“Oh.” She sneered her nose down at me. “Lovely to meet you.” She offered me a limp hand to shake. I took her hand and gave it a little shake.
I shuddered at her icy glare despite the warm evening.
“Ryker! Who is this mysterious woman with you tonight?” A female reporter called out to us.
Ryker stepped over to her, guiding me along with him. Panic flew through me. What was he doing? Wasn’t the goal to avoid the paparazzi as much as possible and just get inside where it was safe? But after meeting those two airbrushed, catty women, I realized there wasn’t anywhere safe at this event.
Before Ryker could get close enough to answer the reporter’s question, another reporter shouted out, “Ryker? Does your date know how many girls you’ve been seen with lately?” What other girls? Who was he talking about? I knew about Tabby, but who were the other girls? Ryker had been faithful to me, right? I wouldn’t have been able to handle it if he hadn’t. I didn’t think I could ever forgive him.
The man held up a printed-out picture of Ryker kissing Tabby. She had her arms around his neck possessively. I’d seen him kissing her from a distance, but this picture was zoomed in.
I choked back bile. I was reliving the nightmare all over again. Cameras flashed all around us. With each flash, I kept seeing Tabby kissing first Austin and then Ryker. Alternating, over and over. I started to feel dizzy, the world tilting on its axis. My knees went weak, and I began to collapse.
Ryker steadied me. And then everything went black.
“I ruined the night for you,” I told Ryker later that night from our suite. I’d changed into a pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt. A carton of Chinese takeout sat on the table between us.
“You passed out. There was no way I was making you go inside and face a bunch of strangers.”
“I feel so guilty. Mr. Christopher paid all this money for us to go to this event. And we didn’t even make it inside.”
I’d only passed out for five minutes, but Ryker insisted that we needed to go back to the hotel when I came to. I’d woken up to a cluster of paramedics attending to me.
“None of this was your fault. I should have known that it would be too much for you after everything that’s happened in Sweet Mountain with the media.”
“I should have told you I needed to work this weekend. Then you could have made your appearance with Gabi, and everything would have been perfect.” And I could have stayed back home at the boring life I was used to living. I was crazy to think that I needed to run off after high school to go on some grand adventure to see the world outside Sweet Mountain. I had no idea what I’d been wishing for.
“I’m so sorry about those reporters. I should have known better.”
“It’s not your fault. I just don’t know how to react to these vultures.”
“I would tell you that you never have to deal with them again, but I’m afraid I don’t want to tell you that.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Ryker’s blue eyes pierced into mine. “I’m in love with you, Shannon.”
I sat up and stared at him. “You’re in love with me?”
He stared back at me in shock like he couldn’t believe he’d just blurted out a secret. Finally, he nodded, taking my hands. “The truth is, I’ve known I was in love with you for a very long time.”
“Define a long time,” I said. “A few weeks? Months?”
“More like years.”
All that time. Writing the fan fiction together. Hanging out in the clubhouse in Ryker’s backyard. My mind was officially blown. I’d known he’d recently developed feelings for me, and that he’d been crushing on me for a while. He'd admitted that much already. But this was something else entirely.
And I didn’t know how to process this new information. He was staring at me expectantly. Oh, shoot. Did he expect me to tell him I loved him back? I definitely wasn’t ready for that. But I didn’t want to hurt Ryker either. “I don’t know what to say,” I admitted. “I’m pretty shocked.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Ryker kissed me on the forehead. “I’m not here to pressure you to say anything you’re not ready to say.”
Relief washed over me. Ryker hopped up from his dining chair. “I’m going to get another root beer.” We’d ordered up the glass bottles of root beer that Ryker loved.
A text message dinged on Ryker’s phone and flashed up on his screen.
George: For now, lay low with your relationship with Shannon.
My breath caught. What had Ryker told him about our disastrous night that would make George say something like that? My head began spinning with the endless possibilities of how I could have failed Ryker. But before I could travel too far down that toxic rabbit hole, another text flashed up on his screen.
George: She’s not good for your image. It’s better if you’re seen as single.
I wasn’t good for his image? Was it my fault that I’d fainted? Or that the paparazzi were so vicious? And now I was ruining his future just by existing.
Ryker came back with his root beer, taking a long swig from the bottle before setting it down on the glass tabletop with a clink.
“This really isn’t going to work between us, is it?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” Ryker’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“I’m breaking up with you.”
“What?” Ryker stood up and turned to me. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. It’s not you at all.”
“Is it because I told you I’ve been in love with you for years? I knew I shouldn’t have told you that. I just made everything weird between us.”
“It’s not that, Ryker. I’m just not good for you. I see that now.”
“Where is this coming from?” His eyes were frantic.
“Our lives are too different. We used to make sense, but nothing about this makes sense now.”
“Everything about this makes sense to me. Do you know what doesn’t make sense? Living in this world without you in the center of it.”
