Chapter Nine
My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend

The next day, the two couples—hoping to fill the time as they waited for the absent Andre and his girlfriend—spent the entire day doing everything they could to stay out of Tori's small hometown…and away from Ryder, even though the brunette didn't understand why it was such a big deal. She knew that Cat's suggestions of going out to lunch, the mall, and maybe a movie—probably adding in a club later in the day—was supposed to keep Tori's mind off the altercation with her ex. The redhead was trying to cool any lingering tension by avoiding the problem.

Surprisingly—or not, considering the elation train she was riding on—the singer didn't care whether they saw Ryder or not. In fact, the thought of him hardly even bothered her anymore. At least, not with anything but annoyance. Now, she was simply worrying about her new boyfriend, not the old. It was liberating and all too necessary.

It was so nice to hold Beck's hand as they walked with her head held high, not having to worry about what people would think, what he would think. Honestly, she enjoyed the freedom of giving him a kiss on the cheek whenever she wanted, of his arm around her shoulders in the restaurant. She definitely liked that it wasn't considered a big deal when he scooped her up in the middle of the mall, spinning her around like a princess in his arms.

For once, she was just happy in her own shoes. She was flying high on a cloud of bliss and couldn't imagine how anything could ruin it.

Later, she would have a good laugh at that thought.

But as the afternoon wore on, she had no reason to think that anything was less than perfect. Even as the sun faded into the horizon like the couples' energy, signaling that it was quickly becoming the evening, Tori saw no problem with suggesting that they head to the bar just blocks from her house to wind down for the night. It wouldn't be a drink-and-party kind of time, just a little space to sit down, have a drink or two, and calm after their rather eventful day.

Besides, it would be easier for Andre to find the bar rather than her house.

As Beck drove the quartet closer to the location of the near-fight the night before, he kept glancing over at Tori, his expression questioning and guarded. She didn't dare ask him what was wrong with Cat and Robbie in the car, but she sensed that they would need to talk soon.

Was he bothered by the fact that Ryder would probably be there to welcome them with not-quite-friendly demeanor? She should have thought about his feelings towards seeing the other man again before she ever suggested going back to the bar. Of course he would be upset by it; he'd nearly come to blows the night before with the guy. And she was dragging him back into a possibly similar situation.

But she couldn't help that she wanted nothing more than to show off her boyfriend and friends to those that had made her senior year in high school hell. She was finally able to look everyone in the eye, show them that she couldn't be brought down by people as petty as Ryder and his women.

She would thumb her nose at their rudeness, their disgust and laugh at the fact that they thought they were so much better than her.

Yet Beck's near constant glances were making her uneasy. His brow was furrowed as if in deep thought, as if wondering what the hell was wrong with her. This sudden surge of confidence that rose from within her was shocking even to her. But the openness blooming from her wasn't something she could shake off; she was returning to the girl she had been before the Ryder debacle and she loved it. Just because it wasn't the girl he was used to didn't mean he would hate it, right?

As they pulled up into the parking lot, Tori couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she prepared herself to truly come to terms with her demons. She felt predatory, almost dark, as the feeling of anticipation—and a strange hope that her past was around to try to haunt her—came over her, turning her thoughts malicious.

This was the vengeance she craved, that she'd needed for nearly four years. Sure, it was a little late to expect anything to change, but it would feel so good to see that look on Ryder's face when he realized that he had no power over her anymore, that he didn't matter to her. She'd wanted to show him and she would.

It was going to be the turning point she needed. It had to be.

She got out of the car without waiting for Beck to get the door for her, crossing to his side to take hold of his arm before striding inside with her head held high.

As it was the perfect time to go to a bar on a Saturday night, the place was already filling up with the younger crowd, slowly pushing out the older regulars with the music that came on. The girls from the night before had been joined by others—who were no less guilty in destroying Tori's confidence—and they all seemed to watch her enviously, the guys surrounding them doing double takes at a Tori they could hardly recognize.

Beaming brightly, she felt like a queen among her subjects as she pressed closer to Beck's side, hardly even noticing how tense he was beneath her hold. She was too engrossed in how the others were seeing her to give much thought to the man walking with her, didn't realize that there was a growing aura of discomfort and anger radiating off him.

She could, however, hear Cat and Robbie whispering behind her, though she could only make out her name for sure. It made her pause for a moment, wondering why they were talking about her at all. Was it because they noticed the sudden change in her since the day before?

Going rigid at the thought of her friends' murmurings, she tried not to let it affect her, knowing well enough that they weren't exactly the types to gossip about anyone, much less their friends.

"Tori," Beck murmured as they took over a recently vacated table. His voice was low, disguising anything he might be feeling. "Let's go outside. So we can talk. In private." His hand wrapped around hers, not even giving her time to respond with a nod before pulling her after him out to the patio.

