With Great Pressure Comes Great Responsibility

Ryder had a nasty feeling about this. It had settled somewhere deep in his stomach and had been growing at an alarming rate ever since he'd received Jade's phone call. And much as he hated having to leave his house at ten thirty at night, a small sense of responsibility forced to get dressed and climb out of the house and into his car.

"Damn this," Ryder breathed a growl, backing out of the driveway, away from the sprawling acres of the Ferreira Estate and turning the car down the road.

Ryder wasn't stupid enough not to mention the incredible irony of his current situation. He wasn't supposed to go chasing after women. They were supposed to come after him.

If only he didn't feel so bloody guilty. Of course, when Chase had texted him, he'd been a little more than happy to just accept her text without questioning things through. After all, tonight he'd felt almost humiliated. Here he was, trying to seduce a girl with his unfailing charms, and all she'd wanted to do was go home and finish her bloody homework.

Ryder never thought he'd see the day when his companionship would lose to something as stupid as school. It was beyond a damn crying embarrassment. And now, look where he was. Unable to enjoy the comforts of his bedroom and on a mission to find out what happened to a girl who was apparently as interested in him as she was in dirt.

And the worst part was he needed her in order to get what he wanted from Jade. This whole thing was turning out worse and worse to be a bloody humiliation.

He'd never live it down if word got out.

Therefore, it was with a heavy heart that he walked inside and found Jade in the foyer.

"Jade, what is going on?" he said tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "What's the problem?"

"Where is my sister?" a male stalked forward, and Ryder recognized him immediately as Chase's older brother.

Ryder eyed the guy that he'd heard so much about in school today. None of it had created a warm, fuzzy impression. Blake van Buren had been, apparently, some kind of nightmare to his teachers and leader of all wrongdoings. His legacy was almost infamous, and he'd been known for his wicked ways with women and weapons.

Not to mention, he was currently moving forward towards Ryder.

Holy shit.

"Where is my sister," Blake repeated again, glowering menacingly.

"I don't know," Ryder shrugged, "I took her out to get something to eat. Afterwards, she said she was leaving with someone else, and that was the last I saw of her."

"Well, there we go. The problem seems to have resolved itself nicely." Jade spoke up from where she was and snarled at Blake, snidely turning her nose in the air. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

Blake sneered, "Princess, you're not going anywhere until we find my sister. As for you," he pointed to Ryder, "I already don't like you as it is. I suggest that you tell me everything you know before I force it out of you."

Ryder was taken back. What was with these van Burens hating him? "Take a fucking pill. I didn't do anything to her. And for future reference, if you really wanted to get people to talk, I suggest you try and be civil."

Blake seemed to stop for a slip second before he plastered a faux-pleasant expression on his face. "I can be civil. I can be very civil." He walked forward even more, casually flipping his blade up. "So tell me now, Ryder, where is my sister?" Blake asked in a dangerously pleasant voice that was scarier than when he was yelling. "Oh, and I would advise that you hurry up and answer. Being civil takes up a lot of my energy, and I only have so much to spare at the moment."

"Dude, all I know was that I was picking up some stuff at the local drugstore, and I got a text saying that she saw a friend and was leaving with her. By the time I got outside, she was gone, so I left. I really don't have any bloody idea about what happened to her." Ryder withdrew his cell phone, quickly drawing up Chase's text message up to the screen and shoving it in her brother's face. "I can even prove it."

Blake snatched the cell phone up and narrowed his eyes at it, not willing to admit that Ryder was being exonerated as chances of finding his sister started to get slimmer and slimmer. "Why is the number blocked?" Blake demanded, shaking the cell phone in his left hand adamantly, his face a half-crazed look.

"I really don't know," Ryder said in a frustrated tone. "What makes you think I have a bloody clue? Maybe she was using her friend's cell phone. Maybe she used a pay phone. I repeat. I. Don't. Know."

"Very well, I believe you." Blake tossed Ryder's cell phone back to him carelessly. He thrust his palm open in front of Jade. "Car keys. For the red one."

"What?" Jade nearly gasped through her indifferent exterior, while subtly tightening her hold on her designer purse.

"Come on now, Jade, I know you're not stupid, and I know you're memory's working just fine, so you'll excuse me if I don't go over our earlier conversation." Blake drawled, wiggling his middle and ring finger impatiently.

Jade reached inside her purse, and slammed the key into Blake's palm, making sure to dig the shiny tip into his palm as hard as she could.

"Lovely." Blake closed his palm around the keys, the BMW symbol standing out clearly in a mass of metal. "Now, I would appreciate it if both of you left my line of sight before I do something—" here, he shot Ryder a nasty look, "not so civil."

