Page 25 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
“Mm-hmm.”
“And at school…” He finally turns to face me, his dark eyes cold. “We don’t know each other. You stay away from me, my friends, and my bandmates. Everyone.”
I nod because saying words is too hard.
“Good.” He caps his mug and leans against the counter. “Because the last thing I need is you stumbling into something else and causing another disaster. I can’t handle any more of youraccidents.”
My chest seizes.
That word.
Accident.
It echoes in my head.
Their catering van spun on the mountain road.
“I swear to God, Miranda or no Miranda, I will make your life hell,” Ryder finishes.
All I can hear is the sound of rain, thunder, and the screech of tires on wet pavement.
“Hey,” Ryder’s voice cuts through the noise in my head. “Are you listening to me?”
I force myself to nod, but my hands are trembling. I clasp them in my lap, trying to hide it.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asks, irritation clear in his voice.
“Nothing,” I whisper. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
“I said, I’m fine.” My voice comes out sharper than intended. “I’ll stay quiet in the car. I’ll stay away from you at school. Is there anything else?”
Ryder studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “No. Just... don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“I’ll follow your rules as long as you follow one of mine.” I swallow hard, and my head spins, trying its best to throw me off balance. “Don’t talk about why I moved here or my parents. No one needs to know.”
Ryder smirks. “Did you think I wanted to talk about you?”
He’s the worst. Why am I holding back the urge to vomit? I should just launch my lack of breakfast right at him.
The sound of tires on gravel announces the car’s arrival.
“That’s our ride,” Ryder says, grabbing his backpack and coffee. “Let’s go.”
I follow him outside on unsteady legs. The morning air is crisp and cold, and I can see my breath in the dim light.
A sleek black sedan waits in the driveway with a uniformed driver standing beside it. Because, of course, there is.
Ryder gets in the back seat without a word, spreading out his notebook and putting in earbuds, shutting me out completely.
I slide into the seat next to him, trying to make myself as small as possible.
The driver gives me a kind smile in the rearview mirror. “First day at Ashworth?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a good school. You’ll do fine.”
