Hairs rise on the back of my neck and my stomach drops. What a narrow-minded, childish thing to say. I’ve felt a weird need to stick up for Ryan ever since the first day of class when I saw him sitting on his own with his face in his notepad. He’s different, quiet and he does seem to only wear black but it’s just jeans and a tee. He looks normal; not that someone who chooses to dress differently isn’t normal, but he’s better than normal. He has brown wavy hair, thick and mussed into a just-got-out-of-bed style. His dark brown eyes are oval shaped, and his lashes frame them perfectly, giving him an intense gaze. He has full lips and a strong jaw, a lean athletic build and he’s easily six foot tall.
“And how did you come up with that assumption?” Ryan asks with honest curiosity, a grin on his face as he taps his pen on the table.
The jock laughs and points at him. “Look at you, always wearing black, never speaking or looking at anyone. You scream self-harmer.” He smirks, obviously proud of his observation.
“Wow, your assessment should be written in a psychology text book. Seems you have it all figured out. Or you could be a stupid fuck whose mentality is still stuck in high school.” Ryan shifts in his seat, leaning towards him, his tone confident. “I wear black because I happen to look good in black. I don’t look at people often because when I do, chicks think I want to fuck them and guys think I want to fight them. I don’t talk to people because it’s rare I find anyone worth engaging in conversation.”
I’m speechless and my eyes burn a hole in the side of Ryan’s face. I can’t look away. He’s always seemed withdrawn and yet here he is, confident and bold.
“Everything okay here?” Mr Walker asks, walking up behind the jock whose fists are now clenched so tight his knuckles have paled and his eyes are burning into Ryan’s.
“Everything is fine, Mr Walker, but I have to leave early today if that’s okay?” I politely ask, drawing his attention to me.
“That’s fine, Melody. I’ll email you any notes you might miss out on today.”
He turns and walks back to the front of class, quickly followed by the jock. I look to find Ryan’s intense gaze on me. I smile and his eyes scan my face.
“Hi,” he says, his voice deep, warm. I feel heat from the blush I know is tinting my cheeks.
“So, I’m worth engaging in conversation?” I raise an eyebrow.
One side of his mouth lifts into a half smile. “Well, I don’t think we can do this assignment without talking, so I’m taking a chance that you might just have something worth saying. I’m very interested to know what you’re passionate about, Melody.”
The heat from my blush sets fire to my skin. “I’m free Sunday if that works for you?” I tell him, packing my iPad into my bag. I drag my eyes from his, getting to my feet.
He pulls out his cell and hands it to me. “Add your number.”
I try to ignore the provocative picture of a woman naked and bound on her knees that is his screen saver but the image is graphic and not really something I expect to see as someone’s screensaver that they willing hand over for people to add their numbers too. Regardless I choose not to judge him for his choice of image, and add my number before slipping his phone back to him.
I make my away from the class room without looking back, even though I’m dying to know if he’s watching me.
The fresh summer air breezes over me, caressing my skin. The scent of fresh cut grass fires my senses, and memories flash of summers back home when I was a kid. My eyes are trained on my phone, sending a quick text to my mom to let her know I’m leaving soon and should be home by midnight, when I collide with a steel pillar, knocking me backwards to the ground. My bag drops from my shoulder and my phone flies in the direction of the bushes. I look up into the penetrating gaze of the steel pillar, who happens to be a guy. I can’t really make him out with the sun behind him but his brow furrows as he glares at me, telling me that colliding with him and me falling on my ass has inconvenienced him somehow.
He steps around me muttering, “idiot”, and not subtly. I don’t know what possesses me but I jump to my feet, raising and swinging my bag as I do. I lash it right at him, hitting his retreating body with a thud. He turns fast, grabbing the bag and yanking it forward with me still attached to the handle. I fly towards him, crashing full force into his chest and crumbling to the floor onto my already sore ass.
I glare up at the tank. “What is your problem you…you…” My brain abandons me as I stutter, sounding as if I don’t have the IQ to even be in college. “Fucking dick.” I grimace at my total lack of maturity, wittiness and language. I’m not one to swear. Fucking dick, I repeat in my head, chastising myself.