Page 53 of The Heir

Kiss me.

Kiss me.

I pleaded inside myself, praying, hoping, willing him–to kiss me.

“Emma, I—” he said, looking from my eyes over to my lips.

“Yes?” I asked, moving an inch closer. His eyes went wider, and his lips twitched into a soft smile. He touched my chin, moving it up at a much better angle, I was sure, for a kiss—

“Hey, Emma, What’s—” I heard someone say from behind us.

Shad dropped his hand as I turned around to see Ryker in his white and blue football jersey, his backpack on, and hanging over one shoulder was his blue gym bag–a very classic Ryker look, usually endearing to me, but not at that moment. Not only was I enraged about him lying to our classmates about me, butI was pretty sure that I was just about to get my first kiss. Of course, he ruined it. I glared at him and his unruly curly blond locks across his forehead. His glare back was painful. He looked at Shad and then at me, and then to our clasped hands.

“—Up?” Ryker finally finished with a snap. He had no right to be angry—even though part of me wanted to comfort him, because he was my friend—a stronger part of me was too angry to do anything but speak my mind.

“Oh,heyRyker,” I responded in irritation. His eyes left our tangled hands and met Shad’s eyes.

“Don’t touch her,” Ryker glared at Shad moving forward as if to grab me, but Shad moved me behind him.

“Ryker, you need to stop this. You are hurting Emma. Isthatwhat you want?” Shad asked.

Ryker looked at me, and I watched his face change for only a moment to softness, but then back to rough as he spat: “She doesn’t know what she is getting into. Do you plan on explaining things to her before you take away all of her choices?”

“Likeyoudid?” Shad asked calmly, and even though I could sense his frustration, Ryker was so different with hisobviousanger toward the situation—which was clear from his hand movements and glares.

“Do not compare us. We arenothingalike.”

“Now, Ryker,thatI agree with. We are absolutelynothingalike,” Shad said.

“So tell her then,” Ryker urged.

“I have not lied to her. Have you?” Shad raised a brow, and I could not help but wonder what they were talking about. I knew Ryker had lied to me, though, telling everyone I was his girlfriend and never telling me about it. Was there another lie? When would he stop lying?

“So, I heard something interesting—” I finally spoke, moving into view from behind Shad, not caring about their guy drama.Ryker turned to me, and I moved to stand directly in front of him. “You've been telling people I'm your girlfriend?” I accused him.

“Yeah, so?” he said with a shrug.

“What do you mean, ‘so’?” I shrugged back to mock him.

“No big deal. People asked, and I just needed to tell them something. I thought it was funny.”

“‘Funny’? Lying to everyone–aboutme–is ‘funny’ to you? You didn’t think it might have been something I should know about?” I raised my voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it would bother you. You don’t really seem that interested in dating. I thought it would be nice to not worry about turning guys down.” He met my gaze. Those blue eyes I used to find so comforting felt so ice cold.

“What? Ryker, I should be the one making that choice–not you!”

“Well, you haven’t even been ononedate,” he shouted with hands raised in the air.

I clutched my fingers together in irritation. That was just about the most embarrassing thing he could have said in front of Shad.

“Well, thanks for that, Ryker. Yell it out to the whole world, why don’t you!” I said clenching my fists tightly at my sides.

“I didn’t think you cared about that stuff!” His eyes held so much anger as he yelled at me. He was always mad over the past few months; he never used to be so angry and never used to yell at me.

Where is my best friend?

“That ‘stuff’? You meandating? Of course, I want to date! Of course, I care about ‘that stuff.’Younever let me,” I said, raising a finger at him, hoping my words stung at least a little. He sighed and tossed his curly hair back out of his face and clutched hisfootball bag tighter before tossing it onto the ground to the side of us.

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