Chapter Seven
Riley
I’m still standing in the same spot three minutes after Travis practically sprinted away from me like I’m contagious.
Beau appears at my elbow with three hot chocolates balanced precariously in his hands. He frowns. “Where’d Travis go?”
“I have no idea. He got a phone call and left,” I say, my voice hollow.
“What do you mean, he left? He was our ride home. And we’re here together. Are you sure he didn’t need the bathroom urgently?”
I gesture helplessly toward the parking lot. “No, it was something else. He literally ran away. One second, we were sitting here; the next, he was looking at his phone like someone had died. He read some texts and took off.”
“Did he say anything? Give you any explanation?”
“Just that he had to go and would explain later. He looked panicked. Or scared. I don’t know.”
Beau sets the hot chocolates down on the bench with more force than necessary. “That’s not cool. You don’t just abandon people at a Christmas market.”
“Maybe it was an emergency.”
But even as I say it, I don’t believe it. If it were a real emergency, he would’ve said so. He wouldn’t have just fled.
“Yeah, maybe.” Beau doesn’t sound convinced either.
He pulls out his phone and dials Travis’s number. “I’m asking him what’s going on and if he’s coming back.”
“Nothing,” Beau finally says and pockets his phone.
I bite my lip. “Maybe he’s got relationship troubles?”
“That could be, but that doesn’t justify ditching you with no explanation,” my brother says, his protective side flaring up.
“It’s fine. I’m sure there’s a perfectly fine explanation for what happened.”
He sighs. “Maybe. Guess we’ll find out when we get back. After walking three miles through the snow, that is.”
“At least we’ll get our daily steps in.”
It sounds like a weak silver lining, even to my own ears, but what can I do? Cry? I’m doing my very best to avoid that scenario.
We start the long walk back while we sip our hot chocolates. Before long, the Christmas market and Christmas music give way to cozy streets and front yards adorned with beautifully decorated Christmas trees. The residents of Maplewood Springs always bring the cheer.
“Want to talk about it?” Beau asks after about ten minutes of walking.
“Talk about what?”
“About whatever’s going on between you and Travis.”
I nearly choke on my hot chocolate. “Nothing is going on between Travis and me.”
“Riley. I’ve known you my entire life. I’ve also known Travis since we were kids. And I’m not blind.”
“I don’t know what you think you saw, but I—”
“I saw the way he was looking at you on that ice rink. The way you were looking at him,” Beau interrupts. “And I saw his face when someone mentioned Sienna at dinner last night. Something’s not right there.”
My heart stutters. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve seen Travis in love before. Remember Mollie Stevens in junior year? He couldn’t shut up about her. Talked about her constantly, got this dopey smile whenever someone mentioned her name.”
I try not to flinch. I remember Mollie all too well. I hated her because Travis had a crush on her. In hindsight, that was petty. Mollie was a nice girl, but I couldn’t help being jealous of her.
“I remember,” I say.
“He doesn’t talk about Sienna like he talked about Mollie. He barely mentions her at all, and when he does, it’s like he’s checking off a box and spouts generic phrases like how she’s great and talented. I don’t know, I just think it’s all extremely weird,” Beau says.
“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter. He’s clearly in a relationship, whether it’s a good or a bad one. And he’s leaving in a few days. Besides, whatever I imagined was happening between us today was all in my head, because normal people don’t run away from their friends for no reason.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Sis. I won’t let him hurt you, even though he’s my best friend.”
I smile. “What are you going to do? Tackle the strong NFL player?”
“If that’s what it takes, yes,” he says and puts his arm around my shoulder.
“Thanks, Beau.”
“Of course. You’re my little sister.”
We walk the rest of the way home in silence, and by the time we reach the Steelbirds’ house, I feel like a walking popsicle.
“Where’s Travis?” is the first thing Beau asks when we get inside.
Mom and Travis’s grandmother exchange a look.
“He’s upstairs. There’s been some commotion with the media,” his grandma says.
“Commotion?” I ask.
“They’re calling him a cheater,” Mom says.
My stomach drops. Does Travis have another girlfriend? Is that why he doesn’t speak about Sienna with passion?
“What do you mean?” Beau asks.
Mom pulls out her phone. “It’s all over the internet. Someone took photos at the ice rink and… well, you should see for yourself.”
She holds out her phone for us, and I grab it, the blood draining from my face.
This particular headline reads: NFL Star Travis Steelbird Caught Cheating. Mystery Woman Spotted Getting Cozy With Athlete While Girlfriend Sienna Montgomery Films in L.A.
Below it are photos. So many photos. Travis kneeling in front of me and tying my laces, looking up at me with that heart-melting smile of his. His arms wrapped around my waist to keep me from slipping on the ice and breaking a leg. The two of us looking at each other like… like…
Oh, God.
A horrible mixture of guilt and shame bubbles up.
Because they’re not wrong, are they? We weren’t just innocently ice skating.
Or maybe we were, technically, but it was different for me.
I did look at him like he hung the moon, even though I know he can never be mine.
But is that so bad? It was a private moment.
No one was ever supposed to find out I have feelings for Travis.
And now the entire internet thinks I’m some homewrecker who went after someone else’s boyfriend.
“That’s Riley,” Beau says, leaning over my shoulder to look at the screen. “Those are pictures of Riley and Travis.”
“I know, and the comments are awful. People are saying terrible things. About both of you, Riley. Sienna’s fans are especially upset.”
I scroll through the comments and feel myself getting sick. Every nasty word hurts as much as I imagine getting punched in the stomach does.
“Cheating days before Christmas? Wow, that’s low.”
“This girl needs to learn to keep her hands off someone else’s boyfriend.”
“So desperate for attention. You can see it all over her face.”
“Only a loser would pull a pathetic stunt like this.”
“She wishes she could be half as gorgeous as Sienna Montgomery.”
“You can tell she’s totally crushing on him. It’s laughable. He’d never go for someone mediocre like her unless it was a quick fling.”
The comments are nothing short of a nightmare.
Beau pulls the phone from my hands. “Stop reading all that nonsense, Riley. Don’t let it get to you.”
I wish I could, but it’s too late. The words are already burned into my brain, playing on repeat.
It’s not even just the comments that make me feel sick.
It’s the realization that Travis is reading the same words right now, probably wishing he’d never stepped foot on the ice with me.
Resenting my having driven a wedge in his relationship with Sienna.
Wondering how to fix this so that he doesn’t lose her.
He must hate that this happened. Hate being tied to me like this. And honestly, I can’t blame him.
“I’m going to go lie down for a bit,” I say, but quickly change my mind.
Travis is up there. I can’t go into that room anymore. Not now.
“You know what? The weather is still nice out. I might get some air instead,” I say.
“Riley, wait a minute,” Mom says, but I’m already slipping my coat on.
“I’m fine, really. Just want to go for a walk,” I lie and hurry outside.
I shove my hands in my pockets and head down the road toward the visitor center at the edge of town, where all the local hiking trails start. Not that it’s wise to go hiking now, but I need a destination instead of walking around aimlessly.
Plus, it’s probably deserted at this hour, and I need a place where the whole world doesn’t think I’ve ruined someone else’s relationship and Christmas.