Chapter 11

Ryder

I take slow sips of my milk tea while Sin talks about his date with Vahn yesterday as Nick teases him. (Yeah, they actually went out. On a date.)

“It went so well! Vahn was all blushy and cute and I probably was too - the blushy part, that is,” Sin gushes. “I mean, I like him a lot and Vahn is like, the guy of my dreams and- ”

“Wait, what about Dylan? Didn’t you say, and I quote, ‘he’s the love of my life’?” Nick cuts Sin off, making air quotes.

Dylan was Sin’s ex-boyfriend back in grade 9. They went out a few times in June but then Dylan called it quits because he said Sin was too ‘anime-obsessed’, which kinda hurts if I were Sin. Besides, Dylan also has a bachelor’s degree in being an asshole. The whole relationship got a little too toxic because of Dylan, and I felt bad for Sin.

“I already got over that, thanks for asking,” Sin replies, waving his hand dismissively and Nick just rolls his eyes at him.

I pipe up, “Did you guys kiss?”

Sin shoots me an incredulous look. “Not so fast, Ryder!” he laughs. “We’re taking it slow, man.”

I make a mental note of that - Don’t kiss on the first date - though I’m probably getting unreliable information because this is Sin: the master of rushing things (according to my knowledge of Sin/Dylan's relationship), and also Dylan kissed him on their first date and look how that turned out. But I still take note just in case I happen to actually date someone (cough, Nathan, cough).

“Anyways, has anything happened between you and Nathan?” Sin asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me teasingly.

It’s my turn to blush. I look down at my shoes and let my hair cover most of my face, hiding the annoying red that has seeped into my cheeks. Nothing much happened, just eating at break time together and reading together in the library during recess and sometimes stealing glances at Nathan until he suddenly looks up and catches my eye while my heart rate picks up and my face heats up and I become a nervous wreck inside - nothing much, right? Sometimes we would accidentally touch each other and it feels like a jolt of electricity running down my veins. Is that what the ‘spark’ is supposed to be? I guess so.

Fine, I’m gonna say this: I like Nathan. A lot. He’s nice and sweet and funny and adorable. He has this effect on me where I forget that shitty people exist in the world and all I want to do is make him talk more and smile more and laugh more. Just. . .more, I want him more.

I love his laugh the best, it’s like dandelion seeds floating in the gentle morning breeze. It’s just so beautiful to listen to.

Sometimes, I just want to hug him and tell him that everything is going to be alright, that everything is going to be okay. Or maybe take his hand in mine and squeeze it softly. Or maybe run my fingers through his soft ginger hair. But it’s too early to do that, and I’ll probably scare him away. I sigh inwardly. I'm so hopeless.

I look up and smile weakly. “Not much.”

“That’s okay, bro. Take your time,” Nick smiles and nudges me softly in the arm.

Sin reaches across the table to pat my shoulder. “It’s okay, Ryder. You’ll get there soon.” He winks at me. “I believe in you.” and I laugh at that.

“By the way,” Nick asks, “are you guys coming to Jace’s party this Friday? He said his parents are out of town or whatever.”

Jace is the captain of our school's basketball team and he’s in the same history class as Nick and I. We aren’t that close but we know each other well enough to say hi in the corridors and make some small talk.

Sin nods. “Yeah, and Vahn’s coming too. He told me yesterday.”

Nick turns to me, raising his eyebrows in question. “Sure, I’ll go too,” I shrug. It’s not like I have anything better to do this Friday anyway.

I’ll probably hang out with some people or hide in an empty bedroom and watch Netflix with Nick on my phone like what we do at almost every party or something and go home after that. I don’t even get the point of parties, but I always get invited to tons of them nonetheless.

*

I message Nathan later in the evening, lying down on my bed.

Me: Hey Nathan

Nathan: hi ryder!

Me: There’s this party at Jace’s this Friday

Me: Wanna come along?

Nathan: sorry um I have to go out with my parents again

Me: Again?

Nathan: yeah we go out every friday :/

Nathan: it’s boring honestly cause all we do is just eat lunch and walk around the mall and not doing anything

Me: That’s sad

Nathan: ikr :(( btw tell me all about the party on monday

Nathan: i’ll be all ears :D

I picture Nathan sitting across me with his chin propped under his hands listening intently while a small smile plays on his lips. My heartbeat quickens at the image. Oh my god, that’s so cute.

Me: Yeah I will, don't worry

I smile into my pillow. Ugh, the effect this precious doe-eyed freckled boy has on me.

*

Friday comes by in a whizz and here I am standing shirtless in front of my wardrobe, thinking of what to wear. I look through my drab pile of dark-coloured T-Shirts and jeans. I really need to start buying lighter-coloured shirts and other clothes - maybe a few flannels or button-downs too?

“Just slap on a black shirt or whatever. Your jeans are fine,” Nick - sprawled on my bed using his phone - says, “I mean, you’re not trying to impress anyone, right?”

I turn around to face Nick. “Yeah, but this is a social event! I have to look decent, at least.”

