On the Outskirts

Seven

~Ryder~

"So then your mom drops the paint brush and can and tries to act like I didn't already see her painting my horse." 

"That is not what happened." 

"Yes, it is and you know it." Sadie chuckled, shaking her head as she sipped from the wine glass. 

"Fine. You want to go there. I'm telling the story of you in the market." Sadie looked too smug right now for me to tell her I didn't care who she told that story. I sat back, waiting for her to start when she smirked. "Or should I tell them the swing story?" Oh no. 

"I think you should tell the market one." 

"Oh, you do?" She chuckled, mocking me as she slid her glass to the table. "So the swing story -" 

"Oh god. You're gonna get me chased out of here with a shotgun." Sadie cackled, body swaying to the side as she tried to frame herself, breathing heavily and huffing before looking across to Hallie sat in Jack's lap looking exhausted. 

"When I was 15, Pops had this bench swing out front. This big wooden thing he built with his bare hands when I was younger than you." Jack's eyes moved to me, and I tugged my hat lower on my head. "In the summer me and my friends pulled it into the middle of the yard so we could sit on it on a night and see the stars. Anyway, one night, I was sat out there alone. Pops had gone to bed early and I was just sat writing in my journal in the peace and quiet when a cocky 17 year old Ryder shows up and decided he didn't want to sit on the bench like a normal kid. No. He wanted to sit on the top beam. So he climbs it, grabs a pen knife he had in his pocket, and starts carving his name into the top." Jack raises his eyebrow at me. The things I did to get Sadie in the early days were beyond stupid. "Now this thing was old. Pops kept saying he needed to break it down because it'd make better firewood than a swing." 

"And it did." 

"It did." Sadie nods. "Anyway, Ryder hits a weak spot, and it cracks. Instead of getting off, he stays there, and it gives out under him." 

"So you're the reason my swing broke." Jack glared at me, and I chuckled, sipping on my beer. 

"Hey, it got me what I wanted." Sadie shot me a glare that just ended in us both laughing anyway. I'd found out through word of mouth that she'd had a shit day and had gone over to cheer her up. Somewhere in the midst of her shouting at me for being dumb and trying to make sure none of my bones were broken, I kissed her for the first time that night. Everyone in town knew Sadie Taylor's story and her dad's refusal to let her hang around with any guy, but I had been determined to get her and I managed it. A week after throwing fruit at her in the market to grab her attention, but that's another story. 

Jack looked up at the clock behind us and sighed, pulling a half asleep Hallie closer into his arms. 

"I'm gonna head to bed. I'll put Hal in her room." 

"Oh dad, no, it's fine. I'll take her hom-" Her dad shot her a look, and she stopped her sentence before she could finish it, leaving him to head upstairs. 

"Keep the noise down, you two. No breaking any swings, either Ryder." 

"There's no swings to break." 

"No, because you already broke it." The house fell into a much more comfortable silence than it had been for the past 2 weeks. Whilst the air was still thick with unsaid words, neither me nor Sadie were ready to discuss. It felt somewhat less suffocating right now. 

"You staying? Or are you jumping ship at the first chance you get again?" Sadie and I stared at each other across the long wooden table. I knew exactly what she meant with that.