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Chapter 23: RYDER
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2023-07-01 14:04:00Related chapters
My Bully's Crush Chapter 24: RYDER
"It was a setup." I'd barely made it through the door after hours spent running around to get here, and this was mom's greeting."What're you talking about, mom? What was a setup?""This whole thing, everything. It was all a setup." Being here in front of her, I saw that the panic in her voice was nothing compared to the fear in her eyes.My mom has this habit of pacing back and forth, waving her arms around frantically when she's stressed. She was doing that now only at warped speed. For a minute, I almost thought she was on something, but this wasn't that look. I know what mom looks like high, and this wasn't it.She kept rambling about lies and conspiracies and blaming herself for believing the wrong people, and I still didn't know what she was talking about. I was too tired and, frankly, freaked out myself to have the patience she obviously needed."You're not making any sense, mom. Now stop pacing and tell me what the hell is going on .""Your marriage, your wife, her family, the
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 25: ELENA
Well, what do you know, life does go on. A little change of scenery and a new and exciting project that takes up most, if not all, of your time, and well, you stop caring too much about what's being said. You'd think after weeks had gone by that the Ryder thing would've died down, but nope.It only seems to have opened up the proverbial can of worms all over again. To make matters worse, no one has seen hide nor hair of him since then, which has prompted everyone and their mother to stalk me around town as if expecting him to pop up any minute.Thankfully I've been too busy for all this nonsense. My agent seems to think I had acquired superpowers since my last breakdown because I find myself having to turn down offers left and right when there was hardly ever anything to choose from before. Granted, I was doing a pretty good rendition of a corpse back then, but still.Instead of griping about it, I decided to be thankful for all of it, but I'm still going to pick and choose what I want
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 26: ELENA
"Sydney, come over; bring food and ice cream. I just returned today and haven't been downstairs to check the fridge, so I'm not sure what we have down there.""I'm on my way." I hung up and turned up Elastic Heart, which I'd had on repeat for the last half hour.Sydney turned up about an hour or so later, but I was caught up in working on the ditty that had popped into my head after reading some of the crap online and didn't really notice the time. We exchanged hugs and small talk about what we'd both been up to since we last met before getting down to business."I guess you saw.""I saw, but you know, I don't believe half of what these things say. Since I was away for so long and you were here, why don't you tell me what's really been going on.""Actually, it's pretty accurate since it all played out online. Though the original post was taken down, someone screenshotted and reposted it, and all hell broke loose.""Yeah, I was afraid of that. I was hoping it was another one of those th
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 27: ELENA
Why was I so worried about doing this, and why did it take me so long? I had a blast. Well, except for the paparazzi that came out in droves. Tonight, they kinda reminded me of the hyenas that were after Mufasa's body. I tend to get a bit over dramatic when I'm pressed.True to his word, Evan was the perfect gentleman, and he seemed genuinely happy with my company. We laughed, we talked, we shared cute little stories, and by the end of it, I was wondering why I couldn't feel anything for him beyond the friendship I was willing to offer.He's such a nice guy, something of a rarity in this town, not to mention hot, but I couldn't even dredge up a tingle for the poor guy. It's like parts of me had gone numb, and others had stopped living altogether. But I did have fun, so much so that I reached for his hand to thank him as we left the establishment."Thanks, Evan, this was great; I had an awesome time." Of course, the cameras caught that moment, and I almost panicked when I saw the flash
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 28: RYDER
She wants to write songs about goodbye; let's show her how that's gonna go down. And since she used music to get her message to me, there's no better way for me to do it than to answer her with a song. Only, I doubt she's going to like my answer.I picked up paper and pen and got to work, but I was too pissed off to see straight, let alone write anything of any substance. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the song right, and my frustration kept growing. I kept writing and rewriting it to get the words just right. It's been hours since I started, and I've spent that time vacillating between being happy that she still remembered our codes and being pissed that she was using it to tell me goodbye.I couldn't even enjoy the fact that she was talking to me, albeit through song, but at least she was acknowledging my existence. The girl hasn't spoken to me once in five years. And the two times she'd graced me with her presence in the same vicinity, she'd looked right through me.So,
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 29: RYDER