“Whatever bro, people either don't care or are gonna be too drunk to notice what you’re wearing anyway,” Nick says dismissively. “By the way, it’s so tiring to watch you do this every time there’s a party. Just put on a shirt and let’s go.”

I roll my eyes and put on a navy blue shirt. Then, Nick springs up from my bed and ruffles my hair.

“You look fantastic.” He grins at me and grabs his car keys from my desk.

“Thank you.” I do a little curtsey on the spot and Nick bursts out laughing.

“Don’t do that, you look dumb. Come on, we’re going to be late.”

Nick

Ryder and I arrive at Jace’s house. Okay, I wouldn’t call it a house, I would call it a freaking mansion. It’s so big, with large windows, a huge living room, a vast backyard where some people are smoking and drinking and probably has five or six bedrooms. The living area is full of people dancing, drinking and at a corner, a few couples are making out passionately (and drunkenly). Heavy bass music blasts from the huge speakers in the living room, the beats reverberating throughout my whole body.

Almost everyone waves or says hi to Ryder and me. There's the basketball guys, football guys and other people who are in the same rung as us in the social ladder. A couple of guys fist bumps us and the others nod at us. Jace waves at us and tells us that drinks are in the kitchen before leaving us for his friends. I spot Ethan and Poe, who are talking to each other in a corner, but they seem to be in a serious conversation so I don't disturb them. I wonder where Sin and Vahn are, but I guess they're probably just late.

I tap Ryder’s shoulder. “I’ll go get something to drink!” I shout into his ear over the loud music.

“Okay! I’ll go find a room!” he shouts back.

We part ways as I go into the kitchen to look for something to drink and he goes upstairs to find an available bedroom. An assortment of beers and alcohol drinks stand on the kitchen table, piles of plastic cups beside them. A couple is making out against the kitchen sink, and I feel slightly embarrassed about walking in on them, but take our drinks anyway. Since both Ryder and I have a moral objection against drinking (and, for that matter, smoking too), I fill two plastic cups with water from a pitcher instead.

I go upstairs and look for Ryder. Two out of three rooms are taken. How do I know? The rooms are locked and I hear. . . things coming from them. At the end of the corridor, I find an open bedroom, with Ryder flumped down on a plush grey bed with his phone.

“What if it’s spiked?” he asks as I close the door with my foot.

“It’s water.”

“It’s possible, though,” he says as he takes the plastic cup from me and takes a sip from it anyway. “I didn’t know water tastes so good,” he says quietly with a weird look on his face.

Suspicious, I sniff the water, then I take a sip. Then, Ryder gives me a shit-eating grin.

“Funny,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“It’s water,” he mimics my voice.

“Shut up.”

“Whatever, bro,” Ryder mimics me again and I mess his hair irritatedly. “Hey, I found something to watch.”

I put my plastic cup down on the bedside table and sit beside him on the bed. We watch a crappy movie on Netflix. It’s a typical action-type movie, but the effects are so bad and the whole movie looks sort of low budget, so we stop watching it 30 minutes into the movie.

Ryder flops down on the bed with one arm draped over his eyes. “This is kinda boring, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” I lie down beside him, staring at the ceiling. A moment of silence goes by.

“We should probably stop- ” he starts but gets cut off by a deep moan from the next room. I make eye contact with Ryder and we giggle.

“Shh!” He tries to hide his laugh, swatting my arm aimlessly.

“No, you,” I half-whisper to him, trying to stop laughing too.

Ryder continues giggling like a schoolgirl. “Whoever still has the stamina for this,” he says in between laughs, “congratulations.”

“Man, I wonder what it feels like.”

“I don’t think I want to kn- ” Again, he’s cut off by another moan from next door. We giggle again and we hit each other with pillows to stop laughing.

“Jeez, make it end." I cover my ears.

“Oh god, Nick. We’re so bad at this.”

“Shut up, Ryder, you laughed first.”

He flips me off, grinning. I throw a pillow at him and he dodges it like the absolute moron he is. Then, he sits up and finishes his cup of water. “I’ll go get more water. Do you want some too?”

"Yeah, sure."

He takes my cup with him and exits the room, leaving me alone. The couple next door is still going at it, and I can’t help but laugh silently. I don’t know why stuff like this still amuses me.

*

Ryder’s taking an awfully long time to get us water. I should go check on him, I think to myself, and that's what I do.

I get off the (very comfortable) bed and look outside into the hallway.

Hmm, no Ryder.

I walk out of the room and go downstairs. Many people are dancing and drinking, but no Ryder.

I check the kitchen - the couple is still there, surprisingly - but no Ryder.

I venture deeper into the house, into the first-floor bedrooms area and there he is.

The plastic cups in his hands are crushed, water spilling out of them. A pair of hands are grabbing his face, pinning him against the wall, a pair of lips are kissing him, a mess of blond hair falling over his black one.

And that person is none other than Derek Mitchell.

________________________

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE PEOPLE❤️

So here it is. Boom.

Anyways I have nothing else to say except ✨BE FABULOUS AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES MY FRIENDS✨

And also vote and comment if you liked this chapter and stay tuned for next week's chapter!! ❤️ ❤️