Page 40 of The Devils They Are
My hand stretches out, grabbing his as I tug him back down. Surprisingly, he lets me, eyes blown wide with frustration. He could have easily walked away—we both know that. But something tells me he's fighting a battle right now. So, I keep pushing.
"My terms are these," I start, locking eyes with him. "No more pranks, no more taunts. We co-exist until the repairs at Cedar are done. Any animosity we have is reserved for the warehouse. You leave my people alone, and we'll keep a clear path."
His face remains stoic as he listens. "And the videos?"
I shrug. "I can't speak for your people, but I'll have anyone from Cedar remove the indiscriminating videos. We can display an alliance, if you wish. You rule over your people, and leave me to do my job."
"Your job," he murmurs, bewildered. "That's what it is to you?"
"Of course."
It feels like we're both lost in translation now. In all honesty, it does feel like a job to me. It's a requirement, a leadership role that I'm now bound to. The idea that it could be anything more or less is perplexing.
Rylan's face softens. "Did you even want it?"
Now it's my turn to shove those walls up. A few years ago, all I wanted was to live my life peacefully. I wanted to be a normal teenager, making mistakes and learning from it. I wanted to go to school dances, be taken out on dates, and focus on my future.
But when everything fell to shit, I forced myself to be strong, to hide my broken heart. People grasped onto me, desperate for strength to guide them. And over time, it became easier to focus on being that person for them, to separate my life. It gave me a purpose, a reason to always be strong. But the reality of always needing to be on guard, unable to make mistakes, and having people rely on me, it's exhausting.
"I love looking after everyone," I finally say, running my fingers over the rough texture of the ground. "Don't you?"
When he doesn't answer immediately, I gaze up, heart missing a beat when I find his relaxed baby blues watching me closely.
"It was just…expected," he mutters quietly. "I didn't have a choice."
I nod, for once understanding what he means. "It's not all bad," I tell him with a small smile. "It's just hard at times juggling both worlds."
Rylan hums, leaning back onto his palms. "Sometimes, I just want to run," he says, trailing off. I'm confused by his words, letting a silence fall between us as I wait for him to fill in the blanks.
His eyes scan my face—boyish, carefree features revealing themselves as he smiles. It's the first time I've ever been on the receiving end of a genuine one from him, and it makes my stomach flip. Here, right now, we're just two normal people, trying to figure out where the hell we go from here.
"Running makes me happy," he confesses. "It's so freeing. Nothing but me, my body, and the elements. It's the only time my mind can switch off and focus on something other than the surmounting pressures from all of this."
"Music," I reply. "Mine is music. My neighbors are probably sick of hearing my playlist, but it zones me out."
The two of us smile, tension disappearing as more shadows cast over the rooftop.
Remembering that I have people waiting for me, I dust off my hands on my skirt, holding one out to him.
"Alright, Astor. I'm not saying it's a truce, but we'll call it atrial run. If you can keep out of our way and be amicable toward us, maybe we'll get out of this thing alive."
Rylan reaches out, not shaking my hand but grasping it in his palm. My eyes fall to our connected hands, trying to ignore the strange feeling brewing in my chest as his eyes linger on my face.
"To friendliness," he proclaims, my skin itching as his thumb runs a singular stroke over my hand.
Clearing my throat, I pull back first, clenching my fist by my side as I stand. He watches for a few seconds, before pushing to his own feet.
"Here," I say awkwardly, reaching into my bra and extracting his credit card. "Consider this the first step toward an armistice. The wildcat foundation thanks you for your support."
Chapter fifteen
Bexley
"Andlocalmeteorologistsareadvising that members of the Ridgeview Valley community should stay inside this weekend unless absolutely essential. Now, back to Julian in the weather room with more updates on this storm of the year and the predicted rain for the next week."
I'm almost thankful for the thunder outside. Between that and my music, I'm successfully able to drown out my thoughts.
True to his word, Rylan and the Willowbrook cohort behaved themselves today. While some jeers and slurs were inevitable from others, the three of them barely looked at me today. Which turned out to be a blessing.
