Ryan Peterson
Our friends, who had been waiting for us in the cafeteria looked at us entering closely together with their calculative gaze as if they witnessed something unacceptable.
Amara parted from me to sit with her pals, while I walked up to mine, and sat down between Zoe and Owen, who had vacated the space for me by shifting to the other side. Initially, I hesitated before sitting right next to Zoe, but I couldn't practically stop being with her, so I gave in, however, I kept a notable distance from her.
"You have been hanging out with Amara a lot these days. What's up with you, genius boy?"
Illiana's comment had me shooting a warning glare at her, reminding her not to bring up what she saw the other night, but she skilfully reverted it with her wicked, teasing smile. Austin, who was seated next to her, grinned proudly at his girlfriend's comment on me.
I heard Zoe laugh next to me. "Short meetings here and there after class in school aren't considered as hanging out, Illiana. Be more realistic."
"I ain't talking about school, Zoe," Illiana replied, with her teasing gaze still on me. What was she playing at?
"Wh—What, Not school? Then where?" I did not look at Zoe when she questioned me.
"We saw them together at Koi fish park last night," Austin exclaimed, making me press my forehead with my fingers to dissolve the now-establishing headache because of their talk.
As if these love birds weren't enough, Owen too jumped into the silly conversation. "I too have been noticing them spending time together. Ryan's even playing agent to dissolve issues between Amara and me."
"Wow, you really are getting along with her, aren't you?" Zoe's surprised tone made me sigh. "Both of you always argued for the tiniest things. I wonder what changed all of a sudden."
That's it. I had had enough and decided to put a stop to their curiosity.
I cleared my throat before answering sternly, with finality in my voice.
Illiana and Austin grinned, while Zoe appeared shocked.
"Wow, Great," Zoe mumbled, then she slowly forced herself onto her feet. "Uh, I had to discuss some algebra problems with our math teacher. I'll get going. See you in class."
"I'll go with you, too." Owen stood up and marched out of the cafeteria with Zoe.
"What's with the tension between you and Zoe? We have been noticing it for quite some time now." Illiana questioned.
Sighing, I leaned on the table. "She wanted something from me that I couldn't offer to her," I mumbled, more like to myself. "It has certainly strained our friendship, I believe."
"Oh, poor Zoe." I heard Illiana mumble, making me wonder if she heard what I had said. Of course, she did. Girls hear everything unnecessary with fine detail except what they must, don't they?
"But she has got to understand and accept the fact that there can be nothing from your side. You belong to someone else; Amara, to be exact." She continued.
My eyes widened as I heard her comment. How did this girl formulate the meaning behind my words? Just what magical powers do girls have?
I chose not to utter a word and also not to look at them since they had this unique ability to read me.
"So, you two are finally a couple, huh?" Illiana teased, her smile knew no bounds.
I didn't want to make any statement since Amara wasn't ready to disclose, but I knew for a fact that they knew Amara and I was in a relationship. They had been shipping us in themselves for a long time now.
"Of course, they are, babe," Austin exclaimed. "Look he can't even take his eyes off her."
If Austin hadn't commented that, I wouldn't have realized I had been staring at Amara, who, I believe, was having some sort of comical conversation with her friends, considering how freely she was laughing.
"Now you understand why can't I take my eyes off of my girlfriend?"
I went back to the time when I had mocked him for not taking his eyes off his girlfriend and now I completely understood why.
Amara, who was busy with her friends spared a glance at me and flashed her beautiful smile, making me smile, too.
"Aww, they are super adorable, aren't they, Austin?" Illiana gushed.
Rolling my eyes, I stood up and flung my backpack over my shoulder, saying, "I'm outta here."
I did not forget to wave at Amara before I left the cafeteria. Just when I exited, I bumped into Zoe. She wasn't supposed to be here. Frowning, I muttered,
"What are you doing here, Zoe? You were meeting our math teacher, weren't you?"
"Uh, yes..." She pursed her lips, her gaze going everywhere but on me; also uneasiness flickered in her behavior.