"My dad is going to contact you soon. He's going to make it appear that you two are working on a movie together. He's gonna make it appear that that's where you've been for the past couple of months. The story's going to be that he wanted to clean you up before offering you the project.""I still don't see how that's going to work. Your family only works with the best. I've never acted a day in my life. Besides, my reputation doesn't mesh with the clean-cut actors and actresses he usually works with.""Don't worry about it. My dad already has a press release ready to go out about the project you'd be working on. As to your reputation in the past, everyone knows my dad's image and that this is something he would do, so it shouldn't be a hard sell.""As to why you disappeared, that too is something he would do. He would clean you up first before he ever puts you in front of one of his cameras. So that's the story you're going to go with. You don't have to do anything; just wait until aft
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 30: RYDER
Oh sh*t, there is no freaking way kids did this. There was a whole shitstorm playing out on social media in such a way that even I had never seen before, and I have been at the wrong end of a social media blitz many times in the past. It was a well-orchestrated attack, or maybe I could see it because I'd been forewarned and knew what was going on.These kids, if they really were kids, surprised even me, and I was given a heads up about what was coming, but they'd gone in a whole other direction than I'd expected. I thought Janie, Noel, and Nicole were their targets, at least that's what I was led to believe, but they went straight for the head of the snake. They went after Mary, something I would've shook in my boots to do even if I had an army behind me. The woman is vicious, and she has some kind of power over the elite in L.A. that transcends anything anyone could imagine who's not a part of it. I guess it helps that these kids, whoever they are, aren't part of the Hollywood elite
Last Updated : 2023-07-01My Bully's Crush Chapter 31: ELENA
"Are you shitting me? Is this real?" I kept looking back and forth from my phone screen to Sydney, who was sitting next to me on my bed, digging into a tub of ice cream like the world was coming to an end. She had the biggest smile on her face that had been there since she walked in half an hour ago."It's real girlfriend. I'd like to find this MengeLiNi person and give them a reward; they came prepared. I hear Mary and her demon spawn are catching their ass trying to do damage control, but I don't see how they're going to come back from this.""But how does this person know all of this?""I don't know, but the receipts don't lie. Maybe it's someone close to them; who knows? They screw over friend and foe alike, and they must've pissed off someone by not paying them or any one of the other underhanded things they're known for, but people were always too scared to say out loud. Whatever it is, whoever it is, I am here for it."I wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. I'd taken some
Last Updated : 2023-07-01
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My Bully's Crush Chapter 90: RYDER
I saw it as soon as I saw her walking towards the car. Even from this distance, her eyes gave it away. It’s amazing that after all that time apart, I can still read her so well. I knew from the looks of things that she’d spent the day worrying about someone who didn’t deserve it; in fact, I knew it would be like this even before I left her because that’s just who she is, and still, I’d let her go to work like that. I have to do better than this. This was one of my many failings from before, not protecting her even from herself. She’s so brilliant in everything else, always knowing the right thing to say or do, that it was never really needed, except when it came to herself. For everyone else, she’s a champion of causes, the one you want next to you in a fight. As long as the fight is for someone else.I’d seen it, time and again, the way she’d put herself last to take care of others and had taken advantage of that fact a time or two myself. Something I am now grievously ashamed of. Of
My Bully's Crush Chapter 89:ANDREWS
“You’ve got the wrong guy. Don’t you people know who I am? Hey, I’m talking to you; answer me, dammit.” They ignored me again like they had the last ten times I said the same. I’ve been repeating that refrain or some variation of it since they threw me back here with cuffs on and no regard for my comfort. At first, I tried telling myself that it was because of my disheveled appearance that they didn’t recognize me, but then I remembered that they’d called me by name in the alley, and that line of thought went nowhere, but only worked to heighten my fear and desperation.I was trying hard not to shit myself while worrying about the cameras that were bound to meet us as soon as we reached the station. “Hey guys, give me a break here; you know I’m not good for this; you should be out there looking for the real killer. At least let me get cleaned up before you take me in. I can’t let my fans see me like this.” Nothing, it was as if I wasn’t even there.I haven’t even had time to digest th
My Bully's Crush Chapter 88:JANIE
In moments of clarity, I kept telling myself I could bounce back from this, that things were not as final as they seemed, and then my head would become filled with all the ways I’d been wronged, and I’d get so mad I could throw up. All the way back to my childhood home with the two strange men upfront, silent as the dead, ignoring my questions, all I wanted to do was scream.One moment, I felt hopeful and ready to fight for what was mine, and the next, I didn’t have the energy to keep my eyes open. I knew it was partly because of the long drive the night before and partly the drugs messing with me, and still, I couldn’t help taking a couple more just to numb the pain.All I could think about was how hard things were going to be, how people were going to laugh at me, how low I had fallen. No matter how much I told myself to think positively and not give up, those were the only thoughts that seemed to want to hang around, and so they lingered.It wasn’t long before the pills started to d
My Bully's Crush Chapter 87:ELENA
