Page 26 of Fall onto me
I hate interrogating my friend, and I hate that I’m sitting on the coffee table in front of him, hands clasped together with a serious look on my face. “You’re lying.”
He scoffs, throwing his arm along the back of the couch. “What’s your fucking problem, man?”
“I just …” I take a deep breath and relax my glare. “I need to know.”
He looks up at the ceiling. “I’ve been wanting some time alone with Kate. Our house is cool and all, but it’s getting old. All the parties and music, it’s not a place to build anything.”
I nod in agreement; I’ve been dealing with the same problem. I can’t stay at the dorms with Sky unless I sneak in, and I don’t want to risk her getting writeups, but when we stay here it’s just annoying. I don’t know if that’s a sign of me growing up, but whatever it is, I’m excited to graduate and live in a quiet house with her. One we can fuck in without having to worry if someone will barge in, where I can hear her moans instead of a thundering roar of chugging chants.
“I wanted to get a nice room on the water for a weekend, but I’m broke.”
He says this like it answers my question. “And?”
“And I was approached by a woman about making a few hundred dollars to bring the outsiders to the cliffs.”
“You didn’t question it?”
“Why would I? I figured it was harmless, maybe a prank or something. You know how locals are, fucking with them.”
“Was she local?” I ask, trying to keep my tone neutral and failing.
“I assumed, but listen,” he drawls, “someone came and fucked up our bikes, I spent more on fixing it then I made from the girl.”
“What did she look like?”
He eyes me. “Why are you asking this?”
“Because I’m the one who fucked the bikes up,” I deadpan.
He tenses.
“Was it Envy?” I ask when he doesn’t respond to that.
“No,” he sneers. “Why did you fuck up my bike?”
“I didn’t know it was yours.”
“Are you fucking cheating man?”
“No, it was …” I need to be honest with someone. “It was an order.”
“From who?”
“The Keeper.”
Ryder’s eyes widen, his rage swept away and replaced with worry. “I thought you were done with that shit.”
I fill him in on everything, from Envy draining the account to how that made me be in more debt to the fucking Keeper. He takes in the information with raised brows and a stunned expression. “That’s why I asked if it was Envy. You’re sure it wasn’t?”
His voice isn’t quiet anymore, he’s growing more agitated the longer he realizes I caused this. “Dude, she lived here. We’ve all gotten sucked off by her. I would know what she looks like.”
A shuffle sounds behind me, and it’s Kate, with tears already streaming down her face. She turns to run outside, and Ryder literally yelps as he gets up.
“Babe!” he calls out, but she beelines it out the door. “Fuck you dude,” he sneers, and I can’t tell if it’s because of the argument he’s about to have or his bike.
“I’m sorry.”
He doesn’t respond, but he catches her at the threshold of the door. “It was long before you.”