Not
that long ago, Ryke free-solo climbed three rock formations in Yosemite without falling. All I wanted was for him to survive, and he looked tired but accomplished when he reached the bottom. I was proud of him.
And
now he had to come home to this shit.
Life sucks most of the time.
“I
shouldn’t go in there…” Daisy recognizes with a trembling voice. She wants to go retrieve Ryke from jail, but she can’t do a damn thing. Neither can I. My father, however, has more power than us. We just have to be patient.
I rub
my lips, irritated. Just at the whole situation we’re in. “Ryke wanted you to go home with Connor and Rose, so I can’t imagine that he’d be happy if he saw you walk into the jail.”
“I
know,” she murmurs, wiping a stray tear quickly.
I
wince, not liking when she cries, at all. I already sense a change in my relationship with Daisy since she’s become my brother’s girlfriend. She used to be like a little sister to me, but my obligation to her now feels larger when Ryke isn’t here. Like I have to be a force that keeps her safe when he’s gone.
He’d do the same for Lily, and it’s a role that I’ve easily accepted. I pat the leather seat next to me. “Scoot back.”
Daisy
reluctantly distances herself from the window, about to slide to the center seat.
“Not
that far,” I say before she reaches the middle. “The cameras can get a picture of you from the windshield.” This way she’ll be blocked by the front seat.
She
nods, her eyes swollen from crying. Tear streaks are dried on her face, even her left cheek with the long scar. It’s less red than it used to be, but it’ll always be noticeable.
“I
hate my mom for doing this to him,” Daisy says softly.
“Yeah,”
I say, leaning my head back, “Samantha Calloway isn’t a bright ray of sunshine.” I think of all the pain she’s caused Lily through this brutal silence and cold shoulder act. And now, with what she did to Ryke, who’s completely innocent— “No,
I really, really hate her,” Daisy cries angry tears, turning her head towards me. Christ. It’s scary—seeing malice on a girl who’s never worn it before, someone so full of life. “I quit modeling, and instead of being okay with it, she blamed Ryke and did this.”
Her phone is clutched in her shaking hand. “What people are saying…none of it’s true. You know that, right?”
Yeah, I know. I’m also very familiar with defamatory allegations, being falsely accused. I snatch the phone out of her hand and scroll through her Twitter feed while she rubs her eyes.
@GBANews: Ryke Meadows under arrest for statutory rape. #BreakingNews
@PoPhillyFan12: #Raisy is dead :（ I can’t believe Ryke would do that! #TeamCoballoway
@Sucker3Punch: He’s still hot imo. Why’d Daisy have to tempt him like that? #Raisy is dead bc of that ho.
@WendyBird_1: #Raisy is dead cries
“Raisy is dead” is trending on Twitter. I try to hide a grimace. Ryke and Daisy were one of the most popular parts of the reality show, for all the flirting that pushed boundaries but never crossed the line. I didn’t think that their fans would revolt, not even over something like this.
“There’s no evidence against him, Daisy,” I remind her.
“People will get over it.” A camera lens taps the window, crowding too close.
She barely even flinches at the noise.
“They didn’t drop what happened to you,” she says softly.
I stiffen. “It’s different.” There’s an ongoing investigation for the molestation case, and they have family friends saying things like Jonathan Hale has physically grabbed Loren in public. Maybe just the back of my head. They’re stretching what little they’ve seen.
“It’s not the media that hurts the most,” she whispers. “I just…” She tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear, the strand dyed pink. “I feel so betrayed by my mom.” Samantha was the one who tipped off the police.
I shut off her phone. “Ryke won’t be charged with statutory rape. They have no evidence, Daisy.
Just concentrate on that.” It’s the one silver lining. Samantha just wanted to throw Ryke into the media hellfire, let them tear at his character for a while since he’s dating her daughter. I don’t want him to have to deal with this anymore than I want Daisy to.
“Maybe I pushed him too hard…that’s what everyone says, you know? That I tempted him.”