But I force a smile and try harder. “Hey,” I tell another girl, seeing her Mary Janes. “We have the same shoes.” And I look down at mine, showing her.
She laughs, rolling her eyes. “Ew.”
“You guys,” another girl chides her friends, but they don’t stop laughing.
“What’s that?” Shannon points to the bulge in the pocket of my skirt.
My heart sinks a little. No one else in my class has an inhaler, and now it makes me even more different. “It’s just my inhaler,” I reply, speaking low. “I have allergies and asthma and stuff. It’s no big deal.”
I keep my eyes down, because I don’t want to see the looks they give each other. I twist my lips to the side, feeling tears creep up. Why can’t I be cool?
“So do you think Cory Schultz is cute?” Shannon speaks up.
I blink, my guard going up. “No,” I answer quickly.
Cory Shultz is in our class, and he’s really cute, but I don’t want anyone to know I think that.
“Well, I think he’s cute,” she says. “We all do. You got a problem with him?”
I look up, shaking my head. “No. I just…yeah, I guess he’s kind of cute.”
A girl behind Shannon breaks into laughter, and Shannon suddenly walks away, toward the basketball court.
My heart starts racing. She walks up to Cory and whispers something in his ear, and he turns to look at me, scrunching up his face in disgust.
No.
Everyone starts laughing, and I turn and run away, hearing behind me, “Ryen likes Cory. Ryen likes Cory.”
I start crying, tears streaming down my face and shaking with sobs. I run behind the wall of the building and hide myself as I break down.
“What’s wrong with you now?” my sister, who’s in fifth grade, asks as she charges over to my side. She must’ve seen me running away.
“Nothing,” I cry. “Just go.”
She growls under her breath, sounding mad at me. “Just find some friends, so I can play with mine, and Mom stops making me play with you. Can’t you do that?”
I cry harder as she storms away. She’s embarrassed by me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
I dry my tears and walk to my classroom. I’m sure my face is all red, but I can just hide behind my folders and put my head down on my desk.
I quietly step into the classroom, seeing a few students sitting at their desks who wanted to get work on their projects done, while Ms. Wilkens sits at her computer with her back to me. I slide into my desk and take out two folders, standing them up to make a fence around me. I put my head down and hide.
“Wanna help me?” a voice says.
I look to my right and see Delilah working on a piece of butcher paper on the floor. She holds out a marker, her fingernails dirty and her blonde bangs hanging in her eyes. She always stays in for recess. Unlike me, she stopped trying to fit in a long time ago.
I take the marker, coming down to the floor with her.
“Thanks,” I say, looking at her hand-drawn Eiffel Tower that’s almost as tall as me.
She smiles, and we begin working, coloring it in as the weight starts to lift from my chest.
She’s always nice. Why do I care so much what the other girls think? Why do I want to be friends with them?
I try to be nice, but it’s never good enough.
But they’re mean and everyone loves them.
Why is that?
I bend over in the shower stall, resting my hands on my knees and pushing the memory away. That’s not me anymore. I’m fine. I’ve got this. He pushed, they laughed, and I choked. I got complacent. I just have to push back next time. I’m good at that.
Or just ignore him. This was no big deal anyway. None of these people will be a big deal in a couple months.
Damn Twilight. How could he possibly have guessed that? I breathe in and out, my muscles finally relaxing. Masen Laurent is consistently a step ahead.
I slip the inhaler back into my pocket, shut off the water, and exit the stall, leaving the locker room. I’m late for Math, but I push forward and act like the episode in English never happened.
No one’s talking about it. No one’s texting about it. Masen Laurent is still far off anyone’s radar, and no one believes I’m the superficial brat he’s making me out to be.
Absolutely no one.
The rest of the school day passes mercilessly slow as I brave lunch and every single class, feeling like another shoe is going to drop at any second. But as soon as the final bell rings, I drop off my books at my locker and grab my duffel for cheer and swim, hurrying out of the school and to the side parking lot.
“Ryen?” I hear Lyla yell behind me.
But I just keep going. “I’ll be back!” I call over my shoulder.
She knows we have practice and is probably wondering why I’m leaving the school.
Making my way through the parking lot, seeing students piling into cars and hearing engines fire up, I scan the crowd for the new guy. I finally see him, stepping up to a black truck and not carrying a single thing. No books, no folders, nothing.
As I walk toward him, I notice a couple of guys greeting him while my friend Katelyn approaches him, coyly grazing her hand along the side of his truck and acting all shy and shit.
My hopes are dashed. He’s definitely on peoples’ radar.
I hesitate, watching her hug her books and talk, giggling at something she said, while he stares down at her, calm and cool, looking no friendlier than he did with me.
Why does that please me?
I guess it’s a relief to know that maybe I’m not special. He’s rude to everyone, except the guys who came up to him just a moment ago.
Or maybe I wouldn’t have liked seeing him smile at her and not at me or…
I take in a deep breath, growing impatient. I don’t want her to see me talking to him, but I need that notebook.
I walk over to them, tipping my chin up and nodding once at Katelyn. “I’ll see you at practice.”
She pauses, looking taken aback. I hold the strap of my duffel hanging on my shoulder and stare at her, waiting for her to leave.
She eventually gives a little eye roll and walks off, leaving us alone.
No doubt to tattle to Lyla.
I dig in the pocket of my bag, pulling out the locket and handing it to him.
He takes the necklace, almost gently, and stares at it for a moment before stuffing it into his pocket. He raises his eyes to me, and something gives. For a split-second I see something different. Like he’s…disappointed or something.
“Now give me the book,” I demand.
“Sorry,” he says, holding my eyes. “I’m afraid I don’t have it.”
“Don’t piss me off,” I growl in a hushed tone. “I got what you wanted.”
“What I want…” He laughs quietly to himself as if there’s something I don’t understand.
He opens the driver’s side door and climbs into his truck. But before he can close the door, I reach out and grab it.
“We had a deal.”
He nods. “We did. But right now I’d love nothing better than to piss you off.” And he yanks the door out of my hand, slamming it shut.
Starting it up, he steps on the gas, and I run my hand through my hair, despair curling its way through me. But I hesitate only a moment before I drop my bag and race up to him, jumping up on the cab step.
“You asshole,” I bite out, and he slams on the brakes and glares at me.
I’m probably attracting attention, but I’m not taking any more of his shit.
“Get off the truck.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know who you are or where you come from,” I snarl, “but I don’t get pushed around. In case you haven’t heard.”
He jerks his chin, indicating something behind me as he smiles. “I guess we’ll see.”
I turn and see Lyla and Katelyn sitting on the ledge at the top of the steps, watching us. Great. How am I going to explain this?
“Watch out. You’re being judged,” Masen taunts. “Don’t choke.”
I step down from the cab, and he puts the truck in gear again. But before he can take off, I call out, “You’re living in an abandoned theme park.”
He stops the car again and lifts his chin. I stroll up to his window, feeling a bit of my power return as I give him a small smile.