Once the cool air hit them, he immediately spun to face her, his expression impassive and just a little bit tired.

She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, what was going on. This wasn't the Beck she was used to anymore than she was the Tori he was familiar with. Taking a step forward, she reached one hand towards his cheek, worry eating at her. What had she done wrong? Had he not wanted to come to the bar? After his near-battle with Ryder the night before, she should have made sure he was okay with coming. Instead, she'd assumed it would be fine, hadn't bothered to talk about it with him at all.

In fact, they hadn't talked about it the night before, either. After their discussion on the sidewalk, they'd walked in companionable silence back to her parents' house, curling up on the guest house's living room couch to watch movies until they'd fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder, his flung back against the cushion.

But they really did need to talk about it. Considering the grief she'd put him through when they first met, he needed to know how much it meant to her that he hadn't walked away. That he'd stuck up for her when there had really been no reason to. He could have just turned around and left her alone when she'd started dismissing him that first week of class, but he'd stuck it out with her, become her friend, become her significant other.

And didn't that mean a lot in the grand scheme of things? Didn't that mean that he had to feel something for her?

She was shocked when he pulled away from her slowly, sighing as he stepped back to put space between them. Leveling his gaze with hers, he took a deep breath before asking quietly, "Why did you ask me what you did last night?"

His words—the question itself—caught her off guard as her hand dropped back to her side, her eyes widening at the question.

Why? Was there any one reason she had? Couldn't it just be because it had felt right to ask him, to put herself out there and hope that he returned the sentiment?

No one had ever asked her why she wanted to spend time with them, wanted to be with them. Her friends never had, Ryder certainly never had. How was she supposed to answer him without possibly confusing him or driving him off? "I don't…I mean, I can't…what do you mean?"

There were too many reasons, none of which she could put her finger on. It was the way he had slipped his number into her books that first day. It was the way he had held his own against her in a battle via Alphabet Improv. It was the way he didn't give up on trying to spend time with her, even after she tried to rescind the kiss she'd nearly tackled him during. It was the way he'd slowly but surely made himself an important part of her daily life without alienating anyone she loved.

It was how he had protected her when she could hardly speak for herself.

But could he understand that? Would he ever understand that she had a million reasons for everything she'd done? No one else had ever understood her actions post-Ryder, just taking it all in stride without blinking. So how was she supposed to answer such a loaded question?

His jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed on her, as if he could read her like a book. He was unrelenting, even without speaking, demanding that she tell him all that was going on in her mind. "Did you ask me because of Ryder?" he rumbled roughly, holding her gaze hotly. "Is he the reason you suddenly want us to be together?"

Too shocked by his harsh demeanor to say anything, she felt her mouth drying as words hesitated to form.

Did it have something to do with Ryder? Of course it did; if she hadn't felt like she needed to go up on stage, to release the frustration Ryder's mere mention always brought out in her, she never would have had the courage to even ask Beck what they were. And if she'd never been with Ryder, she never would have felt the need to fight off Beck's advances from here to Friday.

So she said the only thing she could think of to answer his question. The only thing that could make things right, at least in her mind. "Last night, I finally felt free of Ryder," she whispered, keeping their eyes locked so he could never doubt her honesty. "After everything that's happened, it just feels nice to not have to worry about him anymore, to worry about what he did to me. Now, all those people can see that I'm free—"

"This was all about showing off to all those people?!" Beck shouted, throwing his arms up with a mirthless chuckle. "The only reason you want to be with me is to show off to your ex and all the people who couldn't give a shit less about what happens to you unless it's gossip worthy?" His eyes rolled before returning to hers, angry and betrayed, a long pause stretching between them.

She could hardly believe what he was saying, what he was implying. She'd known he wouldn't understand what she was trying to get across. She'd known that he would never understand how…perfect it felt to start to move on from all the crap she'd had to deal with.

And now she was too close to crying to trust her voice to speak for her.

"He's still got a hold over you," he spoke, his voice low, quiet. "He's still the only reason you want to do anything in this town. This town where you can only trust your family." He stopped for a moment, something dawning on his face as if realizing some great cosmic truth. "That's why you invited me here, isn't it? To show me off to ll these people from your past," he muttered, gaze turning to the ground in disgust.

She couldn't believe what he said, reached out for him to get him to look at her. "Beck, that's not—" She tried to say something, to tell him how wrong he was, but he stormed back into the building before she could finish, the sound of the door closing behind him bringing tears to her eyes.

How had he come to such a conclusion? Couldn't he see how much he meant to her? Why wouldn't he listen to her?

"Trouble in paradise already?"

