Chapter 2
Ryan and I completely cut ties.
Back then, I was basically his shadow, tagging along everywhere he went.
At that moment, I was grinding through questions in the library, while he was out in the schoolyard hanging out with Emily, flying kites.
I was cramming for my exams in the studio, and he was teaming up with Emily for ranked games at the internet café.
Even the teachers started asking me, "Grace, Ryan's grades have been tanking lately. Can you talk some sense into him?"
I handed the teacher the test paper I'd just finished.
My voice was calm. "I want to get into a good college, too.
"I don't want to get dragged down by losers."
The teacher sighed and didn't say anything else.
When school let out, it started pouring rain.
I stood in front of the school building, waiting for the driver.
A black motorcycle roared up and stopped right in front of me.
Ryan took off his helmet and shook out his wet hair.
Water splattered all over me.
Behind him, Emily was holding onto his waist, wearing his leather jacket, looking shy and bashful.
Ryan didn't even spare me a glance.
He tossed his only raincoat to Emily.
"Put it on. Don't catch a cold," he said.
Emily slipped on the raincoat and shot me a look with those big, innocent eyes.
"Ryan, Grace doesn't have an umbrella either. Maybe we should give her a lift?" Emily said softly.
Ryan snorted, giving a mocking laugh. "Give her a ride?
"She's a little princess with her own chauffeur. Why would she ever want to ride on my junk motorcycle?
"Besides, the back seat's way too cramped. No room for extras."
Back then, that back seat was mine, my own special spot.
I used to cling to his waist, listening to the wind, thinking it would last forever.
At that moment, looking at it made me feel it was tainted.
I took a step back, dodging the motorcycle's exhaust.
I said, "I'm good.
"Yeah, it's pretty cramped. Besides, garbage rides are for garbage."
Ryan's face twisted.
He looked like he was about to go off.
Just then, a black Maybach rolled up to the curb.
The window slid down, and I saw a sharp, aloof face.
That was Alex Cooper, a senior at our school.
He was also the guy I'd teamed up with as my violin accompanist.
"Hop in, Grace," Alex said.
Alex's voice was low and steady, leaving no room for refusal.
I didn't hesitate.
I opened the door and slid inside.
Through the car window, I caught Ryan staring daggers at the Maybach's taillights, his gaze burning with jealousy and frustration.
Emily called out from behind him, "Ryan, the light's green..."
Ryan twisted the throttle hard.
The motorcycle lunged forward like a beast out of control.
He almost slammed into the guardrail.
I sat in the car, watching coldly and without emotion.
My heart felt nothing, utterly still.
Alex caught my eye in the rearview mirror; something flickered in his gaze, but he kept quiet.
The day after Alex gave me a ride home, I walked into school and headed straight for the music room.
The art school auditions were around the corner, and I had to squeeze in every last minute of practice.
But then, when I opened my violin case, my blood ran cold.
Someone snapped my violin bow in half.
That bow was a coming-of-age gift from my grandpa, worth more than anything money could buy.
I checked the security cameras.
It was Emily.
She slipped into the music room when no one was around, grabbed some scissors, and snipped the bow's horsehair strand by strand. Then, she snapped the bow in half with a nasty jerk.
While breaking it, she grinned like a villain.
I headed over to Ryan with the security footage in hand.
He was sweating buckets on the basketball court.
Emily was sitting nearby, handing him water, looking calm and gentle, as if she belonged in a picture-perfect moment.
I threw the tablet right into Ryan's arms. "Explain yourself."
Ryan glanced at the video.
He didn't even frown.
He casually tossed the tablet aside.
Ryan said, brushing it off, "Come on, it's nothing.
"It's just a crappy old bow. How much do you want? I'll cover it.
"Emily didn't mean anything by it. She was curious about what it was made of."
Curious? Was that what he called being curious, with scissors in hand? I couldn't help but laugh, pissed and amused all at once.
I snapped, "Ryan, have you completely lost it?
"This is intentional destruction of someone else's property."
Emily ducked behind Ryan, tears streaming down her face almost instantly.
She sniffled, "Grace, I'm really sorry... I swear I didn't mean to...
"I'm from a poor family. I've never even seen something this fancy before... I just wanted to see what it felt like..."
Here we go again.
She was poor, so whatever she did got a free pass.
I was rich, so losing something didn't matter, did it?
Ryan pulled her into his arms with obvious concern, shielding her protectively.
He jabbed a finger right at me and yelled, "Grace, do you have any empathy at all?
"She already apologized. What else do you want from her?
"How much is it? I'll pay for it. Stop acting like money solves everything."
I stared at Ryan, a guy who couldn't tell right from wrong if it hit him in the face.
Suddenly, it hit me that dying for him in my previous life was nothing but a complete joke.
I said, my voice cold as ice, "Alright.
"This bow? It's the last masterpiece by the famous violin maker François. It's auctioned for one hundred grand.
"So, are you paying by wire or cash?"
Hearing one hundred grand, Emily had her face drained of all color, and she nearly dropped her water bottle.
Ryan froze for a second, suddenly unsure, looking away to avoid my gaze.
But to save face, he jutted out his chin and whipped out his phone, trying to act all tough.
"Fine. One hundred grand it is. No biggie," he shot back.
I pulled out my phone. "Now.
"If you can't pay up, I'm calling the cops."
Ryan snorted dismissively, punched in the amount, and tapped confirm.
But then, in the next instant, the phone showed his card had insufficient funds.
The crowd of students who'd been watching the drama couldn't help but snicker.
Ryan's face flushed a dark shade of red, as he'd been slapped in public.
He frantically tried another card, hands shaking.
It showed: [transaction failed.]
It was still not enough.
He'd always blown through cash like crazy, and his account was basically empty. There was no way he could pay up this much.
Emily was sniffling quietly off to the side, while the crowd's mocking laughter only got louder.
"Hey, Mr. Lancaster, weren't you just saying it was no big deal?"
"What, can't even scrape together one hundred grand?" another snorted, laughing.
Ryan gritted his teeth, his forehead veins popping.
He had to call up a bunch of his sketchy friends, scrambling for ages to scrape together just enough to pay the bill.
The payment notification chimed.
Money was in.
He'd drained years of pocket money, racing prize cash, and whatever debts he could scrape together.
Ryan looked like he'd been stripped bare, but he still clung to the last shreds of his dignity.
"There. The money's yours. Now get lost," he snapped, his voice shaking with anger.
I took the money.
I didn't even bother looking at that disgraceful duo, a loser and his drama queen.
I turned and walked away.
From behind, Ryan shouted angrily. The basketball was slammed hard against the floor. "Grace. Don't come running to me for help later. You'll regret it."
Beg you? Ryan, you would be the one begging me.