"Like hell you are," Jade snarled, moving forward. "Who knows what barbaric things you would do to my car. Me and Ryder are coming with you. And it's certainly isn't to look for your damn sister, either." She glowered at that last part, as if that would hurt Blake. If anything, he shrugged it off.

"Suit yourself, princess. All the better when I decide to crash your precious car into the nearest tree." Blake sneered again.

Ryder couldn't help but think that it was a sad day indeed to have met someone who could best Jade at her own game.

That, and the fact that Ryder was now sitting in the backseat of Jade Lewallen's car fifteen minutes later, giving directions to the snarling driver, who was now ready to make good on his threat of sending Jade's precious car into the nearest streetlamp.

"So, she was right here. And then she was gone." Blake said, car in the now deserted parking lot, smoking a cigarette in frustration.

"Yeah. All I did was pop in for five seconds and she disappeared." Ryder huffed angrily at having to repeat this for what must've been the fiftieth fucking time this evening.

Blake slowly eased his car out of the parking lot, his hand grappling down on the wheel. "God damn it," he hissed, flicking his cigarette so that the ashes spilled onto the pristine, black seat.

Jade looked like she was ready for murder. "Don't smoke that thing in here. This car's worth more than you could ever make in your life," she said in between clenched teeth.

He purposely blew a puff of smoke in her face, "Well, then, do something useful. Aren't you the one parading around, claiming that the Lewallen name was so fucking holy? Well, now's your chance to prove what you're worth."

She opened her mouth to retort, but was saved by her vibrating cell phone. Jade checked the caller I.D., before rolling her eyes and flipping her phone to her ear. "Yes, Dad?"

"Jade, what the hell is this?" Ryder heard the loud, obnoxious voice of Mr. Lewallen yell into the thin atmosphere of the car. "I thought I told you to take care of Chase."

"She got lost by herself. I had nothing to do with it," Jade said, swearing up and down like an innocent little girl while smirking at the infuriated Blake.

"Yeah, I figured when she called home, asking to be picked up." Mark Lewallen growled.

"How unfortunate," Jade muttered more to herself than to the other three people in her hearing vicinity. "Listen, Dad. I'll just pick her up. No need for you to make another trip."

" You'd better. I'm very disappointed in you Jade Lewallen. You clearly disobeyed me. She's on 5526 Briarwood Lane. I expect the two of you to be back within the hour, and mark my words when I say that I am not very pleased with you," Mark growled before disconnecting the phone with an abrupt "click"

"There you go," Jade tossed her phone back into her bag, "5526 Briarwood Lane. There's my last name for you, van Buren." She sneered at his last name in an effort to remind him just exactly who he was and where his station stood.

"You're lucky that I'm in a good mood right now," Blake said as he keyed the destination into the car's GPS and took off. "Or else I'd show everyone just how flimsy the name Lewallen can be."

"What are you going to do? Knife me? Even you're not that stupid. Or are you? With those filthy gangs, I suppose you never know." Jade gave Blake the evil eye.

Before Blake could fire off an appropriate response, a dark house loomed up next to the road and a cool, female voice interrupted him. "You have arrived at your destination."

Conversation forgotten, Blake winded up the long driveway and slammed the brakes down. "Get out. Both of you." He said, pocketing the key. He obviously didn't trust the other two to not drive away with the care while he was otherwise occupied.

Jade and Ryder both exited, looking at 5526 Briarwood Lane. Ryder studied the gothic style house. He took note of the brick arches above the doorway and the cathedral-esque windows, letting his eyes trail to a thin spire rising against the rest of the house. This was obviously an older neighborhood, and there was a sort of majestic, but gloomy air to the house.

He watched Blake ignore the architecture in favor of banging on the front door. That was one person he definitely did not need to deal with. No matter what Jade said.

"Jade, I really don't think your plan to break Chase van Buren is going to work." Ryder murmured, keeping an eye on Blake's intimidating back.

"It has to." Jade hissed back, slowly climbing the stairs at a leisurely pace. "I thought you were the man-whore of Beverly Champion High. If anybody can do it, you can."

" Have you seen him?" Ryder said harshly, jutting a thumb fiercely in Blake's direction. "He'll beat me if I even get near her. And as for breaking up with her and taking her virginity, I'm as good as dead with that knife of his."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when the great womanizer Ryder Ferriera bows down in defeat to a gang member-wannabe." Jade said, baring her teeth viciously. Ryder would've been disconcerted, if he hadn't finally realized that on this equation, Jade's was the losing side.

"I wouldn't be too quick to call him that." Ryder muttered, taking the blow against his masculinity in surprisingly good grace. "That guy's not a wannabe, he's practically a fucking genius."

