Four Doors Down(25)
“You okay?”
I nod and offer Luke a small smile. “Yeah, thanks. I just…” I trail off. I don’t know what that was, I just know that I had to get out.
“It’s cool. My sister gets panic attacks. I know how scary it can be.”
I guess that’s what it was. A panic attack. I’ve only ever had one before and it was in a similar situation when I got separated from my mom on a busy street in LA when I was younger, but I’ve not had one since then.
I smile gratefully at Luke. He’s a really nice guy. He transferred to our school sophomore year and is in a ton of my classes, and we always got along really well. In fact, at one point I was pretty sure he was going to ask me out on a date. He definitely hinted at it, then he joined the football team and all but stopped talking to me. Ryan probably told him I was a social leper that should be ignored at all costs. Looking at him now he seems genuinely concerned and I’m reminded of what a nice guy he is. “Thanks, Luke.”
“You sure you’re okay? You looked pretty scared in there at one point. Want me to call someone for you?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“You sure? I could call Jackson for you? I’m sure he’d come right away.”
Jackson? Ryan Jackson? The only way he’d come would be to laugh at my freak out. I shake my head. “It’s fine. I’m with my boyfriend, but we got split up.”
Luke nods and grins at me. “Maybe best to stay near the back next time?”
I grin back. “Hell yes.” I reach into my purse and check my phone, expecting a message from Charlie wondering where I am, but there’s nothing. He’s clearly enjoying the band too much to notice I’m not there. There’s just a couple of messages from Sam asking where I am and I quickly fire off a text telling her my location. Luke keeps me company until she finds me with Chris in tow.
Sam and I spend the rest of the evening outside leaving the boys to enjoy the band inside. She feels the same as me; it’s way too busy and sweaty in there. We laugh at ourselves for thinking that we were cool enough to attend a rock gig and instead order wings and fries and wait for the boys who come out a couple of hours later, their faces shining with excitement and I realize tonight wasn’t such a washout after all. Charlie clearly loved the band, so that’s all that matters.
I plop down in my seat opposite Sam for lunch. We’ve sat at the same table for the full three years we’ve been at this school and it’s always the same crowd. No, we’re not the most popular and some of us could even be described as geeky, but I love my lunch crowd. It’s my favorite time of the day.
I glance down the table and see Erica already in full-on story mode. Erica cracks me up. She has the most active love life out of anyone I’ve ever met and somehow weird stuff always seems to happen to her. She lifts her hand in greeting at me but doesn’t even slow down the pace of her story. Seriously, she should be on stage. She takes a breath, pausing for dramatic effect, then literally freezes, her mouth gaping open slightly.
What’s happening? Everyone else has gone silent too. I turn around to see what’s happened, finding Ryan standing next to me. He’s wearing a tight white t-shirt, which shows off his tan, and when he lifts his backpack onto the table, you can actually see his muscles clenching. His hair’s all stuck up like he’s been running his hands through it and his eyes are glistening with amusement.
Okay, even I’ll admit he looks good today.
The cocky smile on his face tells me that he’s well aware it’s his presence that has caused the open mouths and silence. It’s pathetic but that’s the kind of power Ryan holds at this school. People pay attention to him and he doesn’t exactly swing by our table often.
“Ryan!”
I turn around and see Jessica Murphy at their usual table. She waves at him to hurry him up, one hand on her hip, clearly wondering what he’s doing over here. I turn back around. “You’re wanted.”
He shrugs, dismissing my comment. A smug grin appears on his face. Jake comes bounding over, grinning from ear to ear and throws his arm around Ryan’s shoulder. “Did you tell her yet?”
“Tell me what?” I’m starting to feel confused and a bit self-conscious. Why is everyone staring at him? It’s embarrassing. It’s only Ryan.
Ryan smirks, knowing he’s got my attention. “We skipped the first couple of periods this morning and swung by the mall.”
I roll my eyes. Why do I need to know this?
Ryan’s smirk turns into a genuine smile at my reaction. “Anyway, there’s a new store there. We went in and found something you might like.” He unzips his backpack slowly, fully aware he’s got an audience and pulls out a multipack of candy.
“HOLY SHIT!” I shout, and three tables nearby turn around to see what the commotion is. I grab at the bag. “Where did you find this?”
Ryan and Jake burst out laughing at my reaction, and I’m grinning like an idiot.
Okay, let me explain. My great-grandparents on my mother’s side were English. When I was little and they were still alive, we used to visit them and I would always come back with bags and bags of this candy. They’re called Refreshers, and it’s literally the best candy in the world. I got Ryan hooked on it too when we were kids. I was so obsessed with it I wrote to a bunch of different stores telling them it was the most delicious candy in the world and they should all stock it, but I never heard anything back, which made me furious. They don’t sell it anywhere around here and I haven’t had any in years.