"I was to meet him but I changed my mind."
"Uh...Ryan?" She mumbled reluctantly, her gaze shifted to her feet as she flapped her shoes on the floor.
"Umm, If you don't mind could you help me with algebra problems? I understand better when you help me."
"Sure, Zoe. You don't have to be hesitant. After all, I am always available for a friend in need. Let's head to the library, shall we?" I smiled.
In the library, I chose to sit across from her instead of sitting beside her on the bench, which she, I believe, did not like because her face turned glum seeing me sitting far away from her.
Nonetheless, we began studying, and in between, her hands time and again touched mine, making me pull them back abruptly. I was explaining to her one algebra problem for the third time that she failed to understand two times already when she quickly stood up from her seat, rounded the table, and plopped right next to me; her body sticking to me.
"I'm gonna sit next to you this will help me understand better." She uttered, sliding her notebook to me.
Uneasiness surged inside of me making me distance myself from her by shifting a little to the other side.
To this Zoe chuckled bitterly. "Wow, Ryan. You say we can go back to what we were but you don't make effort at all. You act like my touch burns you."
"Zoe..." I tried to reason out but she cut me off by standing up from her seat.
"No, don't say a word you do not mean. I know— I know I changed everything by trying to kiss you, by confessing my feelings for you. But after saying we could remain unchanged you push me away." Her voice trembled.
"Zoe, listen—" She interrupted me again.
"No, you listen to me. I am not blind not to notice your detached behavior towards me with Amara's improving bonding with you. I don't know what she has done to you, but I want my friend back. I want my Ryan back."
With that said, she hurriedly collected her belongings and fled out of the library, while I sat there rubbing the stress out of my eyes.
When she wouldn't listen to me, how could I tell her that it was her who still fixated on us being more than being friends even after I had multiple times clearly mentioned to her that I couldn't reciprocate her feelings? I could admit that frankly because Zoe had never been this touchy before that uneventful kiss incident at Joshua's party.
I had to accept that we could never be the same again, no matter how much I tried.
With a melancholy sigh, I stood up and lazily walked out of the library. Outside, I saw Tory leaning leisurely against the wall as if waiting for someone while flipping a basketball in his hands. Not wanting to further ruin my mood, I chose to ignore him and walked past him, however, he seemed to have some other plans.
"That's rude, nerdy. Hasn't anyone told you it's bad to ignore people waiting for you?" His irritating voice reached my ears, making me stop.
Letting out an annoying breath, I retreated my steps and faced him boldly. "What do you want, Tory?"
He detached himself from the wall and moved closer to me, his jaw set hard. "Well, since you want us to be straightforward... I want you to stay away from Amara."
"Excuse me?" It came out as a screech from me.
"You heard me." He let out arrogantly. "Listen, Ryan. You were merely a replacement for me while I was away from her because of, let's say, a minor mishap. Now I am back to her side so you back the fuck off."
I faced him squarely, glaring at him. "Who do you think you are to decide for me or her? And by the way, why are you so bothered with my link with Amara? What is it you can't get from her when I am around her?"
He let out odd, mocking laughter, staring at me as if he could read me inside out.
"Oh, c'mon, Ryan, don't act like you don't know what I want from her, after all, you want the same as I do, don't you?"
The impact of the shock I received after hearing what he had said could be seen on my face, however, I masked it before my face could reveal more of me.
He leaned forward while laughing arrogantly. "What, you seem shocked, Ryan. You thought I wouldn't notice? Well, I did and I wouldn't have you snatch her away from me. Go back to whatever you both were; fight with her, argue with her, but don't you dare go closer to her. I wouldn't allow that."
I couldn't help myself but laugh at his miserable plea to me to back off. Just what did he think of himself? I chose to keep my cool and not argue with him, however, I did not forget to confirm the charge he threw at me.
"I'd like to see you try doing that." Smirking, I walked past him with my head held high.
He had always challenged me for one thing or the other but I had never involved myself with him in any nonsensical act. But I wouldn't allow him to mess with me this time. Though I did not need to fight for Amara since she was already my girlfriend, I wouldn't let Tory have a chance to hit on her.