Jade's eyes brimmed with anger at hearing that. "I can't believe that you of all people would think that. Just because he can scare you by waving a knife around, doesn't make him any sort of genius. In fact, I've heard that he's rather stupid." Jade said bitingly.

"Well, his methods are obviously working. He's obviously got the great Jade Lewallen to bow down from her almighty throne," Ryder said nastily to Jade. A first time record for him. But then, a lot of records were being broken tonight.

Obviously, dictatorship is effective only as long as the public doesn't rebel.

Jade bristled angrily, but when she spoke, her voice was calm. "Don't you ever say that to me again, or I'll make sure you regret it more than what Blake van Buren could ever do to you."

"Well, I have a feeling that you starting to lose your edge to Blake van Buren." Ryder said with finality, jaws set and eyes tense. He vaguely wondered why he was even questioning Jade when she was the one that was supposed to be his friend.

Ah, but she's not. She doesn't need friends. She only needs allies, a voice said in the back of his head.

And Ryder silently acknowledged that. It was true that Jade didn't need much of anything, except people to execute out her plans. And this time, it was Ryder's turn to pay the price of being in the school's most exclusive group.

Well, he was sick of her shit. The last time she'd involved him, he'd had to sabotage the car of some small-town model. It still made him feel guilty sometimes, and he could only hope that nothing truly bad had happened.

And now this time, she was going to make him go through the same torture again. Date Chase. Pretend to be interested. Have sex with her. Dump her. It was so easy for Jade to order him around like that, so easy for her to just expect all of them to bow down to her.

And because of that, there was a small, hidden part inside of him that hated her for that.

"Don't forget, Ryder, what I know about your dear, little Kate. It is, after all, what you agreed to in the first place. Or have you already forgotten our agreement?" Jade snickered delightfully, finding that her place had been regained in the conversation. Now, Ryder was the one looking away.

He hated her even more for that.

"I want to know what you know, and then I'll help you." Ryder said through gritted teeth. He hated giving into Jade's whim. But, there was a part of him that knew he couldn't give up any chances of news about Kate, even if it meant laying himself down and catering to Jade's every whim.

"Of course." Jade flipped her hair back triumphantly. "Meet me in the outside cabana, and I promise to tell you what you've been searching for."

Ryder felt a flame inside of him grow slowly. It would be worth it. He would have to compensate and put his life on the line, but it would all be worth it.

"Deal," Ryder said quietly, as he noticed that Blake had been successful, and was now pulling a tired-looking Chase in his wake.

"I promise you, Chase, when I find that fucking bastard, I am going to make sure he burns in hell," Blake said, storming by Jade and Ryder, blatantly ignoring them.

"It's fine. I'm sure it was just a mistake," Chase said, trying to reassure Blake. But, Ryder could tell by the look in her eyes that even she didn't believe that. There was a bit of a haunted look, as if she couldn't believe what had happened to her.

"Chase, what happened?" Ryder said in a concerned voice, as he sat next to her on the car ride back to the Lewallen grounds.

"Yeah," Jade said, swiveling around. "One minute you're there, and the next, you're gone." Jade ran her fingers through her thin hair, and smiled charmingly at Chase.

"Someone attacked her, kidnapped her, then left her on the road to die." Blake said, angry expression on his face. "So, given what she's gone through, I'm sure she would appreciate it if you guys stopped questioning her."

"How awful," Jade said, placing a smooth hand over her pouty mouth.

"Yeah." Ryder mused, noticing the way that Jade was being so fake. It almost made him wonder if she had something to hide…

No. She couldn't have done it, Ryder decided and shook his head to himself. After all, even she wasn't that evil.

Blake parked the car back into its rightful place at Jade's house, and Ryder felt a rise of excitement again.

After tonight, he would never again have to abuse himself with all the mental "what if"s. Never have to stay awake at night and wonder what was happening outside the Beverly Hills bubble.

"Come on," Ryder said in the dark, as his hand grasped Jade's arm and he pulled her towards the outside cabana. Thank goodness Blake was way too preoccupied with his sister's welfare that he didn't bother to look back to see what the other two were doing.

"I only have so much time," Jade said, as she let herself be pulled along, "My father is probably going to give me one of his shit fits over that little annoying bitch."

"Speaking of that," Ryder glanced briefly at her, "Did you have anything to do with what happened to Chase tonight?"

"Look," Jade said almost rudely, "do you or do you not want to find out about your precious girlfriend?"

