I glare at him. “Am I mean to you?”
“No, but your friends are assholes, so in my book that makes you?—”
“Then I won’t be friends with them!” I feel awful for interrupting, but I don’t want him to finish what he was about tosay. I’m not an asshole. It’s notmewho’s shoving kids into their lockers or sticking chewed gum in their hair.
Ryder pushes himself onto his elbow and scowls at me. “You’re willing to give up your friends for me?”
I frantically nod.
A strange expression twists Ryder’s features before he locks it away. It happens so fast I’m not sure I really saw it. The familiar, emotionless mask settles on his face. It works the same as slamming a door in my face, preventing me from getting any closer to him.
“Bullshit,” he says. Ryder looks at the plate of food on his nightstand, and his eyebrows draw inward before they smooth out again. It’s the only emotion he shows before he turns his attention back to me. “I fucking hate scrambled eggs.”
I force my gaze away from the offending plate. “Then what do you like?”
“For you to leave.”
I swallow down a plea for him to meet me in the middle. Clearly, I have a lot of work ahead of me to get him to trust me, but it’s exciting that he's talking to me instead of ignoring me.
“You know,” I say, then trail off before I even start.
“I don’t care what you have to say. Get the hell out of my room.” Ryder sits up and runs his hand through his messy dark-brown hair, causing it to stand in different directions.
I blink several times. “Why are you being so mean to me?”
Ryder clambers off the bed and stares at the plate of food with the same bored expression. It’s his eyes that give him away. Anger and hatred fill them, transforming his light-blue irises into a darker shade. He looks seconds away from smashing the plate of food against the wall. “Because I don’t entertain bullies.”
My heart sinks to my stomach, and I suck in my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. When I don’t move, Ryder turns tome, and a chill rolls down my spine at the hatred in his cold gaze.
“Why would you say something like that?” I whisper.
“Can’t handle the truth?” He scoffs with a shake of his head. “You’re pathetic. Get your stupid ass out of here. I won’t repeat myself again.”
I leap out of his bed and hold back the angry tears threatening to spill free. Venom clings to the tip of my tongue. Words that would cut deep, much like how he cut me. “You’re such a jerk!”
“If that’s the best insult you can come up with, then you really are stupid.” He points at the door, his message clear.
I don’t understand what’s made him flip so quickly, but I don’t try to ask. He’ll only get angrier and come up with different ways to insult me.
“I came here to apologize, you jerk!” I storm out of his bedroom before he has enough time to dig the knife deeper.
The tears slip free by the time I get inside the house and close the door behind me. I swipe them away so no one will see them and ask questions. My dad won’t be around to see them, so that leaves Carolyn—my stepmom—and Minnie.
My aunt’s humming fills the silence. Once the lump in my throat unknots itself, I stroll into the kitchen. Minnie loads the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and turns it on. Sensing my entrance, she turns and breaks out the warm smile she reserves just for me.
“Hey, baby. Did he like it?” She pauses and tilts her head at whatever she sees on my face. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”
The annoying lump returns and clogs my throat again. My eyes sting with tears, and I look away from her as I fight back the sobs working their way up my throat. I don’t want to talk to her about what happened. It would mean explaining everything about Mickey. It would mean admitting I’m “friends” with theschool bully. Minnie would be disappointed in me, and I don’t want her to look at me differently because of it.
She clicks her tongue and rushes to my side. I curl my fingers into fists as she kneels in front of me and hugs me. Minnie’s hugs always make everything feel better. It’s like snuggling into a blanket when it’s cold outside. She’s a bigger woman, and soft like a pillow, which makes cuddling with her comfortable.
“Aw, baby. You know you can talk to me.” She pets the back of my head in soothing strokes and gently works some knots out of my hair.
I bury my face in her neck as I hug her like my life depends on it, because it sure feels like it does. “I know.”
“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I understand, honey, but I’m going to guess it’s because of Ryder.” She kisses my temple while working her fingers through my hair. “Don’t take what he says to heart, okay? He’s a troubled soul, and sometimes it takes a little more patience and love for people like him to see he’s not alone.”
I shake my head but keep my face buried in her neck. “You don’t understand.”