Chapter 13 Picking on me
Uriel's POV
I was so mad at Ryder.
Embarrassed that he had to see me in such state, being tossed around like I meant nothing to my family.
"You've been doodling absent mindedly for a while. A penny for your thought?" Someone said over my shoulder, making me yelp.
"God, Chase." I placed my hand on my chest.
What was he doing here?
Why was he talking to me?
"Sorry." He chuckled lightly. My eyes scanned the class... It was empty. "Class already ended but somehow you stayed glued to your seat. It was weird."
"Shit."
"It's fine. It's break anyway." He announced.
My friends were definitely waiting for me. None of them offered this class with me and it would be harder to find me since my phone wasn't still with me.
Chase picked up the pile of books on my desk. "Where to?" He asked.
"Oh goodness. Please drop them down. I can carry them myself." I tried to take it from him but he moved back, shaking his head.
What was this?
"I'll walk you to the cafeteria or the library. I'm seeing the library stamp on them."
"Yeah, students returned them to me in the hallway." Lazy fuckers. "I'll have to arrange them when I get there and sign out their names. That'll take almost all my break hour so cafeteria first."
"Got it!" Chase was the first to leave the class and then I followed behind.
Ryder paused his conversation with his friends, looking at Chase and I as we walked past them. His eyes was hard, his hand clenched as he glared at me and then at Chase.
"Ignore him." Chase whispered.
That was all I had been doing but somehow, I felt the need to explain myself to him.
When I turned again, he was gone. Only his friends were standing there, talking to each other.
I sighed.
Once the Cafeteria door opened, revealing Chase and I, everywhere went quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
My legs suddenly felt heavy to move. Chase looked at me, smiling softly.
"Don't mind them. Just keep going to your table." He told me calmly.
I nodded curtly, my facial expression hard as I walked to my table. My friends had their mouth hanging in the air...except Lance.
He looked pissed.
Chase dropped my book on the table, "Nice talking to you today, Uriel."
"Yeah. Thank you for your help." I forced a smile at him. I liked his help but I didn't exactly need it.
He waved at me, turning away. Then I heard him yell, "face your fucking food! There's nothing interesting to see."
Immediately everybody went back to their food and discussions. I sighed in relief, looking at my girlfriends.
"You're taking this final year thing serious. It's just Claire and I that are crawling." Kathie cried.
"I promise, it's not what it looks like." I sighed, taking my tray of food.
They always preordered mine. Lance though.
"Why would you even choose the bad guys." Lance spat. "It's like you just pull them to yourself."
I groaned. "You can say that again. It's draining."
"No, it's not. You're beginning to enjoy your high school, you know, finally live like a real high schooler. Don't jinx it." Claire spoke up.
"If I had two hot men flocking around me, I'd be elated!" Kathie nudged my shoulder.
"Then, please be me." I begged her.
"You make it sound so terrible." Claire chuckled.
"Because it is."
Kathie and Claire suddenly went extremely quiet when Mason and Peter entered inside the Cafeteria, joining the basketball team's table with a frown on their face.
They looked like that was the last place they wanted to be.
They never joined that table. Chase must have forced them to. Or probably coach.
I made a mental note to ask Ryder why he wasn't back on the team.
If I had the courage to talk to him again.
"Boy! I heard you and Ryder were fighting over Uriel at the library." Someone yelled, loud enough for every single person in the cafeteria to hear.
"Uh-oh." Kathie muttered.
I shut my eyes tight.
Truth was that I didn't even need my eyes to know that I was being stared at.
My skin itched me.
I was feeling too uncomfortable in my skin.
"I need to go." I told my friends who looked at me with sad faces. Lance clenched his fist, eyeing the guy that yelled.
At least one person was feeling my rage.
"What did they even see in her? She's not even that beautiful compared to her sister."
"She must be proud of herself. I bet she wanted this all along."
The more I heard, the more I wanted to scream.
My eyes stung, my chest heaving up and down.