Ryder didn't answer, pulling her into the cabana, "Of course," he said, taking a seat on the bed. Chase was fine for tonight, and he promised to look into it a little deeper tomorrow, once he had the information he needed. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Well, I think we both know what happened at the end of your freshmen year," Jade said, raking a hand through her hair in slight agitation.

"Yes," Ryder answered, even though there was a part of him inside that was angry that Jade Lewallen would know about his secret. Back then, he remembered that she had hated him. So, why in the world would she know about this?

"Here, why don't you tell me what happened first," Jade said, her gaze piercing into the side of Ryder's profile. Ryder felt the intensity of her look, felt the power to know everything behind it.

"Nothing happened," he heard himself snapping in irritation, his annoyance building momentum. Still, a part of him felt compelled to tell the truth. After all, she had promised to tell him everything. "We dated for a while. Her parents found out that she was pregnant, and took her away. I haven't seen her since."

There was a small pause. Then, "Hmm, figures." Jade said quietly next to him.

"It wasn't a big deal," Ryder said, but he knew it wasn't true. They'd been each other's first, and when she'd broken up with him in the letter she'd left behind, it had nearly broken his own heart. Instead, he was forced to play it off as no big deal and continue on with his life as if nothing had happened.

"Obviously not, because you're sitting here." Jade said shortly, straightening the front of her clothes. "Don't try to deny it or whatever. Frankly, I don't care. I know what I want. You know what you want. I think we can help each other out."

"So, where is she?" Ryder asked, forcing his voice to stay calm. It was hard. After making hundreds of phone calls and hours of investigation, the girl who had the answer was right in front of him.

"Don't you even want to know if there's a Ryder Ferreira replica floating somewhere out there?" Jade asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"That too," he muttered, purposely training his eyes away from her amused ones. She probably thought it was hilarious, watching him struggle like that. It was just so Jade to keep drawing his pain out as much as she could. "Can you please just tell me?"

"Well, for your information, there is no mini-you running around. It was aborted a long time ago." Jade informed Ryder. "And as for Kate herself, I have a feeling she's going to spend the rest of her life in that mental institution her parents have got her locked her in."

"She's in a mental institution?" Ryder jumped up furiously, his head spinning furiously. "Why the hell would they put her in there?"

"You seem to care a lot for someone who says he doesn't," Jade says with an amused glance.

"Jade, don't play your mind games with me right now," Ryder growled, pacing back and forth. In his mind, he saw the pretty, dirty blonde hair of Kate and her emerald eyes. Locked away in some kind of place for freaks with mental problems.

"You kind of have to understand that after she tried to escape four times, her parents would be concerned." Jade said with a shrug. As if she was talking about school, and not the biggest crisis of Ryder's life.

"No one gets put into mental facilities for small things like that," Ryder hissed, now seeing some form of prison shackles around Kate's delicate wrists. How could her parents do that to her?

"Well, she did also try to kill herself by overdosing multiple times, not to mention the fact that she set the science lab at her private school on fire in an attempt to escape." Jade said, reeling off the precious information she'd been accumulating ever since she'd accidentally stumbled upon Kate's letter to Ryder.

"She doesn't deserve this. Mental institution," he snorted contemptuously. If anyone at school could've seen him now, they wouldn't have been able to recognize him. The normally happy Ryder was now so close to blowing someone's head off.

"Yeah, well, don't ask me what her parents were thinking. All I know is that it's very exclusive, so you wouldn't be able to get in there unless you made an appointment there. And then even for that, you have know the right people and come from the right place," Jade said, watching Ryder carefully out of the corner of her eyes. She seemed to be waiting for Ryder to say something.

"So, where exactly is this place?" Ryder said, nearly pawing at the ground in frustration. He would get her out of there as fast as he could. Ryder whipped out his cell phone, ready to make plans to rescue Kate.

Jade smiled victoriously. "Ah, that's where the glitch comes in. I can't trust you not to walk out on your job. You'll get not only a name, but also an appointment when you've completed your part of the deal to my satisfaction." Jade said, and stood up quickly. Ryder watched as she walked away from him and back into her house, giving him no time to complain or act on his murderous rages.

Ryder stared at Jade, jaw clenching furiously. If he had to steal, cheat, or kidnap, he'd do whatever was needed to make Kate come back. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he failed.

Carefully reigning in his temper, Ryder walked back to his car, driving the rest of the way back in silence. Tomorrow, he would start his mission with a brand new determination. He would show Chase just how desirable he could be. She wouldn't even know what hit her. And by the time he had what he wanted, there would be nothing that she could do about it anymore; it'd be too late.

Author's Note: Please Read and Review!!!!!!! I welcome any criticism and feedback. Please let me know how I'm doing. Thanks!!!!