Remember, I told you

Strangers

Dylan, Xander, and Ryder. 

Broken Windshields. 

Ryder was back. 

So was the band. 

They were performing soon. 

Broken Windshields was here, in front of me. 

It was all swirling in my head. Nervousness caused my hand to shake as my stomach dropped. I heard Ryder call from behind me, "Look who's following me now."

He swiftly pulled out the chair next to Dylan and sat down, all while staring back at me. At this point, my blood was boiling. Again, Ryder was acting like I was begging at his feet, that he was my life, that he was somehow my savior. 

Life went on without him. 

But, I honestly didn't have it in me to deal with this shit anymore, so I ignored him.

I looked back at Xander and Dylan, resuming our original conversation. "Broken Windshields, cool name. Never heard of y'all. Completely new to me," I said, lying through my teeth. "But I'll be sure to check out your stuff. Seems cool."

Ryder interjected, "Ignoring me now Rosie? And come on, don't act like you don't know about us, everyone knows Broken Windshields." He seemed a bit hurt, mostly insulted, but I didn't care. His ego could use a punch or two...or two hundred.

Xander and Dylan seemed a little uneasy, feeling the very obvious tension that had surrounded the table. "Rosie? Isn't it Ro? Do y'all know each other or something?" Dylan warily asked.

I quickly jumped to answer "No-" just as Ryder firmly said "Yes." I seriously could not win. There was no use really lying about this so I let Ryder speak his truth.

"Yeah, we know each other," he said boring a hole through me with his jaded eyes. I refused to look at him, pulling at the frayed edges of the menu. "Rosie's...." he paused, carefully considering what to say. "She's an old friend." 

At least he was smart enough to know that there would never be more to our relationship. Not after he broke it.

"Old, old, old friends," I emphasized. "It was a long time ago. Barely even know each other anymore." I needed to preserve the distance between us.

When Ryder first left, I used to imagine him coming back with a beautiful apology and some grand gesture that would sweep me off my feet. He would have a sincere reason for abandoning me and breaking us and with that, we would be okay. 

I expected him to return and take away the pain I was feeling. That him coming back would give us a second chance. But as I slowly started to rebuild my life, I realized that it could never be the same. Too much time had passed, too many tears had been shed, and too much of my heart had been broken. 

Even if he could have fixed it all then, nothing would be the same, because every time I looked at him, I would see pain. 

And now that he was back, I realized I was right. Something broken will never look the same as before.

"Practically strangers," I whispered, just loud enough for Ryder to hear. He looked back up at me his eyebrows furrowed. He stared back up at me, trying to read me, but I was giving nothing away. I didn't know who he was, and he didn't know me.

"Okayyyyy," Xander coughed out, interrupting the silence. "So, old friends. That's cool," he awkwardly said. "Anyway, you should check us out Ro. We are performing at a house party tomorrow night and you can see us then. It would be really cool to have a familiar face there-kinda don't know anyone in this town."

I needed to stay away from these guys, but Xander seemed genuine. I couldn't promise anything, but I vaguely said, "I'll see if I can make it." No way I could make it through it alone though, so I quickly asked, "Can I bring someone?"

Ryder's head shot up at the question and he intrusively questioned, "Who are you bringing?"

His abrasiveness made me uncomfortable, but thank God for Dylan, who smacked Ryder across the head. "Why are you so goddamn nosy, Ry? Give the girl some space?" He looked up at me and said "Feel free to bring whoever you want. We just want to share our music with you."

Dylan and Xander, within minutes of meeting me, had been better to me than Ryder had been in two years. It warmed my heart to find some kind, sincere people. Too bad that they were in cahoots with the devil. 

It honestly would be nice to hear some live music again. I had lied about not knowing them, but from I remembered, their music was really great.

"Okay, I'll think about it. Anyway, what can I get y'all to eat?" I asked while attempting to keep my eyes away from Ryder. He had a sullen look on his face as he looked down at his hands. His green eyes had turned a deep hazel and his hair had become disheveled by his constant pulling. 

What was wrong with him? I thought to myself.

I shook my head, focusing on Dylan and Xander's orders. "...three buttermilk pancakes, four slices of french toast, a mushroom and cheese omelet, three hashbrowns, one milkshake, and a cup of coffee. Oh! And I'll get a slice of pumpkin pie. And I'll keep the menu for later," Xander finished winking at me.

I laughed to myself while writing down their orders. Damn, they could eat. I waited for Ryder to order but he didn't say anything. Dylan gently shook him to get his attention. Ryder looked around a bit dazed asking "What?"

"What do you want to eat-we're ordering. Ro's waiting?" Xander answered.

He moodily grumbled. "I'm not hungry."

"Seriously Ry, you were literally starving an hour ago, begging to come here," Dylan said calling his bluff.

"I said I'm not hungry, alright. I don't want anything" Ryder snapped.

"Okay, I guess that's it. Just add an extra cup of coffee to the order for the jerk next to me," Dylan joked.

"Sure thing," I said walking towards the kitchen. As I turned my back. I heard Xander and Dylan begin to question Ryder.

"Bro, what's up? What's wrong? Is that the girl?" Xander asked.

"Ro? Is she the girl you left behind?" Dylan furthered.

It was silent at the table, as they waited for Ryder to respond. Even though my back was turned, I could feel him staring at my retreating figure, boring a hole into my back, almost as if he was breaking me open, trying to find something inside. 

He was silent like he was deliberating whether I was worth a second glance.

His thick voice carried the answer. "Rosie?...No, she's not the girl...Like I said, she's just someone I used to know. We're basically strangers."

I let out a breath, one that I didn't know I was holding in. 

Strangers. 

I said it first, but it hurt more when he said it. I wasn't the girl he was looking for. I was just one of the many who fell for his charms. 

Too bad I was stupid enough to let him break my heart.

At least I could let go of the possibility of something more and move on. 

We were strangers, and for that, I was thankful.