CH. 2
POV: RYLAND
Honestly, I wasn't expecting the hallway to get so quiet when I walked in. But what's done is done, so I may as well make an entrance.
Eddie's on my right, strutting around like he owns the place. He actually showed up at my front door this morning, laughing and joking around like I was four minutes late to school, not four years. It felt so normal, just like back in middle school, that I sort of just let it happen. Who knows how he even knew I was back, but I guess news travels fast in a tiny town like Wavemeet. He hasn't changed at all, save for his hair being shoulder length now. He's got it pulled back in a bun, revealing his baby face, wide grin, and bright green eyes. You'd think he would've grown into his face by now.
I'm almost glad he's next to me. Archer's staring at me like I'm the queen coming down from my private jet, and his posse's eyeing me too. I can feel her staring at me.
I throw Kori a smirk before turning to Eddie. "Let's bounce, bro."
Eddie nods rapidly as the warning bell rings, and it's like pressing play on a TV remote. Everyone's instantly in motion, running past each other to get to class.578Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzurX3Pn6H
Archer makes a gurgling sound in his throat as I step away. "H-Hey, Ry, wait!"
I turn to glance back at him. "What?"
He doesn't reply, only staring at me with his mouth open. Probably trying to piece together a full sentence without stumbling. Archer stammers like no one I've ever heard. It's a miracle he found himself a group of people who'll listen to him talk.
He swallows. "Ryland, I-"
"Am the world's most annoying little brother?"
"No, I-"
"Come on, Arch, use your big boy words. Class starts in five minutes, not five centuries."
He slides his fingers through his cropped hair. His is light brown, and it slips through his fingers easily. "Jesus, could you just-"
"No," I say, turning back around. "I just couldn't."
I begin walking, and I hear him huffing behind me. Zack starts comforting him. Funny, Zack seemed to be mute when I was just there. He looks close with the chick next to him. I'd guess boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Hey!"
I freeze.
"You asshole." Oh wow. Her voice has gotten deeper since the last time she yelled at me. "That's the only thing you have to say right now? To any of us?"
I turn back around to find Kori glaring at me. Less people are watching now, but it still feels like we're center stage. "Is there a problem, Kiwi?" I ask.
There's nothing especially fantastic about her. Standard brown hair, though now the tips are dyed dark blue. Standard green eyes. They're big, like she can see the whole world with them, with super long eyelashes. She's got a small nose, but it fits her face. Her hair's longer now, reaching down past her shoulder blades, and she's got it swept over one shoulder.
Her nostrils flare now. "It's the first time any of us see you in four years, and you've really got nothing to say?"
She's taller too, though I guess that's to be expected. Maybe by three inches. I doubt her head even comes up to my shoulder, though.
I look down my nose at her. "Not particularly, no."
I turn then, before she can say anything else. She doesn't speak again.
Eddie falls into step next to me. I can still feel her staring at my back as I walk away. I turn my head back to face their little group one more time, just enough for her to see my lip curl into a smirk.
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POV: KORI
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"Earth to Kori."
I blink. "What?"
"You were staring at me," Nevaeh says, frowning at me. We're in the cafeteria, and she picks up a fry and wiggles it in my face. "Come on, is it really that big of a deal that Ryland Park is back in town? You're acting like he's the Grim Reaper coming for you."
"Yes, it's a very big deal. A huge deal." Zack leans over and dumps his fries onto Nevaeh's plate, and she grins at him. "Ryland Park being back from boot camp means all hell is going to break loose."
"I thought it was boarding school."
"Same difference, babe."
I groan. "Nevaeh, you don't understand-"
"Heyo!" A girl with blonde hair slides into the seat next to me, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug. "God, guys, did you see-"
"Yes, yes, we all saw him." I wish I could hug Grace back instead of sitting there like a brick, but my arms won't listen. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, you know. Everywhere and nowhere." Grace grins at me, then turns to Nevaeh and Zack across the table. "My favorite couple. Y'all look cuter than ever."
Zack blushes as Nevaeh leans her head against his shoulder. "I know, right?" Then, she turns back to me, her smile dropping. "Now, someone please explain why Ryland Park is a devil spawn. He just looked like an asshole to me."
My mouth feels too dry to speak, but Grace is bouncing in her seat. "Ugh, why isn't he a devil spawn? The list goes on for miles." She leans forward, resting her elbows on the table and placing her chin in her hands.
"So, you know Archer. Everyone knows Archer. Sweet, smart, tall, athletic. The town's golden boy, basically." Grace's blue eyes flash mischievously. She's been trying to get into Archer's pants since freshman year. "And then there's Ryland, his twin brother. Throw him in, and it's basically Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The two of them are like day and night, ever since they were kids. Ryland's, like, evil."
"Evil?" Nevaeh rolls her eyes. "Right."
