Chapter 14: Chapter Fourteen

RILEY

I shot off the texts to Tristan, then powered down my phone for the night after Lucy left. I also made sure to tell my dad not to let Tristan in if he showed up.

But sleep wouldn’t come. Instead, I watched a marathon of tear-jerking romance movies, making myself even more miserable until I finally crashed from exhaustion and all the crying.

The next morning, I had zero desire to go to school, but I didn’t have a choice. So, I forced myself into the shower, wincing at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

My eyes were puffy and swollen, my face was pale and devoid of life.

~And don’t even get me started on my hair.~

After a thorough scrubbing, I pulled on a black t-shirt and skinny jeans.

I yanked my hair into a messy bun and tried to make myself look somewhat presentable by covering up my puffy eyes and adding a touch of tinted lip balm.

Feeling somewhat better about my appearance, I headed downstairs to find my dad flipping pancakes. My stomach growled at the sight.

“Morning, sweetheart!” he greeted me with a big grin, and I managed to smile back.

“Smells amazing in here,” I said, trying to sound upbeat.

“Grab a plate,” he directed, pointing to the shelf while expertly flipping another pancake.

I did as he said, then took a seat at the kitchen counter and started to load up my plate with his mouth-watering pancakes.

He watched me for a moment, and I raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just looking at my daughter,” he shrugged nonchalantly, causing me to roll my eyes.

“There’s nothing to see, Dad,” I mumbled, continuing to eat.

“It’s about that boy, isn’t it?”

I stopped mid-bite and looked at him, wide-eyed. “Dad! It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine, sweetheart. What did he do?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and giving me a stern look.

I let out a long sigh and looked up at him.

“He’s being a jerk, that’s what. I thought... I thought he might be different, but I was wrong,” I admitted.

He moved closer and gently lifted my chin.

“I wish your mom was here to help you with all this boy stuff, because I’m terrible at giving advice,” he said with a small chuckle.

I laughed. “I can see that, but trust me, Dad. I’m okay. It’s just typical high school drama.”

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but if you ever want me to kick his ass, I will,” he said, his voice serious.

I shook my head, smiling. “I know you would, but you don’t have to. Not yet, anyway.” I winked, and he high-fived me.

“Come here,” he motioned, and I slid off my seat. He pulled me into a big bear hug, and I closed my eyes, soaking in his warmth.

I instantly felt better and fought back tears.

“I’ll always be here for you, Riley.” He kissed my forehead, and I nodded against his chest.

“And I don’t wish Mom was here. You’re more than enough for me, Dad,” I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“You’re going to make your old man cry. Get going now.” He released me, patting my shoulder, trying to keep his cool.

“Bye. I love you,” I chuckled, grabbing my bag from the kitchen counter.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” he called out as I headed out the door.

I pulled out my phone to text Lucy, then remembered I’d turned it off.

I powered it back on, and it immediately started buzzing with messages and notifications.

Twenty unread messages.

All from Tristan.

~Damn it!~

I took a deep breath, ignored his messages, and texted Lucy instead.

I groaned in frustration. The last thing I wanted was to hang out with the lovebirds right now.

I smiled as I hit send and shoved my phone in my back pocket.

I started down the street, plugging in my earphones as I went.

My fingers itched to pull out my phone and read his messages, but I reminded myself that he was a player.

I needed to stay strong and focus on my own life. I didn’t need this boy drama.

I needed to concentrate on my studies and figure out how to get into a good college.

Just as I was nearing the school, I heard the blaring honk of a car behind me, despite my earphones.

I spun around, annoyed, and saw ~his~ fancy car. He drove slowly beside me, honking obnoxiously.

“What the hell, Tristan?” I snapped, yanking out my earphones.

He looked even more pissed than I was. “Get in the car,” he ordered, honking again.

~Unbelievable.~

“Go screw yourself.” I flipped him off and picked up my pace.

He sped past me, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

He was pushing all my buttons.

When I got to school, I saw him hanging out with his teammates by his car.

I also noticed the blonde girl, now flirting with another guy in his group. She was gorgeous, and she definitely seemed like Tristan’s type.

The image of them kissing kept replaying in my mind, making me even more furious.

~Why the hell do I care so much?~

Tristan watched me like a hawk; honestly, his stare was a bit intimidating. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene at school.

I shook my head and walked past him, ignoring him completely.

“Riley Adams!” A voice echoed from behind me, prompting me to spin around.

~Tyler Whittman!~

“I’m Tyler, from the party.” He flashed a wide grin, shifting the weight of his backpack with one hand while the other was tucked casually in his pocket.

“I remember.” I returned his smile, albeit smaller, and shot a quick glance at Tristan. His grip on his phone was so tight his knuckles were ghostly white.

He looked pissed off, and I couldn’t help but smirk at him.

~Take that, jerk!~

“So, I was just wondering, um... if you’d like…”

I was barely listening to Tyler’s words when a wicked idea sprang to mind. It was time to give Tristan a taste of his own medicine.

“Do you have a girlfriend, Tyler?” I interrupted, placing my hand on his shoulder in a clumsy attempt at flirting.

~God, I’m terrible at this.~

“No,” he answered without hesitation.

I tore my gaze away from Tristan to meet Tyler’s blue eyes—so different from Tristan’s emerald ones.

~Don’t. Think. About. Him.~

“Good.” Without another word, I pressed my lips to his, my arms winding around his neck in surprise.

He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist. It felt strange and uncomfortable, but I wanted Tristan to experience the same discomfort I had.

Suddenly, a loud thud made us both jump apart.