Chapter 9
Nine
I stand upright, facing him.
Ryder’s mouth twitches in his frown. “How did you know?”
“Huh?”
“Did Miranda call you?”
“No. Why?”
He blows out a breath, folding his arms. “Because I called my driver. I’m sneaking out early.”
“Oh.”
“How did you catch me?”
I shrug. “I didn’t. I was just making my way to the administration office.”
“Why? Did you break some school property and need to confess?”
The hurt slices into me. “Don’t.”
“It’s a joke, Alice. Lighten up.”
I hug my waist, my backpack slipping off my shoulders. “Real funny.”
“Stop being so grumpy. Is this why you’re not in class? Too much of a sad sack to be around other people?”
Other people? He’s the whole reason I can’t be around other people. He’s made up stories that have turned me into an outcast.
“Alice? Would you stop death-staring me?”
“I need to change a class.”
He smirks. “English? Good idea.”
It takes all the energy I have left, but it’s worth it. I roll my eyes at Ryder Hamilton.
“What? You know it’s not a good idea for us to share the same space.”
I clutch my elbows. “Is that why you didn’t show up this morning?”
“Hey, I need to keep my distance. With the amount of stuff you’ve broken, I wouldn’t be surprised if you move onto body parts. Sorry, girl, but I need these arms in order to play the guitar.”
“And is that what you’ve been telling people about me?”
“What do you care what I say?”
“I care when you’re making sure I don’t make any friends.”
“Look, it’s not up to me if you make friends or not.” His arms cross against his middle like steel rods. “I’ve got more important things to think about. Like the fact I’m trying to nail down a better record deal but I have this stupid school getting in the way.”
“Then why did you even show up today?”
“You heard Miranda. The head of the label thinks graduating from this place will benefit my career. But I’m out of here. I called my driver to pick me up because being here is a joke.”
“Oh.”
He groans, rolling his eyes. “Ugh. The plan was for you not to find out. I didn’t want you making it back to Miranda’s.”
There’s a sting in my tear ducts.
His expression shifts when he sees my face. “Are you seriously crying right now?”
“No.” But my voice betrays me, breaking on the word.
Ryder runs a hand through his hair, looking everywhere but at me. “Geez, don’t... Just don’t cry, okay?”
“I’m not,” I lie, blinking rapidly.
“You literally are.” He lets out a long exhale, clearly frustrated. “Look, this wasn’t supposed to be a whole thing. I just needed an afternoon to myself. If I left you stranded, then I get out of this dumb tutoring session.”
“Stranded?” the word comes out of me strangled.
He shrugs. “I thought it was a solid plan.”
My backpack slides down my shoulders and I clumsily catch the straps.
“Good lord, could you look more like a wounded puppy right now?”
I blink back the threat of tears that could tumble at any moment.
Ryder huffs in defeat. “Okay, let’s book it.”
My breath hitches in my throat. “What?”
“You’re already trying to get out of your last class for the day. If you don’t want to be stuck in town all night, let’s go.”
“Will Miranda be home?”
Ryder nods. “Yeah. It’d be awesome if you refused to tutor me, okay?”
I cringe. “You want me to create a scene?”
Ryder smirks. “It’s easy for you. Just break something.”
I grit my teeth and dig my fingernails into my wounded palms.
Ryder rolls his eyes and pushes on my shoulder. “Lighten up, it was a joke. Can we go now?”
I turn so his hand will get off my shoulder. “Fine. I’m too tired to care, anyway.”
Ryder ushers me to follow him, like he’s worried I’ll change my mind. I guess making me almost cry left him feeling guilty.
Doesn’t make being around him any easier. The car ride is suffocating.
Ryder angles his body toward the window the moment we get in, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle jumping, and he puts earbuds in.
I sit as far from him as possible, my backpack clutched in my lap like a shield. The driver glances at us in the rearview mirror but says nothing about the obvious tension.
My head pounds with every curve of the mountain road. The aspirin I took this morning has worn off completely, and the stress of the day has turned the pain into something vicious. There’s a pressure behind my eyes that makes me want to close them and never open them.
But my racing thoughts keep me alert.
I steal a glance at Ryder. He’s staring out the window, and one hand taps against his thigh in rhythm to whatever music is playing in his ears.
I can’t believe he actually wanted to leave me stranded at school. It’d be one thing if we lived in Victoria Falls, but we’re fifteen miles out of town. That’s not walkable even if I didn’t have these freaking mountains to deal with.
