Page 52 of Loathing Ryan
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I played dumb and bit my lip. Sage punched me in the arm. “Ow, Sage!” I protested. “I’m in a hospital bed!”
“So help me, God, Izabel. Tell me everything!”
My eyes darted to my parents outside my room, deep in conversation with my doctor. “Fine. Yes. Me and Ryan.”
Her eyes lit up. “This is fantastic. Did you kiss him?”
Looking down at my fingers, I felt my face heat up. Sage gave a girly squeal that she was too old for, then paused. “Did you more than kiss him?”
My eyes snapped to her, but then I quickly looked away. I knew a blush was forming on my cheeks, but I kept my lips sealed. My sister watched me closely, gauging every minuscule reaction, as if reading me like a book. When I couldn’t take the pressure anymore, I slowly nodded. Her eyes went wide, and she tossed her head back in a gleeful laugh.
“Izabel, you little tease!” she said, clapping her hands. “I mean, I can’t really blame you. If I had been stuck with the hottest boy in school, babies would have been running around everywhere!”
My heart pounded in my chest. Babies? Oh god, I hoped not. Ryan and I did have sex, and while I had an IUD, were we really in the clear? What were we thinking?
Oh right. We weren’t thinking. We were just going at each other like the hormonal teenagers we were.
“Have you seen him yet?” Sage asked, pulling me out of my panic.
I shook my head. “No, they split us up as soon as the paramedics arrived. I asked a nurse to see if she could find him for me, but she said I had to reach out to him myself to find out how he’s doing.”
“Don’t you have his phone number?” my sister asked. When I shook my head, she pursed her lips. “I’ll take care of it.” With that, she pushed herself out of her chair and strutted out the door. My parents gave her a brief glance as she walked past them, but they didn’t stop her.
I sat back against my pillow with a sigh. Who knew what she was up to. When Sage put her mind to anything, she was unstoppable. My sister had always been one to set both the perfect and the worst examples. Simultaneously. She was a party girl by nature, always looking for fun and trouble at the same time. Yet she never wanted to disappoint anyone. Sage worked her butt off at everything she did, which is how she landed her position in an above-entry-level job at a big corporation in Chicago.
A few minutes later, Sage came skipping back into my room, holding a crumpled piece of paper. “Who’s your favorite sister?” she asked with a Cheshire Cat smile on her face.
“What did you do?” I asked suspiciously, my fingers gripping the edge of my blanket.
She plopped down next to me again and handed me the paper. “Well, first of all, your boyfriend isfine,” she sighed. I glanced sharply at her, and she held up her hands. “Not my fault. He happened to be changing when I walked in on him.”
“Oh, god,” I muttered.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Sage joked, elbowing me in the side. “Nice job, Sis! Anyway, I got his phone number for you. He said to text him whenever you miss him and to give you this…” she trailed off as she stood up and planted a big kiss on my cheek. My cheeks heated up. Even though it was Sage, I could feel the sentiment behind it from him.
Before the blush faded, my parents walked in and gave us quizzical looks. Sage brushed everything off while they said their goodbyes. Before too long, I was alone again in my hospital room. I could feel the loneliness starting to set in. Not allowing myself time to overthink this, I grabbed my phone from the side table and typed in his phone number.
Izabel: Hey…
23
RYAN
Ryan: I miss waking up to you in the mornings.
I leanedback against my pillows and propped my arm under my head, waiting for Izabel to respond. It had only been a few days since I’d seen her, yet at the same time, it felt like an eternity.
Izabel: Stop, you’re making me blush.
Ryan: Good, you’re never prettier than when you’re blushing. Can I call you?
Izabel: I’d be sad if you didn’t.
I bit my cheek,smiling to myself. We had seemed to be texting non-stop ever since we got back to civilization. After we were given the all-clear and checked out of the hospital, my mom whisked me back home and held me hostage, here in the house. It was as if she was worried that I’d disappear again if I left her sight.
Even now, I could hear her rummaging around in the kitchen downstairs. Derek’s deep voice rumbled every few minutes as they talked.
I had been correct in my assumption that her phone call right before camp was about her and Derek getting engaged.
