Four Doors Down (13 page)

S
chool’s over for the day and I’m shoving my books into my locker before meeting up with Paige and Sara, two girls in my history class who I eat lunch with. We’ve been assigned to work together on a history project on the German Holocaust, and we’re supposed to go through the work and figure out the best way to do it. I slam my locker shut and nearly jump out of my skin when I see Mason Blackwell leaning against the locker next to mine looking at me. I didn’t know he was there and he grins at my reaction.

“Scare you?”

I shrug and my eyes dart past him to his friend John, who’s also on the football team, standing next to him. Both of them are pretty tight with Jake and Ryan, but I don’t think I’ve ever spoken more than a couple of words to them before I saw them at Ryan’s house for his grandma’s wake. Mason and John went to my middle school and were some of the new friends Ryan ditched me for. I shift uncomfortably, unsure why they’re both looking at me. Surely they’re not here to speak to me? Usually, I’d only cross paths with them if they were with Jake, or even if they’re with Ryan when he’s trying to irritate me, but there’s no sign of either of them right now. In fact, the more I think about it, I realize I’ve seen a lot more of them recently, especially Mason. He’s always saying hi to me and dropping into step with me when he sees me in the halls. He acts like we’re friends or something, like he knows me. Reluctantly, I’m having to concede that he seems quite cool.

“So what happened to you on Saturday?” Mason asks.

“Saturday?”

“Yeah, when we turned up at Jackson’s you were there, but then you disappeared.”

Oh right. I feel my face warm slightly. How embarrassing that they actually think I was at Ryan’s house out of choice. And that he’d want me there.

“I had plans. I was only there looking for Jay.”

“That’s a shame. You should have stayed. Jackson was in a shitty mood all afternoon after you left. What did you say to him, anyway?”

“Nothing,” I say defensively. “He’s probably just annoyed that he got stuck with Jay when he was trying to get laid or something.”

A lazy grin crosses Mason’s face. “Nah, Ryan doesn’t care about getting laid, at least not by anyone who was at his house on Saturday. And he loves Jay, we all do.”

“You guys all know my cousin?” I ask surprised. How did I not know this? Honestly, no one tells me anything.

John nods. “Yeah, we’ve seen him over at Ryan’s a bunch of times. He’s a good kid.”

I screw my face up at that. “He’s kind of annoying.”

John laughs. “He’s got a lot of energy.”

I snort. “That’s one way of putting it.” I pick up my bag off the floor and turn to walk away.

“Do you know where Jackson is?” Ah, so they are looking for Ryan. That makes sense then. I turn back to face them; they both have these weird smirks on their faces. I shake my head. Why would I know where Ryan is? He’s their friend, not mine. “No.”

“If you do see him, tell him we’re looking for him,” John tells me

“I won’t see him. We don’t talk. Just look for the biggest group of girls, he’s probably creeping on them.” They both grin back at my words and I turn and walk out the doors knowing I’m late meeting up with Paige and Sara.

I’m seated on the benches outside of school with Paige and Sara. We’ve been here for nearly half an hour but haven’t really got much done. They’re totally distracted and I keep having to repeat myself.

“Paige, does that sound okay to you?” I ask glancing up from the paper I’m scribbling the information I need on. She’s not even looking at me. I sigh in annoyance. I pushed back a date with Charlie for this and they’re not even listening to me. Her eyes are fixed behind me and I turn to see what they’re so focused on.

Yup, that’ll do it. What looks like most of the football team are on the grass behind us throwing around a ball. I roll my eyes when I notice half of them don’t have their shirts on. Trust them to play skins vs. shirts…another excuse to show off their bodies. Paige and Sally are not the only girls looking their way. When I glance around, I see more members of the female student population than were here when I sat down.

I turn back to the girls. “Seriously?”

They both send me sheepish looks and finally start to focus on what I’m saying and pitch in with ideas on how we’re going to get this done.

“Oh my God. They’re looking over here,” Sara whispers.

Paige’s eyes widen and she quickly glances over my shoulder. “Oh my God, they are!” She stills completely and I have to force myself not to sigh in annoyance. I’m pretty sure they’re not looking this way or if they are, it’s probably for a perfectly sensible reason. “Oh shit, they’re heading this way. They’re coming over here!”

