Chapter 38 - Big Meal
Every word landed hard.
Ryder had always been a quiet kid in class.
He didn't talk much. Didn't study, but never bothered anyone.
In class, he didn't sleep openly or play on his phone the way Leo did. He at least managed to look like he was trying.
This was the first time he'd ever spoken up like this in front of everyone.
The whole room was stunned.
Chloe froze for a long moment. She never expected Ryder to crash her event in front of everyone.
"Ryder." Chloe's voice caught before she could finish. "I don't know why you have such a problem with me. What happened between me and Leo is complicated. I don't know what you think you know or what kind of misunderstanding you've got. All I want to say is..."
She paused, her voice trembling at the end, as if she'd been deeply wronged. "It's always been Leo chasing me. Just because he's nice to me, just because he likes me, does that mean I have to like him back?"
At that, the room rallied behind her.
"Exactly. He's just a guy chasing her. He doesn't get to interrogate her."
"It's all one-sided on Leo's part. Ryder, you can't take his side just because you're close with him."
Mia stood up, united in outrage. "Ryder, if you hate Clo this much, then don't eat the food. Her boyfriend is paying for it."
Chloe cut her off. "Mia, don't be like that. It's rude."
She looked at Ryder and said, "You're a guest here. No one's kicking you out."
"Don't bother." Ryder stood. "I don't need it."
He turned and walked out.
The private room went a little awkward.
Chloe smiled quickly and said, "Almost everyone's here. I'll tell the kitchen to start serving."
The mood picked right back up.
---
Ryder walked out of the Grand Star with a stomach full of rage.
He couldn't let it go. He called Leo several times. Leo didn't pick up.
Ryder sat on the curb, sulking.
He stewed for a while, then suddenly thought of Luna. His eyes lit up. He called her instead.
At that moment, Luna was sitting on a bench, deathly pale, her head buzzing.
Not far away, in a convenience store, the blonde boy grabbed a bottle of water and walked toward Luna with a flat expression. A few girls nearby were sneaking photos of him.
The wind blew loose strands of hair across Leo's forehead. His brow bone was sharp and pronounced. Aggressively handsome.
Luna stared at his face in a daze and, caught off guard, thought of the little green-haired kid she'd seen at Ryder's door.
When the kid had looked down to talk, it wasn't just his nose that resembled Leo's. The eyes did too.
"You still feeling sick?" Leo stepped closer, twisted the cap off, and held the bottle out to Luna.
"Of course I'm sick!"
Luna glared at him, took the bottle, and tipped her head back for a drink.
Cold liquid slid down her throat. Soothing. Her mind even seemed to clear.
Leo looked down at her.
Luna's face was still pale.
They'd just gotten off the roller coaster. In line, Luna had sworn up and down she wasn't afraid of heights.
Afterward, she'd thrown up violently. Legs wobbly. Could barely walk.
A textbook case of all talk, no game.
The phone buzzed in her bag. Luna kept her head down and said, "Get that for me."
Leo opened her bag, and when he saw who was calling, his eyebrow twitched.
Luna finished the water in one go and caught his expression. "Who is it?"
"Ryder." Leo said, swiping to answer.
"Hey... Luna..."
Ryder was about to vent, but the lazy voice on the other end cut him off. "Say what you need to say."
"Leo?!" Ryder's voice pitched up, like he'd found family. "Leo, I got bullied..."
Leo's expression, previously indifferent, changed instantly. "Who bullied you?"
Luna caught a bit of the conversation and looked up.
Ryder talked like a machine gun, rattling off for thirty seconds, recounting everything that happened at the Grand Star word for word.
Leo went silent.
Luna glanced at him. She figured the kid was fighting an inner war right now, wanting to find excuses for Chloe, but Ryder was his friend. His brother.
She took the phone from him and told Ryder on the other end, "Stay right where you are. Leo and I will be there in ten minutes."
Ryder blinked, then quickly said, "Okay, okay, okay."
After hanging up, Luna shoved the phone in her bag, pulled Leo's phone out, unmuted it, and handed it back.
"Let's go."
Leo: "Where are you going?"
"To buy Ryder a meal." Luna stood first.
Leo scrolled through his phone as he followed.
It wasn't until they were in the cab that Leo saw the messages Chloe had sent.
Over a dozen of them. The first batch were trying to get him to come to the lunch. The last few were pure rage.
Leo pressed his lips and turned to look out the window. His jawline was clean and sharp.
Luna glanced at him. She felt a little glee, and fought hard to suppress it.
She'd been trying to figure out how to chip away at Leo's good impression of Chloe. And now Chloe had done it herself.
Leo looked like a slacker, but he was deeply loyal.
Ryder wasn't just his follower. He was his friend.
Chloe probably only knew Leo on the surface. She figured Ryder was just a nobody hanger-on. Even if Ryder ratted her out, she could deny everything and claim Ryder was lying.
She was smart. She just didn't account for the fact that Leo saw Ryder as more than a sidekick.
The amusement park and the Grand Star weren't far apart. Traffic was heavy, so it took fifteen minutes.
Ryder was sitting on the steps. His hair was too long, his clothes worn and frayed at the edges. He looked like a vagrant. People walking by gave him a wide berth.
Fine. He didn't care anyway.
Ryder was like a hedgehog, quills up. Then he spotted the cab. He jumped off the steps in two strides.
Luna got out empty-handed, a little surprised. "Didn't I message you to wait in the private room?"
Ryder scratched the back of his neck, a little sheepish. "I wanted to wait out here."
"Alright." Luna patted his shoulder. "Let's go. I'm buying you a big meal."
"Okay." Ryder said happily, then looked at Leo.
Leo was carrying Luna's purse slung over one shoulder, hair a mess. He caught Ryder's stare and asked sharply, "What are you looking at?"
Ryder sighed. "Leo, don't be sad. If you need to cry, my shoulder's right here."