“Nooo!” Ryan hollers just as Fitz sends everyone tumbling. Ronan hits the ground on a grunt.
“You good?” Ripley calls out. Ronan just sticks a thumb in the air.
“I’m good. Can we get queso?” Ronan drags himself up using the bench. I can’t help but chuckle. His head snaps to me. “Is... Is that a smile? Holy shit! Finally!”
I roll my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Can we go?”
After a heated debate over who could beat Fitz’s motorcycle to the cantina and Ryan losing nearlya grand, we finally get inside. My heart stops when I see that golden hair as she flips it over her shoulder. Allison lifts her drink to her mouth, sipping from the straw and nodding along to whatever her friend is saying. I don’t recognize the redheaded woman talking with her hands. A lump forms in my throat at the sight of Alli, when she smiles softly at her friend, my heart tumbles.
Ripley clasps a hand on my shoulder steering me to the table and we all sit down.
Ryan immediately starts flirting with the waitress and gets her number before the queso even gets to the table.
“Doesn’t that get old?” Ripley asks, taking a bit of the chip. I’m only half listening, never feeling fully present lately. I sip on my lemonade, trying not to stare over at the bar.
Fitz and Quade grin as they say in unison, "Never.”
“It will.” I grumble.
Ronan, serious for once, shoots me a sideways glance.
“She’s just as bad off, you know. Worse even.” Maybe he’s trying to make me feel better, but it doesn’t. The only thing worse than getting dumped is knowing she’s hurting too. “Maybe you should talk to her.”
“I talk to her. We’re neighbours. Our kids are friends.” That’s the hardest part. Being in the background of her life when all I want, every day is to make her mine. For good.
“You know what I mean.” Ronan rolls his eyes, shoving a loaded nacho in his mouth. His eyes roll back in his head and he groans, “These are so fucking good.”
“You’re so gross.” Ryan side eyes him.
“Whatever rich boy, you wouldn’t get it.”
“You’re rich too.”
“Now.”Ronan snorts. He opens his mouth to say something in my direction, but he’s cut off by my phone sounding its ringtone. The name flashes across the screen, and my eyebrows pinch in concern.
Matty.
I answer before the first ring ends.
“Hello?”
“Tate?” Hudson’s voice, not Matty's.
“Hudson? Is everything ok?”
“No… I-I don’t think so.” His voice sounds different—fragile and small. Nothing like the boy I know he is. “I’m at Iron Ridge with my dad and he said to wait here but he hasn’t come back yet and... and... it’s been a while.”
“Wait, he told you to wait where? Are you alone?” I stand, my chair scraping loudly acrossthe floor and drawing the eyes of people around the restaurant.
“Her feet were hurting. I waited in like he said, but that was a while ago.” Hudson is breathless and sniffling as he speaks. “And- and He hasn’t come back.”
“Stay on the phone, okay?” I say, already crossing the restaurant to the bar, “I’m gonna get your mom and come straight to you. I’m coming.”
“P-please hurry.” Hudson’s voice cracks on a sob.
Chapter 32 -Allison
