Fridays are the best day of school. Aside from Mr. Gradstein , even the teachers don't demand too much out of class as they also look forward to the weekend. My next few classes passed by quickly and led straight to lunch. I walked with no hurry to the food truck outside and ordered myself a Caesar salad before heading to the open table I typically sit at. With Cat.
Since Cat wasn't here today, I was sitting by myself on the Asphalt Cafe. This was my first year at Hollywood Arts and school has only been in session for one month -- I haven't exactly made a lot of friends in that time. Cat saw me sitting alone in the back of Mr. Gradstein 's classroom, as I always do, on the first day of school. Rather than sitting anywhere else like a typical person would do, she sat right down next to me and asked for my name.
Immediately after we introduced ourselves, she went off on many conversational tangents that I couldn't always follow. She talked about her summer, her brother -- who I had decided needed some serious help -- her love for rainbows, her Nona who lives in Venice, and something about Christmas Beef. For other people, I could see how Cat could be overwhelming and maybe too weird to be associated with. But I could tell that she was unapologetically and authentically herself. By only spending a few minutes with her, I already had a good idea on who Cat Valentine was -- a ditzy red-head with a kind heart, an affinity for the arts, and a playful, girly aesthetic.
At this point, she already knew so much more about herself than I knew about myself. I looked down, past my diminished salad, and judged the clothes I was wearing. Nothing that I wore suggested anything other than I shop at the same clothing centers as every other teenage girl in the state of California. I might as well have walked out of an H&M magazine. Even my hair was perfectly ordinary -- a dull brown with no flair, unlike Cat's flaming locks. I was as bored with myself as I am in Mr. Gradstein 's screenwriting class.
A direct touch broke my train of thought. I felt a hand grab my shoulder with a little squeeze as the person controlling it slid into the bench next to me. He allowed his hand to then brush down the side of my arm before returning it to his own side. The feeling of it sent a small, exciting tingle down my spine. I had not expected Ryder of all people to want to join me for lunch, not that there was much time left of it anyway.
He bent his arm over the mesh table and rested his head on his hand. I took notice of how close he was to me. Our thighs were lightly touching each other, and I could smell the musk of his cologne. I looked up to his face for only a moment before I felt that I should glance in another direction. For only that split second, his eyes bore into mine and made me feel overpowered. My heart beat slightly harder at his close proximity. He must have noticed that I felt intimidated from his gaze since he chuckled before asking:
"What's a girl like you doing eating lunch by herself?" I kept my face turned towards his but looked at the food truck rather than directly in his eyes.
"Normally I eat with Cat, but she isn't here today. I don't mind eating alone," I said, truthfully.
"Hmm, she's the crazy redhead right?" I didn't want to respond to that, but thankfully he just continued talking, "I'm kinda glad she wasn't in class today since that means I get to be with you now," he booped my nose and my cheeks went rouge. "I'm thinking afternoon tomorrow, cool with you?"
"Umm, yes, yeah. That sounds good," I stammered.
He smiled, probably proud of himself for flustering me. Before standing up to leave my table, he squeezed my knee softly. I couldn't help but to let in a small, sharp inhale -- no doubt loud enough for him to hear. I felt like jelly all of a sudden and wondered how he had affected me so. He just chucked again and walked away as everyone else too started heading to their next classes.
Suddenly, I was okay with having to work with Ryder for an assignment. Better yet, I was looking forward to it.
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Jade Awakening
Fanfiction"So... acting is really about not acting. But instead about letting the emotions inside you come out and represent moments that deeply resonate with you.... I need to write that down!" An exploration of Jade West's backstory and the beginnings of B...
