Chapter 24

Cassie goes to the cafe in order to find Ryker since she feels that it is essential for her to have a conversation with him about her desire. As soon as she walked inside the cafe, her eyes immediately landed on Ryker. While he was standing with his gang, he was laughing and bullying other people in his old style. Cassie actually forgot about Ryker's gang because she hadn't seen him with them since he returned from a week of suspension.

Cassie walked over to him and asked. “Where the hell have you been?”

Ryker looked at his gang and then at Cassie. “Would you please stop texting and calling me?”

Cassie was taken aback by his tone and question. “What does that mean?”

Ryker shook his head and once again started talking to his gang but Cassie stood there as it was difficult for her to process what Ryker was doing. One of the gang guys nudged Ryker and pointed at Cassie. Ryker grunted and stood up. “What is your problem girl?”

Cassie shot up her shoulders. “What are you trying to do?”

Ryker crossed his arms against his chest. “All I am trying to do is to maintain a distance from you which I think you are not getting.”

Cassie looked around and almost in trembled voice. “I don’t understand.”

Ryker shouted. “For God's sake, woman stay away from me. Yeah, I had sex with you last night but that doesn’t mean you start acting like my girlfriend.”

There was a pin-drop silence in the whole cafe and Cassie felt like her heart going to stop because she was feeling disgusted, heartbroken, and betrayed. Whispers started to emanate in the cafe and Cassie took a deep breath to summon courage. “What was all that about Ryker? Took me to your secret sanctuary and then to games and begged me to spend time with you.”

Ryker laughed. "Because I heard you were a virgin, so I wanted to have sex with you but you know what, the moment my dick gets inside of yours, I feel like throwing up. You are as ugly on the inside as you are on the outside."

The entire cafe became a house of laughter, and Cassie couldn't help but think back to the day Ryker spilled something on her chair and tore her jeans. The only difference was that Cassie didn't feel deceived or heartbroken that day.

Cassie still standing looking at Ryker. He looked at her pulled out his phone out of his back pocket and showed her message to the whole cafe. “Please stop sending me messages I am not interested in your good morning and good night greetings,” Ryker looked back at her “What are we? Twelve again?”

Rita came forward and kept a hand on Ryker’s shoulder. “Stop this nonsense, Ryker.”

Ryker shrugged off her hand. “I think you should also join this nerdy gang.”

Rita had no courage to go against Ryker so she stepped back but inside she was feeling bad for Cassie. Ryker grabbed her arm and pulled forward. “You why I broke up with you, Rita?”

Rita exhaled. “I don’t want to know about it.”

Ryker laughed. “Because I wanted to take my revenge on this nerdy.”

After wiping away her tears, Cassie raced out of the cafe. She had never felt so grossed out about herself ever in her life. She was regretful that she had believed Ryker's falsehoods. She now knows why Ryker was always chasing her after coming back from a suspension. All he needed was to gain her trust and get into her pants.

Cassie wanted to keep her head on Daniel’s shoulder and cry. She wanted to get lost in Steven’s embrace and forget what had just happened to her. Cassie kept crying and covered her mouth because a thought crossed her mind. What if Daniel and Steven were also playing games with her?

Cassie heard her name. She wiped her tears and turned back. Peter was coming to her. Cassie closed her eyes and yelled. “Not mow Peter, I am not in the mood to have another useless argument with you.”

Peter witnessed what had just happened in the cafe. He never liked Cassie he always hated her but after seeing and hearing what had happened to her, Peter kept her animosity aside and rushed to her.

Peter swallowed all his arrogance. “I am not here to start any argument with you. I heard everything in the cafe and I am sorry that happened to you.”

Cassie laughed sarcastically and cut off him. “Oh, so you are not here to argue with me because you are here to tell me how sorry you are feeling for me.”

Peter adjusted his bag. “Listen, Cassie, I have been very clear since day first that I don’t like you, and if I am saying I don’t feel good about what had happened so trust me I am not telling a lie.”

Cassie pointed at him. “Don’t talk about trust with me right now.”

Peter sighed. “I know your trust has been shaken but if you want someone to listen to you I can be those ears until you want it.”

Cassie wiped her tears. “Now I am not gonna fall for any traps.”

Peter shook his head. “I don’t know how to trap because I am pretty vocal about my thoughts.”

Cassie flicked her hand. “Please go and prepare yourself to beat my scores.”

Peter makes a tight line on his lips. “For that, I am fully prepared already and I think this time I have a clear chance to beat you.”

Cassie’s tears stop and now Peter can see anger in her eyes. She sneered and pointed at him. “I have already told you and now I am telling you again I am not going to let you win easily.”

Peter sensed the more he tried to be her friend the more she would push him away so he changed his strategy and tried to distract her mind from humiliation to scholarship and grades. Peter nodded in a way he got what she just told him. “Yeah, but heartbreaks are not easy to handle. Right now you are acting competitively but the moment you are gonna be alone,” he opened his fingers abruptly “Your all competitiveness gonna be puff and then you’ll be engulfed in sadness and tears or maybe howling.”

Ryker looked outside and noticed Cassie talking to Peter. His heart tightened uncomfortably at the sight. He hoped that his revenge would provide him with some sense of fulfillment, closure, or peace. Despite everything he had done, he still felt an emptiness inside him, an unquenchable need that refused to be filled. The sight of Cassie, who appeared unaffected, further fueled his dissatisfaction. His vengeance had not delivered the peace he had sought; rather, it had left him feeling hollow and restless as never before.