Unbreakable Rules (Too Many Rules Book 3) (14 page)

Ryan was ignoring me. He’d spent the day avoiding me for some reason. I really didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t he talk to me? The sitting with his friends at lunch was the final straw. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the shaft of pain it shot through me could not be ignored.

Bri looked at me like I was some kind of a lost kitten found in the snow.

God, I hated that look of pity. Why was this happening? Was Ryan breaking up with me? Why didn’t he have the guts to tell me to my face? The sick feeling of dread that flowed through me had me wanting to run to the bathroom and throw up.

No way. This couldn’t be happening. A burning hate for Jarret McGee settled into the bottom of my stomach. If he ruined my relationship with Ryan, I would haunt him for the rest of his life.

I cornered Mark in the hall after lunch. The fact that I was going to Mark Johnson for relationship advice had to be the most surreal thing ever.

“Hey Hailey, how is it going?” he asked as he gathered some books from his locker.

“What’s going on Mark? Why is Ryan acting like this?”

His eyes narrowed with concern as he looked at me for a moment as if trying to figure out what he could say. What was permissible under the boy code they lived by?

“You wouldn’t understand,” he said with a gentle shake of his head.

Damn, I was getting tired of this. Why wouldn’t people talk to me?

“Listen, Mark,” I said as I grabbed his arm. “I’m not as dumb as you think I am. Tell me!”

He sighed heavily, then let his shoulders slump in defeat.

“You saw Ryan get his ass kicked by your ex-boyfriend.”

“Yeah, so. It took three of them and he still broke Jarret’s nose. Why is he mad at me? I didn’t know it was going to happen. Does he think I’d have taken him if I knew?”

Mark shook his head again. “He’s not mad at you, Hailey. He’s embarrassed. Don’t you get it? He’s been in love with you since grade school. You are his dream. And now, finally, he’s living his dream, only to have it all torn apart. You’ll never see him as your hero, never look at him with respect. He’s lost it all because of that bastard.”

“I don’t look at him any different. I still think he’s one of the greatest guys ever. At least, until he started throwing this stupid pity party.”

Mark stared at me for a moment. “See,” he said. “I told you, you wouldn’t get it.”

“Boys. I will never understand,” I muttered under my breath. “All this crazy macho stuff. It just doesn’t make sense.”

He chuckled slightly. “It does to us. It’s how we get through the day. Pretending we are invincible. That we will succeed and get the girl in the end.”

“But, he’s got the girl. Or, at least, he did until he started ruining everything.”

“What can I tell you, Hailey? This is Ryan. It is who he is. Impressing you is very important to him. In fact, you are probably the only person in this world he needs to impress. The other night, he failed miserably.”

“But, he didn’t. Doesn’t he get it?”

“Not in his eyes,” Mark said. “The way he sees it, he lost any chance of ever impressing you, again. And, if you ever tell him I told you all this, I’ll work to ruin your life. Somehow, don’t ask me how. But, I’ll figure out a way.”

I stood there dazed and confused. As if I was locked in a nightmare and couldn’t wake up.

Mark gave me a weak smile of regret, then headed to his class. I tried to wrap my mind around what he had told me. There was only one solution I could see. Ryan and I needed to talk. We needed to work this out. The idea of losing him was tearing at my soul. No, this could not be allowed to happen.

I made it out of school without running into Hailey. I know I was chickening out, but I couldn’t really figure out what I felt. What I wanted. Everything was all mixed up.

The picture of her, on the ground, watching me get beat up wouldn’t leave my mind. I couldn’t get rid of it no matter how hard I tried.

As soon as I got home I headed to my lab to check on Jarret’s communications. I had every Google search, every Email, and text. I was looking for that special thing to take him down. I could have made something up like I had the Email. But, I wanted this one to be based on fact. For him to know that it was something he did that destroyed his life.

I could have ruined his parent’s credit. I could have had him visit a couple of websites that would have Homeland Security and the FBI on his doorstep tomorrow morning.

But, I wanted something more than that. I wanted the truth to be exposed.

