Page 20

SANJANA

Layla let out a piercing scream as the tires mounted the curb.

I seized her wrist, yanking us both toward the narrow gap between two hedges bordering someone’s front yard.

After making it over the initial hump, the car slowed down enough to terrify, fast enough to be a threat until they were forced to stop, their front bumper shredding through a chunk of bushes that had to have scratched the hell out of their paint.

A fire hydrant, of all things, blocked their path with iron resolve.

In her panic, Layla tripped over nothing and fell into me, arms flailing like an inflatable tube man caught in a wind tunnel. Somehow, miraculously, she stayed upright.

I wasn’t as lucky.

I hit the ground hard, palms scraping raw against the concrete.

The impact rattled up my arms and seemed to echo through my knees.

The familiar sound of a modded engine snarling down the asphalt brought everything to an end.

His truck hadn’t recovered from the sudden stop before the driver’s door flew open.

The second the person driving the sedan saw Ryder, they braked hard, tires screeching in protest. They reversed almost as fast, their bumper clipping the sidewalk with a loud crack as they backed off.

The car fishtailed and tore down a side street, gone in an instant.

I’d barely caught my breath before Ryder was there, lifting me off the ground with ease.

His hands were on me in the next second, skimming my arms, shoulders, wrists, checking for damage, grounding himself through the motion.

“Are you hurt, baby?” His voice was low and taut, calm, barely masking the fury underneath.

Did he just call me—?

That wasn’t important.

“My pride and dignity are a little bruised,” I muttered, brushing dirt from my jeans.

He cupped my face with his large hands. “Sass, I need to know you’re okay,” he demanded, voice rougher now.

I laid my hands on top of his. “I’m fine, Rye,” I assured him softly.

I left out that my palms stung like hell and my knees felt like they’d kissed the pavement at terminal velocity. His thumbs brushed over my cheeks, then slid lower, fingers shifting to rest on either side of my neck. He didn’t press hard, just enough to feel.

“Don’t lie to me.”

I swallowed. “It stings a little, but I promise, I’m all good.”

“You’re not,” he objected quietly, eyes locked on mine.

His thumbs moved slowly, brushing that sensitive spot just beneath my jaw. I knew he could feel it, the way my pulse betrayed me. Not from fear anymore, but something else entirely.

“Can you give us a ride?” Layla’s voice cut in, hesitant but clear. She hovered nearby, watching us.

Ryder didn’t look away from me when he answered. “That’s what I was coming to do.”

Then, softer, just for me, “Come on.”

He released me just to take hold of my hand.

He didn’t let go until after he opened the passenger door of his truck, then reached for me again.

He gripped my hips just enough to guide me up, his touch firm.

The sleeves of his dark gray hoodie were pushed up to his elbows, revealing his inked forearms. He smelled like his body wash and usual warm cedar-and-spice scent.

He had to be fresh out of the shower, because his dark hair was still faintly damp.

Once I was situated, he leaned in and grabbed the seatbelt, pulling it across my body and clicking it into place himself as Layla climbed quietly into the back seat.

Ryder shut my door and walked around to the driver’s side, climbing back behind the wheel.

The warmth inside the truck enveloped me.

He drove in silence, the usual music replaced with something heavier in the air.

It wasn’t awkward per se, but it felt tense, like we were both waiting for the other to speak first.

“I’m fine,” Layla offered quietly.

I turned away from the window and looked at her. “What?”

Ryder kept his eyes on the road. “I can see that,” he replied dryly. “You weren’t the one on the ground.”

I twisted back around and shot him a look.

Among all of us, I knew Layla wasn’t his favorite, not by a long shot.

I didn’t think it was really about her specifically, but more so, he didn’t like sharing me with anyone outside of our core group.

It was a miracle Dougie and Olivia had slipped through the cracks like they had.

He had no say when it came to the cheer team, probably the only thing keeping my other few acquaintances safe.

Thinking about it now, I realized I didn’t have many friends beyond the ones I considered family. Maybe that’s what Layla meant earlier.

Catching the look I sent his way, he sighed and glanced up at the windshield, as if seeking divine help to get through this ride.

Then, in his well-practiced tone, the one most people knew him for, he extended an olive branch. “That was rude. I’m sorry, Fey. I know you’re scared.”

