How To Kill Ryder Blake (COMPLETED)

{Twelve} If I Die Young

At some point after grabbing gas and some snacks, Ryan had joined Ryder in a snore fest. Both of them looked so peaceful, and I was able to come to the realization that I liked the Blake boys better when they were asleep. They were less irritating, and frankly, Ryan was starting to get under my skin in a way I wasn't exactly fond of. They also weren't exactly a sight for sore eyes with their entire faces being illuminated by the moon. Though Ryder was drooling a bit on his older brother's white shirt, leaving a stain, he still looked like the handsome devil-in-disguise Gabby and I had spent years admiring from afar. His dark hair was a tousled mess, a lock of it fall across his right eye, brushing the very edges of his sharp cheekbones. His arms were crossed, almost as if he'd fallen asleep hugging himself, possibly trying to hold himself together. Even though it was a light flex, I could still see the outline of his biceps on his right arm.

Ryan was sat more upright, his head against the window, a spot of condensation appearing and disappearing with every breath he took and let out. Like his brother, his hair had fallen over his eyes, making his skin appear eerily pale in contrast to the darkness of it. I could tell by the way he'd almost jolt himself awake every few seconds that he wasn't in a deep sleep.

My suspicions were confirmed when I parked the truck in the driveway of their house and he shifted a little bit, eyes still shut.

"Keys please." He mumbled sleepily. I turned them in the ignition, cutting the engine, and dropped them on to his lap. Sometime during his shifting, Ryder had woke up and was stretching his arms behind his head, scanning his surroundings like a lost child. Ryan grabbed his jacket from the floor and jumped out, hanging for a second and staring between Ryder and me.

"I actually had a decent time. You two behave yourselves. Goodnight." Without another word or waiting for a response, he headed up the steps and into his house. Ryder waited until the red door swung shut behind his older brother to lean back into the seat behind him.

"He's such a buzzkill." Ryder grumbled bitterly. "I don't understand why he even came if he was going to be a dick the entire time."

I frowned, the look that crossed Ryan's face the other night when I'd handed him the list surfacing. "He came because he's worried about you, Ryder."

"Worried?" Ryder looked over at me. "All I've ever been is the kid brother he's had to watch over our entire lives. He doesn't care. He'll be happy when I'm gone."

"Ryder, you know that isn't true. Do you not see how worried he is?" I replied. "I mean, I know you're an idiot, but he literally doesn't even try to hide how he's feeling."

"Whatever." Ryder quickly changed the subject. "Do you have like a curfew or anything?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I should answer that. Why?"

"Because I'm going to grab Ryan's keys. I want to take you somewhere." He started to reach for the door handle, but I caught his wrist.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" I thought back to Ryan's threat. "Ryan seems to really care about this truck."

Ryder shrugged. "I don't care. Worst he can do is kill me and that'd actually be a blessing. He wouldn't do anything to you, either."

"Yeah, I don't know about that. Ry—" He jumped out, leaving the passenger door wide open and ran for his house. He stopped halfway up the stairs, grasping the wall encasing the front porch for a second. I unbuckled my seatbelt and started to reach for the handle on my side when he continued into the house. He was back out within seconds, walking this time.