The Fire In Me (Ryder) (COMPLETED) 1 ✔️

Chapter Fifty-One Ask You Something

Count on me- Bruno Mars

      "What the hell is wrong with her?" Archer asks as I stay sitting on the bed with my knees pulled up to my chest. Tears are still in my eyes. What a way to spend a Friday night, right? I sniff before I keep rocking again, listening to their conversation that is happening outside the closed door of the bedroom I'm in. Do they know I can hear them, probably not. They're not the brightest bunch of guys I've come across... Okay, that's a lie. Out of all the guys I've met, they're the smartest just not in situations like this.

     "How are we supposed to know?" Eddie asks. "Dallas knows her the best, and he doesn't even know what's going on. Maybe it's just the concussion." I sigh and close my eyes, laying my head on my knees. How much of this can I listen to? I don't like it when other people talk about me, especially in this type of situation.

     "Maybe this can help us with the boss situation. Maybe she'll back off for a while until we can figure this out." Rocco says.

     "Would she want us to do that?" Archer asks as I cover my ears to try and block out their annoying voices.

    "Does it matter what she wants?" Rocco asks. I shake my head and I stand up, walking around my bed and over to the window. Figure what out? Whatever. Yeah, I can't take any more of this. I open my window and I climb out, jumping out. I don't care, maybe I want to die. I land on a bunch of mattresses on top of each other, and I lay there for a second. Maybe it's not my time to die yet. Kidding. I know the mattresses are here. Let's just say it's not the first time I've jumped out this window.

     I climb off the mattress and dust off my pants and shirt. I hope I don't smell like dirty mattresses now. Like I care anyways, it's not like I'm gonna meet anyone special. Wait a second. Please tell me I didn't. I lay myself down when I feel it in my back pocket. Thank the Lord I didn't forget it. I pull out my phone and I go through my contacts until I find who I want to call. Sam. I press the call button as I walk out of the alley and I put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring. "R." She says, answering after the third ring.

     "S." I reply, looking both ways before turning right out of the alley.

     "Please tell me you're not still acting weird. Otherwise, I'm hanging up." She says and for some reason, I smile. Wait, why am I walking I have my bike keys. I stop walking and I turn around, staring at the building with my bike in front of it. But do I really trust myself to be driving when I'm like this? Fair point, but I'm a good driver... when I'm not distracted... by people... like Dallas. I shake my head. Focus Ryder.

     "I'm not. I'm fine." I say. "Well, I wouldn't say fine actually. I don't know what I am. Well, I do know what I am. It's just," I stop talking and take a deep breath. "Something's wrong and I need someone to talk to." Gosh, why was that so hard for me to say?

     "I don't know if I can. I'm actually not supposed to even answer my phone, but it was you, so I did." She says and I narrow my eyes, staring across the street.

    r"You're not supposed to answer your phone?" I ask, confused. Well, this is a free country, isn't it?

     "Yeah, I'm kind of at a family dinner... right now..." she says and I take a deep breath sighing and head back toward the apartment building. I guess I can't talk to anyone then.

     "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know." I say, looking down in shame as if she were here watching me now.

     "It's fine, it's just that everyone is staring at me right now and it's very uncomfortable." She says and I stop.

     "Please tell me you're not still at the table." I say, feeling worse now.

     "I am." She says and I shake my head again, groaning. "If it makes you feel any better, you're not on speaker." That does make me feel a little better.