There was no way I could get Ryker to understand what I was trying to say. So I told him, “That’s my final decision. You told me you’re not here to pressure me. So please respect that.” Even if we did find a way to lay low, George would want Ryker to look single to all his fans. Because as long as he was available, they could dream that they had a chance with him. And that meant he would be swarmed with more girls than ever. And I would have to stand by and do nothing about it.
And I knew my heart couldn’t handle that, because it was already too invested. Because I was in love with him too. The last thought hit me like a jolt of lightning.
I was in love with Ryker. That meant I had to take extra care to protect my heart now. And I couldn’t let him know how I felt. Because then he’d try to talk me out of leaving, and I couldn't let that happen. It was too risky. I’d been hurt by Austin cheating. I’d been hurt by Dad leaving. I couldn’t handle losing Ryker too.
But it was too late for that, wasn’t it? I was going to lose him either way.
He was going to be swarmed by girls. George himself said it was best for his career to appear single, and if Ryker knew I was in love with him, he would want to be with me. I couldn’t let him destroy his career like that.
I had to leave. For myself and for Ryker.
I just had to get through the rest of this trip. I would throw myself into my writing if I had to. I was getting close to finishing, and my story was coming along better than I’d hoped. Ryker had his dream and I had mine. We just needed to focus on that and go our separate ways.
It was the best decision for everyone involved.
15
Ryker
The rest of the California trip was pure torture. I should never have told Shannon how deep my feelings had gone. I should have known that she didn’t feel the same way about me. But I was a hopeless romantic and a fool.
Shannon spent the rest of the trip acting strange and distant. S
he kept herself glued to her laptop, working on her mysterious book, and barely spoke more than two sentences back to back.
When I saw her at school the Wednesday before prom, she was holding hands with Austin. That was the lowest blow of all. It was one thing for our relationship to be over, but she knew how bad Austin was. What was she thinking? I was furious.
Austin seemed to think it was hilarious. He’d stolen a girl from the brand-new celebrity. He was on top of the world and determined to shove it in my face as much as possible. It didn’t matter how much money I earned or how many films I appeared in; I couldn’t be happy knowing Shannon was being mistreated by that jerk.
What I didn’t understand was why she would ever want to be treated so badly. It just didn’t make sense.
I was going through the lunch line when I heard a voice behind me. “Looks like even fortune and fame wasn’t enough to convince Shannon to stay with you. Because you’re a loser deep down and always have been. Fancy new clothes and a bunch of followers on social media doesn’t change that.”
I whirled around and faced Austin man to man. I curled my hand into a fist to keep from pounding the guy’s face. “You’re scum deep down and always have been. It’s only a matter of time before Shannon sees through you. What kind of lies did you tell her? That you’ve finally seen the light? That this time you’ll have eyes only for her?”
Austin sneered at me but didn’t say anything.
“What? You have no response to that? Because it’s all true, or because you're too much of a coward to talk to me when we’re face to face? The only reason Shannon is with you right now is because you’re familiar, and she’s been through a lot.” And she was probably self-sabotaging. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. It was none of his business. I’d tell her that myself, but she probably wouldn’t listen to me.
She deserved so much better, and I planned to tell her that. I found her getting into her car after school.
“Why are you with Austin?”
“Well, hello to you too.” She gave me a sour look.
“Please don’t get snarky with me. I’m not the bad guy here.”
Shannon let out a loud, tired sigh. “I know, Ryker.”
“How did this even happen?”
“Does it matter?” She turned to look at me with a stormy look on her face. “You think I deserve better? You’re right. Austin isn’t the best. But he’s here. And you’re going to be swarmed by a bunch of girls. At least I know he’s with me and just me. I will never be able to have that with you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw your text messages. George said you needed to look single to the world so girls could dream about having a chance with you.”
“Well, you obviously didn’t see my response.”
“It doesn’t matter now. I’m not going to be responsible for holding you back from your career. You’re about to leave anyway to live a life of fame and fortune, and I’ll be at UNC. We’re heading down two separate paths, and eventually, we’ll be so different, we won’t be able to relate to each other at all. It’s already started. That’s why I’m putting a stop to it before it goes too far. Before either of us gets too hurt. That’s why I’ve decided to go to prom with Austin, because I need to get back to my old life and familiarity. Austin isn’t the greatest, but at least I know what to expect. And we’re both going to UNC. It just makes sense.”
No. Nothing about her reasoning made sense. She’d changed too much to go back to her old life. It was only a matter of time before she’d realize that.
“And I think I need to take a step back from everything for a while. Let the dust settle.”
That, I could respect. If Shannon needed time, then she would get it. And I’d be waiting for her when she was ready to return to me.
I said goodbye to her and got in my car. I picked up my phone. “Gabi? How would you feel about experiencing a normal teenage rite of passage? I need a date to prom.”
“Ryker?” her cheerful voice came across the line. “Are you asking me to go to prom with you?”
