How To Kill Ryder Blake (COMPLETED)

{Nine} Til' Death Do Us Part

I was one hundred percent sure Cade had no idea about Ryder's diagnosis by the time he finished his rant session. He'd been on a major downward spiral of emotions as he continuously circled back to why, outside of Ryan, I'd been the only person Ryder associated himself with since graduation. Of course I'd just sat and made gestures for him to go on, because at the end of the day, I wasn't going to be able to answer. It wasn't my story, nor my place, to tell Cade what was going on.

When his hoarse voice finally gave out, I waited a couple minutes to ensure he wasn't going to continue before I answered.

"This is something you need to talk to Ryder about, Cade." I said softly. "It isn't my place to say anything."

"Does he really have cancer?" Cade breathed out, barely audible. "I thought that was just a stupid ass rumor someone made up. But. . . but the fact he won't even answer a God damn text tells me something more serious is going on."

I'd never really spent a lot of time around Cade, definitely not as much as my jock and cheerleader best friends had. He'd always just been in the background, one of the teammates, one of the party goers, just one of them. But he had always worn a huge smile that never seemed to waver.

But with Ryder's sanity went Cade's optimism. Neither of them were the boys I'd known in high school, but were growing into men my heart ached for. They both looked so lost and broken and tried everything in their power to mask the emotions.

"I need to get home before the streets flood more." I stood, avoiding Cade's pleading look. "I suggest you do the same."

I'd never been someone to really be open with any emotion, but I knew that the sympathy I felt inside was displayed openly across my face. I could tell by the way Cade stared at me.

"Zoey, I. . . if something is wrong with him, don't you think I should know?" He croaked. "He's my best friend."

The guilt of what I said stuck around for a few days after they left my mouth. But bitchy comments had always been my way of hiding my own feelings.

"If he didn't say anything," I turned my back to him and squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my hand into a fist. "then maybe you should take that as a sign to leave it alone."

*

Drenched in rain and freezing, I wanted no part of dealing with anything except my bed when I parked my sister's car in the driveway.

Of course neither of the Blake boys seemed to get the memo when I wanted to be left alone, and always just paraded themselves right into my personal bubble. As soon as I shut the door and locked the car, I spotted Ryder perched on the porch steps, head down. My eyes shot toward the driveway next door, surprised to find an empty driveway. Ryan had been home since graduation, and if he was gone, Ryder almost always accompanied him.

"Hey." Ryder said without looking up as I approached. "You busy this weekend?"

Considering it was Thursday night and all I had was some college prep to go over with Max tonight, I wanted to say no. But the mischievous glint in his eyes had me wishing whatever idea was in his head would dissipate, or at the very least, not include me.

"Maybe." I eventually said. Both of us jumped a good three feet in the air when a clap of thunder echoed through the neighborhood. My anxiety skyrocketed, and it took every ounce of dignity I had to still stand before him and not run into the confinements of my house like a scared little girl.

"I thought we should probably get started on the list." He pulled a brochure from his coat pocket and waved it in front of me. "You promised me, remember?"