After school hours when I entered the parking lot the sourness in my mood intensified when I saw Tory and Amara having a chat alone while leaning against his motorcycle. Her other pals weren't anywhere near her.
Gritting my teeth, I marched over to them. "Amara, you haven't left yet?"
Her eyes glimmered as soon as she saw me and a cheerful smile stretched her lips, making Troy clench his jaw since she wasn't this joyful while talking with him before I appeared.
Amara straightened herself as she spoke, "My chauffeur fell ill, so I was gonna take a taxi back home. Tory and I were chatting before I left." She shrugged casually.
I nodded my head. "Oh, okay. Then, I'll drop you home, c'mon."
A wicked grin appeared on her lips as she crossed her arms. "That'd be great but do you remember the condition I had presented before you?"
She was so cunning. I knew she wouldn't let me drop her home if I wouldn't give in to her demand. And I certainly wouldn't let her stay with Tory. So, I gave in.
I huffed. "Alright, you can drive."
The squeal she let out almost had me go deaf. "Let's go then, what are we waiting for?"
She was about to bounce towards my motorcycle but Tory grabbed her arm. My gaze lingered over where he held her boiling my blood. I had been known for keeping my calm but Tory was deliberately making me lose it.
"Hey, I could drop you off, too." He suggested.
"Oh, umm, thank you, Tory, but that's Yamaha YZF-R3 we are talking about. I mean I could kill to drive that giant beast. Okay, not the real killing that would end me up in a prison for a lifetime, but you understand me, don't you?"
The passion in her voice and the excitement that radiated through her body to drive the motorcycle she had been prohibited to do soften my heart. One drive wouldn't hurt anybody, would it? Besides, I was there with her to pull her ears if she tried rash driving.
"You heard her, Tory. Let go of her." I muttered calmly, my hands clenched into fists inside my pant pockets.
He threw daggers at me with his eyes but released her from his hold. We were talking with our hard glares, which Amara noticed.
"Whoa, what's wrong with you two this time? Never mind. Let's not make a scene now, shall we? And you, Ryan, let's get going. See you tomorrow, Tory." She waved back at him as she pulled me with her to my motorcycle and Tory furiously stormed out of the parking lot.
"You look tensed, Ryan. What happened?" Amara gently caressed my face.
Grabbing her hand I kissed her palm and smiled. "Nothing happened. Now, drive before I change my mind."
Just when I said that Zoe walked past us, ignoring us, which made Amara question, "What happened to her? It's strange to see her ignoring you."
"She probably did not see us. C'mon, let's go." I muttered. What else could have I said?
It didn't take more than a few seconds for Amara to quickly start the motorcycle. I sat at the back and we drove off. However, I was so engrossed in my thoughts about Tory's intentions with my girlfriend that I didn't notice when Amara stopped the motorcycle by the road in a deserted area.
She forced me to get off the vehicle, took off her helmet, and hung it on the handle before crossing her arms.
"Something's wrong with you. I have been trying to make conversation with you but you wouldn't answer. Forget about answering me, you haven't been even listening to me. Tell me what happened. Is it related to Tory?"
Sighing, I closed the distance between us and cupped her face. "There's nothing you should worry about. We talked about universities in class for further studies and that's what running in my head, nothing else."
She smiled gently. "But you do not have to worry about it because we all know you are gonna join the best university out there."
A genuine grin appeared on my lips as she forcefully pulled the corner of my mouth with her fingers. "Yes, this is the smile I wanna see on you. Now, loosen up and kiss me."
"You love giving orders, don't you?" I laughed.
She shrugged. "Don't nag, okay? Simply say you do not wanna kiss m—"
I did not let her complete and pulled her by her neck for a passionate kiss. How could I deny having a chance to kiss her?
Her eyes gradually closed and she moaned as my tongue swirled against her. Her hands traveled up to my chest and fisted my t-shirt so she could pull me towards herself. Giddy knots spiraled within me as she dominated the kiss. Her blazing, feisty side was the one that made her stand out from others.
