“Sure,” Brian agrees, looking at me.“He’s saying a lot of things now that he should have said a long time ago.”
“I know,” I begin, but Brian interrupts me.
“And you’re only saying it now to distract me!”he roars.
“Brian,” I say faintly, stunned at his sudden shift from calm to enraged.
“Shut up!”he yells.“Both of you, just shut the fuck up!”
I catch Hannah’s eyes.She looks panicky and scared.I probably do too.
“You think you can say all this bullshit and I’ll believe you?”Brian rants.“Why, because you’reRyder Stone?Fuck that!”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“‘I’m sorry,’” he repeats bitterly.“You can apologize until you’re blue in the face, Ryder, but I won’t forgive you!Not just for what you did to me, but for who you are.You’re an entitled, arrogant bastard and I can’t wait to show you what I’m capable of.”
“What about me?”Hannah asks and Brian looks at her.“Why am I being punished for who Ryder is and what he did?Why not let me leave?”
“Because you’re part of this,” Brian says.“You’ve been part of this since you moved to Stonehaven.Even if you weren’t involved with Ryder, you’d be part of it.”
I shake my head again, totally confused.“Brian, you don’t even know Hannah.She’s right.There’s no reason for her to be here.”
“If I say there’s a reason, there’s a reason,” Brian growls.“So shut the fuck up about that.”
“Okay,” I say, holding up my hands.“I’ll shut up.I promise.”
“God, you can be insufferable!”Brian yells.“You always think you’re so smart and on top of everything.The truth is you can be a real idiot sometimes, Ryder.”
“I know, I can be.”
“You didn’t even notice when I basically dropped out of your life.You didn’t notice, and you didn’t care.Some fucking friend you are.”
“So what?You’re killing people to get back at me?”I ask, fed up with his yelling and evasion.“Brilliant plan, Brian.That’ll really make me want to be friends with you again!”
“Ryder,” Hannah says in a warning tone.
“No, let him show his true colors.”Brian sneers.“I can tell you like him, Hannah.Maybe this will save you some pain.Ryder Stone only cares about himself.He always has and he always will.”
“That’s not true,” I yell back.“Just because I don’t care about you, you psycho, doesn’t mean I’m some heartless asshole!”
As soon as I say those words, I want to take them back.I let Brian get under my skin; I lost control.That’s not going to help get me or Hannah out of here.
“But it does,” Brian says.“And thanks for telling me how you really feel.Psycho, huh?”
I wince.“I shouldn’t have said that.It’s not true.”
“Maybe it is.Maybe it isn’t,” Brian says.“The important thing is that I know exactly what you think about me, and I can proceed accordingly.”
“What does that mean?”I ask quietly.
“It means we’ve been talking long enough,” Brian says.“Question and answer time is over, kids.”
“Brian,” Hannah says pleadingly.“Whatever you’re going to do, please rethink it.Haven’t enough people been hurt?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Brian says, shaking his head.“I actually disagree, Dr.Hannah.I know it’s your job to save lives, but I am not beholden to any such oath.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep going,” I say.“Hannah’s right, Brian.Whatever you’re trying to prove, you’ve done it.”