Page 45 of Ride By Your Side

“You know, it hasn’t been too bad,” I admit.

As expected, everyone in town knows that I ran away from the altar, leaving the beloved town councilman a mess. So yes, I fully expected comments to be made, and these high school students did not disappoint. Then again, as many of their parents are notorious for being the town’s biggest gossips, it’s no wonder their kids have picked up similar habits.

As I walked into my classroom this morning and spotted a photoshopped picture of Julia Roberts in a wedding dress and sneakers—with my face photoshopped onto hers—I was too impressed by the creativity to be upset. If you’re going to roast me, at least do it with style, and they definitely did.

First off, what an honor to be compared to the beautiful Julia. Second, I did exactly what they all say I did, so why try to act like the victim in this? Okay, so obviously they don’t know the full story of why I felt the need to get as far away from Pete as possible, and they don’t need to. I have no plans to slander his good name, even if part of me thinks he deserves it. I just have to hope that eventually everyone in town sees through him the same way I finally did.

He doesn’t look convinced. I can see the compassion and worry hovering over his features. “Really?”

“I mean, there have been some rough patches, and I wish I could have taken more time off to process everything that’s happened these past two weeks, but I can’t exactly ask people not to wonder or be curious. As much as I hate the gossip train that exists here, in this case, I’d be wondering what the hell happened, too.”

“I guess. I suppose I should feel lucky that I’m one of the select few who actually gets to know the behind-the-scenes tea,” he admits with a sheepish grin.

“Tea, huh? Are you finally going to fill us in on what happened?” Gemma asks as she takes a seat at our usual table, with Maeve sitting across from her in her usual seat as well.

Gemma and Maeve, other than Ford, of course, are two of my favorite people at this school and were also two of my bridesmaids. However, while I filled in Blair and Ford before I made my escape, I left my other two friends in the dark that day.

“You mean Ford didn’t fill you in already?” I ask, somewhat surprised as I unzip my floral lunch bag and slip out the contents.

He coyly shrugs. “I didn’t know if I was allowed.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s Gemma and Maeve, you doofus,” I tease, reaching out to smack his arm. “Of course, you could have told them.”

Okay, so maybe with Gemma, who has a flair for the dramatics given her position as the actual drama teacher here at Evergreen Grove High, there’s a chance she could have gossiped about it, but Maeve, I know without a doubt, wouldn’t have told anyone.

“Okay, good. Because I’ve been dying to know what happened. One second you were asking to be left alone, and the next, Ford and Blair were announcing to everyone that the wedding was off,” Gemma explains, excitedly linking her fingers in front of her face as she leans her elbows on the table.

I wince. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just really needed to get out of there.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We understand. You did what you needed to do, and that’s all that matters,” Maeve adds, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “The details don’t really matter, and if you don’t feel comfortable sharing, you don’t have to. We can wait until you’re ready.”

“Maeve, shhh!” Gemma playfully chastises as she places a finger in front of her lips and shushes the school counselor.

I let out a small laugh. “No, it’s fine. I trust you two to keep this between us,” I say, sending a grateful smile toward Maeve before looking back at Gemma.

“Well...” Gemma coaxes, spinning her hand in a small circle as if beckoning me to continue.

“I think, deep down, I knew for a while that Pete wasn’t the right guy for me. Thankfully, Blair coming back to town helped me see it more clearly, and Ford here…” I pause, smiling in his direction, “reminded me of the type of relationship I really want. Walking down that aisle would’ve been a mistake. I’m sure Pete’s going to be pissed—probably for a long time—but someday, he’ll realize it too. We aren’t right for each other, and ending it now was the right move for both of us.”

“Well, as I’m sure you’ve heard from Ford, and from my experience as well, divorce is never fun, so I’m proud of you for realizing it before it got to that point,” Maeve says, which, coming from her, I definitely appreciate.

While Maeve grew up in Evergreen Grove, she moved away at eighteen to attend college with her high school sweetheart, whom she ultimately ended up marrying. However, three kids later, he turned out to be a cheating asshole, which sent her running back home with her children to Evergreen to live with her parents. While I’m so glad I get to have her here as a friend, I know it hasn’t been the easiest of transitions.

“Yeah, I’m definitely thankful I get to avoid that side of things, even if there are also some other aspects of being known as the town’s runaway bride that I’m not exactly looking forward to,” I admit with a sigh, reaching down to open the Tupperware of mixed berries that I packed the night before.

“Eh,” Gemma says, waving it off. “Before long, someone here will do something stupid and you’ll be old news. Just give it time.”

“Then again,” Ford starts, a playful smirk on his lips, “Ronnie is usually the go-to for causing town drama, so she may be out of luck in that department.”

“Oh,” Maeve says, lifting a finger. “Maybe you just need to do one of your other crazy Ronnie shenanigans, surprise the heck out of everyone, and give them something new and exciting to talk about.”

I really wish I were better at hiding my expressions because, as I bite my bottom lip and wrinkle my nose, it’s clear that Maeve and Gemma have already picked up on the fact that I might have done exactly that.

“Wait, what are we missing?” Maeve asks, her eyes darting between me and Ford, who is just as horrible as I am at this, as his eyes zone down to the bag of chips in his hand.

“I may have already done something stupid, and perhaps way worse than running away from the altar,” I whine, pushing my food forward before letting my forehead fall to the now-empty space.

“Worse than running away from your own wedding?” Gemma asks, clearly intrigued, and I don’t blame her.

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