“I never said it was a bad thing,” Shannon said. “But I can see how some people might think it’s bad to hide from the crowd. There’s just way too much drama out there. I’m not interested in getting involved in all that mess.”
“I get that. But it looks like my privacy is a thing of the past.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way,” Shannon said. “Maybe you just need to figure out a way to set up boundaries so people learn to respect your privacy.”
I laughed. “Maybe I’ll need to hire that bodyguard sooner than I think. Like tomorrow.”
As we completed our homework, we stopped to chat every few moments. Our conversation drifted easily into the world of mangas, K-Pop, and eventually, our Katana Warrior fan fiction. I never got tired of talking to Shannon about our writing. We made a great team and loved bouncing ideas off each other. Shannon was really good at adding in the grammar and story structure, and I provided the comic relief. I also came up with colorful descriptions of the settings and what the characters looked like and how they acted.
“I can’t believe that Austin cheated on me,” Shannon said, changing the subject. “I mean, the guy knew that my dad cheated on my mom. He knows how much it bothers me. I hate my stepmom, and I barely even know her. I don’t want to get to know her.”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure how much to tell Shannon about what I’d seen from Austin when she wasn’t around. Would it shatter her to know that Austin had been cheating on her all along? And would she be mad at me for withholding that information from her?
“I’m such an idiot. Why did I even want him, Ryker?”
Uh. I didn’t know how to answer her because I had no idea. The guy was toxic, and I could see it from a mile away. But it wasn’t like that for Shannon. She thought she deserved a guy like that. She let him treat her like garbage because it’s what she’d known from her own parents. She’d watched her dad treating her mom like that for the first part of her childhood. I didn’t say any of that, though, because Shannon was hurting enough.
“I don’t know, Shannon. I guess you just liked him. And he made you feel good when you were with him.” My answer was generic enough.
Shannon shook her head. “That’s the thing, though. I didn’t feel good when I was with him. I felt angry and irritated all the time.” She buried her face in her hands. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Does it have to make sense right now?”
A crowd of girls came into the library. They moved like a swarm of hornets to our table. “Ryker! Can we get your autograph?”
I glanced back at Shannon. She gave me an encouraging smile. “Sure.” I signed autographs until I lost count. I was sure the school librarian, Mr. Nelson, was about to kick them out, but he just sat behind the library counter and allowed it. The bell rang, and I didn’t get a chance to finish my conversation with Shannon. I filled my backpack with my books and slipped it over my shoulders. Two sophomore girls linked arms with me on either side and escorted me out of the room with a group of more girls following behind. I glanced back at Shannon. She was still smiling, but this time it looked forced. My stomach sank. How much damage would my new fame do to my relationship with Shannon? And after it was all over, if it ever actually ended, would I even have a relationship with her?
6
Shannon
I watched Ryker leave the library with a big group of girls, and I packed up my books. I just needed to head to my next class, and then this long, horrible day would be over. I slung my backpack over one shoulder and hurried to my English class. I wanted to be happy for Ryker, but it was starting to get on my nerves that all those girls kept interrupting our conversations. Hopefully, the excitement would die down soon, and we’d be able to get back to our lives. Back to normal.
But Ryker was changing, and our lives would never be the same again. He was going to sign a contract soon, and then it would be set in stone. He had to start filming by the first of June. And then his face would be internationally known. There was no such thing as a Stephen Christopher movie that didn’t do well. I suspected that this Cinderella movie would be better than most.
I should have been happy for Ryker, and I was, but today I’d lost my boyfriend. I was having a hard time, and all these changes were weird. All the girls swarming. I mean, I got it—Ryker was hot. I knew that. It was plain to see. And after snuggling up with him at lunch today, I could feel it through his shirt too. He would make a perfect Prince Charming. He was every high school girl’s dream guy. Witty, charming, hot, sweet, thoughtful . . .
