Our freshman and sophomore year Ryder and Tori dated. Every single day when we would be changing for P.E. class I had to listen to her tell the other girls all about Ryder and her “Experimenting.” When I heard her say she couldn’t wait to marry him I actually laughed at her.
“Something funny? No wait…you’re jealous aren’t you Harley.” She said with snicker.
“Nope not at all.” I replied then I walked out of the locker room. Nothing about Tori made me jealous.
He broke up with her that summer but the very next day was texting and planning to meet up with another girl from our school that was a year older. It didn’t last long and needless to say those weren’t the only two girl’s hearts he broke through out high school.
By the time our senior year started he was not only the star quarterback, drove a Harley Davidson and looked like a Calvin Klein model. Ryder knew the girls wanted him and he turned into a player. Family barbeques and parties at the clubhouse were never much fun because he would usually show up with a different girl to each one. I could tell it made his parents mad but no matter what they said he wouldn’t stop.
Then the unimaginable happened one weekend at a barbeque.
“So this year is your last year you two, Theresa and I were talking about Prom. We think it would be a great idea if you two went together.” His mom Sydney said to us.
“NO!” I blurted out.
My dad looked at me, “Come on baby girl he’s not that bad.” I couldn’t understand why dad said that because he had told me to stay away from boys like Ryder.
I shook my head and was about to protest again when Ryder spoke, “Yeah Harley, I’m not that bad.” He winked at me.
“I don’t want to go to prom with him. Star and I have gone together every year since we started high school. He can take somebody else.” I argued.
“I have no problem taking Star too.” Ryder argued back and leaned back in his chair.
“Whatever.” I leaned back in my chair and stared at him.
“See it’ll be fun and memorable for all.” My mom hugged me.
Ryder smiled and winked at me again then started eating. This was not going to be fun or memorable, I was going to be miserable but I knew Star would be over the top happy.
“Ryder you can ask Star to the prom so she doesn’t think she’s tagging along.” I broke the silence.
He shrugged a shoulder, “I’ll ask her Monday at school.”
I narrowed my eyes at him this was not the Ryder that I was used to seeing at school or seeing at our regular family functions. I made my mind up to corner him and ask him why he was being so nice, if he was planning on pranking me and Star I would punch him in the balls in front of everybody.
When lunch was finally over and everybody was socializing I found Ryder in the garage working on his motorcycle. “Why are you being so nice?” I hissed when I really wanted to scream it at him.
He didn’t turn and look at me, “Why can’t I be nice instead of us not getting along?” he grunted when the bolt he was working on finally broke loose.
“Why-are-you-being-nice Ryder? I swear if this is some kind of mean trick you will hate me and I will hate you for the rest of our lives!”
Ryder wiped his hands on a red shop rag then turned toward me and walked over to me. I was leaning against the work bench, staring up at him. He placed his hands on the work bench on each side of me blocking me in. “Do you really hate me that much to think that I’ve been mean to you?”
I rolled my eyes, “Seriously?” I laughed.
“I fucking hate when you roll your eyes at me…what I hate even more is that we aren’t as close as we use to be.” He lowered his face closer to mine.
“Do not even try to kiss me Ryder I will knee you in the junk.” I gritted my teeth.
He grinned, “I think you really want me to, don’t you Harley?” he was getting closer.
“With the places I’ve heard your lips have been—I’ll pass.” I pushed at his chest and walked away from him. His laugh reverberated off the walls around me. So I flipped him off over my shoulder.
“Anytime Harley…anytime!”
Monday I glared at Ryder when he walked in to the school and strolled over to his locker. He winked at me so I rolled my eyes and slammed my locker door.
When first period was over, I was walking to my locker when I heard Star scream ‘YES!’ I knew that Ryder had just asked her to the Prom and that she would be hunting me down. I was grabbing my books out of my locker when she come barreling through the students in the hallway yelling my name.
“We are going to prom with RYDER! He’s taking me for a ride on his scooter after school today too!” Star was so happy she had tears in her eyes.
“You have fun, but be careful.” I smiled at her.
“Aren’t you excited—to be going to the prom with him?” Her smile fell.
“Uhh…sure, we’ll have fun, the three of us.”
She nudged me with her shoulder, “Yes we will I’m going to be going with the prettiest girl and the prettiest boy!” Star always called Ryder a ‘Pretty Boy’. Only she could get by with saying that about Ryder.
At the end of the day she was patiently waiting on the steps for Ryder. He sauntered out of the school and held his arm out for Star to take. She practically skipped as they walked over to his 2010 Harley Davidson Fat Boy. I ran over to the bike before she could get on, I wanted to make sure her helmet was secure, when it was I turned to face Ryder. I poked him in the chest, “You better drive like a man and not a lunatic.” I warned him through gritted teeth. He grabbed my finger brought it up to his lips and kissed it.
“I’d never hurt her.” He smiled, I yanked my hand away and wiped it on my shorts. He winked at me.