Now I
do
roll my eyes. Why on earth would the school football team be coming over here? I’m pretty sure they’ve got better things to do than talk to three girls they think they’re socially above. They’re delusional. I thought they would be too sensible to get dragged into the whole popularity cliché at this school but nope, apparently not.

A second later I look up and Sally and Paige have gone completely still, eyes wide. Then a huge shadow crosses the table and I look up, and they’re right, what looks like the whole football team is surrounding us. Like completely surrounding the table. When I glance around at them, they’re all smirking in my direction, and I immediately start to feel uneasy. The last time I was this close to the team, Kevin Wilson was groping me, but a quick look around shows that he’s not in the group, which is a small relief.

“Hey, Becca,” Jake says grinning down at me. I’m sure my face isn’t exactly welcoming. He knows I hate this crowd. I have no idea why he’s brought them over here.

I glance at his bare torso. “I’m not talking to you, Edmondson, until you cover yourself up.”

He grins. “Finding it hard to control yourself, huh?” he teases before pulling his shirt out of his back pocket, wiping it across his sweaty forehead, then throwing it in my face.

Ewww! Gross.
I quickly yank it away from me while his friends chuckle. “You shit,” I tell him, but I can’t help smiling back at him. I can never stay annoyed at Jake for long.

“So, McKenzie, we need to talk to you,” John says sitting down next to Paige, who quickly moves away from him like she thinks he’s going to burn her something. I raise my eyebrows at him. Talking to me twice in the space of one afternoon? Pigs will start flying across the school next.

“What?” I ask suspiciously.

“Jackson’s bombing English.”

I narrow my eyes incredulously. Ryan may not be valedictorian material but he’s not dumb, and as far as I know he’s never had any problems in English. I glance around to see him but surprisingly he’s not with them. Jake notices me looking for him. “He’s talking with Coach.”

“He’s bombing English?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Well, if he fails English he can’t play on the team. And we need him if we’re gonna win state,” Jake tells me. I shake my head, still not knowing what this has to do with me. I genuinely couldn’t care less if they win state or not, and Jake knows this.

“So we were thinking,” John continues, “that since you have English together, you could tutor him.”

I laugh out loud at this. No. Absolutely not. No way. “No,” I tell them.

“Oh come on, McKenzie,” Mason pipes up. “We need you. The whole school needs you.”

I glance around and the whole team are staring at me with what I’m sure they think are puppy dog eyes. This is ridiculous. I don’t even tutor. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I hate having this many pairs of eyes on me. “I can’t.”

“He really needs your help.” This from Luke. I roll my eyes in his direction. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he helped me out at The Red Rhinos gig, but that doesn’t mean he can gang up on me now that he’s back with his friends.

“If he needs a tutor, go to student support. You know, where they have actual tutors.”

“But you guys are in the same class.”

“So are a ton of other kids.”

“It’d be easier if you do it.”

How on earth would it be easier? I have no idea.

“Look, I’m sure Ryan will have no trouble finding a tutor.” There are plenty of girls in this school who would gladly volunteer to have the chance to spend some alone time with Ryan. Maybe it’ll do him some good to spend some time with a tutor, someone with brains, rather than the girls he’s usually surrounded by.

“Yeah, but you live so close to him. It’d be easier,” Mason pipes up.

“There are these things now, called cars.”

Mason grins back at me. “You’re such a smartass, McKenzie.”

“Listen, Becca,” Jake says. “He’d never ask you himself, but you should do it. It’d be better if it’s someone he knows.”

I sigh in annoyance. Sure Ryan knows me…knows how to drive me crazy! It’s literally the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I have no desire whatsoever to tutor Ryan. “Ask Sam,” I say suddenly. I grin at my answer. This is perfect. “Sam’s in our class too and she can actually stand Ryan.”

Jake rolls his eyes, like I’m not getting it. I don’t see what his problem is. This is the perfect solution. Sam’s way more patient than me and actually better at English too.