Of course, they were going to swarm him. I was surprised they hadn’t done it before. But I’d had Ryker all to myself back then. Maybe they stayed away from him because I was always there.
Which was ridiculous. I was with Austin.
But now that I wasn’t, they wanted Ryker. It was ironic, but wasn’t life like that anyway?
I slid into my desk in the front row of my English class. The bell rang, and Mrs. Drake pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Before we get started today, I have an opportunity a few of you may be interested in. Tufted Pen Publishing is holding a writing contest for high school seniors. Their goal is to get students writing, and to increase literacy. The requirement is to submit a full-length novel by the middle of May. They are offering a publishing contract and ten thousand dollars to one lucky winner. See me after class if you’re interested, and I’ll give you more information.”
Immediately my ears perked up at the opportunity Mrs. Drake mentioned, but then I remembered Austin and how critical he’d been of my writing. There was no way I’d be able to knock out a novel between now and the middle of May. That was in two months. The only reason I wrote so much of the fan fiction was because I had Ryker to help me. I probably wouldn’t get anything written without him. And it wasn’t like I could ask him to co-author something with me. The contest was for one lucky winner, and Ryker was probably going to be too busy with his new acting job anyway.
When the bell rang, I shouldered my backpack and headed to leave the classroom, but Mrs. Drake stopped me. “Shannon, have you considered the publishing opportunity I mentioned at the start of class?”
“I thought about it a little, but I don’t think it would be worth my time.”
“You’re an excellent writer, regardless of winning, writing a novel would most definitely be worth your time. Think of how much you would learn.”
“I appreciate that. I really do, but I don’t see how it would work. I have too much going on with school and work to fit in a novel between now and mid-May.”
“I understand. If you change your mind, let me know. I’d be happy to help you in any way I can.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Drake,” I said.
For the next few days, Ryker grew more distant. He found an agent and negotiated terms of payment, whatever that meant. He didn’t share the nitty-gritty details of his contract with me. In fact, whenever I tried to bring up his new film career, he changed the subject. Did he think I couldn’t handle it or something? I felt annoyed that he didn’t trust me enough to share the details of his new life. He was turning into a different person. And it was getting worse every day. His agent moved quickly with him—they had to. Their time was running out.
The publishing house’s writing contest kept coming up in my mind, but every time I thought about it, I pushed the idea away. I had my writing project with Ryker to worry about anyway. Only he hadn’t written for a while, and I was waiting for him to finish his chapter so I could start on mine. I didn’t know what direction I needed to take the story, and Ryker was too busy with his agent to write his chapter, let alone talk about it with me. So instead of writing, I sketched. But I missed writing.
Ryker’s birthday arrived a week after he’d auditioned. I’d been working countless hours on the artwork of his fan fiction original character for his birthday. I’d scrapped about five different versions of it before finally deciding I had a version I liked enough to giv
e to him as a gift. I drew his character standing in a bamboo forest. Dark blue hair fell across his face, obscuring half his fierce expression. He held his katana in a defensive position across his torso.
When I wasn’t at school or working at Toppings, dishing out ice cream, I’d had more time on my hands than I’d realized when I turned down Mrs. Drake’s suggestion of entering the writing contest. Whenever I tried to go over to Ryker’s house to hang out, he was on his computer, video chatting with his agent or Mr. Christopher. He even did a set of virtual interviews with some media companies covering the news of him getting cast. Normally, they would have had him do some appearances in person in Hollywood before filming began, but his dad insisted that Ryker be able to finish his senior year in the most normal way possible.
I woke up the morning of his birthday, determined to finish Ryker’s picture. I sketched all morning and then took a break to work a few hours at Toppings. After work, I came home and quickly put the finishing touches on the picture. I’d run out of time. If I wanted Ryker to get it on his birthday or anytime soon, I had to stop being such a perfectionist.