My hands gripped her waist to balance both of us as she aggressively pulled me towards her as if I would leave her unsatisfied. What she didn't know was that I would give my best to have her experience gratification, no matter what she demanded.
Just what had she done to me? We were literally making out at the side of the road and for the first time, I couldn't care less about people's opinions passing by us, watching us do the act.
We broke the kiss, heaving heavily as our foreheads pressed against each other.
"I have to give it to you, Amara. You're a real good kisser." I commented, making her face go a shade pink.
"You aren't bad either, Mr. Not-so-innocent Peterson."
Laughing, I bopped her nose. "You and your names for me. Good thing the Police aren't anywhere near us or we would be having a ticket by now for stopping here. Now, let's get going."
I dropped her home and then headed to mine. In the evening, when mom and dad got back from work, mom showed her unusual self. She stayed quiet—more like she avoided talking to me.
I couldn't bear her silent behavior toward me, so after dinner, I cornered her in the backyard where she was assessing the newly blossomed flowers.
"What are you doing here alone?" I questioned, standing behind her.
She didn't turn to look at me as she spoke, "Nothing, just wanted to have some me time."
"Oh. Do you want me to leave then?" I asked hesitantly. Honestly, I didn't want to leave her but if she desired to be alone then I wouldn't disturb her.
That made her finally turn and face me. "No, don't leave. Let's have a stroll together."
"You have been ignoring me," I muttered as we strolled on the front lawn, my gaze lowered to the ground.
"Me? No, I can't even think of ignoring you. I was just trying to keep my mouth shut around you because I'd ask about your secret girlfriend and you wouldn't answer as usual."
The childish tone she had in her voice made me laugh. "You're still fixated on that?"
She abruptly halted and held my hand stopping me from moving as well. Her eyes were wide. "Why wouldn't I? It's your girlfriend we are talking about here, buddy."
"Well, you'll have to wait to know her." I grinned.
She gasped out loud. "You mean, you confirm that you have a girlfriend? C'mon, tell me who's she. Do I know her? Can I meet her? I want to know her. I want to see if she is better than the girl I have in my mind for you?"
Now, it was my turn to get shocked. "You have a girl in your mind for me? Who?"
What had she been cooking in that smart mind of hers? And since when?
She waved her hand. "Don't bother asking. It doesn't matter now because you have already chosen one for you."
I patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, mom, I am sure you'll love my girlfriend."
"You already do" I wanted to add this further but I couldn't disclose everything to her yet.
She pouted, her eyes not shining as they usually did. "When do I get to meet her?" She asked hopefully.
I clicked my tongue. "Not anytime soon."
I laughed at her childish pout and dragged her inside the house before she could force me to spit out the details with her puppy dog look. "Let's go inside, I have to study."
When mom calmly went inside her room, dad came up to me.
"Your mother seems relaxed. Have you given the details she needed about your girl?" He chuckled.
"Not exactly, but enough to keep her relaxed." I laughed.
A satisfactory smile appeared on his lips. "Okay. Make sure to keep her updated now that you have confirmed her suspicion."
"She said she had some girl in her mind for me," I muttered. "I wonder who."
"Ah, don't get bothered by that. She's crazy and something or the other always keeps running through her mind. She wouldn't force anyone on you." He commented.
"You won't ask about my girlfriend?" I questioned.
He ruffled my hair, laughing. "As much as I wish to know the details as your mother does, I'd like you to take your time before you introduce her to us. Though I am sure we'd love the girl since your choice is exceptional. You chose Lauren to be your mom, didn't you?"
My chest became heavy and tears welled up in my eyes when he said that. I emotionally nodded my head. "I did."
Seeing me emotional, dad patted my back in a consoling manner. "We will always love you, Ryan, whatever choice you make."
"Thank you, dad." I hugged him before I went to my room.
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Ah, finally after so long. 🤗
I had to re-read the story to write the current chapter. I swear I had forgotten what I had written before. 😅
Things are going to spice up real soon.
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