His text messages had gone crazy just after the Email dropped this morning as he tried to figure out what had happened. He’d poked and prodded his friends. He sent an Email to the cable company complaining. I wasn’t worried. I knew they wouldn’t find anything. He’d changed his password. An action that was totally meaningless, as I had set up a keystroke recorder and captured his new password immediately.

He tried everything his little brain could think of to figure it out and failed miserably.

As I searched his history, I realized that I didn’t really feel any satisfaction. There was an emptiness where there should have been a joy. The lack of pure pleasure at what I had accomplished was sort of surprising.

Only after a while did I realize that it wasn’t enough. That nothing I could do to him would ever be enough.

The door at the head of the stairs creaked open and Amanda stuck her head in.

“Hey Ryan, Hailey’s here.”

She stepped back to let Hailey in. I scrambled to log off. No way was she learning what I was doing.

My heart raced as I watched her descend the stairs. Her warm brown hair, as sweet as milk chocolate. Her tight jeans curving across her hips. Her luscious red lips and her twinkling blue eyes. This girl was so far out of my league. I couldn’t even see her league from where I stood.

A whiff of lavender and rose accompanied her. It was enough to make a guy melt. I knew in the bottom of my heart that I would always associate that scent with Hailey and happy times. The one time in my life where I had felt good, and whole, and worth something.

She didn’t look happy. To say the least. Her brow was furrowed as she stepped off the last step and looked at me as if I was toast. This was not going to be good.

I watched her eyes travel over my face. Cataloging each bruise and cut. For a moment, a flash of concern flashed in her eyes. To be quickly replaced by a determined set of her precious jaw.

“What is going on Ryan?” she demand as she stepped towards me. “Why are you avoiding me? What did I do?”

I couldn’t think of an answer. Not really. Having Hailey Martin mad at you was disconcerting. It sent a cold chill down my spine, making me shudder. Her look of death could freeze a volcano.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. There. That should be enough. Right?

She didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to stand there. Fists on her hip while she tapped her foot waiting.

“You wouldn’t understand,” I said. An even lamer statement, if that is possible.

“I wish people would stop assuming I wouldn’t understand things. I’m not a total dunce. I can figure stuff out. But, you’ve got to tell me. That’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do. They talk to each other.”

The mention of the word girlfriend sent a shaft to my insides. Hailey Martin was my girlfriend. I still couldn’t believe it. Or, at least, she had been until the other night.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to gather some kind of answer.

“I just need time, Hailey. Can’t a guy have any alone time without everyone crashing down on him.”

She didn’t like my answer. The ice stare turned down about a thousand degrees. “You can have all the free time you want. In fact, you can have permanent free time. But, have the guts to tell me to my face that you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

The thought of losing Hailey sent a lightning bolt of fear to my very core. NO! I could not allow that to happen. But, at the same time, I just couldn’t stand the idea of her looking at me with shame or pity. The thought was terrifying. I wished we’d never gotten together. If I had only been some distant acquaintance, she never would have looked at me that way. As if I had failed her.

“That’s not what I want,” I muttered.

“Then talk to me,” she said. “Why are you avoiding me?”

I paused for a moment. How could I explain this to her? How could I make her understand?

“I just need some time, Hailey. Please, just a little while. I’ll be fine. We will be fine.”

Her eyes softened with that last statement. It appeared I could do something right after all.

“But, why Ryan? Why do you need time? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“See there, that is it. You don’t understand. Inside I feel that I have done something wrong. I have failed. I’m not used to failing. I just need time to get past it. Please.”

“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath as she looked up at the ceiling.

We stood there in an awkward silence for a moment. A different kind of awkward. As if we were disappointed in each other and didn’t know how to get past it.

She stepped towards me and gently placed a hand on my arm. The electric shock that traveled through me filled me with relief. At least, I still had that.

“Ryan,” she said as she looked up into my eyes. “I like you. I like you a lot. In fact, I thought I was on my way to a lot more than just like. I changed my college because of how much I like you.”

“You’re going to UW?” I asked with disbelief.

