Page 49 of Taking Care of You
That seems to bring him up short. He looks shocked. “You think so? I mean, I can, you know…not play so much?”
He looks at me like I can help him. He’s on his own there. I had no idea Ryder wanted to talk to Crystal in any kind of way. I’ve basically been living under a rock as far as other people are concerned, but I’m sure if it was worth mentioning, Crystal would have told me.
She smiles sweetly at him, but I know what that means. She’s going to let him down, but gently. “I doubt it, but that’s not a bad thing, Ryder. Just not for me, you know?” She really is nice about it. I think Ryder understands, but it still doesn’t stop the hurt that slides across his face.
He rubs his hand over the back of his neck. “I hear you. It’s not…I don’t know. It’s not really me.” He doesn’t stick around after that. He gives us a small smile and walks away quickly, going out into the courtyard. I look at Crystal and she looks as stunned as I feel.
What just happened?
I don’t think it’s a bad thing that Ryder is playful. He’s funny and friendly and wants everyone to be comfortable. I’m sure it’s why he and Ethan are so close. They have the same general spirit, though Ethan is a bit more subdued. Ryder is like the class clown, but not in a mean-spirited sort of way.
Crystal looks like she’s thinking the same thing I am. She’s biting her lip and looking towards the courtyard, like she wants to dash after him. But she simply sighs and we grab our lunch, catching up with Ethan as he walks inside the cafeteria.
When we get to our table, I am more than pleasantly surprised to see Mitch sitting beside Elle. They’re not sitting super close and he doesn’t look entirely comfortable, but he’s there and Elle looks over-the-moon as she talks his head off about God knows what. He’s giving her these indulgent smiles like he would rather be anywhere else, but as long as she’s there, he’ll stick around. We slide our trays onto the table, and they both look up and smile at the three of us.
Elle looks at me and asks, “You okay? Sorry about Dawn earlier. She really is being an evil shit.”
I shrug. Nothing different than any other day.
“You shouldn’t be apologizing for her,” Crystal grits out. “She’s lucky I wasn’t there. We would have had a bigger problem.”
“No, we would not have,” I murmur, turning to Crystal. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s fine. I won’t let you get in trouble because of her.”
She has that look on her face, like she hears me but she doesn’t care what I’m saying. I love and hate my best friend. “Okay, Koby.” She gives me a one-armed hug that I know is only placating me.
Everyone is looking at me and I roll my eyes. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Just leave it. She doesn’t bother me.” I look at Elle. “You’re really not trying out for the squad for basketball season?”
Shaking her head, she pulls her hair over her shoulder, which slaps Mitch in the face. He tucks it behind her back, and their eyes meet and they blush. God, these two are adorable.
Looking back to me after she visibly shakes herself, she says, “I never planned to cheer this season. I only cheered for football season because I tried out last year. I’ll be fine without it. I already have my scholarship and it has nothing to do with cheer.”
I love that for her. While not all the cheerleaders were catty and mean, Elle didn’t seem like she fit in. She’s a popular girl, but it has nothing to do with her being a cheerleader. It’s her. She’s so happy and bubbly and talkative. Everyone loves her. Well, everyone except Dawn. But whatever. She has real friends and I’m thankful to be included.
The rest of the school day is uneventful. Ethan has practice, and I decide to stay home for the next few days, so I ride with Crystal. She still has the same look on her face that she had when Ryder walked away from us.
Sighing, I ask, “What is it, Crys?”
She shakes her head, but she’s still biting her lip.
Crystal really is a sweet girl. So I think the idea that she might have hurt Ryder’s feelings is probably fucking with her.
When we pull up to her house, she turns the car off so I can hear her better. I shiver, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. Along with her car being loud, it doesn’t have heat either. That kind of sucks because the temperature is starting to drop.
Turning to me, she wrings her hands. “You think…you think he’s mad at me?”
“Ryder?” Crystal nods, still moving her hands in her lap. “I don’t think so. You didn’t do anything wrong, Crys. I think maybe it’s something to do with him.”
I’ve been thinking about it. The shocked look on his face and the hurt expression hints that he wants people to see the real him, but no one does.
But how can we if he doesn’t show anyone? Maybe we should actively get to know him. Ryder seems like a good person. There’s no reason for us to keep our preconceived notions about him just because that’s what we see.
“Hey,” I say, remembering what Ethan said about Thanksgiving. “After you eat with your family, come to Ethan’s on Thanksgiving Day. Ryder will be there. We can talk to him then. Oh! And at his party.” The party genuinely slipped my mind.
She gapes at me. “You’re going to a party? On purpose?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course not. Ethan asked me to go.” I can feel the flush growing on my face, and my brown skin is probably more of a bright red.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Koby?” Crystal asks me, the look on her face tells me she already knows what I’m supposed to be telling her. I’m sure it got around to her that Ethan and I kissed. I mean, after two months of his forehead and cheek kisses, it’s big news that his lips touched mine.