I stepped back and studied it. A smile crept across my face. It was most definitely my best work yet. Ryker was going to be blown away. I couldn’t wait to show it to him. I lifted a framed picture of the ocean from my wall and took the back of the frame off. I swapped the picture for the sketch I’d drawn for Ryker. I wrapped it up in tissue paper and stuck it in a box, then wrapped the box with a roll of birthday wrapping paper I found in the hall closet.
I pushed open the front door, the gift tucked under my arm. I crossed the grassy area between our houses and knocked on Ryker’s door. His sister Ava opened it.
“Hey! Is Ryker home? I have something for his birthday.”
“Yep, come on in.” She opened the door wider to let me pass her into the front hall. “He’s in his room.”
She went into the living room and settled on the couch, and I walked down the hall that led to the bedrooms. I knocked on the door to the room Ryker shared with Parker.
“Come in,” he called through the door.
I pushed open the door and saw him sitting at his desk, his laptop in front of him with a video chat open. He wore headphones and kept his eyes glued to the screen. He waved me over without even looking at me. He laughed hard, holding his hands over his belly as he leaned back in his chair.
I closed the door behind me and shrunk against it like it would protect me somehow. I should have known that Ryker would be busy again. It had been like this since Monday when I found out that he’d been cast in the movie. I’d barely had a conversation with him since study hall Monday afternoon.
I’d never felt so alone. I didn’t have girls I hung out with. Austin had moved on with Tabby and hadn’t looked back once. He seemed to be on top of the world with her. They’d gotten in trouble for kissing in the halls twice in one week. The entire thing turned my stomach. I was glad high school was almost over. It really was too bad that Austin was going to UNC. It meant I’d have to see him still. But the campus was a big place. It wouldn’t be too hard to avoid him.
I stood with my back to the door for a few minutes. I thought about leaving and taking the picture with me. I felt so stupid. Austin had moved on from me. And now it looked like Ryker had moved on as well. Why did I always care about people who ended up leaving me? First, my dad, then Austin, and now Ryker.
Ryker ended the call and turned to look at me. “Shannon? I didn’t know that was you.” He stood up. “Oh, man. I’m really sorry. That was so rude of me.” He looked at me. My eyes watered. I couldn’t hold back the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. So I let them fall.
Ryker’s eyes softened with concern. “Are you okay?” He reached up and wiped a tear from my face.
I shook my head. “I feel so alone, Ryker. I know I shouldn’t feel this way. I’m a selfish person. I want to support you and be happy for you, but I don’t know how.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “Shannon, you don’t have to do anything. Just be you. You’re allowed to feel sad. You’re allowed to feel alone. You’re dealing with what Austin did to you. I’m sorry, I haven’t been there for you better. I wish I could, but I need to do this for my family. Look at this place. The roof needs to be replaced. The foundation is infested with termites. It’s been that way for years. But we haven’t had the money to fix it. Ava and Parker are struggling in school, but my dad and I are too busy working to sit and help them, and there’s no money to hire a tutor for them.”
I hadn’t thought about any of that. I just kept seeing Ryker basking in his fame. But the new knowledge didn’t help me feel any less alone. How was I supposed to face college away from my mom and Maddie without him? It was weird that I was even having these feelings. For so long, I only thought about leaving Sweet Mountain and making something of myself in the world, but I’d always thought I’d have Ryker by my side the entire time. He’d always been there, since we were kids, anyway. I hadn’t thought about a life without him and what that might look like. And imagining it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t want to even let my mind go there.
“What do you have behind your back?” Ryker reached around and took the box with the brightly colored birthday wrapping paper. “Is this for me?”
I nodded, the lump in my throat still keeping me from speaking.
He took my hand and led me to sit on the end of his bed. He tore open the paper and set it behind us. He lifted off the lid of the box and pulled out the rectangle wrapped in tissue paper. He pulled back a fold of the tissue paper, and his breath caught audibly.
“Did you draw this?” He ran his fingers across the glass of the frame.
