Chapter 7
1 was completely done with Ryder’s bullshit.
We’d been divorced for three years-what gave him the right to police my dating life?
Some of the night owls were heading to the game room for an all-night poker session.
I didn’t want to make a scene, but Ryder grabbed my wrist and started pulling me the other way.
“Jess, we need to talk.”
I couldn’t shake him off and lost it: “There’s nothing to talk about! You heard me-I’m almost thirty and single. Since when is dating a crime?”
His grip tightened: “You’re not doing this!”
I actually laughed: “Ryder, newsflash-we’re divorced. You don’t get a say anymore.”
That really hit a nerve: “Don’t you think I know that? Jesus!”
‘We’ve known each other since we were kids. Can’t I at least ask what’s going on?”
I finally wrenched free, but before I could say something, someone called out first:
‘Hey! You two are still up?”
‘Perfect-we need more players. Brad’s been on FaceTime with his wife for like three hours.”
didn’t want to be alone with Ryder, so I jumped at the chance to join them.
Of course he followed us anyway.
We ended up playing truth or dare, and this random guy from our old Spanish class picked me for his question.
He kept it simple and asked about my job.
When I explained, everyone got all excited:
Wait, so you went from teaching art to kids to actually illustrating picture books? That’s like a total reinvention!”
God, I’m so jealous. I’m miserable at my job but I’d never be brave enough to just… start over.”
That’s when Ashley-our former homecoming queen who’d always been a total bitch-decided to stir the pot:
I wouldn’t call it brave. What takes real nerve is having zero shame about going after someone else’s husband.”
ince everyone had seen Ryder and me walk in together, and Ashley had definitely witnessed our little hallway drama, their imaginations went wild.
could practically see the judgment forming.
They were all thinking: Ryder’s married and Jess is still pathetically chasing after him.
stared at Ryder, waiting for him to tell them the truth.
Silence.
Maybe he was still pissed and wanted to humiliate me. Or maybe admitting he’d been married to me was genuinely embarrassing for him.
That would explain why he’d never brought me to work events, never introduced me to his college friends.
I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t accidentally called him “babe” in front of his coworkers that one time, he never would’ve acknowledged our relationship at all.
Thankfully someone switched gears and we moved to “Never Have I Ever.” People started getting pretty raunchy to avoid taking shots:
“Never have I ever had my roommate walk in on me and not stop!”
“Okay that’s nothing-never have I ever paid my ex’s rent after he cheated on me!”
Then our old class treasurer dropped a bomb: “Never have I ever hooked up with my professor!”
A quiet girl from AP Biology finally brought some normalcy back: “Never have I ever had a daughter.”
Someone pointed at me: “Hey, Jess didn’t drink! No cheating allowed!”
I could’ve made something up, laughed it off.
But suddenly I was so fucking done pretending.
I locked eyes with Ryder and said each word with vicious satisfaction:
‘I’M. Not. Cheating.”
The room instantly went dead silent.
Ryder’s beer bottle slipped from his hands and exploded on the floor.
