Riley's Box

Part 43

At first, I wasn't sure whether Eric was going to actually answer my question, about what had happened between Whit and him, but he soon did.

 "I was depressed. The two of us had our differences. We're great friends but in a relationship sense, we drew apart. I couldn't do the whole relationship thing. I still don't think I can, if I'm being honest," he said. "Why am I even telling you this?" he asked and then audibly groaned. I felt tempted to chuckle at his frustration but I decided against it. His expression became more serious, then. 

"I respect that," I said. "You needed to take a timeout to focus on yourself." 

At my comment, Eric's eyebrows shot up. 

"Really? You don't think that I'm an awful human being?" he asked me. 

"No. Relationships are complicated," I said. 

How on Earth would I know? 

"Why? Been in many relationships yourself, Riley?" he asked me. 

I had almost been so thrown off by the question, and the fact that he could apparently see right through me, to notice that he had used my first name. That had to be one of the only times, if not the only time, that he had actually used my first name to refer to me. The bar was in Hell. I had always found that statement amusing. If there was a bar in Hell, I wondered what kind it was. If it was one that served alcohol, I wondered what sort of drinks it would serve up. 

I gave Eric a friendly smile. 

"No...but I can imagine that they would be," I said honestly. 

Eric gave a curt nod. Was he actually agreeing with me? 

"I just want to be a stronger person," he said. 

"You are a strong person, Eric. After all, you are the head boy. There's not a lot of people that could say that," I said. 

Well, given that he was the only head boy in the school, he was basically the only one who could say that. 

"I don't think it will take you too long to find a new relationship, when you're ready, of course. You're stylish, smart and strong," I said. 

Eric managed a small smile. 

"There's that word again," he said. 

"Indeed," I said. "I wouldn't call you it, if I didn't mean it, though," I affirmed. 

As Eric's dark eyes locked on my own, they seemed to warm slightly. It was a rare sight to see, but I was glad to see it, all the same. 

After class, Eric told me that he needed to get going to a student council meeting, but he had a little whole beforehand. 

"How does it feel?" I asked him. 

Something flickered in his gaze, before he spoke again. 

"How does what feel?" he asked me. 

"All the power...being head boy?" I asked. 

"Pretty damn good, actually," he grinned. "It can be good to boss people around," he said. 

"Even me?" I asked. "You can't tell me what to do," I said. 

At that statement, Eric took a step closer to my side, to avoid some scattered stationery in the hall. Someone had probably forgot to zip their backpack up properly again. 

"Is that so?" he asked me. There was something behind his voice. I wasn't sure what it was- playful humour, or a challenge. "I get it. I used to be pretty rebellious," he said. 

I mock-gasped. 

"No," I said. 

He turned to me and smiled. 

"It's true," he said. 

"I don't believe you," I replied. 

Something resembling disappointment flickered in Eric's eyes. 

"Well, you should," he said. "I used to chew gum all the time, ate in class, threw food at a girl I liked at the time." 

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch at that. 

"She transferred schools," he continued. "After that, I don't know. My dad got sick. He couldn't work anymore. It made me want to work harder." 

I could respect that, too. 

I felt my eyes flash with admiration and Eric simply smiled again. 

"You should smile more," I said. 

"Yeah?" he asked. 

"Definitely," I replied. 

"He's so hot! We should date him," Adina said. 

I wasn't sure where she got her 'we' from, but 'we' weren't about to do anything. 

Adina promptly cleared her throat. 

"What I mean to say is you. You should date him," she said. 

"What're you looking at?" Eric said. 

He was so close to me that it felt as though he had whispered something right into my ear. 

"Uh...lazy eye," I lied. 

Eric's forehead creased, but he didn't argue with me. 

"I wish I knew what you thought of me," I blurted. 

At that comment, Eric's eyes shone with surprise. 

"What?" he asked. 

"I mean...you're a mystery," I said. 

"All you need to do, if you want to find something out about me, is ask," he said. 

I nodded. Was that really all it would take? 

Unlike myself, Eric had never been the most approachable person in the school. People silently respected him, yes, but most people avoided talking to him, if they could help it. I didn't truly understand why, but I supposed that he had always been a little intimidating. 

After a beat of time, Eric answered what I had been wondering about. 

"I think you're a good person, Riley," he said. "At first, I wasn't sure about you...but you're okay." 

I felt my mouth curve into a smile. That meant a lot to me, especially coming from Eric. I hadn't expected him to be so nice. I supposed it was true what they said. You really couldn't judge a book by its front cover. 

"You're okay too," I said. "Anyway, you better get going to that student council meeting. I'm sure you have very necessary, very important matters to be getting on with." 

Eric smirked. 

"Indeed, I do," he said. "I'll see you around, Riley." 

I waved my hand and watched, as his tall silhouette walked away from me down the corridor.