Four Doors Down(30)

“What’s going on?” I turn and see that Ryan’s joined the group, looking warily at his friends. No one says anything, they just smirk back at him. He looks at me quizzically.

I shrug. “Are you flunking English?”

“What? No!”

I turn to Jake with a raised eyebrow. “Well, maybe not flunking,” Jake concedes, “but you were saying you were having trouble with that latest assignment, right?”

Ryan looks confused. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Well, we were just getting McKenzie to tutor you and help you with it.”

Understanding sets in on Ryan’s face and he cocks an eyebrow at Jake before shaking his head in amusement. He turns back to me and scratches the back of his head, watching me with an amused smile. I feel like there’s a joke that I don’t understand. I’m hoping I’m not the punchline.

“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “I said no. You should ask Sam, she’ll do it.” I glance down at my phone as it starts ringing on the table next to me. It’s my aunt. I’m just deciding whether to ignore it, knowing it will probably be her asking me to watch Jay, when it stops ringing. I look back up at Jake and I’m surprised that they’re all still looking at me. “What?” I ask. My phone starts ringing again and this time, I go to answer it, but when I say hello, the line’s dead.

“You know it’s rude to answer your boyfriend’s calls when we’re talking to you,” Jake tells me irritably.

I roll my eyes. I don’t know why he’s being moody with me. He’s usually so laid back. “It was my aunt,” I tell him. “If it were Charlie, I would have answered right away.”

Jake shakes his head in annoyance at me. “Just agree to help Jackson with his assignment.”

I shake my head. “Sam will be better than me. Or you could help, couldn’t you, Paige?” I ask Paige, who is just staring at the boys in awe. She takes English with Henderson too, just a different period. She turns bright red when they all turn in her direction and looks at me in panic. I smirk and stand up.

“Becca, it’ll be easier if it’s you,” Jake tells me firmly. “You live on the same street.”

I sigh in annoyance. “Ryan, tell them,” I demand. “You and me alone together? We’d kill each other.”

I hear muted laughter ring out and Mason playfully shoves Ryan in the shoulder. “What do you think, Jackson? Think you can handle some one on one time with McKenzie? Just the two of you?”

Ryan starts to laugh and shoulders Mason back. “Idiot,” he mutters, but he’s smiling. I roll my eyes, feeling like there’s a conversation going on which I don’t really get. And truthfully? I don’t particularly care about whatever lame joke they’re playing on me.

“I’m out,” I tell them. I look over at Paige and Sara. “You guys need a ride?”

They scramble to their feet, throwing their books and folders together. I move to walk toward the parking lot, stopping at the end of the group and turning around, waiting for Paige and Sara. When they’ve got their stuff together, I take a step backward but unfortunately it’s just as a group of freshmen come running down the main pathway from school. They knock into me, making me lose my balance, sending my books flying and forcing me sideways. I’m just about to hit the ground when Ryan, who is standing closest to me, reaches out and firmly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into him, steadying my body against his and stopping me from falling.

We both seem to freeze, and I know I’ve gone bright red. This is the closest I’ve ever been to another boy from school. My whole body is being held against his and I can feel eyes on me. Ryan’s gone really still too, his cheeks look slightly flushed and he seems to have stopped breathing, which is weird since I’m the one who’s just been knocked over, not him.

“Um, thanks,” I mutter, detangling myself from his hold on me and taking a step away, ridiculously embarrassed to be the center of attention due to my own clumsiness. John passes me my books, which he’s picked up for me, and I take another step to the side, eager to get away from them all and this ridiculous feeling of being scrutinized. I quickly turn and walk away with Sara and Paige trailing behind me as the whole group bursts out into uncontrollable laughter behind us. I freeze and cringe in embarrassment. I don’t know what that was about, but it’s definitely some joke at my expense they seem to find hilarious. I’m surprised Jake’s letting them openly mock me, though. I turn around, but instead of seeing them all laughing at me as I expected, they’re all grinning and laughing at Ryan, who is playfully shoving them all away from him and shaking his head at whatever they’re saying to him and telling them to shut up. He turns and sees me looking back at him, and he almost looks shy when he catches my eye before he grabs Jake in a headlock and starts to wrestle with him.

I shake my head and continue on to my car. Weird. That whole exchange, from when the team came over to when Ryan pulled me into him, was just weird.





“Are you hungry?” Charlie whispers in my ear.

I smile at his close proximity and shake my head. Content, that’s the word for the way I feel right now.

I haven’t been able to see Charlie for a week. Not since the evening Jay threw his disappearing act. He’s been so busy with the band and school that we haven’t had the chance to meet up. But now it’s Saturday lunchtime and I’m laying on a blanket in the local park under a massive oak tree with him next to me, and I’m so relaxed and happy to be with him.