How To Kill Ryder Blake (COMPLETED)

One {The Present Is A Gift} Sample Chapter

Summer came in the form of my mentally unstable, adrenaline seeking next door neighbor Ryder Blake.

Ryder is many things. Annoying, inconsiderate, egocentric, insane, among various unmentionable traits that are considerably too nice to use as a description of the infuriating boy. Nobody could say they weren't aware of his presence the second he walked into a room; he made it so everyone had to look his way. He basked in adrenaline. Any way he could get a high, he'd sweep up the chance before it could slip from his grip.

My history with Ryder roots all the way back to kindergarten when he ran over my pet mouse, Minnie, and blamed it on my own carelessness rather than accept the blame himself. From the day onward, I'd done my best to steer clear of the bad influence and guy I knew he'd become. Of course, my parents had other ideas of the guy, and it'd resulted in various circumstances of me being forced to socialize with him at dinners, reunions, or outside while they mingled.

The weekend following the first day of summer vacation was supposed to be great. My best friend Max was in the midst of planning his annual beginning of summer party that I'd somehow managed to entangle myself in and I had a stack of college letters and applications awaiting my presence on my computer desk. I had planned a weekend of peace and serenity, lounged out in my backyard on an old lawn chair Saturday afternoon catching up on applications and books I'd been forcing aside since January as a result of studying for exams.

My plans dissipated into thin air the moment Max slowed his old, rusted hand-me-down Buick to a stop along the curb outside my house the last day of junior year. The streak of white and blue paint along the rear passenger's side door of the car had been enough of a sign to stop double parking behind my stepfather, as he had been doing since he'd gotten his license a year and a half ago. Michael hadn't been too pleased to come out every other morning to find an old hunk of junk parked behind his Range Rover. He'd encouraged me endlessly to talk to Max about it, but it had taken the car getting dinged for him to take the hint.

Sitting in the passenger's seat, fingers curling around the wheel, he pretended to be disinterested in the fact that Ryder and Ryan Blake had just pulled into their driveway one house over.

"You're going to Megamart, right?" I asked, unbuckling my seat belt and watching it retract back with a childlike wonder.

Max sighed. "What do you need?"

"Pads."

I watched my best friend throw his head back against the seat and groan with a sheepish smile. His dark bangs curtained the lines of frustration on his forehead, resulting in Max raising his hand and brushing it back out of habit. His brown eyes, slightly curved upright, narrowed further upon hearing my request.

"Really? Why is it I always wind up buying them for you?" he responded.

I leaned over and slapped a hand against his broad shoulder. "Because you love me."

"Are you sure it isn't because I'm your personal chauffeur?" he joked with a lopsided grin.

"Could be." I shrugged. "I'm still stuck on the theory you only hang around me for food. So I guess we're even then, huh?"

He chuckled and unlocked the doors, making a gesture with his right hand toward the door. "Your house awaits."

"It saddens me how much you want to get rid of me, Maxwell." I feigned sadness as I climbed out of the car. The smile on his face continued to grow as I shook my head in shame.