19 - Burned And Forgotten

Nova's POV

The hallway was crowded.

I was standing at my locker with Ryker, our hands intertwined, playing our parts. I was laughing at something he'd said. He was smiling down at me. It was a performance, but it was getting easier. Too easy.

Then I heard the voice.

"Nova."

We both turned.

Chase was standing at the end of the hallway. His jaw was tight. His eyes were fixed on our joined hands.

He'd been gone for a week. A family trip. He'd left before everything happened. Before the tutoring. Before the deal. Before the kiss in the car.

He didn't know and I had completely forgotten he was in the picture. I felt evil. One minute I was publicly flirting with him because I thought he was Harper's boyfriend. The moment she dumped him, he became useless to me as well. 

"Chase," I said. My voice was careful. "You're back."

"Looks like I missed a lot." He walked toward us. His eyes didn't leave our hands. "What's going on here?"

"Nova and I are together," Ryker said. His voice was flat. Matter-of-fact.

Chase stopped in front of us. He looked at me, the pain in his eyes broke something in me.

"Is that true?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but I seemed to have lost the ability to communicate coherently. 

"Chase, I—"

"Answer me, Nova."

"It's true." Ryker stepped forward. His body was between us now. "She's my girlfriend. You have a problem with that?"

Chase's eyes snapped to Ryker. His expression shifted. The pain was gone. In its place was something harder.

"Yeah," he said. "Actually, I do."

"Then take it up with me."

"Ryker, don't." I reached for his arm. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine." Chase stepped closer. He was inches from Ryker's face now. "I go away for a week and you're with him? That's not how things work."

"Chase...I" I tried again, but he didn't let me finish.

"You don't get to do this." His voice was rising. People were starting to watch. "Nova and I had something. She was going to go out with me."

"Was she?" Ryker looked at me. I was frozen, my face pale. "That's not what she told me."

"Because you manipulated her. Just like you manipulate everyone."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about." Chase jabbed a finger at Ryker's chest. "I've known you for years, Ryker. I know how you operate. You get bored, you find something new, you use it up and throw it away."

Ryker grabbed his wrist. "Don't touch me."

"You're using her. Just like you used everyone else."

"Take that back."

"Or what? You'll hit me? Go ahead. I'd love to see you try."

Ryker pushed him back. Chase stumbled. Then he lunged at Ryker.

Ryker raised his fists.

"STOP!"

My voice cut through the noise like a whip.

They both froze. I stepped between them, my hands pressed against their chests.

"Both of you. Stop. Now."

Chase was breathing hard. His fists were clenched at his sides.

"Nova, I just want to talk to you. Alone."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Please."

I looked at him. His eyes were searching mine. Desperate.

"Chase, I'm sorry." My voice was gentle. "I should have told you. But what I said at the party—that was before everything. Things changed. I'm with Ryker now."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

He stared at me. Something in his face crumbled.

"You're making a mistake," he said quietly.

"Maybe." I felt a pang of guilt. "But it's my mistake to make."

He looked at Ryker. His eyes were cold.

"This isn't over, Lennox."

"It is if I say it is."

Chase shook his head. Then he turned and walked away.

The crowd slowly dispersed. People went back to their conversations. The hallway returned to normal.

Ryker stepped closer to me.

"Are you okay?"

I was pale. My hands were shaking.

"I'm fine." My voice was flat. "I need a minute."

____________________________

I was in the bathroom when Harper appeared.

The door swung open. She walked in like she owned the place. Her platinum hair was perfect. Her smile was sharp and cold.

"Well, well, well," she said. "That was quite the show."

I didn't respond. I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

"Poor Chase. He really let himself fall for a slut."

I turned to face her. "Harper. What do you want?"

She stepped closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I want to know what you're doing, Nova.  One minute, you're all lovey-dovey with Chase, and the next, you're dating Ryker. I didn't pass you off as a whore, Nova."

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No," she agreed. "But you have to admit, it's interesting. How quickly you moved in on him. How quickly you got him to fall for you."

"Ryker and I are together. That's all you need to know."

She laughed. It was cold and sharp.

"Together. Right." She tilted her head. "You know, I've been wondering about you since the moment you showed up."

I said nothing.

"Transfered from your last school. That's what they said. But I don't believe that. I think you're hiding something else."

"Believe what you want."

"Oh, I will." Her smile widened. "And I will find out. Whatever you're running from. Whatever you're hiding. I will find out."

I met her eyes. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise." She stepped closer. Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "You know what happens to girls who go against me, Nova?"

I went very still.

"I had others before you. They thought they could take something from me too. They thought they were untouchable."

My blood ran cold.

"Where are they now?" Harper asked. "They're not here, are they?"

"Harper—"

"So my advice to you is this." She leaned in. Her lips brushed my ear. "Stay away from Ryker. Or you'll end up like one of them. Burned and forgotten."

She pulled back and smiled. Bright and friendly.

"And I promise you, she had it better than the rest. Consider this my final friendly advice. Don't play with fire Nova, if you don't want to get burned."

She walked out.

The door swung shut behind her.

I stood alone in the bathroom. My hands were shaking. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

Lydia.

She was the one who locked that door.

And now she was coming for me.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My face was pale. My eyes were wide.

I thought about Lily. About the balcony. About the fall.

I thought about Harper's smile. The coldness in her eyes.

Burned and forgotten.

I pressed my hand to my chest. Lily's heart was beating fast and wild.

She was warning me.

And I was too deep to stop now.