Page 44 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

Ryker must have seen the direction where I was looking because he stepped forward to confront Austin and Tabby. “Are you guys serious right now? Can you be any more disrespectful to Shannon? Austin, you were supposed to be her date tonight. You have never appreciated how amazing Shannon is. You had an incredible girl who wanted to be with you, and all you ever did was take advantage of her and treat her like dirt.”

“I only treated her the way she wanted to be treated.”

“What does that even mean?” Ryker asked, fury lacing his words. “No one, and I meanno one, wants to be mistreated. There’s never an excuse to be disrespectful to another person. And especially not someone you’re dating. That’s the person you’re supposed to respect the very most.”

“Whatever, man. Save it for the movie camera. We’re living in reality over here.”

Ryker was wasting his breath trying to explain decent human behavior to Austin. But regardless, Austin still needed to know he couldn’t walk all over me anymore. I was beyond done with the way he was treating me.

I stepped in front of Austin and Tabby and looked both of them square in the eye. First Austin and then Tabby. “I’m through with you both. Don’t talk to me again. Austin, when we’re at UNC, and you see me on campus, I hope you act like you don’t even know me. Because I don’t want to know you. I don’t hate you. In fact, I hope your life is full and happy. I only wish the best for you. But I’m done being used by you, and I’m not going to let you hurt me ever again.”

I spun on my heel and stalked away from them.

“Are you okay?” Ryker was by my side again.

“Where’s Gabi?” I asked, avoiding his question. The truth was, I wasn’t sure if I was okay. I was pretty shaken up and confused by what had just happened.

“She insisted that I let her sign some autographs. I think she really just wanted me to come talk to you.”

“To me?” I squeaked. “Why would Gabi want that? She’s your date.”

“Gabi and I aren’t together. You know that, right?”

“Nooo . . .” The word stretched out slowly from my mouth.

“When we went to Charter, she told me that she’d always dreamed of having a normal high school experience. When you told me you were going to prom with Austin, I decided to offer her your ticket. I figured she’d love to experience prom. I want to get to know her since we’re filming the movie as soon as graduation is over.”

“So you’re not together with her.”

“No. Not at all. Gabi and I are just friends. And we’re new friends. Hardly more than acquaintances.”

I took a minute to absorb this new information. It settled on me like a warm blanket, and I felt the truth of it. I just wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it.

“I can tell that you need some space to figure your feelings out. I can respect that. So I’m taking a step back, Shannon. When you’re ready, if you ever decide that you are, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Because he loved me. And that's what people did when they loved someone. They put that person’s needs before their own. Wasn’t that what I wanted to do for Ryker when I decided to break off our relationship?

Because I loved him. I realized that now. I’d wanted to put my own feelings to the side so he could have the career he deserved. The truth was, I was better off with Ryker. But he wasn’t better off with me. I was a mess. And that would only be distracting to him and his future.

* * *

Ryker and Gabihung out with me for the rest of the evening. They were both so sweet and kind to me. Gabi was genuinely worried and listened as I told her what kind of boyfriend Austin had been. When I heard how invested she was in me getting together with Ryker, I realized she’d never intended to take him. She apologized if it had ever seemed that way. She even let Ryker walk me to my car so I wouldn’t have to go out in the dark alone.

For the next few weeks, Ryker and I didn’t really talk. I finished my novel, and Mrs. Drake and a few of the other girls from my English class who wrote for fun, read through it, giving me feedback. I went through and worked long hours, fixing what they had suggested to make the story stronger. Beyond that, I went back to my old life of going to school, going to Toppings to work, and doing what was left of my homework for the rest of the semester. I felt happier than I had in a long time. Writing had filled a huge void in my life. But it wasn’t the same without Ryker.

Mid-May arrived, and I finally turned in my completed manuscript to Mrs. Drake. The next morning, she stopped me after English class.

“I stayed up late reading the finished version of your manuscript. It’s very good. You’ve completely nailed it with this story. You have a strong chance of winning the competition—I hope you know that. But I want to talk to you about something, and I hope I’m not intruding by bringing this up. I know you got the inspiration for your book from your relationship with Ryker, but I have to admit, I’ve noticed that you never sit with him at lunch anymore. Did something happen between the two of you? I normally wouldn’t ask, but your book characters have their happily ever after, and I feel like you deserve one too.”

“My characters get together in the end, but let’s face it; that’s not how real life works. Real life is when people leave each other and get hurt. Hearts are left smashed. I’m trying to keep that from happening to me. And if I don’t give my heart to anyone, I don’t have to worry about it getting broken.”

“But then you don’t get the kind of happiness you deserve either. Sometimes you have to take a risk to get the biggest reward.”

I’d heard the same thing before. Maybe it was worth thinking about. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to do that.

* * *

Late one nightjust over a week later, after I got home from Toppings, I sat at the kitchen table, across from my mom, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. It was rare for us to talk, just the two of us.

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