“I hate when you wink at me…you look like you have some kind of twitch.” I turned to walk away but he grabbed my arm and spun me around.
“You look like you’re having a fucking seizure when you roll your eyes at me so we’re even…drop it.” He kissed my cheek then walked away. I stood there frozen in place, mouth hanging open. Ryder got on his motorcycle then helped Star get on. He eased out of the parking lot and they drove away.
“I don’t know why he’s being so nice to you.” I turned when Tori said that to me.
“Jealous?” I asked and started to walk away.
“Hardly, I’ve been there and done that. He knows what to do with the female body for sure but he’s so hung up on you it’s not even funny. You’re so wrapped up in school you don’t even see it…what a shame. You’re totally missing out. Everybody else knows he’s probably just trying to get you under him and that’s why he’s being nice to you.” She shook her head then walked away.
What in the hell was she talking about? There was nothing between me and Ryder besides a sorta-kinda friendship. Ok we were friends we just didn’t run with the same group of people, or hardly socialize with each other anymore. If he thought going to Prom together would get him laid he was very sadly mistaken.
Chapter 2
I should have just fucking kissed her in the garage that weekend, but I knew it would end up with her knee meeting my dick. A dick that was straining against the denim of my jeans none the less.
Harley was beautiful, like, Carrie Underwood beautiful and a body to match. But for some reason she wouldn’t even look twice at me. Not even at the family barbeques, if and when she did it was usually a look of disgust. I’m not saying that having a different chic at my side helped her opinion of me any, but she never showed any kind of interest in me. Was it a dick move to flaunt different girls in front of her, Yep! But like I said she showed no interest.
I had been watching her since the seventh fucking grade, when she had started to ‘develop’; it wasn’t just that about her though. It was Harley’s personality, her no non-sense, no bullshit attitude. Harley wasn’t like any of the other girls in our class, hell she wasn’t like any of the other girls in our school. She was so fucking smart, she loved to
help people that were struggling with school work, life problems…you name it—she could always put a smile on their face. She never went to any of the high school parties, she wasn’t a cheerleader, and she didn’t play sports but the girl loved to work out at the gym our moms owned together.
One evening my mom caught me watching Harley while she did some kind of Zumba workout. Harley had turned into the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. Watching her dance, her face flushed and sweaty, the way she moved her hips in perfect rhythm with the music. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
“She probably knows you’re staring.” My mom jabbed a finger into my ribcage.
“Uhh…” I rubbed the back of my neck, I was busted. We stood there and watched the class, well, I watched Harley until the song was over. “So maybe you should ask her to the Prom this year?”
I snorted, “She will probably laugh in my face. We don’t exactly get along, mom.”
“Oh please Ryder, she won’t say no.”
“You don’t understand we really don’t get along.” I shook my head.
“Do you suppose that maybe, just maybe, it’s because she thinks you’re a player with all the other girls?” mom cocked one eyebrow at me.
I could feel myself blush, “I might have dated them but I only had sex with one.” I shrugged a shoulder.
Mom shook her head, “She doesn’t know that, thank you for not making me a Grandma with that one time.”
“We had sex more than once, I just said I haven’t had sex with…” with the look mom was giving me I quickly shut up. “Anyways…” I wanted to change the subject.
“Anyways—ask her, or, I will for you.”
I laughed, “You stand a better chance of getting her to say yes than what I do, trust me. Twenty bucks says she will say No, or Hell No.” I held my hand out so mom could shake it.
“It’s a deal.” Her smile was pure evil.
Had I not agreed to take Star with us to the prom, I would have won myself twenty dollars from mom. Instead I lost twenty. It was worth it though because I knew that Star would have a blast hanging out with Harley and me.
That Monday I did exactly what I told Harley I would do. Star’s screeching “YES!” made my ears ring, but, the smile on her face was priceless. She hugged me then asked if I would take her for a ride on my “scooter” after school.
“Star it’s a Harley Davidson Fat Boy you’re giving it a complex calling it a scooter.” I said with a laugh.
She waved a hand, “All the same in my books, OH,” her eyes got big, “I have to find Harley and tell her we have a date this year. Bye Ryder!” Her bright red hair almost whipped me in the face when she spun around.
After school she was waiting on the steps for me, Harley double checked Stars helmet and threated me before she finally let us leave. The fact that she didn’t trust me pissed me off. Star was so excited I had to pull over a half a block away. “Okay Star you can’t be bouncin’ around back there. You need to calm down so I don’t wreck…okay?”
“Okay—sorry.” She screamed. “Do you have to go around corners? They scare me!” she was still screaming her words in my ear.
“Star, stop screaming I can hear you.” I laughed. “Just relax and follow my body movements. Okay?”
Star giggled, “K Ryder.”
I pulled away from the curb and drove through town, Star would wave at every car that drove past. “Star you’ve really gotta hang on sweetheart.” I said over my shoulder.
