Dark Side of the Moon.

Everyone can feel the tension between Ryder and myself, and the harder we all try to ignore it, the greater it builds.

Patrick clears his throat, almost as his he is trying to get everyone's attention before he looks up to Wesley, who is sitting across him. "So Wes, I can call you that right? Tell us about yourself."

"Yeah, you guys can call me that, or Doyle, that's what my friends call me. But I'm twenty-five. I just moved here about six months ago from Arkansas for my job; my father and I are business partners in the petroleum industries. I like sports, to work out, drinking beer, I also like books and movies."

"What kind of movies do you like?" Adam interrupts.

"Uh, I like all kinds of movies but the really good ones are when someone gets brown up," Wesley smiles, letting his inner boy show through.

"I told you those are the best types of movies," Patrick says to Adam with a laugh.

"What's your job?" I ask, interested.

"I'm overseeing a new oil rig being drilled. We're drilling one on land then another one offshore in a couple months. That's why I was so dirty when we met, I had to get my hands a little messy."

"How long are you staying in Texas?" Ryder asks from the other end of the table.

"Well I've signed a year's lease at my apartment," Wesley says, not knowing anything better to say.

"What are you going to do in a year?" Adam says after swallowing his mouth full of pizza.

"Well I'm not sure if I want to stay here longer, or go back to Arkansas with my family, or even go to Alaska to oversee one of those rigs being built. I'll weigh my options when the time comes."

"Let's hope you go to Alaska," We all hear Ryder mutter. I send daggers at him with my eyes and Wesley pretends not to notice.

We have a staring contest, Ryder and myself. I am screaming at him with my mind and I can tell he is doing the same thing, though I don't know why. He has no reason to act like this, like a complete brat. I know I didn't raise him to treat people like he is treating Wesley.

Tito, the owner, breaks the silence by approaching our table. "Big win today Ryder?"

"Yes sir" I watch Ryder's manners reappear, and a booming smile sneak it's way onto his face.

"That is good, so good we deserve ice cream!" Tito has gotten into the habit of giving the kid a free scoop of ice cream if they win after any game they play. It's become another part of the tradition. "Okay, go pick out what flavor you want."

Ryder, Gavin and Violet hop off their seats and scurry towards the ice cream display case near the cash register.

"The bill for you, Miss. Grace" Tito says as he produces a tinted receipt.

Before I could take the piece of paper from Tito, Wesley hands him his card. "I got it."

"Oh, and who are you?" Tito asks, seeing Wesley for the first time.

"I'm Wes, a friend of Grace's."

"Grace has friends?" Wesley, Patrick and Adam erupt in laughter but Tito remains serious.

"Oh Tito, none of them are good enough to introduce to you," I start to say, smiling.

"Well then Miss. Grace, Wes must be quite a friend," He winks before turning away with Wesley's card in hand.

Wesley smiles at me. That isn't what I meant. I didn't mean to say that I actually liked Wesley enough to introduce him to Tito. I was just being nice, maybe even a little witty. It's already to late though, Patrick and Adam are both smiling at me as well. I see them each planning parts or our wedding. I groan inward.

Tito comes back still smiling as he gives Wesley his blue plastic card back. The kids are standing behind him with their ice cream cones. It's our cue to leave. I stand, straighten out my dress and wait for the other three to follow my action. They do, and one by one we are out the door.

Again I am standing out side of Wesley's car while the kids wait in mine.

"That was fun," I say.

"Yeah, I don't think they like me."

"Patrick and Adam like you. So do Gavin and Vi, they just don't want to show it because Ryder doesn't. But I'll talk to him."

"Then that means another date."

"This wasn't a date," I say, sticking my foot in my mouth once again.

"I consider it a date. I'll call you this week. We can do something this weekend, yeah?"

"Sure," I swallow my pride and kiss him swiftly before making my way to my car without a second glance.

*

It's finally dark outside and two of the three kids are in bed, fast asleep. I've managed to avoid talking, and even seeing Ryder the rest of the day, but now I had to deal with his attitude. I slip out of my dress and into something comfortable before going to seek out the argument.

I knock on his door before entering. He's sitting at his desk with his big headphone's talking into a mic that is connected to the ear piece. He's playing some killing game on one of his gaming consoles. Once he notices me, he mutters a couple words before saving and turning off the television completely.

"Can I come in?"

"Well your already in, so why not?" Ryder says sarcastically. I give him a look, that look. "Sorry, yeah."

He sits on his bed and I take a seat beside him. "I don't appreciate being called a bitch and especially a whore."

"Sorry," He grumbles. I have a feeling that he really doesn't mean it, but I don't press much.

"Why were you so mean to Wesley?"

"Some of the guys on the football team were saying stuff about you before the game and it made me made. I didn't mean to take it out of Wes, just on you."

"What were they saying about me?" I rack my brain to try and find if I've ever actually met any of the boys from the team, so far, none.

"This guy named Austin has a brother named Corey, he's twenty and a complete tool. But anyways, he used to be on the team so he was all standing with us before practice when Austin brought up how you and Corey know each other from high school," He looks at me.

I was the worse version of myself in high school, I don't remember my freshman and sophomore. "Corey Meyers?"

"Yeah. I told him that you were my nanny, and he thought that was so funny because you were the high school slut you went through a lot of guys. Corey said that you still do it, have guys are your little play things. But Corey has it the other way around, that's why I was mad. You don't use guys, guys use you. That's why you're sad all the time."

I stay quiet as I process the information Ryder just gave me. The reason he was so rude to Wesley was because he thought that Wesley was just going to end up using me, when in fact Corey Meyer was right, I still use guys. They are nothing but a warm body to lay with at night.

"Don't listen to your friends, or friends brothers. Wesley is a good guy, he's not using me, for anything. I promise. Give him a chance, okay?" I hate lying to Ryder, but I've been such a positive role model to him, I couldn't tell him who I really was now.

"So you're going to see him again?" He asks.

"Most likely, now go to bed. Love you," I kiss the top of his head as I get from from his bed.

"Love you too, night."

I switch off his light and close the door behind me. I've worked so hard to keep business and pleasure separate, but in just one day my family meets Wesley. I know about his job, some parts of his family, what he likes. That is information that doesn't normally get shared in between the sheets. And finally Ryder's friends think I am a whore, making him look bad. I didn't think I was a whore, I just don't wear my heart on my sleeve like the average twenty-one year old. My heart wouldn't survive if I gave it to any random guy who has caught my eye. I don't work like that, I like to stay unattached, no strings. Nothing.