“Okay. Are you guys together or not?” Kim asked.

Ryan grinned at me and I lifted all five of my fingers, reminding him that he owed me fifty bucks. Ryan shook his head at my gloating and then scanned the table. Everyone waited eagerly for the answer.

“Obviously,” he said as he rubbed my leg.

A broad smile spread across Kim’s face. “I knew it.”

Beth and Chad exchanged glances. I didn’t have to ask what was wrong because I already knew; she thought I was making a huge mistake.

“Well, that explains why you’ve been bailing on us every weekend,” Josh said.

“Why don’t we all go out Friday?” Ryan shrugged.

I shot a surprised look at him and he smiled. Jared’s birthday was Sunday and the only present I could give him was to spend the weekend alone.

“I have plans with my mom this weekend,” I explained.

Ryan reached out to rub my shoulder. “But not until Saturday, right, Babe? We can go to the pub Friday.”

I held my breath to keep from lashing out at him. I couldn’t blow our cover by refusing to go to the pub or it would look suspicious. Even worse, I couldn’t tear into him later because Jared would hear.

“So are you going?” Beth asked.

“It looks that way,” I said, trying not to glare at Ryan.

Leaving the Ratty, I noticed something was different. I had held my breath and braced myself for Jared to be outside the door, but Jared wasn’t in his usual spot. He wasn’t waiting for me at all. My eyes filled with tears. I had finally hurt him enough to push him away.

“What’s wrong, Nigh?” Ryan asked, touching my back.

I couldn’t speak. Jared had finally given in. I had won…and I had lost.

“Nina,” Beth said, bringing me under her wing like a mother hen. “Let’s go home.”

“Do you want me to come?” Ryan called after us.

“I’ve got her,” Beth waved him off as we continued walking.

As soon as Beth closed the door, her expression was morphed from sympathetic to incensed.

“Okay, you are going to tell me what’s going on, and you’re going to tell me now…or so help me, I’m going to call Cynthia!”

While I contemplated whether I would lie or tell the truth, Beth stomped her foot.

“Nina!”

“I’m fine.”

Beth narrowed her eyes. “I know you’re fine. Everyone knows you’re fine. But you’re not fine! And what are you doing with Ryan? You look ridiculous!”

My head jerked to meet her glare, acutely aware of the microphone in the vent. “We’ve been friends for months, Beth. I care about him, and he cares about me. We’re just trying to see where it goes.”