Four Doors Down(47)

“Will you major in art?”

I shrug. “I don’t know yet. My dad doesn’t want me to limit my options.” I chuckle. “I think he’s still living in hope that I’ll ace my exams and get into Harvard.”

Ryan grins at me.

“What about you?”” I ask. I turn over so that I’m on my front, leaning up on my elbows.

“I’m thinking I’ll stay in Cali. Well, probably.”

“Are you getting a football scholarship?”

He nods and rolls over onto his elbows too, matching my stance. “Yeah, I’ve had a couple of offers. Just need to decide where.”

“Why’d you pick football?” I ask him. I’ve wondered what made him pick football over basketball ever since my mom told me he was dropping it to focus on football when we went into junior year. “I never got it. You always preferred basketball.” He looks at me in surprise and then slowly a wide smile stretches across his mouth, lighting up his whole face. “What?” I ask. He shakes his head, but his smile doesn’t budge. “What?” I demand again.

He shrugs. “Nothing, it’s just, you spend your whole time acting like you don’t know me at all, like we weren’t inseparable for the first 12 years of our lives. . .it’s nice to know you’ve thought about me at least in passing over the last five years.”

Oh. I turn away and look back out at the ocean. I don’t know how to respond. He’s right, I do act like we don’t know each other, but that was always down to him thinking he was too good for me, at least that’s what I always thought. Lately, though, I’m not so sure.

“Sorry,” he says and I turn back to face him. He’s still looking at me. “I know you don’t like talking about before. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I picked football because I’m too short to make it in basketball.” I raise me eyebrows in disbelief, the dude’s six foot two. Hardly on the short side. “I’ve got more chance of making it in football.”

“Making it?” He’s letting me off the hook and I’m grateful. I’d much rather talk about football than drag up the past again. “Like as a professional?”

He shrugs. “Someone has to.”

My jaw gapes open. I’d heard he was good but still. “Like to the NFL?”

He laughs at the expression on my face. “You know I’m all state, right?”

“You know I don’t know what that means, right?”

He shakes his head, his eyes twinkling. “It means I do okay.”

Wow. I had no idea he was aiming so high. But then why would I? I lean toward him and nudge him with my shoulder, something that I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing only a couple of weeks ago but now feels totally natural. “Well, remember your old neighbor when you’re an NFL superstar.”

His eyes find mine and his gaze is so intense I daren’t look away. “You really think that’s all you are to me? My neighbor?” My mouth opens, but no words come out. He turns to look back out to the ocean. “I’m not likely to ever forget you, Becca.”

I clear my throat wondering how it went from relaxed and comfortable to awkward and tense in about two seconds flat.

“It’ll be weird, us not going to the same school, won’t it?” He says suddenly. His tone is lighter and I’m relieved he’s changing the subject. “I mean, we’ve been at the same school forever.”

I shrug. That’s true, we have always been at the same school since kindergarten, but it’s not as if we’re friendly anymore and talk to each other every day or anything. I wouldn’t say it would be weird.

“Are you nervous?” I ask.

He looks at me in surprise. “About college? No, why?”

“I dunno, you just, you know, have it all wrapped up at MacAllister. Everyone knows you, you can do whatever you want. I just thought you might be sad to leave it.”

“You think I can’t survive past high school?”

“Oh come on, Ryan. You know what I mean. You can do what you want at our school. All the guys have your back, you can get any girl you want.”

He looks out to sea. “Not any girl.”

I shrug. I’m not about to start feeding his ego. He knows the effect he has on the girls at school; he doesn’t need it clarified.

“You know that’s all bullshit, don’t you?” he asks suddenly.

“What?”

“Popularity or whatever it is that you mean.”

“Oh, I’m aware it’s bullshit, Ryan. It’s just the rest of the school that seems to care,” I say bitterly.

“I’ll miss a lot of the guys, but we’ll keep in touch, and I think Jake might end up in Cali too.”

“You mean you’ll still have to deal with Kevin Wilson next year?” I tease.

“Becca, I haven’t spoken to Kevin since that day he grabbed you. He’s an *.”

I look at him in surprise. I mean, I know he’s an ass, but I thought he and Ryan were friends. Now that I come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen them together recently, not that I pay that much attention, but he hasn’t been around my locker, or when I saw them at Sal’s.

I look around and notice a couple of college age guys looking over at Ryan. I’d seen them looking earlier too. I nod in their direction. “Do you know those guys?” I ask. “They keep looking over.”