AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, but I think you are.”
She slams her textbook closed and turns to face me, while the rest of the class takes in Professor Atkins’s lecture on last night's reading.
“I feel nothing toward you, Maddox. Therefore, I have no reason to be upset about anything you want or don’t want from me.”
I turn to face her, our knees resting against one another’s, and I whisper, “And what is it you think I don’t want from you,Riley?”
“I’m not playing these games with you. I have enough going on in my life already.”
“You mean, like your mud wrestling tournament last night?” I swallow down the laugh bubbling in my throat and she swats my leg.
“Not funny.”
“In that case, I'll try really hard not to laugh at the memory of Melody eating mud.”
She tries hard not to smile, but it’s not long before one grows on her lips. “How is Ridge doing?”
“He’s fine. Skipping class today and nursing a hangover and a swollen face.”
“Nothing’s broken, right?”
“Nah. He’ll be all right. Black eye on top of his other black eye, and a bruised cheek. Nothing Ridge hasn’t had before.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I didn’t realize how drunk he was. I’m sure if Crew knew, he would have never gone at him like that.”
“Fuck Crew. He wouldn’t have cared either way. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“No,” she snaps, warranting a ‘shh’ from Professor Atkins. Her tone drops as she continues, “Please don’t make more trouble. There’s enough crazy stuff going on. The last thing any of us need is to make more enemies.”
“No one said you have to. But Crew made three of them when he went at my boy. Sorry, Riley. It's nothing personal, and it’s probably best if you stay out of it.”
“Itispersonal, though. It puts me right in the middle.”
“Of what? It’s not like you have any loyalty to Ridge. He’s just some obsessed psycho, right?”
My statement was more of a question to get a feel for where her head is at with Ridge. And she answers it as such. “Maybe I do feel some sort of loyalty to him. Ridge is protective of me, and I guess, in some weird way, I feel like I need to protect him, too.”
“Look,” I say, re-entering her personal space, “I don’t want any hard feelings between us, Riley.”
“I really don’t either.”
I put my hand out to her, hoping she’ll return the gesture. “Friends?”
When she places her hand in mine, my gut wrenches. Was sort of hoping she’d give me shit for that. Really wanted her to show me that she wants more. It’s best this way, though. Even if my heart is telling my brain to shut the fuck up.
“Friends,” she says, sealing it with a handshake.
I did what I had to do. She’s not my girl—she’s his.
CHAPTER28
RILEY
There aremany times I question my actions, wondering how I could be such a complete idiot. This is one of those times.
I ball my fist, ready to knock, before dropping it back down and second-guessing myself. A sane person would turn and walk away. A sane person would have never come here in the first place. Maybe that’s why Ridge is so drawn to me—because we’re both fucking insane.
Swallowing hard, while hoping I’m not making the wrong choice, I knock on the door before I can change my mind again.
