The Edge Of Innocence

Unspoken

Sophie's POV

I couldn't concentrate in class the next day. My thoughts kept drifting back to Ryan's words from the darkroom: You don't want to get involved in my life.

But wasn't I already? I could feel the pull, that electric tension when we were in the same room. Even Ella had noticed.

"Okay, spill. You've been zoning out since yesterday." Ella leaned across the lunch table, narrowing her eyes at me suspiciously. "What's going on?"

I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "Nothing. I've just been thinking about a new project for photography."

"Liar." She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "Is it about the bad boy?"

I froze. My heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"Ryan Brooks," she said, her voice lowering dramatically. "I saw you two in the hallway yesterday, and you looked like you were having a moment. What's up with that?"

I opened my mouth to deny it, but Ella's knowing smirk stopped me. She had always been able to read me like a book.

"There's nothing going on," I said, but it sounded weak even to me. "We just... ran into each other."

"Uh-huh." Ella wasn't buying it. "Be careful, Sophie. Guys like him... they're nothing but heartbreak waiting to happen."

Her words echoed in my mind as I left the cafeteria, but something deep down told me it was already too late. I was already involved.

Ryan's POV

I should have stayed away from her. I told myself that over and over again, but every time I saw Sophie, it was like a magnetic force I couldn't shake. Something about her was different—she didn't look at me like everyone else did. She didn't seem scared of me. That was dangerous.

I couldn't afford to get attached. Not to her, not to anyone. There was too much at stake now that Luca was looking for me again. Caleb had been keeping an eye on things, but we both knew it was only a matter of time before Luca's crew made their move.

I slipped into the school gym during the last period, needing a place to think. The room was empty, the smell of sweat and rubber lingering in the air. I sat on the bleachers, staring out at the court, trying to clear my mind.

That's when I saw her.

Sophie was walking toward the gym doors, probably thinking it was empty. When she spotted me, she froze for a moment, but then, to my surprise, she kept walking. She sat down a few seats away from me, her camera slung over her shoulder like always.

"Hey," she said softly, her voice breaking the silence.

I nodded, not trusting myself to say much. The last thing I needed was to encourage her to be near me. But I couldn't help it—just being around her was calming in a way I hadn't expected.

After a long moment of silence, she spoke again.

"Why do you keep telling me to stay away?" she asked, her voice quiet but direct. "I'm not scared of you, Ryan."

"You should be," I muttered, my eyes fixed on the floor. "You don't know what I'm mixed up in. What I've done."

"I know enough," she replied. "I know that you're not as bad as you want people to think you are."

Her words hit harder than I expected. I looked at her, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to say. She saw through me, through all the walls I'd built up. That was dangerous.

Before I could stop myself, I stood up. "I'm serious, Sophie. Stay out of this."

But instead of walking away, she stood too. "What if I don't want to?"