The Secrets We Keep (Formally WAIT)

Chapter 3

Standing on the curb I scan the school parking lot for his car. Shit, he left already. Thanks Ryder. Ugh!

I unlock my phone and send him a text letting him know I was sorry I missed him and I start walking towards the school exit. Great, how am I going to get to work on time if I have to walk? I make it a few blocks away before I notice a car is creeping on me. In my peripheral vision I can see a slate colored Jeep following me. The windows are tinted so I can't see inside, and I don't want to turn and let them know I see them. I decide to pick up the pace, praying they'll get bored and just leave. I turn the corner thinking they'll leave since it's a residential street, but no, they decide to turn too.

Fed up I turn to face the annoying creeper, threatening to knock on one of the doors on the street and call 911, but they've already rolled their window down and I see that's it's none other than the douchebag player Ryder. Seriously, what is his deal?

"What do you want Ryder?" I say with as much malice as possible.

"Calm down Lys, I just was going to ask if you wanted a ride or something?"

Confused and curious about his intentions, I take a step closer to the car.

"Do you want a ride or not?"

I mentally debate whether or not I should go with him. On the one hand, it means I won't be late for work, on the other it could be a trick and I don't want to waste my time getting played.

"Fine," I finally decide. Risking getting made fun of, the need to get to work won in my mental debate.

I open the passenger car door and step up into the car. Being a little short, I had to use the rims of the side of the car to hoist myself into the seat. Not waiting for my to put my seat belt on, Ryder swiftly makes a u-turn and stops at the stop sign.

"Left or right?"

"Huh?" I ask, stuck in my thoughts.

"Where to? I need directions, I'm not a mind reader."

"Oh, right. Can you drop me at Pedro's Auto Shop?"

He looks confused for a moment, but quickly recovers and turns right onto the main road. He touches the radio and asks me while looking at the road if I mind.

"No, go ahead."

He turns the volume up, and I realize it's a song I am familiar with by The Him. I didn't realize he listened to anything other than mainstream pop or rap. We sit with just the music filling the car until we reach Pedro's. He slows to a stop in front of the shop.

"Thanks," I say, relieved that he actually took me to where I need to go and I didn't do anything embarrassing for him to use against me.

He simply nods his head and I close the door before he speeds out of the driveway. That was weird. At least he made up for the fact that he made me miss my ride. I walk through the body shop waving as Kyle greets me with half his body under a car. I make it to the restroom in the back to change and throw my bag in the break room. I walk into the front room and relieve Eric at the desk.

"Hey, Eric, have you seen Ash?" I whisper before he leaves.

"Yeah, I think he's in his office up stairs, why?"

"Oh, he never responded to my text and I was worried he was mad or something."

"Don't worry, hunny. Tell him to piss off if he says anything, I mean come on you're his little sister. He's not gonna do anything."

"Okay, thanks Eric."

"Sure thing, hun. Holler if you need me."

Eric made his way into the shop and I took a seat at the desk. He's probably right, Ash might just be busy and didn't get around to replying to my text. I make myself busy with entering the stack of papers into the computer system and try to get the nagging thoughts about Ryder out of my head.