•Chapter 19•
I slowly open my eyes and the first thing I feel when I wake up is a pounding headache. I cringe, lifting my hand up to my forehead before using my other hand to lift myself up from my lying position in my bed.
I look down at my clothes and notice that I'm wearing the same exact red dress that I was wearing last night, except now the dress is covered in wrinkles unidentifiable liquid stains. I put a slightly confused look on my face, trying to switch my memories back to last night. I merely remember the events that took place. I remember going to Natalie's stupid birthday party, but that's pretty much it. Common sense tells me that I got drunk... since I can smell alcohol all over myself and I have an extreme headache that's killing me right now.
I let out a huge sigh before looking up from my body. My eyes suddenly widen in shock and my heart skips a beat when I realize the room I'm sleeping in is not my room. As I breath unsteadily, still in shock, I scan my eyes over my surroundings and realize that the room looks slightly familiar. I furrow my eyebrows and continue to look around the room before my eyes land on a sleeping figure next to the bed I was sitting in.
I squint my eyes to look at the body before I shortly realize that it's Ryder... and this is Ryder's room...
Why the hell am I in Ryder's room?! What happened last night?!
"Ryder," I say quietly, not trying to worsen my pounding headache by yelling. When Ryder doesn't respond, I roll my eyes and slip my right leg from under the covers. I reach my leg over to Ryder and forcefully kick him in the ribs, in hopes of waking him up.
"Ow!" Ryder instantly yells, shooting up from his sleeping position. Ryder clutches the side of his rub cage where I had kicked him in a painful manner before looking up at me. "Oh... Riley."
"What the hell is going on?" I instantly ask, narrowing a sideways glance at Ryder.
Ryder sighs before lifting himself to his feet. "You got drunk last night, and you passed out. So I carried you to my car and drove you here." Ryder explains.
"Why?" I ask, wondering why Ryder couldn't have just taken me home, not that I didn't appreciate the gesture.
Ryder purses his lips and crosses his arms. "So you would've rather wanted me to take you home in the middle of the night, so your mom could find you drunk and passed out?" Ryder asks, raising an eyebrow.
I cringe at the thought. My mom would be livid if she found out I'd gotten intoxicated, so Ryder had an extremely good point. I sigh and look up at Ryder. "Why were you sleeping on the floor?" I ask curiously.
Ryder grimaces. "I don't want to sleep in the same bed as you. That's gross,"
Oh, so it's gross to sleep in the same bed as me, but it's just fine to make out with me in a janitors closet? I really didn't understand this boy's logic.
"Whatever," I mumble before kicking the covers off of my legs and holding my pounding head while getting up from Ryder's surprisingly comfortable bed. "So, are you gonna drive me home or what?" I ask, trying to decrease the intense awkwardness between us.
"Come on," Ryder says, grabbing his car keys from his bedside table before exiting his room. I sigh before grabbing my shoes, which were lying on the carpeted floor. I look around before I notice my cell phone is sitting on Ryder's bedside table. I quickly grab the phone before following him out of the room.
I walk down Ryder's long hallway and before I know it, being my clumsy self, I unexpectedly bump into someone who is exiting a room in the hallway.
"Ow," I mumble, holding my forehead. Thanks to me, I just made my headache worse by colliding into someone.
I slowly look up to see Ryder's mom, whose name I remember to be Vanessa, looking at me with a confused face expression. "Hi..." She trails awkwardly, adding a small smile. "Uh..." She says, pointing an index finger at me, signaling me to remind her of my name.
"Riley," I inform, putting an awkward smile on my face.
"Riley, uh, not to sound rude... but, why are you here?" She asks curiously, tucking some loose strands of her dark hair behind her ear.
"Oh, um..." I trail, not knowing whether I should tell her the truth or not. I look over Vanessa's shoulder to see Ryder, who is shaking his head at me, basically telling me to conjure up a lie. "Um... we went to a party last night and I was feeling kind of sick so... Ryder said I could stay here until the morning." I mange to tell her a pretty decent lie.
"Oh," she says, nodding her head. Vanessa furrows her eyebrows and whips around to look at Ryder. "That was... nice of you," she says with an impressed, yet shocked tone.
Trust me, lady, I'm shocked too.
"Whatever," Ryder says before walking down the staircase.
I give a small smile to Vanessa before following Ryder down the stairs. I exit the front door and close the door before hopping into Ryder's car.
Ryder quickly starts up the car and backs out of the driveway. The start of the car ride is silent between Ryder and I, but for some reason, I'm determined to break the silence. I purse my lips as I try to think of somethings to talk about.
"So..." I trail. "Um, are you ever gonna tell your mom that your dad is back?" This probably wasn't the best topic, but it's the first thing that popped into my mind.
"I am... just not now." Ryder states, keeping his eyes on the road.
I slowly nod my head and cast my eyes out the window. I fight the urge to bring up the kiss topic, but I decide not to. I don't know why I can't just forget about it. It's all I've been thinking about ever since he's done it, and it was honestly driving me crazy.
