Unsteady

22. Don't Get Any Closer

Sometimes I get so frustrated
I've tried a million times to say it
It's so much easier to fake it
So trust me don't get any closer
These walls are super high
So don't even try to get any closer
I'm scared you're gonna find
All the things I've been hiding from you
-Don't get any closer
-Bebe Rexha

•••••

Life seemed so perfect.

Brandon had come back to school, but this time his gang wasn't around to terrorise my friends. Violet and I had countless girls' nights, Kyle was still camping but was coming back in a week, Cameron had started to slowly warm up to me and say more than just a few words a day (it was progress) and Noah was...well Noah.

Ryder had never questioned me about my past, or anything Brandon had said that day. He never pushed me to tell him about all the things I've been keeping from him, and never shut down on me whenever I had asked him about his personal life.

His mood however did switch whenever I brought up his parents, but he never snapped at me like he used to. Ryder hasn't spoken to them since the day he started living with me. They phoned him once in a while, but he ignored their calls.

"Ryder, you take your parents for granted. Don't you think you should at least answer their calls?" I asked him one day.

Ryder sighed and turned away from me.

"Carter, how many times do I have to say it? I don't care about them, or anything they do."

"You know that's not true-"

"If they really need me, they'll find me," Ryder cut me off, and got up from the couch signalling the end of our conversation as well as our movie night.

"Your parents care about you Ryder. They wouldn't keep calling if they didn't," I said softly, getting up and following him.

Can't take a hint much can you Riley?

Ryder scoffed, "Yes, because a couple calls proves just how much they're worried about me."

I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic tone.

Sometimes Ryder can be a really oblivious pain in the ass. Most people don't know how to show they care, I know for a fact Ryder struggles with proving he cares about a person. Maybe his parents do too.

I knew it wasn't my business nor was it my place to tell him that he should try to patch things up with his parents, but I couldn't help but feel like he would regret not trying at least.

"At least they're trying," I mumbled.

Ryder turned to me with a frown on his face, "Look Carter, I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Just drop it, please."

After that day I never brought up the subject of his parents again. It wasn't fair of me to keep pushing him for answers when he never pushed me for them.