Faking Forever With The Hockey Captain

Chapter Twelve

Zoey’s POV:

Ryan's ex was standing in the middle of my school like she had every right to be there, and the look on her face told me she had not come to wish him well.

I kept staring at her while Ryan stood beside me, suddenly looking nothing like the boy who had walked into the cafeteria and kissed my cheek without a second thought.

Then she smiled at me again, and I realized she already knew who I was.

“Ryan,” she said, letting his name linger as she slowly walked toward us, while the girl who had been standing beside her stepped aside and folded her arms. “You really didn't tell her?”

Ryan's jaw tightened as he moved slightly in front of me, and the small movement made my stomach twist because I could not tell whether he was trying to protect me or hide something from me.

“Madison, what are you doing here?” he asked, keeping his voice low while students began slowing down around the hallway to watch us.

Madison glanced at me before looking back at him, and the smile disappeared from her face as she tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

“I could ask you the same thing, because the last time I checked, Evergreen wasn't your school.”

“You didn't answer me,” Ryan said, straightening his shoulders as his eyes hardened on her.

“I came to see Olivia,” Madison replied, pointing briefly toward the cafeteria with her thumb while Olivia stood several feet away, watching us with an expression that made me wonder what game she's playing here.

Ryan looked toward Olivia, then back at Madison, and his fingers curled at his sides as he asked, “Why would you need to see her?”

Madison's eyes returned to me, and something about the way she studied my face made me shift my bag higher onto my shoulder. “Because she told me you were here, and apparently you have a new girlfriend now.”

My cheeks warmed, but this time it had nothing to do with Ryan's kiss from lunch, and I looked at him instead of answering her. “Is there a problem with that?” I asked, keeping my voice steady while Ryan's eyes flicked toward me.

Madison gave a quiet laugh as she crossed her arms, and her gaze moved between us as though she were trying to find a crack in something. “No problem at all, sweetheart, unless he forgot to tell you how quickly he moves on.”

Ryan stepped forward, and the calmness in his face disappeared as he said, “Don't talk to her like that,” while several students near the lockers suddenly became very interested in pretending they were not listening.

Madison raised an eyebrow and looked almost amused by his reaction. “Still protective, Ryan?”

“You're done here,” he replied, turning his body slightly toward her while his voice remained controlled.

Ava appeared beside me before I could respond, she shoved her phone into her bag as she looked Madison up and down.

“Okay, I'm officially confused,” she said, planting herself beside me as though she had decided I needed backup. “Who exactly are you?”

Madison smiled at her, but there was no warmth in it as she answered, “Someone who knows Ryan better than you do.”

Ava's eyebrows rose, and she looked at me with a silent question while I pressed my lips together. “That wasn't exactly an introduction,” Ava said, folding her arms as she waited.

Ryan rubbed his forehead before looking at Ava, and his frustration showed in the way he exhaled. “Ava, this is Madison.”

Madison's expression sharpened at the introduction, and she looked directly at me as she added, “His ex.”

I had already known that, but hearing her say it in front of everyone made the word feel heavier than it had a few seconds earlier. I tightened my grip on my bag strap and asked, “Why are you here, Madison?”

She studied me for a moment before glancing at Ryan, and something changed in her eyes as she said, “I wanted to see the girl who apparently made him forget everything.”

Ryan's head snapped toward her, and his voice dropped as he warned, “Don't start.”

Madison ignored him and took another step closer to me, while Ava shifted beside me but I raised a hand slightly to stop her from stepping in.

“I didn't make him do anything,” I said, keeping my eyes on Madison as I refused to let her turn me into the villain in a story I had barely heard.

Madison's lips parted into a small smile, and she looked almost pleased by my answer. “That's interesting.”

“What is?” I asked, watching her closely while Ryan's shoulders stiffened beside me.

“You sound exactly like he described you,” she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone as her eyes stayed fixed on mine.

Ryan moved toward her immediately, and his expression changed when he saw the phone in her hand. “Madison, don't.”

She stopped with her thumb hovering over the screen, and the tiny pause made me look at Ryan. “Don't what?” I asked, turning toward him as Ava's attention shifted between us.

Ryan opened his mouth, but Madison answered first while she slipped the phone back into her bag. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

The answer only made me more suspicious, and I folded my arms as I asked, “Then why did he tell you not to show me?”

Ryan looked at me, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw something close to fear cross his face before he covered it. “Because she likes creating problems.”

Madison's laugh came out sharp as she shook her head. “You still do that, Ryan, blaming me whenever you don't want to explain yourself.”

“You cheated on me,” Ryan said, and the words came out harder than anything he had said since she appeared.

The hallway seemed to quiet around us, and Madison's smile disappeared as she lowered her eyes for a moment. “I know what I did.”

“Then don't rewrite it,” Ryan replied, turning away from her as his hands tightened into fists.

Madison looked at him for several seconds before her attention shifted back to me, and I noticed the anger in her face had been replaced by something harder to understand.

“He never told you why he really ended things, did he?”

My chest tightened, and I looked at Ryan as he immediately shook his head. “Madison, leave.”

She ignored him and took one step backward, her fingers closing around the strap of her bag as she said, “Ask him what happened that night.”

Ryan's face went still.

Ava looked at me, then at him, while I struggled to understand why one sentence had changed the entire atmosphere around us.

“What night?” I asked, staring directly at Ryan as he refused to meet my eyes.

Madison watched him for another second before smiling faintly, and she turned toward the staircase. “Exactly.”

“Madison,” Ryan called after her, but she kept walking as Olivia followed her toward the other corridor.

I remained beside Ryan, staring at the empty space where Madison had disappeared, while Ava quietly stepped away to give us room. “What happened that night?” I asked again, and this time Ryan finally looked at me.

He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck as his usual confidence disappeared. “Zoey, it's not what you think.”

My stomach dropped because those were the exact words people said when there was something they did not want you to know.

Before I could ask another question, Ryan's phone vibrated inside his pocket, and he pulled it out while his eyes dropped to the screen. His expression changed so quickly that I reached for his wrist without thinking.

“Who is it?” I asked, watching the color drain from his face as he stared at the message.

Ryan turned the phone toward himself, but I caught the first line before he could hide it.

You can't keep her away from the truth forever.