Page 104 of Ride or Die

Riley slumped in her chair. “Alright then. Let’s go.” She gestured into the air. “Let it all out. At least we’re in private this time.”

Kristi shut the laptop and folded her own arms. “Yeah, let’s do this. I’ll start.”

“Please do.”

Kristi made the kitchen seem small. She took up the whole apartment with her energy and enthusiasm and rage. It was stifling. And yet…

“A, your boyfriend is always in the right place at the right time.”

“Because he pays attention.”

Kristi’s eyes glittered like glass. “And B, he watches you. Like in an obsessed way. Like you are carrying around his internal organs and he wants them back. It’s intense!”

“I like intense,” Riley said calmly, even as her chest warmed with Kristi’s observation. Did Saint really look at her like that? Her heart fluttered, and it definitely shouldn’t have.

She jerked her chin at her best friend, wearing a suit to deliver a lecture in her kitchen. “Case in point.”

“Well—” Kristi scowled. “Still. You should be more worried about this.”

I am so tired of worrying.

“And do what?” Riley asked and dropped her chin onto her fist, elbow propped on the table. “You want me to stop seeing him?”

“Ri, come on. I don’t want that. You like him. A lot. Hell, I like him. I get it. But you have to be more critical—”

“Really.”

“Yes. You can’t just blindly trust—”

Kristi didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Kristi, what do you want? Can we just get to that part?”

“Wow, okay. I want you to be careful—to be safe. And then we can go to—”

“You think Saint can’t keep me safe?” Riley gestured to the new locks and special little tags that could tell when the door was open. “Saint’s not the problem.”

Nico, maybe. Gio, definitely.

Kristi chewed on her inner cheek. All the playfulness drained from her face, and she looked worried. “He’s not telling you everything.”

Riley knew that, but it still stung. And it felt familiar.

She narrowed her eyes. “Kristi, what the hell?” This was getting childish. “You don’t know everything either. There’s a lot going on.”

“So talk to me about it!”

“Just so you can rub it in my face?” Riley stood up, hands clenched. “You know what? No. This is ridiculous. And petty. I’m not getting dragged into more of your gossipy, self-sabotaging shit. We’re not in high school anymore. I like him. You just said you like him. You seem to be getting along pretty fucking well with Aaron. So what is this about? Grow up and just say it!”

Kristi rocked back. Guilt curdled Riley’s stomach, immediate and sour. She sat back down.

“Kristi—”

“Are you even hearing yourself?” Kristi’s voice was flat.

“I’m—”

Kristi glanced away and sighed. “It’s fine.”