Page 6 of In the Air Tonight

“Including him?”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

I’m not so sure, but I keep that to myself, too. Ever since they finally had sex last winter, Sienna has been extra possessive of him.

Minutes pass as Cam makes the rounds, seemingly talking to everyone as Sienna goes silent. That’s never a good thing.

My legs are starting to cramp from squatting.

“Here comes Ryder,” Sienna whispers. “Don’t move or he’ll see us.”

I’ve thought Ryder Elliott is hot for as long as I’ve known what hot meant. With dark wavy hair, dreamy blue eyes and a muscular body, he’s like a god in our school, revered by everyone, scouted by colleges that want him for football and track. Every girl wants to be his girlfriend, but he’s been dating Louisa Davies since ninth grade. Ryder and Louisa will be our class couple, and it’s understood they’ll get married as soon as they finish college—if she lives that long.

Louisa has been fighting Hodgkin’s Disease since she was fourteen. Ryder has been by her side through it all, hosting fundraisers for her family and making sure she has everything she needs. They recently celebrated her remission after grueling treatments that had her out of school for most of our sophomore year and again the last half of our junior year.

Everything was looking up until recently when we heard she’d relapsed again. She’s back in treatment, and her immune system is fragile, so she’s not allowed out of her house. I heard how Ryder leaves flowers outside her door every morning. She’s the sweetest girl, and we’re all praying for her recovery. No one more so than Ryder.

We’re about six feet from where he stops and turns to speak to someone.

Neisy.

Shock ricochets through me. No way. What’s she doing with him? By now she must know he has a longtime girlfriend. Maybe the things people say about her are true.

I want to tell Sienna that we should go, but I can’t get the words out.

I’ve asked myself over and over what would’ve been worse—what we saw or no one knowing what he did to her.

At first, all they do is talk.

We can hear everything they say.

He sips from a red Solo cup. “You know you’re driving me crazy with the way you look at me in school.”

“How do I look at you?”

“Like you want to fuck me.”

She crosses her arms. “Well, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“There’s nothing worse than a cock tease. That’s what all the guys say about you. That you’re a cock tease, among other things.”

“They can say what they want. I know the truth. I thought you said you wanted to talk to me about Louisa.”

As if she hasn’t said anything, Ryder moves closer to her. “You don’t care what they say about you?”

“Why should I? I don’t even know them. I don’t know you. Why would you think I want to fuck you?”

He moves so quickly she never sees it coming—and neither do we. One minute they’re standing a foot from each other, the next they’re on the ground, and he’s on top of her, his hand over her mouth as he pulls at her clothes.

She struggles against his tight hold, fighting him fiercely, but she’s no match for him.

Sienna’s fingers dig into my arm.

I want out of there right now. I don’t want to see this. Bile burns in my throat.

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