Cruel Summer

Chapter 4

11:51 P.M.

~Ryan~

"Babe, you okay?" I said as I stood in the hallway.

The Eastside High and Woodland High after school party was held at this big mansion.

"Babe, I don't feel so good, but I'll be good. Might just be a lil cold." Caleb said coughing into the phone.

Caleb started not to feel good after we left the game, so he went upstairs to lay down while we had dinner.

"Babe, do you need me to come back home?"

"No, baby. Enjoy all the time with your friends. I'm sure they miss you."

"I'll try. Is my cousin Kel still there? Did you get to meet him?"

"Uh yeah, I think I saw him when I was getting food. We spoke, but your dad was talking to him in the living room privately."

"I wonder wha—"

"There you are!" Whitney said as she walked up to me.

"Hey, baby, I just saw my friend. I'll call you back. I'll be home in a little while."

"Ok, love you, baby."

"Love you, too. Feel better."

"I will."

I hung up the phone and put it into my back pocket as Whitney checked herself out in the gigantic hallway mirror.

"Girl, what happened to me picking you up?"

"Long story."

"Well, I got t—GIRL!" Whitney said as she quickly pushed me and hid into another room.

"Hey!" A girl said as she pushed us out the way as she dragged a guy out and slammed the door.

"Well, that was rude." Whitney said as she rolled her eyes.

"Whit, why did you pull me in here?"

"Because guess who I just saw walking down the hallway."

"Be more specific because this big house has a lot of hallways full of people." I said as I pushed my hair back.

"Girl, I just seen Torin."

"No! You didn't see Torin! What is he doing here?"

"Probably looking for you. We all can't forget what happened."

"Look, I don't want to talk about it."

"Ryan, what you did was horrible! I—"

"Whitney! Stop! This is why I stopped talking to you. You don't know how to let stuff go!"

"Ryan, you were my best friend. We were sisters and you—"

"Whitney, please don't start anything. All that mess died those two weeks after we graduated in 2017. Leave it alone. Like I left you." I said as I quickly walked out the room before I realized I bumped into somebody.

"Oh, I'm so—Ryan Elizabeth Jackson."
I looked up and it was my worst nightmare.

"Torin." I said as I stood back a little.

"Oh, you remember my name? The girl that's been avoiding the hell out of me for a year remembers me." Torin said chuckling.

"Torin, I'm sorry. I really am."