Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
I’d royally fucked up
Ryker
Coach was a family guy, so he’d cancelled practice this week so that every player could go home for Thanksgiving. With a game still to play on Sunday night though, I’d forced myself out of bed for a run – especially knowing how much of Ruby’s mum’s pies I’d put away today.
Close to wrapping up my six-mile route, I turned onto Ruby’s street. No matter how far I ran, I always felt relief when her house came into view. It meant mine was less than two blocks away.
Alongside her SUV, Noah’s flashy car – the one he’d driven all through high school and left behind when he went to college – was parked in the driveway.
I wasn’t a sports car guy, and that’s exactly what Noah drove. It was so low to the ground, I’d practically need to squat to get into it, and I had no clue where my legs were supposed to fit.
As I passed, I glanced up at Ruby’s bedroom window. The drapes were drawn, which wasn’t all that surprising given it was still early – at least early to Ruby. Unless she had a reason to be awake, she considered anything before nine a.m. to be the middle of the night.
Cranking up my music, I dialled in on the final stretch until I was slowing to a stop in front of my house.
Unlike Ruby’s quiet place, mine would already be chaos.
I’d slipped out before anyone else woke up – making the most of the calm before the storm – but that hurricane would have well and truly hit by now.
Mum would be prepping the food. Dad would be hovering while repeatedly offering to help, only to be shot down just as many times. And my older sister, Savannah, would be wrangling her three-year-old twins.
The only person who was likely still in bed was my younger brother, Stefan. The guy could sleep through anything.
The instant I opened the door, Savannah’s twins appeared out of nowhere and threw themselves at me, one attaching to each of my legs. They were both still in their pyjamas, their bed hair messy and wild.
I reached for their arms, tickling them both. “Get off me, you little rascals.”
They giggled in sync, tightening their vice like grasp until my leg hairs pinched. If my receivers’ grip was half as good as theirs, my job would be a hell of a lot easier.
The heat was cranking inside, which wasn’t ideal straight after a run. I untucked my tee from the back of my shorts and wiped it across my forehead. The twins would be covered in sweat soon enough if they didn’t let go.
“Kids,” Savannah shouted from somewhere. “Breakfast is ready. Nanna made you pancakes.”
That did the trick. They loosened their grip and scurried off to the kitchen.
Taking the opportunity to escape, I trudged up the stairs, where it was still quiet and the heat wasn’t blasting in my face.
As expected, Stefan’s door was the only one closed. It must be nice having zero responsibilities.
With my AirPods still in, I sank to the floor and worked through my post-run stretches. I was at the point in the season where my body constantly felt sore, no matter how much recovery I did.
I’d forgotten what it was like to live without aches and pains. Even in the off-season, some of my niggling injuries never went away. And if they did, the summer camps or programs I attended always had them flaring straight back up.
Just as I was wrapping up, Stefan’s door cracked open and he ambled out of his dark room. His hair was as chaotic as the twins’ and he was dressed in nothing but a pair of plaid pyjama pants.
Apart from the same chestnut locks, Stefan and I didn’t share any similarities. He barely scraped six-foot, and he much preferred watching football than playing it.
Lucky I had Brady for that.
“Morning,” I said, taking out my AirPods. “Late night?”
He’d slipped out after dinner and I hadn’t heard him come back. He’d gone to The Dime, a bar in town known for turning a blind eye to college kids and their fake IDs. I’m assuming Stefan must’ve had one, considering he was still a sophomore.
I’d covered for him when he mysteriously vanished before Mum pulled out Scrabble. Savannah had done the same for me when I was younger, so I figured it was a rite of passage.
“A lot of people from high school were there,” he mumbled, stifling a yawn. “I guess everyone is back in town for Thanksgiving. I went the night before too and saw that Noah guy.” Stefan paused, stretching his arms above his head. “Is he still with Ruby?”
“Yeah.” I sat up straighter. “What makes you say that?”
Stefan shrugged. “He was kind of all over some chick.”
I shot to my feet. “He was cheating on Ruby?”
“No,” Stefan hurriedly answered, suddenly seeming much more awake. “I mean, I didn’t see him hook up with her or anything.”
“What did you see?”
Stefan rubbed his eyes, as if it would help him to remember clearly. “Nothing, I guess. He was just kind of acting like he wasn’t in a relationship.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
Stefan shuffled back at my sudden change in tone. I’d been scaring the poor kid his whole life, but I couldn’t help it – nothing lit a fire under me faster than Ruby, and if I had to beat a better explanation out of my brother to get to the bottom of the truth, I would.
