" Ryder questioned. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah. I've never tried this before... so." I held on to my other arm and stared awkwardly. Ryder chuckled and nodded like he understood what I was feeling right now. I'm scared of how this is going to go. Right now, I wish he never showed up at my door, to begin with.
"It's great. It can be like a... friendship test. You'll have to trust me." Ryder explained. I don't like this idea, I will never trust that boy.
He gave me the ice skating shoes and got into his pair. I struggled with wearing and using those goddamn shoes, they're worse than my boots. I held on to Ryder and slowly got up, he helped me get to the ice. "I will kill you for making me do this, Ryder." I squealed while almost falling.
"You can't kill me if you die first." Ryder laughed at me. I was holding his forearms and he was holding mine as well. "It's easy! You're competing against yourself." He let go of me and skated away from me. I was so far away from the railing, I couldn't make it over there.
"Oh come on! Get over here." He said. I shook my head in fear, I'm not able to move in any way, especially not on the ice. He's so rude for leaving me in the middle, I don't trust myself out there.
"You know, Mrs. Eastwood said that she would be failing you because of your suspension," Ryder told me. My eyes widened and I gasped.
"You're lying." I was sure of it. She didn't fail him when he got suspended.
"I'm not. Jasmine didn't tell you? Aren't the two of you best friends?" He questioned. I skated forward and suddenly stood in front of him. "Tell me you're lying," I demanded. Ryder had the most sheepish smile on his face.
"I was. But now the ice doesn't seem so terrifying anymore, right?" Ryder grinned. I fell right into his chest and screamed loudly.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed onto his arm when I was about to fall. "Okay, let me help you out." He laughed out and took my hands in his. He slowly started moving further out on the ice and moved his feet in circles.
"Circles, Alissa. Circles." Ryder repeated. I tried making those circles but it didn't work out. I was constantly about to fall. "You suck." He said and turned around, skating behind me and putting his hands on my waist.
"You're a little too close." I nervously laughed out. When he began skating again, it moved both of us. So, we were skating but technically it was only him doing something. My feet continued going to each their sides. "Okay, okay slow down!" I yelled.
"I got you, now shut up." Ryder sighed. I rolled my eyes at him but decided to stay quiet anyway. It's nice being on the ice, pretending that nothing else in this world can bother you. It gets sad when you have to snap out of it and remember who you are and how you got to this point.
"How did you even get us in here?" I questioned. His hold on my hips got tighter as he turned the both of us to the side, I squealed again. "I used to work here, I never returned the keys," Ryder explained. My eyebrows furrowed.
"So we are going against the law," I told him what he had told me but with different words. I could feel him nod behind me. "Basically." He agreed. Who wouldn't give the keys back? What an idiot.
"Let's do a little twirl." Ryder stopped skating and made me spin. When I stood still and tried to skate, I was about to fall and he was quick to help me. This is so much harder than I thought.
"This makes me happy, I never thought I could be better than you at something." Ryder laughed at me. I rolled my eyes and tried going away from him but I immediately fell down on the ice and my ass definitely hurt. The ice was incredibly cold.
"Help me up, idiot!" I laughed hard which sounded like I was crying. He grabbed my hands and pulled me up, I wrapped my arms around his waist and put my head against his chest. "I'm going to kill you, like literally."
"I'll be prepared." Ryder said and stroked a hand through my hair.
My phone began ringing through my coats pocket. Ryder got us over to the railing and I put one of my hands on it, my other hand holding onto my phone.
It's Benjamin. I clicked on the green button and put the phone up to my ear. "You have to get home in thirty minutes, hurry. Dad is going to get so mad at you." I could hear him whisper into the phone.
"Okay. Okay, I'll try to get there as fast as I can." I answered. Ben hung up before I could get the chance to say bye. I turned around and looked at the boy in front of me with an apologetic smile. "You have to?—"
"Yup." I didn't let him finish because I knew what he was going to ask. He helped me off the ice and sat the both of us down on one of the many benches. I was trying to get the shoe off my left foot and tried making conversation.
"Why did you stop working here?" I asked him.
"The boss was a bitch." Ryder quickly answered. I looked around and nodded.
"I work at the grocery store with my niece now." He informed me. I know that they are three years apart just like me and Benjamin.
"How many years are you and your sister apart? Your niece's mother." I know he has more than one sister. Why and how do I even know that? I've probably heard it somewhere once.
"Fourteen." He answered with a smile. I got the shoe off and placed it on the ground, I moved on to the next one. "What about you and your sister?" Ryder returned the question to me.
"Ten," I said. I need to hurry up with this, I only got thirty minutes and I'm getting too distracted with this conversation. "Are you a family person?" Ryder questioned. I shook my head.
"No, definitely not. Family is the worst, you can't depend on them." Why can I never shut my mouth up whenever I'm around him? It's like everything just spills out of my mouth.