God, she hated that voice with everything within her. Its owner intended to drag her down to his level, to make her feel like she was nothing more than the dirt on his shoe. Had she once been attracted to the tenor? How?

She knew that if she turned around, she would be acknowledging his existence, his presence. He would see the tears in her eyes, assume that he was the cause—which, in a convoluted way, he was. But if she didn't look at him, he would antagonize her until he got the response he wanted. And he was very good at antagonizing her. A master, even.

With a sigh of exasperation, she wiped her sleeve across her face before crossing her arms over her chest to turn and look at Ryder, noting that he was looking cocky as ever. "Can't you just leave me alone?" she asked tiredly. "Just this once, can't you do the decent thing?" She held his gaze, hoping that he would be a good human being if only for now.

Why wasn't she feeling bold and in charge? Wasn't this the point in time where she was supposed to face her demons, laugh in their faces? She felt…defeated, instead, worried over what would happen with Beck. This was supposed to be her winning moment, but she felt like the world was crashing down around her, crushing her from the weight of all the poor decisions she'd ever made.

This meeting with Ryder had been what she wanted before, but now she just wanted to get back to Beck.

Because he was right. Why was she trying to prove how good she was, how well off she was now that Ryder was out of her life? What did it matter when none of the people she was showing off to cared about her as anything other than a bit of gossip? Besides, she could hardly recognize most of them. Why try to gain their envy? What did it truly matter, in the scheme of things? What had she gotten out of their brief moments of jealousy?

She'd only managed to hurt Beck. Christ, she'd probably made him feel the same way Ryder had her.

The only thing that broke through to her at this point was when Ryder strode towards her with an arrogant swagger that made her want to hit him. Hard. "Oh, come on; you always used to come to me for support. Why not now?" The smirk he gave her told her how he intended to comfort her, what he was suggesting. As if she would ever jump on that invitation. "I mean, we're both adults here and more than willing." As he got that step too close, backing her towards the side of the building, his voice dropped to a husky murmur. "He doesn't even ever have to know."

As if she were thinking clearly for the first time in her life, Tori discovered the reason she'd truly been hurt by Ryder all those years before.

Had those girls said much the same to him? Had they sworn she would never find out about what they did? The girls she'd grown up with—thought she was friends with—had been the true betrayers. Girls expected boys to hurt them, but not their friends. All for one and one for all. But they'd played Ryder's little game and hadn't cared about how it would hurt her. She'd been blaming Ryder alone for years when it took two to tango.

And she was letting him control her. She'd hurt someone who might genuinely care for her because she wanted to show how better off she was without him.

And for what? Would that betrayal rule her life forever? Would she let that memory stall the rest of relationships until they were at a standstill?

No. Enough was enough. It was time to move on and let go.

Giving Ryder a dispassionate glance, she answered, "I think we both know that isn't going to happen, Ryder. Even if it wasn't for Beck…you and I have never been right and that's not about to change."

Had she really thought saying that would stop his approach?

Laughing at her refusal, Ryder took another step forward, pressing her against the cool bricks of the building. "But we don't have to be right, Tor. That's the thing." His face got close to hers, as if he planned to kiss her. "It doesn't mean forever if we have a little fun now."

Trying to remain calm, Tori felt the atmosphere around him changing. She felt trapped, praying that someone—anyone—would come outside, even if it was someone she didn't know who just wanted to have a smoke. "I won't be doing that. Not with you. Beck and I are just having a small case of miscommunication—"

"So, him but not me?" Ryder demanded, suddenly caging her in with an almost wild light in his eyes. It was animalistic jealousy shining there, a territorial gleam that made her wish that she had followed Beck inside in the moments before. "That preppy asshole is good enough to pop the Vega cherry, but not me?"

She squeezed her eyes closed as he cursed her quietly, raising his hand. She had no idea what he would do; hit or grab? Either scenario and she would scream as loud as she could, loud enough to shatter windows if it came to it.

But no touch came. There was a sickening crack of flesh against flesh, something hard meeting something only slightly less so.

Her eyes opened, shocked at the scene before her.

Ryder was pushed away from her, clutching his jaw, as Beck stood protectively between them. His fist was still held aloft, his shoulders heaving as he obviously restrained himself from doing any further damage.

"Don't you ever lay a hand on her again, understand?" Beck growled. "If you do, you're going to need an ambulance to cart you out of here." Turning to Tori, he took her hand, dragging her back inside towards their friends. Robbie and Cat stared at them, wide eyed, as Beck muttered, "We're leaving. Make sure to show Andre the way to her house when he finally gets here." Then Beck was towing her out of the bar and down the street towards her house.

Tori wondered exactly what was about to happen between them.

I know this is later than I said, but some family stuff came up. Sorry!