Ugh. It’s just so mean.
We haven’t seen each other in over twenty-four hours, but he still has such horrible reactions to just the thought of me.
When we finally pull up to Miranda’s house, Ryder is out of the car before it fully stops. He doesn’t wait for me, or hold any doors. Just stalks toward the house with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
I hurry to keep up, my own backpack weighing me down. I catch the heavy front door just before it closes. Ryder is already pacing the hallway, his movements agitated. I have no desire to follow him. All I want is to get to my room, lie down in the dark, and let this headache consume me.
But then I hear Miranda’s voice.
“Ryder? Is that you?”
I freeze.
Miranda appears from the sitting room, her phone in hand. She’s dressed in another sharp suit, and there’s surprise in her expression when she sees both of us.
“You’re home early,” she says, her eyes settling on Ryder. “That’s interesting, considering you’ve already missed quite a few classes.”
Ryder moves to pace in front of the fireplace. “The music is more important right now, Miranda. We have two weeks until the showcase.”
“The music is always important, Ryder.” Miranda sets her phone down on the glass coffee table. “But Mr. Kensington was very clear about his expectations. Especially after the conversations we had yesterday.”
Yesterday.
When they left without explanation.
When they weren’t home overnight.
“Those meetings were productive,” Ryder argues. “We locked in our slot for the showcase, and they dug the setlist. That’s real progress.”
“It was productive,” Miranda agrees. “And exhausting. Which is why I spent this morning following up with the promotional team and the social media managers.” She crosses her arms. “All of which matters, Ryder, only if you graduate.”
“The label cares about talent, not my English grade.”
“The label cares about image. And Mr. Kensington specifically cares about Ashworth Academy’s reputation.” Miranda’s voice sharpens. “You know this. We discussed it at length over dinner last night.”
I stand frozen near the doorway, my headache pulsing. Will Miranda acknowledge me? Surely she wants to know how I’m doing, and how I’m managing at my new school.
Her focus narrows on Ryder.
“After everything we accomplished in those meetings,” Miranda continues, “after all the strings I pulled to get you in front of those executives, you cannot jeopardize it by failing out of school. Do you understand how that would reflect on me?”
“I’m not going to fail out.”
“Your English grade suggests otherwise.” Miranda picks up her phone again, scrolling through something. “Which is precisely why we arranged the tutoring. You agreed to this, Ryder. You agreed to hold up your end of the bargain.”
“The showcase is in two weeks!”
“And you have exams in eight. Both matter. Both happen.” She looks up from her phone. “You want this career? Do you want the label’s support? Then you need to finish your assignments and pass your classes. That was the deal.”
Ryder runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Fine. But after the showcase—”
“After the showcase, we’ll reassess.” Miranda’s tone softens. “But right now, you need to focus on both. The music and the academics. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah,” he mutters. “I can do that.”
Only then does Miranda’s gaze shift to me, like she’s just now remembering I exist.
“Alice, darling,” she says, her voice taking on that practiced warmth. “Why don’t you head to the library and get your materials ready? Ryder will join you shortly.”
My stomach drops. “Now?”
“Well, of course now, dear. You missed yesterday’s session, which means you’re behind schedule. And since you’re both home early...” She gestures as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s actually perfect. You can make up for lost time.”
“Miranda, no.” Ryder stops pacing. “I need to practice. I’m already running out of time because I have that stupid photo shoot booked tomorrow, and…”
“And you have a tutoring session now,” Miranda says firmly.
“Mr. Kensington’s expectations are insane,” Ryder snaps. “Since when does he care if I pass English? He should care if I can perform, and if the band is ready for the showcase.”
“He cares about both.” Miranda’s voice takes on that steel edge. “And so should you. Unless you’d like to explain to Chase and Brooks why you’re being dropped from the band?”
Ryder’s face flushes. “That’s not going to happen. They need me, and you know it.”
“And you need them. You know that.” She glances at her phone again. “Now, Alice has been kind enough to prepare materials for you. The least you can do is show up and put in the effort.”
“This is ridiculous,” Ryder mutters, but the fight has gone out of his voice.
“Alice?” Miranda turns to me again with that plastered-on smile. “The library, please. Get everything ready. Ryder will be there in just a moment.”
I nod numbly and head toward the library, my headache pulsing with every step.
Behind me, Miranda’s voice drops lower, saying something to Ryder I can’t quite make out. He responds with something sharp and bitter.
But I don’t wait to hear more. I just want to get this over with.