“Do you want to call out today? Tell them you’re not feeling well?”“No, I can’t do that to the others, they have lives too, you know, and they didn’t sign up for my personal drama. I’ll be fine, Ryder, don’t worry about me.” I had to say those words because what else was I going to say? But deep inside, I was a mess and trying very hard to hold onto my sanity.I find myself caught up in a melee of troubling thoughts that don’t sit well with me, and there was no time to think it all through because I had to go to work and be my best in front of the cameras, not giving away any of what I was feeling. It's enough to make me throw up.If it were up to me, I’d go back to bed and pull the covers over my head until it all passed, but I don’t have that option. I thought I would be happy to see my enemy brought low. I’d imagined it a million times over the years, every time I hurt, each time I thought of him with her. I’m only human, after all, and someone else was married and living with the
My Bully's Crush Chapter 86: LYON
“We’ve got sound.”“What, they let you back on the island?”“They don’t know we’re back in.”“I’m pretty sure Russo had a hand in this.”“You would be right; only he could pull off something like this. That’s why we need him on our side.”Another ingrate. “You still haven’t told me how you found every one of us.”“Well, I was doing your job.”“I’m not looking for fuck.”“You found Lorde.”“He found me.”“If you say so.”“I’m not in the mood for your hoodoo bullshit.”“It’s the law of attraction, Lyon; they’re all coming home. Don’t you find it strange that the kids in Cali all found each other without knowing about their ancestral past? We should talk to Catalina about this; I’d love to hear her take on it.”“You talk to her. I ain’t saying shit to that kid.”“You’re just salty because she’s your carbon copy but in a cuter package.”“Kiss my ass. By the way, if she has those lions on that island, I’ll leave the whole lot of you there to get eaten, dumb ass.”“They were taken back to wh
My Bully's Crush Chapter 85: ELENA
What in the world is going on? Am I having an episode, or is this really happening right now? Things seem to be moving very fast one moment, only to slow way down the next, and everything is all out of place. My head was still spinning from my earlier rush of anger, and I could tell that any second now, I was going to lose my breath or have a total meltdown.Ryder looked just as confused as I was, and the hand that I’d used to slug her with stung as he held it gripped tightly in his. There was way too much to unpack here, not least of all the things Janie had revealed in the video we’d all just watched.My chest felt tight as I fought the urge to attack her again, but I knew as much anger as I felt, she was not the only one to blame here. I could lay it all at her feet for sure since she was the idiot who couldn’t take no for an answer. But I have to ask myself, had it not been her, would they have found someone else? From what I see, they would’ve used anyone to serve their purpose; s
My Bully's Crush Chapter 84: RYDER
I should’ve seen it coming, but even I didn’t think she was this stupid. Janie flew up from the chair in a rage and went after Elena, talons bared and teeth gnashing like something out of the wild. And before I or either Jared or Travis could reach them, Elena swung and knocked her down with a punch to the face. The screeching was almost unbearable in the empty room as it bounced off the walls like an echo.Elena, my little angel who I believe has never hurt a fly, stood over her and pulled her hair back hard with her hand raised, ready to wail on her again, but then she suddenly stopped and jumped away from Janie as if she’d been prodded by something. Unfair as it was, I was about to let Janie have it for whatever it was she had done to hurt her, but then Elena spoke, and it was the horror in her voice that had me stepping forward to take a closer look.“What the hell? What happened to your face?” I almost laughed at Elena’s question, thinking she was being facetious since she was the
My Bully's Crush Chapter 83: RYDER
“Where are we going?” She whispered the question as we were being driven through the quiet early morning New York streets by the two very stoic men up front.“I have no idea; they didn’t say. Are you nervous?” She turned to look out the tinted window while keeping her hold on my arm, where she had hers wrapped around my elbow.“Not really. Isn’t that strange?”“I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing earlier.” I don’t feel this at ease around men I hire myself and have known for years.“Have you noticed, though, how quiet the street was when we left the apartment?”“It’s early.”“Yeah, but this is New York; there’s always someone outside, no matter how late or how early it is. I don’t think there was even a pigeon on the sidewalk.”I’d noticed that, too, and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to spook her, but I was pretty sure the two men up front had something to do with that. I wouldn’t be surprised because all of Lyon’s men seem to have some sort of tactical trai
My Bully's Crush Chapter 82: RYDER
The phone rang just as I came out the shower. I’d been in there for much longer than was necessary, thinking about the way my life had changed so drastically in only a few short weeks. It seems impossible, and I still find myself having these moments where I want to pinch myself to make sure that it’s real.In that space of time, I’d gone from wishing for death to wanting to live more than anything. From living in the worst kind of hell imaginable to being the happiest I’ve ever been in my existence. The only thing plaguing me now was how easy it had been for me to lose everything the last time and worrying about how not to let it happen again.I doubt I’d be such an ass twice, but I hadn’t expected things to go south the last time either, and that’s what’s worrying the hell out of me. How blind I was to the people and situations around me. Drugs had played a part in it, sure, but I won’t use that as an excuse for the mess I’d made of our lives.I wasn’t in any hurry to answer the phon
