Chapter 5 An Explanation
Gracie
Lunchtime is approaching. My morning has been interesting. Ryland is an instant hit with the girls, not so much with the guys. Some of the guys have been assholes to him and not very welcoming. Ryland never backed down from any of them. He stood his ground, and when they realised that, they all backed off like the cowards they really are.
“Are you joining us for lunch, Ryland?” Lola asks as the last couple of minutes of class come around.
Why would she do that? I hoped he would have lunch with someone else. It isn’t like he is lacking offers. I need a break from him, even for a little while. I can’t handle his charm, wit and flirting for much longer.
“Yes, if that is okay,” he replies, flashing his best smile at her, “Is that okay with you, brown eyes?” he asks, looking over at me.
I can’t say no, that would be rude of me. I smile and nod. It looks like he is joining my friends and me for lunch. All I can think of at this precise moment is how glad I will be when the day comes to an end. I don’t know what it is about him. He is getting to me. He gets under my skin way too easily. He is driving me crazy, and he has no idea how much. I wish he would stop calling me brown eyes. My name is Gracie, not brown eyes!
The second the bells ring, everyone piles out. I sigh, taking my time. A part of me hopes that if I take long enough, he will get annoyed and find someone else, but of course, he doesn’t. He waits for me, telling Lola and Brooke to head to the lunch hall to get us a table. I glance at my friends, pleading them with my eyes not to leave me with him. They don’t listen. They smirk and saunter off, leaving me alone with him.
“Come on. What is taking so long?” Ryland asks.
“I am coming.” I groan, not trying to hide annoyance from him.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you don’t want me to join you for lunch. Why is that?”
The same smug look appears, the one I have seen too many times today. It is starting to piss me off. I don’t condone violence, but I find myself wanting to slap his stupid, handsome face.
“What gives you that impression?” Sarcasm drips from every word.
“Come on now, Gracie, don’t be like that. Admit it, no matter how much I annoy you, you are enjoying having me around. It brings some excitement to your usual dull life.” He chuckles.
I toss my hands in the air, groaning in frustration, before I storm out of the class. I am acting childish. I don’t mean to, but I can’t deal with having him around. Why can’t he find some other girls to annoy for the rest of the day? I am sure they would enjoy it more than I. It isn’t that I don’t like him. It is more than he gets kicks out of annoying me. I turn into a pathetic, nervous wreck around him. It is embarrassing.
Ryland catches up with me. “I am sorry. I promise to behave for the rest of the day.”
“Somehow, I don’t believe that,” I say, snickering when I do.
“You are probably right. I don’t know how to behave.”
I laugh again and roll my eyes. At least he is honest. I will give him that.
“I am curious, how did you know my name?”
I have been with him since this morning, but haven’t gotten around to asking him. I still want to know how he knows.
“Let’s just say that last night isn’t the first time I have seen you. I have seen you a couple of times. You have seen me, though. I know your name because I heard one of your friends say it.” He volunteers a better explanation.
At least now I know that he isn’t some crazy stalker. I have not seen him since last night, which is strange. He saw me, but I didn’t see him, yet the first time I officially saw him, he drew me in instantly. I must not have been paying too much attention to my surroundings on those days, or I would have noticed him.
“And there I was thinking you were some crazy stalker.”
Ryland wriggles his brows at me. “I still could be.”
“Try it, and I will kick you where it hurts,” I warn.
Ryland lets out a loud laugh. It is beautiful. He has such a beautiful, unique laugh. I can’t blame people for being drawn to him. Ryland slips his arms around my shoulders and pulls me close to him.
“With you around, maybe this school will not be as bad as I imagined.” He smiles.
There are eyes on us as we walk towards the lunch hall. Everyone is wondering why the new sexy bad boy has his arm around little old me. I ignore the stares and keep my head down. I want to hide my red cheeks. My gut tells me that Ryland will not leave me alone any time soon. At least I only need to see him at school, not anywhere else.
I stifle out a laugh. “If you say so.”
He nods. “I do.”
Senior year had gotten a little more interesting.