In high school, when people heard Ruby cheering me on from the stands, they’d assume she was my girlfriend. If the opposition then tried using her to trash talk me, it never ended well... for them. I didn’t mess around when it came to her.
“Some chick kept touching his arm, and I saw him touch her back a few times. That’s all.” Stefan helplessly shrugged, seeming agitated. “I’d been drinking, so maybe I got it wrong. Forget I said anything.”
*
Only I couldn’t. Even as I showered, then got dressed, then helped Mum finish off the table settings. And when Ruby walked into my house later that day, I was convinced she’d be able to see it all over my face.
Stefan had never been in a relationship, so it was possible he’d misinterpreted things. Though if I was dating someone, I wouldn’t let another girl touch me, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be touching her back.
Cherie, Ruby’s mum, set down one dish and Doug, Ruby’s dad, set down another. One smelt suspiciously – and deliciously – like pecan pie.
“Ryker, honey,” Cherie cooed. “Get in here.”
Unlike Ruby who was anti-affection, her mum was like a human koala. While Ruby tolerated a quick hug hello, expecting anything more was like hoping for warmth from a cactus.
“You’re still growing,” Cherie said, patting my chest in the way she’d done ever since I was a kid.
“Or maybe you’re shrinking, Cherie.”
She playfully swatted my ear, but my height made it easy to dodge.
Across the room, I noticed my mum had Ruby in a death grip. Ruby caught my gaze over Mum’s shoulder and playfully feigned disgust, sticking out her tongue.
She was wearing her glasses today instead of contacts.
When she’d been told in middle school that she needed prescriptions, I’d begged my mum for a pair too.
I’d thought Ruby’s glasses were the coolest things.
They gave off Clark Kent vibes, and I just so happened to be in my superhero era at the time.
“Have you been eating, Ruby?” Mum asked. “You’re skin and bones.”
Ruby laughed. “I’ve been eating, Nancy. Trust me. The McDonalds drive-thru and I are well acquainted.”
Mum shot a look of disapproval at Ruby. “That doesn’t sound healthy.”
“I’ve told her the same thing, Nancy,” Cherie exhaled.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “When you’re leaving the hospital at the random times I am, beggars can’t be choosers.”
The twins burst into the kitchen, making the already cramped space seem even more crowded. With countless people and hot plates, it was bound for disaster.
“Okay!” Mum shouted. “Everyone but Cherie scram. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”
One of the twins tugged on Ruby’s hand and dragged her into the living room. Knowing my aunts were in there and itching to show me the latest picture of their hairdresser’s cousin’s gardener’s banker’s single daughter, I retreated to the den with Dad and Doug instead to watch the football.
Though the instant I sat down, part of me regretted my decision. With the Draft just around the corner, Dad and Doug fired question after question at me, as though I knew more than they did about the league.
It blew my mind to think that by this time next year I could be a player for one of the teams competing today, or, at the very least, an opponent they would play against throughout the season.
I didn’t want to get ahead of myself given the Draft was still five months away and a lot could change between now and then, but the attention around me had undeniably amped up lately.
There was more media at my games, more reporters requesting interviews, and my Instagram followers were climbing like rapid fire even though I hadn’t posted a photo since Ruby’s birthday shout out last year.
“Ruby mentioned you took a brutal sack in your game against Huntington,” Doug mentioned.
Dad mumbled his agreement. “I was watching on TV. It looked tough.”
I dismissively shrugged. “It was fine. All part of it.”
“When’s your next game?” Doug asked.
“Sunday.”
Hence the glass of water I was sipping, as opposed to Dad and Doug’s beers.
“Noah was around last night,” Doug mentioned. “Said his season is over.”
Hearing Noah’s name had my stomach churning, which wasn’t ideal with Cherie’s pecan pie waiting. I wished my brother hadn’t said anything, because now I was facing the dilemma of whether to mention it to Ruby.
Ruby and I always steered clear of talking about relationships, sex, or anything like that. She had her girls for that kind of stuff, and I had the guys – not that I’d ever had a relationship worth mentioning.
I was worried to bring it up with her, since it was completely out of left field for us. It wasn’t like I had concrete evidence to prove something was wrong either... but something did feel off about what Stefan had seen, and I wasn’t sure that I could ignore it.
*