Page 64 of What are the Risks
“I need another drink before you chew my ear off, Richardson.”
I gaped at her. “Huh?”
“Yes,Ruby told me.Yes,we spoke about it.Yes,you and I can talk about it now. But I want something strong while we do that.”
Very impatiently, I waited while she rummaged through the fridge, doing my best not to just pick something for her. After what felt like a full four quarters, she finally settled on a hard lemonade before slamming the door closed.
“So,” I eagerly prompted. “Was it a one-time thing?”
Her gaze slipping, Tori shook her head. “Or the one person.”
It was no secret that I’d never warmed to Noah, but Ruby had, and he’d pissed all over her trust. Now, I planned on pissing on his corpse, then stomping on it, then setting it alight just for good measure.
“Whatever you do next, think it through,” Tori said, her voice low with warning. “Don’t let your hate for Noah cloud how much you care about Ruby.”
I mechanically nodded, but in truth, her advice went in one ear and straight out the other. While Ruby might be willing to move on, I couldn’t forget what Noah had done. Just thinking about how much he’d disrespected her sparked a fire in me unlike anything I’d ever felt. Not even on the field.
Hurting Ruby was as good as hurting me, and I held grudges – especially where she was concerned.
Tori rested her canned drink against her lips, which were painted a dark shade of grey. I might not be up to speed with the latest makeup craze, but something told me not many girls would rock a lipstick colour like that. Though weirdly, it looked normal on her.
“Now be honest with me. Is there a part of you that’s happy about this?”
“What?” I balked. “Of course not!”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Come on. You’re not going to admit you’re secretly relieved that Ruby is finally single for the first time in your post-virginity lives?”
“No.”
“Or that Noah is out of her life?”
Well, kind of. But not like this.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you implying, Victoria?”
“Victoria?” Tori burst out laughing. “Whatever. Stay in denial. I’ll be here once you’re not.”
Brady ambled into the kitchen, searching the crowd for his girlfriend. When he spotted her, he weaved through the people, sliding his arms around Tori’s waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Your girlfriend is a pest, Brady,” I seethed.
Brady beamed proudly. “Life wouldn’t be interesting if she wasn’t.”
Before I got stuck awkwardly watching another one of their make out sessions, I skipped out of the kitchen and back into the living room. It was reduced to standing room only, except the stretch between the couch and TV, where a group of guys were locked into an Xbox game.
As I cast my gaze around, my attention snagged on Gretchen. Her long blonde hair was secured in a high ponytail, the ends slipping over her narrow shoulders. She was dressed in a strapless red dress, which was tight and short enough to salivate over. It left little to the imagination – not that I had to imagine.
She caught my eye and waved, though as she rose from her group of friends to come over, I turned for the stairs instead. I was worried about Ruby. She never usually took this long getting ready.
Once I reached my bedroom, I typed the passcode into my digital lock. Whenever there was an event happening in our house – which sometimes felt like every other night – I made sure to lock up my room. The last thing I needed was strangers using it as a place to hook up.
Stepping inside, the first thing I noticed were the four empty White Claw cans on my dresser. Here’s hoping Ruby had sharedthem with Tori, otherwise there may be a repeat of Miami happening later.
Knowing now what she’d been going through that night, I felt like an ass for not being more sensitive. I’d figured something was up, but I never would have guessed this.
The missed calls from Noah, her evasiveness, her drunkenness, her flirting... it all made sense. I wished she’d told me straight away so I could’ve been there for her, rather than wasting half the night entertaining Miranda.
Ruby startled as she emerged from the bathroom, her gaze widening at the sight of me sitting on the foot of the bed. My eyes widened too, but that was because I couldn’t disassociateRubyandmy bathroomanymore.
