Olivia is leaning against the bright-red lockers, hugging her algebra book to her chest as she continues her story about… I don’t even remember. Her smile widens as she continues, her eyes scanning through the moving crowd of teenagers, searching for someone, but I don’t have the energy to care who it is. I give her an occasional nod or, “Uh-huh,” to let her think that I’m listening, which I know makes me sound like a horrible friend, but teenage gossip is the least of my worries.
“And then my grandma’s hair caught on fire.”
“Yeah—” My eyes snap toward Olivia, her words sinking in. “What?!”
She rolls her eyes, giving away that the last part is a lie, and playfully shoves me. I try to hide my wince but the pain in my shoulder has been a constant reminder today that last night did in fact happen, and it wasn’t just a nightmare. It’s real life.
“You weren’t even listening. Were you?”
I shrug in response as I place my English book into my locker, my eyes landing on a photograph of the four of us together at the lake, and seeing that version of Luke in contrastwith the one from last night makes my stomach churn. I slam the locker shut and mimic her stance.
“What’s going on?” she demands, her overly plucked brows pulling together, silently letting me know she isn’t going to let this go until I tell her where my mind is.
“Luke?” Olivia hisses, her attention locked on him as he does his best to avoid eye contact with us. “What happened to –” she continues but he picks up his pace.
Olivia is petite, but she never allows it to stand in her way. She can also be surprisingly strong when she needs to be. She grabs the back of Luke’s leather jacket and pulls back as hard as she can, causing him to crash through a group of girls, and then his back slams into the lockers. Eyes are watching us, and I feel the heat of their stares. Olivia, however, is oblivious with her gaze searching Luke’s face.
She squeezes his chin, bringing his face close to hers, and he does everything he can to not look at her. She swings his face side to side, inspecting the swollen skin, tsking in disapproval before she releases him. If I wasn’t so hurt by Luke’s actions last night, I might find this spectacle to be somewhat comical.
“Who did this to you?” she practically growls, her hands closing into tight fists at her sides, like she’s ready to attack whoever hurt her best friend.
And I have no doubt that she would. Her loyalty is something I admire about her. But when she learns about how Luke abandoned me last night, will she still feel the same way? Where will her loyalty lie then? I don’t want to come between my two best friends, even if one of them broke my heart.
“I did,” a raspy voice announces from behind us.
I turn and face Ryland, unable to hide my shock. “What?”
He places his arm around my shoulders, like it’s the most natural thing he’s ever done. We’ve hugged before, even had an occasional playful wrestle. But standing in the hallway with his arm slung over my shoulder like we’re—dare I say it—more than friends. Yeah no, this isn’t like us. My internalalarms are screaming as the warmth of him seeps into my skin.
Warning! Warning! Ryland is touching us. Central nervous system shut down! I repeat, shut down!
I’m wrapped in the scent of him: spearmint gum, evergreen trees, and wood smoke from his fireplace at home. My instincts take over, and I lean into him, welcoming his embrace. My hand raises up until it’s planted on his chest, locking me into the first sense of comfort I’ve had since I was in his car the night before. Just the mere presence of him erases all my anxieties. My alarms hit the snooze button.How does he always do that?
I look up at Ryland, who’s glaring at Luke, and I’m reminded of what he just admitted to. I don’t have it in me to move away from his comfort, even with the puzzling look Olivia is giving us. Her face is jumping from Ryland, to me, to Luke as her brain puts the pieces together.
“You three follow me rightnow!” she commands in full drill-sergeant mode.
The three of us stand firm in our place, the boys in some sort of a glaring standoff, me looking back and forth between them, not knowing what to do. Olivia’s bright-red hair swings into our line of sight again as she turns and points to us.
“Now!” She grabs Luke’s arm and begins dragging him behind her.
“Should we make a break for it?” Ryland whispers into my ear, sending goosebumps down my spine.
“She'll hunt us down and make us regret it,” I add, earning a small chuckle from him before we follow her and Luke down the hall until we’re in the stairwell alone.
Ryland removes his arm from my shoulder and places his hands inside his pockets. I try not to miss the weight of his arm around me, but it’s hard to do. Olivia shoves Luke until he’s leaning against the wall. She then places me by the stairs so no one can escape her wrath. And she makes sure to stand in front of the door. Poor Ryland is left in the middle of us. I can practicallysee steam rolling from Olivia’s nostrils as they flare in anger like a bull ready to charge.
“Talk.” She points to Luke, and we all watch him closely. Inside, I’m dancing with joy that she picked him first.
He shrugs his shoulders and shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, making sure to keep his eyes downcast. “I deserved it,” is all he says.
My eyes widen with his honesty, and I wish he would look at me. His broad shoulders slump in defeat. I want to release this anger that I have toward him. I’m tired of carrying it around. But it will stay inside of my heart, rotting away, until he apologizes to me. It feels like he doesn’t care that he hurt me.
Olivia’s green eyes study the three of us for a moment before returning to Luke, and she asks, “What did you do?’
No one says anything for a moment, and I’m not sure that I want to be the one to tell her what happened last night. Ryland exhales loudly and removes a hand from his pocket to point at Luke. “Well, to start, this idiot left Raine alone on the street last night in the freezing cold.”
Olivia’s brows pinch in confusion, and she looks at me for clarity. “Luke and Davis got into an argument last night. Luke stormed out and left, but Davis wouldn’t let me leave. So, I snuck out of my window and chased Luke down, but he ended up leaving with Jake Himswell. I called Ryland to come pick me up, and?—”
