Page 21 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

“I don’t mean to pry, I swear.”

“Just because I objectively find someone attractive doesn’t mean I’m crushing on that person or that I want to pursue a romantic relationship with the person.”

“You’re allowed to like whoever you want.”

Ryker laughed. “I realize that. It’s good to know I have your permission.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I just . . . Ugh. Nevermind.” My cheeks heated. This conversation was getting more awkward by the second.

“But in case you were wondering, there is someone I like.”

My heart stopped beating for half a second, and my stomach jumped into my ribcage. Did I want to know who it was? Ryker never mentioned his crushes to me. He was pretty tight-lipped about it.

“Does she know you like her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think she likes you back?”

Ryker’s smile faded, and his face grew pensive. “I’m not sure.”

“I bet she does. Maddie says the entire school calls you ‘the hottie’ now.”

Ryker laughed. “How have I been completely oblivious to that?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you’re too busy trying to graduate while preparing to move to California to start a successful film career.”

“Yeah. That probably has something to do with it.”

We pulled into the school parking lot. The only open spot was near the back of the lot, and we had to walk a ways to get into the building. We got stopped by the paparazzi three separate times as they tried to ask us questions. By the time we got inside, the bell was ringing. Great. Another tardy. Why did this always happen when I rode with Ryker?

We turned a corner and saw Austin and Tabby walking down the hall hand in hand. She was holding a white ceramic vase with a dozen red roses.Prom?was painted on the vase in red letters.

Austin was supposed to take me to prom. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, but it still hurt to get rejected. Seeing that vase of roses gave me a tiny glimpse of what my mom went through with my dad and his new wife.

“Are you okay?” Ryker asked after Austin and Tabby were out of earshot.

I turned to him and gave him a brave smile. “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m better off without him.”

“Yeah. You are. You deserve to be with a guy who will always respect you. Austin was the complete opposite of that.”

“He sure tried to put on a nice-guy face, though.”

“It wasn’t hard to see through it. For me, anyway. But I was around you guys a lot. I can see how maybe someone would have thought he was a great guy from a distance. He has all the right words. The problem is, he doesn’t mean most of what he says.”

“Well, I’d better get to class. This is my third tardy this semester.”

“Oh, no. Your third tardy? How devastating.”

“Are you making fun of me, Ryker? Oh yeah, I forgot. You’re the guy who probably has three tardies a week. It’s a wonder they haven’t kicked you out by now.”

“They don’t kick you out. They just send a letter to your parents or something. I wouldn’t know. Despite what you may think, I don’t actually get that many tardies. And in my defense, it’s not my fault that there was a crowd of money-hungry reporters outside the school.”

“Kind of reminds me of Lindsey Beck,” I said when we got to my locker. I twisted the dial and swung open the door, exchanging some books. “Do you think she’ll ever become a member of the paparazzi? I mean, she already has experience as a reporter for the school newspaper.”

“You really don’t like her, do you?”

“She’s the reason I found out you had decided to accept the role in the movie.”

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