Page 18 of Loathing Ryan
“I think that might’ve been the best prank yet,” Todd said, sounding annoyingly gleeful. “I can’t believe you never thought of doing something like that before.
“I wish I had never thought of it. It’s a miracle they didn’t expel us or suspend our diplomas,” I grumbled.
“Oh yeah? What was your punishment?” Liam asked.
I rubbed at my sore jaw once more as we walked down the gravel road. “They’re calling our families. And I have to partner up with Izabel for the rest of the activities over the next few weeks.”
“Could be worse,” Liam said.
“Yeah, except she wants tomurderme,”I snapped, though I knew he was right.
My friend gave me a blank look and voiced the thoughts running through my mind, “Well, it’s not like you don’t deserve it.”
I wished I would have been strong enough to take her rejection and walk away rather than resorting to hurting her back.
Still, the way her eyes teared up after our tussle stayed present in the back of my mind. I had made hercry. That wasn’t at all what I was going for. And I felt shitty about it. Really, really shitty.
“Whatever. What movie are they even playing at this thing?”
“I think it’s some superhero movie,” Todd said with a shrug. “But I’m just interested in the popcorn. They always have the best popcorn.”
I grumbled under my breath again as we made our way to the big field. Already, most of our classmates were set up on the grass with lawn chairs and blankets. Surprisingly, the Bennett and Hawthorne classes were fairly intermingled throughout the field. Groups of students were clustered here and there, laughing and stuffing their faces with popcorn.
Todd, Liam, and I made our way closer to the front, but over to one side. We, of course, had to stop at the refreshment table to get Todd his popcorn. Begrudgingly, I grabbed a bag, too, and an ice-cold soda. Liam had been looking around for his girlfriend, and finally, he spotted her.
As we walked closer to Juliet and Izabel, I found myself growing wary. When was the last time I ever felt unconfident about talking to a girl? Probably never.
But Izabel was now a different story.
This girl had me twisted up in knots ever since she stepped off the bus this year. I had no clue why, all of a sudden, I was itching for her to grace me with her attention—good or bad, though I always seemed to veer toward the bad. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed that I blundered when it came to talking with her, making everything so much worse.
Juliet stood up, planting a big kiss on Liam’s lips as soon as he was within reaching distance. Todd made some side joke that had Juliet pulling away from her boyfriend to sock Todd in the arm. He laughed and cowered away from her.
I stood off to the sidelines, feeling Izabel’s hateful glare on me from where she was sitting a few feet away. I avoided eye contact as best as I could, trying to stay out of her way. I figured it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to give her some space this evening after what happened earlier.
After the headmasters had doled out their punishment, I couldn’t help myself from taunting her a little more—it was irresistible. But now, Izabel still looked like she wouldn’t hesitate to throttle me at the first chance, and I didn’t feel like experiencing her right hook twice.
“I think they’re going to start the movie soon,” Juliet said. She glanced at me, and then back to Liam quickly. “Are you guys sitting somewhere else or…?”
I laughed under my breath. I could take a hint. “Liam said he wanted to sit with you. Todd and I have a place across the field.”
“We do? But—” Todd began, but I nudged his shoulder.
“Yeah,remember?”
Todd gave me a look like he couldn’t believe what a pussy I was being, but I didn’t care. He could shove it. I could feel Izabel bristling already, though she didn’t say anything.
“You sure, man?” Liam asked. He looked at Juliet, but then gave me a sheepish shrug. “I can go sit with you guys.
“Nah.” I waved him off. “It’s fine. I’ll just slum it with Todd tonight. You have fun.”
“What the fuck, man?” Todd protested.
“It’s fine, shut up,” I said, risking another glance at Izabel. She was glaring daggers at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said to her, trying to sound upbeat, though I wanted to wince with the hateful expression she was giving me. “For the kayak trip.”
Izabel narrowed her eyes. “I swear, Ryan, if you pull any funny business, I’ll actually break your nose this time.”
I laughed uneasily and covered my tender nose. She was kidding, right? Maybe not.