Fey? Who the heck was Fey?

Layla's lips instantly curved into a gentle smile. “It’s okay. I know how you get,” she replied, all soft, soothing, and understanding.

She knew how he got?

Also, why wasn’t she questioning that nickname he’d just given her?

Why was I letting it bother me? I couldn't scold Ryder for not being nice and then get irritated when he tried to be. As we turned into my driveway, I rummaged through my bag, feeling the cool metal of my house key. I didn’t want to knock and disrupt one of the girls inside on the off chance they were buried deep in textbooks.

Ryder’s hand gently but firmly grasped my arm before I could open the door. “Can we talk for a minute?”

I hesitated, casting a quick glance at Layla.

“You can head inside. I’ll be there in a sec,” I instructed, extending the key toward her.

She accepted it with a nod, giving Ryder a polite smile before slipping out of the car, leaving nothing between us but the hum of the engine and everything unsaid.

I broke first because my mouth moved before my brain could, for the second time that day. “Where did Fey come from?”

His eyes roamed over my face, slow and deliberate, before the corners of his mouth curved into an amused smile. “That’s what you’re choosing to focus on right now?”

“No. Yes.” I shook my head, already regretting asking. “Never mind.”

He laughed, far too pleased with himself. “I love when you get territorial.”

“I’m not territorial,” I shot back, too fast.

His grin deepened, all smug confidence. “Whatever you say.”

“I asked a simple question.”

“It’s not hard to piece together, Sass. What do me and the guys usually call her?”

I stared at him, slowly putting it together. “Ferret face,” I replied flatly.

“Exactly. Fey.”

“Rye.” I huffed, giving him a look. “I told you guys to stop doing that.”

“And we did. It’s not the same,” he retorted smoothly. “Fey’s nicer.”

“Oh, so now we’re rebranding insults?”

He gave me a shrug. “How is it an insult if it’s true? You know Roxxi slipped up and said it the other day?”

“Layla is pretty.”

“Are ferrets ugly?”

I opened my mouth, then shut it, because I didn’t know how to argue with that when I found them to be adorable. “You know what? Since we clearly need to talk, you can drive me where I need to go.”

He nodded like he’d already decided that before I asked. “Where to?”

“The furthest drugstore from campus.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“No. And I can’t tell you.”

He chuckled. “Keeping secrets from me now, too?”

That set off a waving red flag in my mind. “What do you mean, too ? What else am I doing?”

His hand flexed slightly on the wheel, but he didn’t look at me. “You’re not wearing my heart.”

The necklace.

I hadn’t forgotten. I could never forget it wasn’t where it belonged. I hadn’t been home yet to get it. He, of course, was wearing his half. He never took it off.

“I’ll have it on next time you see me.”

He was quiet for a moment, the road stretching ahead in silence. “I hate that it feels like you’re slipping away.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Your golden retriever knew someone was screwing with you before I did?”

“Who?”

He scoffed, like I was playing dumb just to piss him off. “You know who I mean.”

“Did you just call him a golden retriever?”

“That’s me being nice.”

“Stop calling my friends animals.”

“Your friend with a boyfriend title?”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

His smirk was all bite. “Didn’t think I’d catch that, huh?”

“You know what I meant.”

“I’m not entertaining your delusions. One is temporary. The other’s a weird-ass hanger-on.”

He thought Layla was weird? What the hell had I missed?

“Don’t do that, Rye.” I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. “It’s not like I planned on keeping it from you.”

“You did, though. You didn’t tell me someone was watching you or that you were scared.”

“I was going to tell you! I haven’t even told anyone about yesterday or last night yet. Only you and Layla know about that part. Cloe knows some of it.”

He let out a low, humorless laugh, eyes still fixed on the road. “That makes it worse.”

“Why?”

“You didn’t exactly tell me, Sanjana. I was on the phone when it happened.”

My full name sounded wrong coming from him when he was like this.

Now it was his turn to exhale, jaw working as he tried to rein himself in.

“I’m sorry, Sass. I can barely think straight, knowing you were scared.

Knowing some poser fuck was hiding behind a mask, watching you.

I want to drag him by his throat and pin his fucking intestines to a tree so the next asshole gets the message. ”

Okay, so I didn’t hate hearing that.