Page 173 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
“You didn’t tell me they were coming.”
“It wasn’t really your business.”
“No,” he says. “But I would’ve… I don’t know, been around or something? So you didn’t have to do it on your own.”
I look at him steadily. “Miranda was there.”
“Yeah, I saw that.” He glances toward the hallway. “What’s going on with you two? This morning in the hallway she was practically…” He searches for the word. “Counting on you?”
“We found an understanding,” I say.
Ryder deadpans me. “An understanding?”
“Yes.”
“Like, an actual one? Or did she decide your interests conveniently align with hers?”
“An actual one.”
He’s quiet for a beat, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. “When did that happen?”
“Yesterday.”
His eyebrows lift. “Really?”
“Yes. We had it out with each other. I was ready to get emancipated and apply for college scholarships.”
Ryder turns pale. “You… you what? Since when did you… Why am I so out of the loop?”
“That was your decision, Ryder. I tried to apologize, and you iced me out.”
“I didn’t know social services were visiting you today,” he says in a lower voice. “I didn’t know someone was showing up to assess whether you’re okay.”
“It was a routine check-in,” I say.
“I know, but…” His hand drops to the table. “I should have known that. I live in the same house. I should’ve…” He shakes his head. “I could’ve been here. I could’ve at least been somewhere in the background so it didn’t feel like…”
“I wasn’t alone.”
He meets my eyes. “This time.”
“It’ll be okay,” I reply. “I found letters from my mom to Miranda. I know what went down between them.”
He sits forward. “How did you…”
I lift a hand, stopping him. “Don’t do this. You didn’t want to be involved in my family drama. Don’t go fishing now that things are calmer.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Ryder, I did all of this on my own. You don’t need to pretend to protect me.”
Ryder sits with my words, until he finally says, “You’re right.”
I swallow hard, backing up on my chair for extra room.
“I checked out,” he says. “The showcase, my career, it’s all I think about. I got scared, and I wanted to shut you out so I didn’t lose sight.”
The sting burrows through my heart. His career will always beat me. I’m not worth his time.
