Chapter 7 A solution
Ryder's POV
I wasn't enjoying rumors.
Fuck, I hated rumors.
But then, I was used to all of it.
I mean, I heard once that I had fucked 90% of the girls in my school and 50% in our rival's school.
Oh and female teachers weren't an exemption. Exactly why I had good grades.
People refused to believe that you could both be smart and be a basketballer who trains actively.
"Fuck this shit!" I made my way upstairs, to the rooftop.
I needed a smoke.
An escape from all the drama that was happening in this boring school.
From the inner guilt that nagged at me for treating Uriel that way in the hallway.
Wasn't she happy to be accused of having a thing with a guy like me?
She was becoming famous.
Right... She was a different species.
These type of things didn't peak her interest.
I sighed, lighting the cigarette before taking a long drag. My nerves began to relax slowly as I puffed out clouds of smoke.
A soft sniffle made my spine straighten, my ears alert, trying to pick on the sound.
Nobody came to the rooftop.
It was a restricted area ever since a student attempted to jump off.
"You're fucking with me, ain't you?" I spoke to my cigarette, shaking my head before taking another drag
The sniffles became persistent and clear. Narrowing my eyes to the corner, I moved closer.
The person tried to muffle their sobs but failed miserably.
"Anyone there?" I called out, eyeing this particular spot warily.
Mind you, I wasn't scared but I had to thread cautiously.
Lunatics were everywhere in this world. Especially this school.
Wouldn't want someone to jump me and throw me off the rooftop.
The person placed their finger on the wall first. Their fingers were pretty small and ...feminine.
Of course. It just had to be a female.
I wasn't ready to comfort anyone
"Just go ahead with whatever -" my words got caught in my throat when my eyes landed on Uriel. Her eyes were red and puffed. Her hair scattered and her cheeks stained with tears.
She turned her back immediately, her hands going to wipe her eyes.
"Uriel?" I was still in a state of disbelief.
This was the first time I was seeing her cry and boy, that didn't feel good one bit.
My heart squeezed, my pulse beating rapidly.
I marched to her, spinning her around.
"Give me a name." My voice was hard as I stared down at her.
She shoved my hands away. "Oh please." She tried to walk away but I held her arms, pulling her back.
She was really light.
That was the only change I had noticed. She looked like she barely eat. She could cover it with all her baggy dresses but I could tell.
"You were crying." My hand moved up to her face, my thumb brushing her cheek. "Who made you cry?"
Her lips quivered, her eyes darting to the door. Her chest heaved up and down, shakily.
She was trying to suppress it.
My hand itched to pull her into a hug.
"You want a name?" She turned to look at me. "It's You." She poked my chest. "My life was going smoothly until you returned."
My heart broke. I let her hand go immediately, my eyes turning hard.
I made her cry?
"Don't blame me for your misfortune, Uriel. I'm warning you." I told her, tossing my cigarette on the ground, stepping on it.
She ran to block my way, pushing me backwards softly. "Why? Why didn't you tell them the truth?"
"I don't fucking owe anyone any explanation. You can't convince people to think the right thing so why bother yourself?" I gritted out, holding her hand tight.
"But you can try. You should've tried!" She struggled to pull her hand from my grip but she wasn't strong enough. "You were right."
I raised my eyebrow at her.
"I should stay away from you. I should've stayed away from you that day." She cried out, her voice holding pain.
"Yeah." My jaw ticked and then I let her hand go.
"Please Ryder. It's too much for me. I have a lot on my table and this type of attention isn't what I need. I - just help me." She held my hand, softly.
My hand curled around hers instinctively, my heart racing. She squeezed my hand lightly, causing something electrifying spike up my body.
I pulled my hand away, frowning at her. "Don't touch me."
She raised her eyebrow at me in confusion.
"I'd fix it... Just this once." I announced, turning my gaze to the door.
"For real?" She walked around to my face, her eyes lighting up in half excitement.
"Only because I hate that they think I'd stoop so low." Her eyes fluttered, her breath hitching.
Yeah, stay away from me.
"Okay."
"However, nothing goes for nothing, Kinky." I took a threatening step forward. She raised her eyebrow at me, taking a step backward until her back hit the wall.
She placed her hand on my chest, as if it create a space between us. Her eyes shyly looked up to my face and then snapped back to my chest.
"Can't look me in the eyes?" I teased, raising her face up by her chin.
Slowly, she raised her head up again, her eyes locking onto mine. "What's the catch, Ryder?"
The way my name rolled off her tongue - calm, slow.
Sensual.
I leaned down to her face, our lips inches away from touching. Her lips parted, her eyes widened in shock.
My fingers brushed against her lips, feeling it's smoothness. Her pupils shook, her throat bobbing up and down.
"Teach me..." I whispered, staring at her lips and then her eyes. "...to get A in Biology and after that, I want you to stay far away from me. So I don't ruin your perfect little life."
She smirked, tugging my shirt closer. Now, it was my turn for my breath to hitch. She raised her heels up, her lips touching my ears.
"Deal."
Then she patted my chest before walking past me. A hard scoff left my lips as I watched her retreating figure.
Well played.
Tucking my hand into my pocket, I strolled out of the rooftop, thinking of what just happened.
Uriel was something else.
"Hey Ryder!" Someone suddenly showed up in my face, making me frown.
Seeing Emma, my frown deepened.
For some reason, I just didn't like the girl.
"Yeah." I tried to sidestep her but she blocked my path, twirling her hair around her finger.
"You know, I have a solution on how to help you get out of this whole rumor thing." She placed her hand on my chest. It didn't even last a second there as I pushed it off.
"What are you offering?" I eyed her suspiciously.
She placed her hand on my shoulder, her chest pressed against mine. "You and I." She rubbed her hand on my chest. "Fake couples. Nobody has to know."
"Not even Uriel." Emma grazed her thumb on my cheek. "What do you say?"