The Risks of Ryder

Prologue

Prologue

Five years ago…

The bruises on Ryder’s cheek were new. I winced when I realized they hadn’t been there yesterday.

His big blue eyes connected with mine through my window and his face split into a grin that must be painful with the new additions to his face. I tried to smile back anyway, but I’m pretty sure it came out as a grimace. He should’ve stayed here last night like he did most nights, but his mom came home yesterday. He wouldn’t leave her alone at his house with his Dad there. No, when she was there he made sure to stay right in between his father and his mother, so that he took the worst of the beating.

“Mads!” he called and rapped his knuckles on the window.

I sighed and sat up in bed, wishing, yet again, with everything I had that his father wasn’t a drunk. That Ryder never had to go home to that fucking awful place again. That it didn’t have to be the two of us against the word.

I crossed the room and opened the window for him. He launched himself forward without waiting for me to move, so he landed right on top of me, knocking the wind out of me. “Mads! I’m moving! Mom and I are leaving him.” He stared down at me, looking as though he had just been relieved of the weight of the world.

A hysterical laugh burst out of me before I could clamp my mouth shut. I actually got my wish. Well, that was fast.

It really wasn’t going to be the two of us against the world anymore.

“That’s great, Ryder! Really, I’m so happy for you!” I forced my voice to sound genuinely pleased. I was glad that he was going to leave his dad, but I guess I never considered that might mean he would leave me too.

“Yeah, me and Mom are going to stay with my Aunt Bonnie in New York. We’re leaving in the morning.” Ryder looked near blissful until his eyes connected with mine again and I watched as he slowly sank back down to earth. “Mads, I-”

“Ryder, no. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m happy for you and your mom.” I said firmly, not allowing any sadness to show through. That was pure selfishness and I wasn’t going to make him feel guilty for escaping. For leaving me.

I had to mentally chastise myself for the thought. It’s not about me. He needs to get away from his dad. Let him leave without anything weighing him down, even if that weight was me. Let him be happy.

He stared down at me until the grin came back, this time accompanied by the familiar mischievous glint in his eye that had originally bonded us together. We were both daredevils and troublemakers trapped by circumstances we couldn’t control. “You want to help me pull off my parting prank? Really give them something to remember me by?”

I didn’t have to work to smile this time. “Is that even a question?”