“Yeah.”
He looked in my eyes and said, “I love it, Shannon. This is the most thoughtful gift you could have ever given me. He looks exactly how I pictured him in my head. You even got his eyes the right color.”
I stared back into Ryker’s blue eyes, and something fluttered in my belly. They were the same eyes I’d used in the drawing. I pressed my lips together and looked away. I couldn’t feel this way about Ryker. That was just weird. I hopped up.
A flash of black outside the window caught my attention.
“Um, Ryker?” I asked. “Were you expecting a limo to take you somewhere tonight?” I thought he had to work.
“Oh, yeah.” He looked down at his watch. “How did it get so late already? I have to get ready to go.”
A tiny girl with black hair twisted in a perfect princess bun atop her head climbed from the limo. A necklace sparkled at her throat in the bright rays of the sunset. A gasp caught in my throat. “Is that Gabi Richardson?” I’d spent my childhood watching her grow up in one movie or another.
Ryker stood at his closet, frantically rummaging through it. He yanked out a starched shirt and polished brown leather shoes from his closet floor. Everything still had tags on it.
“Did you go shopping?” It wasn’t like him to keep me out of the loop on his life. Was he starting to hide things from me? And if so, why?
“Yeah,” he pulled his shirt off, revealing a chiseled set of abs. I gawked. Wow! Who knew Ryker looked that good?
“Um, Ryker?” I asked, averting my eyes, my cheeks heating up. “Do you want me to step out of the room?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Ryker looked down at his bare chest. “Sorry about that.”
I went into the living room and hung out on the couch with Ava. Then I noticed what she was watching. She had on a Gabi Richardson movie, one of the films Stephen Christopher had directed.
The doorbell rang.
“Should I get that?” I asked.
Ava paused the movie, the screen frozen right on a clear shot of Gabi’s face. This was all getting so weird. “Why are there famous people on your doorstep?” I mean, I knew it was coming, but I didn’t think they’d show up so soon.
“They’re taking Ryker out for his birthday. Get this. He’s going to Charter,” Ava gushed.
/> Charter was the nicest restaurant in town. I’d never set foot inside it. It had never crossed my mind that Ryker would be going to a place like that, let alone in a limo. I didn’t know much about designer clothes, but I could tell that the new clothes Ryker had in his closet hadn’t come from Walmart. Probably not even the local mall. His shirt probably cost as much as my entire month’s paycheck from Toppings.
Honestly, it hurt that Ryker had made plans with Gabi and Mr. Christopher instead of hanging out with me. He’d told me when his schedule came out that he had to work on his birthday. Maybe I just needed to get used to the fact that Ryker was moving on to a better life that didn’t include me.
Ava answered the door and invited Stephen Christopher and Gabi inside just as Ryker came down the hallway.
He greeted them like he’d already been working with them for years. How was he not intimidated? Gabi was so brilliantly beautiful that I was left speechless. Her makeup was flawless. But someone like Gabi could afford the best skincare. I was lucky if I had enough money set aside for the cheapest drugstore foundation. And most of the time, I skipped makeup altogether.
“This is Shannon,” Ryker said, turning to me. “She’s my best friend. We’ve lived next door to each other since third grade.”
“It’s great to meet you, Shannon,” Gabi said graciously, a sweet smile spreading across her face, revealing perfect white teeth.
Mr. Christopher shook my hand. “Thanks for letting us have Ryker for a while.”
“This is my sister Ava. She’s thirteen.”
“Nice to meet you, Ava,” Mr. Christopher said.
“If you decide you need anyone else in one of your movies, I’m your girl,” Ava said, a pair of dimples appearing as she smiled.
Mr. Christopher laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’d introduce you to my dad and my brother, but my dad is working, and my brother is at a friend’s house helping them move. They both really want to meet you, though.”
My Best Friend Prince Charming: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Mountain High Book 6) Page 4