I open my mouth, about to say something about the kiss, until Ryder rounds a corner... in the opposite direction of my house.
I furrow my eyebrows. "Hey, what the hell are you doing? My house is that way." I inform, pointing to the direction of my house, which we weren't headed towards.
"Would you just shut up," Ryder hisses in annoyance.
I grimace at his response and fold my arms over my chest, turning back towards my window. I should've kept on pestering him just because he got an attitude...
The rest of the ride between Ryder and I is completely silent. I decided not to try to start up a conversation this time. I slowly close my eyes and lie my head down on the side of the leather seat I was sitting in. I was hoping the rest would ease my headache at least a little, but due to the various bumps and crevices in the road, it didn't help my situation much.
Ryder and I are in the car for about fifteen minutes before I feel the car halt to a stop. I open my eyes and look out the windshield to see that we're parked in front of the Miami Children's Hospital.
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion before getting out of the car. I follow Ryder into the hospital, wondering why there was still no explanation from him.
Ryder stops at the hospital's front desk, leaning over and resting his elbows on top of the desk. I follow his actions by stopping at the front desk beside him.
"Uh, I'm Ryder Martinez, I'm here to see Callie Martinez," Ryder says to the lady sitting behind the desk.
I part my lips in realization. That's why we're here. We're here to his sister. I remember him telling me that she wanted to meet me. This was my chance. I'm actually pretty excited to see her. Ryder explained her as if she was such a sweet girl, so it's kind of hard to believe that she's a sibling of Ryder... Ryder's mom is actually pretty nice too... so did Ryder come out to be such an asshole?
Oh yeah... I forgot the whole dad situation....
The lady sitting behind the desk then types some stuff into the Apple desktop in front of her face before looking back up at Ryder. "Callie Martinez is on the fifth floor, room seventeen." She informs.
"Thanks," Ryder mumbles before walking off to another direction.
I quickly follow behind Ryder as he approaches the elevator. The elevator doors open and Ryder and I step in. Ryder hits the fifth floor bottom and we fall into silence as the elevator begins to go up, the only sound coming from the elevator music.
When Ryder and I reach the fifth floor, we walk all the way down to room seventeen to see a female nurse standing in front of the closed door. When she sees us approach, she puts a warm smile on her face. "Are you Ryder Martinez?"
"Yeah,"
"Great, you may go in," she says, stepping to the side.
"Thanks," Ryder says before grabbing the door knob and opening the door. Ryder and I walk inside the room and my eyes instantly land on Callie, who looks like she's sleeping.
Ryder walks up to her and lighting shakes her. "Callie," Ryder whispers. "Callie, wake up."
Callie squirms under the thick covers she's buried under before she slowly sits up from her lying position. She blinks a couple of times before putting a huge smile on her face. "Ryder!" She squeals, raising her arms to hug him.
I look at Ryder's face expression as he hugs her and I can't help but smile. I've never, ever in my entire life, seen Ryder smile this way before. I could tell that he really cares about her.
Callie looked just like Ryder described, with long, wavy black hair just like Ryder's entire family had, and freckles across her nose as cheeks. She actually looks just like her dad...
When Ryder and Callie separate from their hug, Ryder turns towards me and raises him eyebrows.
I take a few more steps towards the bed until I'm in front of Callie. "Hey," I say, adding a small smile.
Callie has a confused look on her face for a few seconds before she her lips slowly turn up into a smile. "Riley?" I nod my head as I watch Callie's smile get even bigger. "Riley!" She squeals, wrapping her small arms around my shoulders and squeezing me into a tight hug. "Thanks for the cake!"
"You're welcome," I reply, adding a small laugh.
When Callie lets go of me, I sit down in one of the chairs that is next to the bed. Ryder sits down in the other chair and sighs and before speaking. "So, Callie, how ya doing?"
"Good... I haven't had an asthma attack in two whole days." Callie says, holding up two of her small fingers.
Ryder puts a small smile on his face. "That's good," he says, nodding his head.
Callie switches her gaze between Ryder and I a couple times before closing her eyes and putting a huge smile on her face. "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"No," Ryder and I say at the exact same time.
Callie rolls her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest. "I want to get out of this stupid hospital." Callie pouts, throwing her head back.
"I know, Callie, but—"
"Can you guys take me to the park? Just for today?" She asks.
"Callie, I don't know if I can—"
"Just ask Nurse Peters. Please, please, please." Callie begs, grabbing one of Ryder's hands and one of my hands before vigorously shaking them up and down.
Ryder looks at me before sighing. "Fine, we'll ask."
"Thank you!" Callie squeals before watching us get up from our seats.
Ryder and I walk out of the room to talk to the nurse who was standing outside of Callie's room. "Excuse me," Ryder says as we step outside. "Uh, is it okay if we take Callie to the park for a couple hours?"
Nurse Peters puts a hesitant look on her face before sighing. "Just a couple of hours." She says.
"Thanks," Ryder says before we both walk back inside the room, where Callie is anxiously waiting for an answer.
"Guess who's going to the park?"
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