Faking Forever With The Hockey Captain

Chapter Eleven

Zoey’s POV:

I stared at Ryan with my hand still trapped in his, while the cafeteria around us erupted into whispers and the heat from his kiss seemed to spread across my entire face.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, pulling my hand free as I finally found my voice, and Ryan straightened beside my chair with an expression that was far too calm for someone who had just caused half the cafeteria to lose its mind.

He glanced around at the students watching us before looking back at me with a small smile that made my irritation grow.

“What?” he asked, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket as though kissing my cheek in front of everyone had been the most normal thing in the world.

“You know exactly what,” I said, lowering my voice as I stood from my chair and stared up at him, while Ava covered her mouth with one hand to hide the laugh threatening to escape.

Ryan tilted his head toward me, his eyes moving briefly over my face before settling on mine.

“I was saying hello to my girlfriend,” he replied, and the casual way he said it made my stomach twist because I knew perfectly well that our agreement had never included surprising me like this.

“You could have said hello without giving everyone a heart attack,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest as I tried not to look at the spot on my cheek where his lips had touched.

Ava finally lowered her hand and shook her head, her eyes moving between us with open amusement.

“I don't know, Zoey,” she said, leaning back against her chair as she studied Ryan, “I think that was a pretty convincing hello.”

I shot her a warning look, but Ryan laughed quietly beside me, and the sound only made me more annoyed.

“You're enjoying this,” I accused, turning toward him while the students around us continued whispering.

“Maybe a little,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as his smile widened, but something about his eyes told me he had come here for more than the reaction.

Olivia had been silent since he arrived, and when I looked toward her, I found her staring at Ryan with an expression I couldn't read.

She picked up her tray slowly and looked at me.

“So this is what you meant when you said nothing was going on?” she asked, tightening her grip around the edge of the tray as several students nearby suddenly became very interested in their own lunches.

My jaw tightened.

“You were the one who came over here accusing me of trying to outshine you,” I replied, turning fully toward her as I refused to let her twist what had just happened into another attack on me.

Olivia's eyes narrowed.

“I didn't accuse you of dating him.”

“No, you just accused me of wanting attention,” I shot back, keeping my voice controlled while Ava shifted beside me, clearly ready to jump into the argument again.

Ryan looked between us before resting one hand against the back of my chair.

“Hello, maybe you shouldn't talk to my girl like that.” he said, his voice calm but firmer than before as he glanced around at the crowd that was still watching us.

Olivia gave him a tight smile.

“It's interesting that you are always here in Evergreen now, what do you want with us?”

Ryan's expression changed, and he looked at her without smiling.

“None of your business, and of course, my girl is here.”

The simple answer seemed to catch Olivia off guard, and Ava's lips curved into a tiny smile as she reached for her drink.

“Good,” Ava said, stirring the straw around her cup as she watched Olivia, “because I hope that will shut her up.”

Olivia ignored her and looked at me again.

“We'll talk later,” she said, lifting her tray before walking away from the table, but the way she glanced back at Ryan made me wonder whether she was more bothered by him than she wanted to admit.

I watched her disappear into the crowd before turning toward Ryan.

“You're coming with me.”

He raised an eyebrow as I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the cafeteria doors, while Ava called after us.

“Don't kill each other before fifth period.”

I glanced over my shoulder.

“No promises.”

The hallway outside was almost empty because lunch had not ended yet, and I stopped near the lockers before turning on Ryan.

“You can't just do things like that.”

He leaned against the locker behind him, watching me with an irritating calmness.

“I thought we were supposed to make people believe we're together.”

“Not ambush me.”

“You looked surprised.”

“I was surprised.”

“That was the point.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide whether I wanted to yell or laugh, and his mouth twitched when he noticed my struggle.

“You're enjoying making me angry,” I said, pointing a finger at him as I tried to keep my voice low.

“You're easier to read when you're angry,” he replied, pushing away from the locker as his expression became more serious.

The answer caught me off guard, and I lowered my hand while studying him.

“What does that mean?”

He took a step closer, stopping just far enough away that I could still breathe normally.

“It means you hide everything when you're trying to look like you have everything under control,” he said, watching my face carefully as his voice dropped.

I looked away first because I didn't know what to do with that.

“You don't know me that well.”

“Maybe I'm starting to.”

His words stayed between us for a second, and I hated how suddenly aware I became of the small distance between us.

I cleared my throat and stepped back.

“You still owe me an explanation.”

His expression shifted again.

“Mason told me something this morning.”

“What?”

“He said someone had been asking questions about you.”

My stomach tightened as I folded my arms again.

“Who?”

“He didn't tell me.”

“Then why did you come here?”

Ryan looked down the hallway before meeting my eyes.

“Because I wanted to see whether you were okay.”

I blinked, and the answer was so different from what I expected that I couldn't immediately respond.

“You could have texted.”

“I did.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

I pulled out my phone and checked it, finding a message from an unknown number beneath Ava's notifications. I’d not saved it since earlier this morning.

‘You looked stressed this morning. Don't let them get to you.’

I looked back at him.

“You sent this?”

Ryan nodded, but before I could answer, footsteps sounded from the far end of the hallway.

Ava appeared around the corner with her bag hanging from one shoulder, and the serious look on her face made me straighten.

“Zoey, your teacher is looking for you,” she said, slowing when she noticed Ryan standing beside me. “And Olivia has already gone to see Mrs. Dawson.”

My stomach tightened as I glanced toward the cafeteria doors.

“What does she want with Mrs. Dawson?”

Ava shrugged, but her eyes moved toward Ryan before coming back to me. “I don't know. She only told someone that she needed to discuss what happened at lunch.”

I looked at Ryan, expecting him to make some smart comment about it, but he wasn't listening to us anymore.

His attention was fixed on something behind me.

I turned around.

Olivia was standing at the other end of the hallway, talking to a girl I didn't recognize. The girl had her arms folded tightly across her chest, and she kept looking in our direction while Olivia whispered something into her ear.

I couldn't see her face clearly from where I stood, but there was something strangely familiar about the way she was watching Ryan.

Ryan's shoulders had gone rigid.

“Ryan?” I asked, turning back toward him.

He didn't answer immediately.

The girl suddenly looked straight at him, and the color seemed to drain from his face.

Then she smiled.

Not at me.

At him.

Ryan finally looked away.

“What the heck is she doing here?” he said quietly, his eyes still fixed on the hallway.

I frowned.

“Who is that, do you know her?”

He swallowed, and for the first time since I had met him, he looked like he didn't know what to say.

“My ex.”