The entire table went dead silent.
Sienna felt like someone had ripped her heart out and stomped on it.
When they finally broke apart, Nina was red as a tomato. Ryan quickly tried to cover. “Oh shit, wait- I was sitting there earlier. So technically Nina’s ‘person to the left‘ was me. Game over, right?”
The awkwardness was suffocating. Everyone kept sneaking glances at Sienna like she was a car crash they couldn’t look away from.
She couldn’t deal with the pity stares anymore. The party was dying down anyway, so she grabbed her clutch and bounced.
The night air smacked her in the face, and that’s when she realized she’d been crying.
“Sienna, hold up!”
Ryan jogged after her, catching her arm in the valet area. “Hey, are you pissed? I can explain-”
His whole panicked boyfriend act was almost laughable.
“Pissed about what?”
“That whole thing back there…” He was word–vomiting now. “Nina was freaking out about kissing Danny, so I jumped in. It was literally nothing – just helping a friend. You know that, right?”
“I’m not pissed.” She shrugged out of his grip, voice scary–calm. “Honestly? Kiss her whenever you want. Make out for hours. I genuinely don’t give a shit anymore.”
Ryan looked like she’d slapped him. “What the hell does that mean?”
Sienna stared at her boyfriend of three years and felt absolutely nothing. No anger, no hurt. Just… done.
She was about to break up with him right there when Nina came stumbling out, mascara running down her face.
“Sienna, oh my God, I’m so sorry!” She kept bowing like they were in some K–drama. “Please don’t hate Ryan–hate me instead!”
The whole victim act made Sienna look like the bad guy.
“It’s all my fault for being weird about the dare!”
Ryan immediately switched into white knight mode. “Nina, stop. I already talked to Sienna. She’s cool with it. Right, babe?”
Sienna almost laughed. “Totally cool.”
Nina’s whole demeanor changed–relief flooding her face. “Oh… okay. I guess I should get an Uber
then.”
“Nah, don’t waste the money.” Ryan was already pulling out his keys. “I’ll drop you off.”
Nina’s eyes practically sparkled, but she threw Sienna a fake–concerned look. “What about Sienna though? I live like forty minutes away…”
“She’s good.” Ryan waved her off like it was nothing. “Her dad will send the car service.”
He walked Nina to his BMW, then called back over his shoulder, “Text me when you’re home, yeah?”
And just like that, they were gone. Taillights disappearing into the night.
He forgot.
Their usual driver was out – his mom had been in the hospital all week. She’d literally told Ryan about it yesterday when he picked her up.
He used to have her whole life memorized. Her Starbucks order, her class schedule, which Instagram posts would make her laugh.
Now he couldn’t even remember she was stranded.
The rain started absolutely pouring. Sienna stood outside the country club forever, watching every Uber on the app be like “20+ min away.”
Finally she said fuck it and started walking home.
Big mistake. The sidewalks were slick as hell, it was pitch black, and about halfway home some DoorDash guy on an electric bike absolutely nailed her.
Her knee smacked the pavement hard – blood mixing with rainwater, the whole nine yards.
Dude didn’t even slow down. Hit and run, classy.
Chapter 2
She hobbled the rest of the way home, which took forever in her heels and the pouring rain.
By the time she dragged herself through the front door, she was completely done. Cleaned up her scraped knee, slapped a bandage on it, and saw her phone light up: Ryan: home safe?
She couldn’t even. Just powered off and collapsed into bed.
Next morning, someone was absolutely laying on her doorbell.
Sienna stumbled downstairs looking like death. Ryan was on her doorstep, all wide–eyed and worried. “Babe, did you make it home okay? You never texted back.”
She limped toward the kitchen. “Yeah, got a little banged up. Crashed early.”
That’s when he clocked her bandaged leg. “What the hell happened?”
“Our usual driver’s dealing with family stuff, remember? Had to hoof it home in the rain. Some delivery guy on a bike took me out.”
The guilt hit Ryan like a truck as he finally remembered. “Shit, Sienna… why didn’t you call me?”
She gave him a look. “Would you have actually come back for me?”
“Are you serious? Of course.”
“Even if Nina needed you for something?”
The tiniest hesitation. Like a split second. “Babe, come on. You know you’re my priority.”
That pause told her everything she needed to know.
Old Ryan would’ve answered before she finished the question. Old Ryan used to memorize her coffee order changes. Old Ryan never forgot anything about her, ever.
“Let’s hit up Six Flags,” he said suddenly, going full damage control. “I already got us Fast Passes.”
“I’m not really feeling it.”
“Come on, you’ve been dying to ride that new coaster.” He grabbed her hand, doing his signature move where he traces her palm. “It’ll be good for us.”
Before she could protest, he was basically dragging her to his BMW.
She opened the passenger door and froze.
Chapter 2
Nina was chilling in the backseat.
“Oh, hey Sienna…” Nina did her whole shy girl wave thing.
Ryan immediately jumped between them like Nina needed protection. “She posted about never
going to an amusement park, so I thought we’d show her around.”
Sienna watched her boyfriend playing white knight for another girl.
The fucking audacity.
She got in without a word.
