Page 156 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
“I just need to pee,” Madison blurts, breaking the uncomfortableness.
Miranda blinks at her. She sighs, completely devoid of patience, and points down the hallway without looking at us twice. “Second door on the left.”
“Fantastic. Thank you.” Madison presses a quick hand to my arm and disappears.
Ryder watches Madison pass him and then looks back at me as if he’s trying to calculate something. He shifts the position of his guitar case beside him and moves toward me.
“Did you get home okay?”
I frown at him. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
He huffs. “I mean, because of the rain. I had to drop the guys at rehearsal, and I didn’t know how you’d be coping.”
Coping? Is he serious right now? He didn’t even take a second look for me before fleeing school grounds. I bite inside my cheek and manage, “Mm-hmm.”
Ryder peers over his shoulder again before turning to me. “Madison said she was driving you home, but I didn’t know… Since when have you and her been friends?”
I fold my arms. “Since when do you care?”
His eyebrows lift, and his free hand plants on his chest. “Since when have I…Really?“ He scoffs, shaking his head. “After everything… Every storm… Nope, not doing this. I can’t with you right now.” He turns to Miranda and grunts. “I’ll be in the car.”
Ryder pushes past me without making eye contact, and the front door closes behind him with a quiet, deliberate click that somehow feels louder than a slam.
Miranda watches the door for a moment. “What is going on between you two? This weekend you were doing a bad job of pretending you weren’t holding hands, and now you’re sniping at each other.”
“It’s nothing.”
Miranda exhales and then sets her planner on a side table by the entrance. “It’s not nothing. You’re as annoyed as I am. Why that boy couldn’t upload a simple assignment is beyond me.”
I go to move past her, but she snaps her fingers and lures me to her.
“Ryder and I have to meet the boys at the rehearsal space. I’m also meeting the lawyers about drawing up new contracts.” Miranda checks her wristwatch. “But we need to find time this week for you to sit down with Ryder and help him write the new essay.”
“No,” I blurt it out like it’s a full stop.
Miranda looks up from her watch.
“I’m not helping him,” I say. “Not this time. I refuse.”
She studies me for a beat, deciding how to reframe the request. “Alice…”
I shake my head, cutting her off. “I’m not doing it again.”
Miranda moves closer, and her expression softens. “I understand why you’re frustrated. You put in so much hard work, and he dropped the ball. That isn’t fair.”
“I’m not helping him.”
“But will you help me?” There’s almost a vulnerability to her voice. “You’re good at getting through to him. Whatever you’re doing in those sessions, it’s working.”
“Miranda, he left me at school today. I’m done.”
“You can’t be done. I need you to get through to him.”
“I’m not your tool, Miranda. No.”
Miranda’s lips purse, and a vein in her neck pulses. “Alice, you can’t just…”
“No!”
