New beginnings

|16| Caught?

- Ryker-

The sun blazed down on the field as I ran, my cleats digging into the turf with each stride. The football spiraled perfectly through the air, and I caught it with ease, tucking it under my arm as I dodged an incoming tackle. The sound of whistles and shouting filled the air, mixing with the steady thud of cleats hitting the ground.

"Nice one, Ryker!" Coach shouted, clapping his hands as I jogged back to the line.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and nodded, breathing hard. "Thanks, Coach."

"You're doing good out there. Keep it up, and college scouts will be watching, no doubt about it," he said with a grin.

The words were encouraging, but they didn't fully sink in. I nodded again, heading off the field toward the locker rooms. After a quick shower, I pulled on some clean clothes and grabbed my stuff.

Aaron was sitting on one of the benches, lacing up his shoes. I clapped him on the shoulder as I walked by. "Good job out there, man. Let's head to the lunch table and see the others."

Aaron stood, grabbing his bag. "Thanks. Hey, have you talked to Dylan since everything went down?"

I froze for a second before shaking my head. "No. I haven't."

The truth was, I didn't know what to think about Dylan. The guy had been my friend for years, but everything had gotten so twisted lately. Madeline seemed sure she hadn't done anything to cheat on Chloe like Dylan claimed. And honestly... I believed her. She didn't seem like the type to do something like that.

Aaron just nodded, not pushing further as we made our way to the cafeteria.

At the lunch table, Clara immediately hugged Aaron, her face lighting up the moment she saw him. "Hey, babe," she said, smiling as they sat down.

Jayden glanced at Madeline. "Where's your food, babe?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Madeline hesitated. "I had a big breakfast," she said quickly, brushing it off.

Jayden nodded. "Been there."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen Madeline eat."

Jayden shrugged. "Oh, well, I have."

Madeline shifted uncomfortably, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

Clara must've noticed the tension because she jumped in, changing the subject. "We should all do something tonight," she said, her voice bright.

"Yeah, we really should," Chloe agreed.

I glanced around. "You guys can come over to my place if you want."

Everyone nodded, and plans were made.

By the time everyone arrived that evening, the house was alive with laughter. Chloe, Clara, Jayden, and I were sprawled out in the living room, snacks scattered across the table as we argued over which movie to watch.

"Clara, you can't keep picking rom-coms," Jayden groaned.

"They're classics!" Clara shot back, tossing a pillow at him.

"She's right," Chloe said, smirking. "Besides, Ryker would totally cry during The Notebook."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah? Let's put on The Exorcist and see who's crying then."

The banter went on, everyone laughing until the door opened, and Aaron stepped in.

But he wasn't alone.

Dylan followed behind him, his hands in his pockets, a casual smirk on his face.

The room went silent.

Chloe pulled me aside, her voice low and tense. "Why is Dylan here?"

"I didn't invite him," I said quickly. "I swear."

Chloe frowned but didn't say anything else. When we returned to the group, everyone was doing their best to act normal, but the tension was thick.

Eventually, the night wound down, and everyone started heading home. After the last goodbyes, I was cleaning up when Skye came into the room, holding her iPad.

"Not working," she said simply, handing it to me.

Skye's words were rare, and they usually meant something important. I took the iPad, frowning at the black screen.

As soon as I touched it, audio started playing.

"I told you I'd find a way to come back," Dylan's voice said, cold and clear.

I froze, my pulse quickening. Sometimes Skye left videos playing on accident, but this... this wasn't normal.

"Well, no one wants you here if you can't tell," Madeline's voice snapped, cutting through the recording.

"You'll never get away from me." Dylan's tone was menacing.

"I don't understand what I ever did to you," Madeline said, her voice low and trembling.

"You don't think you understand the amount of pain you put me through that day..."

"Oh, what are you gonna do, cry about it? No one will ever believe you if you say that I-"

The audio became muffled and then stopped abruptly.

My stomach churned as I stared at the screen, the silence deafening. What the hell had I just heard?

I quickly sent the video to my phone, my mind racing. What had Dylan done to Madeline to make her sound so broken? And why hadn't she told anyone?

Something about this felt big. I had to get to the bottom of it.