Amorist

Chapter 3

I woke up with my head pounding wait-

"How did I even sleep? I checked my surroundings, I was not in my bedroom, I was in the living room, and the TV was still on. And then I realized, oh shit, my parents aren't home. It's just me and my sister. I ran upstairs to her room, but she wasn't there. I immediately searched my phone and gave her a call.

'Hey, Serena, where are you?' I said as soon as she picked up the call.

'Haven't you checked the time yet? It's past 10 am. I am obviously at college. And why aren't you at school?' she said, least interested in my life.

Shit, it was already past 10. I mean, I could still go to school, but my head was killing me. So, I decided I would just stay home for today.

'No, I'm staying at home. Not feeling well at the moment,' I replied. But then I realised she had already hung up the phone."

I realized that I literally had nothing to do, but at the same time, I could use a day off to just be lazy for once. I'm so tired of being productive, and it wouldn't hurt to take a day off, so I decided to simply chill.

I kept scrolling through Instagram, and I came across Ryan's favourite series edit, so I decided to send it to him. Then, I continued scrolling, and I got hungry. I realized that I hadn't eaten breakfast, so I checked the fridge, but there was literally nothing I liked or wanted to eat at the moment. I decided to order some soup because I was craving it, and I didn't know how to make it. I'm horrible at cooking, but on the other hand, my sister is a great cook.

I decided to play some songs and just scream my throat out. So, I went to grab my phone, and I saw a notification from Ryan, but I thought I was hallucinating because it's class hours, and we're not supposed to use our phones. Either he skipped the class or he's at home, so I decided to call him to ask. Within a second, Ryan picked up my call.

"Hello, darling," said Ryan, and his voice was still husky. It sounded like he just woke up from sleeping, and it made me want to crawl under my bed and replay it over and over again.

"Hi, Ryan. Why aren't you at school?" I replied, keeping it cool.

"I wasn't feeling like it. What about you? You never miss school, and you didn't pick up my calls last night, which is so unlike you because you're always up," he said. I scrolled through my call log and saw that I had seven missed calls from Ryan. Damn. 

My heart sank as I realised the gravity of the situation. Ryan was always so reliable, and so dependable. If he was worried enough to call me seven times in one night, something must have been seriously wrong.

I scrolled through my call log, my fingers trembling with anticipation. The screen flickered to life, and my worst fears were confirmed: seven missed calls from Ryan. Damn.

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I tried to make sense of it all. What could have happened to make Ryan act so out of character? Was he in trouble? Hurt? Lost?

I took a deep breath and composed myself. Whatever was happening, I knew I had to be there for Ryan. He had always been there for me, in good times and bad. Now, it was my turn to repay the favour.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep while watching TV. My parents weren't home, so there was no one to wake me up. You know my sister doesn't care about anyone except herself," I explained.

"And her boyfriend," Ryan added jokingly.

"Yeah, and her boyfriend," I said, smiling. For a moment, I felt relieved. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. Maybe he was just bored yesterday.

"Riley, can I talk to you about something?" Ryan asked.

"I'm here for you," I responded sincerely, ready to listen to Ryan as he had always been there for me. He was my rock, the one person I could always count on to be there through thick and thin. He had a certain charm and handsomeness that drew people to him, but it was his kindness and compassion that captivated my heart.

As we talked, I could feel my heart racing when Ryan mentioned being madly in love with someone. My mind started racing with possibilities. Could it be me? I had always secretly hoped that he would feel the same way about me as I did about him.

But before I could even ask, Ryan interrupted, "Nah, I'm just kidding. You know me, I don't do all that love thing."

My heart sank, and I felt like the world had come crashing down around me. I had let myself hope for just a moment, and now I was left with nothing but heartbreak. I couldn't bear the pain, and I knew I had to end the call before Ryan could see my tears.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, but I have to go," I said, my voice trembling. "We can talk later."

I hung up the phone, feeling completely devastated. The weight of my unrequited love felt too heavy to bear, and I found myself wondering how I would ever move on.

was I completely overreacting and being dramatic? probably yes, but I am also a teenage girl whose emotions are all over the place right now