Jaz laughed but it was edged with bitterness. ‘Ha, like that would ever happen. You can’t turn a scullery maid into a Queen, and if by some miracle you can it would probably be just for a laugh.’
Ryan folded his arms. ‘Like that is it?’
‘Yeah, school sucks. Some kids just have no idea about the real world. They can’t live past their phones, flash clothes and status. I can’t wait to leave and do something with meaning, earn my own money and be self-sufficient.’ She leaned back in the chair, watching him. ‘What was it like for you? I s’pose you were popular.’
‘What makes you think I was popular?’ asked Ryan with a hint of a grin tugging on his lips.
‘Well…you know…’ she rolled her eyes. ‘Cos you’re alright lookin’ and all.’
Now he laughed outright. ‘Alright looking?’
Jaz threw up her hands. ‘Well Anna thinks you’re hot and you do turn heads wherever you go.’ She wasn’t ready to tell him she agreed with them.
He shook his head but a little blush crept up his neck. ‘I wouldn’t really know. I left school at fifteen.’
‘Really, how come?’
Ryan stared at the cream-coloured wall behind her as if it held a secret. ‘I joined up with the group I’m with now. They trained me and taught me things. But for the couple of years I was at high school, I don’t recall being popular. I was far more interested in sports than anything else. Training took up a lot of my time.’
Jaz sighed. ‘Yeah tell me about it, but I mean that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t give up my afternoons at The Ring for anything, it’s my place. And I like the fact that it’s here and not some fancy gym for the wealthy. It makes me feel like I’m living in the real world and not some fairyland.’
Ryan nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence. Their eyes met and held for a moment.
‘Well, I suppose I better go and work-out. Maybe one day, you and I can have a showdown like you did with Tick?’ he asked.
A wide grin spread along Jaz’s face. ‘That’d be great. You better go practise!’
‘Oh, you sound so confident.’
‘Maybe. Your muscles don’t scare me,’ she said rising out of the chair and put her hand on his biceps as if showing him she wasn’t afraid. ‘One thing I’ve learnt from the boys in the gym is never underestimate the little guy.’
Ryan’s eyes danced with playfulness. Jaz opened the door and put her hands on him and begun to push him back away from the office but his wrist held her attention. Something about his wrist tugged at her memory. ‘Oh, I just remembered something. Does it help to know that the guy in the black suit has a tattoo?’
Ryan’s eyes bulged. ‘Really? Where was it? What did it look like?’
Jaz held his arm and made a circle on his wrist with her finger. ‘It was right here, about this big.’
Reaching for a pen and a sheet of paper, Jaz set out trying to sketch the snake tattoo from memory. ‘That’s sort of it. But it was a bit smaller, like the size of a twenty-cent-piece.’ She held the sheet up to Ryan.
Ryan studied the page, then folded it in half. ‘You are awesome, Jaz. Did I mention that?’ He leant down and kissed her forehead before heading for the door. He paused with his hand on the doorframe. ‘Jaz, just to make it clear, you can’t tell anyone about what happened at the club or about my work. Okay?’
‘Yeah, sure.’ But Jaz was still shocked at the kiss he’d planted on her. How did they become so comfortable with each other in such a short time? Was it being in a dangerous position at the club, knowing some of his secrets, or just that they connected?
‘Thanks. I gotta deal with this. I’ll see you soon.’ And then he was gone. Meanwhile Jaz had a million more questions for Ryan rolling around in her head. Life was much more exciting with him. That much was true.
Chapter 9
Jaz felt her eyelids begin to drop, her chin resting on her palms with her elbows on the desk and Mrs Eckleston was droning on and on about some Greek god and the essay she wanted them to write. Yes, maybe she needed to be paying attention but Anna would have all the details. Besides, Mrs Eckleston’s plain, even tone was sending her to sleep like the drone of the jets on an aeroplane. Momentarily she let the force of gravity win and let her eyelids close. She felt her body relax into the darkness, as if she was alone in her comfy bed with the doona pulled up around her. Maybe she should snap out of it, as she’d hate to succumb to sleep and begin to drool or even worse, fall off her chair. But yesterday’s spar with Tick had worn her out. She had pushed hard, wanting to impress Ryan. Instantly his mysterious brown eyes flashed behind her lids. The gold flecks glowing as if he was laughing. She felt her own lips curl into a smile.