March 15, 2020
9:00 am
Ryder walked into the church, a woman at his side, both dressed in black. As soon as he entered, his eyes instantly landed on the brunette he hadn't seen in years, since the day she had broken up with Jake. He ushered the woman into a row before telling her he'd be right back.
"Hey Marls." He whispered, putting his hand on her back. She looked up at him, tears falling from her face. "I'm so sorry, Marley."
"Sorry won't bring her back." Marley spat, turning once more to gaze longingly at her mom's coffin. She wanted the woman to wake up and tell her everything was going to be alright. Sighing, she added, "Sorry."
"She's in a better place now." Ryder spoke softly as he sat down beside her. "And I bet she's so proud of you."
"She loved you, you know." Marley noted softly, looking up at the same boy she had pushed away before. "A lot."
"I loved her too." Ryder mumbled, his eyes filling with tears as the brunette started to cry again. He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "It'll be ok, Marley."
"You didn't call again." Marley mumbled, pulling away as she wiped her eyes. "You wouldn't answer my phone calls. I tried to call you."
"We shouldn't talk about that now."
"You were my best friend." Marley continued, growing more upset as she thought about it. "You weren't there!"
Ryder's heart broke. That wasn't true. He had given Marley exactly what she needed: space. Besides, hanging out with her and acting as if he wasn't madly in love with her hurt. He hadn't broken his promise. He had only improved it so it didn't kill him in the process.
"I'm here now." He whispered, pulling her back into a hug. "That's what matters now."
"No." She spat, pushing him away. "I want you to go. I need you to go now and take your slut with you."
Ryder shut his eyes painfully but stood up and walked back towards the entrance of the church, grabbing the hand of his girlfriend.
"Where are we going?" The girl asked, her hair blowing behind her as they began walking down the street. "I thought you said this was important?"
"She doesn't need me right now." Ryder mumbled, pulling his sunglasses out of his pocket as people began to notice who he was. It wasn't every day the people of Lima got to see a superstar quarterback walking down the street.
"What?" The girl asked, trying her best to keep up with him. "Who doesn't need you?"
Ryder sighed and got into his BMW. "Nothing, never mind." He muttered, pulling out of his parking space and speeding towards the nearest freeway.
He wanted to turn around but she didn't want him there. Actually the more he thought about it he realized he wasn't sure he wanted to be there if he couldn't grab her and kiss her. So instead, he swallowed his craving and continued to drive all the way back to his lake house in New Orleans. He'd go to practice tomorrow and play in the game against the Ravens on Sunday. He wouldn't turn around.
When she was ready to see him again, he'd be there. Just like he promised.
So in case y'all haven't been paying attention to the dates, which I haven't been very much either, in this chapter they're 24. Lol. :) Thanks for the amazing reviews. You guys are seriously the sweetest. Now if you'd excuse I'm going to get back to making my fat cat watch the biggest loser. ;) Seriously though, that's what I'm doing.