“Yes, I contacted them a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always really wanted to. The only reason I was thinking about California was because of my dad. But, I changed my mind. They had an opening. I guess other kids change their minds, also. So, I changed my college because I knew you were going. Does that tell you how much I like you?”

“But, that was before. Before the other night.”

“Damn it, Ryan. The other night doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the way I feel about you. It would take a lot more than that to change how I feel.”

I looked down into this beautiful girl’s eyes and tried to understand. How was this possible? How could someone so wonderful really like me? Especially after the other night.

She seemed to see the doubt in my eyes. A sly smile spread across her lips as she placed both hands on my chest and pushed me to the stool behind me. Once I was seated, she wormed her way between my legs to wrap her arms around me. Heaven, pure heaven. Regardless of what else happened in my life. Having Hailey Martin in my arms would always be pure heaven.

“Ryan Hardy,” she said. “You have no idea. And, probably never will. But, that’s okay. As long as I do, we’ll be all right.”

Things still weren’t perfect. Ryan didn’t smile like he used to. That happy, carefree laughter was absent. I knew he was still upset. Hell, he was pissed and it wouldn’t go away. But, at least now I knew he wasn’t mad at me. I’d have to hang on to that for now.

He spent the time in homeroom shooting daggers towards Jarret and his crowd. Jarret laughed it off, like the ass he was. My stomach rolled every time I looked at Ryan. Would we ever return to what we had? Would we ever find that magical place again?

The rest of the class kept looking back and forth between Ryan and Jarret. I swear they were all hoping for a rematch of the party. What was it about high schoolers? Why couldn’t they just grow up?

Emily Peterson’s eyes were red, as if she’d spent the night crying into her pillow. She’d shifted seats with one of her friends. I’m sure she would have preferred to be anywhere, but in that room. My heart went out to her a little. True, she had led the gaggle of skanks that held me back that night. But, she was a Jarret victim also. One of a growing group. And no girl deserved to have her heart broken in front of the entire school. That was just plain cruel on Jarret’s part.

I got to the lunch room early and waited for Ryan. No way was I letting him avoid me, today. The make out session in his lab the night before assured me that we were fine. At least for now. If he could ever get past the whole Jarret thing, we would be great.

“Hey,” Ryan said as he came up behind me. His smile was a little smaller than it used to be. I missed how his eyes would light up whenever he saw me. He seemed glad. But, not overwhelmed. A girl could miss that overwhelmed look of his.

“Hey,” I answered.

“So, do you want to grab some sandwiches and eat in the quad?”

My heart jumped a little. At least, he wasn’t going to ignore me again. I don’t think I could have taken it two days in a row.

“How about we eat back in your corner? I’m sure your friends would make room.”

He paused for a moment. The look of surprise on his face was priceless. “Um … sure. If you want.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I loved it when I pushed him out of his comfort zone. He was probably all worried that I’d do something to upset his friends. Ryan liked to keep the different parts of his world in separate boxes. The thought of those boxes mixing scared him to no end.

But, if we were going to be a couple. We needed to learn how to live in each other’s world.

We got our food and slowly made our way back to the left corner. His friends were animatedly discussing something. Probably the meaning of life, or the latest cure for cancer. Whatever it was, the discussion came to a screeching halt when they saw us approaching.

Eyes bugged out and jaws dropped open. Hailey Martin was going to join them for lunch. You’d think it was the Queen of England stopping by for a quick chat.

“Hey guys,” Ryan said with a hitch in his throat. “This is Hailey. She’s going to join us for lunch.”

Mark barked out a laugh and shook his head before scooting over to make room. I swear I heard him mutter something about miracles and losing a bet.

We sat down. The seating was cramped so Ryan’s shoulders and knee rubbed up next to mine. Not that I was complaining. I enjoyed the comforting warmth. Besides, the looks of hate and anger being shot my way made me want to get even closer to Ryan.

The girl across from me, Meagan, I think her name was, looked as if she wanted me dead. If looks could kill. The mortician would be working on me immediately.

This was different. I wasn’t used to being the outsider. These people didn’t want me there, invading their space. Their little Kingdom. Well, to hell with them. Ryan wanted me. They were going to have to get used to it.