“Eeep…Okay—sorry!” she said without screaming it in my ear. We rode for about fifteen minutes until Star tapped my shoulder, “I want to see the town from there.” She pointed over my shoulder to the top of the hill. Luckily there was a side rode so I pulled my motorcycle onto it and helped her off of the bike. “It’s so pretty up here Ryder!”
“Yeah it is.” I leaned against my bike.
“You’re in love with Harley aren’t you?” was the next thing she said.
I shook my head, “Random question, Star?”
She smiled, “I think you do love her, it’s okay Ryder your secret is safe with me.”
I laughed, “I’ll just say this. We don’t feel the same about each other.” I grinned at her.
“You love Harley—you love Harley!” she bounced and smiled.
“It is what it is Star. I’d better get you back to the school before she hunts us down.”
“Okay. I promise I won’t tell her.”
When we pulled into the school parking lot Harley looked up from her phone and shoved it in her pocket. “Are you trying to give me a panic attack?” she yelled then put her hands on her hips.
“Chill out, I told you she would be fine.” I was pissed. Why the hell didn’t she trust me?
Star handed me the helmet and hugged me before running over to Harley’s car and getting in. “You were gone for almost thirty minutes Ryder. I thought you were going around the block.” Harley was glaring at me.
I took a step toward her causing her to back up until her back was pressed against the side of her car. “I don’t know what I’ve done that makes you not trust me but you and I both know I’d never do anything to hurt Star.” I lowered my mouth next to her ear, the smell of her shampoo made my mouth water. “Someday babe you’ll trust me.” I stepped back and looked down at her and before she could say anything I walked over to my bike and left.
The following days at school Tori and her friends kept asking me why I would go with somebody like Star. Those kind of comments only pissed me off and I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling them to fuck off.
“Actually I know why you’re taking her, you’re just trying to get in Harley’s pants. Good luck with that.” Tori said.
I shook my head, “Fuck off Tori. Harley is ten times a better person than you’ll ever be and Star is twenty times a better person.” I walked away leaving her standing against the lockers, speechless.
My mom was worried about getting my tuxedo, tie, and cummerbund to match Harley and Star’s dresses, so Friday I waited for Harley and Star at Harley’s car since she usually gave Star a ride home from school. Harley was texting on her phone and didn’t see me standing there until she tripped over my feet.
“What the…” she looked up from her phone.
“Pretty important text huh?” I grinned at her.
“Yes. What’s up?” she asked.
“Mom’s bugging me about my tux and everything, so I was wondering if you and Star have your dresses yet?”
“I’m going tomorrow to get one and Star’s mom is going to take her Sunday after church.”
“Will you do me a huge favor and text me a picture so we can get my stuff?”
“Yep.”
There was an awkward silence, “Okay then I guess I’ll see you later.” I smiled at her then walked over to my bike and waited for her to leave.
Chapter 3
Dress shopping was going to be torture I just knew it. We drove two hours to a small boutique named Sparkles.
“Really Mom? Sparkles?!” I whined.
“Trust me it’s a great little place.” She smiled grabbed her purse and waited in front of the car for me.
“This is going to suck.” I mumbled as we walked up to the door.
“Oh my hell stop whining! It’s your senior year you’ve worked hard and kept your GPA at 4.0 so you deserve something fancy.”
A beautiful lady named Macy greeted us. “Theresa I’m so glad you came back.” She hugged mom. Then held her hand out to me. “You’re beautiful just like your momma! I’m Macy”
“Thank you.” I smiled at her.
Macy asked what kind of dress I was wanting, their dresses ranged from a couple hundred dollars to price tags that left me speechless. I tried on dress after dress but none of them were right, “It’s just not you.” Mom would say.
“Okay I think this will be the one, I’m going to blind fold you and help you get it on then you can tell me what you think.” Macy told me. She tie
d a white scarf around my head and told mom she had to turn around too. I could tell as soon as the dress was on that it was the one. The dress felt like it was made for me, with a silk liner inside, it hugged my body like a glove. “Can I see it yet?” I asked impatiently.
“Nope, put these shoes on then you can.” Macy said with a laugh.
I stepped into what I knew were some very tall high heels, and then Macy turned me around and pulled the blindfold off. I gasped, “Oh my god.” I whispered. The dress was a light silver almost white looking, with numerous large rhinestones in different colors that started at the bottom above my knees and faded into tiny little gems. “It’s so pretty.” Macy was an amazing saleswoman and my mom was right, I loved the little boutique.
“I’m not sure your dad will be okay with that length…but he’ll just have to get over it.” Mom said. I would leave it to her to calm him down when he got his first look at me in it.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll even come do your hair and makeup if you’d like.” Macy offered.
“That would be great Macy!” Mom was way more excited than I was about prom.
“I have to text a picture to Ryder so he can get his stuff.” I turned to get my purse but mom and Macy stopped me.
“He can’t see you in the dress, just send him a text and tell him to get a silver vest or cummerbund.” Macy said with a grin.
“What is a cummer-whatever?” I asked with a laugh.
She laughed, “I’ll show you, personally I like them better but most guys prefer a vest.”
Unstoppable Page 2
