I rolled my eyes, taking another sip of my drink.
“Is that all it takes to draw the men in? You tell them you’re flexible?” Ryder chuckled, taking another sip of his beer. “Guess you don’t need to rely on a good personality when all you have to do is spread your legs.”
Kasey glowered at him, but didn’t say anything else as she stomped out of the bar.
“Bitch,” he muttered under his breath.
I wholeheartedly agreed, but instead of saying anything, I sat there, waiting for him to mention the whole affair with Liam thing. Everyone else was curious, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he asked about it.
“I think I’m gonna head home,” I said, grabbing my purse.
“Because of her?”
“Because the night is officially over,” I sighed. “My date didn’t show, and frankly…”
I stopped myself before I said something stupid, like how depressing it was for the whole town to constantly gossip about me.
I gave a smile before waving to JR and striding out of the bar, determined to get home and bury my face in my pillow.
“Stupid, Ellie. Really freaking stupid,” I muttered as I walked to my Jeep.
“Hey!” Ryder called, jogging to catch up to me. “Ellie, wait!”
“No thanks,” I huffed out a laugh.
“Wait, what’s going on?” he asked, grabbing my arm gently, spinning me around. “What’s wrong?”
“Like you really care?” I laughed.
“Give me a try.”
“Why? So you can say the same freaking thing that everyone else does?”
He stiffened at my words, releasing my arm. “This is about Liam?”
“Ding, ding, ding!” I said mockingly.
“What happened?”
“Like you don’t already know.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
I rolled my eyes and spun around, heading for my Jeep again. The last thing I wanted was to spill my guts to this man, only to have him mock me.
He rushed around me, stopping right beside my Jeep door, blocking me from getting in. “Look, if you don’t want to talk about it?—”
“No, I really don’t. What I want is to get in my Jeep and drive away. What I want is to go home and forget this night ever happened.”
I shoved past him, grateful that he moved out of the way. As I cranked the engine, the headlights illuminated his muscular frame for just a second before he moved out of the way. I pulled out of the parking spot, determined to get home before I fell apart.
But the second I left the parking lot, the tears started to fall. I was tired of hearing the whispers. I hated the never-ending evil looks people shot my way. And I was exhausted from trying to explain to my parents that I was trying to help a friend.
By the time I got home, I was a wreck, complete with mascara running down my cheeks. I made it all the way inside, leaning against the door, before the tears really broke out into a steady stream.
And that’s when the pounding on the other side started. “Ellie!”
“Shit,” I muttered, swiping at my face. I rushed over to the mirror in the hallway, checking my disaster of a face. “Go away!”