“So Hailey? …” Howard Demont asked. His face started to turn red when he figured out he didn’t know what to say.

It was Mark that saved the moment.

“So Hailey,” he said, “Ryan told me that you’re going to UW instead of UCLA. What are you going to major in?”

I glanced over at Ryan, but he looked as nervous as a nun in a brothel. Man, I loved pushing him. This was almost fun.

“Yeah. I don’t know about my major, yet. I would have preferred Journalism, but I think that’s a pretty bad career move in today’s world. Maybe something in Sociology.

“Ha,” Meagan said with a snort as she rolled her eyes. “What do you expect?”

“Ignore her,” Mark said. “If it isn’t one of the hard sciences, then it doesn’t count.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. So, Megan, you think figuring out how complex societies function. How they grow and get along without killing each other, doesn’t really matter. Interesting. A little closed minded, but interesting.

The boy next to her, Tony, laughed and shook his head. “She’s got you,” he said.

Meagan shot a laser death stare my way, then another at Ryan before grabbing her food and exiting, stage right.

It took a lot of effort on my part to not laugh out loud. The girl didn’t have any idea how to handle someone like me. Someone who didn’t care about her opinion. If she ever sat at my old table, she would have learned early on. Never let them see you’re upset. Never let them think they scored a point.

“Don’t worry,” Tony said. “She’s been doing that a lot lately.”

Ryan watched her leave with a concerned expression. I wondered if there was any history there. She was sort of cute. In that sexy librarian kind of way. Probably the kind of girl Ryan would have been interested in.

I reminded myself to calm down. Ryan and I were fine. There wasn’t anything to worry about. But, deep down I was worried. An empty pain burned at my insides. Things were not as perfect as they should have been.

The next few days were an agony of pain. Everywhere I went I saw Jarret. In the hall, in class, in the parking lot. The guy was everywhere. My guts would bunch up into knots and my muscles would tense up. All I wanted to do was take him down. To wipe that smug smile off his face.

Every night when I came home, I would scour his computer looking for that ultimate error. That secret, if revealed, would destroy him.

Hailey tried to make things better. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that I had a girlfriend that tried. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I couldn’t forget the look on her face. I couldn’t dis-remember the laughter and shame.

When Saturday finally arrived, I figured I was going to have to try harder. Hailey deserved a wonderful Prom experience. I couldn’t have cared less about Prom. The idea of dinner and dancing was not my idea of fun. But, the idea of making Hailey happy more than compensated.

Sighing to myself, I shut down the system and made my way upstairs to start getting ready. It was going to be a long night.

After a long shower and a close shave, I got dressed and examined myself in the mirror. Not bad, I thought. Not bad at all. I had sort of that James Bond look. Or, at least, I hoped so. It surprised me how important it felt to look good for Hailey. I didn’t want her being embarrassed to be seen with me. Even if it was just a stupid Prom.

One final check and I headed downstairs to get her corsage. Mom had picked it up for me. I’m sure she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Sighing to myself, I prepared myself for her comments and possible tears. Mom could get sentimental about the most stupid things.

I’d barely cleared the stairs when our doorbell rang.

“I’ve got it,” I yelled as I opened the door.

Mark Johnson stood there dressed in a tuxedo. His fingers were pulling at the collar as if he was having problems breathing. He looked like a penguin about to get married.

I could feel my forehead narrow in confusion. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “And why are you dressed like that? Hailey and I are going alone. You are not tagging along. Not tonight.”

“He is here for me,” Amanda said from the top of the stairs.

I turned to see my sister dressed in a sky blue Prom dress. My stomach dropped to my feet. She wore a strapless Prom dress. Her hair was up in some kind of French bun and she had on make-up. My sister was beautiful.

Mom stood behind her with a dozen bobby pins in her hand. Beaming as if she had just won the world. A smile a yard wide and a mile deep spread across her face.

What in the hell was going on?

I looked back at Mark for some kind of explanation, but his eyes were fixed on Amanda as she slowly made her way down the stairs.

“Um … You look beautiful,” Mark said as he stepped in.