Don't cry.
I chanted to myself, letting my leg and heart lead me to somewhere safe.
When I finally reached the rooftop, I let out soft pants, catching my breath.
"Stupid bunch of teenagers. What do you gain from picking up on me?" I questioned no one in particular.
I just wanted to let out my heart.
"You know how to announce your presence, don't you?" A voice suddenly said, startling me.
I turned around to see Ryder leaning on the wall with his arms folded. A burning cigarette hung loosely on his lips.
Irritated by the sight of him smoking, I marched up to him, pulling the cigarette right out of his lip, crushing it on the ground.
"You did not just -"
"I don't breath well in smoke." I shrugged, looking at him.
He wasn't supposed to look beautiful when he was mad but he was.
Ew!
He wasn't beautiful. That was a slip of the tongue.
What was wrong with me?
"Then stay the fuck away from smoke. Here's restricted anyway, why are you here?" He frowned, tucking his hand in his pocket.
He took a step forward but this time, I don't move. I straightened my spine instead, folding my arms.
"You're also a student like me, in a restricted area. So, why are you here too?"
He halted in his step, a soft scoff leaving his lips after few seconds.
"I am no goody two shoes. I don't follow rules." He frowned, eyeing me.
If anything, I think I was glad that he still acted this way with me.
I thought after yesterday, he was going to act all soft and pitiful with me. I dreaded that.
But having him like this?
It made me feel ... Good.
"Neither am I a goody two shoe." I told him, quite offended.
He snorted, turning away to sit on an abandoned desk.
I should've just left, but I couldn't.
It wasn't because of him. It was the environment.
"So... you could use my company." I took a seat on another abandoned desk.
"I'm not listening to a shit you say. Not after you tossed my shit and crushed it on the floor." He averted his gaze elsewhere.
"Smoking is bad for your organs!" I scolded, annoyed.
"Like you fucking care. You don't even like me." He turned to face me, locking his eyes with mine.
"D.. doesn't mean that I shouldn't wish you well." I fucking stuttered.
"We're not friends. Only friends wish each other well." He frowned, turning away.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. Then I continued to question him. "So why are you not in the cafeteria, on the basketball team's table?"
He ignored me, flicking his lighter with so much interest.
I called him twice but he wouldn't respond. Sighing, I walked up to him, placing my hand on the lighter.
"I'm talking to you, Ryder." I looked into his eyes, bringing his hand down.
He froze for a while. Then his chest began to heave up and down rapidly, his nose flaring. He looked mad but somehow it didn't scare me.
He pulled his hand away harshly. "Then take the fucking hint, Kennedy."
"I was just trying to make a conversation." I took a step backward.
"If you're so bored then go downstairs and talk to Chase." He spat, brushing his shoulder past me.
"Chase?" My eyebrow knitted in confusion. Oh! "Chase was just helping me carry my books."
He turned to face me, his eyes hard. "I don't fucking care."
Of course.
He walked up to me, his eyes trained on me. Instinctively, I sat down on the desk, sucking my breath in when he placed one hand beside my thigh.
His eyes trailed down my body as he leaned forward, making me move backward.
"Scared?" He whispered, his thumb grazing the side of my thigh. "Don't worry, I'm just taking this."
He pulled a brown puffed pack in my face. Then he pressed it to my chest, making my eyes widen.
I was a girl for goodness sake!
I possess breast. How was I going to tell him this in a subtle way?
He moved away swiftly, turning his back on me. "Don't come back here again, Kennedy."
"W..why?"
He held the door knob, his eyes slowly trailing my body. "Because I said so."
He pulled the door open, "and I really don't know what part of 'stay in your fucking lane' you don't understand, Kennedy."
I opened my mouth to counterattack him when he spoke again.
"You can eat that. It's safe." Then he smirked, "you need it more for your chest."
My mouth fell open, a scoff leaving my lips.
"Imbecile!" I screamed, hoping he'd hear me.