"Why's that?"
I sighed and got the other shoe off of my foot, placing it on the floor beside the other one.
"Just because. Don't tell me that you are a family person." I looked over at him, his eyes were on the floor.
"I used to be when I was younger but things just changed," Ryder explained. I wonder what changed his mind but it seems a little disrespectful to ask. "You're allowed to ask."
Did he just read my thoughts? What the fuck.
"I always believed that if my father would stop going to work that much, we would become a well-loving family but things just seem to get worse whenever he is around." He told me.
I remained silent, not knowing how to answer. He doesn't exactly give 'daddy issues' vibes.
"I have one question if that's okay," I said. He nodded.
"Your family is very... wealthy. Why are you and your niece working at places like a grocery store and not your family's company?" I asked him. Ryder finally looked into my eyes.
"I'll do anything to be different. I don't want to look like my father a single bit, not looks and not personality either." Ryder said. We are so alike, it's just like my situation with Hailey.
"They want you to become them so badly that you grow tired from it and do the complete opposite," I mumbled. "Exactly." He nodded his head. I smiled and looked at my boots, reminding myself once again that I need to hurry.
I quickly got up and put my feet down into the boots and tied my shoelaces. I checked the clock and realized that I only had around fourteen minutes left. Why is everything fourteen today? Fourteen minutes, fourteen years apart, it's even the fourteenth of November.
"I have to get home quickly," I told him.
"Great, let's go then," Ryder answered. We left the building as he locked everything up, just as it was before we got in there. I was walking down the street with Ryder by my side, he was walking so slow. I checked the clock on my phone, four minutes left.
"Okay, go home. I'll run the rest of the way. I'll be late if I don't." I demanded him to do. I continued walking and was pretty sure he had walked away. I couldn't hear him anymore so I decided to look behind me. "Or we can just do like this." He smiled and picked me up in a bridal style.
Ryder began running fast with me in his arms as I cursed him out for not putting me down.
"I will kill you," I said and looked at the familiar road. We were two minutes away.
"You say that quite a lot." He chuckled. How is Ryder able to do this? He holds me like I don't weigh anything. Maybe he's just very strong.
"Jesus Christ," I muttered as Ryder placed me down on the ground again. I looked behind me, we were right outside of my apartment. "Thank you, I think?" I laughed out.
"Good night, Alissa." Ryder smiled. I thanked him and walked to the front door but then I decided to do something else. "Hey, Ryder?" I said. He stopped walking and got back.
"Never show up at my front door again, my dad will kill you," I said and licked my bottom lip.
"Noted. No showing up at front doors." He hummed. I gave his shoulder a light punch.
"Good night, buddy." That made him laugh out loud. This time I walked upstairs for real. I texted Benjamin to open the door for me so I wouldn't have to knock.
"There you are," Benjamin said and sighed. I got inside and slowly closed the door. I knocked my shoes off of my feet and walked through the small hallway with my brother by my side. "I told them that you had to get some homework from Jasmine downstairs." He whispered before we entered the living room.
"Thank you," I mumbled.
"Where were you?" My dad rose from his seat and asked. He looked so angry at me. "I had to get the homework from Jasmine. She said she would bring it by and we talked for a bit, it took quite some time though." I lied. My mother put her hand on his shoulder, which made him sit down again.
"Tell us the next time." He sneered. I nodded and sat down on the couch beside the one they were sitting on. I have to bring the text messages up or else I'll forget it and never talk about it again. "Dad, before I had to leave I wanted to talk to you about something," I told him. My father looked over at me with curiosity in his eyes.
I grabbed my phone and unlocked it, clicking on the messages. Benjamin looked at my screen and his eyes widened at the sight of what his older sister had texted.
"After the argument between Hailey and I, she had been texting this to me," I said and handed him the phone. I could feel my mother's eyes bore into me.
Dad looked over at mom.
"Did you know about this?" He asked her. She shook her head as a no. Always a no when it comes to me.
"Unbelievable. This isn't how I raised her to be, especially not toward her little sister. I'm glad you told me, Alissa. She's going to hear from me." Dad said. He gave me the phone back and shook his head.
"Thank you, dad." I smiled and got up. I went to my bedroom and closed the door behind me, it went up a minute after I had sat down on my bed. "You should have told me," Ben said. I sighed and nodded at his words.
"Yes, I should have. But I was in shock, I didn't know what to do. I did tell mom but she was being ignorant so I decided to keep it to myself." I explained. Benjamin was the one sighing now. "She's an asshole." He mumbled.
That made me smile because it's true.
______________________
Hello fellow hotties out there! How's it going? This chapter was a pain in the ass, it was so long and I felt like it never ended.
But it was so cute and I absolutely loved writing the part where they get to know each other better!
I hope everyone out there is doing good and taking care of yourselves. Remember that I love you very much, even when you feel down<3
Please remember to vote!