“What is going on?” I demanded.

“Mark is taking me to the Prom,” Amanda said as if they were going to the store for milk. “Thank you.” She added to Mark. “I’m sure you look wonderful, also.”

“What? How? Why didn’t somebody tell me?” I said, probably a little louder than I needed to.

“You’ve been a little occupied,” Mark said without taking his eyes off Amanda. “Here, this is for you,” he added as he held out a plastic enclosed case with a corsage.

“Here, let me help,” Mom said as she raced down the stairs.

Why was everyone ignoring me? Why wouldn’t someone tell me what was going on?

Mom took the flowers from the case and gave them to Mark to slip onto Amanda’s wrist.

“You can’t take Amanda to the Prom,” I interjected, but they continued to ignore me.

“Oh Ryan,” Mom said. “Do be quiet, of course he can.”

Amanda smiled. A pretty smile just for him. Then she brought the flowers to her nose and drank in their scent. She smiled again and I swear my heart stopped. No way was Mark and my sister going to the Prom.

“But, you guys hate each other,” I said.

“Oh Ryan, shut up,” Amanda answered. Her hand reached out searching until she found my face. Once she was oriented, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Don’t ruin this,” she whispered into my ear.

I stepped back. My sister, Mark. Why hadn’t I seen this coming? How could I be so dense? My stomach turned over as I tried to grasp this new reality.

“Here, let me get pictures,” Mom said as she wiped the corner of her eye. Like I said. She gets emotional.

Ten minutes later Amanda and Mark left. Arm in arm. She had her cane, but was letting Mark guide her. He’d take care of her, I realized. If anyone could take care of Amanda, it was Mark. I didn’t know if I liked the idea, but I could accept it. The look of radiant joy on my sister’s face meant a lot to me. Her happiness was all that was important.

Besides. It was just a Prom.

“You’d better hurry,” Mom said as she wiped at her eyes again.

I quickly grabbed the corsage and was headed out the door when Mom stopped me.

“You are so handsome,” she said with a sad smile. “So grown up.” I could tell this was going to fall off into a full on crying fit so I kissed her on the cheek and left before the water works could go full blast.

As I pulled up to Hailey’s, my stomach tightened. Why was I so nervous? ‘Because Hailey Martin is going with you to the Prom,’ I answered myself. Who would have ever thought that the Homecoming Queen would date the King of the Nerds? I still couldn’t get past the idea that she was my girlfriend.

Swallowing hard, I rang the doorbell and waited.

Mrs. Martin smiled as she opened the door. Her eyes were red as if she had also been crying. But, that happy cry. The smile on her face belied any worries.

“Hailey will be down in just a moment. Won’t you come in?”

I tried to swallow as I stepped inside. Mrs. Thompson, our next door neighbor, Hailey’s grandmother, was there. I had a special place in my heart for this woman. It was because of her that Hailey and I were together.

“Don’t you look nice,” she said as she gave me a quick hug. “I always knew you would grow up to be a handsome man. Doesn’t he look nice, Julie?”

“Yes, he does, Mother.”

I know I was turning about three shades of pink. Where was Hailey and how fast could we get out of here?

Before I could answer a soft swish at the top of the stairs drew my attention.

Hailey. Beautiful, gorgeous, unbelievably spectacular Hailey.

My heart stopped and all the blood rushed from my head. She was dressed in a full burgundy gown that made her look pure, special, sophisticated, with a little touch of wild. I don’t know how she pulled it all together. But, she did. No girl had ever looked as beautiful, as sexy, and with so much class.

My heart began beating again at about three thousand beats to the minute. My mouth went dry and my palms began to sweat. This girl was going with me. How had I ever gotten so lucky?

Deep down, I knew I didn’t deserve it. Not her. But, I wouldn’t have let anything stop me. Not now. Not with Hailey.

She smiled as she looked me over.

“See Mom, I told you. He’s hot.”

Mrs. Thompson laughed. Hailey’s mom rolled her eyes.

“You are stunning,” I said. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do next. I couldn’t even remember that there was a next. All I could do was stare at her.