Tasting

78-Please, Accept My Apology.

Nora:

Ryker was waiting for us in the parking lot, and I felt nervous about joining him. I even worried he wouldn’t let me into his car. But, as I started to approach, I sa m open the passenger-side door without even glancing my way. His window was down, and his arm reached out, bent upwards to rest on the top of the car as he tapped it lightly.

“We’re all set,” Natalya announced from the backseat while I remained silent. Sitting with him felt strange since he didn’t even turn to acknowledge me.

“Did you enjoy teaching our class today?” Natalya leaned forward, poking her head out and addressing Ryker.

“Mm-hmm,” Ryker responded, seeming uninterested in conversation.

“Our team leader can’t stand us,” she remarked, eliciting a response from Ryker for the first time. He turned his face towards me briefly before looking ahead again.

“He doesn’t hate us,” I corrected her but didn’t elaborate on the fact that he had a problem with Natalya, not me.

“He does. I can’t forget how he was talking to you today,” she pointed out, catching Ryker’s attention even more.

“Brody? Did he say something to Nora?” his sudden interest -made Natalya glance my way before responding.

“Yeah,” she replied with a sad sigh.

“No! He didn’t,” I frowned, turning to face Natalya. I couldn’t tell if she genuinely thought Brody was rude to me or if she was downplaying her own role in the situation.

Brody only sounded harsh when talking about her. He didn’t have a problem with me in particular.

“I’ll have a word with him,” Ryker gru d.

“What will you tell him? He’s already upset with us for lying about the monster thing. I don’t know how he’ll react when you bring us up,” she continued, somehow making me feel guilty as well.

“Wait,” Ryker slowed the car to a halt on the side of the road and turned to look at Natalya. “He’s mad at Nora for it? Why?” Ryker asked, his voice laced with aggression.

At this point, I allowed her to speak because I wanted to understand if she had a valid reason for believing what she was. saying. I wanted to know her intentions behind this conversation.

“Remember, Nora also confirmed that she saw me transition and kill the monster? So, somehow, I think everyone believes she’s as guilty as I am,” she explained sadly, casting a glance at

me.

But her words made me turn to her dramatically, my mouth. agape. There was no way what she was saying was true.

“Huh?” Ryker hissed. “First of all, Nora never said that. And secondly, even if she did, she has nothing to do with this issue.

Nobody even remembers that she was there. As for guilt, you were guilty for lying, and you alone. Nora shouldn’t be brought up in this matter again,” he spoke aggressively, using his body language to emphasize his words to her.

Not only Natalya but I was also surprised. Although I was confused about Natalya’s actions, Ryker’s reaction improved my mood a bit.

“You’re right. I’ll tell everyone the s e thing,” Natalya added, making me side-eye her.

“You know what, we should have taken your team,” she sighed, folding her arms over her chest and sliding back, resting comfortably.

Ryker rolled his eyes and focused on starting the car, muttering under his breath, “You shouldn’t, but Nora should have.”

His comment made my skin crawl, but I remained silent for the rest of the car ride. Once we arrived home, I rushed upstairs with Natalya to confront her.

“What were you thinking?” I asked, throwing my bag on the couch and standing with my hands on my hips.

“What?” she shrugged, placing her bag in the corner and grabbing a dress to change into.

“The whole conversation in the car. You know Brody never accused me. Is that how you see the situation? Do you think I should have been equally blamed?” I scoffed, and she finally turned to face me.

“No! I only did it to provoke Ryker into talking to Brody so he

would treat us better,” she explained, holding her hands in front of her body, her head hanging low.

“Natalya, I understand you’re going through a tough time, but I don’t appreciate you playing games with my stepbrothers. Next time, I’ll speak up and expose your lies myself,” I warned her firmly, feeling like I had been treating her too gently and she was starting to take advantage of it.

“Okay, fine,” she sighed, leaving m

wonder if she had always

been like this or if this change was recent.

“I am just messing up these days. I am scared if I didn’t do anything to please everyone soon, I will be kicked out of the pack,” she expressed her fears and I knew even when she was wrong, being kicked out to live a life of a rogue when the monsters roam freely in the woods was scary.

“Go and freshen up for lunch. I’ll go talk to Ryker about the team. situation,” I told her before leaving the room to find Ryker.

I was sure he would be upset with my decision, and it turned out to be even worse than I expected. I had chosen Brody for Natalya’s sake, but he seemed to be the biggest antagonist against her.

Finally, I found Ryker in the kitchen, sitting on a stool with his body hunched over the table, a sandwich in his hand.

He raised his eyes to acknowledge me before lowering them. again, focusing on the phone in his hand.

“Ry–” Before I could even say his name, he cut me off.

“You disappointed me a lot today, Nora.”

“I wanted to pick your team,” I uttered, but my words felt dry in my mouth when he straightened his back and shoved his phone in his pocket, indicating he was ready to leave.

“But you didn’t. You chose Brody! he hissed, walking past me.

Feeling a pang of guilt, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He halted and even glanced down at my arm before meeting my gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I uttered.