And if he plans on going to my next doctor’s appointment and upsetting Eric, there’s no way I’m letting up until I pry it out of his brain.
Chapter Six
Eric
The final bell of the day rings at Glendale High, and I hustle toward the side exit of the gym. Ben shoves it open from inside, beckoning me forward. I bend down and glide along the shrubs beneath the classroom windows, hoping none of the faculty members see me. Security is tight. Adults aren’t allowed in the building unless they’re escorted to the front desk by a guard stationed at the main entrance. Just being on school property, I’m already breaking about a thousand rules.
“Hurry up,” Ben says, anxiously propping the door open with his foot, his head scanning left and right to see if anybody’s watching.
I brush past him, out of breath, and he lets the lock on the metal door click back into place. “Is he here?”
“Yeah. He’s right where we want him. C’mon,” Ben urges, lengthening his stride as we skirt the perimeter of the basketball court. “We don’t have much time. I got some of the guys on the team to help me out, but all bets are off if Coach McKay finds out what we’re up to.”
Ben takes a quick turn into the boys’ locker room, pushing through the swinging double doors with his back. A wave of nostalgia sweeps over me despite the odor of sweat hanging in the air. I spent four of the happiest years of my life at Glendale High. Before Cassidy got sick. Before I lost it all. Back when we were just two kids in love. I even snuck her back here once during an assembly to make out. It was dark. It was private. And everyone else was gathered in the auditorium. No one ever found out about it. And right now, I hope that my track record remains in tact, albeit for a much different reason.
Ben’s sneakers squeak as he ducks around the corner and into the shower area. It’s humid and damp in here compared to the cold, blustery air outside. I expect Ben to stop, but he doesn’t. He passes every stall, going all the way to the end. It’s not until he gets to the last one that he draws back the curtain.
And there’s Ryan sitting bound and gagged on the floor.
He doesn’t see me. His eyes are fixed on Ben. There’s something about the way Ryan’s looking at him that’s making the hair on my arms stand on end—and not in a good way. He tries to talk against the rag jammed in his mouth, but I can’t understand him. Ben seems on edge as he hesitates before bending down to reason with him.
“If you scream, a picture of you like this ends up on Facebook. You got that?” Ben threatens, holding Ryan’s head back. “You don’t want the guys on the team to know the real reason why they dragged you back here, do you? They think they’re just doing me a favor so I can punk your sorry ass for what you did to my brother.”
Ryan shouts against the gag, his face turning red.
“That’s not the way this works, Ry. You’re not the one in control here. If you want me to remove this, then I’m going to need you to cooperate. If you don’t, I’m sure the guy behind me won’t have a problem beating the crap out of you again.”
Ben tugs Ryan around by his ear, causing him to yelp. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees me leaning against the outer edge of the stall. He must have thought this was some kind of prank the football team was playing on him. Boy, he couldn’t be more wrong.
I mockingly tip the brim of my cap, and he howls with rage. He struggles to free himself, even though his hands are tied securely behind his back.
“Ben, I don’t think this is gonna work,” I remark, glancing quickly at my watch. “If he starts whining, he’s never going to tell us what we need to know. I say you let me knock him out and we take him somewhere else.”
“No way. Too risky. I agreed to help you corner him, but that’s as far as it goes. I’m not losing any scholarship offers over this shit.” Ben lets Ryan’s head drop as he begins to pace in front of him.
“Give me something I can use. Anything to get him to open up,” I implore, grabbing Ben by the shoulders, forcing him to concentrate. “I’ll take it from there.”
“I already know what he wants,” Ben sighs.
“Good,” I respond, giving him an encouraging slap on the arm.
“It’s just that I don’t want to give it to him.” Ben nudges me out of the way as he walks despondently toward the row of sinks along the wall. He stares at himself in one of the mirrors before splashing some cold water on his face, gearing up for whatever it is he thinks he has to do.
Suddenly, I feel guilty about making him go through with this. Being around Ryan is making Ben uncomfortable. He vaguely alluded that the two of them had some history together, but I didn’t think it was so intense. The emotions simmering between them are palpable.