“That’s basically the gist of it.”
“What about Shannon? I thought you were dating her.”
“Shannon broke up with me. She got back together with her old boyfriend, and she’s going to prom with him now.”
“Don’t you think it will make her jealous to see you going with me?” Gabi asked.
“Not if I explain why I want to take you.”
“And why is that?” Gabi asked.
“You told me you want to have a normal teen experience since you didn’t get to go to a regular high school. And prom is the perfect opportunity to do that. I’m dateless, and honestly, I need a friend right now.”
“What happened between you and Shannon anyway? You guys seemed so perfect together.”
“I think my new celebrity status has been too hard on her.”
“Ryker, I’m so sorry. I’d love to go, but I don’t want to cause any problems with you and Shannon.”
“I don’t want to cause problems with her either, but I know this is the right thing to do.”
“Why is that?”
“I want to go the distance with Shannon. I have unfinished business with her, and I think bringing you to prom will help us with that.”
“I’m not following you.”
“I just want to be happy with Shannon.”
“I understand that, but how will you taking me to prom help you get back together with her?”
“I think when she sees us together, she’ll realize that she could be missing out on something great. You and I know that nothing is going on between us, but Shannon doesn’t know that, even though I’ve told her over and over. I just think she needs a wake-up call. Maybe this is the only way to get her to listen.” It was risky and drastic, but I couldn’t think of another way to get through to Shannon. “She might get upset at first, but she’ll understand once we explain everything.”
“I hope you and Shannon figure things out. I would give you relationship advice if I could, but I’ve never had much luck with it myself. It’s not an easy thing for normal people, but in this industry, it’s a whole different level of hard.”
“Can you get out here fast? It’s on Friday.”
“Of course, I can! Thank you so much for inviting me, Ryker. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to go to prom. You probably think that’s weird, but I don’t actually have that many friends. And the ones I do have are all actors like me who live on the road most of the time. It can be a pretty lonely existence.”
I’d already seen that to be true myself. I just hoped it was still possible for Shannon and me. We’d been by each other’s side for the last ten year as we’d grieved for our wayward parents. We just needed to realize that we had the strength to get through this as well.
16
Shannon
“You look beautiful in that dress,” Austin said, pulling me in for a kiss. I turned my head at the last minute, and his lips landed on my cheek instead.
The dress he was referring to was the prom dress I’d bought with the gift card Ryker had given me. I wore an aqua dress with tiny white leaves stitched into the bodice that trailed down into the full tulle skirt. It was everything I’d ever dreamed a prom dress could be. It was just too bad I was with the wrong guy.
When Austin found me crying in the park after my trip to California, he’d acted so supportive and kind that I’d wondered if maybe I’d been wrong about him all along. That was in a moment of weakness. I saw that now. Austin hadn’t changed at all. He was the same guy he’d always been.
He hadn’t even bothered to pick me up for prom. He suggested that we just meet there. So we were standing in the parking lot in our nice clothes—no nice pictures where my mom fussed over us. I told myself it was okay because we’d get the professional pictures done inside, but I was definitely irritated. And this voice in the back of my mind kept telling m
e that Ryker would have never treated me like this. But I wasn’t willing to listen to that voice.
Listening to that voice was dangerous. Because it would mean he was right that Austin wasn’t good for me, and that I deserved better. I couldn’t admit that right now. Too much was at stake. And I needed the safety of normalcy right now. A simple guy and girl going to prom after dating all through high school. So I allowed Austin to take my hand as we walked into the building.
I’d expected prom to be this magical night. Every girl looked forward to her chance to go to prom. She curled her hair and put on a dress that made her feel like Cinderella heading to the ball. But nothing about this night felt magical. The music seemed a little too loud, and the colors a bit too dull.
No one came up to us to greet us as we entered the room. All around us were couples, busy being happy together. Harper and Luke slow danced in the middle of the room, looking completely in love. Bella and Logan stood at the refreshment table, getting food together. Kate and Miller were getting their picture taken by the professional photographer. Everywhere I looked, people were laughing and having fun.
Should I want to join in on their fun? That was the thing. I didn’t want to. I wanted to go home and put on my sweats and climb into my bed with the covers pulled over my head. I would have rather spent the night writing my fan fiction. With Ryker. That was really what my sour attitude came down to tonight. I missed him. He was my best friend. Even the colors weren’t as bright without him in my life. But it couldn't be helped.
I stopped myself. Why couldn’t it be helped? I couldn’t even remember what convoluted argument I’d fed myself to make me want to be in this situation. Spending the best night of high school with the wrong guy. I couldn’t think of an argument that made this moment worth it. This wasted opportunity. I had to make it right with Ryker. I was officially the biggest idiot alive.
A ripple of excitement moved through the room, and I turned to see what the commotion was about. The room was too crowded to see what everyone was so worked up about.
My Best Friend Prince Charming: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Mountain High Book 6) Page 10
