Chapter Six
1315 Words
Ryan’s POV
The moment Mrs. Dawson walked away, Mason appeared beside the table with a hockey bag hanging from one shoulder.
He looked from me to Zoey, then at the pile of schedules between us.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”
“I’m working,” I said.
Mason looked at Zoey. “He says that now.”
Zoey closed her notebook. “What does that mean?”
“It means he has spent the whole week talking about this committee every time we’re at practice.”
I turned toward him. “That isn’t true.”
“It absolutely is.”
Zoey’s mouth lifted slightly. “What exactly has he been saying?”
“Nothing important.”
Mason grinned. “He said you were right about the student clubs.”
I stared at him.
He laughed. “And that your festival plans are actually good.”
“Mason.”
“And yesterday he spent ten minutes explaining why the opening ceremony needs better lighting.”
Zoey looked at me with clear amusement. “You’ve been discussing my ideas at hockey practice?”
“I’ve been discussing the festival.”
“Of course.”
Mason shook his head. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
I grabbed a folded schedule from the table and tossed it toward him. He caught it before it reached his face.
“Very mature, Captain.”
“You came here to annoy me.”
“I came to pick up the equipment list. Annoying you is just a bonus.”
Zoey laughed, and I found myself smiling before I could stop it.
Mason noticed.
His expression changed immediately.
“Oh.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“That did not sound like nothing.”
He looked between us again. “I’ll get the list myself.”
“You already know where it is.”
“Exactly.”
He walked away before I could ask what he was talking about.
Zoey watched him disappear through the doors. “Your friend is strange.”
“He thinks he’s funny.”
“He is.”
I looked at her. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m still deciding.”
Before I could answer, the lights above us flickered. Several students looked toward the ceiling as the community center suddenly went dark.
Someone near the stage groaned.
“Great,” Zoey muttered. “Exactly what we needed.”
The emergency lights came on a few seconds later, leaving the room dim.
I picked up my phone and checked the time. “We should probably stop for tonight.”
Zoey gathered the papers. “We still need to finish the volunteer schedule.”
“We can do it tomorrow.”
She hesitated before nodding. “Fine.”
We started packing everything into the storage cabinet when the community center manager hurried into the room.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “There’s a problem with the electrical panel. The main lights may stay off for the rest of the evening.”
“Is the building safe?” I asked.
“Yes. We just need everyone to leave until the electrician arrives.”
Zoey zipped her bag and looked at me. “You heard him.”
We walked outside together.
The cold hit immediately.
Zoey pulled her coat tighter around herself and glanced toward the parking lot. “Ava was supposed to pick me up.”
“Did she say where she was?”
Zoey checked her phone. “She just texted. Her brother’s car broke down.”
I looked toward the road. “I can drive you.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She looked at me for a moment. “You really don’t mind?”
“No.”
She hesitated before nodding. “Okay.”
My car was parked near the entrance. I unlocked it, and Zoey climbed into the passenger seat. When I started the engine, she placed her bag between her feet and stared through the windshield.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
The silence felt different from the quiet we had shared inside the community center. There were no other students around us, no committee members, and no teachers watching.
Just us.
Zoey broke the silence first.
“Do you always help people without making a big deal about it?”
I glanced at her. “What makes you ask that?”
“The way you handled those students yesterday.”
I kept my eyes on the road. “They needed help.”
“You could have taken the box yourself.”
“That wouldn’t have helped them work together.”
She smiled faintly. “You really care about this project.”
“I do.”
“Why?”
I thought about it for a moment.
“Because I’m tired of everyone treating Evergreen and Ridgeview as enemies.”
She turned toward me. “You really mean that?”
“Yes.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Why?”
“You’re the captain of Ridgeview.”
“I know.”
“Your school expects you to hate us.”
“I never said I hated anyone.”
She looked out the window again. “Maybe I’ve been wrong about you.”
I smiled. “You’ve said that before.”
“And you’re enjoying it.”
“A little.”
She laughed softly.
The sound stayed with me longer than it should have.
When we reached her street, I slowed near her house. She picked up her bag but didn’t open the door immediately.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For the ride?”
“For today. For what you said at the meeting. For everything.”
I looked at her. “You don’t have to thank me for being your partner.”
“I know.”
She opened the door, then paused.
“I’m glad you’re my partner.”
Before I could respond, she stepped out and closed the door.
I watched Zoey disappear through her front door before starting the car.
I had barely pulled away from the curb when my phone rang.
Mason.
I answered through the car speakers. “What?”
“Where are you?”
“I just dropped Zoey home.”
There was a short silence.
“You did what?”
I frowned. “She needed a ride.”
“You drove her home?”
“Yes, Mason.”
“And you’re still outside her house?”
I glanced at the rearview mirror. “I’m leaving now.”
He laughed under his breath. “You are aware that you sound completely weird l saying all of that, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve spent your entire life arguing with that girl and her school, and now you’re driving her home after committee meetings.”
“She needed a ride.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Sure.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Why did you call?”
“I was going to ask if you saw what people are saying.”
“What people?”
“Check your phone.”
The call ended.
I reached for my phone at the next red light and opened the Ridgeview gossip page.
A new post sat at the top.
There was a picture of my car parked outside Zoey’s house.
For a second, I just stared at it.
Then I read the caption.
‘RYAN WALKER AND ZOEY BENNETT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ENEMIES. SO WHY WAS THE RIDGEVIEW CAPTAIN AT HER HOUSE TONIGHT?’
My stomach dropped.
I scrolled down.
There was another picture.
This one showed Zoey getting out of my car.
Underneath it was another caption.
‘RYAN WALKER AND ZOEY BENNETT: RIVALS OR SOMETHING ELSE?’
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