“What’s going on?” I turn and see that Ryan’s joined the group, looking warily at his friends. No one says anything, they just smirk back at him. He looks at me quizzically.

I shrug. “Are you flunking English?”

“What? No!”

I turn to Jake with a raised eyebrow. “Well, maybe not flunking,” Jake concedes, “but you were saying you were having trouble with that latest assignment, right?”

Ryan looks confused. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Well, we were just getting McKenzie to tutor you and help you with it.”

Understanding sets in on Ryan’s face and he cocks an eyebrow at Jake before shaking his head in amusement. He turns back to me and scratches the back of his head, watching me with an amused smile. I feel like there’s a joke that I don’t understand. I’m hoping I’m not the punchline.

“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “I said no. You should ask Sam, she’ll do it.” I glance down at my phone as it starts ringing on the table next to me. It’s my aunt. I’m just deciding whether to ignore it, knowing it will probably be her asking me to watch Jay, when it stops ringing. I look back up at Jake and I’m surprised that they’re all still looking at me. “What?” I ask. My phone starts ringing again and this time, I go to answer it, but when I say hello, the line’s dead.

“You know it’s rude to answer your boyfriend’s calls when we’re talking to you,” Jake tells me irritably.

I roll my eyes. I don’t know why he’s being moody with me. He’s usually so laid back. “It was my aunt,” I tell him. “If it were Charlie, I would have answered right away.”

Jake shakes his head in annoyance at me. “Just agree to help Jackson with his assignment.”

I shake my head. “Sam will be better than me. Or you could help, couldn’t you, Paige?” I ask Paige, who is just staring at the boys in awe. She takes English with Henderson too, just a different period. She turns bright red when they all turn in her direction and looks at me in panic. I smirk and stand up.

“Becca, it’ll be easier if it’s you,” Jake tells me firmly. “You live on the same street.”

I sigh in annoyance. “Ryan, tell them,” I demand. “You and me alone together? We’d kill each other.”

I hear muted laughter ring out and Mason playfully shoves Ryan in the shoulder. “What do you think, Jackson? Think you can handle some one on one time with McKenzie? Just the two of you?”

Ryan starts to laugh and shoulders Mason back. “Idiot,” he mutters, but he’s smiling. I roll my eyes, feeling like there’s a conversation going on which I don’t really get. And truthfully? I don’t particularly care about whatever lame joke they’re playing on me.

“I’m out,” I tell them. I look over at Paige and Sara. “You guys need a ride?”

They scramble to their feet, throwing their books and folders together. I move to walk toward the parking lot, stopping at the end of the group and turning around, waiting for Paige and Sara. When they’ve got their stuff together, I take a step backward but unfortunately it’s just as a group of freshmen come running down the main pathway from school. They knock into me, making me lose my balance, sending my books flying and forcing me sideways. I’m just about to hit the ground when Ryan, who is standing closest to me, reaches out and firmly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into him, steadying my body against his and stopping me from falling.

We both seem to freeze, and I know I’ve gone bright red. This is the closest I’ve ever been to another boy from school. My whole body is being held against his and I can feel eyes on me. Ryan’s gone really still too, his cheeks look slightly flushed and he seems to have stopped breathing, which is weird since I’m the one who’s just been knocked over, not him.

“Um, thanks,” I mutter, detangling myself from his hold on me and taking a step away, ridiculously embarrassed to be the center of attention due to my own clumsiness. John passes me my books, which he’s picked up for me, and I take another step to the side, eager to get away from them all and this ridiculous feeling of being scrutinized. I quickly turn and walk away with Sara and Paige trailing behind me as the whole group bursts out into uncontrollable laughter behind us. I freeze and cringe in embarrassment. I don’t know what that was about, but it’s definitely some joke at my expense they seem to find hilarious. I’m surprised Jake’s letting them openly mock me, though. I turn around, but instead of seeing them all laughing at me as I expected, they’re all grinning and laughing at Ryan, who is playfully shoving them all away from him and shaking his head at whatever they’re saying to him and telling them to shut up. He turns and sees me looking back at him, and he almost looks shy when he catches my eye before he grabs Jake in a headlock and starts to wrestle with him.