"Okay, not like that. Like a your-pain-makes-me-happy type evil." Grace eyes me when she says that, and I scowl. "Your basic bully. He's snarky, and he's rude, and he doesn't care about anyone but himself. But he's also unbelievably attractive, which you've now seen for your own eyes. The girls used to fall over themselves back in middle school, and now that he's grown? I'm surprised no one in the hall passed out. Especially since no one's seen him in four years."
"He's not that good-looking," Zack complained.
"Right, and I'm not taller than you. Don't interrupt me." Grace sticks her tongue out at Zack, who responds with both middle fingers. "As I was saying," she continues, "Ryland's got pretty privilege. Plus, his and Archer's parents own basically half the town, so he usually got away with most things growing up. But something crazy happened the summer before we all started high school. Something the adults in the town try really hard to cover up."
Nevaeh's staring intensely at Grace now. Even though I know the story, I can't help leaning forward more. Grace has that effect on people.
Grace points behind Zack. "Do you see that girl over there in the wheelchair?"
Nevaeh turns. I find her instantly. Hannah's got straight hair dyed bright green, so even without the wheelchair, she's pretty easy to spot. She's sitting at the end of her table, laughing with some of her friends. My eyes linger on her wheelchair for a little before turning back to Grace.
"Well," Grace continues, "the summer before ninth grade, the quiet, timid town of Wavemeet was hit with three surprises back-to-back. No one knows the true story behind any of them, so everything I've got is based off of rumors. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, rumors spread fast and get mixed up even faster. But one thing is definite. Wavemeet changed that summer four years ago.
"First thing to happen." Grace holds up one finger. "That girl, Hannah Brown, got in some weird accident that broke both of her legs, and she had some kind of spinal cord injury. She says she fell down the stairs at her house, but it was still freaky. I don't know about y'all, but I'm not too convinced that that's the full story. You'd think an arm or something would be broken too, you know? Like, the story just felt off to me. But I think the doctors said she'll be in that wheelchair for life."
Nevaeh's eyes widen, and my eyes dart back over to Hannah. She's still laughing.
"Second." Grace lifts another finger. "Have you heard of Austin Montgomery?"
Nevaeh frowns, nodding. "Of course." Then, her eyes widen even more. "Whoa. No way. That happened that summer, too?"
Grace sighs. "Yeah, not even two weeks after Hannah got hurt. The story's that he fell from the roof of the middle school, but that's all anyone's ever told us kids. Some say it was an attempted suicide, others say he was pushed. No one really knows, since he's been in a coma ever since that day. He hit his head just the right way and hasn't woken up since. Or, just the wrong way, I guess."
I'm staring at my lap now. Austin had been a grade above us, and we were really close friends in middle school. I looked up to him, and he treated me like a little sister. The day I'd found out what happened to him, I'd cried to the point of losing my voice.
"Third." Grace's voice has lost its happy edge. "Wavemeet’s very own hotshot Ryland Park gets kicked out of his parents' house and sent to boarding school. That happened about a month after the Austin incident. Their dad is almost never home, and their mom doesn't care about anything, if you haven't noticed, so that was always half the reason Ryland kinda just did whatever he wanted. But that summer was...weird. Ryland was acting off, and he grew weirder after Hannah and Austin. And then, poof! One day he's here, the next he's on a bus going out of the state. So clearly, Ryland did something that finally pissed his parents off enough to get rid of him for good." Grace makes a face. "Well, not for good, since he's back."
"Wait, wait," Nevaeh interrupts. "You're saying Ryland had something to do with what happened to Hannah and Austin, and that's why he was sent off?"
Grace sighs loudly. "I don't know. It's freaky to think about that. I mean, we grew up with Ryland! I used to kick the back of the guy's seat on the bus, for fuck's sake. Of course I don't want to think about him breaking some girl's legs, or pushing some dude off the roof of our middle school! I'd love to think it was all just a coincidence. But no one will tell us anything! Archer doesn't even know why Ryland left back then."
Zack lays a hand on Nevaeh's shoulder. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? I don't think any of those things are connected." He shoots Grace a glare, who rolls her eyes. "They were just three things that happened to happen within two months of each other. Nothing else."
"Yeah, yeah." Grace waves her hand in the air. "The point is that Ryland's back. If this means anything, it means things are going to change around here. If you ask me, Wavemeet's been boring ever since he left. Maybe now Austin'll wake up, and the world will split in half from the shock."
The bell rings, and people start getting up to throw their trash away and head back to class. I get to my feet shakily. No matter how many times I hear that story, it doesn't get any easier. My mind feels jumbled. Ryland was an asshole to me for years, of course...but he's not some violent, psychotic murderer.
I've never once thought for a moment in my life that he had anything to do with either of those accidents.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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Hmm...
-Zuffy <3
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